Story and photos by Leonardo Perante II
THE third leg of my trip to the coastal towns of Isabela brought me to the historic, but once controversial town of Palanan. A granddaughter of former Mayor Angel Bernado met me at the town’s airstrip.
“Welcome to Palanan!” Nice Bernardo cheered as she led me to a brief tour around the town, including the spot said to be where the fleeing Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo was cornered by the American forces on March 23, 1901.
Surprisingly, this coastal town has narrow, but well-paved streets. Every front yard is planted with vegetables, rather than ornamental plants. I was given a list of potential tourist destinations ranging from waterfalls, upland lagoons, a series of rivers, a fishing village and a developing resort.
Nice recalled that as a gamecock enthusiast, former Mayor Bernardo had a coastal property at Barangay San Isidro cleared of tall grasses for his rooster’s coop. As soon as the area was cleared of undergrowth, the former town chief was amazed to discover the unveiled beach estate was even more ideal as a vacation spot with its great seascape, untouched forest and dramatic sunrise.
“You can watch the sun as it rises from the horizon,” the young Bernardo said.
The site is located in mid-Eastern Luzon facing the Pacific Ocean opposite Benham Rise. It has rich coral reefs and deep seas teeming with exotic marine life. During summer, humpback whales from Antarctica usually side cruise Palanan Bay less than a mile from the fishing village of San Isidro.
The waterfront is home to dark-skinned Dumagats, said to be the descendants of the Negritos who were the island’s first inhabitants. These short, kinky-haired and nomadic coastal dwellers, indigenous to Palanan, have mastered deep-sea (though primitive) fishing, armed only with hook and line, and net cast off from manually paddled kayak.
Since the former mayor’s six children—Angelica, Angelo, Angelina, Angelito, Angelette and Angela (all named after him)—are fond of water sports, and travel as far as Cebu to Jet Ski and windsurf, the father came up with the idea of developing the idle property into a resort aptly named Angel’s Paradise.
“My Lolo Angel realized his children have been spending so much flying down south just to have fun when they can have it at home for free,” Nice said. Initially, a permanent cottage had been erected few meters away from the perimeter of the jungle.
A league of Isabela Mayors conference was the first group activity held at the seaside recreational facility. The holding of a photo session for Miss Isabela candidates at the resort prompted the couple to rush a number of nipa and bamboo cottages, shower rooms, a function hall, water system and a power generator capable of energizing the whole village.
Because of the soft-sand attributes of its beaches, the resort was named Dicotcotan, a Dumagat term describing a beachwalk that easily buries the foot into the sand. With a substantial investment poured into the project, the Bernardos are seriously considering opening the resort for commercial accommodation to make it self-sustaining.
Later, Angela, Nice’s mom nicknamed Lala and the youngest, came into the picture. A biologist, Lala decided to run the recreational facility instead of pursuing a medical career. She believes her love for nature coupled with her angling skills and knowledge in the culinary arts could make her new-found job, fun as well.
With the abundance of Blue Marlin bigger than she was, game fishing became the name of the game. Lapu-lapu, tuna, Spanish mackerel, crabs, lobsters and other exotic fish species, grow naturally enormous in the surrounding waters.
“Guests could enjoy the sun, beach, waters, jungle and most of all the food—real fresh sashimi and steamed lobsters fresh from Palanan waters,” Nice told BusinessMirror. The Palaneños’ hospitality and generosity are priceless pluses to every guest. Being nearly crimeless and consistently the cleanest municipality in the Cagayan Valley region, the place assures each visitor of good health and safety.
“But since we are not yet fully developed, we do our best to provide our guests a comfortable stay. We are currently deciding what necessary amenities are immediately needed until we could hopefully come up with the standards of a world-class resort,” Nice said.
Nice sees bright prospects for her town’s cottage industry like hand-fan making, and hat and mat weaving once Palanan fully blooms as a tourist destination.
“Our fishing industry will also surely benefit from the influx of visitors to the municipality,” she projected. Aside from an arduous boat ride from Baler in Aurora province, the better way to reach Palanan is a flight from Manila via Cebu Pacific. Disembark at Cauayan City Airport and then take another 35-minute flight to Palanan via Cylone Airways over the Sierra Madre mountain range.
Image credits: Leonardo Perante II
1 comment
Hi! Leonardo,
Nice article to read.
I really like and interested to visit Palanan because of the benham rise, do you have any recommendation with regards of Tour and where we can stay?