The countless curves I felt while my cousin was driving, made me fall asleep and awakened me at the same time. Only then, when we made a full stop to tell me that... "We are now officially crossing the bridge constructed under former Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos to reach the island of Biliran." I took pictures of the bridge of course.
The island of Biliran was first called Isla de Panamao, referring to an ethnic fishing net. Between 1668-1712, the name was changed to Biliran, which was derived from a native grass called "borobiliran". On April 8, 1959, R.A. 2141 made Biliran a sub-province of Leyte, with the title Lt. Governor. On June 21, 1969, R.A. 5977 was enacted to amend the original charter, changed the title Lt. Governor to Governor, with the executive power of a provincial governor. On May 11, 1992, the people of Biliran and Leyte ratified in a plebiscite the conversion of the sub-province into a regular province.
We were set to reach the town of Almeria, Biliran to stay at Agta Beach Resort. I contented my myopic eyes to savor as far as my optic and acoustic nerves can reach and observe during night time. I know that there is something beautiful and exciting waiting for me during sunrise.
I wasn't mistaken, chirping birds and the sound of fishing boats awakened me. There was also one morning, that I woke up gazing at various cloud formations and reflections against the sea (Strait of Biliran). My eyes clearly saw Dalutan Island right in front of Agta Beach Resort's shoreline. You swim in pristine and white sandy beaches nor in luxurious resorts elsewhere, but you wont get to see a backdrop of islands, islets, rock formations or even a lovely rainbow jutting from an island right before your eyes than in Agta. The pictures I took below are concrete proofs.
I forgot to mention, Biliran has 30 water falls and I only saw four. It has rice terraces as well. The moment I saw the giant boulders of rocks when I was trekking the hills and mountains, I suspected that this paradise island is also a volcano island.
My little online research gave me the following:
Geological features
Rock Type: Hornblende andesite containing greenish and black hornblende
Tectonic Setting: Biliran Volcano is part of the curvilinear belt of Quaternary volcanoes in eastern Philippines, parallel to Phil. Trench to the east
Volcanic activity
Number of Historical Eruptions: 1
Latest Eruption/Activity: September 26, 1939
Site: crater
Eruption Character: Debris avalanche
Affected Areas/Remarks: Ashfall at Caibiran and adjoining areas (6.35 cm thick deposits)
Monitoring activity: Short-term monitoring in 1954
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biliran_%28volcano%29
Please do not forget that the whole Philippine archipelago was created due to volcanic and tectonic upheavals and indeed true that when God created the Philippines, He took lots of time to give us 7,107 islands and I'm talking here of only one island called Biliran.
If you want to experience the best of Biliran, I highly recommend to prospective guests to check out www.agtabeachresort.com if you are looking for an excellent location, spectacular sunset, reasonable prices and countless activities that you will enjoy from kayaking to scuba diving to island hopping nor mountain trekking and to try their delicious and famed grilled chicken grown by their very own staff.
