Philippine Travel Notes

Do you know about that? Good if you do! I asked many friends who are longtime residents of Cebu, Mandaue and/or Lapu-lapu about it, all of them just wondered what I was talking about. One even asked if it was a new facility or gimmick of any of the cities mentioned. That gave me a good laugh! Proof of what I always say, you don’t really care what’s on your very own backyard cuz your busier looking at others’ hehehe! The place is also called “Opon Pier” or “Opon Wharf” – Opon being the old name of Lapu-lapu City and is now the name of its central Barangay. The muelle or port is supposed to be historic in that it has been there since the early 1900s. The boats are usually referred by the media nowadays as “Metro Ferry” but most have that “River Bus” signage on the sides, so I call them River Buses! I realized I have been to this place (actually, hehe) and rode a ‘river bus’ long time ago while on official assignment in the city. A big typhoon caused some ship or barge to ram the then lon...

Yep, the barangay is the island and the island is the barangay. Aside from ‘Island & Sun Beach Resort’ I did see some other smaller resorts beside and nearby. There were even some private vacation houses of some well-to-do families. Being so, they were mostly devoid of humanity, since this was not vacation time! If at all, one that has always more people as visitors was something that Alvi told me as the “pool house”. He suggested that I walk towards it, probably even have lunch there, and eventually take my ride on a public boat back to mainland Mactan. So I did. That “pool house” is supposed to be at the western end of Gilutongan, facing Mactan and mainland Cebu. The other end is Island & Sun Beach Resort. I remember he told me I would really see the barrio, or a section thereof on the way to this “pool house”. I noticed there are no roads. Just pathways of either sand or rocky grounds made of sharp coralline material. No farms too, for what would be good to plant in such kin...

There we were on Gilutongan Island, probably 6 or 7 kilometers away from Cordova town center on the bigger island of Mactan. Yey! Boatman said we would stop by the public area beach to let my fellow passengers off, then proceed to deliver me to Island & Sun Beach Resort. I said “okay”, but when all of them started getting off the boat, I followed hehe! Told boatman I would just walk to the resort which was not far from where we were anyway. I probably got excited with the unperturbed white sandy beach with no human beings around. I asked my co-passengers where their houses were since I could see just a few. They told me that most village houses are somewhere behind the trees and shrubs all the way to the other side of the island. I asked if I can go there to visit. All hesitated but the lola said “puydi ra” and followed that with “wa’y ayo amoang barrio” or something like that. So I walked to Island & Sun Beach Resort, their own private wharf being very visible even from afar. ...

When I asked the front staff of Cordova Reef Village Resort if I could go to their ‘Island & Sun Beach Resort’, his reply was “of course sir, its P500 for a day-tour, P1200 for the boat good for 8 to 10 persoms”. I clarified that there was no 8 to 10 people since I was alone and wanted to go “now”. His eyes grew wide as if he was seeing some apparition of sorts. He ran to front desk and returned with the following information… P800 for my boat ride to and from the island, plus the above day-tour rate but I’ll have to wait a while since lunch will still be prepared and will be loaded with me on the boat. Nge! I asked if they did not have a facility on that island. The reply was “there is, but having no guests today, provisions are not available right now”. Argh! That meant if I had to wait for the lunch to be whipped, I would have been wasting time and it was already noontime. Plus, even if the boat fare was already reduced to P800, it was still very expensive for me to go there jus...

I now know its just in Mactan. Just a jeep ride away even. But I had no idea! I just went wandering around the town of Cordova and stumbled upon this resort. Nice find! How did that happen? While at center of town, I wandered and wondered what might be by the water’s edge because I knew this was the other, and not ’yet’ that popular, end of Mactan. I mean, who does not know Shang, Hilton and all those other boutique resorts at the northern end called Punta Engaño, right? But on this southernmost tip, I see or hear nothing much from the media or the web. So, curious, I continued roaming. Just a bit beyond the municipal hall area, I saw some boats on shallow waters amidst patches of mangroves. I thought I might check that out. Reaching that area I saw a gate on the left and read this signage announcing a resort. Two resorts, in fact. I smiled and thought… wheh, di nga?! I approached the smiling guard who told me to walk onwards and turn left to find the lobby. Looking at the surroundings...

