Tourists with a purpose

American visitors do their part fixing boats of fisherfolk. (CDN PHOTO/ MARIAN Z. CODILLA)

With chisel and hammer,  American visitors Mike Herman and Eddie Leazer spent the morning helping repair a fisherman’s boat in barangay Okoy, Bantayan Island.

The visitors were not ordinary tourists. The US Army Apache pilots had come to help in the Back to Sea project as “voluntourists”.

“We witnessed a boat launching yesterday and we like this approach. It’s just like the proverb – if  you give a man to fish they eat for a day, but if you teach them how to fish, then they try to do it themselves,” said Herman, 31.

“We’re not just giving something away that will be good for a day or two, but something that could sustain their life and support a family,” he said.

“Voluntourists” are invited to take part in rebuilding Bantayan after typhoon Yolanda. Aside from enjoying the sun, beaches, diving and island attractions,  visitors  can engage in a socially responsible activity.

DISCOUNT

For P3,500, “voluntourists” can choose to help buid a boat, make fish cages, plant seaweed (guso), or go out to sea with a local fisherman.

“This is way tourists or even donors can immerse in the different target barangays and boat building stations in the project,” said Michelle Lim project coordinator of Bantayan Back to Sea project said.

‘Voluntourists’ get a special discount  in accommodatinos in hotels and resorts, a program  promoted by the Bantayan Island Association of Hotels, Resorts, Bars and Restaurants, Inc.

It was the first time for the two American pilots to visit the Philippines. Eddie  Leazer, who came with his wife Arely, knew Back to Sea project head Allan Monreal. They used to work together in a security service in Iraq.

“We love it here. Everyone is very friendly and very helpful. Last night we were lost and people just showed us the way. We want to return between April or May if we get time off from work. We’ll bring a few more friends with us,” Herman told Cebu Daily News.

EASIER

Bantayan island has not fully recovered from the wrath of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiayan). Many houses remain roofless.  Several families still live in tents.

There are still places with no electricity and water and fisherfolks are busy repairing their boats and fishing implements.

The American visitors worked at a repair station, helping fix a boat of fisherman Venus Desabelle.

“We don’t have to learn everything from scratch. We have this language barrier so just by watching them, we get the idea. It may not be perfect but we get it done,” said Leazer, looking out to the clear blue sea from the white sand beach.

The important thing is to wear your bathing suit so that when it gets hot you just have to dip in the ocean,” he said.

Boat repair would take two days but building one from scratch would take four to five days. “It’s not that difficult actually. It’s much easier than flying an Apache,” Herman said.

Desabelle, the boat beneficiary, smiled in agreement, as he watched over the  foreigners and a few more youths join the repair work.

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