At The Catbalogan Port

I have been to Catbalogan many times since I was a kid, though seldom do I get to their seaport. I am guessing, the last time I saw it (Pier 1) was back in 2014, when I (starvingly) got off a boat from Cebu!

But this morning I had an accidental opportune time to have a bit of a closer look at the surroundings of the port's two piers called Pier Uno and Pier Dos. I didn't go there to specifically see the port. I was just 'passing by' to board a boat (which was late) on my way to the Sierra Islands. That is why I said it was "accidental", since waiting for the boat led me to see/experience things around! So, I'm thankful!

7:22AM, from Del Rosario St., we entered the always-busy Curry Ave., that leads straight to Pier Uno!

I was happy I wasn't late for the agreed 8AM departure of the little boat going to Sierra Islands, even if we still had to find that 'place' where we could park our cars 'safe and secure' while out on the islands!

By the way, this strip of road, if meticulously scrutinized for its history, can most certainly tell us many things about the colorful past of Catbalogan - sorry I even only know a few of its current worldly state!

What might be 'current' that I at least know about this area of Catbalogan City? Well, for one, a favorite place of many Catbaloganons (that's how locals of the city are called), is "Twins Resto". Oh ha?! It is a restaurant cum 'irignoman' with live band music and the undying karaoke-style singing (and dancing)! But not many visitors know, being a restaurant, it is a meeting/event venue too, mostly during the day.

O ano, current di ba?!

If you wanna know what's across Twins, ah ask a true-blue Catbaloganon, they'll tell you about its past and present haha! But onwards, among the many palengke-style stalls and eateries, you will see signs that say "tinolaan" and/or "pahawhawan". If you haven't, try the 'tinola', it's in this area where you'll find the best! Pagpapawisan ka sa sarap! And you will certainly see or hear, they buy their fish just nearby!

Why? Is this place a palengke? Well, ah eh.., kinda! It is common in the Philippines anyway, right? The 'port area and environs' usually becomes sort of a public market - by the dictates of public commerce not necessarily according to the city officials' plans, right? This city's real public market is elsewhere!

And mind you, many of the freshest 'bounty of the sea' can be found here, not at their 'palengke'. Fact is, when locals need fish or seafoods, they usually consider "Pier Uno" before going to the "Mercado".

Anyway..,

We proceeded to the actual pier (where the big boats dock). This is after the land transport terminal.

My driver asked me why we entered the actual pier. I said, "I was told by my friends they'd meet me at Pier Uno, therefore to Pier Uno we go"! I think that was a dumb thing for me to say, but what can I do?

Lesson learned: "let's meet at Pier Uno" is too broad. I should have asked, "where at Pier Uno" because anything I have so far described above, qualifies as Pier Uno to the Catbaloganon! A very wide district.

There was no big ship this morning, the pier was quiet. But when we looked right, it was bustling!

It was a steady stream of people (many of them rushing), who just got off those many arriving boats.

We were curious. I requested the driver to ask people passing through his side of the vehicle as there were a lot. He opened his window and asked a man who was walking briskly but stopped realizing my driver was asking him.., "Mano, tikang diin ini nga mga tawo"? [where did all these people come from].

The reply was a very lengthy... "isla"! Driver immediately threw a follow-up question saying "kay tikang diin ini nga mga pambot" [where did all these pumpboats come from anyway]? In a high pitch, kind of a raised voice, the manong replied with another lengthy "ISLA"! I chuckled at my driver's reaction hehe!

Hahaha, my driver, a Taclobanon was so stunned at the manong's reply, he said he almost revved the car to fly forward! Hehehe, I explained that the man was not at all offensive. The fact that he stopped and answered questions was proof he was friendly. It is just the way most people around here speak!

Driver jokingly retorted saying "baga hin ikaw sir, ano"? I opted not to reply to that, hahaha!

Anyway again, it looked like we were too early (or everyone else was late) for the 8AM boat departure. So, I asked the driver to park somewhere, as I wanted to get off and just stroll to look around this port.

He chose the side of this long building (a bodega? right edge of previous picture above) for the shade. This is like a divider separating the bus terminal from this seaport. Then I said, "wait is that Pier Dos"?

Well yes, it is Pier Dos! I felt like the two piers are now too near to each other, although I know, they've been at such a distance ever since. Lumaki lang ako, so the 150 to 200 meter distance now seem too near! Plus, this concrete we were standing-on (reclaimed land or decking?) made them look very near.

I still remember, in those days, Pier Uno was for enormously big ships like those of William Lines and Sulpicio Lines, Pier dos was for cargo ships, and the stretch in-between them, for smaller local boats.

Catbalogan was a busy economic center in the past. I even heard from my father, that at some point in history, it was busier than Tacloban - since fish and farm produce mainly came from Samar Island. And, although Calbayog had long been a city (since 1948), it just couldn't become a hub of commerce since the ships docked at Catbalogan. Calbayog has a shallow coastline, that's not good for big ships.

Nowadays, it's the other way around. Tacloban is now the regional center of anything and everything. My theory is: that was thanks to the making of the San Juanico Bridge. Since Tacloban (now Palo?) is the regional administrative center, it was naturally easy for businesses to also be somewhere nearby for convenience of those who visit those regional offices! Even copra selling transferred to Tacloban.

Well, the Doña Paz incident was another big factor. After that boat tragedy, sea-going passenger ships stopped between Manila and Eastern Visayas - kasi si Sulpicio Lines na lang ang nagta-tyaga nuon sa sea route na ito - since travel by bus or cargo transport by truck to Manila etc., became more efficient!

