Two mountaineers missing in anawangin

Last night, i received a text message

“two mountaineers missing in anawangin pg uwi namin kanina. Same sa amc sa ilog din, 4 girls ung umuwi ntrek sila…..hindi pa confirm kung anong grupo pero d amc, nagboat lng kme”

For those who are insistent of night trek in anawangin, please be double careful.

a message ferom tarits

I’m happy to see you’re all giving effort to inform people about the place. And also helping to preserve its beauty. I’ve been to Anawangin just this month. I’ve noticed some environmentally damaging situations there. Firstly, the boats dock anywhere at the beach and there’s a growing garbage problem. I don’t know how to reach the local government of San Antonio, I wish you could help me with this. The boats should be docked at one area only at a far portion of the beach. They don’t want the place to be like Panglao Beach where the water have some foul smell of gasoline and the waters there have deep portions even if is it’s near shore. This will also add to the peril in the waters. Another thing is that there are trash in the beach. I’ve noticed caretakers gathering trash but I think they just dump it somewhere and burn them, even most of the trash are made out of plastic. I just want the place to be saved from environmental destruction. Let there be laws for the boats and a docking area and it’s better if no-one is allowed to throw any trash in the island. Let the tourists be mindful of their own trash, or let them bring it back to San Antonio main where there is a sufficient garbage collection. It might also be better to ban plastic bags of any kind there.

April 2009 incident

 A comment was posted by a a concerned mother and i thought of reposting it as a blog entry. im sure a lot of people are coming in the place since it’ the summer, so we would like to increase the alert when going there. Julie was there this april and lunckily no incident happened during that weekend stay. except for this certain weekend where lives are almost claimed.

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Last April 6, 2009, we were in Anawangin Cove.We rented 3 boats coz we`re total of 18 person.All of us we`re amazed to the beauty of the beach.A few meters away from the shore water level is only waist level.I took a lot of pictures .After few minutes I joined to my family (my husband,my kids who are 11,10 and 5 respectively,3 nieces,3 housemaids,and 2 friends.3 steps away from the shore I noticed that water became deep.I shouted.BABA LUMALALIM!To make sure that they would hear me enough I made another 3 steps and shouted again then I swam back.I stood up,but it became my eye level.I did a back stroke.Stood up,I saw my sister`s nanny drowning already,my 5-year old girl who were only remained calm, comfortable, and innocent.The rest of the group were all drowning.I cant no longer see my husband I knew he drowned himself intentionally so he could lift her girl high but I knew in few seconds I`m gonna lose them both.Without hesitation,I continued swimming back.I stood up, assumming that I can stand on my feet already but it became deeper and deeper then I started drowning.With full of faith, I decided to swim in back stroke, shouting in prayer.LORD PABALIKIN NYO PO AKO SA PAMPANG KAILANGAN NG TULONG NG PAMILYA KO!I took a deep breath and shouted.TULONG! Right after, the water covered me from feet up to my head.I saw a a family who were just a meter away from my family.The level of the water to them were only on their waist.Finally, I reached the shore.I shouted as loud as I can.TULONG!Rescuers came.One from the boatmen dived to reach my family fast but he stood up because the same to the group who almost beside us level of water were the same.Some rescuers just walked and run.Some of them were only 5`4-5`6 in height my husband is 5`8 tall.Two from our group who are very good swimmers swam hard to save my family.They said that water is too high and its very difficult to swim.Thanks God we are all saved.I witnessed everthing.I felt the presence of the Lord how he saved us.He spared us from death. Pls. do not visit ANAWANGIN COVE.A lot of people drowned to death.

1st yr anniv : Looking back (by jom)

A year has passed since that fateful day in anawangin. As I look back and remember all the that has happened, I can’t help but thank God for keeping us alive. I thought of a way on how to bounce back this blessing that we have received so I thought of building a blogsite to spread the word to keep safe when going to places like the beach.

