FEATURE: Summer fun in the country’s best beaches

Boracay, The Beach … You can’t argue with success—the white-  sand beach on Boracay Island is still the best in the country, among the top in the world, according to several foreign publications and international travel blogs.

By MA STELLA F ARNALDO

SUMMER is officially on!

And with that announce-ment from our friends over at Pag-asa, there will surely be massive beelines to the country’s beaches, for some fun in the sun.

I’ve always loved going to the beach since I was a child. I prefer it over the usual summer destinations like the cool climes of Baguio or Tagaytay.

Just walking along the shore, with the sand scrunching in between my toes, or splashing in shimmering, turquoise waters that not only relaxes the body but also renews the spirit.

This list is by no means complete, considering the many unnamed islands and coves that are still being kept a secret from us by locals in those areas.

The other beaches are just quite far, and in challenging locations. (Like I’d really want to recommend a gorgeous white beach in Basilan, but well, I might get you into trouble with your mother. But okay, just don’t tell her…it’s on Malamawi Island! Shhh.)

So consider this list as a mixed bag of the popular and the lesser-known beaches that are still accessible (as long as you have the patience), and are sure to provide massive enjoyment to you and your family and friends.

1. White Beach, Boracay Island

Of course the title of top beach in the country still goes to Boracay Island’s White  Beach.

It has fine, white-powdery sand the consistency of confectioner’s sugar, and while the waters close to the shore are now usually bedeviled by seaweed, further out it is all clear where it’s still possible to see tiny fishies darting about underwater.

This time of year, the island will be pretty crowded, and with the bars cranking up the volume to entertain the drinking and dancing masses of humanity, it’s no wonder Boracay has come to be known as “party central” among beach-goers.

Aside from white beach, the island has some of the best homegrown restaurants and cafés offering all sorts of cuisine from around the world. Resorts range from the one-note cottage fanned by the breezes or a ceiling fan, to luxurious five-star enclaves with infinity pools, spas and professionally-run restaurants.

Getting there: All major carriers fly to Kalibo, the capital of Aklan, or to Caticlan, the main gateway to Boracay.

From the Caticlan jetty port, take a 15-minute pump boat ride to the Cagban jetty port where vans and tricycles can take you to your resort of choice. (If you have reservations with a resort, they usually provide pick-ups and transfers either from Kalibo or Caticlan, and back.)

2. Botolan, Zambales

The sand is a fine gray, which can really get hot as the sun creeps toward noon. But toward the afternoon, it cools down and makes for a great beach-volleyball court.

The waters are also quite clear but at certain times of the year, the waves can get pretty rough with a strong undertow. There are a number of resorts to choose from but the better part of the beach is at Barangay Binoclutan.

Aside from the beach, there is a turtle hatchery operated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and waterfalls nearby.

Also, you can have a picnic at a white beach in Potipot Island, which you can reach from Candelaria. There are no accommodations there; just basic amenities like a toilet and shower, and stations for grilling.

The waters are clean and calm, which turns from a subtle mint green to a striking blue further from the shore. (There’s an entrance fee of P100 for the island’s maintenance.)

Getting there: Drive north along the North Luzon Expressway, enter the SCTEx and make your way through the Subic Bay free port, exiting at the Zambales National Highway.

There are road signs pointing to Botolan and resorts in the area. Going to Candelaria, take the Zambales-Pangasinan Road from Botolan—it’s just 45 minutes away.

3. Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

Pagudpud is the northernmost municipality of Ilocos Norte, and straddles two beaches—Blue Lagoon, which was once a secluded area at Maira-ira Point—and Saud Beach, the more public beach.

While Saud Beach is the more popular area because there are more resorts and restaurants, there are portions where the rocks underwater are quite huge and can hurt your feet. The sand is an off-white variety with crunches under your feet, but is a joy to lie on and sunbathe away.

At Blue Lagoon, the waters are crystal-clear with more sandy areas, although good resorts are hard to come by. An added attraction is a zipline.

While Pagudpud is often called “Boracay of the North”, just scale down your expectations regarding its resorts and restaurants. Think Station 3 and you’ll be just fine.

Getting there: You can travel the 11 hours by land from Metro Manila to Pagudpud (via North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway going to Tarlac and Pangasinan, keeping to the MacArthur Highway until La Union, and on to the National Highway and through Manila North Road, turning to the Pan-Philippine Highway to Pagudpud),  but it would be better to stop over in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, to rest for a night.

Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific also fly from Manila to Laoag (one-hour flight). From there, you can rent a van or take a 90-minute bus ride to Pagudpud, then take a tricycle to your resort.

4. Bamboo beach, Nasugbu, Batangas

This is simply the best beach in Nasugbu, and one of the most accessible from Metro Manila. The sand is a creamy tan, and the waters have remained stunningly clear through the years.

Being a cove, it is free from the runoff and garbage from Manila Bay that usually plagues many Batangas beaches, for the most part of the year anyway. During the monsoon season, the surfers and skim boarders come and ride the waves.

The beach used to be accessible only via fishers’ bancas from the Munting Buhangin beach (which sadly is no longer as clean as it was in the 1980s from what I hear), and visitors could swim at Bamboo Beach for a day then leave before dusk set in. (There were no accommodations save for a few with privately owned cottages.)

The beach is now part of an exclusive private development called Kawayan Cove, so it’s best to find someone who owns a home there. Okay, I know that part was probably a hiccup, but I trust in the six-degrees-of-separation theory; I’m sure you will find a friend who has a boss with a relative who owns a villa there.

Getting there: Drive down the Slex, take the Santa Rosa Exit, head toward Tagaytay and keep going until you reach the Nasugbu town proper. There are signs that will point you to Kawayan Cove.

5. Mahabang Buhangin Beach, Calaguas, CamNorte

It is one of the spectacular white beaches that remains under the radar of the typical urbanite beach- goer. It may be a major production to reach this place, but once you arrive in Mahabang Buhangin, you will likely forget how long you sat on the bus for the trip.

As the name implies, this is a stretch of pristine white sand that seems to go on forever, with a splendid shimmering sea of blue water that remains transparent even in chest-deep water.

There are no resorts on the island, so it’s best to take basic camping equipment such as tents, food and water, flashlights and extra batteries or an oil lamp (yes, there’s no electricity!), and cooking/eating utensils. There are a few tiny nipa huts as well for rent and a public toilet.

Mahabang Buhangin is a beach for those who want privacy, quiet and just endless hours of serene relaxation. This is as rustic as you can get and just think, this was exactly how Boracay was before commercialization set in. (Entrance fee is P75.)

Getting there: If you want to go on a road trip, you can drive from Manila to Daet (via Slex, take the Calamba Exit and onward to San Pablo City, Laguna, taking the Pan-Philippine Highway through Gumaca, Quezon, then to Daet), which takes about six to seven hours. From there, go to Paracale for another two hours then a tricyle ride to Barangay Palanas, where you can ask local fisherfolk for a boat ride to Mahabang Buhangin (about P2,500 to P3,000 for three to eight persons).

Or take a public bus from Pasay or Cubao to Daet, CamNorte, then hop on a public van to Paracale (about 10 to 11 hours total).

You can also take a direct flight from Manila to Naga City, CamSur (45 minutes via PAL or Cebu Pacific), then from the Central Business District Terminal, ride an air-conditioned bus for two hours to Daet. – Business Mirror

Launch of Bicol Express commuter train derailed

Bicol Express … derailed again … by squatter shanties along the track.

By MANLY M UGALDE

LEGAZPI CITY: The launch of the full run of the Philippine National Railway (PNR) commuter train has been derailed because of the resistance of informal settlers to vacate the railroad’s “danger zone” as agreed upon.

The “danger zone” is 3m from both sides of the railroad tracks.

The run was scheduled before the end of this month.

The targeted informal settlers apparently changed their mind to vacate the PNR’s so-called danger zone on time, hoping they would get extra compensation from the PNR. 

To prove their defiance of their eventual eviction, some of the settlers built concrete houses.

“We will not pay even a single cent. Force demolition would be resorted to, to give these squatters a lesson,” said a source from the PNR who added that the local government units (LGUs) and barangays are equally to blame for the proliferation of the informal settlers inside PNR property.

At least some 500 identified informal settlers who breached the three-meter danger-zone delineation stretching the 102km long Legazpi City (Albay) and Naga City (CamSur) route have been earlier asked to voluntarily demolish their homes to allow the two-coach commuter train to make its initial full run.

