The town where I grew up is small and languid and everyone knows almost anyone. It's called Looc, which in our dialect means 'strangle'. No, don't judge us just yet. We certainly don't strangle strangers. On the contrary, we smooch and welcome visitors with open arms. In other words, we're loving and friendly people. The name 'Looc' is believed to have originated from a local legend about a giant protector (Talabukon) who saved the town from marauding Moros by strangling them.

You have probably never heard about our town. And that's completely understandable. It's not exactly famous like its neighboring island, Boracay. (I'm sure the mere mention of Boracay somehow sparked a glitter of interest). It doesn't have fine white-sand beaches found in Carabao Island (also a neighboring town) either. I can tell you a few interesting things about our town but they're not enough to make you book a flight and travel down here pronto but I really love my town so I'm pimping it out to anyone who might be interested to visit it. A lot of what our town offers remains unheralded, some hidden, few have yet to be discovered, which can be a perfect avenue for wonderful moments of discovery.

1. Cheap Seafood


Crabs, clams, fish, edible seaweed, shrimp... They're available in the market, which is located near the sea, normally in the morning seven days a week. They're fresh and cheap. Although there's no notable restaurant in town that offers seafood cuisine, you can still buy these fresh sea produce from the wet market or talipapa and have them cooked at the lodging inn you're staying. Best eaten with your bare hands.

As kids, I and my cousins used to watch the flickering lights in the sea from the window sill of our grandmother's house while waiting for supper to be served. Lights coming from small fishing boats glimmered like small constellation in the sea, but it was the light emitted by old lighthouse that was predominantly visible from afar. It danced in the night in a slow, constant rhythm. Before going to sleep, our grandmother would tell us stories about the mystery of the lighthouse. She said 'bulalakaws' (falling stars) liked to land on a spot near the sentinel. Local fishermen would spot weird creatures in the area, like a giant squid and possibly a 'sirena'. That was more than 20 years ago, the lighthouse might have been less older than it is today.