My father-in-law, Engr. Manuel L. Sta. Maria, retired deputy administrator of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and a resident of Malay, Aklan, suggested that we visit his hometown and its emerging star – Boracay  Island. It would my first and Grace’s second visit, she having visited the place sometime in 1978 when White Beach was then blissfully deserted.

The timing of the visit couldn’t have been any better.  Grace (then 5 months pregnant with my daughter Cheska), 3-1/2 year-old Jandy, my in-laws and I arrived  in Kalibo on  board a Philippine Airlines morning flight, just over a month after the nearly successful December 1-9, 1989 coup de etat.  Tourist arrivals were still down but this later proved to be a blessing in disguise.

We were all picked up at the airport by an airconditioned L-200 pickup. The trip to Malay town proper took all of of 90 mins. and the  going  was rough as we approached Brgy. Caticlan, Malay, , the gateway to Boracay Island, because the zigzag road there was still unpaved and dusty.  Foreign tourists, however, didn’t seem to mind as we  saw many  of them  clinging precariously onto the roofs of  jeepneys, thoroughly  enjoying  the bumpy and dusty ride to Brgy Caticlan.  The views of the Sibuyan Sea from the road were magnificent.  Along the dusty part of the road to Malay, we chance upon Malay Mayor Roger S. Aguirre, the nephew of my father-in-law and Grace’s first cousin, who was supervising the concreting the road.

We finally arrived at my  father-in-law’s old 2-storey, wood and concrete  ancestral house located near the plaza and seashore. The town of Malay was created only in 1949, being a barrio of Buruanga before that time.  The father of Tay Lolong (as my father-in-law was called there), Mr. Melanio Sta. Maria, was mayor of Buruanga from 1925-29.  The street in front of the house was named after him.

About 50 m. from the house was the shallow, brown sand beach of the town and beyond it, seemingly within paddling distance, were the enticing white sands of Boracay’s White Beach.  We just couldn’t wait to get there.