Manong is no ordinary guard. His guardhouse floats nearby and he moves around in a paddle boat. His face creased and lined by the sun and sea, he must be all of 60 years old.
Yet all boat operators and tour guides respect him. Very few try to slip past him and those who do are 'baguhan' (new at the job) and do not know any better, says our boat operator.Manong guards the Siete Pecados Marine Park in Coron, Palawan. He makes sure that no fishing is done at the marine sanctuary, which is one of Coron's tourist attractions.
People go snorkeling in Siete Pecados where the reef is intact and the fish abound. Armed with bread, the tourists flock to the area to feed the fish and go crazy with excitement when hundreds of fish descend upon them -- including me.
He collects P100 per tourist, but he does not count my five-year-old daughter. "Only P200," he mumbles to me and my husband, unsmiling. Yet I brave the hard exterior and request for a picture. To my surprise, he obliges willingly, even backing away from our boat so that we could take a better shot of him against one of the seven rocks.
He is in his paddle boat most of the time, especially during the summer when boatloads of tourists descend upon Siete Pecados. If any of the boats leave without the passengers paying the fee, the boat is banned from the area and the operator is held liable and in danger of losing his license.
No self-respecting boat and tour guide operator wants this -- tourism is, after all, a major revenue source so everyone toes the line. Besides, manong has been known to switch to his motorboat, anchored to his guardhouse nearby, and chase the culprit.
These times are rare. Coron is a small town and everybody knows everybody. Besides, the waters of Coron abound with fish. So on most days, manong paddles mostly to collect the fees that help ensure the preservation of the marine sanctuary.
That's everyday under the heat of the sun.
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