Romblon has always been synonymous with deposits of high quality marble that are reputed to be among the best in the world. But I would discover that Romblon is more than that. Gone are the days of tiresome ferry travel since Manila to Romblon flights are now available with regular SEAIR trips to Tablas three times a week.

There are a lot of beach resorts on Tablas. Aglicay Beach in Alcantara is one of the best resorts in Tablas Island. The marine life was alive and kicking since I spotted a lot of fish, starfishes and sea urchins in the water.

Aglicay also offers tours to the nearby Looc Marine Sactuary, the Battle of Sibuyan Sea Marker and Memorial, and the enchanted Kalatong Hill of Guimbirayan. From the port in Looc, a regular ferry service to and from Caticlan leaves four times a week. So you could include Romblon as part of your Boracay itinerary and fly back to Manila from Tablas.

If you have at least two nights, take the pump-boat ferry service for Romblon island which leaves from the port of San Agustin.

All I knew about Romblon town was that it was literally sitting on marble and that its cathedral is a National Cultural Treasure. But little did I know that the town’s historical fabric was very much intact and if you compared the center of town to postcards from the prewar years, nothing much has changed. Walking around the streets of Romblon, Romblon was indeed a blast from the past! You could already see Fort San Andres as you enter Romblon Port.

From the port, I walked towards the Romblon Shopping Center in from of Freedom Park where all the marble souvenir stores are clustered. I was looking forward to seeing the Romblon Cathedral which is a National Cultural Treasure. But I did not expect the entire town to be a heritage treasure! Around the plaza are most of the elements of our old towns, including the church and convento, the municipio, a Gabaldon schoolhouse, old houses, several colonial bridges and a charming Rizal monument in the center of the plaza. Romblon was very much worth the visit!

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to fly to Tablas on SEAIR! (by Ivan Henares)

Tawi-Tawi is the southernmost province of the Philippines. Although the impression is that it is unsafe, that is far from the truth since Tawi-Tawi is a relatively peaceful place. I was told that it has wonderful white sand beaches and rich cultural communities. So I decided to check it out even just for two days.

I was in Zamboanga City to attend a conference so I decided to fly over and found myself on a SEAIR flight to Bongao. The flight took a little over an hour and I was in Bongao in no time. As soon as I arrived, I went to my brod’s place to get some rest first. I hadn’t had any sleep the night before so I decided to start exploring after lunch.

There’s nothing much to see in Bongao and you could easily cover it in a day. A friend took me around to the different areas of interest including some beaches, the Tawi-Tawi Provincial Capitol which is on top of a hill, offering a great panoramic view of Bongao and beyond, and the market area where you’ll see a lot of seaweed being dried up (seaweed is a major product of Tawi-Tawi).

I wish I had an extra day so that I could have taken a ferry boat to Simunul, the neighboring island, which hosts the oldest mosque in the country, the Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque, and some of the best beaches of Tawi-Tawi. You’ll have to stay overnight at least though so you’ll need some friends there if you want to visit the place. But you haven’t been to Tawi-Tawi if you haven’t visited Simunul!

Sitangkai, called the Venice of the Orient, is another option but that would take a longer ferry ride. And I heard the waves are rough. So be ready for a real adventure!

The next day, I had to catch my SEAIR flight back to Zamboanga City. On the way to Bongao Airport in Sanga-Sanga are great views of Bud Bongao. If you’re into climbing mountains, trekking up Bud Bongao is a great option. Just don’t forget to bring bananas for the monkeys.

At the airport, I had some local food at the nearby carinderia which included pastil, a fried empanada filled with bihon noodles, and sindol, which is the local ginataan (warm coconut milk dessert). It was really cheap! Anyway, the stay was too short to experience Tawi-Tawi. So I’m definitely going back to explore some more! (by Ivan Henares)

So many things have been said about Palawan on how wonderful a place it is. Being dubbed as a “Last Frontier” is a well deserved tag along its name. Even with those expectations ahead, one can never truly be prepared on what you will actually see. It’s fortunate that when we were there, we were blessed with good weather. On our first day, one of our major activities was to climb Mt Tapyas. It’s a good chance to preview what lies ahead on our day of exploring the islands.

