Sending Dominicans to the Missions (Part 2)

Among the five islands of the Babuyan Islands, the Dominicans have  been in the islands of Calayan and Camiguin Norte for a long time now. Four of the islands namely – Calayan, Babuyan Claro, Dalupiri and Camiguin Norte comprise the municipality of Calayan in Cagayan Province. The parishes of St. Bartholomew in Calayan Island and St. Vincent Ferrer in Camiguin Norte Island are under the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao.

On April 1, 2014, we reached Tuguegarao City at about 6:00 p.m. It was about 11 hours of travel from Manaoag, Pangasinan where we started our journey with four of our Dominican priests who will be assigned in our mission stations in the Babuuyan Islands. We stayed for a night in Tuguegarao City before proceeding to Aparri, the jump off point going to the islands.

The following morning we met with Archbishop Sergio Utleg, DD at the archbishop’s residence beside the cathedral. It was a courtesy visit to the archbishop before our four Dominican priests officially start their mission work on the islands. Our meeting with the archbishop was very cordial, not really very formal. He tried to familiarize himself with the four new Dominican missionaries. Afterwards the archbishop invited us for snacks. We had a taste of “Batel Patong”, a type of noodle dish in Cagayan Valley.

After the meeting with the archbishop, we made a quick stop at the Pauline’s store in Tuguegarao City to buy paschal candles for the two parish churches where our new missionaries will be assigned. In two weeks it will be Easter Sunday. And then we proceeded on our journey to Aparri, the northern most town in mainland Luzon. We went straight to the bank, where our missionaries had to open bank accounts for the mission stations. It is through the bank in Aparri that their monthly subsidy will be sent, since there are no banks in the islands.  We also did some last minute shopping of groceries and things we might need as provisions of my stay for a few days on the islands.

We stayed overnight at the Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary situated within the campus of Lyceum of Aparri. The diocesan priests in the seminary, most of whom were graduates of the Ecclessiastical Faculties of the University of Santo Tomas, welcomed us with a sumptuous dinner. The priests in the seminary have been supporting the Dominican missions in the Babuyan Islands in terms of providing us with a place to stay whenever we are in the mainland, either before crossing to the islands or going to Manila.

At about 7:00 a.m. the following morning, we boarded the M/V Eagle Ferry. This vessel, which is owned and operatd by the municipality of Calayan, took us on a 4 hour journey to Camiguin Norte Island, and another 3 hour journey onward to Calayan Island. It was generally a smooth voyage,  sailing across Babuyan Channel on a very fine weather. At some point in our voyage, we even saw dolphins swimming  alongside the ferry boat.

The locals in Camiguin Norte Island have been eagerly waiting for our arrival, and as soon as the ferry boat docked at the port, smiles flashed from familiar faces of my former parishioners. I was the parish priest in Camiguin Norte Island from 2008 up to 2011. They welcomed us and helped us carry our baggages to the mission house beside the parish church. Two of the four missionaries will have to proceed to Calayan Island for their mission assignment.

I stayed in Camiguin Norte Island for a few days, visiting old friends and familiar places. We were treated by the locals with daily meals of lobsters, crabs, fresh fish and vegetables. My former boatman even prepared a feast of “lechon” and “kalderetang kambing” for me and a group of volunteers who helped me bring along donations of school supplies for the school children in the island.

On our second day in Camiguin Norte, while enjoying a boat ride when we went island hopping, we saw the enchanting humpback whales of the Babuyan Islands. From about a few hundred meters away, we saw a mother whale and a baby whale that seemed to be playing with each other. We stopped our boat and watched with awe and delight on these gentle giants for about an hour.

After spending five days in Camiguin Norte to send off our new missionaries, I went back to Manila on a 3 hour ferry boat ride up to Aparri  and a 14 hour bus ride up to Manila.