Category Archive: Luzon

Jan
25
2011

How to Get Out of Clark International Airport?

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January 25, 2011

Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (Clark), Pampanga

It was my first time using Diosdado Macapagal International Airport or more known as Clark International Airport (IATA: CRK) on my flight back from Cebú from Sinulog Festival. The first question of a first timer commuter is: How do I get out of the airport? I have been here a few years ago, but just until the waiting area. We walked from CM Recto Highway (near UP Pampanga) and it was a bit far from the airport terminal itself. Given the time constraint (I have work at Manila by 11PM, I arrived Clark at 7PM and Manila is almost a hundred kilometers away!) I have to leave as soon as possible. Now here are some of the options on how to get out of Clark Airport and head on to Angeles or Manila:

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Tags: airport, bus, Clark Airport, Clark International Airport, commute at Clark, Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, jeepney, Pampanga, Philippines, public transport, taxi, Transit

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/01/25/how-to-get-out-of-clark-international-airport/

Jan
11
2011

La Conquista de Corregidor: The Guns and Christmas 1941

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by Berniemack Arellano

January 11, 2011

All right, all right…you may be wondering why the introduction for this article was with Felipe De Leon’s Christmas Carol “Payapang Daigdig?” Nope, its not that I’m forcing it to fit on Christmas (or this article was meant to be posted on Christmas eve). The song was made out of bombardment of Manila in 1945, when the maestro woke up one morning with such devastation that engulfed the whole city–world’s second most destroyed. We also have to remember that it was during Christmas of 1941 that the Philippines was invaded by the Japanese imperial troops and bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. These stories of melancholic Christmas intertwined with Corregidor’s embattled past. As we head on for our tour, one December morning, I can feel the sirens and the cool breeze…however with more tension.

Battery Way

Our first stop was the Middleside area of Corregidor. Its a plateau between Topside and the coastline. It is here were you can find the second longest military barracks in the world at that time, the MiddleSide Barracks, which houses several Filipino and American troops at that time. Near it was a reservoir disguised as a tennis court. A few meters away from it, is the ruined building of the YMCA. The area is a camping ground for most excursionists and scouts.

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Tags: Barracks, Bataan, batteries, Cavite, Corregidor, heritage site, Historical Site, Japan, Manila, middleside, Philippines, United States, World War II

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/01/11/la-conquista-de-corregidor-the-guns-and-christmas-1941/

Dec
26
2010

Tranquil Talisay, Divisoriang Tagaytay!

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by Berniemack Arellano

December 26, 2010

Binintiang Malaki -- Taal Volcano's most photographed cone/crater

It was Christmas Day, well a lot of urban-dwellers of Manila and its suburbs like to spend some time with the company of family and friends. My family though decided that we go to Tagaytay and pass by Pink Sisters then head on to one of the last “shack cottages” overlooking Taal Volcano and Batangas Province. It was cold and was drizzling when we went there. Tagaytay as expected would be crowded on a long weekend, but we never expected such mass exodus that would unfold later that day. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Batangas, Cavite, get-away, Philippines, sustainability, Taal Lake, Taal Volcano, Tagaytay, Talisay, traffic. Christmas day, urban development

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2010/12/26/tranquil-talisay-divisoriang-tagaytay/

Dec
24
2010

La Conquista de Corregidor: Getting Ashore

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by Berniemack Arellano

December 24, 2010

MiddleSide Barracks of Corregidor

It was one of those unplanned trips again that ended up great—and as a history student, a place something to look forward to. It was my first time conquering “The Rock of the Orient.” It is the tadpole-shaped sentinel island that guards Manila Bay from invaders—and indeed it held steadfast in Philippine history. The English name, “Corrector’s Island.” En español, “La Isla de Corregidor.”

The Philippine Flag at North Docks

Thanks to Ivan Henares and Sun Cruises, I, together with bloggers Joel, Cedrick, James, Estan, Claire, Rob, Patricia, Ivan Mandy, and Sir Bobby Aquino of Magsaysay Shipping, we embarked on a 1 hour and 15 minute fast cruise towards the mouth of Manila Bay as the sun is just reaching its rays over the skyline of Manila.

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Tags: Barracks, Bataan, Cavite, Corregidor, General Douglas MacArthur, Heritage Sites, Historical Site, Japanese occupation, Malinta Tunnel, Manila, Pacific War, Philippines, Sun Cruises, tourist attraction, USAFFE, World War II

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2010/12/24/la-conquista-de-corregidor-getting-ashore/

Dec
15
2010

The Road Less Traveled: Along Verde Island Passage

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by Berniemack Arellano

December 15, 2010

The Lobó-Batangas City Road, Verde Island and Mindoro Island

After scaling the mountains of Lobó, we head our way back to Manila. However, instead of passing by the main road going there from Manila, we went on the road less traveled—the coastal road between the town of Lobó and Batangas City, right along the busy Verde Island Passage. As for us, it is retracing back memories of one particular barangay along the lonely road—Ilijan…

The route was more than a 40 kilometer sojourn from Lobó poblacion to Batangas City, about 10 kilometers longer than the main mountain pass road where most jeepneys and cars pass. The route traverses the rugged and isolated barangays of the two localities, notably Barangay Banalo of Lobó and Barangay Ilijan in Batangas City.

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Tags: Batangas, Batangas City, Lobo, Mindoro, Montemaria, national road, Philippines, road, Verde Island, Verde Island Passage

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2010/12/15/the-road-less-traveled-along-verde-island-passage/

Nov
25
2010

The Silence at Montemaria: After The Pilgrims Left

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by Berniemack Arellano

November 25, 2010

With paved roads, it is easier to travel now from Ilijan unlike the by-gone days. However, there is one particular part of the road where I remember it has a very dangerous incline towards the cliff and the sea. It is where my dad’s personnel had an accident when their truck fell off the road. Beautiful, it is reminiscent to that of Batanes. Moreover, it has become a place of controversial pilgrimage. They call it Montemaria or Mountain of Mary. From this point, you could see the busy ships passing by and a magnificent panoramic view of Verde Island, Mindoro, Batangas Bay and even Batangas City from afar (hey, we’re still 20 kilometers away from the city center). Wow! This place is such a sight to behold (minus the cow dung everywhere).

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Tags: Batangas, Batangas City, Father Suarez, Healing Priest, Montemaria, Philippines, pilgrimage site, Statue of Mary

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2010/11/25/the-silence-at-montemaria/

Nov
17
2010

Simple Living Has its Price: An Ode to Nagtaluntong of Lobó Batangas

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by Berniemack Arellano

November 17, 2010

My family and I went back to Lobó in Batangas province to have a break from the urban jungle and my dad’s inspection on the project site at one of the mountain barangays of the town. We went on to one of the most isolated towns in this part of Southern Tagalog region. Protected by rugged mountains and bordered by the Verde Island Passage, it seems that the town has been encapsulated in time by nature herself! When before, I had a brief visit to Malabrigo Lighthouse, this time I went off the beaten track and return to the placed I was enamored when I was in Grade 6 and a realization of an uphill countryside struggle for survival.

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