The twice-daily train trips have been set at only P82 against the P180 in buses and vans.

The commuter-train ride will take only two-and-a-half hours plying the Naga—Legazpi route while buses normally take three hours.

There are 50,000 estimated informal settlers occupying railroad tracks from Legazpi to Calamba, Laguna. The first batch of 500 families in the danger zone affecting the Legazpi-Naga route were already asked to vacate, said PNR General Manager Junio “Jun” Ragragio.

He said as the first regular commuter trip was nearing the schedule, only a few of the squatters had vacated their place.

PNR officials had warned that the launch of the train would not push through unless the danger zone was fully cleared from any obstruction.

The PNR is now considering the forced demolition as the only option against the 500 informal settlers.

Local PNR official Constancio Toledano said the railroad will send an official notice to the families involved to leave within three months.

Toledano said that due to the refusal of the informal settlers to leave, the start of the operation of the local train service may take time.

He said the PNR would not pay them even if they voluntary vacate.

The Bicol Express commuter train had its test run starting late February and served as a warning for the affected settlers to vacate their place for the scheduled first regular run before the end of March.

During the test run, the PNR commuter train took almost six hours to penetrate the 102km Legazpi-Naga route because of the many obstructions affecting the danger zone.

The PNR test run was bombarded with protests from railroad residents in Legazpi and nearby Daraga town who complained the train was more a danger than a necessity, citing past accidents.

The PNR Bicol Express operation had been suspended for six years after Typhoon Reming devastated the area in November 2006.

It resumed last October, only to be suspended again after a week following damage to the railroad tracks and bridges in Quezon province due to another typhoon. – Business Mirror

Actor Aga needs to turn popularity into votes

By JUAN ESCANDOR JR

SAN JOSE, CamSur: A popular movie star has no problem drawing crowd in thousands but to transform popularity into votes to win in an election is another matter.

Movie star Aga Muhlach, running for a seat in Congress in CamSur’s fourth district against a political scion, is an example of a movie star who never fails to draw crowd in thousands wherever his sortie is, but to transform the drawing power into votes is a challenge, according to Arnulfo Picaso, a staff of Goa town mayor allied with Muhlach.

Picaso said that people are drawn to political rallies of Muhlach because he is a movie star like his wife Charlene Gonzales and that they are accompanied by people in the showbiz.

“They are fans. If you ask them whom they will vote they will surely choose Aga while there. But it will be a different story when they go home and during the actual casting of ballots.”

Jun Rivero, an employee of a power coop and voter of this town, also wondered how the popularity of Muhlach can be translated into votes because he felt sure people were curious to see movie stars on the stage but to vote for a movie star he is not sure he said.

Rivero  said the Fuentebellas, whom Muhlach challenges in the electoral race, must never be underestimated given the long years of experience in political power play.

With the intention of continuing the political dynasty of the Fuentebellas, Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella fields his son Felix William Fuentebella under the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) against Muhlach, a Liberal Party (LP) bet.

The younger Fuentebella took over in 2001 the congressional seat of his father to make an interval for the elder Fuentebella’s second three terms in Congress, from 2004 to 2010.

Arnulfo’s wife Evelyn, the incumbent mayor of Sagñay town, is a reelectionist and another son, Arnie, incumbent mayor of Tigaon town, runs for the third term.

Lagonoy Mayor Delfin Pilapil revealed there were only three incumbent mayors allied to Muhlach in the 10-town Fourth District.

Short of acknowledging shortage in resources he said they are finding ways of also delivering food packs during sorties.

“I support Aga all the way, all the time. Aga is doing good because I see people are for a change. But you know, even if a candidate is popular or super popular, if one lacks logistics it will be a downfall,” Pilapil surmised.

He said Muhlach needs support in terms of logistics.

Picaso said Muhlach spouses the slogan “Bagong Mukha, Bagong Partido (New Face, New Partido)” in vague terms, which must be spelled out in concrete terms.

He said it is not enough that Partido has a new face but what will be his concrete plan for the district.

“Our district has 10 municipalities. In six of them, according to data from the National  Statistical Coordination Board  (NSCB), poverty incidence is 50% or higher.

“In fact, one of the towns, Garchitorena, is top ten poorest in the entire region. Kitang kita naman ang kahirapan na pinagdadaanan ng tao doon. Sa tingin ko, there needs to be systemic change in the district, and more lasting solutions,” Muhlach explained.

