In Naval, Biliran

Biliran Island, located in Eastern Visayas, used to be a part of Leyte Province but it became independent in 1992. It is now the smallest province in the Visayas and  is connected to Leyte by a bridge. On November 4, four days before super typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) hit the region, our family had a vacation in this volcanic island also tagged as an undiscovered paradise because of its numerous scenic attractions such as waterfalls, hot springs, and white beaches that not too many tourists know about. I will share about the waterfalls and island we visited, but for now, I'd like to share about the town of Naval, the capital of the province, where we had our base. 

The town proper of the municipality of Naval is so small you can walk around it in less than an hour but there are many sikad (a bike assembled with a passenger seat and shade) to transport you from one street to another. For longer distances, one can hire motorcycles or habal-habal (motorcycles with extended seat and also shade). These ubiquitous motorcycles made the area look like a busy street scene in Vietnam. 

Habal-Habal

We found barbecue stands in the pier, eateries, and a small pizza restaurant, but we frequented Weluisa Food Court and also Estong Manok & Liempo just across El Roman Pensionne where we stayed. In every street corners there are stalls with whole chickens being roasted over charcoals on a rotiserrie. It seems that Naval is fond of lechon manok and bread too, since we saw many bakeries there. 

Lato (seaweed) served at Weluisa

During our stay in Naval, Biliran, we had the chance to watch the sunrise and sunset over the placid sea along the Naval Pier. Days later, Biliran was ravaged by strong winds and heavy rains brought by Yolanda. I pray, like many of us do, that the province will recover soon from its ruin.