Catanduanes

Catanduanes was among the more isolated provinces under Spanish colonial rule — the difficult sea crossing, the typhoon frequency, and the mountainous terrain made administration challenging. The island was repeatedly devastated by storms throughout the colonial period, requiring reconstruction efforts that strained both the colonial administration and local communities.

The pattern of typhoon devastation and reconstruction has continued into the modern era. Super Typhoon Rolly (Goni) made landfall on Catanduanes in November 2020 with winds exceeding 225 km/h — one of the strongest landfalls ever recorded globally. The island was severely damaged and required years of rebuilding.

Catanduanes is Bikolano in culture and language, sharing the regional traditions of the Bicol Peninsula while maintaining an island distinctiveness born from its isolation. The people of Catanduanes — sometimes called Catanduanons — are known for their toughness and their capacity to rebuild after repeated typhoon devastation.

Life with Typhoons

On an island that receives an average of six to seven typhoons per year, construction methods, agricultural timing, and social organization have all adapted to the typhoon cycle. Traditional homes were built low, with thick walls and small windows. Root crops that can survive wind and flooding are planted alongside rice. Communities maintain informal systems of mutual aid that activate whenever a storm damages homes and fields.

The Catanduanes Tigsik Festival celebrates the island's abaca industry and its cultural heritage through street dancing and cultural presentations. The festival is held in October and is centered in Virac. The name tigsik refers to the traditional abaca fiber-stripping tool.

Catanduanes food follows the Bikolano tradition with the modifications imposed by island geography. Coconut milk, chilies, and seafood are the foundation. Root crops — taro, cassava, sweet potato — are more prominent here than on the mainland, a reflection of their typhoon resilience. The island produces a local wine from coconut palm sap called lambanog, though the Bicol mainland version is more widely known.

The language of Catanduanes is a dialect of Bikol, distinct enough from the Naga Central Bikol to be classified by some linguists as a separate language — Catanduanes Bikol. It has two main varieties: the Virac dialect spoken in the capital and southern municipalities, and the Pandan dialect spoken in the northern part of the island. Both share the characteristic musicality of Bikol languages.

Isolation has both preserved and differentiated the island's language. Catanduanes Bikol retains some vocabulary and features that have been lost in the mainland varieties, while also developing its own innovations. The island's oral literary tradition includes folk songs, riddles, and narrative poems related to fishing, typhoons, and agricultural life.

Catanduanes is reached by domestic flight from Manila to Virac (approximately 1 hour) or by ferry from Tabaco City in Albay (approximately 2.5 hours). The ferry route is scenic but should not be attempted during typhoon weather. Within the island, motorcycles and tricycles are the main modes of transport. The eastern coast roads are scenic but can be damaged after major typhoons.

After the Storm

On November 1, 2020, Super Typhoon Rolly made landfall on the eastern coast of Catanduanes with sustained winds of 225 kilometers per hour. It was one of the strongest landfalls in recorded history — stronger, in terms of sustained winds at landfall, than Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in 2013. The difference was mostly in the size of the affected population. Catanduanes has fewer than 300,000 people.

In the days after Rolly, photos circulated of Virac and the coastal municipalities: roofs stripped clean, trees snapped, boats thrown inland, the road to Puraran submerged under debris. The casualty count was lower than expected, partly because the people of Catanduanes know exactly what to do when a serious typhoon comes — you evacuate, you go to concrete, you wait. The island has been doing this for centuries.

What takes longer to rebuild is the abaca crop — the plants need three years to mature after replanting. The coconut trees take longer. The road to the eastern coast was impassable for months. By the end of 2021 the surfers were back at Puraran, the waves indifferent to everything that had happened. The island rebuilt as it always has: household by household, field by field, with the next season already on the horizon.