Why Batanes turns big business away

To preserve its natural beauty and protect local businesses, big investors — especially large malls, food chains, and convenience stores — are not welcome in Batanes. Even individuals looking to acquire land face restrictions.

“The local government ensures that Ivatans benefit from our revolving income. We don’t encourage outside investors, including food chains like Jollibee and McDonald’s, or convenience stores such as 7-Eleven. We have our own carinderias and grocery stores,” said Remedios Santos, a tour and community guide based in Masbate.

Batanes Representative Ciriaco Gato echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the impracticality of major food chains setting up shop in a province with just over 18,000 residents.

“Most people here are farmers and fishermen, while some own resorts. So, only a few would buy fastfood. Besides, I’m not a fan — it’s not healthy,” said Gato, a medical doctor.

Instead of large-scale commercial ventures, he stressed the need to develop Batanes’ blue economy, as the sea’s resources remain the island’s greatest asset.

Santos revealed that even billionaire Ramon S. Ang had attempted to purchase land in Basco but was denied.

“The deal didn’t push through because land here belongs exclusively to true-blooded Ivatans. Even if you marry an Ivatan, you remain an outsider and cannot own land,” she said.

Batanes, the smallest province in the Philippines by population and land area, spans approximately 209 square kilometers, nearly half of which consists of hills and mountains. Its economy primarily revolves around farming fishing, and small-scale businesses, particularly hardware stores in Basco.

Harsh living conditions

Surrounded by the West Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Batanes is frequently hit by typhoons and experiences only three months of dry weather annually.

“As a result, electricity, water, and fuel supplies are scarce. Gasoline here costs more than P80 per liter. During typhoons, we suffer power outages. Even now, the trees are still recovering from last year’s storms,” Santos said.

Despite these challenges, she takes pride in the province’s nearly nonexistent crime rate and the honesty and trustworthiness of its people.

“That’s why the Honesty Coffee Shop, established in 1995 by Maria Elena Castaño Gabilo, continues to thrive. That’s something we Ivatans are proud of,” she said.

Brewing since 1995

Located in Ivana, the Honesty Coffee Shop opened on 25 September 1995 to serve travelers heading to and from Sabtang Island.

Castaño-Gabilo, a former teacher in Sabtang’s Chavayan Barrio School, envisioned a place where visitors could get hot water after the hour-long banca ride across the channel. After retiring at 60, she and her husband, Jose, built a small shelter with the approval of the municipal mayor.

Originally, the shop offered coffee, sugar, and hot water every morning, along with a stove for cooking. Castaño-Gabilo would prepare everything early in the day, return at noon to collect the payments left by customers, and clean up in the evening.

After an earthquake in July 2000 made residence in town unlivable, the couple relocated near the store, which was reopened due to public demand. It soon became widely known as the “Honesty Store,” a name given by visitors who admired its unique self-service system.

“Honest people deserve to stay a while and enjoy a cup of coffee,” Gabilo said.

To this day, no one has stolen from or been dishonest at the store, a testament to the deep-rooted values of the Ivatan people.