Cagbalete Island, Mauban, Quezon

Cagbalete Island, Quezon Apr. 2007

Photo by Allan Barredo

It is frustrating that most posts on Cagbalete are reduced to meaningless pictures of people. Most filipinos probably take that "picture is worth a thousand words" thing too seriously - or just too lazy to make a proper informative entry. In any case, I hope this won't trun out to be one of those meaningless posts...




This is my first time to go to Mauban( GPS coordinates 14°11'17"N 121°43'50"E). It may look like a big city on GoogleEarth but its small and most streets barely fit two vehicles side by side. We took two cars and parked them in the garage of our host and owner of Villa Cleofas Mr. Tonet Reyeg.

Public transport leaves the Mauban port at 10am and then at 4pm (twice a day).



The fee is 30pesos per head. We brought about 100kilograms of gear with us. This includes food rations for 3 days, tents, cooking and eating paraphernalia, charcoal, gas lamp etc... and personal belongings.


There is no extra charge for bringing a lot of stuff but give the head port carrier a little something for loading it all into the banka.


It is only about 13kilometers from the Mauban port to the Cagbalete public transport drop off. However, since the banka has to go directly against the current (waves are large so prepare to get wet), the travel time from Mauban to Cagbalete totals approx. 50minutes. Whereas the travel time back to Mauban will only take about 30minutes.
Please understand that these estimates are valid only during the (RP)summer months when the wind blows from the East.

Disembarking from the boat on Cagbalete Island is similar to the way one disembarks from a banka on Boracay when there used to be a Station1,2 & 3. The public transport banka is huge and can carry about 50 people with ease. A boat this large cannot dock properly without a docking port and there is none on this island. Both the Neneng(bigger boat owned by Lito Durante) and the Arthur2 stop a distance from the shore and passengers must disembark onto a small dinghy and proceed towards the shore.


It is sad that the Cagbalete port is overrun by what can only be considered as "squatters". This is one of the best parts of the island because water recedes only slightly during the low tide thus making the shores an excellent swimming area.

The squatters have filled the shores with garbage and one even setup a pigpen (babuyan) right on the shoreline. What a waste of prime beachfront. What are the local government units doing about this I wonder? Locals must be taught not to indiscriminately throw garbage around.

As you can see from the map above (taken from Google Earth), one needs to hike about 1.4kilometers to reach the resort from the port of Cagbalete. We rented a small boat where we loaded all the gear for transport(300pesos one way but you can negotiate if you plan to arrange pickup from same boat) to the Villa Cleofas resort while the rest of the group proceeded on foot.

(photos below by AllanBarredo on NikonD50 April 28, 2007)

















Sulit na yung 300 as you can see from the third image that the route from the port or sabang to villa cleofas totals approx. 10 kilometers as the boat has to go around the shallow portions.

(photos below by AllanBarredo on NikonD50 April 28, 2007)














As usual, low budget lang kami so we brought camping supplies like food and tents. It turns out they were renting a small open cottage good for 8 for only 900 pesos. They also had about 6 common toilet and bath on the resort. We rented one open cottage and setup our camp by the shore instead of opting to sleep in the cottage.
What I like about this resort is that the wind never stops blowing. In fact, I heard that studies have been done on the feasibility of erecting wind powered generators. Yes, the island is without power and relies on portable diesel generators which are shut down at about 12midnight.
Another plus is that the resort owners recognize the need for silence. Loud booming noises are not allowed after 10pm.

(photos below by AllanBarredo on NikonD50 April 28, 2007)






There are no corals to be seen around any of the resorts. One needs to take a banka to nearby locations to enjoy those. We did not do that this time so I cannot comment on whether or not they have good snorkling areas. The wide open space left by the low tide is great for playing soccer as some parts are pure sand with little or no rocks at all.

It would be a good idea to charter a banka to bring you further up the island. I have not tried this myself but there seems to be some good beaches over there.








(photos below by AllanBarredo on NikonD50 April 28, 2007)


















The beachfront sand is very soft and "white" for the most part. One can take a long stroll along the beachline on a moonlit night as the sand, because of its good quality, is pretty much illuminated even by a quarter moon just like in Boracay.




