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Published by igodigital, 2017-04-14 11:06:49

Philippines

Travel Guide

Keywords: philippines,travel,guide,lonely planet

305

CAGED CRITTERS THE VISAYAS BP8AOMHIOLLAC A N I S L A N D

Despite long-term grassroots efforts to crack down on the practice, more and more
tarsiers are being captured in the wild to be put on display in cages for the admiration of
tourists or as curios to liven up shop corners. To make matters worse, their keepers often
let you place one of these critically endangered creatures on your shoulder for a photo-
graph. Even with the gentlest handling, their small and delicate bones are easily broken.
Kept in captivity, tarsiers will not live more than 12 months, and they’ve been known to
commit suicide while in captivity. The very existence of this destructive industry gener-
ates demand, as dead animals need to be constantly replaced with live specimens.

Thankfully there have been improvements. In May 2011 the governor of Bohol, in
liaison with the Department of Environment & Natural Resources (DENR), negotiated
the release of hundreds of caged tarsiers. However, the DENR’s role in this matter is a
confused one. While they enforce the release of caged tarsiers, they likewise issue ‘wild-
life farm’ permits that allows tarsiers to be displayed for commercial purposes, and have
come under heavy criticism from NGOs like the Philippines Tarsier Foundation (PTFI).

If you do see a caged tarsier anywhere, you are encouraged to report it to the DENR
(%in Cebu 032-346 9177; [email protected]) and also to notify the Protected Areas & Wild-
life Bureau (%in Manila 02-928-1178; [email protected]) for good measure.

You’ll be doing the entire species a favour if you reserve your viewing for the Philippine
Tarsier Sanctuary, which comes closest to replicating the tarsiers’ natural habitat.

For more information, get in touch with anteed. Nita’s Nipa Huts (%0921 320 6497; r
the helpful tourist office (%540 9474; www. with full-board, fan & shared bathroom P600) is the
baclayontourism.com) located at the port. cheapest and most well-established option;
the double rooms with views on the water’s
Pamilacan Island edge are the best positioned. Nita can organ-
ise snorkelling or a night-time squid-fishing
%038 / POP 1189 trip for visitors, and arranges a pick-up from
Panglao for P2000.
The tiny island of Pamilacan, about 23km
east of Balicasag, is cetacean central, home Pamilacan is the domain of Baclayon
to whales and dolphins. Since the 1992 ban tourist office (%540 9474; www.baclayontour
on capturing these creatures, Pamilicanons, ism.com), so get in touch with them for more
descendants of three generations of whal- information.
ers, have had to find other ways to earn a
living. There are now no fewer than three You can arrange a boat between Pami-
community-based outfits that organise expe- lacan and Baclayon (one way/return
ditions and employ former whalers. All use P1500/2000, 45 minutes) or if you’re lucky
old converted whaling boats and local crews. there’ll be a public boat (P100) if there are
The trip includes a full day on the water enough people around; Wednesdays are
and transfers from Baclayon (on Bohol) or your best bet, with it being market day.
Panglao; boats hold four to six people. Whale Boats from Alona Beach will take you to
sightings are relatively rare, but the best time Pamilacan for around P2500.
for spotting them is from February to July;
dolphins are common year-round. Try Pami- Bohol’s Coastal Road
lacan Island Dolphin & Whale Watching
Tours (PIDWWT; %540 9279; http://whales.bohol. TUBIGON
ph; Baclayon public market; group of 4 from P1500). %038 / POP 2769
The ramshackle fishing town of Tubigon
Pamilacan is also good for diving, with its (to-bee-gon), in the middle of Bohol’s lush
marine sanctuary home to manta rays and northwestern coast, is well served by daily
soft corals, and continues to slowly recover fastcraft to and from Cebu City, though
from dynamiting. otherwise there’s not a lot on offer here for
travellers.
There are several accommodation op-
tions on Pamilacan, all providing basic Tinangnan Beach Resort & Lodging
meals. Electricity goes off after 10pm, but House (%0908 172 5115; r with fan & shared bath-
so do the karaoke machines, so rest is guar- room P250) is set upon stilts and has a rickety