I noticed though, the "pumpboats" that dock in this area are bigger with big wooden outriggers (katig).

I asked my driver to take a pic with those boats in the background, as I stood at the pavement's edge.

I asked permission from that woman on foreground saying "mana, ma-picture la ha"? It was actually a way of saying 'umalis ka sa photographic frame' hehe. Her reply was in that distinctly Catbaloganons' high-pitch way of speaking as she said "kay sige gad", that again, alarmed my driver from Leyte hehe!

Driver even said to me "kamag-isog man hit tawo dinhi sir"! Again, I explained they are not in any way angry. My proof came, when (as if on cue), we heard that woman in yellow shirt screaming "anay anay waray pa ako mag-sudlay" [wait wait, I haven't yet combed my hair] - in an even higher pitch, laughing!

I walked about as the driver waited for my classmates, esp the one who would tell him where to park! Later I learned that those women interrogated him, asking if I was a politician, artista or korea-nobela!

Here's action time: if this red-shirted man was not around, I would've been obliged to catch the rope!

Can you see the voluntary act happening? Here here below, same picture but I magnified the action!

Boatmen throw the rope to you. You just hold on to it, or pull a little. The boatman will tug and pull on it, so their boat can reach the pier! It is a voluntary act, expected of anyone who happen to be nearby!

Reminds me.., in Japan they use 'rockets' to throw the rope to shore. But you still have got to catch it!

Many things were ensuing at this port even before 8AM. But I noted only those uncommon to me!

Yes, like those guys (there were 5 of them) carrying empty blue plastic drums. They were quite a sight to me, because what remains in my mind is that, drums are usually rolled on the ground, not carried!

And if I ever felt these people were having a hard time carrying those drums.., I guess I was wrong!

Look at him.., I am more inclined to identify him as "busy on the phone" than anything else, di ba?

Now here's something, that I swear, was first time for me to see. A "raised cockpit" or something!

I haven't even heard of it, nor have I seen it in books or magazines. A raised driver's seat, a balcony!

Here's a closer look at that unique part of the boat..,

The 'cockpit' is good for just one person. There is a 'steering wheel', obviously for the 'pilot'. The whole thing sits on just two big posts. The vantage must be good from up there, but I'd probably be seasick!

Alright, my companions started arriving.., vehicles got parked at some office compound, we were told the boat would dock to the left of Pier Uno. We started walking to the area passing thru the 'palengke'.

Vendors in this area do have, or have access to weighing scales, but they also still offer their produce in piles priced separately. Example: that 'tumpok' of 3 bangus-dagat has a price, while the 'tumpok' of 5 comes out cheaper; the 'tulingan' is priced per piece, but if you like so, they'll sell it to you by the kilo!

Fresh fish, some of the 'tumpok' can be as cheap as twenty pesos! And first time I saw red shrimps.

I mean they all become red when cooked, right? But those on the upper-right corner of the photo are a kind of red to brown while still alive. One manang told me they are prawns. I like to call them shrimps!

The "masag" (alimasag) and "kugita" (pugita) can also be had by the "pundok" (tumpok) or by the kilo!

Trivia: I have yet to learn.., why anytime you visit this place or the public market of Catbalogan, there is always "masag"! Is Maqueda Bay a hangout of this kind of crab? Why? Not that I am complaining! Ang sarap nga nyan eh, although I still prefer the big fat "alimango" (mud crabs)! Yumminess! Putok batok!

Now look at the top edge of the above picture. There is a shell. Can you see it? Ito yun, here, below..,

We all have seen that kind of shell displayed in many places all over the country, right? But this was a first time I saw it "live". Look 'inside', ayun o gumagalaw pa yung laman. Ano ba tawag dyan, 'nila-tika'?

Speaking of the 'alimasag', I noticed at this table that they were like segregated according to color!

I asked the manag tindera, she told me that the bluish ones are male and the reddish ones are female crabs. Why the segregation? Parang ang sexist! The manang said females command a different price!


Anyway, I had to stop checking-out every display as I was delaying our walk to the boat hahaha!

I learned at this point that our boat would be parked beyond this boardwalk, didto kuno ha kababtoan!

I looked down to the water and realized that boats here of different sizes..,

That one named RCV (Zumarraga) is so big and wide, it already looks like a restaurant!

I looked further back to where we came from. Aba, I think we have already walked almost a kilometer!

This place is actually not very elderly-friendly, but as you can see everybody moves. To each his own!

One of the friends told me to stop looking back but instead mind where we were going (walking on)..,

Makuri! But if it was any consolation, these are signs that this part of the city is being attended to!

I did ask the boatman why he had to dock at the farthest end of this OMG obstacle course hehe!

He explained that the smaller the boat the farther away from the pier's center can they dock. Or else, they'll get crushed to sinking by the bigger ones. Pati pala sa 'pambot' at pier, Darwin's Theory applies!

How about this.., what theory applies here? The Tardiness Theory? Ayan humahabol pa at 8:50AM!

Ang hirap kasi magjanapan sa pier na ito! How do you even describe references or landmarks?

But I hear, it will be good soon. Let's hope for that. Meanwhile, at 8:51AM, our boat finally left!

Nice views of the bustling Catbalogan seaside..,

But for now.., goodbye Catbalogan city center, we were going to Sierra Islands. Why so? What for?

What did we do in Sierra Islands? Ah, wala lang.., pasyal-pasyal lang, island hopping, just a go-see!

Plus, to see, and swim.., in a "floating swimming pool"! Do you know what that is?

That's the next story. Abangan...!