Mt Tapyas is one of the mountains in Busuanga. It stands low at 210 meters above sea level and offers a panoramic view of Coron Bay and adjoining islands of Calamianes. It has been developed as a tourist site so a stairs of 718 steps will lead you up to its summit.

The jump-off point to the mountain is not hard to find. One of the beauty of the quaint little town of Coron is that it’s easy to navigate the streets. Signs are everywhere to guide you. You’ll know you’re at the jump-off when you find a basketball court with a flight of stairs leading to the dominant cross at the top.

Climbing the flight of stairs can take you around less or more than an hour to reach the summit depending on your physical condition. There are numerous shaded stops along the trail. Make sure to bring water or some drinks to freshen up and cool down.

I may sound like a broken record player whenever I see a stunning view, but this is really a breath taking sight. On your left is the large Coron Island dominating the view. On the center is the coron town. Pacing to the right are the rest of the Calamianes group of islands.

There’s a couple of gazebos placed off-summit, which I thought are the best places to view the sunset. I waited there to capture the right light on the horizon. With the weather being great and the place virtually pollution free, I saw one of the best colors of the sky for sunset.

After shooting a while, I went back to the main summit platform where the cross is located. The other guys were there. Gail and Nina were resting on the cemented bench and the light continued to die down with dominant blue hues in the sky enveloping the night. We had fun taking pictures at the summit until the Summit Cross lit up with its orange hues. It was a clear night. There were a great number of stars visible in the sky, almost clumped together like a galaxy of their own.

It was dark when we descended the mountain. Even if there were lamp posts along the trail, some are too far apart some times. So it’s a good idea if you bring a flash light or head lamps to light your way.

When we got down and back to our lodging, we could still see the dominant glow of the cross at the top of the summit. As if a bigger presence is watching over the town. I’m sure most people from the town could see it as well. Climbing Mt Tapyas is a nice side activity when in Coron. It gives you a bigger picture of what awaits in every island on the horizon. (by Ferdz Decena)

A triple treat of fun and adventure awaits passengers as SEAIR unveils its “Paradise to Paradise Plus One” route and offers its first ever international scheduled flight to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

The inaugural flights scheduled on November 28 will commence from Clark to Caticlan to Puerto Princesa to Kota Kinabalu. The one-way all-in rate between Caticlan and Puerto Princesa starts from as low as Php 2,212 and Php 1,975 for Puerto Princesa and Kota Kinabalu.

“The overall route allows passengers to visit world renowned destinations in a circuitous route without backtracking. The choice of the Puerto Princesa-Kota Kinabalu route is a result of our being designated as the official RP carrier in the Brunei- Indonesia- Malaysia- Philippines East Asia Growth Area (BIMP EAGA),” said Patrick Tan, SEAIR’s VP for Commercial Affairs.

SEAIR is famous for its “paradise to paradise” destinations and the airline ups it a notch by adding Kota Kinabalu as one of its premiere stops. Aside from its rich tourism industry, Kota Kinabalu is strategically located as a starting point to many of South East Asia’s main cities.

SEAIR has always pioneered new and exciting destinations to help spur development in the tourism sector and the opening of this route is long awaited by all nations in BIMP-EAGA as it marks the first time a BIMP-EAGA carrier is flying between two points in the Growth Area.

SEAIR flies from Manila to Batanes and vice versa every Tuesdays and Saturdays, and is now increasing its flights. Flights every Thursdays commence by October 9, 2008, Monday flights by October 20, 2008, and Friday flights by October 31, 2008. SEAIR will soon have flights from Manila to Batanes and v.v. every Saturdays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The flights from Manila to Batanes are from 0550 to 0725 and the flights from Batanes to Manila are from 0755 to 0930. One-way airfares start at P35++ (as low as 2895.20 one-way all-in fare).

Please call SEAIR Reservations at 8490100 to book for flights to Batanes or book online at www.flyseair.com. For packages to Batanes call SEAIR Leisure Escape Packages at 8437308

They call Borongan, Eastern Samar the City of the Golden Sunrise. And SEAIR will be flying to the capital city of Eastern Samar starting September 1!

One place to visit is nearby Divinubo Island. Aside from it’s white sand beach, I was told that behind the island (the side facing the Pacific), there are caves as well as a light house. What is peculiar about the island is that during low tide, you can walk to it since a land bridge of coral rocks emerges.

