MONREAL, Masbate - Fishermen in this town were used to cast metal spears upon what seemed an ordinary fish to them. Little did they know they were losing one of the world’s priceless treasures.

        Four April’s ago, however, the Pasa-Pasa Festival was started in this coastal town.

        It embodied a noble cause and, since then, has been spreading awareness on the importance of preserving the Manta Ray, a rare native species that can be found at the eastern waters of Ticao Island here.

        The townsfolk now believe they have started to reap the fruit of their initiatives to protect and preserve the “pasa-pasa,” the native name for the endangered Manta Ray.

        Carlos Gueta, vice chair of the municipal tourism council and one of the forerunners of the Pasa-Pasa festival, said the Manta Ray was commonly slaughtered and sold in the market before.

        It was usually caught by fishermen using a metal spear attached to a nylon cord buoyed by huge water containers.

        When hit, the helpless Manta Ray died and floated in the water.

        “Manta rays were used to be sold for P20 per 10 slices. At least 150 kilos can be sold out of every manta ray caught,” Ono Almojuela, 37, a fisherman from Barangay Poblacion, said.

        Glenda Grona, 40, of the same village, said after the festival was created in 2004, Manta Rays were no longer caught and killed.

        The town market is now free from slaughtered manta ray, which was commonly cooked in “gata” or coconut milk.

        “It’s good that it is now being preserved for the future generations, for our children to see and know we have been blessed (with these natural wonders),” Grona said in Filipino.

        A portion of the Ticao Pass known as the “Manta Bowl” is a haven for this endangered specie, a cartilaginous fish also known as “Devil Ray” because of the fins on the sides of its head that resemble horns.

        It is located at the boundary of Monreal and San Jacinto, two of the four towns here at the Ticao Island.

        It could be reached through a motorized banca in 25 minutes off the shore of Barangay Famosa, the village nearest to it, and 35 minutes from Monreal town proper.

Dive spots
        The discovery of this manta ray haven by international dive master Conrad Paz and other divers was first publicized in the Jan. 12, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Caption: A diver enjoys swimming with manta rays.

        Since then, many more divers have visited the place.

        The people’s growing awareness paved the way to the creation of the festival.

        Manta rays, also called the “birds of the sea,” can grow up to eight meters wide and weigh over 400 kilos--the weight of about seven sacks of rice--making it one of the five largest species of fish in the world.

        They are found in temperate and tropical waters near continents and islands and feed on planktons wherever they abound.

        Frequented mostly by divers, a dive center was put up at the Ticao Island Resort three years ago and its diving activities became the resort’s major attraction.

        Marti Calleja, dive operator at the Ticao Island Resort, noted that in the summer of 2006, there was an average of eight sightings of the Manta Ray in every dive.

        The richness of the marine ecosystem along the Ticao Pass has now made it part of the international diving map.

        The peak season of diving activities at the Ticao Island resort is from December to May--when the seas are calm.

        There is strong current in the manta bowl, which is likened by many divers to a “washing machine” due to its whirlpool effect.

        The bowl is said to be 17 to 25 meters deep.

        Dario Rafon, Ticao Island Resort manager, said there were 400 guests in summer last year, mostly divers.

        Resort consultant Leah Comedido said 95 percent of the guests were foreigners, 85 percent of them were Europeans.

Threat still there
        Rafon added that aside from the three common coral reefs they bring divers to--the Coral Garden, House Reef, and the Rentees Reef--there are other dive sites they had recently discovered but have not named yet.

        Despite advocacies on manta ray preservation and the municipal government’s ecotourism programs, illegal fishing is still unabated and remains to be one of the greatest threats against the endangered marine species.

        Dynamite and cyanide fishing still occurs in surrounding waters of the Ticao Island. Explosions from dynamite fishing can be heard in the coastal areas.

        “One time I heard seven explosions in just an hour-and-a-half of snorkeling and kayaking,” Comedido told the Bicol Mail.

        Rafon said there is dynamite fishing even in areas near the Manta Bowl.

        Some of the illegal fishers also come from other places and not necessarily always from the towns in Ticao Island.

        Monreal Mayor Ben Espiloy said illegal fishing is not really that rampant in their town.

        He added, however, illegal fishers will always take advantage whenever they can.

        “We are implementing a manta ray preservation program, which is a major component of our ecotourism program. Here, we establish close coordination with the barangay (officials) to monitor their preservation,” Espiloy said.

        He added that there had been not much violators caught after the start of the program implementation, except for one instance when they received report of one illegal fishing activity but failed to apprehend the violators because of lack of cooperation from authorities of another town where the perpetrators fled to.

        “There has to be a joint effort in the preservation of the manta ray. The responsibility does not rest on Monreal’s hands alone because it is for everyone,” he said.

        A long term coastal management and development program is also on its final planning stage and yet to be approved by the municipal council.

        This program consists of establishing a fish sanctuary, mangrove reforestation, and giving alternative livelihood for the fishermen to lure them away from illegal fishing.

        The Monreal town, a fifth class municipality, is embarking on ecotourism development, with its people believing it is their hope to improve their quality of living and lead them to economic progress.

        Espiloy said his town has good tourism potentials. However, there are yet no tourist facilities like lodges and other amenities in the place.

        Its neighboring San Jacinto town has three resorts while Monreal has one.

        “We are still at the developing stage of our ecotourism programs. Time will comes we will advance too but, for now, we have to preserve first our natural resources,” he said.

        Rafon said most of their guests prefer the natural beauty of Ticao Island because it sets it apart from other modernized resorts.

        “Our foreign tourists don’t want Ticao to copy other tourist destinations. They want this place to remain as natural as possible. We plan to expand our resort but we will still keep the serenity of this place,” Rafon said.

        Residents of Monreal, who rely mostly on fishing, said they had had sightings of other precious marine creatures in their place like the dugong and other kinds of whales.

        Espiloy said it is his long term vision for Monreal to be part of the tourism map.