Travel Bites: Blessed with beaches

(Last of two parts)

THE Philippines is blessed to have over 7,100 islands – depends if it’s high tide or low tide (smile) – which also means an unprecedented number of beaches as well.

There are beaches great for just bumming and sunning, some for swimming and snorkeling, and quite a few for surfing and skimboarding.

Continued from last week (See “Travel Bites: Summer fun in the country’s best beaches,” March 25, 2013), here are the rest of our choice beaches from all corners of the country.

6. Long Beach, San Vicente, Palawan

The long beach in San Vicente, Palawan boasts of soft white sand and shimmering crystal-clear waters. Unfortunately, there are still no hotels nor resorts by the beach. Maybe things will change when the San Vicente airport is finally completed. (Photo from http://www.beachresortphilippines.net)

This cream-colored beach in Brgy. New Agutaya is reputedly to be the longest in the country at 14 kilometers. (Whew! Imagine walking that stretch from end to end - Boracay’s four-kilometer-coastline is faltering enough for me!)

It is a must-see if you want totally deserted beaches. On a good day, which is the usual on this beach, you won’t bump into any other soul except the locals. There is nothing here except the beach and the calm waters so perfect for swimming, oh! and the towering coconut trees.

Accommodations are in the town proper – a good five-10 minutes away by local motorbikes, although I hear beachfront properties are selling briskly these days as investors await the completion of the San Vicente airport and scheduled flights by carriers.
There are other beaches and coves in San Vicente, some with even finer powdery sand similar to Boracay’s – here’s crossing our fingers the local government there will regulate the building of resorts in those beaches to protect the environment from overcommercialization.

Getting there: Take any commercial flight to Puerto Princesa, and ride a public bus or shuttle van from the bus terminal in San Jose to San Vicente. A habal-habal or a motorcycle used for passenger commute, can bring you to Long Beach. Just go down the main drop-off point and walk to the beach along a marked trail. Needless to say, bring your own provisions for food and water.

7. Dicasalarin Cove, Baler, Aurora

This is private beach owned by the Angara family but guests of their resorts are allowed to visit it. Those who are checked into other resorts only need to pay P300 per head at the Bahia de Baler to be able to stay at the beach for a day. (There are no accommodations onsite, just the beginnings of an artist’s village created by Sen. Edgardo Angara.)

Nestled at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountain range, Dicasalarin is also favored with rocky formations, and a river that carries fresh water out to sea. So if you’re not feeling the salty waters of the Pacific Ocean, you can also take a dip in the cool river delta instead.

The views here are stunning, with the lush foothills at your back, the Pacific blue in front, and the white sand squishing under your feet. Have a picnic at the shaded tables on the beach, down some cold beers, and enjoy the sun and surf. From October to February, waves at the cove reach heights that would delight even professional surfers.

Getting there: Unless you are bringing an SUV, most Baler locals don’t recommend a road trip as there is still a portion of unpaved road along the highway. Take a private coach instead via Genesis Transport’s 28-seat Joy Bus which has a restroom on board, snacks and water, an Wi-Fi connection. It also has the regular type airconditioned buses going to Baler (T#709-0803/421-1425). 

From Baler, hire a tricycle to take you to the river outlet adjacent to Sabang Beach (the main surfers’ area), then charter a pump boat to Dicasalarin (about 45 minutes). You can also rent a private van or car going there (30-minute ride).

Dicalasarin Cove is nestled amid lush hills and the Pacific Ocean. (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

A tricycle can likewise take you directly to the foot of the hill where an abandoned Pag-asa weather station is located, and you can hike to the beach from there. It will be a tiring uphill climb even for most experienced hikers, before you get to the main trail going down towards the beach. But the sight is breathtaking which makes all the effort worthwhile.

8. Malapascua Island, northern Cebu

This is another island which has been catching the fancy of a number of foreign and local scuba divers because its deep waters are teeming with thresher sharks.But the island also has an immaculate white beach with crystal clear waters which allow you to see through to the bottom. This is another gem that has seen commercialization grow although at a slightly slower pace than other more well-known vacation islands. There are still spots of seclusion away from the maddening din of the disco or karaoke bar in the resort row.

