ILECO 3 Brownout + BARA Days: Our Family Escape to Tanza, Estancia
September 01, 2026 • BY MARK MORALES
Brgy. Tanza, Estancia, Iloilo | September 1, 2026
Yesterday, August 31, 2026, ILECO III announced a scheduled power interruption. Brownout in whole Northern Iloilo — Estancia, Batad, Balasan, Carles.
No kuryente, mainit sa balay. So I told my family — "Tara, Tanza tayo."
Tanza is our seaside barangay here in Estancia. No need for electric fan, may sea breeze. And that’s how our brownout became a family day at the beach.
THE SHOTS - OUR TANZA DAY
Photo 1 - Qyona in Tanza
My daughter Qyona, standing in the middle of the empty bilara-an in Tanza. Behind her, the bamboo drying beds are empty. Why? Because it’s BARA — full moon days, the fishing boats don’t go out, so there’s no fish to dry. But for Qyona, the empty bilara-an is a playground. For her, brownout is not boring — it’s beach day.
Photo 2 & 3 - Why empty? It's BARA
This is Tanza's bilara-an — where they dry our famous daing. Today, empty. Not just because of ILECO 3 brownout yesterday, but because of BARA. During full moon, our fishermen barado — they stay. Sayang ang gasolina, tago ang isda sa maliwanag na tubig. So even if there was power, there would still be no fish today. The banyera with sako is just waiting for BARA to end.
Photo 4 - Me and my wife Mareva, tambay sa payag
This is me and my wife Mareva under the payag in Tanza. No kuryente sa balay, so diri na lang kami nag tambay. Behind us, you can see stacks of bistay trays — the bamboo trays for drying fish — clean and stacked, waiting for after BARA. This payag became our living room during brownout. Preska, walang bill sa kuryente.
Photo 5 - Mareva
Mareva, my wife, taking a break in Tanza. During BARA, even the wives of fishermen rest. No fish to clean, no fish to dry. So kwentuhan lang, pahangin lang. She said, "Mas okay pa dito kaysa sa bahay na brownout." True. In Tanza, brownout doesn't feel like brownout.
Photo 6, 7, 8 - Low tide, family time
Tirik araw, low tide. No boats leaving because of BARA. In the last photo, two kids swimming between the bilaran posts — just like Qyona. During BARA, Tanza beach goes back to being a family beach.
WHAT IS BARA?
For those not from Estancia: BARA is when fishing boats stop during full moon. It's our local wisdom. Maliwanag ang dagat sa gabi, nagtatago ang isda, so hindi na umaalis ang mga bangka. 3-4 days, pahinga. Sustainable fishing, before it was called sustainable.
ILECO 3 gave us brownout, but BARA gave us the reason why the beach was so peaceful. And my family — Qyona and Mareva — gave us the reason to enjoy it.
Brownout turned into bonding in Tanza.
Documented: September 1, 2026, Tanza, Estancia, Iloilo — with Qyona and Mareva
— Mark | Estancia Times Documentary