Blog My Town 2017: Sibuyan Island, Province of Romblon

Discover the hidden wealth of the "Galapagos of Asia" - the Sibuyan Island in the Province of Romblon. Aside from its natural resource of "marble", Romblon offers stunning tourist attractions and found in Sibuyan. You can explore the crystal clear blue seawater of Cresta de Gallo, and other beautiful falls and rivers in the main island, including its majestic mountain, Mount Guiting-guiting.

The video was shown in "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, Channel 7-GMA last May 14, 2017.

2014 and moving forward

WOW! ITS BEEN MORE THAN A YEAR that I did not post travel stories in my blog. It does not mean that I did not travel in 2014. It is just that I was busy with other things especially with work. Well, I do travel and regularly post in my mother portal site (My world is getting smaller every day).

So, what happened to me in 2014? This was the time that I joined a government organization after 8 months of no regular job. Not really jobless, I have my parttime teaching load at the university and it fully occupied my time. My job until now provided the opportunity to visit my hometown in Sibuyan Island (Romblon), including other islands in the country. My job also offers local trips in Metro Manila and nearby urban centers, including attendance to special events in the metropolis.

One of the highlights of last year was my unexpected trips to the capital town of Romblon as well as my hometown, Sibuyan (together with the Miss Earth 2014 winners).
Aside from Romblon, we had the office staff's team building in Pamalayan, Mindoro with more than 100 participants. We also visited interesting nature attractions such as water falls, carabao riding and crossing several rivers. It was a tiring but fun experience.

I also started learning the art of floating on waves in San Juan (La Union), and the educational tour in the biggest mixed-use theater in the world, The Philippine Arena (Bulacan) with my students.

Towards the end of 2014, I attended the AIT Alumni Grand Reunion in De La Salle University and the General Meeting held in Pan Pacific Plaza Hotel. It coincided with the 55th anniversary celebration of the Institute in providing post graduate degrees in Asia and hundreds of Filipinos benefited from it. For the third time, I met again the former Philippine President, Fidel V. Ramos. Former Pres was the guest speaker and donated some of his latest books to the organization.

By the first month of 2015, the Philippines was fortunate to have Pope Francis for five days that inspire Filipinos more to strengthen their faith in God. I do have my personal close encounter with the Pope - so close but yet so far! Indeed, a rare opportunity to see Him in person and received his blessing.

About Philippines: Did you know that?

RAINS are now pounding the country for several days and as usual, more Filipinos will be affected by traffic due to flooded streets in the metropolis and neighboring provinces. Some of them are panicking for possible evacuation especially for those living along rivers and creeks.

One of the major causes of traffic and flooding in Metro Manila is over-increasing population in the urban centers which accounts for 13 percent of the Philippine population even it only shares 0.18 percent of the total land area of the country.

The population of the Philippines in 1896 was around 6.26 million but this figure excludes non-Christians. In 2010, the country population reached 92.34 million.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ... the 2010 census shows that the city of Manila has the highest population density of 66,087 per square km with the population of 1.65 million. Following the capital city is Mandaluyong and Pasay with the density of 35,344  and 28,062 persons per square km, respectively; while Pateros is the least populated area in the metropolis with 64,147 people and population density of 6,168.

Barangay 176 in Caloocan City is considered as the biggest village in the country.

DID YOU KNOW THAT... there are villages in the country with no people living or residents in the area? These villages include: Barangay Fuentes in Iloilo and Barangays Guinsaugon and Punta in Southern Leyte.

Quezon City is considered as the biggest city with the population of 2.76 million, while Kalayaan in Palawan is the smallest town with only 222 people living in the area.

Cavite is considered as the biggest province with the population of 3.09 million people and Batanes is the smallest province with 16,604 population.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...Region IV-A - Calabarzon is the most populated region with 12.6 M people, followed by Metro Manila with 11.86 million population and Region III - Central Luzon with 10.13 million people.

Note: Statistics were extracted from Philippine Daily Enquirer with an article entitled Talk of the Town published on 12 August 2012.

More facts about the Philippines!

