EXPLORE | Zamboanga’s Great Sta. Cruz Island: Pretty Pink and Lush Lagoon

(Part 4) 

The Great Sta. Cruz Island (also known as Isla de Sta Cruz) is Zamboanga’s best kept secret.  

If the island were to have its Facebook account, its pink sand would be its profile pic. But its banner photo, would definitely be its lagoon surrounded by verdant mangrove forest tucked just behind its pretty sands and turquoise blue waters.

On our yellow boat. On the background are the other lagoon visitors. 

When national geographic featured Sta. Cruz Island’s pink beach as one of the world’s best, nature lovers, beach bums, and domestic and foreign tourists swamped the island to check this amazing place. But locals already enjoyed this piece of paradise when it opened to public in 2014.

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But more than just the pretty pink shoreline that stretches over a kilometer, Sta. Cruz island has a lagoon which is the heart and soul of the island. The sustenance of the Sama-Banguingui, a Muslim community living in the area.

Entering to the Lagoon. 

The lagoon is a vibrant 180-hectare ecosystem of rich biodiversity with a thick cover of the natural-grown mangroves scattered in the vastness of mostly shallow waters.

When you are deep into the lagoon, you feel it pulsating with life. It is the habitat of stingless, upside-down jellyfish, shell food, blue crabs, agar-agar (seaweed) and green caviar seaweed (locally known lato) and much more.

It has also been a refuge to many migratory birds from Australia, Africa and neighboring countries like Indonesia and Malaysia according to Zamboanga City’s Protected Area Management Unit (PAMU) Operations Officer Richard Aliangan.

Richard, the Sta. Cruz Island Operations Manager and lead marine biologist, doubles as tour guide. 

As the lagoon is a protected and preserved mangrove area, only less than 25% is open to tourists.

Richard who is the lead marine biologist in the conservation efforts doubles as our tour guide in this visit.

Richard shows the propagule of mangrove. 

The community of Sama-Banguingui welcomes you at lagoon’s entrance with their warm smiles. Few of them (mostly men) act as the boatmen for the 30-minute tour using their ‘yellow boat' which are rented for only P200.00 (but if you feel generous you can give more.)

The boatmen were properly trained as ushers of tourists as well as PAMU’s partner in protecting, guarding and monitoring the protected lagoon.

Proper Handling| The boats are in Delta position looking over a group of upside-down stingless jelly fish. 

As a mangrove area, the lagoon becomes the breeding ground for many fishes like lapu-lapu (grouper) and bangus, our boatman said. This is also what they learn from the seminars conducted by the PAMU for them. He said that being the villagers of the island, they are the only ones allowed to fish inside the protected area.  

Richard said that the local community are also trained to do the non-destructive ways of fishing. Local fisherfolk use fishpots (bobo traps) to harvest blue crabs and fishes in the lagoon. They also harvest shell fish by handpicking them.

CATCH OF THE DAY | Cherry tries to retrieve one fishpot. It has blue crab in it. 

As a mangrove area, the lagoon becomes the breeding ground for many fishes like lapu-lapu (grouper) and bangus, our boatman said. This is also what they learn from the seminars conducted by the PAMU for them. He said that being the villagers of the island, they are the only ones allowed to fish inside the protected area.  

Richard said that the local community are also trained to do the non-destructive ways of fishing. Local fisherfolk use fishpots (bobo traps) to harvest blue crabs and fishes in the lagoon. They also harvest shell fish by handpicking them.

LOOK| See those brownish sponge-like creatures, those are the stingless jellyfish in the lagoon. They are upside down to easily trap planktons, their food. 

Into the tour you will see, the mangroves of different varieties Richard described aging 40 – 60 years old trees.  Century-old mangrove also abound in this water forest which I think is pretty amazing. Mangrove varieties include Piapi, bakawan lalaki, bakawan babae, among other endemic species in Zamboanga Peninsula.

Adding color to the “educational trip” are fun-filled activities like retrieving fish traps and the line of seaweed caviar, the jelly-fish handling, picture taking on the strong branch of century-old mangrove tree and the vinta boat ride (which requires additional fee of P100.00) for 30 minutes.

100 YEAR AND BEYOND. We sit on the main trunk of a century-old mangrove.

Cherry and the guides. The other guy is from the City Tourism Office.

Meet and Greet with stingless jelly fish.

Vinta Boat Ride is added attraction in the tour. 

With other visitors. These ladies are personnel of Western Mindanao Command of the Philippine Army. 

Loving the eco-tour.

When visiting Sta. Cruz Island, the pink beach experience is just half of the fun and awe. A visit to the lush lagoon completes the whole experience. You will not just learn, you also help the gentle people of Sama-Banguingui tribe who are the guardians of Zambonaga’s best kept jewel.

(RAW PHOTOS FROM iPHONE 7) 

You may also like to read: 

Part 1. Ciudad de Zamboanga, Summer’s last Hurrah!

Part 2. Zamboanga's Best Eats!

Part 3. Beach Bums in world-renowned Zamboanga’s Pink Beach

Beach Bums in world-renowned Zamboanga’s Pink Beach

Part 3

The pink beach of the Great Sta. Cruz Island would be the highlight of our Zamboanga visit.  

This island has become popular after National Geographic featured it as one of the best 21 beaches in the world, with its rare pink sand. It was opened to public only in 2014.

