MANGROVE LOVING PENGUIN: Visiting the Mangrove Boardwalk in Cabucgayan, Biliran Province

"Mangroves are more than trees.  They're life, protection, and legacy." 

Visiting the many coastal provinces in the Philippines offers a wonderful window into the diversity and utility of the mangrove ecosystems.  Recognized  mangrove sites like Leganes Integrated Katunggan Park in Iloilo, the AFFA Mangrove Ecopark in Quezon,  the Prieto Diaz Mangrove Forest and Caditaan Mangrove Ecosystem  in Sorsogon let visitors experience these vital tidal forests firsthand through boardwalks, boat tours and immersive planting activities.   Being a mangrove afficionado, the Mangrove Loving Penguin (MLP) have visted these famous mangrove spots as well as other lesser-known mangrove places like Davila Mangrove Sanctuary    in Ilocos Norte, the Salvacion Mangrove Forest in Camarines Norte, the Bula Mangrove Forest in South Cotabato, and the Kawas Marine Sanctuary in Sarangani. 

The excitement of visiting a mangrove forest in the coastal provinces of the Philippines never gets old for the MLP. There is always that high level of excitement for me  to see successful grassroot mangrove conservation efforts in the provinces  turn barren mudflats into sanctuaries of biodiversity. With this is mind, the MLP has endeavored to visit the mangroves in all the 62 coastal provinces of our beloved country in the hope of learning as much we can about the mangrove ecosystem and of writing about the mangroves as a way to spark more interest among the general public.  It is a long odyssey for sure but something I believe to be worth taking. In the Philippines, mangroves are recognized as nature based solutions to climate change.  

Entering the month of August 2026, the MLP has visited already mangroves in 20 coastal provinces in the Philippine archipelago.  What will be the 21st province? 

Serendipity has a way of providing the answer.  It turns an unrelated activity into  an opportunity. This second weekend of August, while on a project site visit in  Leyte, the MLP took a side trip on a Sunday to the neighboring province of Biliran  to visit  mangroves.  

Biliran is the 21st coastal province that the Mangrove Loving Penguin has visited looking for mangroves after Camarines Norte, Batangas, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Bohol, Leyte, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, South Cotabato, Sarangani, Batanes, Misamis Occidental, Aurora, Aklan, Guimaras, Cebu, Ilocos Norte, and La Union.    

Biliran  is one of the country's smallest and newest provinces of the Philippines.  Formerly a sub-province of Leyte, it became an independent province in 1992. Biliran island originally known as "Isla de Panamao." Early records show that Isla de Panamao  was named after a native fishing net and served as an early Spanish shipyard site were galleons were built.  The name changed to "Biliran" between the late 17th century and early 18th century, derived either  from a local grass (borobiliran) or the word "bilir" (edge of a boat). On April 8, 1959, Republic Act No. 2141 made Biliran a sub-province of Leyte. A plebiscite on May 11, 1992, ratified Biliran's status as a regular, independent province under the Local Government Code.

MLP at the 150-meter Biliran Bridge that is the gateway to Biliran Province. 

Pointing at the patch of mangroves visible from the Nasunugan Causeway

Biliran is an island province located on the eastern part of the Visayas group of islands.  Biliran Island is connected to the Leyte Island by a combined bridge-causeway system built in 1975-1976 that passes thru Poro Island, utilizing both the Biliran Bridge and the Nasunugan Causeway. The Biliran Bridge has a total length of roughly 252 meters while the Nasunugan Causeway has a length of approximately 150 meters. 

The total land area of Biliran province is 555 square kilometers which is only 2.59% of the entire Eastern Visayas region. Based on the 2020 census of the Philippine Statistics Authority, Biliran's population is 179,312 persons. The province is composed of eight  municipalities namely:  Almeria, Biliran, Cabucgayan, Caibiran, Culaba, Cawayan, Maripi, and the capital town of Naval. 

The mangrove forest cover of the province is approximately 231 hectares based on comprehensive national satellite mapping data from the DENR and PhilSA. Biliran province features coastal mangroves areas and conservation patches notably the Naval Mangrove Nature Park spanning seven barangays  (Sabang, Agpangi, Borac, Sto. Nino, Caraycaray, San Pablo, and Catmon)  in Naval, the 18-hectare mangrove forest and boardwalk in Barangay Looc,  Cabucgayan, and localized mangrove patches in several barangays in the town of Biliran.        

On the visit to Biliran Province, the MLP zeroed in on the mangrove forest and boardwalk in Barangay Looc, Cabucgayan  which is located on the southeastern part of the island.  It lies along the coast facing Carigara Bay.   It is called the "Cabucgayan Boardwalk" or "Biliran Boardwalk" or simply the "Boardwalk" by the locals.    

Vicinity map of Biliran Boardwalk at Brgy Looc, Cabucgayan.

Among the mangroves in Biliran province, the Cabucgayan Boardwalk is the more known. Googling about it, one find several entries of news articles and blog articles glowing about the Mangrove Boardwalk becoming a tourist destination in 2017. The Cabucgayan LGU head  back then, Mayor Edwin Masbang,   talked about the Boardwalk as demonstrating that environmental conservation can go hand in hand with development and ecotourism. 

There is even a national law that talks about the Boardwalk. Republic Act. No. 10409, signed into law on March 19, 2013, is an act declaring the province of Biliran as a Tourism Development Area and sets up the Biliran Tourism Development Trust Fund to help pay for tourism projects. R.A. 10409  identified several TDAs in Biliran which included Higatangan Island (Naval),  Sambawan Island (Maripipi),  Casabangan Falls (Cabucgayan), Tinago Falls (Caibiran), Bagongbong Falls (Almeria), and the Mangrove Area of Looc known as Cabucgayan Boardwalk. 

