Christopher Bennetts

After fisting on fresh fish cooked over a native charcoal fire washed down with fresh coconut juice (buko) and taking a stroll along the beach we visited the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary which referred to as the Olango Bird Sanctuary by locals.

The first thing we encountered was a sign with the cost of entry from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the apparent discrimination between foreigner and local.

Being from a western country where such a distinction would not only be illegal but also considered by many to be morally wrong I can imagine how many foreigners would be offended by this on a matter of principle.  The money is not the issue here.

A better approach would be to have a price for local Residents and a price for non-residents.   This is actually accepted even in western countries based on the idea that local residents are already contributing to the upkeep of the reserve via local taxes and should be entitled to a subsidy.

I implore the Filipino authorities in charge of setting such entrance fees to adopt a similar approach to help improve the image of the Philippines as a Tourist friendly non-discriminatory destination.   They don’t even need to be too diligent in enforcing the local resident rule with Filipinos but it does remove something I know many foreign visitors would find offensive.

As I mentioned it is referred to by locals as the bird sanctuary because the main attractions are the many species of migratory birds than flock there at various times during the year.  You drive into the main administration area where park the car and then proceed on foot to the observation points where you can view the birds from a distance.  

Around the walls are pictures of the birds found at the sanctuary and information about them.  We were only able to identify a few of them but apparently it was not the best time of year anyway.   I did not even bother to try taking pictures of the birds so far away as my small digital camera was totally inadequate. 

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources are to be commended on setting up and maintaining this sanctuary protecting these birds.

A visit to Olango Island is just 5 km east of Mactan Island and a short ferry ride away.  I took the family there a couple of years back for a day trip taking the car on the Trans-Olango Shipping Corporation which is only Ferry service.

The cost of taking the car was a bit of a rude shock considering the short distance involved.  It was comparable to taking the car on other much longer Ferry rides around the Philippines.  I suppose you get to dictate the price when you have a monopoly.

When we got to the island we did notice there were very few cars there.  I thought to myself I know why with what they charge to bring a car across.   It may however be a good thing for the island holding off the over development than many other islands have been subjected to.

Olango Island did have a peaceful untouched feel about it.  Despite the fact that most of the roads were unmade they were flat and sandy.

We were actually there visiting the island on the recommendation of one of our housemaids that came from that island and went to the place where her family lived.  Fresh fish are always one of the major attractions for me when I visit provincial islands in the Philippines.

There is nothing more delicious than fresh fish cooked over a native charcoal fire.   The charcoal is usually made from coconut shells.

My other favorite is fresh coconut juice which is called Buko.   One of the house maids relatives climbed up a tree to get some for the family.

After feasting on fresh fish and buko juice the family took a leisurely stroll along the beach before checking out the famous Olango Island Bird Sanctuary.

We did not visit any of Beach Resorts on the island so I cannot comment on them or beaches.  The beach we visited was not what you would call a resort class beach but it was still a beautiful spot.