Philippines 10 Update

Guidebook Update: Philippines 10
Traveller Submitted Updates (Unverified) 3-Dec-2010
Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219
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www.lonelyplanet.com/contact/general-feedback.cfm
Page Traveller Corrections and Updates
34
Apr 10, Greg Bloom (Lonely Planet author),
Retribution: The Battle for Japan in the reading list is by Max Hastings, not Peter
Kann
82
Mar 10, Claudia Christl,
Museo Ng Maynila, South Bld.; It's been closed about a year ago I was told by a
man living next door. He has the key to the place and let me in so I could visit a
few rooms. Some of them were really gorgeous although most of it is in a rather
dreadful state. It must have been quite an impressive and charming building in the
past. Hopefully it will be renovated soon!!
89
Dec 09
Quezon City: The campus mentioned in the Quezon section should be the
University of the Philippines Diliman, not the University of the Philippines Manila.
UP Manila is on Padre Faura St. in the Ermita district while UP Diliman is in
Quezon City.
92
Mogwai is misplaced on the map. It should be roughly two blocks west of where it's
placed (one block south of Aurora Blvd, on east side of the street)
94
A fire has claimed Joward's Pension House. It's now closed
95
Sep 10, Greg O'Hern,
Manila - Bianca's Garden Hotel has now closed. The building appears to have
been demolished. There was no indication that it has moved elsewhere.
96
Feb 10
When I was in the Philippines in Manila I booked a room at the Great Eastern
Hotel because the Lonely Planet listed it as having Wi-Fi. Wi-fi was only actually
available in the lobby, and was non-functional. I changed hotels, but was irked by
the inaccuracy.
96
Feb 10
When I was in the Philippines in Manila I booked a room at the Great Eastern
Hotel because the Lonely Planet listed it as having Wi-Fi. Wi-fi was only actually
available in the lobby, and was non-functional.
96
Manila International Youth Hostel has raised its double prices to 900
99
Jan 10
Manila: If I may, i'd like to add/edit your information re our restaurant. HARBOR
VIEW RESTAURANT. Phone numbers: Res (632) 5146339/ (632) 5232019. Cel
+639178917376/ +639189679757
100
Sep 10, Stephen Johansen,
Manila; Sala Thai; I went looking for this restaurant, but couldn't find it. There is
another one there now. I think that Sala Thai is closed.
Please note: Updates are unverified by Lonely Planet. For full listing of PDFs:
www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1621253
Page 1

104
Apr 09
Penguin Cafe's real name is Penguin Gallery. The current telephone number is:
632 710 8056.
104
Mar 10, Claudia Christl,
Manila: closed: Penguin Cafe;
104
Jul 10, Butch ALdana,
Manila UPDATE : The Penguin Cafe (Editor's Pick) has just moved to 9815
Kamagong Street, San Antonio Village Makati. Telephone : 0917 858 3009. The
'old' building were we used to be located for the last 30 years was recently
purchased by a new owner. They decided to tear down the building so we have to
moved out. The building is now being constructed but will be just offices...
105
The nightclub Embassy shut down in August 2009 due to a stabbing incident, then
reopened with a new name, Encore, in November 2009
109
Getting there and away/Air/Domestic: Air Philippines has been phased back in and
renamed Airphil Express. This just happened last week, and it *looks* like Airphil
Exprss and PAL Express will be merged (they are both affiliates of PAL), but the
company for now is saying that PAL Express will remain distinct from the new
Airphil Express, even though their websites have already merged.
111
Bus/Southeast Luzon: Philtranco has closed its Ermita booking office and no
longer has a Legaspi-bound bus picking up passengers in Ermita.
111
RSL bus line has moved down the street and now is in the same Building as
Cagsawa bus line
116
Oct 09
One minor error I noted in the guide for future editions referred to the the church of
the bamboo organ as San Jose Church. This church is in fact called St Joseph's
and it is near the barangay San Jose.- entry is under South of Manila -> Las Pinas.
116
Corregidor - the Sun Cruises website is not always correct. If it indicates that the
cruise is sold out attend at their offices and apply for tickets manually. We had no
probs getting tix despite their website indicating otherwise.
119
Sep 09, WANDA SERKOWSKA,
Tagaytay: Java Jazz B&B was closed during my passage in Tagaytay. So it might
be open only in the high season.
Page 2

