Philippine Travel Notes

This topic started with this article There are also two towns in the Philippines that are named San Remigio, one in Western Visayas, the other in Central Visayas. San Remigio in Antique (Region 6) is at the heart of the province. It is in the mid portion by the border with Iloilo province, landlocked and mountainous. Thus, expect a lot of caves and waterfalls. This is a cool town – even called “little baguo” by most of its residents. I envy a friend who says it is up in the mountains of this town that they went to see the biggest flower in the world. Yep, Rafflesia, that odorous thing that looks like a ‘lazy susan’ called a flower hehe! The other San Remigio is a town in the northwestern side of Cebu province (Region 7). This town boasts of having the longest shoreline in all of Cebu. That’s just it though, just the longest, not necessarily the cleanest nor the grandest hehe! Hey the San Remigio Beach Club is luxuriously good but there is really no sandy beach! The public beach is fun

This topic started with this article San Jose! We all know of course that San Jose is the Spanish name of St. Joseph. And, be very specific if your destination in the Philippines is San Jose. This is the mostest in terms of same-name towns and cities. There are twelve! Ready? Well, there are just 9 towns all named literally San Jose, but plus, there is a town named San Jose De Buan, there is the city of San Jose in Nueva Ecija and there is the city of San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan. For whatever its significance maybe, seven of these are in Luzon, four are in the Visayas and only one is in Mindanao – the northern part that is, and still very near to Visayas! Let us start with the city of San Jose in Nueva Ecija as it is the northernmost San Jose. This city is not the capital of the province but is in the heart of the rice granary of the country with vast plains! Like the rest of the province, rice of course is the main produce in this area. However, they have recently risen to be the nu

This topic started with this article Yes it’s that aromatic plant, and there are two towns in this country that take on that name. Pandan is the name of a town on the northernmost tip of the island province of Catanduanes (Region 5). This town is hard to reach from Virac via a hundred kilometer journey of unpaved roads. But, if you get a chance to visit this place, go fall in love with it. White sand beaches abound, they have spectacular sunrise and sunset views and there are little islands or islets nearby. Just make sure you don’t go during the typhoon season! The other Pandan is a town in the province of Antique (Region 6) by its northern tip and border with the province of Aklan. If you noted my descriptions of Libertad town in previous blog entries, well, this Pandan is just next to Libertad. Thus, they share the same vast richness of nature at its best. Don’t miss the river adventures, the springs, caves and of course beaches! Hey, very important to note that there are only two t

This topic started with this article Oh freedom! There are two towns in the country that bear the name “Libertad” and there are another two named “La Libertad”. So that makes it four towns sporting the name of liberty, right?! First there is the town of Libertad in the province of Antique [pronounced an-tee-ke] and that is in Region 6 – Western Visayas. This little town is in the northern-most tip of the province where it kisses the town of Buruanga in Aklan – and both towns make the northwestern tip of the island of Panay. This town together with Buruanga was one of my best kept paradises just recently divulged. Libertad is the nearby getaway from bustling Boracay. Diving and snorkeling in its waters is one of the greatest experiences one can have in the Philippines. Being not yet too trodden by tourist feet, the forests in this area can show off a lot of birds. There are also caves and waterfalls aside from beaches and mangroves. Now the second Libertad is a town in the province of M

This for me is a vibrant region of half greats and half nots! Region 6 (sometimes written with the Roman numeral as (REGION VI) or Western Visayas is an interesting mix of "wow" and "huh" places! I love roaming around here. This for me is the number 1 place in the Philippines that will demonstrate to everyone the true meaning of “if they have it, we’ll do too! (It’s just my view and am not open to debate this time. Okay?) If you extensively read on Philippine history, you might actually start to get teary-eyed reflecting on the past and present of this area in the country. Yes, this is Ilonggo country – even if people from Bacolod want to be called Negrense! The Ilonggos had been through various cycles of the fabled “gulong ng palad” and they always emerge with chins high up ready to show that they won’t easily give to even the most trying of life’s challenges. I consider this region as home not only to the sing-song dialect but also home of the most social an