Cybersex capital? Ah, I would not be so sure about that. There are probably other places in this country with residents doing the same. One thing admirable about Cordova is that at least they were brave enough to put it out in the open, seize the offenders and do something about it. I think that’s more admirable than many barangays, towns or cities elsewhere in this country just pretending to look elsewhere or having a blind eye on the problem. That is not my topic here by the way hehe. I went to Cordova just to see how different it is from the rest of the island of Mactan (that neans Lapu-lapu city) because someone was ‘encouraging’ me to consider a new village (housing development) in the area. Well, it’s a small town. A suburb, if we might call it, with touches of urbanity here and there, but generally still basically rural. Except that these housing projects seem to be mushrooming here and there too! Sometime in the late 1980s, I have actually been in this place roaming via a motor...

Just a single picture and I learned a lot. Yes I took that picture, but in my mind I was saying “that is one big wedding cake” hehe. I knew it was some monument significant to this city, but at first glance, it looked like a cake to me! I thought that would be a good landmark for/in Naga City that should be easily remembered by travelers. But a thing led to another. I reviewed the photo in my camera and tried zooming it to see if I was getting good shots at such a time of day. The historical marker instead caught my attention. Golly this must be a big thing for it to have that black slab of the NHI! So I went nearer to read what it was saying. “Labinlimang Martir ng Bikol” so the marker announced. Wheh, there is something like that? How come I don’t know (or I don’t remember) that? I tried recalling if it was ever mentioned in Teodoro Agoncillo’s ‘History Of The Filipino People’, the textbook we used in college history (PHI – Philippine History and Institutions). Ah, can’t remember heh...

Fantastic sunset as we landed in Manila from Naga City. But I was not home yet! Home isn't Quezon City anymore. I was just passing by NAIA 3 on my way to Cebu since there are no direct Naga-Cebu flights. In fact I was already holding my MNL-CEB boarding pass issued at naga when I checked-in for this WNP-MNL flight. And I did not want to reverse my Cebu-Legaspi-Naga-Caramoan route because I had the luxury of zero-fares! I do not get to land in Manila at such a time of day since we all avoid it, right? Yeah, the excruciating afternoon traffic. But since I was just in transit to Cebu, I liked it that this flight was arriving MNL at about 4PM. Here’s part of that story… Turboprops (propeller airplanes) do not use any of the gates at Terminal 3. And I know that. Its useless for an airline to use them anyway. Why? Because these planes are too small, they cannot be reached by the aerobridge (air tube) for a more comfortable disembarkation of passengers. And my flight from Naga was using...

Look at that! She is slim, ladylike with long hair and carrying an armalite! Caught this shot as I boarded my flight from Naga City in Camarines Sur to Manila. Good that passengers before me were taking too long, I got to talk to her a bit. I asked if she really knows how to use that thing and she said “oo naman, part of training”. I asked if there were many girls as sexy as her in the uniformed service and carrying guns and she said many more are taller and sexier! She was smiling and approachable enough. Yes I asked permission to take this picture lest she get mad and do the ratatatatat with that thing shes carrying hehe! If I were that Cebu Pacific employee, I’d stand elsewhere. It makes him look like a swan hehehe. Not sure if he is a load controller or ramp agent. Whatever, in this highly patriarchal and even male-chauvinist country, its just quite unsightly to see a man wearing earplugs, carrying a sheet of paper and standing beside a slim young long haired lady with a pig-tail...

I arrived from Caramoan too early at 10:44AM for my 2:55PM flight to Manila! And the kind driver, probably sensing that he was too fast and too early arriving in Naga City, decided to make that detour and drop me at the very door of the airport’s departure area. That’s about 200 to 300 meters off the main highway, and some passengers even asked where we were going. Driver said just to drop me at the departure area and even asked if other passengers were destined for the airport. None replied except for a woman who asked “me flight ba ngayon?”! Yeah yeah, I knew she either meant to tell or even ridicule me that I was damn too early for the next flight out of that airport hehe. The airport was virtually closed! The entrance door was open yes, but you cannot go anywhere than that. Off limits except the little sari-sari/souvenir store at the space near the stairs where a lady was busy arranging her food containers getting ready to sell lunch. But elsewhere, the personnel were either som...