The drive that crosses seas, bridges generations

You know daddies. They’re the curious, adventurous types at any age. If they could, they’d hop on the bus or car and just drive or ride to wherever. So, here’s to dads, including mine, who have been everywhere, but would still go there, even if they’ve been there and done that.

Not all fathers have literally been all over the Philippines, though. If your father has been daydreaming of driving or riding from Luzon to Visayas to Mindanao, and back, I’m happy to tell you that you can help check off this item in your dad’s bucket list. Thanks to a good national road network and an efficient inter-island vehicle ferrying system (called the Strong Republic Nautical Highway), you can literally drive your way from Luzon to Mindanao and vice versa.

Just give that adventure at least 10 days for it to be truly enjoyable. Also, make sure that your vehicle is in tip-top condition (even if it’s brand-new), suitable for various types of road conditions, and spacious enough to keep passengers comfortable despite the two weeks’ worth of luggage and packed food and drinks you’ll be lugging along. It’s also essential (for your safety) that there should be at least two drivers in your group (alternating in driver duties preferably every two hours).

I would want to drive my 76-year-old dad across the Philippines, partly because he’s a history buff, and partly because he would fancy revisiting old hangouts and familiar acquaintances forged during his many days as a public servant assigned to various parts of the country. But before I could do this, I had to know the “state of the driving nation,” if the road and ferry conditions in Visayas and Mindanao wouldn’t be too punishing for the elderly.

Thus, I had to test the waters, in a manner of speaking, and do the Philippine loop myself first. It turns out, this loop will be 3,000-kilometer long, will involve seven roll-on, roll-off (Roro) ferry transfers, lots and lots of waiting for the marine vessels, and numerous priceless moments for stopovers and photo ops. With the help of codriver Aries Espinosa, this author completed the loop in just nine days using a 1.8 Xtronic CVT Nissan Sylphy.

In general, here’s the route we took: We started in Muntinlupa,  driving through the provinces of Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon. Then we crossed over to Samar in the Visayas, and resumed our drive to Leyte, then boarded a Roro to enter Mindanao via Surigao, drove westward to Cagayan de Oro then to Iligan, crossed on a barge to Ozamiz City, and drove again to Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte.

From there, the northward route back to Muntinlupa saw us cross via Roro back to Visayas using the western nautical route: From the Dumaguete port, we drove to Bacolod, took the Roro to Iloilo, then drove to Caticlan Jetty Port via the Iloilo-Antique Highway. From Caticlan, we rode our sixth Roro to Bulalacao port in Mindoro. From there, we drove northward to Calapan port, where our seventh and last Roro ride took us back to the main Luzon island via the Batangas port. From there, it was a fast final push home via the Star and SLEx tollways to Alabang, Muntinlupa.

Before we could even dare do this trip, we had to make sure our vehicle would be up to the task. The Sylphy met every road condition and managed it without a hitch. The CVT transmission facilitates quick response and smooth shifting. The engine was powerful enough to keep us confident in tight overtaking maneuvers. Even in stretches of unpaved, muddy road that didn’t suit sedans, the Sylphy’s power and transmission took us out of the rut (quite literally).

Except for the leather seats (which I really wouldn’t recommend for tropical climates, as leather retains heat when exposed under the sun for prolonged periods), I would say that the Sylphy passed this epic 3,000-km test with flying colors. Even the fuel economy is remarkable for its weight and engine size. In highway and the open country, our fuel mileage was 15 km per liter.

This epic nine-day road trip (including two days for Aries and me to attend the Nissan Navara 4×4 and 4×2 test run in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Bukidnon) was spent mostly on the road, with us drivers behind the wheel almost nonstop. But if you’re going to bring your dad—or any senior citizen—along, then we would urge you to avail yourselves of the many decent lodging places that could be found along the way.

We promise you, those 10 or more days of being on the road, with your dad, or any member of your family, will be an enriching, educational, and insightful experience no classroom can match. Here are some of the must-see spots (and stops) that we discovered during our own trip.

We left Muntinlupa City in the afternoon, so we breezed through the southern Luzon provinces in the dead of night. The glorious morning sunshine presented to us our first visual treat—magnificent Mt. Mayon in Albay. You just can’t refuse the allure of a “daragang magayon” with a perfect cone.

San Juanico Bridge

The drive from Allen, Samar, to Leyte island can be a bone-jarring experience, what with long stretches of cracked or damaged concrete roads. But the reward at the end of the Samar drive is the country’s longest, and among the most photogenic, bridges in the country, the San Juanico Bridge which connects the Pan-Philippine Highway between Samar and Leyte.

Do allot time to visit the historic MacArthur Landing Memorial in Palo, Leyte, and see the larger-than-life statues on the beach depicting one of the most identifiable images of World War II—the landing of Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his troops, symbolizing the fulfillment of the general’s promise of “I shall return.”

Also, do time your visit to these tourist attractions in the daytime. I would suggest that, from Allen, you might want to spend the night in Catbalogan, so that you’ll be in San Juanico and Palo mid-morning or lunchtime.

If you have time, pay a visit to Tacloban City, which has rebounded from the devastation of Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” and tour the Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum, the Leyte Provincial Capitol Building, and the Paruparong Bukid Nature Conservation Center.