Borongan has a lot of potential as an eco-tourism destination. It’s a good place to invest for surf camps. In fact, locals were surfing when I arrived. There are several waterfalls in the city inlcuding Tres Marias, Masakpasak, Hinahanginan, Binabalarawan, Cansoriyaw, Mono, Pangi, Tagpuyucan, Bihid, Kaputian and Tumaligis Falls. There are several caves to explore too. You can also go white-water rafting (that’s if you have your own raft since no one has set-up there yet). And I was told the coral reefs are also worth the dive.

I got to enjoy some of the night scenes of Borongan such as watching crabs crossing the street or fireflies lighting up a nearby tree. Also check out the historical core of the city where you can find the monument and ancestral home of the local revolutionary hero Major Eugenio S. Daza, as well as the Borongan Cathedral and the Santiago Monument in front of it.

From Borongan, you could also visit the town of Guiuan, which is at the southern tip of Samar Island, a place known as a haven for surfing.

The flights from Manila to Borongan v.v. will be every Mondays and Fridays. The fares go as low as low as P3,500 one-way all inclusive from Manila - Borongan and vice versa. For reservations, call SEAIR Reservations at (02) 8490100 or SEAIR Borongan at (0917) 81SAMAR - (0917) 8172627. (by Ivan Henares)

Dubbed as the Las Frontier, Palawan is one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines, not just by foreign visitors, but by resident Filipinos as well. Be it Puerto Princessa, El Nido, Busuanga, Taytay, or Cuyo, travelers flock to the islands for its stunning natural beauty, unspoilt nature and crystal clear waters.

Though most of the tourists head to the beaches, it’s the beauty that lay on the seabed that lures the avid divers and snorkelers. Apart from the live corals and colorful fishes under the sea, there lie other majestic sights that draw the curious: wrecks of Japanese warships.

During World War 2, when the Philippines was under the Japanese, US forces were bombing the Japanese naval ships near Manila. To protect the other warships, a decision was made to deploy the ships to other safe places around the islands. One of the places the Japanese navy went to was the Calamian Group, in Northern Palawan. The vessels were safely camouflaged among the islands, until a US reconnaissance team noticed that some of the islands in the area were moving. On September 24, 1944, the United States attacked the Japanese’s Imperial Navy in the area, sinking 24 warships around Busuanga and Coron.

Once a symbol of defense and destruction, the wrecks of the Taiei Maru, Okikawa Maru, Kogyo Maru, Irako, Olympia Maru, Kyokuzan Maru and the Akitsushima, are now one of Coron’s biggest attractions.

Coron Town & Coron Island
Though it was once the site of war, chaos and destruction, Coron is now a very quiet and peaceful place. A small sleepy town in the island of Busuanga, Coron town is the jump off point for those who want to explore the sites around Coron Island. This is Coron’s center for everything – the municipal hall is here, the market, and most of the accommodation options. It’s a small town where everything is a comfortable walking distance away. Though sidewalks aren’t a major fixture in the streets, there’s no need to worry as Coron Town isn’t a high traffic area. Best of all, the air is clean.

Tricycles are the main form of transportation within Coron Town. Jeepneys and busses only ply routs that go out of the town. Boats are also prominent in the docks. While some are fishing boats, most cater to tourists who want to island hop.

The major and most popular destination for every visitor is Coron Island. The island is the ancestral domain the indigenous Tagbanwa tribe, and the sites in and around the island charge admission fees, ranging from Php 75 to Php 200 each. The fees are not for profit. Rather, they are used for the upkeep of each site.

Coron Island offers its visitors the stunning beauty that they came to Palawan for. From the blinding white beach and turquoise waters of Banol Beach, to the crystal clear waters of Kayangan Lake, a day of island hopping in Coron Island leaves tourists satisfied, but at the same time, leaves them wanting to go back for more.

Things to do in Coron Town
While Coron Town doesn’t have any beaches, there are still things to do when you’re stuck in the mainland. You can try testing your strength and endurance with a climb up the 700 or so steps up Mount Tapyas (190 meters above sea level). There are several shaded rest stops along the way if you get tired, even a picnic ground after the first rest stop. The view from the summit is simply breath taking: you can see the town from above, the surrounding mountains and the nearby islands. It’s quite interesting to see how small the town is, compared to the wide expanse of untouched nature around it. The climb is best done in the early morning or late afternoon, when the sun isn’t too hot.

