Echoes From
BY JOHNNY DAYANG

Boracay in the Season of Lent

Back in the 50s, Filipinos observed the Season of Lent with great solemnity. In those days, “solemn” meant long hours of meditation, prayer, novenas, processions, fasting, and retreats.

Today, Lenten Season more or less translates to a grand vacation – an occasion to gather family and/or friends for four days of non-stop rest and recreation.
But whether it is for meditation or enjoyment, one thing has remained the same: People also find ways to go the beach during Holy Week.

And as child, there was only one beach for us Aklanons. There was only one sand, one sky, and sea that put together spelled heaven on earth: Boracay, a dot of an island in Malay town, about 345 kilometers south of Manila.

Boracay was country’s best-kept secret in the 50’s. Its white, sugar-fine sand formed a long, pebble-free beach embracing the blue sea. Boracay had no huge waves or treacherous undercurrents. And it was so clear, you can see your toes in under five feet of water.

In the days of my youth, Boracay’s shore was still lined with trees. There was not a resort in sight. It would take another 20 years before foreigners would discover the place; before a German named Jens Peters would rave about Boracay, heralding its inevitable entry into the list of most beautiful beaches in the world.

Today, Boracay is without a doubt, the queen of Philippine beaches. And like a true-blue Pinay beauty queen, it has garnered its share of titles.

Voted by the BMW Tropical Beach Handbook as one of the best beaches in the world (1990); World’s No. 1 tropical beach according to the British publication TV Quick (1996); Yahoo! Travel’s Most Popular Beach in the World (2007); and No.2 Top Beach Destination in the World according to the travel website TripAdvisor (2011).

Kudos to the community and business leaders of Boracay led by Malay Mayor John Yap.

It only takes 35 minutes to reach Boracay by plane from Manila. It takes longer if you decide to go by land or sea. And in this Season of Lent, there is no better place to remember the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ than in the pristine, serene, and tranquil waters, and, in the solemnity of its churches.