THE VISAYAS BOHOL306 the impressive initiative to combat illegal
fishing and dynamiting by sinking 5m reli-
bamboo floor over intertidal mangroves. It’s gious statues of the Santa Maria and Santo
a five-minute tricycle ride (P20) north from Niño to thwart religious locals from further
the central bus and market area. damaging the Danajon Double Barrier Reef.
The statues make for an interesting under-
Jadestar (%345 3745) and MV Start water spectacle, and marine life is expected
Crafts (%0922 381 0116) among others offer to regenerate within a short time.
plentiful daily ferries to and from Cebu City
(from P150, one to two hours). Tickets are Accommodation is available at Bien
purchased near the market. Unido Double Barrier Reef Dive Camp
(d P1300; a) near Jao Island, which is a
Buses to Tagbilaran (P50, 1½ hours) go 10-minute boat trip from Bien Unido. As
via Loon (P30, one hour), or otherwise there well as diving, the camp can arrange kayak-
are faster vans (P90, one hour). If you’re ing and island hopping.
heading straight for the Chocolate Hills
from Tubigon, buses inland leave regularly For more information, visit www.bienu
for Carmen (P50, 1½ hours). nido.com, or contact the mayor’s office
(%517 2391).
BUENAVISTA
%038 / POP 844 UBAY
Buenavista has a friendly, picturesque mar- %038 / POP 3698
ket on a mangrove inlet. Here, or at the river At the opposite end of Bohol to Tagbilaran,
crossing 3km south on the main road, you the remote town of Ubay has a lively market
can buy the local delicacy – urchin gonads. on the sea, just near the pier. There are plen-
ty of cheap Filipino eateries on the water’s
For something even more special, you edge, and Ubay also offers uncharted tour-
can go on a Cambuhat Village Ecotour, ism territory around nearby Lapinig Island.
a cruise up the mangrove-lined Daet River There is a tiny lodging house (s with fan P75)
from Buenavista to the village of Cambuhat, a short distance from the pier gates.
where you’ll see an oyster farm and raffia
weaving. Call the Buenavista tourist office Ferries and bangkas run to Southern
(%513 9188) for more information. Leyte – with boats to Bato (P250, two hours)
from 8.30am until 1pm. Super Shuttle Ferry
The area south of Buenavista, near the has a daily 12.30pm ferry to Maasin (P250,
town of Inabanga, is known for its tradi- three hours), while Leopard (%0922 892
tional healers. 9899) heads to Hilongos (P150) at 9am.

TALIBON Buses run between Ubay and Talibon
%038 / POP 4693 (P120, four hours).
Talibon, on the north coast, is one of Bohol’s
busiest centres. Its long pier has regular ANDA
boats to and from Cebu, as well as to Jao %038 / POP 1412
(pronounced ‘how’) Island nearby (P15, 15 Dubbed the ‘cradle of Boholano civilisation’
minutes); however, there’s no accommoda- for its significant prehistoric sites, the stun-
tion on Jao. All transport leaves from the ning Anda peninsula on the southeast corner
market on the main street before the pier. of Bohol still seems to belong to a forgotten
Contact the mayor’s office (%515 0051) for time. From Anda town, almost 3km of un-
further tourist information. touched empty white-sand beach stretches
west along the coastline. This is where all the
Talibon Pension House (%0918 927 4280; resorts are situated; a gentle breeze blowing
r with fan/air-con from P250/500; aW) is prob- off the water keeps things cool, even in the
ably the best accommodation in town. hot season. Peace and privacy are the order
of the day, so a word of warning to the gre-
Regular ferries head to Cebu City (from garious: if you like to be surrounded by activ-
P240, three to four hours), including Gold- ity, you might find Anda a little too chilled.
en Star Fastcraft (%032-318 5591) and VG For a party atmosphere, head to Alona Beach
Shipping (%032-238 7635; vgshipping@yahoo. on Panglao Island instead, but don’t expect
com), departing 10am and 10pm daily. the beaches to be as idyllic.

