A Different Kind of Samal

That small patch of land in Davao Gulf is the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS)—an island because it is completely surrounded by water; garden because of its diverse coral species; and city because it’s flaunted as an “Urban Center in a Rural Setting.”

Samal is one of the cities of Davao del Norte. In its official website, Samal has been characterized as "the place which has it all".  

But what this exactly means?

As an island, a garden, and a city, it has SEAS, the SAND, and the SUN.  It has enchanting mountains, fertile plains, and scenic hills. Its group of islands are located in the Gulf of Davao about 700 meters south of Davao City. 

IGaCoS is now host to more than 30 commercial resorts scattered along its more than 118 kilometers of shoreline with white sand beaches.  Resorts vary from the high-end ones that cater to the highly-discriminating guests, to the rustic type that are preferred mostly by backpackers and adventurers.

Who needs the seas, the sand, and the sun? What of its enchanting mountains, fertile plains, and scenic hills?

But Samal is no “place which has it all.” This I was reminded of during our trip around Kaputian, one of the three Congressional districts in Samal. The other week I was with my uncle who is running for the post of the city councilor for the 3rd District (Kaputian) of Samal. We went from one barangay to another. I was lucky to have joined his campaign, for I have seen firsthand the places in Samal, specifically in Kaputian, that do not get visited by tourists precisely because there is nothing pleasant to see except for the abject poverty and sights that tend to make people look away.

A case in point is Purok 3, Sagrada, short for Sagrada Familia (Holy Family). West of it, one gets an overlooking view of Talicud Island. There are about thirty households living in that purok. The overlooking view is spectacular. The view within Purok 3 is not. The people have no electricity to speak of. A little bath tub was built through the help of the Community Extension Service of San Pedro College.

Barely three weeks is left before election day. But according to the locals, of the ten candidates for the city council for Kaputian, only two have visited them. It's a pity because they are neglected, I think, not so much because the road to Sagrada is hardly accessible, as it is because the voters are too few to be given much regard. 

We left as soon as my uncle was done talking to the leaders of the purok. Yet a different kind of Samal lingered in my mind. Suddenly, it has become a "place which has it all," but cannot be had by all.