If the climb up Mount Tapyas or the diving, snorkeling and frolicking in the water drained you, a dip in the Maquinit Hot Spring is sure to ease aching muscle. The water temperature hits close to 40 degrees Celsius, but it’s not the heat that will surprise you in this natural hot spring – it’s the salt. The hot springs pool is filled with hot seawater. With such high temperatures, it’s recommended that you take a dip in the evening, as it can be unbearably hot during the day. (by Nina Fuentes)

Ever thought of going to Batanes but felt you didn’t have the time? Then SEAIR’s Tuesday and Saturday flights to Basco fit your schedule perfectly! You can enjoy a four-day, three-night weekend getaway in Batanes if you fly there on a Saturday and fly back to Manila in time for work on Tuesday. That means you only need a one-day leave on Monday.

For a longer stay, you can opt to fly to Batanes on a Tuesday. That allows you to leave last minute instruction in the office on Monday, fly to Basco on Tuesday, have enough time to visit Itbayat while in Batanes, and fly back to Manila on Saturday in time for family day on Sunday. So what are you waiting for, book now!

For inquiries on the packages please call SEAIR at 8490100 or SEAIR Leisure Escape Packages at 8437308.

SEAIR and Batanes Cultural Travel Agency (BCTA) are offering Batanes packages for as low as P13,900 per person up to October 15, 2008. This includes round-trip airfare from Manila to Batanes to Manila, 4 days 3 nights accommodation, tours, 3 picnic lunches, land transportation, tour guide and more.

For inquiries on the packages please call SEAIR at 8490100 or SEAIR Leisure Escape Packages at 8437308.

For three days and 2 nights, I explored the breathtaking Coron in the province of Palawan. The quiet town of Coron is part the Calamian Group of Islands or the Calamianes.

The Calamian Group of Islands is comprised of the Busuanga Island, where the town of Coron is located, the Coron Island, the former leper colony Culion Island, and several smaller islands.

Coron is known for so many things. Many people would even compare Coron as a mix of Honda Bay and El Nido in one. White sandy beaches with aquamarine waters are just everywhere. Lofty Limestone cliffs are aplenty. And for the brave souls, wreck diving is must.

Several Japanese warships have sunk around the area and is now one of the major diving attractions in the area.

Climbing the Mt. Tapyas is an experience worth all the sweat. There are 726 steps leading to its summit. Once you reached its peak, you get to see the breathtaking view of the island from a different perspective. Viewing the sunset from Mt. Tapyas is definitely a must. You get to see magic here as the skies change its hues until the sun has set.

But it is the beaches that really caught the fancy of the many adventurers. Coron’s white sand beaches are simply the best. Very fine white sand hugs the crystal clear waters. What a perfect place to enjoy the sun, sea, and sand! Several species of colourful fishes greet you when you take a dip on its cool waters. The corals abound everywhere too.

But at the end of the day, when one is already tired of all the adventure at the sea, beach, mountain and the limestone cliffs, one can take a dip at the Maquinit Hot spring for a quick rejuvenation. The Hot Spring is so good that it actually relaxes your body and removes all the tired feeling you get from all the day’s activities.

Weird as it may seem, but the Maquinit Hot Spring on Coron Palawan is actually saltwater. Thus, it give you a double effect when taking a dip. It opens up your pores and removes all the toxins from your body. For a very minimal fee, the Maquinit Hot Spring can give modern day Spa a run for their money.

And being an island, it is just natural for the locals to live by fishing. Hence, the abundance of fresh seafood at the public market. Lobsters and lapu lapu, both are prized items in Manila, are sold here dirt cheap. Squids, shrimps, and all sorts of fishes are always sold guaranteed fresh.

And being a small town, Coron has no international brand restaurants but their eateries only serve the most delicious seafood, guaranteed fresh catch of the day. There are no four of five star hotels but the cottages are more than enough to give you a good night’s sleep. There is no taxi service, but there are tricycles and jeepneys that can bring you to your destinations safely and comfortably.

This is Coron. This is where a thousand and one adventures belongs. (by Eric Dormido)