Screen shot of Manila Bulletin article in 2017 about the popularity of the Cabucgayan Boardwalk

  

Screen shot of Leyte-Samar Daily Express article in 2017 about the Cabucgayan Boardwalk being a top tourist site

With such fame and recognition, the Cabucgayan Boarwalk is a must-visit in Biliran.  The MLP was excited and Sunday (Aug 9) early afternoon saw us arrive in Cabucgayan in search of the Boardwalk. Understandably, the Cabucgayan municipal hall was closed on a Sunday so we had to ask around from a tricycle driver and a sari sari store owner for directions going to the Boardwalk. 

There was initial difficulty in locating the entrance to the Boardwalk as its billboard has faded already.  Luckily, the mangrove forest is clearly visible from the road so I alighted from vehicle and peered into an opening on the sidewall.  Voila, the start of the mangrove boardwalk was there.  

Thus, the adventure to explore the Cabucgayan Boardwalk started.

Along the Biliran Circumferential Road is the entrance to the Cabucgayan Boardwalk

The stair lined with plant overgrowth serves as a rustic, green entryway into the Cabucgayan Boardwalk 

After a few steps down the rustic stairs, the MLP was already immerse into a thriving mangrove forest.  

MLP taking a closer look at the mangrove vegetation to identify what mangrove species are thriving in the Cabucgayan Boardwalk.

Observing the Cabucgayan Mangrove Boardwalk reveals that stands of  Bakhaw Babae  (Rhizophora mucronata) are visually prominent due to their extensive network of arched stilt roots. 

Long spear-like propagules hang visibly from the branches of Bakhaw Babae.  Among the 3 Rhiziophora species in the Philippines, the Bakhaw Babae produces the longest propagules which typically measures between 40 to 80 cm.  

The Sonneratia alba, locally known as the Pagatpat, is another dominant mangrove species in Cabucgayan Mangrove Boardwalk. It typically grows on the seaward edge of the tidal flats, directly facing the open sea where it tolerates high salinity and strong wave action.   

The fruit of the Pagatpat is pear-shaped. It sits firmly inside a stiff, persistent, star-like calyx (the base of the flower) with lobes that spread out.    

The Cabucgayan Mangrove Boardwalk also has a number of Avicennia marina, locally known as Miapi.  It is characerized by a smooth, yellowish-green bark that often flakes in thin, brittle pieces similar  to that of a guava tree.    

Another characteristic of the Miapi is the vertical, pencil-like  roots called pneumatophores that stick out of the mud to help the tree absorb oxygen in waterlogged soil. 

 

The boardwalk offers an immersive experience for the visitors like MLP , providing a close-up, low-impact view of the mangrove ecosystem. 

A view from the Cabucgayan Boardwalk of Carigara Bay and the mountain range in Leyte Island  

The visit to Cabucgayan Mangrove Boardwalk was an immersive experience for the MLP.  It gave me an opportunity to see up close the thriving mangrove species in Biliran province.  However, I could not help but notice the deteriorating condition of the boardwalk.   The Biliran Boardwalk suffers from heavy weathering on its structures. Local tourism promotion once featured operational cottages and restaurants, but limited budget for the 5th-class municipality often leave these rural ecotourism amenities abandoned over time. Transitions in local government leadership could have shifted budget allocations toward other public works which slowed down tourism site upkeep. Maintenance often depends heavily on ongoing ecotourism revenue and active local cooperative involvement from the surrounding communities.  I have a suspicion that both did not abound in the case of the Cabucgayan Boardwalk.  

2017 photo of the Cabucgayan Mangrove Boardwalk with cottages and restaurants clearly visible.

        

In MLP's visit this August 2026, the railings of the boardwalk are gone and the cottages are not anymore present.  

With the structures of the  Boardwalk deteriorating and the ecotourism promise fading, would this mean a deterioration as well in the vitality of the mangrove ecosystem in Barangay Looc, Cabucgayan?  I hope not and looking at some recent social media posts by reputable  organizations like Sun Life Philippines   and ABS-CBN Foundation , there is good reason to be hopeful.  

In late 2024, Sun Life Financial-Philippines Foundation, Inc. and ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. launched the Integrated Mangrove Citizen Science and Sustainable Livelihood Initiative in Samar and Biliran.  It seeks to enable local communities to become stewards of their  matural environment, engaging them as citizen scientists in preserving mangrove ecosystems. It also aims to strengthe their livelihoods and community-based social enterprises to sustain economic opportunities.  The project of Sun Life Foundation and ABS-CBN Foundation involves collaboration with three community organizations from three sites in Eastern Visayas region:  the San Juan by the Bay Service Cooperative (SJBSC) in Brgy. San Juan, Sta. Rita, Samar;  the Baroybaybay Mangrove and Marine  Conservationist Association (BMMCA) in Brgy. Barobaybay, Calbiga, Samar; and the Naga, Rawis, Villa Corro, Looc Mangrove and Fisherfolk Association (NARAVIL MFA) in Brgy. Looc in Cabucgayan, Biliran. 

Looks like the hope of the conservation of the mangroves in Cabucgayan will now be mainly  in the hands of a people's organization, NARAVIL MFA,  with steady support from two reputable private foundations. And that is a good thing.

My experience visiting the mangrove sites in Ilocos Norte down to Sarangani province, with many in between, have shown us that local people's organizations have proven to be effective frontline stewards, driving grassroots mangrove conservation and managing community-based restoration.  Their daily presence and localized knowledge ensure that restoration projects transition into long-term, protected coastal ecosystems. 

It is hoped that it will also be the case in Biliran province. 

Amen to that.