DID YOU KNOW THAT...the Philippines is the most-searched destination in China and United Kingdom (UK). According to a travel search site, Skyscanner, online searches from the UK and China were the highest numbers recorded in 2012 about travelling to the Philippines. In particular, these searches showed that Manila, Cebu, Caticlan, Puerto Princesa, Kalibo and Davao were top most travel searched cities in the country. Aside from the UK and China, other major tourist arrivals in the Philippines were from Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Malaysia.

Summer Trek in Mt Pulag (Benguet, Philippines)

Five degrees C at the camp base of Mt Pulag. One-and-a-half hours to reach the summit and  witness the sea of clouds on top of the mountains. Mt Pulag is the second highest mountain in the Philippines and also declared as a natural park.

Blog My Town: Panagbenga - Flower Festival (Baguio, Philippines)

Blog My Town: Sibuyan Island (Romblon, Philippines)

Discovering Calatagan (Batangas)...I found Stilts Beach Resort

PART OF MY OFFICE WORK is to engage with other employees. In the corporate world, it refers to Employee Engagement (EE) which provides programs that allow employees to take part and share their time, skills and other resources to have fun and to help other people who are in need (particularly in time of natural disasters). My present work entails organizing events and activities that make employees enjoy their jobs or have time to relax and mingle, interact with other employees (not within their unit/department or business line).

Two weeks ago, together with the EE core team, we visited several resorts in the south of Metro Manila. One of them is situated at the south-western side of Taal Volcano - Calatagan, Batangas. It takes 3.5 hours to reach the place via the curvy-scenic roads from Tagaytay area - overlooking the stillness landscape of beautiful volcano, Taal Volcano and surrounded by a lake!

Unexpectedly, the place is so beautiful as our eyes looking straight to the crystal clear greenish water where the cottages are standing! Stunning and perfect scenery for people who reside in Metro Manila. This is a perfect place for the employees, just to spend overnight and enjoy the company of others thru team building activities. I dont know if the guests have time to sleep, as the place is really inviting to stay awake all the time, not to miss the white sand and the star fish ready to be touched just few steps away from the coast!

STILTS (Calatagan Beach Resort) is the name of the beach resort. Originally, the resort is not accessible to everyone - which means that it is exclusive for members. With the present management, it is invitational and no "walk-in" guests. I really admire the way the place is operated and maintained... with the amenities and its natural landscape, definitely a place to be discovered and explored!

If our corporate outing will be approved, definitely visiting the beach resort in March 2012 will be something to be remembered - another travelling experience to be treasured and shared in my blogsite. So, for those travellers out there, there is no reason not to miss this resort in Calatagan while visiting Manila especially this summer.

INSTEAD OF VISITING the busy coasts of Boracay and El Nido (Palawan), stay in Stilts and you can still enjoy your vacation without really travelling far from Manila!

My homecoming... a new local travel opportunity

THIS IS MY FIRST JOURNAL AFTER MY return to my home country, the Philippines last May 2011. After 5 years living abroad, I decided to go back to Manila and continue to practice my profession in the protection, conservation and preservation (even utilization in a sustainable way) of the country's natural resources.

I joined an American firm that provides consulting services in various sectors: mining, construction, real estate, government, etc. For the past three months, I have already involved in different projects that focus on mining exploration, watershed management, water and air quality monitoring, water and waste utilization.

I already toured around Metro Manila and its neighbouring towns and cities. Visiting the Philippine islands is exciting - meeting with interesting people; encountering new culture; exploring stunning landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes; watching live entertainment events/shows; and most importantly reconnecting with relatives and old friends!

My current officework entails travels to other regions in the country and I will feature some of them in my future journals. Expect more images of my local travels!

Boracay: The Philippine island paradise

I FOUND OUT TODAY THAT BORACAY ISLAND is chosen as one of the best travel destinations in the world organized by TripAdvisor (the leading travel site in the cyberspace). Ranked 9 in the World listand number onein Asia, beating Maldives and three of the islands in Thailand, Boracay is the best destination in the 2010 Travelers' Choice Award under the "beach and sun" category.

Boracay is one of the 7,107 islands in the Philippines and part of the central group of islands in the country. The Philippines is an archipelago in Southeast Asia comprising of 3 major groups of islands: Luzon (north), Visayas (central) and Mindanao (south) and out of 7,107 islands, only 4000 are inhabited. The Philippines is blessed with beautiful forests and beaches.

