No videoke in Cagbalete

Text and photos by: Sonny Yabao

It was only when we pitched our tent and cooked dinner and opened a bottle of brandy did we hear singing voices with the familiar electronic sound in the background a few meters away. It’s paradise lost again, I thought. But then our loud conversations did seem to drown out the singing. I quieted down. She was belting out a Misalucha hit… “At nagyakap sabay sa pagsabog ng alon, saksi ang liwanag ng buwan…” Oh, well…

A young man observes as a fisherman carrying a styro box at the beach fronting a fishing village on Cagbalete Island in Quezon Province. Photo by: Sonny Yabao

A young man observes a fisherman carrying a Styrofoam box at the beach fronting a fishing village
on Cagbalete Island in Quezon province. Photo by: Sonny Yabao

I woke up. It was almost midnight, and I walked to the outhouse. The sand was cool and soft on my bare feet. I looked around and was struck by the shadows cast by the trees on the ground. I raised my head and saw a full moon, glanced at the beach and the sea. For beyond indeed, the effect was reminiscent of the movie “Day for Night.” Incredible clarity.

A young girl dancing in front of the village kainan or diner on Cagbalete Island in Quezon province. Photo by: Sonny Yabao

A young girl dances in front of the village kainan or diner on Cagbalete Island in Quezon province.
Photo by: Sonny Yabao

A man and his family enjoy a simple breakfast outside one of the houses in the fishing village on Cagbalete Island in Quezon province. Photo by: Sonny Yabao

A man and his family enjoy a simple breakfast outside one of the houses in the fishing village
on Cagbalete Island in Quezon province. Photo by: Sonny Yabao

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