Roxas of Palawan and Tabon Birds of Stanlake Island
Posted on Monday, 1 September 2014
Roxas
of Palawan
And
Tabon birds of Stanlake Island
By Apolinario Villalobos
When one mentions Roxas, what comes to mind
is the Roxas City of Capiz on the island of Panay. Palawan has its own
Roxas,too, but not known as is, unlike Tabon cave and its exotic species of
bird, the tabon bird.
When I visited Roxas, I did not expect the
arduous travel that involved different modes. The curious in me, however,
prevailed so that I took the risk of being bitten by the dreaded mosquitoes
that were infected with malaria virus (today, this has been checked by the
local government) and went ahead with my unplanned trip to Palawan. It happened
during the summer of 1980…
Puerto Princesa was just a fledgling city
during that time but took phenomenal metamorphosis to become what it is now,
practically, declared cleanest city in the whole of Philippines several times,
and virtually bloomed with structures- signs of fast development.
My trip to the town of Roxas from Puerto
Princesa City was made on a bus, early the following morning after the day I
arrived. The sights along the way were splendid, as we passed by white sandy
beaches fringed with swaying coconut trees and tropical fruit trees. We
negotiated winding roads until we reached Langogan River where we were ferried
across it. But we got off the bus first, although, the ferrying was made at the
same time.
Upon reaching the other side of the river,
we went on with our journey over winding roads that cut through verdant hills
and forests. The panoramic view from the mountainside road overlooking the
North China Sea was just fantastic. The expanse of water was dotted with green
canopied islets ringed with white beaches.
Finally, we reached Roxas, a coastal town
of abundant coconut groves and white sandy beaches. It covers 608 nautical
miles or 142 kilometers of distance northeast of Puerto Princesa City. It is
bounded on the northeast by the Ilian River, north to northwest by the Pagdanan
Range and in the south by Langoyan. Its total land area is 122,030 hectares.
The evolution of the town into what it is
now is interesting. The town was once noted for its small-scale shipbuilding industry of a community of
Cagayanos. The cutting of amorawin tree however, the wood of which was used and
abounds in Araceli, was strictly regulated. As most of the time, such wood was
not available, they left the place but later returned and settled at Retac
which they found not to their liking later on. They found another site marked
with a boton tree on which they tried to settle….this, they named Sanboton.
With the influx of other settlers, the simple settlement became a barrio that
later on became known as del Pilar, in honor of the Filipino hero, Gregorio del
Pilar. Finally, it became the municipality of Roxas, after the late President Roxas,
by virtue of Republic Act No. 615 signed in September 30, 1951.
Roxas is endowed with minerals such as
silica and quartz. San Miguel Corporation discovered high-grade silica in the
area and established the Palawan Silica company which was later renamed Nin Bay
Mining Corporation. The company developed the town by building roads and an
airport, as well as, housing units for its employees. During my visit, the town
was practically booming industrially with four companies operating for its
mineral deposit. These were the Nin Bay Mining Corporation, Republic Glass
Corporation, Roxas Silica Company, and Vulcan Industrial and Mineral
Exploration Corporation.
Wild honey, a cottage industry also adds
revenue to the coffer of the town. But the most famous of its backyard
industry, though, strictly regulated is the gathering of tabon bird’s eggs.
Tabon, means “to cover”, which is the habit of the birds to protect their eggs,
that they bury in the beach, covered with sand. The scientific name of the bird
is Palawan Magapode and found on Stanlake Island.
An adult Tabon bird has gray feathers
tainted with green, with the male slightly bigger than the female. For a
clearer comparison, the male bird is bigger than an ordinary chicken. Its bead
is stout and pointed, with claws that consist of three toes that are blunt, two
in front and one at the back. Interestingly, the bird’s call resembles that of
a dog’ howl.
The birds bury their eggs in holes with
depths of four to six feet, after which, they cover them with sands. The
digging usually takes two to three hours and done during rainy days. The egg is
twice the size of a chicken’s, oval-shaped and with color that ranges from
white to pink and light red, with the shell so fragile that it breaks easily.
Hatching takes from 16 to 18 days, during which the chicks struggle their way
out of the hole. The chick reaches it maturity in eight to ten months, during
which it takes it turn to mate and lay eggs.
Other interesting touristic areas of Roxas,
aside from Stanlake Island which has been declared as a bird sanctuary, are
those around the Barbacan and Matalangao rivers where birdwatching can be
rewarding. Less than a kilometer away is the Matalangao Waterfalls that drops
to 80 feet. Practically, the beaches that fringe the coastal town are haven for
those who long for a peaceful recluse.
Puerto Princesa City, the capital of
Palawan is accessible via flights from Manila. Typical tourists need more than
a week to enjoy their visit of the province, as aside from Roxas, they may find
the call of El Nido, the Underground
River, and white sandy islets just too strong to ignore.
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