The archipelagic geography of the Philippines gave the country 36,289 kilometers of coastline, making it the seventh country in the world in terms of total coastline length. It also follows that it features a lot of beaches, and Renegade Junctures is fortunate enough to see some of the most notable of them, such as the white sand of the Virgin Island of Bohol and the beaches of Palaui Island and Crocodile Island of Cagayan. Who would also forget the islands of Batanes and the famed boulder beach of Valugan, the clear waters of Maydangeb, and the time-crafted arch formation along the beaches of Sabtang? If only for beaches and blessings of the sea, the Philippines has a lot to show.

Scenes from beaches visited by Renegade Junctures through the years.

Tawi–Tawi will definitely not be at the bottom of the list. With a total of 307 islands, it packs a punch in terms of beaches it has to offer. That would be the goal of our second day in the island province. We would conquer the sea.

Ran and I woke-up at around 04:00 AM and by 05:30 AM, we were already with the rest of the group at Ate Sidang’s homestay for breakfast. The breakfast was typically Filipino with a touch of Sama: fried rice, eggs, dried fish and fried eggplant, with kumukunsi on the side—a dense local version of what we would call a doughnut with the way it was prepared.

We boarded our service vehicle just as soon as everyone was finished with the breakfast, and in just around 10 minutes, we were already in a port in Bongao. There, our guide Kuya Ben was already waiting for us.

Scenes before the boat left the port.

Kuya Ben was kind enough to give us a briefing of the day ahead. Our second day in Tawi–Tawi will be an all-day island hopping, starting with an at least two-hour and a half journey by boat to Panampangan Island in the municipality of Sapa–Sapa. The island arguably outshines all other islands in the Philippines, as it is home to the longest sandbar in the country.

A scenic view of the majestic Bud Bongao while we were aboard the boat to Panampangan Island.

Initially, I thought that it was just too early in the morning hence the skies felt gloomy. As the hours progressed, however, I realized that it was indeed cloudy. I could only hope for the sun, as it would be such a disappointment to be at sea and on the beach if we would experience the same rain that welcomed us in Bongao.

After more than a couple of hours in the sea, we finally caught sight of Panampangan Island. As if on cue, the sun also started to peek through the clouds. It won’t be a rainy beach bumming after all.

Despite being very remote, Panampangan Island is not totally uninhabited. A family or two of Bajaus have bult their houses on the island, with a small group of the Philippine Navy. Together, they try to maintain the island. It was too much of a task, I should say. In small island exposed to all weather and elements standing in the middle of the vast ocean, upkeep could be a challenge.

We wasted no time as soon as we have secured our things in one of the cottages and started to explore Panampangan Island, walking through its fine white sand.

Ran and I then started to walk towards the concrete boardwalk protruding from the island and that extends far beyond the sea.

Hindi naman kami pulis para manatili sa ilalim ng tulay, as the old Tagalog song goes. After having taken our photos beneath the boardwalk, we then of course went above it. Apologies for the dump, but whenever beholden by the beauty of a place, one just cannot help it but to capture as much memories as possible. Thanks to technology, securing memories has never been as easy as a click or two, and in this case, so much more.

There is a dock at the end of the boardwalk, and you probably have figured it out already. More pictures!

When we were done taking our photos on the dock, we the turned our eyes to the vastness of the sea. The sea in Panampangan Island and in Tawi–Tawi in general is crystal clear yet has a distinctive turquoise color, further enhanced when touched by the light of the sun. The turquoise color blends seamlessly to the blue sky and the white sand, creating a picture of surreal beauty.

The serene sea of Panampangan.

So, you might ask, where on earth is the sandbar? It is on the other side of the island from where we docked and took photos. We haven’t even gone there yet. Panampangan Island is already a definite beauty to behold even before seeing the sandbar itself, and it would be unfortunate to miss this side of the island if we would rush to see what it is known for. We were taking our time, as at least at that point, we had lots of it.

We are getting there anyway.