Battle of Surigao Strait

Here’s one of the lesser-known historical sites that would be a great addition to your albums. At the Lipata port in Surigao (this is where the Roro from Liloan port in Leyte will take you), stands the humble marker for the Battle of Surigao Strait. The battle of the naval forces between the Japanese and American forces happened on Oct. 24 and 25, 1944. The marker was placed there by the Surigaonon Heritage Center.

There are plenty of must-see spots in Cagayan de Oro in Misamis Oriental, among them Vicente de Lara Park (MacArthur Park, a popular jogging area dotted with age-old mahogany trees situated in front of the Provincial Capitol building). For dads who are history buffs, the Press Freedom Monument and the Heritage Monument of Misamis Oriental, designed by national artist Eduardo Castrillo, are the places to go to.

Another historic spot is Plaza Divisoria (Golden Friendship Park), found in the downtown area. According to CDO Tourism, this was built around 1900 as a town divider after the great fire that almost burred down the entire city. The park is dedicated to local and national heroes like former President Ramon Magsaysay, Andres Bonifacio, Dr. Jose Rizal, and former Mayor Justiniano R. Borja. Most of the Kagay-anon soldiers who died during the Philippine-American War are buried beneath the monument, which has survived the ravages of time including World War II.
Other recommended places to visit are Catanico Falls, Monigue Cave, Mapawa Nature Park and Plaza de Los Heroes.

Dahilayan Adventure Park

Bukidnon can be considered the Baguio and Tagaytay of Mindanao, with its mountain ranges and cool climate. Pine forests are a common sight.

Nestled within these forests, 4,500 feet above sea level on the slope of Mount Kitanglad, is picturesque Dahilayan Adventure Park in Manolo Fortich (about 40 km east of Cagayan de Oro). The Pine Grove Mountain Lodge is a good place to stay the night over, and can even prepare healthy, plant-based meals. The heart-attack inducer is the 800-meter
zipline that stretches from atop an elevated area of the park down to the lodge, and is considered Asia’s longest dual cable zipline.

Shrine City of Dapitan

On the western end of northern Mindanao is the coastal city of Dapitan. It is called the “Shrine City” and you’ll know why at sunset, because that’s the time the magic of the fading sunlight—from bright yellow, to orange, then red—bathes the larger-than-life statues of Rizal and his security escorts Captain Delgras and three artillery men. According to history, on the beach of Sta. Cruz, Jose Rizal landed at 7 p.m. on July 17, 1892, to begin the life of an exile. After taking that all that moving imagery in, better spend the night at Dapitan so you and your dad, and the rest of your loved ones, can tour the Rizal Shrine, Dapitan City Plaza and St. James Church, in the morning.

And if you have lots of time to spare, the enduring Dakak Beach Resort is not so far away.

The Ruins in Talisay

Perhaps no other war-ravaged structure can come close to the romanticism of the so-called “Taj Mahal” of Negros. This shell of a mansion, situated right in the middle of vast sugar plantation, is ideal for a period film shoots. The Ruins stands as a mute witness to the enduring love story of Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson and his wife Maria Braga. The mansion was built by Lacson in loving memory of his wife Maria Braga, who died in 1911, leaving Lacson utterly depressed. The haciendero spared no expense, employing the best designers who used Italianate architecture to symbolize his undying love. But in the eve of World War II, in 1942, the mansion was torched by guerrilla fighters and burned for three days, leaving behind the ruins of a glorious, romantic past.

Bacolod ‘White House’

When you first see this structure, it will immediately remind you of the White House in Washington, DC. The three-story edifice has a floor area of 10,583.74 square meters, and stands on a 5-hectare lot donated by the heirs of Don Fernando and Doña Angela Gonzaga through Angel Estate Inc. The Bacolod provincial government boasts, “It is a sight to behold, rising from out of the open space of fresh greenery, catching the attention of passersby who sometimes call it the White House.” The building stands along the eastern part of the Circumferential Road, and can be approached from all the four directions into the city. Construction work began Dec. 28, 2006, and was completed on Aug. 8, 2008.

The Roro crossing from Bacolod to Iloilo province in Panay island is just a 90-minute trip, but the historical tour continues at the Sta. Barbara Heritage Zone, believed to be where the revolutionary leaders of Sta. Barbara gathered and acted to end the tyranny of the Spanish regime. The Heritage Zone houses a number of markers: the Cry of Sta. Barbara; the Gen. Martin T. Delgado Monument; the Sta. Barbara Roman Catholic Church and Convent (a baroque renaissance church where General Delgado convened the junta that raised the first cry of revolution against Spain); Victory Plaza; Flagpole Park; Rizal and the Propagandists Monument; and Sta. Barbara Centennial Museum, which houses antiques, artifacts and photos that tell the story of Sta. Barbara’s history and heritage. It is also a depository of memorabilia donated by the townsfolk, reflecting the town’s rich culture and how the townsfolk cherish their history.

Get ready to be overwhelmed and divinely inspired by one of the most breathtaking churches in the country. Located 40 km west of Iloilo City, Miag-ao Church is included in the list of Unesco’s World Heritage Sites.

If you have other places of interest along this route, e-mail the author at [email protected].