Guimaras Information Center SCAM

Upon disembarking from the boat, I saw the Tourist Information Office that I wanted to visit. But I was surprised at some goon-looking men harshly directing passengers to enter said office, but majority of them did not give a damn! The men were shouting something like "this is the way out", "you must first register inside". The tone was bordering on police-like to dictatorial as if shouting at criminals. Kulba!

As I walked to that information office - which was my plan anyway, I still wondered why the men were hollering as if people who did not walk to the entrance of the information office were violators of any law! And why majority of passengers were ignoring them. I was actually alarmed why I seemed to be one of just 3 who entered this office. Was I being scammed? First time I saw something like this ha?!

Anyway, at this "information center", first thing I asked was about those shouting men. The desk clerk smiled, hesitated a bit, and told me that those men were just directing people to the proper procedure. Hmm, duda ako. Yes I doubted the veracity of that reply, but did not ask any further as he/she seemed reluctant to say anything more about the topic. I just knew, the men acted (shouted) alarmingly weird.

At this desk, I learned that, not only do I register "here" as a tourist (whatever that means anyway), but it is also "here", that I get a tour package, even for just a transport service to anywhere on the island or even hotel/resort accommodations. This time, something was starting to get clear. This was almost a scam. The air was different here, they were more like "tindera" than the usual helpful tourism officers!

I may not be able to articulate what I mean, but I travel almost every week, thus, when I say, there was something weird about this information office, there is something weird. Something very wrong, even!

They don't have uniforms, they don't look like government staff, this office looks more like a pipitsugin travel agency or UV Express booth than a tourism information office. This is not a government office.

Anyway, since I was already there, I got a "whole day tour package of the island on a jeep"....

I asked if I can do this tour on a tricycle instead (as I have read online) since I was alone anyway. He said jeep is better since tricycles cannot climb steep hills and are very slow. OMG, I also believed that!

I asked for a tour guide. This same desk fag (agi bayot bading) said "no need" as the driver will act as tour guide - which I later noticed, driver just knew very well, THE WAY to whatever or whichever point on the island. But when I would ask as to how why when, either he would just shrug without any reply, or even say an outright "I don't know". This was the scam. Tangina I was scammed in my own country!

Ah, you will know more about this as I tell my story/ies of the tour. But at this point, I already knew I was being had in Guimaras. Not really a blatant fraudulent scam, but I was trapped into availing of mediocre service (and probably exorbitant too). So, fraudulent na rin - and in a government building!

For some reason, I didn't back out. Maybe I also wanted to experience how to be fooled in Guimaras?! Or natakot ako sa mga sanggano? Probably too! Who knows, they could be staff of a politician who owns that "business" with private army, or backed by the police or the military, di ba? Visitor lang ako.

Here is one of the "hoodlum-looking" men who were earlier shouting "this way"...

This time, he (white t-shirt, kalbo, in shades) was giving instructions regarding my itinerary, to the man they chose to be my driver (in blue shirt). But how did "Kojak" know my itinerary eh hindi sya but the bading desk clerk ang kausap ko at kumuha ng bayad ko? They are staff of that Information Center!

Well okay, I realized, he got that map from the desk clerk who marked the areas while discussing with me. Yes, the thing he is pointing at, to the driver. It is a brochure-like map the agi ticked as we talked.

One more thing. Notice the red vehicle beside the driver? That was to be my "limousine". If I will be so technical about it, that is not a "jeep". It's a "multicab". Where I come from, where those real junks are "assembled" near my neighborhood, a multicab is totally different from a "jeep". Multicabs are slow, very light, unstable, and not good for climbing hills. Tricycle is better at climbing hills than a multicab!

The faggot of a desk clerk kept saying "on a jeep", so I thought it was the normal "Sarao" thing. If he said "multicab" just once during my "registration", I would have already said "give me an SUV instead". I know multicabs, they're made near my house in Cebu. Their junk engines are no better than tricycles.

I was angry.

Half my brain was screaming "tangina niloloko ako ng mga gagong ito", but... maybe because it was still early morning, my head was still cooler than usual... I just silently said "God Bless My Trip"... and went on with my "tour of questionable circumstances"! But I was ready to wring the neck of my driver!

A few feet away from where we took off, I saw this kind of a marker or something. Testing my driver cum tour guide, I asked him "ano yan?", and he said "ah yan? mapa sang Guimaras". I almost laughed!

I didn't know why I wanted to laugh (though I suppressed it). This frail and fragile man was to be with me the whole day so I told myself I better find anything good in him or else, I would reach a point of really breaking his bones as vengeance on the INFORMATION CENTER SCAM that just victimized me!

I did, it was easy. This driver was just trying to earn a living. BUT the whole government of Guimaras defrauded me into believing that a pipitsugin "tour company" is the information center that conned me into availing of their lousy service because I was not given choices. Nasa labas lang pala - ANG DAMI!

So, fellow travelers. AVOID the Jordan Guimaras INFORMATION CENTER. Just go straight out.

There's a NEXT in this my travel, of course! And that's next!