Few months ago, the Philippines was in the headline again after the unexpected hostage drama in Manila City when 8 Chinese nationals from Hongkong were killed in the incident. It is anticipated that this will affect the tourism industry of the country, consequently will bring a big impact to Boracay as one of the popular beach destinations of foreign visitors from neighbouring countries, including China and Hongkong.

Boracay: The Philippine Island Paradise Slideshow: Reymos’s trip to Boracay, Visayas, Philippines was created by TripAdvisor. See another Boracay slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Honestly, when I visited the island in April 2010, I observed that the majority are local tourists and there are so many things to explore in the area. I have been here in several occasions but only this recent visit that I really enjoyed and travelled around the island together with foreign friends. Aside from feeding Nemo and his friends during our snorkelling, we also did the island hopping and visited some underground caves. We did the reef walk, as if strolling under water with a helmet. The accommodation is affordable, including a selection of excellent water rides, food and entertainment.

A morning plunge in the sea and strolling in the beach while watching the sunset are just one of the things you could enjoy in the island. Did you know that Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino boxer owns a beach resort in the island?

NOTE: The original travel journal was posted in JPGMagazine website as the Story of the Week No.39 last September 2010.

Corregidor Island: Remembering the past

Prior to WW2, the island served as a penal institution and a fortress of defense as well as a customs station during the Spanish era. Its name derived from the Spanish word, corregir which means "to correct". Situated 48 kilometres away from Manila City, Corregidor became the American military camp during the war with an underground complex, the Malinta Tunnel which contains a network of 24 laterals including a hospital, sleeping quarters and administrative offices.

The island is divided into 3 main sections: topside, middleside and bottomside. The topside is the location of the major ruins: batteries, offices, shops, headquarters and entertainment facilities. The middleside is used for barracks, hospital, schoolhouses and officers quarters. This section is also the site where youths campsite and YMCA were built. The bottomside has the three piers and the underground complex, the Malinta Tunnel.

At present time, there are several memorial landmarks constructed as the main attractions of the island. A daily transport is available to reach the island. SUN CRUISES offers a package tour for 1,999 pesos (29 sterling pounds, 44 US dollars), inclusive of the ferry ticket, guided tour and a buffet lunch.

Snorkeling in Coral Garden, Batangas (Philippines)

AT LAST I WAS ABLE TO USE MY NEW GADGET, OLYMPUS u850w camera which allows me to take both images and video 3 meters under water. During my recent visit to Puerto Galera (Batangas), Philippines - southwest of Metro Manila and 5 hours ( bus and ferry), I finally tested the waterproof feature of Olympus capturing the under water scenery of Coral Garden.

I was here in this beach town 9 years ago and I was stunned on how the community transformed it into a lively and localised tourist destination (alternative to the commercial atmosphere of Boracay) for short holidays. As usual, I stayed in White Beach (northeast of Sabang) and for the first time I explored Coral Garden for 3 hours (spent almost 18 sterling pounds, 33 US dollars).

One of the video clips taken from the camera as well.

Coral Garden is only a small area of coral reefs, few minutes away from White Beach. The corals are not really stunning but it is worth seeing it and watching different types of small fish waiting to be fed!

The best job in the world - the applicant

I AM ONE OF THE APPLICANTS for the job. The clip below is my passport for the job and hopefully be selected in the top 50 candidates. Watch the video and support my quest. If I will be selected, it entails travelling to Australia and around the Great Barrier Reef and my eTravelDiary will be the first to know my daily activities during the final selection process. Wish me luck!

Please CLICK here to watch again and vote. Thanks for your support!

Sibuyan Island: A glimpse of paradise in the Philippines

One of the islets in my home country. Crista de Gallo is located in the central part of the Philippines, in the Province of Romblon. Situated within the town of San Fernando, just 5-6 hours away (by motorboat) from the famous beach of Boracay, Aklan. The images were taken during my last visit in 2007.

The short clip is showing the white sand and crystal clear water ... a place that everyone is dreaming for a perfect holiday destination!

Welcome to the Philippine islands! See you soon...