Accommodations here attract the beach bums and divers alike and offer beachfront cottages that give you a full view of the sun gently peeking through the clouds as it rises from the horizon  (or a grand orange-filled sunset sky, depending on your resort’s location).

Getting there: Most major airlines have daily multiple flights to Cebu City from several major points in the country (e.g. Manila, Clark in Pampanga, Puerto Princesa, Iloilo, Davao, etc.). From the airport, take a cab to the Northern Bus Terminal (near SM) and book passage on a Ceres bus going to Maya port. From the port, you can hire a private or a public boat (which you share with other passengers) to Malapascua.

After a few days in Malapascua, you may also want to drop by Kota Beach, in Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island which is about 2.5 hours away by motorized banca. The white sand beach is a mixture of fine white and crushed coral.

There are hardly any people to bump into at the beach unless it’s Holy Week which attracts even the Cebuanos from the mainland. The waters are calm and limpid, turning to turquoise farther away from shore. Accommodations here are varied, fitting every budget. The sunrises here are uplifting and herald the beginning of great lazy days at the beach.

Instead of returning to Malapascua, you may want to stay a night or two on Bantayan then go back to Cebu City. From the Sta. Fe port, take the ordinary or fastcraft ferry to Hagnaya port then a bus back to Cebu City. (Some travelers do it the other way – go to Bantayan first, then to Malapascua, and back to Cebu City.)

9. Sugar Beach, Sipalay, Negros Occidental

Trust the Europeans to find the remotest and most serene beaches in the Philippines. They’ve staked their claim on Sugar Beach running resorts with basic amenities in the area, with their Filipina wives.

The beach sand is a coarse tan in appearance, much like raw sugar, which is probably why it’s named so. Sugar Beach receives but a handful of visitors which keeps it peaceful and tranquil. It’s quite a distance to travel to thus it attracts mostly Negrenses, European backpackers, and other hard-core beachgoers.

Most of the time, it will only be you and the coconut trees just soaking up the sun. Even during the peak of summer, the sea is just wide open with only a smattering of swimmers.The waters are pristine and teeming with fish such that it’s quite normal to see fisherfolk in the area hauling in their nets filled with the day’s catch.

Getting there: You can reach Sipalay by either public bus (Ceres) or private car/taxi from Bacolod City. By bus, the trip will take about five hours. By private car, the ride will take about three hours. If you have a reservation in any of the resorts, most will send a boat to pick you up from Sipalay. If not, just take a boat to Sugar Beach from Sipalay. (You can also reach Sipalay from Dumaguete, Negros Oriental but there will two bus transfers; so traveling from Bacolod is more convenient.)

All major airlines fly daily to Bacolod. (For more information, click on http://www.sipalaycity.gov.ph/)

10. Dahican Beach, Mati, Davao Oriental

Dahican Beach is the skimboarding and surfing central for the Davao region, a good three hours away from Davao City. (Photo by goofyazooo via Tripadvisor)

Dahican Beach has become a mecca for skimboarding and surfing in the Davao Region, as its stunning coastline receives swells up to 10 feet high from the Pacific Ocean.

It’s also a popular destination for swimmers because its cool powdery white sand stretches for seven kilometers along  the crescent-shaped coastline dotted by lofty coconut trees, and  into its clean and invigorating waters.

A portion of Mayo Bay whose directly waters feed the beach has been declared a marine sanctuary to protect the dolphins, sea cows, and sea turtles that reside or swim through the area. It’s common to see these sea creatures frolicking in the distance.

There are very few resorts along the Dahican coastline – most are located a kilometer or two away from the main beach. But there are simple cottages available for rent from the locals to store your beach gear or for picnics. It’s best to bring your own food and bottled water.

