Cebu: Visita iglesia to Northern Cebu churches

Cebu's northern side has a good number of heritage churches. It's the churches in southeastern Cebu which are always mentioned. So here are the churches we visited on the way back to Cebu City.

Our bus from Hagnaya passed by the church of Bogo. I saw it was an American colonial church but it was too late to stop the bus when we realized it. The first scheduled stop was in the town of Catmon with a coral-stone church perched on top of a hill. Except for the added portico, the structure is relatively inctact.

Next on the list was Danao City. It had a preserved facade but uglified interior.

Our last stop before we reached Cebu City was the town of Liloan. Church was relatively intact as well. The town also has an American colonial lighthouse (built in 1904) in Bagacay Point which you can reach via tricycle. You can also see ruins of the Spanish lighthouse.

Part 1: Bantayan Island, Cebu is rich in heritage and great beaches!
Part 3: Lechon, chicharon and more from Carcar
Part 4: Visita iglesia in Southern Cebu

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Visita iglesia to our heritage churches
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Cebu: Bantayan Island, Cebu is rich in heritage and great beaches!

Bantayan Island has always been on my wish list. So I made sure to visit the island when I found out I was going to Cebu. As soon as the conference was over, we rushed to the North Bus Terminal in Mandaue to catch a ride to Hagnaya Port in San Remigio. Take note that Metro Cebu had two bus terminals and the North Bus Terminal services the towns and cities north of Metro Cebu. The bus ride was three hours and we got a preview of some old churches along the way which we planned to stop by on the way back.

From Hagnaya, you could easily purchase a ferry ticket to Sta. Fe town on Bantayan Island where most of the beach resorts are located. The ferry ride was a little over an hour. Take note that prices of tickets vary depending on whether the competing ferry company also has a trip at the same time. If there are competing trips, prices are slashed by as much as half!

Anyway, when we got there, there were a lot of agents touting the available resorts. We chose the resort nearest to the port which was the Sta. Fe Beach Club, so that we did not have to rush the next day if anything happened. I was surprised they accepted credit card payments.

As soon as we dropped our bags in our rooms, we rushed to make a round of the island before sundown. We had arranged for a habal-habal to take us around and went straight to our first stop, the ruins of an old fort in Sta. Fe. Unless you are really interested in these old fortifications, there's nothing much to see and not worth the stop for now.

From there, we sped off to Bantayan town where an old church still stands. We were pleasantly surprised that there were a lot of old structures all over the town despite a big fire in the 1970s which wiped-out a lot of Banatayan's old houses.

The Bantayan Church itself was amazing! The bas-reliefs on the exterior and interior of the church were very intricate. So I made sure to walk around and appreciate these works of art.

We made one last stop in Madridejos where there is another ruined fort. But again, if you're not into fortifications, it's not worth it since Madridejos is really far.

We were advised to have dinner at this restaurant called D'Jungle where they serve sumptuous buffets every Friday and Saturday. When we got there, we were in food heaven! They have more than fifty dishes in their buffet spread which included a wide variety of seafood, meats and greens cooked in various styles. At PHP295 per head which includes bottomless iced tea, how could you go wrong? It’s most definitely worth it to come back to Bantayan if only for this buffet.

The next morning, the weather was not good. So I decided to cancel my trip to the caves and Kota Beach Resort and went back to bed. We had to leave the island early since our next overnight would be in Carcar, Cebu on the opposite side end of Cebu!

Part 2: Visita iglesia in Northern Cebu
Part 3: Lechon, chicharon and more from Carcar
Part 4: Visita iglesia in Southern Cebu

Leyte: Stranded in Leyte! Some tips if you do get stranded

Yesterday, despite it being a relatively sunny day in Leyte, all ferry services were canceled because storm signal no. 1 was raised over the area. I had to be back in Cebu in the evening so I was desperate. I had made a reservation on the 12:30 p.m. trip back to Cebu and was in the port at 9:30 a.m. in time for the 10 a.m. cut-off for reservations. Golden Breeze Shipping sells tickets at 8 a.m. on the day of the trip so they implement a reservation system for people who want to book early. This would later turn out to be a lifesaver.

After confirming with the ship company that the fast craft was no longer traveling that day, I got their contact numbers and decided to try my luck in Ormoc. There are ship services in Maasin, Bato, Hilongos, Baybay and Ormoc going to Cebu but they usually leave in the evening. Ormoc has several daily fast craft trips as well.

What aggravated the situation was that it was a very heavy travel day. It was the day when students, workers, and everyone else was trooping back to Cebu after the long vacation. So everything was fully-booked! Those with tickets on Sunday were unlucky because they had to rebook their tickets to the next available day. In Ormoc, the next available day was Tuesday!

Now I know how it feels to take public transportation during the end of a long holiday. I had to go from one shipping company after another to check for space. But they were all fully-booked! When I realized there was no way I could travel yesterday, I remembered my reservation in Bato. So I called them up to find out what would happen to the reservations. It turned-out those who reserved on Saturday will be given first priority today. But again, I had to be there before the 10 a.m. cut-off. So this reservation was my earliest option back to Cebu.