We had our reservation weeks ahead by a friend who lives in the city. Early booking should be arranged because guests are limited only to 200 a day. 

(Tip #1: Ask Assistance from friends who live in Zamboanga City to personally make the booking in your behalf to make sure .) 

On the day of our visit, we were already at Paseo del Mar, (the port going to the island) even before the gates were opened. So, instead of being reserved for Boat 6 (meaning the 6^th boat for the tour, we were moved to boat no. 1! Just got lucky.

Zamboanga City’s Protected Area Management Unit (PAMU) Operations Officer Richard Aliangan gave a fun and quick orientation. It was a sweet reminder that the place is a protected area, that cleanliness must be observed and maintained. Trash in, trash out policy.  A “stern” warning though “it is illegal to take anything from the island, even a rock, but especially the pink sand."

(Tip #2: During reservation you can also arrange for a tour at the Sta. Cruz Island lagoon.)

Each boat is assigned at least two boatmen and one security detail. Joining us on this tour was Ramil another friend. (Lucky to have lots of friends here!)

After a ten-minute boat ride, the beautiful Great Sta. Cruz Island welcomed us with its serene and peaceful beauty. Its pristine water glimmers in shades of cerulean to turquoise as it forms soft foams on the beach. As we disembarked the boat, our feet landed on the soft sugary white sand with bits of pink pixels. That was gorgeous!  

The sand. (credit: National Geographic.
My own shots didn't quite give justice to it :)

The I “heart” Zamboanga   was standing on the ‘pink beach’ an attractive addition to what seem an undisturbed island, save the some cottages built since it opened three years ago. The cottages are for a fee, but very affordable. One would even feel to pay much more just to make sure the place is maintained. The bathroom, though, uses salt water. 

If you want the out-there rustic vibe, you can also stay on the makeshift table and stools from cut-down trees under the shade of the lush green covers of naturally grown trees. As it gave a more stranded-on-a-virgin-island feel so we settled on it. Best thing is, it was free of charge! Got lucky again!

Sta. Cruz Island has a long white sand embellished with red or pinkish particles. Those beautifully colored grain of sand were actually from the pulverized red coral washed to the shore by the tides. Over the years, it has made pink particle on the beach.

There are other two smaller islands near it. One is occupied by the Philippine Marines (or Navy) who stand as patrol around the area. And the other one is inhabited by the muslim tribe Samal Banguingui. 

Since we were the first ones to arrive, we had the entire island as beautiful backdrop to our pictorial, and unlimited selfie for my wife including the obligatory pose before “I heart Zamboanga.” The classic jumpshot, we sure did.

(Clockwise from the top: Me, on beach, the waters,
and holding the display of the red coral, source of the "pink sand"

The island has limited facilities but I liked it that way. It was more natural. As mentioned, it had at least 6 huts for a very affordable rate. There were lots of trees around which provide a large shade cover. At the back area were some stalls of persuasive Samal Banguengue women selling souvenir items.

(Tip #3: Buy souvenirs in the island as they are cheaper than those in the mainland or in the Barter Trading Center. Even their pearls are 50 percent lesser compared to the prices in the city.)

Luck stroke (again) just before noon. Even if we did not book for the lagoon tour, we were offered by sir Richard to join another two guests (as the other 34 members of their group did not pursue the trip). We did not let the opportunity pass. All in all, we were six guests for the tour, the two Librarians from Dipolog and Ozamiz (part of the original touring group) and the two lady-navy personnel stationed at Western Mindanao Command.

The tour was very cheap as well, one big boat costs P200.00 and another P200.00 for each yellow boat that can carry three people for the tour. 

Sneak Peek of our Lagoon Tour. 

The Lagoon tour will be the 4^th  and last part of this adventure.

But while on the pink beach, you can enjoy the sand, the sun and the cool, fresh seawater!

Read other stories of our adventure in Zamboanga City. 

Ciudad de Zamboanga, Summer's last hurrah! (Part 1) 
Zamboanga's Best Eats (Part 2)

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DOT ad, a copycat?

Is Department of Tourism's  TV Commercial "Sights" copied from South Africa ad?

The highlights of DOT's celebration of the 119th Philippine Independence last June 12, 2017 was the launching of its one-minuter commercial "Experience the Philippines: Sights." 

(UPDATE: THE "SIGHTS" VIDEO HAS BEEN TAKEN DOWN BY DOT.)

Initially it was well received. Many appreciated how heart-warming it was. But hours later, netizens were quick to point out the supposed similarities in the new Philippine campaign to that of South Africa's "Meet South Africa" launched in September 2016. 

The similarities are there. The narrative of one's perception and experience in the country. Some shots are even almost the same, shot for shot they say. And the "reveal" in the end was a complete swipe. 

However, this is not the first time, DOT has "copied" tourism ad of other countries. 

In 2010, DOT launched "Pilipinas kay Ganda" campaign which was accused of plagiarizing Poland's tourism campaign, "Polska". 

This led a DOT official to resign from his post. 

Similarly, the 2012 campaign "It's more fun in the Philippines" was a mirror-copy of 1951 campaign "It's more fun in Switzerland."

But former Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. said the similarity was just "coincidence."

Copycat, now or in the past, tourism industry has been a significant contributor to Ph economy. I just hope, everything DOT does will increase tourists to the country and create more jobs for the Filipinos. 

#ExperiencePhilippines