After completing a tour
off Bucas Grande Island last February 18, our group took a 2-hour drive through
the town of Cortes in Surigao del Sur for a side trip in Laswitan Lagoon, a
household name among Mindanao travelers. We used the easier route via Carasscal,
Cantila, Lanuza and Cortes before we reached the city of Tandag where we stayed
overnight in Shacene Hotel. Along the way we were able to witness how mining
activity ruined the mountains of Claver. I thought of it then that despite
being one of the most lucrative industries, mining operations of the country
should be reviewed. In it I see the motives of Environment Secretary Gina Lopez
as valid and at the peak of everything because the mountains where open mining
are hosted are fast depleting.
Meanwhile, Laswitan lagoon
is located in Cortes, 25 kilometers from Tandag downtown and some 30 minutes
ride. It is one of Cortes’ only jewel and is now being visited by people from
all walks of life. What makes it really exciting is the splash created when
strong waves from the other side of the rock formation approach, making it an
instant waterfalls and then suddenly fade away. You need to wait for another
period before the cycle appears again which define patience as a virtue for
visitors in the place.
Unlike any ocean
destinations where one prays for a calm weather and small waves, your prayer
when you go to Laswitan is the exact opposite. The focal point of interest in
the lagoon is the big waves so that the visit is worth. Laswitan is a local
term which means a place where waves from the ocean touch a solid formation.
The water that splashes through
the rock formations accumulates into a natural rock pool and serves as spot for
visitors to dip into while waiting for series of wave squirting. The beautiful
cobblestones surrounding the place added another interesting scenery which
could be scaled only when waves are smaller so as not to suffer injuries.
From a broader standpoint,
Laswitan is a gray structure that serves as an eye course to the Pacific Ocean.
For a photographer like me, there are a lot of reasons to visit Laswitan, even
without waves, because the rockscape alone is enough to illustrate a place nowhere
else on earth can be found.
The locals of Cortes told
me that Laswitan became a spot for tourists only in 2013. When it was featured
in several national television programs more and more people are now interested
in visiting the place, which allowed them to also prepare as a tourism community.
The LGU is now starting to develop support mechanisms to make it more
accessible like maintaining the road leading to Barangay Madrelino.
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