Memories of my first visit to Mararison Island played vividly in my mind as we approached it aboard a motorized boat from the port of Culasi. I could still hear the angelic voices of the Mararison Children's Choir belting out a harmonious Kinaray-a—a traditional welcoming song. Known all over Antique province, where they perform frequently in numerous revelries, its members, whose ages range from six to thirteen years old, have become the island’s cultural ambassadors. It was more than a year ago when I first heard them croon. One and a half laps around the sun later, I found myself en route back to Mararison—not only to listen again to the youngsters’ divine voices but also to embrace the enthralling setting of Mararison.
Of Fireflies Night and Quaint Vibe of Mararison Island | Antique
Home Sweet Stay
Arresting my attention as we cruised over the calm waters were the island’s emerald-colored rolling hills facing east and the sandbar shaped like the head of a sickle. The moment our boat docked, I immediately planted my feet on the soft sands under the knee-deep seawater. Instantly, I sensed the urge to dip my whole body. I would have done so if not for the setting sun glistening the sky with fiery colors, about to bite into the remaining daylight.
“Let’s head to our lodgings on the other side of the island; we can visit the sandbar tomorrow,” our guide told us. We boarded our boat again and cruised to the part of the island facing west and the waters of the Sulu Sea. Living up to the island's rustic sense is the complete absence of high-end resorts. To retain its authentic feel, forty-one of the more than one hundred forty households on Mararison Island are officially accredited and trained for homestay accommodations.
We stayed at Enrique de Mararison—the island's lone resort, which appears as a commonplace abode that blends flawlessly with the island atmosphere. We also met its owner, Mr. Enrique, who left a high-paying job in the airline industry in order to come back to his island of birth. “I wanted to plant my roots permanently here and also to help the community in advocating for sustainable tourism in Mararison Island,” he told us.
Mararison Island's Night of the Fireflies
Minus a mobile signal—which turned out to be a blessing as we felt the quaint aura of Mararison more—Erica, Karla, and I laid over a mat under this peculiar tree which the locals refer to as the ‘firefly tree’. Every night, hundreds of fireflies gather around it. The dark evening sky, illuminated only by scattered stars, provided a surreal setting as we stared at the fireflies hovering above us—their hasty movements leaving magnificent trails of radiance.
That first nightfall we had on Mararison Island, comprising animated conversations and unperturbed existence, is now categorized in my memory vault as the ‘night of the fireflies’.
Pitcher (Plant) Perfect Hills
Mararison Island spreads out like the shape of a hook, covering an expanse of fifty-five hectares. A great part of it is composed of rolling hills that rise to Lantawan, a peak of a few hundred feet—where one stands to a jaw-dropping view of the Sulu Sea, the Panay mainland, and Mararison’s sibling islands: Batbatan and Maniguin. The three islands, according to a local legend, are the children of Mount Kanlaon in Negros and Mount Madjaas in Panay.
The short trail to the waving hilltops is endowed with a lush grassy knoll hiding an abundance of pitcher plants commonly found in the deep forests of Antique. This carnivorous plant species feasting on insects is characterized by its long, elongated leaves shaped like a water pitcher. It has a round opening on top functioning as pitfall traps that nab insects deep into the leaf’s cavity filled with digestive fluid.
From a night of fireflies to a morning of a magnificent sun rising, our second day at Mararison Island already gifted me with yet another reason to go back. Afterward, as we were enjoying a short swim at the island's western shore facing the Sulu Sea and nearby Nablag Islet, we witnessed a few local fishermen spear fishing. “C’mon, try it,” one of them said to us in Tagalog.
As Karla and Erica took turns, I floated with my back on the water staring at the sky. One of the fishermen pulled me and told me in Tagalog, “look at the coral, it’s starting to become alive again.” He explained to me how illegal fishing practices like the use of dynamite damaged the coral reef a long time ago. But now, he told me, “i-ingatan na namin ito” (“we will now take care of this”).
I couldn’t be gladder at what I heard from him. Knowing how the locals are now committed to taking care of their island home, I can only make a plea to future visitors of Mararison Island to do the same.
*For a no-hassle tour to Mararison Island, please contact Katahum Tours to ensure proper correspondence with the local community.*
