The Tale of Nogas and Anini (Ang Sugidanun ni Nogas kag Anini)

Along long time ago in the place called Tinigbasan, there was a datu (Village Chief) named Datu Oyong who has a daughter named Anini. Anini is always lonely because of her predicament that her parents, by tradition, are the ones who choose someone she would marry. She is troubled that her parents' choice would not be her liking.

Anini is a beautiful lass that she has many admirers. One of them was a handsome ordinary man named Nogas. Commoners were not allowed to court her according to their custom.

The fated lovers were however brought together one day while Anini was strolling along the beach alone. The two instantly took an instant liking of each other. After that day, Nogas and Anini secretly met at the beach whenever they had the opportunity but Datu Oyong eventually discovered their relationship.

Datu Oyong was against their relationship. He does not want Anini to marry Nogas, a mere simpleton...unless... unless Nogas gives him whatever he would ask for. He asked for a spring on the rocky shoreline of Tinagbasan that could cure skin diseases.

Nogas walked towards the sea with his boggling mind until he reached the rocky shoreline. He has no power to let the water flow from the rocks. Out of the water a giant emerged. Touched by Nogas love for Anini the gaint helped Nogas fulfill the Datu's wish. The giant said, "Only your sincere love for Anini would surely let the water flow. The water will continue to flow for as long as you love Anini."

Nogas felt warm water flowing at his feet. His joy was immeasurable when he saw the water sprouting from the rocks where he stands. When he turned to thank the giant, the giant was already gone.

Datu Oyong was still not satisfied, and to be able to avert the marriage of his daughter to Nogas he thought of another impossible thing for Nogas to accomplish. He asked for an island that he could see from the window of his house that could prevent the waves from destroying the houses near the shoreline.

Nogas immediately left, boarded his boat and sailed out to the sea without knowing where to go. He hopelessly hit the water with his paddle. The wind suddenly picked up and waves harshly bellowed. From a big wave a mermaid appeared before him. The mermaid helped him but with conditions. She made him promise that he would invite her to his wedding and that he would take care of the island, the trees, animals and the waters around. Nogas agreed and the earth shook and and the waves swelled again. When the sea calmed, an island with white beaches, teeming with green tress and birds was in front of him.

Nogas has fulfilled the datu's wish. Now the datu has no other choice but be true to his words and to prepare for the wedding of Nogas and Anini.

On the wedding day held on the island , Nogas forgot about his promise to the mermaid that he would invite her. The mermaid was insulted and was very angry. In the midst of the revelry the whole island suddenly shook. The sea receded from the shoreline and the waves swell. Atop the wave appeared the mermaid. Nogas asked for forgiveness for breaking his promise. The mermaid said, "For the sake of Anini, I will not punish you because her love for you knows no bound. for the second time, promise me that you would take care of this island, the animals, the birds, the mangroves and the trees."

As years passed by, Nogas became a changed man. He became greedy. He wanted to amass more wealth and become more powerful. He started to cut trees at Tinigbasan and the mangroves on the island and sold them off. All that could be turned to wealth he exchanged for gold.

The mermaid got angry because Nogas did not keep his promise again.. Nogas asked for forgiveness but the mermaid did not heed him . She said, " I have done everything to help you because I have seen goodness in you. The giant on the rocks and I are one and the same. I did not remiss in reminding. Because of your disobedience, I will separate you and Anini. I will give her back to the lands of her father. You, Nogas, will remian in this island. you are no longer worthy to be with her. But if you really love her, you will have to build a bridge of rocks, in order that the island and the mainland meet. When this shall be done, then you shall cross this bridge to reclaim Anini - that is, if she will wait for you."

The winds howled and the waves swelled and swept the lovers apart.

Finding Nemo in Nogas Island.

At last, after a few months of hiatus (again) I am posting a new blog tonight. I was searching the net last night for some interesting things about Anini-y or Nogas Island and I came across this wonderful montage.

The montage is a documentation of an outing by a group of friends. They went to Nogas Island, aside from the Sira-an Hot Spring. Sira-an Hot Spring is one of the famous tourist destinations of Anini-y, Antique (others are Nogas Island and the Simbahan ng Anini-y). It is in Brgy. Nato.