123
Batangas - getting there and away: If you arrive at Batangas on the ferry late at
night there is very little transport going anywhere except Manila (we were going to
Tagaytay and it cost us a bomb!)
132
Nov 10, Guggi Pack and David Koos,
We visited the Mt Pinatubo (santa juliana) end of september 2010. The trip
(described in the lp) to st juliana was relatively easy and uncomplicated. The
problem: we wanted to do a 2 day walk up to the top with an overnight at the crater
(as described in lp). Unfortunately this is not possible any more (at least in the
rainy period, we don't know exactly how it's like in other periods, no-one could
really tell us). The reason for this: last year 4 french tourists (or 2 germans and 2
french, information varied) wanted to drive and walk up there. The weather was
bad, a typhoon was close, so the guys from santa juliana told them, no-one would
do the trip with them. The tourists were mad, went to angeles and found 3 guides
there to do it. So the 7 people went up with a 4wd, heavy rain started, they wanted
to get to a save place and were all buried by a landslide and died. So the (very
good) consequence is, that no overnights are allowed and even daytrips are just
allowed when the weather is good and if they start before 9 a.m. Moreover only
138
Aug 09
I want to point out two conflicting statements regarding the birthplace of Jose
Rizal. On page 123 the book states that Calamba is his birthplace. Page 138 on
the other hand, talks of Lingayen Gulf and states that Pangasinan province is the
location of his birth. Calamba is southeast of Manila while Pagasinan province is
northwest of Manila and many miles from Calamba. His correct birthplace is
Calamba. Just thought you'd like to know.
138
Jose Rizal was not born in Pangasinan.
163
Jun 09
Sagada population is 8000-10000 and not 1550.
166
Jul 09, SABINA VOGT,
Sagada: Rock Inn now has a website-- www.rockfarmsagada.com. Email:
rockfarm_sagada@yahoo.com
166
Sagada Homestay has raised its prices to P250 per person.
166
Change number of Sagada Guesthouse to 0918 938 5601
168
The Churya-A email address is wrong. It should be darwin_churyaa@yahoo.com
Page 3

171
The correct phone number for the Banaue Tourist Information Center is 386 4010
181
Feb 10
Santa Ana & Around: There is a landing charge at Punta Verde (P50 for locals,
P200 for foreigners) and the guide for the walk is P500.
181
Feb 10
Santa Ana & Around: There is a landing charge at Punta Verde (P50 for locals,
P200 for foreigners) and the guide for the walk is P500.
183
Dec 09, Bea Raya,
BATANES: There already is a Landbank ATM machine along the National
Highway in Basco, right across the town plaza
184
Dec 09, Bea Raya,
Basco: Casa Napoli has moved to a new location
190
Coco Leaf restaurant has closed.
198
Mt Mayon: It's misleading to say there have been no fatalities on Mt Mayon since
1993, as 1000 died in terrifying mudslides cascading down Mayon in 2006. The
slides, which were triggered by a typhoon, occurred shortly after the September
eruptions mentioned here.
202
Donsol Getting there and away: Information on getting to Donsol is inaccurate.
Minivans from Donsol stop running earlier than indicated (usually about 2pm or
3pm). Jeepneys from Donsol to Pilar also cut off around 3pm, so if you get
stranded after 3pm (as I did, largely because I relied on the information here),
you'll have to hire a motorbike to Pilar and then continue to Legaspi by jeepney or
bus (if you can find one). Change to: 'Direct air-con minivans and much slower
jeepneys to Legaspi run hourly until early afternoon - usually 2pm or earlier. If you
miss the last trip, jeepneys run until 3pm or so to Pilar, where you can connect with
frequent minivans and buses to Legaspi. After 3pm you may have to hire a
motorbike to Pilar (P100). The last van trip from Legaspi to Donsol is usually 4pm
or 5pm.'
202
There is no reliable price, duration or frequency info on the ferries between Matnog
and Allen (although there is a good tip to stay in Allen rather than Matnog).
'Frequent' isn't really accurate as they are pretty irregular and a few-hour wait is
not uncommon if you just show up. And there are both slow boats and fast boats
making the trip. This is the actual information: 'Ferries between Matnog and Allen
(P120, one to two hours) depart at least every couple of hours.'
Page 4

219
Aninuan is not "a couple km" from White Beach. It's about 500m. Just walk around
the point, or drive a couple hundred metres west along the main road. It's true that
the centre of White Beach to the centre of Aninuan might be 2km, but technically
the distance between the east end of Aninuan and the west end of White Beach is
about 200m.
221
Getting Around/Jeepney & Motorbike/Graf 1: There are no more jeepneys from PG
town to White Beach, as written here. Can just delete the bit about White Beach in
the first sentence. All else stays the same.
222
Jun 10
Thank you for including the Mangyan Heritage Center in one of the sites to visit
while in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro. However,we would like you to correct the
following:
8am - 5pm, Mon - Fri - this should be replaced with 8:30-11:30AM and 1:30-
4:30PM, Mon-Fri. Visitors are required to call the office at +63 43 288 5318 at least
a day before the intended visit.
225
Feb 10, Hans van Beek,
Mindoro Occidental: The phone number mentioned in the book for Adventure
Camp in Sablayan 09187959720 is wrong. The right number is: 09074456977
225
Mindoro Occidental: Sablayan. The advice in the book to go to the Siburan
Rainforest and the Libuao lake are not so easy to get to. The traveler must pick up
a permit for the visit (P50) first at the Eco tourism office, which will need to be
presented at the entrance gate of the FPPI prison area.The gate is about 20Km
from Sablayan. Best way is to take any of the buses going to San Jose and tell the
bus ticket vendor where you want to go so the bus will stop at the FPPI gate. At
the gate you may find a tricycle to take you all the way to the lake which is another
about 8Km. For P300 the tricycle will take you there, wait as long as you like and
take you back to the gate where buses pass about every hour. The idea to bring
lunch and water to the lake is excellent, there are nice sheds to rest and eat in the
shade while looking at the lotuses on the lake. We walked all around the lake (with
a guide) which was a nice exercise.
Page 5