So after finishing my rounds of downtown Ormoc, I took a van back to Bato. Again, we waited in the van and didn’t leave the terminal until they stuffed us like a can of sardines, four people to a row! It was good several people went down along the way so I was able to transfer to the front and was comfortably seated for the rest of the trip.

Bato is a relatively small town so accommodations are very basic. Someone had taken the only air-conditioned room in the pension house (which I expected with so many people stranded so I had to make do with an electric fan and stuffy air). I could have opted to stay in Maasin for the night but didn't want to risk staying far anymore.

I was told that there was a ship leaving from Bato that night so I rushed to the port to see if I could get on it. But as expected, it was fully-booked and the only way I could have gotten on board was to battle it out with the horde of stranded passengers all hoping to get a seat on the ship. Even at the ticket booths, lining up did not exist. I think the port authorities should start instilling discipline by strictly enforcing queuing for tickets.

So I decided to just go to bed since I was sure of getting a ticket on board the fast craft trip today. I called at 6:30 a.m. to make sure that there was a trip today. At 8 a.m., I was at the port. I noticed the other windows had people pushing their way to buy tickets. It was chaotic! I was comfortably seated but after seeing that, I decided to stand near the window of Golden Breeze so I was there before it opened which turned out to be a good decision.

By the time they opened, there was a big crowd behind me and people started pushing to give their IDs or pieces of paper with their names on it. I thought they were giving it for new reservations but it turns out it was for the tickets. The lady was comparing the names on the IDs to the reservation list and would issue tickets if they were there. So I argued to the lady that I was second in line and she should issue my ticket first. Good thing she gave in seeing me in front of the window when she entered and recognizing me from the day before and immediately issued me a ticket. Port authorities really have to enforce order and discipline by requiring people to line up!

After getting my ticket, I had to push and shove my way out since those at the back were jostling to get to the window. Since the trip was still at 12:30 p.m., I rested a bit at the hotel, explored Bato and discovered a local cassava-based puto cooked like puto bumbong.

I was at the port at 11:30 a.m. knowing that getting a good seat would mean making sure I was first in line (I have motion sickness which is why I want comfortable seats every time I travel). By 12:30 p.m., the scheduled time of our departure, the boat had not arrived. So I called the office to check what happened. The boat was delayed since the first trip was delayed.

There was a morning trip from Camotes to Cebu before the boat traveled from Cebu to Bato. In Camotes, it was chaotic because even those without tickets rushed on board causing the Coast Guard to hold the ship. All passengers had to get off again and get on board properly and it took quite a while before the Coast Guard gave them the go signal to set sail. Talk about discipline! I guess people were desperate since Camotes was also included in the storm bulletin of PAGASA. But that was no reason to act stupid. Anyway, the new ETD was now 3 p.m.

So I decided to have lunch at a sugba (ihaw-ihaw) hut at the port. I had isaw, barbeque and the local longanisa which they refer to as soriso. By 2:30 p.m., still no ship in sight so I called again and they said the ETD was now 4 p.m. It started to drizzle, so I decided to stay at the pension house and watch TV. I went back at 3:30 p.m. and took a nap on top of sacks of parafin wax while waiting at the port. At 4 p.m. still no boat.

To make the long story short, it started raining when the boat arrived at 6:15 p.m. and I had to join the crowd of people all overly eager to get on board. We were all drenched! And as if to spite us, it stopped raining when everyone was on board. It was indeed an adventure and looking back, it was stressful while it lasted, but exciting and fun thinking about it.

Here are things I learned and which you might want to keep in mind when traveling by sea:

1. Having the contact number of the shipping company, or even better, the person at the ticket office or the company representative at the port, can come in handy in emergency situations. So if you think a storm is brewing or if it’s the end of a long holiday and everyone will be traveling back, you might want to ask for phone numbers to contact in case of emergencies. Since I had the mobile number of the port representative, it eased my anxiety and I was able to plan my options better.
2. List down time schedules of various shipping lines so you can plan your options. It works well if you get delayed going back to the port. You’ll know if you can still catch a trip back or if you’ll need to come up with an alternative.
3. Make sure to reserve or purchase your return ticket in advance, especially during long holidays. You don’t want to get stranded, believe me!
4. Always check the weather forecasts. Remember that there is a new rule in place. The Coast Guard will not allow any marine vessel to travel when there is a storm signal raised even if it is sunny.
5. Avoid traveling at the start and end of long weekends and holidays since everyone else is traveling. I usually avoid it. But I somehow forgot it in this situation because I was too excited and paid dearly for it.
6. When taking a ferry service, it’s best to come early, especially if there are no assigned seats. Chance passengers will be waiting for no shows. So show up before the designated boarding time if you don’t want your slot given away.
7. Expect the worst, hope for the best. You’ll always have to maintain an open mind, keep your composure and be patient if your trip does not go as planned. You’ll achieve nothing by being emotional and it will just add to your stress. Be ready to come up with a contingency plan.
8. At the end of the day, when there is nothing else you can do, just make the most out of your situation. My time wasn’t wasted because I was able to explore more, discover some local fare, and got more than what I bargained for.