Anyway, the video is amazing. They have underwater shots and they found Nemo (clown fish).



Summer is fast approaching and hopefully I will get the chance to snorkel in Nogas Island.

Poblacion and Nogas Island - The BEST Thing AVP

This is the AVP last 2008 that I made for Poblacion, Anini-y, Antique. This was originally intended for my multiply account, hence the qin for multiply at the end.

Things To Do and See while in Poblacion, Anini-y, Antique

1. Magpanghinhas ( Gathering shell foods)
People in Poblacion would gather "sihi" or "bulalo" during the low tide. "Sihi" is an ingredient for a tinola with saluyot, okra and malunggay, served during lunch. You need to use a safety pin to pry out the meaty part out of the shell. The best time to do this is during 5-7 am to avoid sunburn. The best place is at the back of the Simbahan ng Anini-y up to Brgy. Sagua.

2. Maglantaw sa mga naga pasikad manok (Roosters "sparring")
Many of the men in Poblacion are into cockfighting and most are keeping their own winner. To ensure the best performance, men would do "pasikad" of their roosters in the morning at around 7-9 o'clock. In this, they would pit their rooster with other roosters. This is like "sparring" practice for the chickens.

3. Go swimming
If you get phobic when water reaches up to your chest then Poblacion has the beach for you. The swimming area does not go into a sudden plunge so there is plenty of space to swim. It is safe for children too.

4. Explore Nogas Island
After breakfast head to Nogas Island and picnic for lunch. If you own a snorkel, you could bring one. Don't forget sunscreen and if you are planning an overnight stay don't forget insect repellant. Also bring lots of water. There is no fresh water source in the island.

5. Visit the Anini-y Church
Visit at around 9 am or 3 pm if you want to tour inside. Don't forget to arrange first your visit with the local priest. Ask for permission. Don't forget to catch a glimpse of its old bronze bell. Nonetheless, you could go there anytime and stand outside and be awed.

6. Manabo kang isda (Source fresh fish)
Every afternoon at around 3 - 4 pm fishermen would come in with their catch. To get the freshest choice go to the beach and met up with them.

7. Drink tuba
Coconut sap when fermented it turns into coconut toddy (aka tuba) and eventually vinegar. Drinking sessions usually starts at around 4 in the afternoon. Many prefer to drink by the beach so head to the barangay hall because along the way there are tubaan. Tubaan are small huts, it could just be a table, where tuba are sold. This is also where people gather to socialize over tuba. Tuba costs around P5.00 per 1 glass (nescafe glass which is about 500 ml).

8. Mag pamalaran (Go Fishing)
Starting 5 in the afternoon fishermen would head out to sea. If you are brave and willing to endure the hardship, boredom and bitter cold then go ahead and ask some local fisher folks if you could join them.

9. Mag pamanlo (Using light torches to comb the reef for fishes and crustaceans)
This involves combing the reefs during lowtide for trapped fishes and other crustaceans exposed. This usually happens at night or very early in the morning before sunrise. You bring petromax or flashlight.

10. Mag panalum (Go diving)
If you want adventure, you are a great swimmer, can hold you breath for a long period of time under water, has good eye and hand coordination and not afraid of depth then ask for a local to bring you along. You need goggles (samong) and spears (pana) for this.

11. Get a view
Hike to Tuno (also known as Bugtong as there is one tree up there) to see Nogas Island, the church and the span of Poblacion. On your way there, pass by the Simburyon (ruins of a muscovado mill) at Sabudan.

12. Magpadalayday or magpahilot (Get a massage)
After a long, bumpy journey to Anini-y get a massage. There are good masseurs in Poblacion. Most of them are not ordinary masseurs. They are also maarams or manugbulong (healers). They could do more than relieving your physical pains. Some of them could perform rituals like batak dungan and pang luy-a.

The ritual of batak dungan is usally performed for children/ babies to protect their dungan (an ancient concept of soul) from evil spirits that could bring illness and harm the children. This also protects the dungan from wandering away from the physical body which could cause exhibition of madness-like behavior (nawawala sa sarili, pagkatulala, depress-like) or even death.