225
Mindoro Occidental: Sablayan. The advice in the book to go to the Siburan
Rainforest and the Libuao lake are not so easy to get to. The traveler must pick up
a permit for the visit (P50,=) first at the Eco tourism office, which will need to be
presented at the entrance gate of the FPPI prison area. The gate is about 20Km
from Sablayan. Best way is to take any of the buses going to San Jose and tell the
bus ticket vendor where you want to go so the bus will stop at the FPPI gate. At
the gate you may find a tricycle to take you all the way to the lake which is another
about 8Km. For P. 300,= the tricycle will take you there, wait as long as you like
and take you back to the gate where buses pass about every hour. The idea to
bring lunch and water to the lake is excellent, there are nice sheds to rest and eat
in the shade while looking at the lotuses on the lake. We walked all around the
lake (with a guide) which was a nice exercise.
225
Mindoro Occidental: The phone number mentioned in the book for Adventure
Camp in Sablayan 09187959720 is wrong. The right number is: 09074456977
231
Information: The visa extension fee listed for the Cebu Bureau of Immigration is
wrong and contradicts the correct info on p440. The fee for a 59-day is P3030 -
same as everywhere else in the country. The express fee is compulsory
everywhere, not just in Cebu.
235
Map/Quadrant D6: The Department of Tourism office is misplaced on the map. It
should be opposite, on the south side of Legaspi St. The off-map arrow to
Asiatown IT Park is pointed up the wrong street (it should be pointed up
Archbishop Reyes Ave, not Cardinal Rosales St); and Asiatown IT Park is about
1km off the map, (not 3.5km).
236
Money: The ATM transaction limit for HSBC is P40,000, not P10,000
236
The correct opening hours for Fort San Pedro are 8am-7pm weekdays, 8am-8pm
Sat-Sun
237
Casa Gorordo is closed on Mondays. Admission price is adult/student P70/50
238
Feb 10, Phil Fawcett,
You refer to the Cebu Plaza. This has been the Marco Polo Plaza for some years.
Page 6

241
Eating/Uptown: The Food & Entertainment Area in the North Wing of the Ayala
Center is no longer. It is under renovation and is being reinvented as a games
center. The restaurants mentioned have either closed, moved to The Terraces
dining area nearby, or moved to the mall proper.
242
The Paseo is now closed.
243
May 09, JIM REVELL,
Cebu (Mactan) International Airport: On arrival it seemed that the Immigration and
Customs officers are rather more vigilant than they have sometimes been in the
past. As far as I could see every passenger from my flight was questioned at
Customs and perhaps 30% of passengers were requested to open their luggage
for inspection. Whether this new level of interest in arriving passengers was a “one-
off” I cannot say.
244
Corrections to Ferry List & Box: Carlos A Gothong Lines does cargo only on the
routes listed in the box on p 245 - it does NOT accept passengers and thus should
be deleted from the list. The following numbers are wrong: Super Shuttle Ferry
(should be 253 5733); Roble Shipping Lines (should be 232 2236); Palacio Lines
(should be 254 6629); Island Shipping (was not able to verify new number; simply
delete the old number); and George & Peter Lines. George & Peter lines does not
have any boats to Dumaguete, so correct that. And OceanJet has a very useful
daily ferry to Dapitan, Mindanao (P1250, 5.5 hours)
244
Bus: The last boat from Hagnaya to Bantayan, as of April 2009, was 5.30pm, not
6.30pm
246
There are two Export Processing Zones, not one.
247
The map is misleading. There are only two municipalities on Mactan, Lapu Lapu
City (often still known by its old name of Opon) and Cordova. The other 'towns'
marked are barangays. This is important because barangay names are often
duplicated - for example there are barangays called Basak and Looc in both Lapu
Lapu City and Mandaue City, and anyone asking a taxi driver for Basak could end
up in completely the wrong place. The locations you mark as Lapu-Lapu and
Cordova are the town centres for those municipalities.
Page 7

248
Cebu, Getting there and around. Tricycle drivers on Mactan island are not as
rapacious as claimed. I have only once paid 100 pesos and that was for a trip right
across the island. A typical fare for a special ride from Basak (in the middle of the
island) to the Pacific Cebu Resort (on the east coast) is 50 pesos. If the driver
asks for more, walk away. There is always another tricycle. That is why the traffic
jams are so bad! Also, there is a ferry which runs between the market and Cebu
Pier 3. This is undoubtedly the quickest (and one of the cheapest) ways to get to
downtown Cebu.
248
Something I have noticed in previous editions. The locals will not necessarily
understand the term Olango Island. It is usually called Santa Rosa, after the
capital.
249
Nalusuan Island Resort and Marine Sanctuary is a great place, but not quite the
bargain it seems. The headline prices, which appear in the guide and are quoted
on the Nalusuan Island web site, exclude both VAT and a resort service charge.
Together, these add a whopping 22% to the headline prices. Also, I am not sure
that the transfer is free. I was charged a special ride (2000 return) for the boat trip.
253
The last boat from Hagnaya to Santa Fe (Bantayan), as of April 2009, was
5.30pm, not 6.30pm. The last boat from Santa Fe to Hagnaya was 5pm, not
3.30pm.
257
Lilo-an & Santanderthe author has mixed up Lilo-An and Santander. The dive
centres and boat docks are BOTH in Lilo-an, not in the larger village of Santander.
So change text to: "A range of accommodation - mainly dive centres that cater to
package tourists - is available just east of the pier in Lilo-an, where both buses
from Cebu and boats from Negros disembark. If coming from Moalboal, buses will
drop you off in nearby Bato, which is a P30, 10-minute tricycle ride west of Lilo-an."
257
Lilo-An & Santander: The last graf of Lilo-An and Santander section has several
mistakes: 1) All boats from Santander to Sibulan actually depart from Lilo-an
(which is a barangay of Santander). There are both fastcraft (P60 from the public
pier) and bangka (P50 from a nearby private pier) making this trip throughout the
day (they alternate); 2) It's a 25-minute trip max, not a 40-minute trip; 3) There are
no Sunrays buses, only Ceres Bus Liner buses; 4) the trip to Cebu is 3.5 to 4
hours, not 6 hours.
Page 8

