To verify the source, I embarked on an exploratory trip north of mainland Palawan, to Busuanga Island. We suspect the animal is either a subspecies of C. mindorensis or might even be a new crocodile species in its own right.

 

 

In order to get to Busuanga Island, I took a six-seater Cessna plane with four others from Puerto Princesa. The airplane will land in Coron town, which will serve as my jump off point towards the west side of Busuanga Island where I will make my exploration. I was a bit worried by the burly pilot and thought the plane would not be able to take off because of his weight. But it did and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was an uneventful journey and we reached Busuanga Island airport safely after more than an hour of flight. The town can also be accessed from Manila taking a jet-powered airplane. We call that the "Bulilit" (meaning small) flight before. Now, regular flights of jet- and propeller-driven aircraft serve as transport.

I was going alone and my budget was good for just a few days. I inquired from the local people how to get to my destination. I would take a lone, single trip bus plying the route to Dipuyai River in Barangay Dipuyai (now Sto. Nino) west of Busuanga Island, where allegedly the crocodile was sourced. I waited and finally boarded a bus built basically with a frame made of wood. It was full of people as there was no other way to get to the west.   

 

It was a bumpy ride as the road was rough and the seat was hard as there was no cushion on it to absorb the shock. The landscape along the way appears to be barren as most of the ones I see was pastureland. Finally, after several hours I arrived to my destination, a very rural place with no electricity dotted with houses made of nipa (Nypa fruticans) and bamboo slats. I looked for the barangay chairman for it is only the safest way I could spend the night in a place alien to me. I was able to meet him, explained my intentions and interviewed knowledgeable locals concerning the crocodile. My interviewee noted that crocodiles in the place are difficult to come by. They inhabit a sort of lake upstream that dries up during the dry season. There is no easy access to it. I thought it would take more time to visit the place so I decided to schedule another trip devoted to it.

 

It was getting late in the afternoon and I asked him for a place to spend the night. He ushered me to his house and I was so anxious to take some rest after a tortuous trip. Lying down after a simple dinner inside a mosquito net, I could see white dusts of DDT sprayed on cobwebs at the ceiling of the thatched roof. Malaria is prevalent at this part of the country, and spraying DDT to get rid of Anopheles, the malaria carrying mosquitoes, is a common approach to control the vector of the two disease-causing protozoan in Palawan namely Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax. I had a fitful sleep as I was so tired of the whole day trip.

 

 

In the morning, I inquired for a place to take a bath and I was directed to go to a nearby river a few meters from the house. I went and was amazed by the pristine condition of the river. I thought I was in paradise. The water was so clean and the bath so cool and invigorating. I wondered how long the river can stay that way. The river is all mine as I could see no other bathers around. 

 

I continued my journey towards the extreme west of Busuanga Island and arrived at Old Busuanga. Rural sceneries also abound and the seascape is just superb. I looked for the office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and inquired about information concerning crocodiles in the place. They have very little information about it and I contemplated of taking the next trip back to Busuanga airport the next day to catch my flight. I still have some time left because the trip back to Coron town will be early morning of the next day. Old Busuanga is the way of access to nearby Calauit Island where African wildlife were brought and allowed to thrive. I endeared to go there but I'm running out of cash and dismissed the idea. The price of accommodation in the town was tourist-friendly but not government employee friendly as it would cost me more than a day's per diem to spend a night there and I did not bring extra money with me.

 

I spent the night in one of the inns. That night was unfortunate as it just rained and the frogs were so noisy croaking. They sounded differently from frogs I encountered in mainland Palawan. Out of curiousity, I went outside and took a picture of the frogs, which appeared to be quite different from those I've seen before. They were stout (probably pregnant) and had smoother skin than the ones I had previously seen. 

 

I took a picture of these frogs outside the inn in Old Busuanga.

 

It must be a species of Platymantis, but I am not an amphibian specialist so I just noted this for reference later. Maybe one of my readers can tell me about these frogs and identify them appropriately. Satisfied of my accomplishment for the night, I returned to bed and tried hard to ignore the disturbing sounds.  

 

 

I was off the next morning towards the town of Coron. The trip went well but I needed to stay for a day again before the day of my flight back to Puerto Princesa. I realized the necessity to allow a generous amount of time to achieve my objective. I allocated so small a budget to get significant results but that realization came late. I slept like a log that night.

 

I woke up earlier that morning for some reason. Early morning light started to permeate the boarding house but the sky appears to be so foggy. Looking out the window, I noticed some mud on the roof. I thought some prankster did it. I looked for the landlord to report my observation. On the ground floor, I saw my fellow boarders listening intently over the radio. A volcano has erupted! Mt. Pinatubo located at mainland Luzon spewed ashes and mud up to Busuanga Island, 340 kilometers away.

The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo (Image Source).