“The main pillars of my platform are good governance, job creation and improving the road network. These are all linked.

“We need to create opportunities in the district, which is so rich in natural resources. So ngayon pa lang, we’re preparing an economic development plan for the district. We’re looking for new markets for products.

“And we’re hoping that responsible sustainable tourism will be a major source of investment – andon kasi sa 4th district ang Caramoan, and there are other equally beautiful islands that the district has to share.”

“With investment come job opportunities. At yun talaga ang kailangan naming – hanapbuhay. Pero at the same time, we need to make sure that there is enough infrastructure to support the investment (roads), and na hindi lang napupunta sa iilan ang pera na dapat sa tao (anti-corruption).”

Muhlach says: “Ang gusto lang, at parati kong sinasabi, kung ano ang dapat sa tao, mapunta  sa kanila na walang bawas. Para sa kanila lahat ito. Sa kanila rin ako nagpapasalamat, kasi sa lahat ng dinadaanan namin, andyan sila, sumusuporta, sumasabay sa amin.”

The Fourth District or Partido area has the third largest number of voters in CamSur with 227, 106.

There are 10 towns that include Caramoan, Garchitorena, Goa, Lagonoy, Presentacion, Sagñay, San Jose, Siruma, Tigaon, and Tinambac.

The three towns whose incumbent mayors are allied to Muhlach are Goa, Lagonoy and Siruma with 71,653 combined voters. – Bicol Mail

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Anti-gambling drive nets 67 in CamSur

By MAR S ARGUELLES

LEGAZPI CITY: The police’s anti-illegal gambling crack team have arrested 67 suspected jueteng bet collectors including its operators and confiscated some P39,000 in collection money  in two separate  raids conducted in the towns of Pamplona and Bula all in CamSur, the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Bicol said.

The crackdown is part of the heightened campaign by the PNP against illegalgambling, particularly jueteng, proliferating in the six provinces of Bicol, according to Police Supt Renato Bataller, PNP Bicol spokesperson.

The raid came days before President Aquino’s scheduled visit in Bicol starting last week.

Combined personnel from the Regional Public Safety Battalion, provincial, municipal, and police units swooped down at dawn on a suspected jueteng den at Zone 4, in Barangay San Gabriel, Pamplona, CamSur.

Bataller said the raid arrested at least 46 jueteng collectors who at the time of the raid were counting some P24,402 in bet collections.

Recovered from the raid were jueteng paraphernalia, two sets of desk top computers and a broadband unit.

The suspects were detained at the town jail while the seized jueteng money and paraphernalia were turned over to the police custodian as evidence.

The same police operatives raided another jueteng den in Barangay Sto. Domingo, Bula, CamSur.

The raid resulted to the arrest of 21 persons and the confiscation of P15,043 in jueteng bet collection.

The suspects have been booked for illegal gambling under Presidential Decree 1602. – Bicol Mail

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CamSur mulls liquid waste treatment facility

WASTE disposal has evolved into a major headache of most modern communities, exacerbated further by rapid urbanization and industrialization and compounded by a booming population.

Some areas of CamSur are currently in such a situation with the problem of waste disposal anticipated to progressively worsen in the very near future, constraining the provincial government to launch a solid waste management program that is now being expanded down the municipalities and barangays.

The on-going program launched under a Public-Private Agreement, however, is only focused on solid waste management, leaving unaddressed the equally serious and in some cases even more perilous, problem of liquid waste disposal.

To round off the program, the provincial government through the initiative of Gov Lray Villafuerte has embarked on a collateral program to establish a pilot liquid waste treatment facility in the province.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been forged Thursday evening, March 14 at the CWC Clubhouse between CamSur represented by Gov. Lray Villafuerte and Cebu-based Pollution Abatement System Specialist represented by Engr Joselito Pugoy to conduct without cost to the province a feasibility study and submit a formal proposal covering the financial aspect and environmental impact and construction of a septic and hospital waste treatment waste facility in CamSur

If found viable, implementation of the program will commence as soon as possible at a yet undetermined location in CamSur.

