Guimaras
Mango Orchards Protected By A Quarantine, On An Island Still Living With The Worst Oil Spill In Philippine History · Jordan, Guimaras
GUIMARAS GROWS MANGOES AND PROTECTS THEM LIKE A STATE SECRET. THE ISLAND OPERATES A QUARANTINE: YOU CANNOT BRING MANGO FRUIT, SEEDLINGS OR PLANT MATERIAL IN, because the orchards here are free of pests that have reached the rest of the country, and the carabao mangoes they produce are held - locally and with some evidence - to be among the sweetest anywhere. THE HARVEST RUNS ROUGHLY MARCH TO JUNE and the Manggahan Festival falls in May. IT IS A SMALL, QUIET, GREEN ISLAND fifteen minutes by pumpboat from Iloilo, with good beaches, a Trappist monastery that sells its own preserves, and almost no development. AND THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE. IN AUGUST 2006 THE TANKER SOLAR 1 SANK OFF THIS COAST AND SPILLED OIL ALONG IT - the worst spill in Philippine history, which coated the shoreline, ruined the fishing and took years to clean. Almost nothing written about Guimaras mentions it, and people here have not forgotten.
Guimaras Island, Western Visayas, Jordan, Guimaras, Philippines
GUIMARAS IS FIFTEEN TO TWENTY MINUTES BY PUMPBOAT FROM ILOILO CITY to JORDAN WHARF, with frequent daily sailings and a separate vehicle ferry - ILOILO HAS AN AIRPORT with flights from Manila and Cebu. A QUARANTINE APPLIES: DO NOT BRING MANGO FRUIT, SEEDLINGS OR PLANT MATERIAL ONTO THE ISLAND, and expect to be asked. THERE IS NO GATE ANYWHERE ELSE; the island is toured by hired multicab, tricycle or motorbike in a day. THE MANGO HARVEST IS ROUGHLY MARCH TO JUNE and the MANGGAHAN FESTIVAL falls in May; outside the season fresh fruit is limited and the orchards are quiet. THE TRAPPIST MONASTERY keeps daytime hours and sells preserves. ALUBIHOD AND OTHER BEACHES charge small fees. Crossings are cancelled in rough weather.