An#que, a province in Panay Island in Western Visayas in the Philippines, is o:en overlooked as a tourist des#na#on because of its proximity to the more popular Boracay Island in Aklan. But An#queños believe this will soon change.
“An#que is a paradise where the mountains meet the sea. It is a province that may have been in the doldrums for three decades but is now experiencing (its) Golden Age,” says Loren Legarda, Deputy Speaker and Representa#ve of the Lone District of An#que.
Under Legarda’s vision of discovering, documen#ng and protec#ng An#que’s rich marine biodiversity, she allocated a budget under the Department of Tourism that was implemented by the local government of An#que and the DOT regional office.
In early 2021, Studio H2O organized an expedi#on team composed of marine researchers, scien#sts, and underwater cinematographers. Aside from conduc#ng a scien#fic survey of the reefs in An#que, par#cularly around the coastal areas of Pandan Bay and Libertad, the project also held a freediving workshop for fisherfolks with the inten#on of teaching them how to survey, protect and do an inventory of their own marine areas.
“Part of the survey is to have the local people learn the method so they can con#nue on with the monitoring, or at least be interested in learning more about it,” says Tara Abrina, one of the team’s researchers and freediving instructors. “The objec#ve of the project was really for tourism, to see where people can go to dive, where guests can stay, and what might be interes#ng underwater,” she adds.
During the survey, a rare sigh#ng of an oceanic manta ray, a creature known to visit nutrient- rich waters that provide zooplankton, surprised and excited the team. The oceanic manta ray is famous for its majes#c form that could reach up to twenty-three feet across. For the researchers, the encounter was truly magical. But no one was more delighted than the staunch environmental champion herself. “The discovery and sigh#ng of the existence of the manta ray in our waters is so important because it shows they thrive in a healthy marine ecosystem,” says Deputy Speaker Legarda. “And the manta ray, of course, must be protected at all costs, especially because it is iden#fied as possibly threatened for ex#nc#on,” she further emphasizes.
An.que:
Where the Mountains Meet the Sea
Deputy Speaker Legarda is aware that the oceanic manta ray sigh#ng can draw in more visitors and open up more possibili#es for ecotourism. That is why she believes that the tedious task of survey and documenta#on is crucial in educa#ng the public about the all-important work of protec#ng the environment. Thus, her con#nued support for projects such as this remains steadfast. “How can we protect something we don’t know exists and so documen#ng all of this– taking photos and video without destroying their habitats—is very important.”
Legarda authored several landmark environmental laws, as well as laws on marine protec#on and conserva#on such as Ecological Solid Waste Management Law, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, the Climate Change Act, Wildlife Resources Conserva#on and Protec#on Act, Expanded Na#onal Integrated Protected Areas System, Na#onal Environmental Awareness and Educa#on Act, People’s Survival Fund Act, and the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduc#on and Management Act, among others. As Deputy Speaker and Representa#ve of the Lone District of An#que, Legarda has also authored bills for the province’s marine protec#on such as the establishment of a mul#-species marine hatchery in Tibiao and the Northern An#que Protected Seascape and Landscape.
Watch the journey of the An#que expedi#on team in An#que: Where the Mountains Meet the Sea, a new documentary produced by Studio H2O through the Office of Deputy Speaker Legarda, the Department of Tourism in partnership with the Province of An#que. The 20-minute documentary, which captures the underwater beauty of the province, as well as the true heart of the An#queños, will air on Discovery Channel on March 23, 2022 (Wednesday) at 6:15pm (Philippine standard #me), with replays on March 24, 2022 at 8:15am and 11:25am (Philippine standard #me). Discovery Channel airs in the following countries: Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and India.
