Development Tourism: Island Garden City of Samal, Davao

There are many nooks and corners to see in the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao, aside from its pristine beaches.

The Penaplata cove & Davao City on the horizon; ctto:Daphne Marante

Kaye at Isla Reta, Talicud Island, Samal, Davao 

          Babu Santa Beach, Samal, Davao;  Models: RN, Princess Urduja, Sheryl Love & moi 

There is a botanical garden in Bandera, one of the highest points of the island which is still unseen by many tourists. Barangay Bandera is literally cool and can potentially be made the vegetable and fruit capital of the island city. And as well, there are bat caves in these parts, aside from the famous Monfort Bat Cave Sanctuary. 

Botanical garden in Barangay Bandera; ctto: Jennifer Cariaga

Samal Island as seen from Lanang, Davao City
There is a beautiful rice valley in Barangay Aumbay which could use proper irrigation especially during dry spells. 

                                          View as seen from our farm in Barangay Bandera 
There is much to say about the political economy of vegetable growing in the island, but for now, let me just say that it is a pity that most vegetables for the island are still being sourced from Davao City.

Based on the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) maps, Samal island has no significant forest cover left. The forest cover in Samal City is down to 2,212 hectares out of a total land area of 30,130 has. The island’s slopeland areas, officially classified as those of a slope between 18% and 40% contain most of all farmers in the island. Based on Samal LGU data: the island is 34 kms long and 15 kms wide & characterized by mountain ranges at the east which is about 532 meters above sea level; the slopeland is about 116 kilometers and next in level from the seashore; forest constitutes only 8.55 % of total land use while agriculture constitutes 82.58 % of total land use.

Most of the people living in the island city are peasants and are mainly dependent on agriculture & fishing.

Because of obvious denudation, the siltation and flood which flows through its riverways to the sea will destroy the marine coral reefs and various marine fishes, if not addressed soon.
Current total population is about 95,874 (NCSB: 2010). Most farmers now cultivating on the slopelands of Samal Island are very poor; also the copra current price has gone to the floor. Farmers who are into grain farms use very few purchased inputs and adopt cultivation techniques which maximize current incomes but destructive in the long term. Which is why agro reforestation is really indicated in the slopelands & watersheds to conserve water and prevent siltation that ultimately drain to the beaches which are important for the island’s tourism industry and for the people’s livelihood.

It is good news that Talicud Islet (an island to watch) which abut the Celebes sea in the Samal group of islands is being developed as an open beach line islet with no barriers between beaches along its circumferential coastal perimeter. A direct sea route using fast boats can be had from Davao City and there will be no need to spend millions for horizontal highways. What the island needs are sea worthy boats and qualified boat crew who will pass the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) requirements, especially that the seas are rough during Southwest monsoons (Habagat).

               Talikud islet overlooking Samal Island headland; ctto:Jun Kong
                                         

To The Graduates

IT IS TRUE that life is about nature & nurture. As we like to say, biology is the cupcake while culture is the icing. Finding meaning in our lives is a lifelong affair. Believe in the meme that everything is learned & unlearned.
It is true that we are a people who believe in the value of a college education. But, life is also about options. And education is not the monopoly of academia. One of the messages of the K+12 government educational program is the option to find employment after spending more than a decade in school. Even if it is true that skills after high school is favorable to the capitalist labor market, the senior years in high school are not only about honing skills in trade, industry, entrepreneurship but also about science, the arts & humanities, too, which are all needed in life.

My niece, Zoe Solamo. Picture credit: Vanessa Solamo Merida

Data from the internet need to be analyzed as it may not be the truth. There is no one way of looking at the truth. The truth of the majority is oftentimes overrated; and as a tool in democracy or for crystallizing consensus, it can be challenged always. New normals are sprouting everyday in the name of political correctness. All time passions include multiculturalism, self determination, non discrimination based on sexual orientation/ gender identity, inclusion, equality, security, development, & human rights.
As you will find out, it matters if we look at life positively. I was reading again the 2008 speech of the Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling, before the Harvard graduates and she talks about the benefits of failure and imagination. How she took refuge in reading and writing when life was at its ebb. She also talks about lifelong friendships built with fellow graduates who became godparents of her children. I resonate with this as I have also nurtured friendships with classmates and workmates. They are friendships which have paced not only across the years and across oceans but also in the choice of causes & community activism.

My sorority in college was founded by feminists & thus promoted principles of equality & development. Given the kind of fraternities we see around now, there is a need to revisit not only the violence that have visited these so called sisterhood/brotherhood enclaves but also the kind of exclusions all these have promoted. These enclaves whose admissions are based on archaic concepts of seniority & violence are anathema to solidarity & sharing. We can only rest assured if academia & our community will help ensure the enforcement of laws & policy instruments to regulate these fraternities which have been allowed in the name of the right to association.
Life is planned in cycles: 12 + 1 years of basic education, college & education all the way, work, love & marriage or having children, & retirement. It is ideal that your work is influenced by your passions. But, with poverty all around, it will be an insult to those who do not have options like yours to say that our life work should be something that we want and love. Many toil in less than ideal material conditions. And so, contributing your bit to make this world a better place is a cliché worth believing as an ideology.

This is also the part where we say that riches & fame are not the sole yardsticks of success. You will have to determine what is important to you. It must be said, too, that politics within your spheres of influence are powerful tools for forging all that is good for your community at large.

There are narratives to your life. It has a past, a present and a future. Imagine them well. The narratives can be reviewed, rewritten and "rebranded" for as long as you find them to be true and they are you.

My father, Inigo Solamo & I