It’s been 24 hours since I left Cebu to swim, observe and learn about whale sharks in their area. The experience was very different compared to the last time I swam with a whale shark 6 months ago in the nearby province of Bohol when I was helping an NGO establish whale shark research.

Bohol was once thriving with whale sharks decades ago but the population began to dwindle in the early 1990s because of excessive hunting. When the national law prohibiting the catching, killing and selling of whale sharks was passed in 1998, sightings of whale sharks started to rise not only in Bohol but in other areas of the Philippines as well. The success of whale shark ecotourism in Donsol, Sorsogon prompted other areas to dwell into this kind of income-generating activity for their municipality. The latest one to jump into this opportunity is a town south of Cebu....

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January 2012          
Undesirable Charity by Jenna V. Genio

I recall my two trips to Palawan earlier this year, before I left for the States. The first of the trips was spent at a resort in El Nido Bay; and the second included a lovely boat safari tour around the Calamian Islands near Coron. Both organizations were very eco-conscious, beginning with mandatory briefings for all guests and participants about the "Leave No Trace" philosophy....

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December 2011: Responsible Travel     
It Begins With Small Steps by Roda Novenario

“Nothing a good day of diving can’t cure.”

Wilson Uy, PADI Dive Instructor and Marine Environment Conservation Advocate, was first to tell me these words. It was over a pitcher of margarita at the old Penguin, a few weeks before he was to go on field to teach open water diving to fishermen and boatmen (former poachers) in the south....

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November 2011: Responsible Travel     
Tread Lightly by Gregg Yan

Great adventures come with great responsibility.

With rising ecological concerns, today’s smart travelers must be more mindful of their impacts on the places and people they wish to visit....

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April 2011: Responsible Travel     
What If by Roda Novenario

It’s been a month since the triple catastrophe hit Japan. In that span of time, the world saw admirable resilience, discipline and grace. We saw another face of a country, long known for its modernity and wealth. We saw a different kind of richness, one that cannot be cultivated through commerce alone....

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September 2010: Responsible Travel     
Back From Where We Left Off by Roda Novenario

It’s been more than two years since Yapak Travel and Leisure had an outing – that is, had new articles out. Since then, we’ve decided to move to the web. Yapak, after all, is a travel and conservation magazine. It seems hypocritical to kill more trees just to come out with print versions that may only end up (although we hope not) as fancy galunggong wrappers. Plus, there is the budget consideration. It pains our pockets. Online is definitely cheaper; and, right now, everybody’s already online anyway....

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January 2008: Responsible Travel     
Bilmoko Blues by Roda Novenario

And we're on to the next… After the scramble for gifts for 2007's Christmas, it's another mad scramble ahead. Valentine's coming up; and, sure, who wouldn't want a token or two from a special someone.

Don't get me wrong. Giving (and receiving!) is good. And if there has to be a season or occasion for it, then why not.

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January 2008:Responsible Travel     
Dumdidumdum and the Baby Pawikans of Morong, Bataan by Roda Novenario

He is a frisky one, Dumdidumdum. He pushes ahead, jutting himself above everyone else in the pond filled with baby pawikans. He seems like he wanted to get out so bad.

I pick him out of about 20 hatchlings and couldn't keep him still. With my small camera already strapped around my right wrist, my free hands are still overwhelmed.

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October 2007: Responsible Travel     
Pyramids of the Sea: A Dive Volunteer's Story by Elaine Tolentino

Just recently, our dive group went to a marine preservation area in Calatagan, Batangas. Home to dive volunteers, within the two-hectare preserve lie large artificial reefs shaped like pyramids. These "Pyramids of the Philippines" were created to address the continuous deterioration of marine life in the area.

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October 2007: Responsible Travel     
Scares by Roda Novenario

Have you heard about the story of a barkada who went off to a town up North for a vacation? They were goofing around inside a jeep, waiting for their ride to fill up, when an old man tapped one of them at the back of his shoulder. The teenager remembered a story he heard from friends about this practice, that it was a way for warlocks and witches to leave a curse upon their chosen victim. So he got out of the jeep, ran after the old man and tapped his shoulders to pass back the curse.

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July 2007: Responsible Travel     
Conservation at Work: Batad In The News by Roda Novenario

Batad, Banaue, the location of one of the four clusters of rice terraces in the Cordillas that qualified as a World Heritage Site in 1995, is in the news lately, albeit notoriously. And while we lament the unfortunate events, we want to turn the limelight back on what most people come there for: the breath-taking Batad terraces.

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July 2007: Responsible Travel     
Firsts by Roda Novenario

Firsts make the most vivid impressions. Like my first climb. This also happened to be my first trip on my own, and the first time I went with this troupe of Makati-based mountaineers.

We went to Mt. Famy (more popularly known now as Mt. Romelo); and for all the preparations and training we did, all I can think was, "Oh. Ok...."

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