As I stood on the deck of
BRP Capones, a spanking new Japanese-made Parola-class patrol vessel of the
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) where we hitched a ride going to Tawi-Tawi, I
quickly surveyed my surroundings. I saw the sacred mountain
of Bud Bongao lording it over a picturesque landscape and covered by the
morning mist, yet I was still able to spot the silhouette of the town’s Mosque
and the outlines of a modest village with fishing boats and passenger ferries
that are starting to stir with the day’s activities. And then it dawned on me,
I finally reached the southernmost province of the country. Tawi-Tawi, I have
arrived!