258
Mar 10, Jenni,
From Moalboal to Kawasan Falls you can go by bus. You don't have to hop off on
Badian market and take a tricycle from there to Kawasan. Just say to money
collector on a bus that you want to go to Kawasan Falls and he tells you where to
hop off. There is a P10 entrance fee to Kawasan Falls.
279
Getting there and away:Bus & Jeepney: The air-con bus fare to Kalibo is P230, not
P85
279
Getting there and away: Boat/Mindanao: Negros Navigation no longer has boats
from Iloilo to Cagayan de Oro.
279
Getting there and away: Boat/Palawan: Montenegro does not have two boats per
week. It has one boat, and one additional weekly boat is run by Milagrosa Shipping
(%335 0955). The duration of this trip is off. It's 12 hours from CUYO to Puerto
Princesa (not from Iloilo to Puerto Princesa, as the book states. So Iloilo to Puerto
Princesa is about 30 hours total factoring in a layover in Cuyo.
284
Getting there and away: Puerto Princesa: There are no longer any seasonal
Negros Navigation ferries between Caticlan and Puerto Princesa. There are no
ferries that ply this route at any time of the year
284
Getting there and away: Manila: Ferry company MBRS Lines has gone out of
business. There are no longer ANY direct ferries between Manila and Caticlan so
just delete the Manila subsection
288
None of the kiteboarding phone numbers listed work. Refer to the websites.
293
Sep 09
I had a customer inform me that my bar business on Boracay in the Philippines
called Cocomangas Shooter Bar was listed as being renamed Guilly's Island. This
information is completely incorrect and I would hope you would make the
corrections for your next edition . Cocomangas is still open under the name
Cocomangas Shooter Bar.
293
Drinking & Entertainment: The 'infamous' Cocamangas that LP says doesn't exist
is still very much alive and well. It's across the street from Guily's, which replaced
Cocamangas' more innocuous sister beach bar.
Page 9

293
Boracay/Getting there and away/Boat: We correctly warn readers that the last
bangka to Boracay from Caticlan is at 10pm (it's actually earlier in low season and
on weekdays), but we should also warn people that if you miss it you CAN'T
charter a bangka. You'll be stuck sleeping in the ferry terminal in Caticlan.
301
Aug 09, HOMERSON UY,
I think your information on our chicken downplays it. Bacolod Chicken Inasal is the
main thing to eat in Manukan Country in Bacolod. We had our first Inasal festival
last May 2009. And it is grilled and not fried, marinated in lemon grass, lime & soy
sauce. In the first paragraph you said it's the capital of fried fowl, nope it's not. and
it's called Inasal. In Dumaguete they call it Inato.
301
Angelo Bibar (not Rex Molavin) is the correct contact at the Mt Kanlaon Natural
Park superindentant office. Please add his email: eioibibar@yahoo.com
302
Getting there and away: Bus & Jeepney: The correct number for the Ceres South
terminal is 434 2386; the number for the Ceres North terminal is 433 4993
302
Getting there and away: Boat: The proper name for the port is Bredco Port, not
Reclamation Port. And SuperFerry does not use the Bredco/Reclamation Port, it
uses Banago Wharf.
302
Getting there and away: Boat: The slow Montenegro boats to Panay go to
Dumangas, not to Iloilo. Should read: "Slower but cheaper Montenegro Shipping
Lines boats run twice daily to/from Dumangas, a 45-minute jeepney ride northeast
of Iloilo."
308
The info on getting to Sipalay from Dumaguete is dead wrong. 1) There is no air-
con bus on this route. 2) There is just one non-air-con (ordinary) bus (originating in
Cebu) that does the direct trip from Dumaguete to Sipalay, but it is slow, extremely
crowded and often arrives after dark in Sipalay, so is NOT recommended. 3) The
preferred route is to take any regular Ceres bus to Bayawan, then switch to
another bus to Hinoba-an, and then switch to a third bus to Sipalay. Connections
on all three routes are frequent. 4) Much of the route after Bayawan remains
unsealed and will not be sealed during the lifetime of this book barring new
funding.
Page 10

