By Johnny R. Lee, Ph.D
Teeming with beautiful islands with white sandy beaches, quaint coastal towns, sacred mountains, appetizing cuisine, and historic mosques, made Tawi-Tawi a must-visit tourist destination in this southernmost tip of the country.
Tourists, both local and international, will always savor the memories of having been to its iconic bucket list of the majestic Bud Bongao, the paradise-like island of Panampangan and the prehistoric Balobok Cave.
But lately, new ‘hot spots’ have made a lot of attention that lured local tourists and adventure-seekers who have been weary from the ‘pandemic’ fatigue.These are the Sangay-Siapo Island Beach Resort and the Rubber Tree Forest Park at Barangay Lapid-Lapid in Bongao. The former is a ‘Maldives’-patterned beach resort complete with beautifully-designed cottages on stilts with floating jetties; and the latter is a forest park that resembles that of a scenery seen in a Korean ‘tele-nobela’ – with tall lanky (rubber) trees, filled with brown falling leaves spread across the park’s floor.
Sangay-Siapo is a 45-minute ride by Lepa-designed boat from Bongao and the Rubber Tree Forest Park is a 20-minute land trip also from Bongao poblacion.
Of course, the throngs of visitors and guests still has to follow the usual health protocols imposed by the management of both establishment’s operators. JRL
PHILIPPINE MUSLIM TODAY 