Perhaps the movie The Beach has inspired me and led me to discover my love for the sand, sea, and sun. I have never gone to a picturesque place other than boracay or a more intriguing beach such as anawangin cove. And the incident has even made it special. Made Ml/Tierra closer to each other.

I bet you are confused what I’m talking about. Kase ganito yun…

We had this trekkers club in the office and the trip for the summer was Anawangin Cove in zambales. No climb. Just the beach. This should be an exciting trip since arnel will be coming with us. The person who introduced me to nature tripping. I almost backed out because I was feeling nauseous day before the night trip. But the experience may not happen again so ready or not I drank all the meds I could get and off I went.

We arrived at the beach around noontime. We set camp had lunch and everything. The beach is truly mystical as what the websites has been telling about. We rode on the waves and closed our eyes with every splash. Float above the water, floating with each coming wave. It was exciting because after the drift the water’s shallow and we’re already far from the shore. It was like swimming in the middle of the ocean.

All of a sudden, the water abruptly came up. “uyy, teka lang.. tumataas ang tubig.. balik balik” I clamoured. But we we’re too late, one step more back to shore was impossible. I could not feel the sand in my feet. I was already screaming in long tagalong sentences..”tulungan nyo kame nalulunod kame.. nalulunod kame om my…”. I wasn’t crying. I was scared to death. I thought for a minute. Is this it? Is this the way how I’m gonna die? It was like that. I looked around and everybody else was shouting and swimming to shore. I was alert though that cramming would only cramp my feet and disable my paddling. I took a very long and deep breathe and plunge into the salty water thinking it would make me float. Silly. When I ran out of oxygen I took a big flap and gasp. I saw arnel. His head in the water.  Trying to swim back but in stable locomotion. It wasn’t taking him anywhere. He was far from me. I saw Niel who attempted to swim but remained contained. “nalulunod si arnel niel”, pointing to nel repeating the shout several times. Nothing is happening. I could hear kaye and Elaine and Julie. Like me, they were also drowning. Im still far from  the shore. I couldn’t touch the ground still. I was getting tired of my freestyling. I dived under the water again. I was praying.

When I looked up again, people are coming for arnel. And nobody’s coming to my direction. No ones going to save me but myself. I saw Niel. “konti na lang joms. Langoy pa. malapit na.”. and like a dog, I kept my focus and swam for dear life. I knew the coastline was some 4 meters but to make sure I swam some more. Retarded. But safe. Thank you God I am safe. We are all safe except for one.

The shore was filled with lots of spectators and swimmers lying in the sand. But the most crowds were in our group. Our friend looked like vegetable already. I wouldn’t tell other details. (Please read other details in www.anawangin.i.ph). A boat came and he was sent to the nearest clinic possible. He was with Kaye. Just the two of them on the boat. Plus a doctor.

We left the beach around 5. the sun struggling to shed light against the darkness. We packed up and went back to pundaquit. It was a gloomy moment for all of us. Waiting for news from ely about our friends’ condition. As we left the place, the villagers came to us as if they were pleading. Because soon, as we go back to the city, we will be telling out this horrible experience where it will destroy the tourism of the place– a source of their living. But we couldn’t care much during that time. We just wanted to go to the hospital and go home. But we don’t know how long the night would be. A lot of things are still to happen. What if he ddnt make it. Or if he make it, how long? When?

We found the hospital after an hour. Turns out sa kabilang bayan pa un hospital. There’s a hotel beside the place. And there we waited. We took turns looking after him. There were several funny moments though. Before the rooster yell its first crow, we got a call from archie, Our friend is conscious. That was all we needed to hear, and I went back to sleep.

The morning next day was bright and sunny. Our friend is sitting on his bed. His face on his usual smile. As if nothing happened.

We all went back to manila. Took lots of pictures. There are a lot of things to say and im filled with overwhelming feelings. It was perhaps my most memorable summer. A summer I will never forget.

  

1st yr anniv msg by A.Fresco