310
p310 - Driftwood villages prices start at P400, not P500 - 'd without/with bathroom
from P400/800'
313
Harold's Mansion has P280 dorm rooms for backpackers that are not mentioned in
the review. It's essential to list these as this is the best deal for backpackers in
town. The new cell number (second number listed) for Harold's Mansion is 0927-
550 5299 (Delete 0917 610 7005)
314
Getting there and away: Boat: There are no SuperFerry boats to Bacolod or to
Cagayan de Oro from Dumaguete, so delete those and change last sentence of
paragraph 4 to: SuperFerry has a weekly service to Manila (P1405, 43 hours) via
Cebu [note it's weekly now to manila, not three weekly]
315
See Above (p314 correction). Same misinformation here about buses to Sipalay.
Change second sentence of opening paragraph to: "It services routes both north
and south, including Zamboangita (P30, 30 minutes), Bais City (P62, one hour)
and Bayawan (P90, two hours). For instructions on getting to Sipalay, see p308."
317
Jan 10, ALEXANDER FECHER,
Guimaras: the new contact no for BARAS BEACH RESORT is: 0917-303-0282
317
Liberty's on Apo Island has P300 dorm rooms for backpackers that the review fails
to mention.
317
Getting there and away: It's not accurate to say "you must" charter a boat to get to
Apo Island. One or two scheduled bangkas per day depart Malatapay mid-
afternoon, and tourists can usually get on these for P250-300. I suggest saying
this: "Getting to Apo cheaply is somewhat problematic. A couple of bangkas depart
the island for Malatapay, 18km south of Dumaguete, around 7am and return
around 3pm (P250, 45 minutes), but they are not all licensed to take tourists.
Chartering a five-passenger bangka to/from Malatapay costs P1700." .
317
The directions to Kookoo's Nest in Tambobo Bay are wrong. Do not take the
Tambobo Bay turnoff - this will take 1.5 hours and you will inevitably get lost (as
the author did - see On the Road on page 4). There is a clearly marked turnoff for
Kookoo's Nest on the highway east of the Tambobo Bay turnoff. From the turnoff
it's 11km (45 minutes) over a windy, bumpy road to the resort (do not turn off the
road - go straight and follow the signs and you will get there easily).
Page 11

318
Getting there and away: 1) Palacio Lines is three weekly, not twice weekly from
Larena to Cebu VIA TAGBILARAN; 2) Montenegro Lines has twice daily CAR
FERRIES between Dumaguete and SIQUIJOR TOWN, and adds one trip to
Larena.
321
Coco Grove's email should be cocogroveresort@yahoo.com (the email listed in
the book doesn't work).
323
Apr 09, Piers Kelly (Lonely Planet author),
Bohol: A business owner told me the number is wrong for his business in Bohol.
It's called Barkada Tours and the number should be: 0928 441 0607 (not 0928 442
0607)
323
Apr 09
Bohol: Travel Agencies: Bakada Tours: Unfortunately the article has the wrong
phone number. Correct number: (+63) 0928 441 0607
326
Getting there and away: Boat: 1) Mindanao: 1) Negros: There are two daily
OceanJet trips to Dumaguete, NOT one; proper info: "OceanJet leaves for
Dumaguete (P650, two hours) twice daily at 8am and 5.45pm"; SuperFerry does
NOT do this route; 3) Siquijor: DELETE the information on OceanJet and Super
Shuttle Ferry to Lazi; Here is the rewrite for Siquijor: "Palacio Shipping services
Larena, Siquijor, from Tagbilaran (P180-280, 31\2 hours, three weekly), while
Cokaliong's Monday night ferry from Larena to Cebu also stops in Tagbilaran."
326
Tagbilaran/Getting there and away/Bus - Buses to Panglao Island and Alona
Beach leave from a dedicated lot on the corner of F Rocha St & Dagahoy St (NOT
from the Dao Terminal via JA Clarin St, as implied in the book). The signboard for
Alona Beach buses at this lot says 'Tawala Alona'. So the second paragraph has
to be rewritten. Leave the first sentence as is. Rewrite sentences 2 and 3 as "For
Panglao Island, buses leave from a lot at the corner of Dagahoy and F Rocha Sts.
Destinations include Dauis (P8, 10 minutes), Panglao town (P25, 40 minutes), and
Alona Beach (P25, 45 minutes). Buses to Alona Beach are signboarded 'Tawala
Alona' and leave roughly hourly until 3pm. An easier option is to hire a habal-habal
(P200) or tricycle (P250)."
329
Nov 09, RAQUEL MIGUEL,
I like to highlight a remark regarding Panglao Island Bohol Beach Club: 522 2301-
4 is not the correct number. It took me a while to find out as I was already in
Panglao Island. This is the right number: (038) 502-9222 / 9212 to 14.
Page 12

329
Panglao Island/Sleeping/Midrange: the P500 rooms at Bohol Divers Resort are for
single occupancy only, thus the review should read 's/d with fan P500/800, d with
air-con & hot water from P3000'
331
Feb 10
There are no regular trips to Pamilacan Island much more trips that cost P30.00
per person. And it is almost impossible to rent a boat for P400.00 to bring you to
Pamilacan. The cheapest trip you can get is P2500.00 and that is sure to get you
to Pamilacan by Marina registered boats with safety equipment and trained boat
captain and marine diesel mechanics.
331
Feb 10
There are no regular trips to Pamilacan Island much more trips that cost P30.00
per person. And it is almost impossible to rent a boat for P400.00 to bring you to
Pamilacan. The cheapest trip you can get is P2500.00 and that is sure to get you
to Pamilacan by Marina registered boats with safety equipment and trained boat
captain and marine diesel mechanics.
333
The first number listed for the Tarsier Research & Development Center is wrong
and should be deleted.
337
Getting there and away: Boat: Mindanao-bound boats from Liloan go to Lipata
(about 10km from Surigao), NOT to Surigao proper. There are five boats per day
(not three as the book claims), but there are no boats from about 7am to about
5pm so don't waste your time showing mid-morning or you'll be in for a long wait.
Text must be changed to (I'm also adding info on boats from San Ricardo and
Pintuyan): [start new sentence]: "There are five ferries daily from Liloan to Lipata,
about 10km from Surigao), all of which leave before 7am or after 5pm. Early
morning bangka also serve Surigao from the Southern Leyte towns of San Ricardo
(P100, 11\2 hours) and Pintuyan (P120, two hours)."
340
Map should be updated with new location of Grand Tours if possible - it's opposite
the post office on west side of Trece Martirez
Page 13

