Samal Islands: White Sands and Clear Waters

WITH more than 7,100 islands, it’s not surprising that beaches are one of the big draws of the Philippines.

“Whatever your mood, there’s something to suit: from kilometers of fine white sand with a not a soul in sight, to party strands, to spectacular water-sports beaches, to tiny, sandy isthmuses in the lee of tropical islets,” wrote Lindsay Bennet in her globetrotter island guide book to the “Philippines.”

Some of the country’s fine beaches can be found in the coastal waters of Davao Gulf, which has an area of 308,000 hectares that cuts into the island of Mindanao from the Celebes Sea. It is surrounded by all four provinces in the Davao Region.

 The largest island in the gulf is Samal Island. Davao City, on the gulf’s west coast, has the largest and busiest port on the gulf. Davao Gulf is surrounded by seven cities namely: Davao, Tagum, Panabo, Samal, Digos, Panabo, and Mati.

Samal is a part of the Metropolitan Davao area and is located two kilometers away from Davao City. To reach the island, transportation is available via a barge/ferry service or passenger boats along the Sasa Wharf. The modes of transportation on the island are tricycles or trikes, bus and private car services offered by resorts.

 


The name Samal was derived from the word (sama) the tribe of the natives who are the first inhabitants of the Island. People used the word Samal because of the Visayans who miscalled the word Sama. The first datu in the island was Datu Taganiyug, a native of Peñaplata, Samal. In the past, the people of Samal name a place about what was the said place known for. For example, the name Peñaplata was derived from the word "piña" or pineapple because of the abundance of pineapple in the area. This, however, is folk etymology as peñaplata literally means "rock of silver" in Spanish. Tagpopongan is the first barangay in Samal which name was from the word "tagpo" or meet. It was called so because in the past, this place is chose by the datus as their meeting place. The word Samal was also known before because it was commonly used as surname by datus. Abu is the national costume of Samal long time ago. The first business transaction in the island was during the Chinese era. Spanish influence was also felt in the island.

The city is the largest resort city of the Philippines, due to its good beaches, and it also houses many beach resorts, such as Kaputian Resort, Pearl Farm, Paradise Island, and many more. It has also numerous marine reefs and tranquil waters that lure the tourists to visit them. Because of these, the Department of Tourism named it one of the best visiting islands in Mindanao and now the fastest growing tourist destination in the country. Thus, tourism is the main source of income in the city. Biggest taxes are imposed to tourism and resort industry.