Masbate: Its Cattle Ranches and Gold
Posted on Wednesday, 20 August 2014
Masbate:
Its Cattle Ranches and Gold
By Apolinario Villalobos
Three major islands punctuated by rolling
grassy hills, white beaches, gold veins and marine life-rich surrounding seas
make up this province of brown-skinned cowboys.
Comprising an aggregate area of 4,048
square kilometers, the province with its rolling grasslands found in cattle
raising an assured and stable income. Composing the province are the major
islands of Masbate, Ticao, and Burias. Masbate as the biggest of the three, is
also the eleventh largest island of the Philippines.
Separating Masbate from Panay Island is the
Jintotolo Channel and on the south, extending to the Visayas Sea is the Asid
Gulf, enclosed by the province’s southern boundary. The northwestern coast of
Masbate Island faces the Sibuyan Sea and along its western and southern coasts
are coral reefs and islets.
Masbate Island is indented by several bays
with Port Barrera and Masbate Bay as the most significant. Its topography on
the other hand is characterized by rolling hills bordered by limestone cliffs
rising almost perpendicularly from the waterline on the island’s northwestern
tip.
The narrow and elongated islands of Ticao and
Burias are separated from the capital island by Masbate Pass. The rugged
topography of the two islands have a very limited expanse of level land, hence,
except for the hardy coconut trees, no other economically gainful plants could
seem to thrive.
Fringing the eastern coast of Ticao Island
are white beaches in contrast to the western coast’s cliffs of jagged
limestone. This is the main reason why the western coast has the concentration
of population distributed among the municipalities and villages.
Geographically and historically, Masbate
province was part of the Sibuyan Sea island group which included Marinduque,
Romblon and other smaller islands. Occupying a transitional position between
Luzon and the Visayas, the group of islands historically grew almost at the
same phase. In time, however, they were separated for convenient administration.
Even during the time of Legazpi, the
Sibuyan Sea island group was already well- known. In fact, in late 16th
century, from their base in Cebu, Legazpi and his lieutenants made frequent
expeditions along the coasts of these islands. It was also in Masbate shipyards
where several galleons were built. Despite all those seemingly healthy
relationship with the Spanish base in Cebu, there was only an insignificant
economic development that occurred for the advantage of the island group.
The province became a mecca of fortune
seekers as the Spanish regime was nearing its end. The cattle industry and the
discovery of gold-bearing veins attracted hordes of migrants from nearby
provinces. The rolling grasslands of the interior and southeastern part of the
province, however, attracted the migrants more than the gold veins underneath
the island’s northern tip.
During the American regime, particularly in
1908, a strong typhoon devastated the province which prompted the American
Governor to annex Masbate to Sorsogon which reduced it to the status of a
sub-province. With the joint effort, however, of the late Governor Jose Zurbito
and former Representative Pablo de la Rosa, a bill declaring Masbate as an
independent province was passed in February 1922.
Despite the proximity of the province to
Bicol Region, the cultural setting, especially, does not provide any special
affinity to the latter, except for the islands of Ticao and Burias, as well as,
its northernmost tip. The convergence of migrants from other parts of the country
resulted in the blending of several linguistic groups that composed the
population of the province. It brought about the synthesis of Waray, Cebuano,
Hiligaynon, Tagalog and Bikol into the Masbateῆo dialect.
Masbate was along the galleon route between
Luzon and Visayas, and it was this factor that made the island a veritable
shipyard where the Spanish vessels were made and repaired. The boat makers were
and are still concentrated at Bantigue, a small protruding land north of the
bay. By outriggers, the community is about five minutes from the town. The
skill and knowledge of the boatmakers of Bantigue are handed from generation to
generation. As in the past, most of them make use of the sands as their “sketch
board”. The deft hands of the Bantigue boatmaker could transform a shapeless
tree trunk into exquisitely balanced “unayan”. Their know-how is not limited to
the building of small fishing boats (pumpboats), as they also excel in the
building of “kumpit” (slim pumpboat), “sabid-sabid” (sailboat), and bigger
versions such as paraw, casco and basnig.
Masbate’s main industry still remains to be
fishing despite the proliferation of cattle ranches. This could be attributed
to its proximity to rich fishing grounds such as Asid Gulf, Burias Pass,
Sibuyan Sea, Ticao Pass and Guimaras Strait. In addition to the marine catch,
the locals have also embarked on shrimp, lobster and crab culture.
The gold of Masbate is of high quality and
it helped the economy of the province during the heyday of mining before the
WWII. However, after the war, the stagnant gold price and the high cost of
re-opening the mines made the investors abandon their stakes. But with the
skyrocketing of the gold price lately, the river of Aroroy has again, become
alive with panners.
Gold panning in Aroroy is done along the
river that flows through Malubi, Luy-a, Balite and Concepcion. Other than gold,
Aroroy is also frequented because of its Mata Cave, Napayauan Islet, Cambatang,
and Cangcayat Beaches.
The elongated island of Ticao offers visitors
its Catandayagan Falls that cascades from a 300 feet height of jagged cliff,
and from afar, it looks like a white ribbon. It is located in the western coast
of San Jacinto and could be reached on an hour of pumpboat ride from Masbate. Alta
Vista Falls can also be visited at San Fernando with its zigzagging cascade. On
the eastern coast of Ticao is a long stretch of white beach hollowed by coves. A
standout among the beaches is the Talisay which has a natural diving platform,
located 13 kilometers, southwest of San Fernando. The waters on this side of
the island are calm and from here, the silhouette of the stretch of Bicol
peninsula and part of Samar can be discerned.
Other natural attractions of Masbate are:
Matangtubig Spring and Cagpating Island at Monreal; Kalanay Falls located at
Barangay Nabingig, Palanas; Bat-ongan Caves at Mandaon; Sombrero Island at San
Pascual; Ki-Albay, Putting, and San Isidro at Claveria; Veagan Island and Daquit-Daquit Island at
Dimasalang; and Tinalisay Islet of Burias.
As for cattle raising, Masbate is among the
provinces on the country’s top list for
this industry. An interesting by-product of the cattle industry is the
“carmelado”, a tasty milk toffee that comes in small bars.
For gourmets, suggested is the local beef
steak. The “tapa” is cut into bite strips and soaked in a special concoction of
spices. Another local gourmet fare is “tunsoy”, sun-dried salted sardines. As
always, the best place to enjoy sea foods while in Masbate is the wet market
around which, small “carinderias” serve them at very affordable prices.
Masbate is ideal for island-hopping and
snorkeling. Those who wish to visit the province is advised to bring along a
lightweight tent and water purifier in tablet form. The airport is located on
the island of Masbate which is also accessible on two-hour ferry ride from
Bulan, Sorsogon.
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