342
Tacloban/Getting there and away/Bus & Jeepney: 1) Grand Tours has moved to
Trece Martirez St near the post office so change listing accordingly to 'Trece
Martirez St'; 2) Grand Tours does not serve Calbayog or Allen (nor does Van
Vans). These companies ONLY serve Catbalogan; please correct this, and update
the price of vans to Catbalogan - they costs P100, NOT P200; 3) None of the listed
van companies go beyond Catbalogan (although Grand Tours runs a separate
Catbalogan-Calbayog van). Lastly, the times are off. Should read: Catbalogan
(21\2 hours), Calbayog (41\2 hours) and Allen (61\2 hours). And Borongon is
4.5hrs.
342
Tacloban/Getting there and away/Bus & Jeepney: It's cheaper to take a direct bus
rather than a van to Catbalogan, Calbayog or Allen from Tacloban, but LP doesn't
mention this or note how to do it. So add a line to the end of this section, 'Cheaper,
slower buses to Catbalagan, Calbayog and Allen depart from the New Bus
Terminal'.
342
Around Tacloban/Palo: There's a much better way to get to Red Beach from
Tacloban than the book's suggested route (which doesn't actually get you directly
to Red Beach). The ‘Tacloban–Gov't Center–Baras’ jeepneys, which depart from
the plaza next to McDonald's on Trece Martirez St in Tacloban, bring you right to
Red Beach and the Leyte Landing Memorial. Change text to: "To get to Red Beach
from Tacloban, take a ‘Tacloban–Gov't Center–Baras’ jeepney from the plaza next
to McDonald's on Trece Martirez St (15 minutes)".
344
May 09, Jim Revell,
Ormoc: The Chez Andre Pizzeria in the town has either closed or moved
elsewhere.
346
Padre Burgos & Around/Sights & Activities: Whale sharks in the local dialect are
known as tikitiki, not ihotiki. Please change, I'm 100% firm on this.
347
Sogod & Around: Text here must be changed in 3rd paragraph, 1st sentence: "…
with several daily boat services to Lipata near Surigao City on Mindanao (P266,
four hours)"
Page 14

347
Padre Burgos & Around/Getting there and away: 1) There are NO vans from Padre
Burgos to Maasin, nor from Padre Burgos to Ormoc (only jeepneys and infrequent
buses), so delete the bit about vans in the first sentence. 2) There are certainly no
jeepneys to Tacloban from Padre Burgos, as the book claims. So DELETE the 2nd
sentence here and replace with: "Infrequent buses originating in Maasin pass
through Padre Burgos on their way to Tacloban. You are much better off flagging
down any northbound bus or (much slower) jeepney to Sogod, and changing there
to a Tacloban-bound bus or van."
347
Sogod & Around: Rooms at Ofelia's lodge cost P150 per person, NOT P350 per
room. I stayed there both before and after this book was researched, and both
times the price was the same.
347
p347 - Sogod & Around: Panaon Island is NOT most easily accessible by boat,
although divers staying in Padre Burgos *often* access it by boat. It's easily
accessible via a smooth road that runs all the way to San Ricardo at the southern
tip of the island. Please change entire graf to: 'Liloan is at the northern tip of green
and rustic *Panaon Island*. Often accessed by boat from Padre Burgos, its coast
is a patchwork of alternating small fishing villages, white bays, and steep cliffs that
end at the water. A smooth road runs along the coast to San Ricardo at the
southern tip of the island (the site of a new ferry terminal that's due to replace the
terminal in Liloan)."
353
Samar/Allen: In Allen buses do NOT meet each boat from Matnog and depart for
Tacloban. I got stranded in Allen following this advice. Buses only meet boats
during the day. If you arrive after 3 or 4pm, you will not find any public
transportation heading south. It's best to arrange southbound transport with one of
the southbound buses aboard your ferry. So I would change this to: "Southbound
buses and jeepneys to Calbayog and beyond depart from Allen's bus terminal, on
the road to Calbayog, until about 3pm. Vans heading south hang out at the ferry
dock but dry up in the early afternoon. If arriving in Allen any later than 2pm try
arranging transport with one of the buses on your ferry"
355
Catbalogan/Getting there and away: The 'road from hell' between Catbalogan and
Calbayog has been mostly paved and is now in pretty good shape. By bus or van
it's now less than two hours between the Calbayog and Catbalogan
Page 15

