Emma Palallos was in her 20s when she first came to Tambobo Bay in the southern tip of Negros Oriental province in the late 1980s. This body of water shared by Barangays Bonbonon and Siit in the southern town of Siaton has been a favorite stop for fishermen, who moor their boats off its shores after a week’s voyage, or where these are taken for repairs. Having newly arrived as “bakwit” (evacuees) from Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province, Palallos joined a group of about 30 fishers and other locals organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to plant mangroves on the shorelines of Tambobo.

Pal, I. F. (2020, July 19). At home in Tambobo Bay. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A8.