Getting there: Major airlines have daily flights to Davao City from Manila, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro. Airconditioned and non-airconditioned buses regularly ply the route from Davao City to Mati – the trip will take almost five hours (or three to four hours by private vehicle.) From the city proper of Mati, Dahican Beach is only a tricycle ride away.

(For other information about Dahican and other places of interest in Mati, contact the City Tourism Office at +6387-3883-234, or via email: matitourismoffice@yahoo.com)

(This piece was originally published in the April 1, 2013 issue of the BusinessMirror. So tell me, what's your favorite beach in the Philippines?) 

The ties that bind us

(Ambassador Arias says of Filipinos: “You’re very nice. You adapt well [to a country]. There are many immigrants in Spain but the Filipinos are the most loved.”)

I LOVE most things Spanish. I savor paella with gusto, wear Zara and Mango, use espadrilles especially during summer, and will marry Javier Bardem as soon as I get him to divorce Penélope Cruz.

So it was such a pleasure to meet Spain’s Ambassador to Manila Luis Arias y Romero, and talk about all things Spanish, and how his country’s relationship with the Philippines has evolved through the years. At first, the good ambassador seemed very serious and uncomfortable, but my shout of “Viva España!” must have loosened him a bit. (He probably thought I was loca.) He soon became more relaxed and even managed a humorous quip or two. But ever the diplomat course, he would visibly steel himself back, comporting himself.

There are about 300,000 Filipinos in Spain who are already Spanish citizens. This is on top of the 7,000 legally working or studying there. About 15 percent work as domestic helps but there are also many who are professionals such as accountants, health workers, and one even serves at the elite Royal Guard of Spain.

Unlike other immigrants, the ambassador said, “Filipinos can acquire [Spanish] citizenship after only two years of legal residence. You are especially mentioned along with Latin Americans in the Spanish Civil Code; you are assimilated. There are funds in the government budget earmarked to facilitate the integration of immigrants, which may be in the form of education and housing subsidies. Also, remember that they are all entitled to use the public-health service.”

In May, Spain also announced that Filipinos with a valid LTO driver’s license could get a Spanish driver’s license “no questions asked. All you have to show is your Philippine driver’s license and you will get [a Spanish license]. It’s automatic,” Ambassador Arias said.

(As I listened to the ambassador narrate all these benefits for Filipino immigrants, I wondered why most of us still kill ourselves going TNT for years in the US without a great job and a green card to actually look forward to.) “You’re very nice. You adapt well [to a country]. There are many immigrants in Spain but the Filipinos are the most loved,” he stressed.

Ambassador Arias hails from Oviedo, the capital of Asturias, a charming principality located in the northern coast of Spain, described as the “greenest” part of the country with its lush mountains, rambling rivers and lovely beaches. His father is a lawyer and was a professor at the local university, where his mother was also a faculty member.

The ambassador said he had wanted to be a professor like his father, but after he finished his studies, the “political circumstances were not very nice during that time [of Generalisimo Francisco Franco]. The intellectual landscape was not so very good, so I entered diplomatic school.” His previous postings include Costa Rica, Washington, D.C., Poland, Montreal and Brussels.

Of all the countries he has been assigned to, the ambassador said it is the Philippines where he feels most at home. “A lot of things remind me of Spain—the landscape, the names—the sounds are very familiar, also the churches and the character of the people. From the very first time we arrived, it’s already a familiar country. That’s why we are so happy here.” With the ambassador in Manila is his wife Soledad, also a lawyer by profession. They have one son Javier, an executive in Unilever in Madrid.

Spain’s devotion to the Philippines is unmistakable. The embassy has increased its staff in the Philippines, with Spanish expats now numbering 130. “We now have three offices here [in Metro Manila], as well as Instituto Cervantes, and another two cooperation offices in Legazpi, Albay, and in Caraga,” the ambassador added.

As of 2009, bilateral aid alone had reached P3 billion, a large chunk of which supported disaster-relief efforts in Bicol and the peace-building projects in Mindanao. More aid from Spain is channeled through joint programs with other European Union countries and the United Nations.