Pa(ng)luy-a on the other hand is a healing process using ginger. This is used to cure illness such as fever, pains in the stomach, rashes or any other illness thought to be caused by evil spirits or elemental creatures one might have displeased or harmed.

Hilot is different from dalayday. Dalayday is the spa-ish massage for muscle aches while hilot refers to a therapeutic massage to realign bones when you have fractures (bari), dislocation (hawod), or sprain (kibit).

13. Magpanggutok (Gather bangus fry)
This is very challenging especially when the water gets choppy. An implement called "boldoz", made of bamboo with fine mesh, is used to gather the bangus fry.

14. Mangulabo
Drink lots of buko juice and eat lots of coco-meat.

15. Lay back and relax
When you are in Poblacion time slows down and you have the day to yourself. No need to hurry. No need to rush.

Fiesta Urukay turned One

Fiesta Urukay in Multiply.com turned 1 year old last June 3, 2009. I forgot to repost it here. I have not been actively posting for quite sometime for I am very busy with work. I sometimes miss being a bum for I have time to think of fresh articles and have a free schedule to do some traveling or research to post something new here.

I was hoping to do something to celebrate the thing with a bang but with the prospect of changing work and preparation for upcoming big event in my current work I was not able to do anything. Maybe next year.

Fiesta Urukay 2009

Above the proposed activity for the Fiesta Urukay 2009. The highlight of this celebration is on May 17, declared by the Local Government of Barangay Poblacion as the Barangay Day. May 17 is also the Fiest Day of Nogas Island. If the weather is good, a mass is usually being held at the Island and people would go there to attend the mass and then have a picnic.

Simbahan ng Anini-y, A Philippine Heritage Site

The Simbahan ng Anini-y (Anini-y Church) is the only preserved colonial church in the province of Antique according to the Heritage Conservation Society. It is also considered as one of the oldest landmark in the province and was awarded by the National Historical Institute (NHI) as one of the Philippines heritage site.

The church belongs to the the 19th century revivalist style with traditional Baroque elements like the triangular pediment with niche flanked with blind occuli supported by a single storey and divided into three sections by engaged pilaster. It also features an arched entrace adorened with rosettes, stout pilasters with finials and a three-storey bell tower.

It was first built by Fray Hipolito Casiono between 1630 and 1638. Its foundation, which still exists, measured 33m x 13m. A second church of 48m x 12.5m was constructed close to the earlier church around 1845.

Fray Vaquerin was responsible for the completion of the present complex, the convent in 1879 and the church, except for the arco toral - an architectonic element for reinforcement . Vaquerin's church measured 65m x 16m and had a height of 10m. The convent was almost totally demolished during the World War. The Mill Hill priest Fr. William Erickweld preserved the ruins and built a modern convent beside it. in 1973, the roof and the backwall were damaged by a typhoon.

Photo by energystream from Flickr

Theories on Origin of Nogas Island

One American who had visited the island described the island as mostly made up of old coral, shells and volcanic pumice. This came as a surprise for seldom have I encountered materials which discuss geology of the island and it really sparked my interest on probing the origin of the island.

Pumice is solidified frothy lava. It can be formed when lava mixes with water. Its porous nature is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid cooling and rapid depressurization.

According to experts from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs), the southern tip of Panay Island is composed of marine and pyroclastic (volcanic) rocks that are older than two million years. The age of the “volcanic pumice” in Nogas Island could not be ascertained at this point due to lack of information. It is not easy to conclude for no reference mentioned whether the island formed together with the Panay mainland or later.

The southern part of Panay is located in a known active “collision zone” of tectonic plates. An evidence of this collision is the presence of the Negros Trench running along the southern tip of Panay. This area is where the Sulu Sea basin subducts or the plate moves beneath another which at this case is the Negors Trench. (Source: GeoScience Journal Vol. 10 No. 3, p. 305-320, Sept 2006).

