First 18 Years of My Life were in Itbayat

At 73, it's not easy recalling everything that transpired some 55 years ago.  But here goes.

Dinem Island, sometimes called Diogo Island, is located between the islands of Batan and Itbayat in Batanes.  This island is solid rock, a coral uplift, hence devoid of sand beaches.  Instead, it is surrounded with huge boulders against which splashes the hydrological power of the great Pacific Ocean.

Now, a slight reorientation to the left to face the north-north-west, you'll see the faint figure of an island that looks like a caterpillar.  That is the island of Itbayat, and its lone municipality is called Mayan.

This island of Itbayat is a coral uplift and surrounded by high rock cliffs ranging in height from a low 30 to a high 100 meters.  Down below is 3-10 fathoms of sea (Western Philippine Sea to the west, and Pacific Ocean to the east).  On each end of the island is a couple of low mountains.  To the south-eastern end is Mt. Riposed, while to the north end is Mt. Karoboban.

At the western end of the island you'll see a small islet called Mavulis, which used to host a huge population of large coconut crabs.   On another island, Siyayan, used to live a huge population of sea turtles.  In recent years, however, these resources have practically gone because of poachers who have roamed the islets on daily basis.

This falowa plys the Basco-Itbayat route which is about 25 nautical miles of deep and rough channel.  This place used to be called the graveyard of Itbayat locals who use to cross this channel on smaller falowa which they row for at least 12-14 continuous hours.  Today, these falowas are larger and are run by small diesel marine engines so crossing time has been reduced to 4 hours.

A relatively new seaport is the Veranga Seaport, built by the DPWH 10-15 years ago, as alternative to Chinapoliran and Paganaman Seaports about 10-15 kilometers to the north.  The Veranga port has a wider disembarkation platform etched out of solid rock and reaches sea level.  Larger falowas and sea vessels can berth right along the rock so that they become very steady while unloading both passengers and cargo.

This is the disembarkation platform of Chinapoliran Seaport.  From this point at sea level, you have to walk up 100 meters at a gradient of 35 degrees to reach the rest station, them walk up again for another 100 meters at similar gradient of 35 degrees, then turn slightly rightwards for still another 100 meters at a gradient of 30 degrees.  Only then will you find the road to Mayan some two kilometers northwards.  If you're lucky, you walk; if not, you carry your luggage to town.  There are no passenger vehicles there.  If you have friends, perhaps they could provide cow- or carabao-drawn sled for your luggage and perhaps yourself.

The town of Mayan is like a large vat.  All the residential houses are on the rim and slopes of the vat.  At the bottom are the important public infrastructure like the elementary school, municipal building, church, rural health unit, and the town plaza.  

The town is bisected by the national road north to south so that the plaza is halved right at the middle.

Itbayat Island is practically flat.