355
Catbalogan/Getting there and away: The weekly Roble Shipping Lines boat from
Catbalogan to Cebu is cargo only; no passengers. Please delete it
365
Cagayan de Oro/Getting there and away/Boat: There's now only one daily fast
ferry between Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin and it's out of commission much of
the time. We should list the number of the company that runs it, Paras Sea Cat (tel
088 856 4112) so people can call to check if it's up and running. Suggested
wording: 'Paras Sea Cat (%856 4112) runs an 8am fast ferry to Benoni on
Camiguin (P400, 21\2 hours) that returns at 4pm, but it's often out of commission.
Call to see if it's up and running. Five times per week this continues to Jagna,
Bohol (from Cagayan P800, 5.5 hours)'
365
Carlos A Gothong does not accept passengers, only cargo, so this company can
be deleted from the text
365
Cagayan de Oro/Getting there and away/Boat: Negros Navigation no longer has
any boats to Manila or Iloilo. You can delete this company from the text and from
the map.
369
Johnny's Dive N Fun is actually based at 'Secret Cove Beach Resort, (near Paras
Beach Resort)' with a very minor branch at Caves Dive Resort that's hardly worth
mentioning. Anyway it's not based at Paras. Secret Cove is not reviewed.
370
Mindanao and Sulu: For the Ardent Hot Spring, they say on one of their signs that
they are open 24/7. So you might like to check your opening hrs of 6am to 10pm.
Though I could be wrong.
372
Camiguin/Getting there and away: Suggest combining paragraphs 2 and 3 and
changing to: 'The most reliable way to Camiguin is to catch a regular car ferry to
Benoni from Balingoan, on the mainland about 80km north of Cagayan de Oro
(P135, one hour). These run roughly hourly until about 4pm from Balingoan, and
until about 3.30pm from Benoni. The on-again, off-again Paras Sea Cat (%088
856 4112) fastcraft direct from Cagayan was on again when we last visited (P400,
21\2 hours, daily). Paras fast ferries also run between Benoni and Jagna, Bohol,
five times weekly (P400, 2.5 hours)'
Page 16

372
Camiguin/Getting there and away/paragraph 5: BOTH of these ferries (not just the
Cebu Ferry, as the book implies) leave from the Balbagon pier, 2km east of
Mambajao, so change wording to: 'From the Balbagon pier, 2km east of
Mambajao, there's a daily ….. [rest of paragraph stays the same, but delete the bit
in brackets about Cebu ferries leaving from another pier near Mambajao]
372
Balingoan: There are no more ferries between Balingoan and Guinsiliban, so all of
the info about this ferry can be deleted.
376
Surigao/Getting there and away/Boat: In addition to the car ferries to Siargao that
depart from Surigao's main pier (mentioned in the book), there are much quicker
big bangkas (outrigger boats) that make about four daily trips. These depart from
in front of the Tavern Hotel and take only about 2 hours, as opposed to 3.5 hours
for the car ferries.
376
Surigao/Getting there and away/Boat:There are about five daily ferries that depart
to Liloan on Leyte, not one ferry as the book indicates. These all leave from Lipata,
about 10km north of Surigao, not from Surigao proper.
378
Siargao/Getting there and away/paragraph 2: This is wrong and needs updating,
based on the same corrections we made in Surigao (see above): 'Schedules to
Surigao from the pier in Dapa change frequently, but you can usually count on two
daily slow ferries (ordinary/air-con P230/276), 31\2 hours; see p376) and about
four faster big bangkas (P200, two hours). The earliest departure, around 5.30am,
which would allow ....... [the rest stays the same]'
381
Mindanao and Sulu: On the map your location of item 34, Buses to Calinan is
marked wrongly. It needs to be over the other side of E Quirino St. i.e., west of E
Quirino St, not east as you have it marked. This cost me 20 minutes of searching
to find the correct location.
386
Mindanao and Sulu: For the Eagle Centre, entry is now 50pesos, not 25pesos.
393
Jul 10, Gabriel Gardiner,
Boracay Grill; Cerrado, the place is closed!
Page 17

399
Feb 10
For the journey BY SHIP TO PALAWAN from Manila I looked last Wednesday for
a ticket and timetable. First: South Harbour "Superferry": They don't have a ship to
Palawan any more. Second: North Harbour "Negros Navigation": They don't have
a passenger ship to Palawan any more.
399
Getting there and away/Air: Seair listing needs to change. The only route they
have left to Palawan is to El Nido, and even that's sporadic. Delete all contact
offices/numbers except for the Manila one; leave the website; and change text to:
"Has a couple of flights weekly between El Nido and Manila. Schedule is in flux."
Also, note that ONLY Cebu Pacific has flights to Cebu at the moment, not PAL
Express.
399
Getting there and away/Boat: we've added info on Atienza to El Nido. The number
in Coron is wrong; it should be 0919 377 9751; Departure from El Nido is Friday at
midnight; it arrives in Coron Saturday morning and departs Coron Saturday
afternoon at 4pm (leave out the bit about the 5-hour layover). It arrives in Manila
Sunday afternoon. Rest of the info is fine on it being a masochistic trip and all
401
Getting there and away/Boat/Caticlan: Please just delete this listing. There are no
longer any seasonal Negros Navigation ferries between Caticlan and Puerto
Princesa.
401
Getting there and away/Boat/Iloilo: There are two companies going to Iloilo via
Cuyo, not just Milagrosa. Montenegro (434 9344) also has one weekly boat to Iloilo
via Cuyo. It's around 30 hours.
401
Getting there and away/Boat:Here the Montenegro boat to Iloilo is mentioned, but
not the Milagrosa. So just mention them both again. . But these boats do NOT go
to Cebu, as the text here implies. They just goes between Puerto Princesa and
Iloilo via the Cuyo Islands. Cost and duration information here is accurate.
402
Feb 10, Wim de Jong,
In Palawan's capital Puerto Princesa is it hard to change some cash Euro. I found
only one. There is a cash withdrawal, but when this one is out of order...
403
Info/Tourist Information: Change name of Immigration Office to 'Bureau of
Immigration' to be consistent with the rest of the book
404
Map: move Itoy's (#32) west so that it's right next to (and east of) #25
Page 18

