Palanjal Kam ma Tabawan

1/06/2016 11:13:00 PMFJ HAMJA

Palanjal Kam ma Tabawan "Welcome to Tabawan"

Tabawan is one of the islands of South-ubian, a third class municipality in the province of Tawi-Tawi. South-ubian is politically subdivided into thirty-one barangays and thirteen of these can be found in Tabawan Island.

Getting into the Tabawan Island, you need to ride a motor launch locally called "lantsa" from the Tawi-Tawi's capital Bongao. And it will takes five to seven hours depending on the behavior of the tides or the type of the lantsa. On your way to this island, you will be passing by the other island municipalities of Tawi-Tawi such as the Panglima Sugala, Sapa-Sapa, Tandubas and South-Ubian.

The lantsa cannot enter and dock at the heart of the Tabawan Island, so passengers will need to take a pump boat or speed boat after riding a lantsa.

Pump boats and speed boats fecthing passengers at the lantsa.

Barangay Tang-Ngah is one of the thirteen barangays of South-Ubian that can be found at the Tabawan Island. “Tang-Ngah” is a Sinama dialect which means “center”. Indeed it is the heart of the Tabawan Villages which is home to the oldest langgal (prayer house) in the village. The houses of the residents at Barangay Tang-Ngah remain the same just like the old days. The culture and traditions of the Samas in Tabawan has been preserve through all these years. Barangay Tang-Ngah being the center of all villages in Tabawan is the seat of the indigenous rituals known as pag-omboh and pagdiwata.

Sunset is also alluring in Tabawan.

Youngsters on their way to fetch water for home use.

By the way, the means of transportation on this islands are speed boats and pump boats. That is when you gotta go from one barangay to other barangay you would be probably using these kinds of boats. Though there are motors on the main land, but only few residents are having that, it is because only few are residing in the main land of Tabawan since most of the people built their house on stilts.

Tabawan also has a bird sanctuary (Herons)

One of the famous white beaches in South Ubian is the Tahing-Tahing Islet. This islet is just adjacent to the Tabawan Island. Fishes, sea shells, and other seafoods are abundant on this islet.