Basilan in the eyes of a newcomer: A photo essay

Insights of a first time visitor in Basilan Province told through photos.

10/21/20253 min read

It was a hot and humid day in February of 2022 when I first saw the port of Isabela City from the ship that I took from Zamboanga City bound to the island province of Basilan. At that time, I remember having a queasy feeling in my gut. As someone who lived almost all her life in an inland Mindanao province, the sight of the port as an introduction to where I will stay for the next half a month is unsettling. You see, I will be deployed for work in an unfamiliar island for 15 days, I had all kinds of uncertainties in my mind. Looking back, I realize it was a mix of different feelings, a little sea sickness, excitement, a bit of worry, and an overshadowed sense that I will see the world differently at the end of the trip.

The market by the sea

There were many things sold in this market that I saw for the first time in my life. Food products abundant in the island were common, such as fish and cassava.

Seafood. Seafood. Seafood.

A province like any other

Basilan left many interesting impressions to people, especially those who have not visited it. I totally get why. Many news in the media mentioning this province were focused on conflicts and terrorism, which were not completely wrong, and a part of the province’s history. But as someone who stayed and went around the province, albeit a short duration, I saw it as not so different from other provinces in the country.

Unique ways of living. A whole community living in houses built over the sea.

The People

I noticed that the people I met, who mostly spoke Yakan, were laid back and generally had a calm vibe. I wondered if their personas reflected their environment, calm and serene seas surround them after all.

Views that belong to museum paintings!

The end of a trip. A start of a new perspective.

A line of cars waiting to get into the ship bound for Zamboanga City was my view as I left Basilan. Within half a month, I saw different ways of living a life, different from mine, at least. Languages, food, surroundings, practices that were new to me. I thought, we are all different from one another, but we are similar, too. I had a more reinforced belief that everyone’s lifestyle is shaped by their respective surroundings, environment, and circumstances. Two weeks is not enough time to know and understand a place and its people, but it is plenty of time to enrich someone’s point of view.

Photo Essay Series

This story is part of our photo essay series that tells personal perspectives of locals about the places around the six regions in Mindanao. A place can mean different things to different people. We celebrate all different perspectives in this series.