The ambassador relishes his visits to the project areas supported by Spanish aid. He has been to Cotabato and the Caraga region, as well as in the Visayas, Bicol and up north in Pangasinan.

“In my visits outside of Manila, I have gotten good reception. I am treated like a king!” he joked, remembering the children lined up on the streets waving flags of Spain and the Philippines. He is also deeply touched every time he visits Baler, Aurora, to commemorate the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day every June 30. As the story goes, for close to a year beginning in June 1898, some 50 Spanish soldiers bravely held out at a small church, while Filipino revolucionarios tried to persuade them to surrender. June 30 was the day Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo as president of the first Philippine Republic, issued an order allowing the surrendering soldiers holed up in the Baler Church to return to Spain. “It is very moving. The people of Baler celebrate with us. My gratitude cannot be expressed adequately,” the envoy said.

What thrills Ambassador Arias is the resurgence in the study of the Spanish language. Instituto Cervantes in Manila has the most number of students compared with the other branches in the world. At present, he says, it has 7,000 students, with São Paolo in Brazil coming in second at only 3,000 students.

“Spanish is the second language in the world. There has been increasing demand for Spanish speakers in the United States, for instance, where there are already 80 million Spanish-speakers. Here in the Philippines, for people who want to work in the United States, you are required to know Spanish. Call centers here pay 60 percent to 70 percent more for those who speak Spanish. Because of the vocabulary, it’s easy for Filipinos to learn it.” He points out that the Filipino language, in fact, contains 22,000 Spanish words, while the Chavacano dialect spoken in Cavite and Zamboanga “is 80-percent Spanish.”

Ambassador Arias said Spain and the Philippines now have the “best of relations, but there is always room for improvement. We will continue to give more content to our relations. We will continue to improve our economic relations and cooperate in development projects. The potential for Spain and the Philippines’ friendship is enormous, so I have to work hard every day at it.”

First on his to-do list should be to deliver Bardem to me, pronto!

(My column Something Like Life is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. Photo courtesy of the Spanish Embassy in Manila.)

Angara, HSAI Raintree partner to boost tourism in Aurora

(Dikasalarin Cove in Aurora province.)
THE province of Aurora promises to be the next go-to travel destination with the establishment of two new resorts: one for high-end tourists, and the other, a mid-priced hotel to cater to the average middle-income travelers.
In an interview with select reporters, Sen. Edgardo Angara, who hails from the province, said these resorts will be built on land his family owns and will be managed by HSAI Raintree Hospitality Management Inc.

HSAI Raintree president Annabella Wiesniewski said: “We want to open Aurora as the newest exciting tourist destination in the country. It is paradise, undiscovered.” The province sits on the northeastern portion of Luzon and faces the Pacific Ocean.

The first establishment is an 88-room hotel that will be located on a three-hectare property in the capital of Baler.

“It’s ready to break ground,” she said, and will be designed by architect Ed Calma, which promises a modern aesthetic but “will incorporate organic materials that are native to Baler,” such as local wood and stones, and its unique flora. The hotel is projected to be completed by June 2012.

It has a 150-meter beachfront on Sabang beach and will be geared primarily for local travelers. The Angara family already has a beach resort there called Bahia de Baler.

“It will be moderately priced, about P4,000 per night, and will be geared for domestic tourists. The provinces around Aurora are mostly land-locked so Sabang is the nearest beach for them. We have to make [the hotel] reasonable, but still very nice. Government offices and corporations around there can hold their meetings, conferences and seminars there,” said Wiesniewski. A 300-seat ballroom will also be built on the property where functions like conferences and wedding receptions can be held.

The second resort will be 20 minutes away from Baler central on a 100-hectare property located at the private Dikasalarin cove. On it will rise “60 rooms or villas of SLH [small luxury hotels] quality,” she added, ranging from about 50 square meters (sqm) to 200 sqm.