(photos below by AllanBarredo on NikonD50 April 29, 2007)







Prices are about the same on both resorts I know. Ambiance is better at the Pansacola resort but it may get a bit hot in the evenings there as they are situated on the south-side of the island and the wind blows from the East. However, the Pansacola resort structures are all made of wood. Their big room is rented out at 2,500 (good for 20pax), medium rooms at 1000 to 1500 (good for 8 to 10pax) and small open sleeping ground at 500pesos(good for 4pax). All come with free tables and cooking area. Toilets are shared. The owners's name and contact numbers are found below
Rommel Pansacola
Cagbalete Island Beach Resort
LandLine#042-784-0158
cel# 0928-505-8633
(photos below by AllanBarredo on NikonD50 April 28, 2007)






Villa Cleofas accomodations may be seen here http://www.cagbalete.com/accommodations.htm
The host and hostess of villa cleofas are truly very kind and attentive to their guests. As I mentioned before, I really like their resort because the wind never stops blowing so its very nice and cool even when the sun is at its hottest. The only setback is that the water recedes half a kilometer from shore on both resorts during low tide.
Tonet/Tess T. Reyeg
Villa Cleofas
landline : Home (+632) 928-7934 Office: ( +632) 754-1063
mobile: (+63) 917-8140496 /(+63) 917-8143475
E-mail: Winston.Reyeg@pmintl.com
(photos below by AllanBarredo on NikonD50 April 28, 2007)







Directions to Mauban can be seen here http://www.cagbalete.com/howtogetthere.htm

Stampang Bato (Wawa, Rizal)

I've been aiming to chronicle another trip we had this summer. I should do so before the details slip my mind. The mind is a fickle thing. I remember my highschool teacher quoting "the palest ink is better than the most retentive memory" to me one time. Back then computers were for large companies who could spare "buildings" in which to house a machine equivalent to less than a Pentium I with 24kilobyte memory. Its really crazy how fast the industry has progressed.

(photo: road to kasili from pintong bokawe taken by FrancisAtendido Panasonic Lumix FZ-20 2006/04/22)





I was watching this lesson on rivers featuring one of our local veins somewhere in Mindanao. I commented on how beautiful and clean it was to which George said there was a river like that not far from manila. It turns out it was in Rizal. So a little google earth and some help with my garmin GPS and off we went with our camping gear.
With all the gear we packed it would be impossible to make the 3hr hike from wawa dam so I looked for a way to get to the site by car. Fortunately there was a new road from a little known town called Pintong Bokawe. I found this town's GPS coordinates via the net and made a beeline for it while the rest of the group hiked to the site. Looking at just my coordinates to see if I'm getting warmer or colder... I was led to a place called Timberland. It looked like a private housing development but I asked the guad if I could pass through it going to Pintong Bokawe.

Luckily, they just looked at my drivers license, logged me and let me pass. There is a rough road through Timberland to Pintong Bokawe after all. The rough road will terminate to a cemented road. Take this road for about 4 kilometers until you see a turn to the left (also cemented). Take this turn and just ask around for directions to Pintong Bokawe. The road from pintong bokawe to the river via Kasili town is rough but the scenery was awesome! Kudos to Capitan Danilo of Pintong Bokawe for his staunch efforts in creating that road.
We left the car beside the river and proceeded to hike the 1 kilometer or so upstream to stampang bato. Montalban river is fed by two veins. Unfortunately one of the veins (locally called pormos river) passess through a large piggery farm owned by another chinese conglomerate. Needless to say they've really been fouling it up. One must go upstream of the unpolluted vein to reach stampang bato. Once there, unsatisfied with the depth of the waters immediately infront of the famous stone (incidentally, its a stone where vague religous images appear to have formed in a circular stains on the stone) we headed a few hundred meters more upstream and found what we were looking for. Thankfully some kind soul erected a huge nipa shed in which we decided to establish camp. Apparently it was used for activities during the past holy week.
(above left: Neil testing the waters taken by FrancisAtendido , Right: Owen kamikaze jump taken by AllanBarredo , Lower Left: dusk taken by AllanBarredo Olympus Camedia C4040Z 2006/04/22)


We brought two 35liter coolers packed with ice but unfortunately one fell and displaced all its contents over the river. Too bad, we'd have to make do with one.

The water was clear! And it felt really good to dip in it especially with the hot summer sun over our heads. Another hundred meters upstream was an excellent 15 feet deep portion with huge rocks where you can jump from. It was awesome! Everybody took turns jumping into the clear waters from the surrounding rocks.We headed back towards our campsite at dusk.


One of the team brought his uncle along who expertly caught some small crabs(talangka) and fresh water fish which we cooked for dinner.
We talked with the family who made the shed we were using that night during dinner. We learned that this whole area was covered with huge narra and mulawin trees not long ago. Rampant logging reduced it to pitiful coverings of bamboo and small bushes. I also learned that this was still going on. People hire some kids in wawa to bring the logs downstream, a work that I surmise is very hard as they have little to eat, always wet so fungus grows on their feet, and always tired as they often have to lift some portions over the obstacles in the river.
(photos, upper right:fishes caught ready to be cleaned, upper left: me waiting for dinner while plucking a few songs, lower right: dinner's almost ready, all photos taken by FrancisAtendido 2006/04/22)