Buses depart to Tagbilaran (P110, four There’s no ATM in Anda, with the closest
hours) and Carmen (P62, two hours) for the one in Tagbilaran. The municipal of Anda
Chocolate Hills. may ask for a P50 entry, which supposedly
goes to keeping the beach clean.
BIEN UNIDO
%038 / POP 23,412
Bien Unido offers the only diving in the
north of Bohol. The town’s mayor has taken

307

1 Sights & Activities tion, but a bit samey as far as beach resorts
go. The beach here is nice, and the restau-
People come to Anda for its stunning, re- rant has a large menu that often runs out of
laxed beaches that’ll likely make you want to stock. Ask for a discount.
abandon your best-laid plans. Most resorts
have private patches of white-sanded beach; 8 Getting There & Away THE VISAYAS L8E Y T E
otherwise, the majestic Anda Long Beach
is the widest beach, but its popularity with There’s an occasional direct bus or van from
day trippers takes away some of its charm. Tagbilaran to Anda (P140, three hours); other-
wise, catch a bus to the junction town of Guindul-
There’s also some good diving on the man (P100), then a tricycle to Anda (P150).
stunning Basdio Reef, which can be ar-
ranged through one of the dive centres at JAGNA
the resorts. %038 / POP 32,034

If you want more than beach attractions, Other than to catch a ferry to Mindanao,
there are underground pools, limestone
caves and some prehistoric rock paintings there’s no reason to hang around this dusty
to explore. For more information and to ar-
range guides, contact Arvin Rubillos at the market town, notable for its sizeable Muslim
tourist office (%528 2009).
population.
4 Sleeping & Eating Super Shuttle Ferry (%0939 850 2987)

Most accommodation on the beach is pricey, has a daily service to Camiguin (P425, 3½
but there are some cheaper pensions found hours) at 1pm, while Ocean Jet (%0922 857
in the town of Anda itself. The best is prob- 5500) departs at 9.30am (P550, two hours).
ably the Transient Lodge (%0927 383 3734; Super Shuttle also heads to Cagayan de Oro
per person P600), named for the sign that (P650, seven hours), as does Cebu Ferries
reads ‘We accept transient lodgers’. (%411 3651).

To Tagbilaran, there are regular vans

(P100, one hour) and buses (P60, two hours)

until 6pm.

Flower Beach Resort BEACH RESORT $$

(%0918 579 6166; www.flower-beach.com; r from LEYTE

P1900; aiW) Run by an ultrafriendly cou- For students and historians of the Pacific
and WWII, the word ‘Leyte’ conjures up im-
ple, this well-designed resort boasts a great ages of bloody naval battles and the site of
MacArthur’s famous return. For Filipinos
spot on a tiny but luxurious cove of white it’s equally associated with the rags-to-riches
rise of Imelda Marcos and the nostalgic, ro-
sand. The ‘ocean-side’ huts, overlooking a manticised portrait she painted of her birth-
place after she made good in the capital. For
perfect swimming beach, have no air-con, travellers, Southern Leyte, wrapped around
the deep-water Sogod Bay, is one of the Phil-
but with the constant sea breeze this is not ippines’ many diving hot spots; there are
sites with rich reefs and drop-offs. Wall and
an issue. For P200 more you get air-con, a cave diving is possible at Lungsodaan in Pa-
dre Burgos. The Cebuano-speaking Leyteños
fridge and hot water, but no beach view. live in the south, and their Waray-speaking
neighbours live in the cattle ranching coun-
Motorcycle rental is available. There’s a full- try of northern Leyte.

service dive centre that takes advantage of 8 Getting There & Away

the 14km offshore reef. AIR

Anda White Beach Resort BEACH RESORT $$$ Tacloban has daily flights to Manila and Cebu.
(%0915 541 0507, 0918 691 1011; www.anda
beachresort.com; r P4100; as) With its large, BOAT
motel-style rooms (cable TV, DVD players,
hot water) and infinity pool with ocean view, Leyte is well linked to neighbouring islands via
this is the most luxurious place that hum- ferry, including Cebu City from Ormoc, Maasin
ble Anda has to offer. It’s also got a fantastic and Hilongos; and to Manila, Bohol and Camotes
beach. The restaurant menu includes such as well as Surigao on Mindanao from Southern
decadent surprises as ‘king prawns with a Leyte.
touch of white wine’ and the well-stocked
bar offers mixed drinks for P190. Nonguests
can use the swimming pool for P150, and
there is an attached dive centre.

Dapdap BEACH RESORT $

(%528 2011; www.boholdapdapresort.com; fan

nipa huts P900, air-con nipa huts P1500-3200; a)

Filipino-owned Dapdap is a good-value op-




















































































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