(Traversing one of Aurora's many clean rivers.)
“It’s like Monterey [California]. You drive along the coastline, and you see a very big cove,” she said. The beach is off-white but as fine as the sand of Boracay and with clear waters, she said, so it’s ideal for lounging about and swimming.

The villas, she said, “will be modern with glass, set against the mountains,” taking advantage of the picturesque view of the land- and seascapes. It will also feature a wellness center with a world-class spa. Those who are staying in the Sabang resort, she added, will be given the privilege of taking a day tour in the Dikasalarin property and enjoy its facilities and scenery.

Adjacent to the luxury resort, Angara donated a 10-hectare property, where an artist’s village is currently under construction. “This will give an opportunity for artists to just be away and indulge in their passions. We’ll take care of them, they won’t have to worry about [food and accommodations],” the senator said. The village will also feature an amphitheater where the artists can show off their works or perform.

“We’ve already been able to solicit the assistance of several well-known Filipino artists here and abroad to build individual cottages where the visiting artists can stay,” he added.

Angara cited the many activities that could be pursued in Aurora such as hiking, diving, trekking, mountain biking, bird watching and surfing.

“Baler was the first to introduce surfing in the country with its swells reaching 10 to 12 feet,” he said. A portion of the film Apocalypse Now where soldiers were catching waves was filmed at Charlie’s Point in Baler. A number of international bird societies also have been tracking migrating birds that summer in Baler.

“We have natural beauty - every 10 km. spectacular waterfalls—we have abundant water sources, we have streams, rivers, clean seas that’s why we nice dive sites there. We have a rich supply of marine life—Blue marlin, tuna, Spanish mackerel.” He stressed that travelers are safe in Aurora, being “the first province that was declared insurgency-free.”

(The historic Baler Church which 57 Spanish soldiers turned into a fort during the year-long Siege of Baler.)
Baler is also rich in history, he said, because it is where the infamous “Siege of Baler” happened. Fifty-seven Spanish soldiers held out at a local church for a year against Filipino troops, not knowing the Spanish-American War had already ended. The story was actually made the basis for the local film Baler, which was said to have helped boost travel arrivals in the province, as it showcased the local tourist spots. The event is also commemorated every year on June 30 during the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day.

Asked why he decided to collaborate with HSAI Raintree, Angara said, “We hear they’re the top in the business [of hospitality management].”

HSAI Raintree currently manages the Discovery properties of the Tiu family (of the JTKC Group) in Ortigas, Tagaytay and Boracay Island, and opened Albay to high-end travelers when it initially managed Misibis Bay Resort in Cagraray Island. (It terminated its contract with the resort’s owner, the Sunwest Group, in March.) HSAI Raintree is a partnership between Wiesniewski's Raintree Partners Inc. and the Tiu family's Oakridge Properties.

Although travel time from Manila to Baler currently takes about five hours—“it’s just like going to Baguio”—Angara said the completion of the SCTEx until Aurora will cut travel time by about 1.5-2 hours.

The proposed 60-km. four-lane expressway will start from La Paz, Tarlac and pass through Nueva Ecija, and traversing a scenic route to Baler.

“So it’s going to be such a beautiful drive like going from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe,” Wiesniewski said. Construction on the Tarlac-Aurora portion of the SCTEx is scheduled to start next year, Angara noted, and will be completed in time for the resorts’ opening.

Wiesniewski added that HSAI Raintree is already talking with major carriers Philippine Airlines, Southeast Asian Airlines and Cebu Pacific so they could explore the possibility of flying to Baler, once the resorts are completed.

There are two main airports in Aurora—one is the Dr. Juan C. Angara Airport in Baler with a 1,100 meter-runway, where Seair used to fly a twice-weekly route. Another airport with a 2-km runway is currently being constructed in the municipality of Casiguran, which will be able to accommodate larger jet aircraft and will turn into an international airport.

Currently, a provincial bus line connects Manila to Baler, passing through the Sierra Madre mountain range.

(Photos courtesy office of Sen. Edgardo Angara)