Besides being an illegal trade, these kids are taken advantage of and paid a pittance. It bothers me that just a week ago, according to our guest, a congressman with his ever present aides has just been there hunting deer. They had caught 2 and gave some of the meat away. All these people do is take take take from nature and never a thought to giving back. I find it good to learn all these things from people who actually see it. Often times I, like most of manila's work force, tend to see only whats in front of me like horses with covers beside their eyes. We awoke early the next day to a lot of birds chirping and diving around. Hundreds of them catching insects! The sight was truly majical, like a national geographic or a BBC documentary right before our eyes!
(photo, left: campsite at dawn, lower left:horsing around, taken by FrancisAtendido 2006/04/23)







Alas, It was time to packup and leave for manila. However, the waters enticed us to stay a bit longer than what our food supply allowed so thats just what we did and ate the leftover from breakfast and some fruits just to enjoy the waters for a bit longer. We brought snorkling gear and used it to watch the fish underwater. Everyone was enjoying themselves so much that time quickly passed and it was past noon before we could regain our senses and packup our stuff in preparation for the trek back to civilization. This adventure to Stampang Bato was definitely worth the effort. I will definitely go back there next summer. Hopefully we'll be better prepared to stay longer then.
(photos , upper right: George, Neil and Owen in a light moment taken by Francis Atendido 2006/04/22, left: road towards Kasili, then to Pintong Bokawe and home taken by AllanBarredo 2006/04/22)

sandflies(Magalawa Island, Masinloc, Zambales)

This is an old accounting of my Magalawa Island Experiences, you might like to read the latest Magalawa Island experience here ! libot.blogspot.com/2011/05/beatiful-magalawa-island-in-zambales (May 5,2011)


Ever heard of them? Until a few weeks ago, I must confess that I haven't. We went to to spend the holy week in a place in Zambales called Magalawa Island. As usual all I brought to navigate to this hitherto unknown (to me) place is my gps and google earth on my laptop. Armed with what little info there was on the net, we set out to spend 3 days of sun, fun and sand on what we hoped was another worthwhile gamble. Its really fortunate that our new friend JC was available as he not only lives at the launch port which was Masinloc but he is also an excellent guitarist. Whats a camping activity without a good guitarist eh?

On the way there we passed by quite a number of people participating in the holy week practices. By the time we reached masinloc the car was splattered with blood all over the side doors and mirrors. I lived in Pampanga for a few years and went to highschool there to strengthen my lungs so I could lose my asthma. Its been quite a while since I last saw this spectacle. I'm surprised at how young some of these penitents are. What have they done to merit such drastic penitence anyway? (photos by FrancisAtendido Panasonic Lumix FZ-20, upper left:penitent youth on roads around SanAntonio Zambales, lower left: Magalawa Island south side beach area)
We finally reached Masinloc, parked the car, unloaded the camping gear and 2day supplies and loaded it onto the boat. Being the middle of April, the sun was tremendously hot. In-your-face hot. I have not felt the Philippine summer for about 5 years and it felt great. The boat ride cost a thousand pesos including pickup on Easter Sunday. Not bad realy considering the same distance would cost 2,800 in Anilao since the boat has to do 2 round trips.

There is a small community of fisherfolk on Magalawa Island. Some 200 odd families. Beer is available at 25 a bottle. There are fresh water pumps but only the ones in the village are saltfree. The ones used near the visitors area are so salty its like dipping in the ocean. (photos by FrancisAtendido: right: Magalawa island fisihing community - west side of the island, lower left: camp site on south side beach area 2006/04/14)




We setup camp somewhere on the south side of the island where it was much quiter. The east tip is where the good sandbar and swimming area is. Be careful when you land as the locals, any of them, come up to you and ask for a hefty port fee. We paid only 600 because JC had some distant relatives there.
We left manila at 6am and we were able to setup camp and start swimming by 1:30pm - not bad. The sand was not so bad either, real crushed corals with a slight mixture of common grey sand. There are no live corals to speak of but the waters are clear and there are thousands of starfish. Theres actually so much of them that they become a real nuisance to the beach goers. They have very sharp spines on their backs and stepping on them may prove to be very painful. So we found a lot of them just stacked on the beach either dead or dying. I believe they were purposefully put there by irate bathers or playful kids.
(photo taken by Francis Atendido, lower left: camp site -front view)
The west side of the island has a lot of mangroves, so the sand there is a bit silty, dead leaves are from the sea grass flourishing a few meters from the shore. At night we lit up our coleman, started cooking and lit up a bonfire. Small insects kept biting and at first I thought it was mosquitoes but they were too small and quick. I later found out that these were sandflies and boy do their bites itch!
All in all we really had a great time relaxing, bonding and singing on the top of our lungs (hey, its an island eh?). There were a whole bunch of visitors on the island that Saturday. Huge boats started landing at 7am with hoards of people of all ages. I even saw a few cows but I'm sure those didn't come from the boats. haha (photos by Francis Atendido Magalawa Island Zambales, 2006/04/14 to 2006/04/16 Panasonic Lumix FZ-20 , right: good friend, guide, and excellent guitarist JC)


Over all it was not a bad experience. I wouldn't mind going back