Gov Villafuerte is particularly keen on establishing an effective liquid waste management system in CamSur to avoid the fate of Boracay where contamination of the surrounding waters is jeopardizing the island’s tourism industry. – Bicol Mail

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Donation to candidates during election exempted from taxes

By JUAN ESCANDOR JR

NAGA CITY: The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) here clarified Wednesday the donations given to candidates are exempted from taxes.

Socorro Lafuente, revenue district officer (RDO) of Naga City, said she failed to mention this exemption in an earlier interview and wanted to add this exemption to complete the information regarding BIR’s monitoring of candidates donations.

“Donation per se is an exemption to the general rule of donation. However, if they use the donation, the money donated becomes subject to 5% withholding tax,” Lafuente said.

The BIR requires the candidates in the 2013 elections to record their donations and expenses in book accounts to monitor taxable items they receive and spend.

Lafuente said the BIR is requiring all candidates to register their names and books of accounts and their tax identification number (TIN) for the BIR monitoring of collectible items.

The campaign to require all candidates and party-list groups to maintain records of donations and expenditures kicks-off nationwide Friday last week with the conduct of orientation meeting with them or their representatives.

Lafuente said the monitoring of donations and expenses of candidates is being implemented by the BIR based on Memorandum Circular No 15-2013 following issuance of Commission on Elections (Comelec) of rules and regulations governing finance and disclosure in connection with the May 2013 elections.

She said it shall be the duty of every candidate, treasurer of the party, and person acting under authority of that candidate or treasurer to issue receipt for every contribution received and to obtain and keep receipts stating the particulars of every expenditure  made.

Lafuente said the candidates and party-list groups are expected to keep detailed, full, and accurate records of all contributions received and expenditures they have incurred.

She added that they are also required to issue official receipts at least in duplicate registered with the revenue district office and preserve for three years the records of contributions and expenditures for future references.

Lafuente disclosed that the donations are taxed accordingly depending on the amount with P50,000 and less exempted from taxes while a minimum of 1.5% will be collected for donations from P50,000-P100,000.

She said the bigger the donation the bigger the taxes with more than P5 million donation with minimum tax of P358,750 plus 20% in excess over P5 million

Lafuente said the books of account pertaining to donations and expenditures are automatically ended 30 days from the date of elections. – Bicol Mail

Teenage pregnancy cases in Albay drop

  

By MAR S ARGUELLES

LEGAZPI CITY: By keeping the teenager busy in school, teenage pregnancies in Albay significantly dropped way below the national average, according to Albay Gov Joey Salceda.

Salceda, quoting a 2012 study on teenage pregnancy by the provincial government, the Department of Health, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said that teenage pregnancies in Albay dropped by 8%, reducing it to only 1,571 cases.

Salceda claims that Albay has one of the lowest teenage pregnancies at only 24 births per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 19 versus a national rate of 53 births.

In 2010, the Albay Provincial Population Office recorded 1,667 teen age pregnancies, 42 of which were aged 10-14 years and 1,625 cases for those aged 15-19 years.

In 2011, there 1,700 teenage pregnancies, with one within the 10-14 years age level, while 1,699 were between the ages 15-19 years.

Teenage pregnancies in the Philippines have risen by 70% over the past decade from 114,205 in 1999 to 195,662 in 2009.

The teenage pregnancy rate in the Philippines is the highest among Asean’s six major economies at 53 births per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 19, the UNFPA 2011 annual report says.

Salceda claims that the possible reason for the low teenage pregnancy in Albay was due to the aggressive college tuition financing that kept them in school.

The provincial government had sponsored a scholarship program for 34,000 tertiary students in 2012, a big leap from only 14,600 scholars in 2010.

“Keep the kids busy, keep them in school. In the long run, higher educational attainment should lead to higher career ambitions; therefore, greater deferral of [early] marriages and, thus, pregnancies,” Salceda said.

The UNFPA study said the rising incidence of teenage pregnancies in the country is in a disturbing level.

The report said the rising number of teenage pregnancies in the country is among the areas of concerns that the UNFPA is giving serious attention to as this situation would expose adolescent girls (10 to 19 years old) to high risk.

The study recommended that a strong advocacy campaign is needed to give information on and advise young women about the dangers posed by early pregnancies to youngsters, including sex education and other reproductive health subjects.

The UNFPA report said this teen pregnancy concern, if not given focus, would derail and affect the target implementation of the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goal (MDG) by 2015. – Bicol Mail

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