Hundred Islands: Alaminos, Pangasinan

On the northern part of the Philippines, 4-5 hours away from Manila is the Hundred Islands situated in Alaminos City, Pangasinan. It is one of the

 most amazing wonders of the Philippines and entices thousands of tourists to visit every year. With activities such as pleasure hopping, kayaking,

spelunking (exploring natural caves), scuba diving, snorkeling and parasailing, Hundred Islands will be an awe-inspiring beauty to the one who will

experience it.

The 124 islands and islets during low-tide with one islet that sinks during high-tide, cover an area of 18.44 square kilometers. These are scattered

along the Gulf of Lingayen. According to townsfolk, the town of Agda located in the northwestern part of Alaminos City, is called as the “mother island” of the Hundred Islands.

Believed to be over 2 million years old, the Hundred Islands also known as “Kapulo-puloan or Taytay-Bakes” is one of the highlights of Philippines’

ecotourism. Even though only 3 of the islands have been developed for tourists, anyone can still enjoy and tour around the other 121 islands any time of the day. The 3 developed islands are Governor Island, Quezon Island and Children’s Island. Actually ancient corals, the islands extend well inland in an area previously comprising the seabed of an ancient sea. Due to the lowering sea levels, the islands were exposed to the surface and the odd mushroom-like shapes of some of the islands have been caused by the eroding action of the waves coming from the open ocean in the northwestern part of the Philippines.

Hundred Islands

One of the Islands in Hundred Islands

Other activities which can be enjoyed at Hundred Islands are fun-fishing, sunbathing, jet-skiing, banana boat ride, and bird watching.

Myths and Legends of the Hundred Islands

Anita and Akong

One of the legends told by old folks who live in the area and passed on to generations of storytelling, is the story of a couple named Akong and Anita. There used to be only one island in the place where the Hundred Islands can be found today. Akong is a fisherman and his wife Anita sell the fishes he catches every day. But discontentment soon crept in Akong’s heart and thought of ways to earn money in an easier and faster way. While he went out to sea one night, Anita had a dream about an old man who visited their hut and told them that if they work hard, they will eventually get rich after

three years. She shared this with her husband when he returned but he dismissed her impatiently.

One night, he set out to sea again; his first throw of the net didn’t yield any fish but the second one caught black stones the size of a man’s fist. In

disgust, he threw them back to the sea, accompanied by complaints. Just then, he heard a rumbling sound and saw the waves becoming bigger,

making him paddle faster towards the shore. Unbeknownst to him, the black stones he threw to the sea became islands. He died that night in his

sleep. And once more, the old man appeared in Anita’s dream, telling her about the islands and the fate her husband brought upon himself. Anita just cried as she looked at her dead husband.

The Greed that Created the Hundred Islands

Another legend tells how the islands were created by man’s greed for power and other worldly things. The story goes that a kingdom just lost their

king in ill health and his people were left without a leader. There were two datus from two warring tribes who are legitimate successors. They were

 not only rivals to the throne but rivals to the love of a princess named Liglioa who was also a ward to the kingdom’s priestess and for a mystic huge pearl which would give wealth to anyone who possesses it, but is mysteriously un-gathered from the bottom of the sea. These two rivals had been

fighting for a long time now that the priestess finally consulted the ancestors and the oracle gave her what ought to be done to attain peace and unity

 for the whole kingdom, which she in turn instructed to the princess. Liglioa then told the two warring datus that whoever wins in the last battle shall

win her hand in marriage and the pearl in the bottom of the ocean. The two datus and their tribes prepared long and hard for the upcoming sea battle and by night, bodies and swords were clashing each other. And before daybreak, something strange can be noticed on the dead warriors’ bodies and their upturned bancas. They were immobile; and soon grass began to grow on them and became a hundred small islands. The priestess then told

Liglioa what happened and the truth about the huge pearl. The real pearl was Liglioa all along, sent to the people by the gods, as they foresaw that

the kingdom would be without a ruler when the former king dies. The huge pearl at the bottom of the ocean was a mere illusion made to test the

character of that rightful ruler. Fishermen of today still swear that a bit farther of where the islands are now, one can see the mysterious huge pearl mystically gleaming under the clear waters of the sea, beckoning, then disappearing just as swiftly as it came.

Reference: Tales from the Land of Salt by Emmanuel Sison

*More legends abound about the islands. Some say it was formed from the tears of a giant with a broken heart. Still other tales tell of the mermaids

that once mystified fishermen in the area. These and countless legends and myths, so old that it finally drifted off of the people’s consciousness, only add to the Hundred Islands charming aura.