May 24, 2008 4:00 AM
The first four teens were exhausted after their trek back from saving Valerie that they had no trouble falling asleep. So deep in slumber were they that they didn’t notice five more teens joining them and sleeping beside them. The latecomers Robi, Rona, Nikki, Alex and Mikan even woke up earlier, and shook the others awake. After a cheery – and quite loud (thanks to Beauty’s trademark squeals) – welcome, the latecomers proceeded to greet Kuya in the Confession Room. Since they had to go up a tall ladder, Mikan opted to stay on the ground, for fear of causing the tree house to crash. Kuya wouldn’t have it though, and asked “Wala ka bang tiwala sa ‘kin?” The next moment had Mikan bumbling up the creaky bamboo ladder to greet Kuya as well. Fortunately, all were able to go down in one piece, just in time to brush their teeth – the native way, of course!Next, the housemates were divided into two groups: the original 4 and the latecomers. For the grand prize of toothbrushes and toothpaste, they had to save Mikan who was floating around a few miles off the shore. They had to create a sturdy raft, which tried all their survival skills training, using available materials such as bamboo and tree branches. Ejay even climbed the tree to get some of these. Then, they had to dig the sand so they could launch their rafts, and ride it all the way to rescue Mikan, and back. Despite being new to the island, the latecomers’ team won this task!
Next up was the ‘make your own mermaid’s tail” task. The teens were paired up and the boys had to make a tail of sand for their partners. Halfway through the game, Rona screamed as she felt something biting her. Turned out to be a false alarm, but it also ended the game as Mikan, who served as the referee/timer/ judge, put his arms down. Ejay and Val won the challenge and the other teams – Nan-Rona, Robi-Nikki, Alex-Beauty – were happy for them.
The most interesting task yet was when they were sent to search for certain figures (the Holy Family, Sharon Stone, and the giant mushroom) n the rock formations found inside the renowned Puerto Prinsesa Subterranean River National Park. This proved to be quite easy and more of a tourist-y experience, since they were accompanied by Mang Toting, the most requested tour guide of the underground river. Various trivia was dispensed by him, and all were in awe at the natural wonders around them. Robi was really excited as it was his first time. Rona couldn’t help but gush about how rich the Philippines was to have such a treasure. Ejay, too, was struck by the natural stone formations. Mayor Edward Hagedorn talked about Puerto Prinsesa, and proudly announced that the Puerto Prinsesa Subterranean River National Park was nominated to be part of the "New 7 Wonders of the World”.
