What: Bantayan Island Lifestyle
Where: Bantayan Island
What to expect: A depiction of local island lifestyle
The lush beach of Banatayan Island doesn’t only offer sun and sand, it also offer a colorful smiles and a unique flavor that is unique to Banatayan itself. On this post I will highlight the life blood of the island… its locals; how they live and love in this blessed island paradise in the tip of Cebu.
A girl biking in the cornfields
Getting around Bantayan Island isn’t really hard. You can easily have different modes of transportation to traverse the island. I’ll list them on…
Bike – not to mention getting a good exercise’s worth out of pushing the pedal to the medal traveling the island using a bike offers a slow yet arduous ride around the island. I’d recommend renting a bike if your hotel is like 300 to 500 meters from the market. If you plan to go around the island I think the bike won’t handle good through the distance and crags of the roads that you would be passing through. Something I notice while observing bikes in the island was the abundance of surplus Japanese bikes that people use. I asked around why the Japanese bikes. A local told me that there’s a certain supplier that gives the bikes at 2000 PHP and can be loaned to the teachers in public schools. Since the teachers need to take pedi-cabs daily to school and spend 7 to 10 PHP on the ride back and forth is 14 to 20 PHP. Having a bike cuts down cost drastically; thus the story of the Japanese bikes.
Japanese surplus bikes found all over the island
Pedicab - is also known by a variety of other names such as pedicab, bikecab, cyclo, or trishaw. The term Rickshaw is used more broadly, and also refers to auto rickshaws, and the, now uncommon, rickshaws pulled by a person on foot. Cycle rickshaws are human-powered, a type of tricycle designed to carry passengers in addition to the driver. They are often used on a for hire basis. Cycle rickshaws are widely used in major cities around the world, but most commonly in cities of South, Southeast and East Asia. – from wiki
Pedicabs are very abundant on the island and are the usual means of transportation in the towns and its outskirts of the island. They charge 20 PHP from the any hotel in the vicinity of Sta. Fe to the town proper. The problem is during the evening and wee hours of the morning prices can double or triple. I only suggest using this if you need to move locations under the heat of the sun or the assault of rain.
pedicabs are most abundant near towns
Motorcycles – Motorcycles or what people call “habal-habal” are the fastest way around the island. They’re fast and they’re compact. They fear no off road ups and down and they speed the highway. Usually the price of transportation form one part to another depends on the driver. On the other hand you can rent the bike for you to drive yourself for 24 hours. The rate they usually give is 350PHP per day and 50PHP per hour. After gassing up the bike the whole island is yours to explore. Just be safe when driving on Bantayan since goats, cows and water buffalos can suddenly cross the road while you’re driving so drive safe. The last time that I was there I rented a bike and I was the 1st time in my life I used one. For me this experience was an adventure, one that I’d happily do again the next time I go there.
the fastest way to get around
a family on a motor bike
be wary of crossing animals on the road Life in the island is made of a quiet and simple life that the locals have embraced and passed on through the generations. It’s not that hard to get by the island. The 1st day when we got there we ate at a stall by the side of the port. The food was very affordable and a whole meal can cost as low as 50 PHP. If you’re stay near Sta. Fe’s Poblacion, I suggest checking out the market for your needs. The public market offers almost everything you need from sun tan to tubers. You can be early in the morning and buy fresh fish from the mornings catch as well. If you’re planning to do a dinner barbeque by the beach the market also offers fresh meat that’s sold fresh off the bat. Even fruits aren’t a hard thing to find, they serve a variety of fruits on stands all over the market, they even come on pedicabs roaming the island for peddling.
a woman giving a serving of viand for 15 PHP
fruit stands in the market
a fruit peddler on a pedicab
Market day 
a butcher at the market
a wider view of the market front
barbecued corn on the cob for 5-10 PHP
locals procuring vegetables
People on the island usually get their livelihood from different aspects of work from farming to tourism. Aside from the Bantayan famous “buwad” or dried fish, the island has another resource that I didn’t know till recently. That the island produces more than 100 tons of eggs daily to supply the needs of the Visayas, mainly mainland Cebu, Panay, Leyte and Negros. Roaming the center parts of the island the abundance of egg farms can be noticed. The chicken droppings that come from the farms are the used to fertilize the vast amounts of corn fields that are another source of crops for the Island. Some of the locals in the island also are into bamboo craft and “sawali” making which is made into walls for bamboo houses.
Egg farm entrance 
Bantayan egg farms produce 100 tons of eggs daily
golden corn fields cover most of Bantayan Island's interior
a child in a sawali making household 
a woman harvesting mangroves
family bonding
Tourism is one of the major industries in Sta. Fe for most locals the impulse of tourism means the impulse of income. Most of the locals either are involved with fishing or farming and tourism at the same time. The Department of Tourism is trying to increase livelihood projects by introducing eco tourism for small businesses. I’d like to point out that like Malapascua Island, Bantayan Island also has a plush coral fields and marine life that can be used for eco tourism. Since the fishing industry has dwindle due to overfishing the government has been trying to help provide alternative means of income for the islanders. Fruits are one of these alternatives since Bantayan Island now produces corn, mangoes, chicos and coconuts.
tourism is income for the local Bantayanons
a couple walking the sandbar
snorkeling and island hopping are one of the newer tourism attractions of the island 
a child on a shaded road in Bantayan I hope you guys had a interesting read about the life on the island, I will be updating more soon. Till then.
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