Biri: Ocean’s farm, sea sculptures (Second of two parts)

(Second of two parts)

If a picture paints a thousand words, then why can’t it paint the spectacle that is Biri? This is what I think, without resorting to flattery. So I say it with a conviction of truth – no picture or video can do justice to the beauty of Biri’s natural rock sculptures.

They are rock formations – the tedious, patient artwork of waves over oceans of time. But the scene is also about the constantly attacking sea, the refreshing storm-velocity winds, and the entrancing overall venue. It must be documented. At one point though, you cannot help but set aside equipment and simply surrender to the experience in serenity and silent exhilaration.

We were told that tourism tripled there since Biri was named as one of the Philippine Gems (a PwC project launched in 2013). Since then, new roads have been constructed, a few hotels and lodgings have been erected and are being finished, and the tourist guide occupation has boomed.

The people there call our team “the people of Philippine Gems.” It is understandably easier for them to recall us that way than know us by our name, which is PwC, the auditing and business advisory firm.

From afar, with their backs turned, the rocks look like a small platoon of giant boulders. From a side view, the rocks are shaped like giant bows of a ship or fists with protruding knuckles. One rock is the side profile of a lion’s (or sphinx’s) head, another of a goat (or dog), and some smaller rocks are that of an alligator’s snout (or a cobra’s fangs). The sides of the rocks are finely scraped as if with an artist’s brushstrokes, and the surface you step on are adorned with moon-like perforations, or simply chiseled smooth.

Less advertised, though, are the lagoons and shallow pools within the inner sanctum of the formations. One couldn’t ask for a more relaxing and invigorating spa than that. Already awed and amazed, we decided to go back to the rocks at dawn the next day. We would catch the sunrise while on top of this rock named Macadlaw. Meanwhile, what was revealed below was an ardent battle between the rocks and its sculptor, the relentless surge of the Pacific. The by-product was white water that exploded upwards, like a geyser.

The very early morning wind was blowing at least 60 kilometers per hour, until the sun finally peeped, its light broken by clouds into several rays that began to cover a third of the sky. We were overwhelmed, and it mattered not how we got there. If you must know, we left our hotel at 4:30 a.m., in darkness. We literally walked through the shallow sea (not too shallow), navigating around baby mangroves and smaller sea rocks, with cellphones and cameras held above our heads as a precaution, yet in a rush because we needed to catch the first light at the crack of dawn. (Come to think of it, the only things left dry during that early morning walk in the relatively shallow sea were our equipment and gadgets.)

I must say candidly though that as a tourist venue with so much potential, if I were to find any fault, it would be that Biri Island still seriously lacked tourist-standard restaurants.

It is understandable that its seafood is principally sold to other provinces for income – nothing wrong with that. It’s just a bit disheartening that there seems to be not much left of the seafood in the island for tourists to partake. This is where the tourism culture still needs to develop and mature if Biri is to achieve even a fraction of its real potential.

I remember our visit to the world-renowned Niagara Falls, the new Eighth Wonder of the World. Despite thousands of visitors per day, the river and the falls remain preserved in its original, powerful and ancient form – save for the man-made facilities within the premises like elevators, cable cars and boats to allow people to get a glimpse of, and to actually go through, the foot of the falls. The falls is supernatural – and super-taken care of by the government and a professional concessionaire.

There are various themed restaurants and bars no farther than five kilometers from the general area of the Niagara Falls, but that general area is cordoned off, tightly guarded and controlled. This is one testament to the fact that commercialization and preservation of the natural asset can co-exist.

A development similar to the Niagara Falls would be ideal for Biri. I dream of hotels and themed restaurants around Biri, but only up to a cordoned-off area to preserve the natural asset. I dream of the multiplier effects of a truly robust tourism that will uplift Biri and help the rest of Samar.

Our Biri rock formations compete with the world’s best. It is a gift, but we need to help it help us.