Southern Leyte: Malitbog, Maasin and more from Southern Leyte and Leyte

There are more churches to visit in Leyte and Southern Leyte. But given my limited time, I had to select the best-preserved ones. Since I had to be back in Bato by 10 a.m., I had to start the day early to visit Malitbog, also in Southern Leyte, which is a little over an hour from Maasin by public transport.

The first bus passed by shortly after 4:30 a.m. and I was there a few minutes before 6 a.m. just in time to hear the church bells calling people to church for Sunday Mass. The church is one of the best-preserved churches in Leyte Island since even the main retablo and side altars are intact. Centuries-old acacia trees lined the street leading to the church.

The town has several ancestral homes still standing and a watch tower that had been converted into the municipal police station and jail. Now that’s adaptive reuse! But I think the exterior should be improved since the old stone was painted over to sport that standard white and blue PNP look which looks bad on heritage structures.

Since I was running after time, I took the first jeep going back to Maasin. Along the way is the town of Padre Burgos. I noticed a lot of dive resorts which is also frequented by foreigners. There are ruins of the old church in the town center but there is nothing much left so I didn’t stop over anymore.

Back in Maasin, since the sun was out (it was drizzling yesterday), I decided to walk around and check out the old houses. I was depressed to see one of the better looking old houses giving way to another ugly nondescript building. We really should protect these architectural gems since they add character to our otherwise boring cities.

I stopped by the Cathedral again before proceeding to the transport terminal to get a van back to Bato. They really stuff those vans like crazy! Each row had four people in it! I think the appropriate government agency should regulate these vans for overloading.

Vans are much faster since the drivers like crazy as well (and not much stopping). So I was in Bato in a little over 30 minutes. I arrived at the port in time to find out that trips all over Leyte were canceled due to the typhoon. Although it was sunny in Leyte, PAGASA had declared signal number 1 all over the region. And with the new rule grounding all shipping services when there is a storm signal, despite it being a sunny day, all ferry services to Cebu from Maasin to Ormoc were not allowed to leave. So I was stranded! That story deserves another post.

Anyway, I thus got to visit Baybay City which also has a well-preserved church (again with a modernized altar) a classic Gabaldon school and several ancestral homes. In fact, I reached Ormoc City trying to look for a ride back to Cebu and got to explore a good part of the city center.

Nothing much is left of the Ormoc Church except for a remnant of a bastion that was part of the church fortifications. Behind the City Hall is an old Spanish-colonial bridge which I was happy to see was preserved for all to see. I went back to Bato, an hour and thirty minutes by van from Ormoc, where I decided to stay for the night.

Part 1: Visita iglesia in Leyte and Southern Leyte

Leyte & Southern Leyte: Visita iglesia in Leyte and Southern Leyte

Few people realize that Leyte island has a lot of centuries-old churches. Since I was in Cebu, I decided to make a sidetrip to Leyte and Southern Leyte since there are convenient ferry services to various points on the island. I had wanted to go straight to Maasin, Southern Leyte but there were no fast crafts available. So after walking from one pier to another (the port of Cebu has several passenger terminals that service various areas), I found a ferry service to the nearest port to Maasin which is Bato, Leyte.

I spent PHP300 for the fast craft trip that was scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. It was a bit rainy and I was told they were still deciding whether to set sail or not since the water was a bit rough. But we left, albeit a few minutes late, and arrived in Bato at about 12:30 p.m. We had to pass a slightly different route to avoid rough waters so the trip was 30 minutes longer.

From Bato, I backtracked to the town of Hilongos which has a fortress church. I immediately noticed the bastions and ramparts and walls of the fort. Don't be fooled by the current church. The good thing about Hilongos is that when they built the new church in the 1960s, they did not demolish the ruins of the old church which was destroyed during the Philippine-American War. It's the orientation which changed, the remnants of the old church now forms the transcept of the new church. And the old facade can be seen inside the school grounds.

My next stop was Matalom, the town after Bato. Its church is also well-preserved except for the altar. It also has a detached convento which is equally-preserved. Behind the town hall is a square watch tower.

Maasin City is right after Matalom. But it's quite a distance. And on the usual rickety public bus, It will take you about an hour to get there with all those stops to pick-up passengers. One thing you have to take into consideration when taking public transport in these parts of the country is the waiting time for a bus or jeep to arrive.

I was in Maasin before sundown and got to visit the Maasin Cathedral (again, the altar has been altered) before looking for a place to stay for the night. Before calling it a night, I visited a store that sells bocarillo (dried coconut candy) in Barangay Ibarra, several kilometers from the city center.

Related entries
Visita iglesia to our heritage churches
Holy Week practices in the Philippines
Visita iglesia and more Holy Week practices in the Philippines
Visita iglesia routes for Holy Thursday