The subducted plate (read: the Sulu Sea basin plate) is dragged downwards into the earths mantle until it reaches a depth where high temperatures melt the rocks. The resulting magma then rising along vertical fissures and reaches through the surface through a volcanic vent. When fissures open up in the sea floor, volcanic islands formed as a result. There is no known volcano in Anini-y, Antique but the existence of Sira-an Hot Spring and the Negros Arc in Negros Island are the evidence of this tectonic activity. Earthquakes usually occur at these zones and is said to be able to shift the plates by up to 5m or about 15ft at once.

It could possibly be that that along this area magma might have risen along a fissure. However, the percent composition of pumice in Nogas Island is unknown that its presence in the sland might have been caused by other processes. Pumice is said to be a common product of explosive eruptions. Could it possibly be that in the past, Kanlaon, the nearest volcano is the area had erupted explosively and volcanic materials have reached this point? (Picture from: http://www.platetectonics.com/)

Another view is that there might be pumice in tahe surface but the base composition of the island might not be igneous in nature. Some studies have found that pumice being buoyant have the capacity to float across great distances of water. This phenomenon is called pumice rafting. There is also a possibility that the rock was misidentified as pumice. I am not certain about this as I am no geologist and during my last visit on the island the rocks caught least of my interest.

Nogas Island may have formed through organosedimentary buildup. Notice that mapping of the island revealed reef(s) surrounding it.

The reef flat may have formed through combination of abiotic process such as deposition of sand, wave erosion other natural process and biotic process through formation and build-up of coral and other calcerous algae. Sand may have collected then compressed, and maybe turned to rock through lithificatition and on this compressed sand corals and coralline algae thrived. It could be that corals and calcerous algae have grown on top of one another and formed a three dimensional framework that is modified in various ways by other organisms and inorganic processes.


The events described above may have led to the formation of the island. It could be that either of the processes explains the birth of the island or it could be interaction of events. It is important to probe the origin and to understand the island formation for geologic history is an important influence on an island’s natural resources especially its flora and fauna.

Nogas Island Great Potential for Macro Diving

Scuba diving is swimming under underwater or taking part in another activity, while using a scuba set. Under scuba diving are different classifications describing various diving activities. There are commercial, professional, rescue and recovery, scientific, recreational, and technical diving which includes cave diving, cavern diving, deep diving, ice diving and wreck diving.

Specifically, recreational diving a.k.a. sport diving is a type of diving that uses scuba equipment for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment. This is usually viewed as the opposite of technical diving which requires greater level of training, experience and equipment.

There are different factors which makes a destination attractive for diving:
1. Wildlife present in the site. The more diverse the flora and fauna the more attractive it is. Also, unique or endemic creatures also attract divers.
2. Topography of the site such as reefs, caves, gullies and underwater cliffs are interesting features.
3. Historical or cultural items like shipwrecks.
4. Underwater visibility.
5. Temperature.
6. Currents.

Nogas Island is a 24-heactare government naval reserve about a mile from Poblacion, Anini-y, Antique. According to an article in the internet, in the Visayas, Nogas Island is an undiscovered site (www.angelfire.com/divesite/other.html) and may be considered as Philippine’s best kept secret (Chris Ng of Diverone Inc., a dive resort operator) .

If you are one of those divers who are not awed with large sea creatures then Nogas Island is your macro heaven. The term macro heaven is related to macro diving, dives that do not focus on the big stuff (http://www.dive-the-world.com/). One might be wondering why the term macro when it does not focus on the large creatures. Macro is used as underwater divers cum photographer uses macro lenses to be able to take big and close up pictures of the tiny creatures.

According to the site mentioned above, areas suitable for macro diving is tend to be shallow water, close to shore in areas where coral, if present, is not particularly vibrant or may be dead, in seagrass beds, and/or black sand or silty conditions. These are diving environments where there are less likely anything bigger than an octopus.

A dive site in Nogas Island frequented by people booked in Boracay is located between the Nogas Point, Nogas Island and Anini-y, Antique (?). It is said (http://www.diving.navius.com/) that there is a large rock at the drop off which serves as a mark entrance to the descending wall. The depth is said to be 20 to 100 ft with slow current and the level of diffuclty is advanced.

Nogas Island is also for bird lovers and botany enthusiast as it holds diverse variety of bird species and variety of vines, wild tress and shrubs.