406
Sep 09, Graham Peake,
Puerto Princesa: Fresh. Fresh has moved up Rizal Ave to a little further up and on
the other side of the road than Itoy's.
407
Puerto Princesa/Getting there and away/Air: See above. Delete all info about Seair
flights and delete the Seair listing. Delete info about Pal Express flight to Cebu.
Cebu Pacific does have flights to Cebu, but NOT daily. Call it 'Cebu Pacific has a
few weekly flights to Cebu'.
410
Sep 09, Graham Peake,
Puerto Princesa: Road to Sabang: It's no longer a bumpy dirt track all the way to
Sabang. It was 95% paved last year and may be fully paved by now. Travel time
has been reduced by about an hour.
410
Getting there and away: It's not seven hours to Port Barton (unless the road is
out). Travel times form Port B/El Nido to Sabang are exactly the same as travel
times from Port B/El Nido to Puerto Princesa, as a glance at the map shows. And
private van is certainly not the only overland way to Port B or El Nido. Change to:
'Weather permitting, it's possible to arrange a private van for Port Barton (P9000,
four hours) and El Nido (P12,000, about seven hours), or take a Puerto-bound
jeepney out to Salvacion and flag down a northbound bus there.'
410
Getting there and away: There's a mistake here. Should read: High season
bangkas chug up to El Nido (P2000, seven hours) almost daily, with drop-offs, but
not pick-ups, in Port Barton (P1200, 31\2 hours); ask around for Malou …" [the
rest is the same]. *if you need to define High season, it's Dec to May
413
Change number of Summer Homes to 0928 594 4484
414
Getting there and away/Boat: Slightly misleading about the lack of regular
scheduled boats. Put this in there instead: 'During the December to May high
season, it's possible to be dropped off in Port Barton on the regular scheduled
boats between El Nido and Sabang. However, these boats are not allowed to pick
up passengers in Port Barton. If you want to leave Port Barton on one of these
regular scheduled boats, you can be picked up on nearby Cacnipa Island. It's also
easy to charter a boat on your own .... [the rest of this stays as is]
Page 19

415
Nov 09
Dilis Beach Resort on Icadambanuan Island: the LP mentions incorrect prices in
the book. the correct prices are 1500 peso for the rooms in the house and 4000
peso for the cottages on the beach. The correct prices are also on their website.
415
Taytay/Getting there and away/Air: No flights to Taytay since roughly 2008. Can
just write: 'Taytay has an airport but as of this writing flights were suspended
indefinitely'
415
Apulit Island: Club Noah has been closed for more than a year but who knows if
it's permanent. They may be selling it, they may be renovating it.
416
Oct 09, ANN LOND-CAULK,
In Palawan you mention the flower Island Beach Resort. The price is US$60 per
person. This is now much more expensive US$135 per person in an aircon room.
You may wish to put this in the luxury category for your next edition.
416
Apr 10, Nathalie Hagestein,
El Nido Boutique & Art Cafe; I think this place gets too much credit, a lot of
travellers were booking tours at where stayed at.
418
Sep 09
The website listed in the latest guide in respect of Greenviews Corong-Corong El
Nido, is wrong it should read www.palawandg.clara.net
420
Getting there and away/Boat: The information on El Nido - Coron ferries is not
accurate has to change. Here is the rewrite: 'The most important boat service for
visitors to northern Palawan is the El Nido - Coron connection. There's usually at
least one bangka every morning if weather permits, but that's a big if. These are
run by two separate operators who alternate trips, so if somebody tells you there
are no boats going on the day you want, ask somebody else. All boats are medium-
sized bangka boats, not much larger than those used for island-hopping around El
Nido. All trips cost P2200 and take seven to eight hours. Bring plenty of water,
breakfast, lunch and sunscreen. El Nido Boutique & Art Cafe (see p416) can
handle advance bookings. A cheaper option is the Atienza Shipping Lines (%0918
566 6786) cargo/passenger boat to Manila (40 hours). It leaves every Friday
evening at midnight and goes via Coron (P950, nine hours). The return trip departs
Coron at 10pm on Wednesday.'
Page 20

420
Getting there and away/Boat: Based on corrections made earlier, this needs to
change to: 'During the high season, depending on the weather, there are boats
most days to Sabang (P2000, eight hours) with dropoffs, but not pick-ups, in Port
Barton (P1500, 31\2 hours). You can hire a bangka ... ' The rest stays the same,
although it seems to me like info has nothing to do with El Nido, so I would change
to: 'A private to Port Barton costs P6000/7500 for a six-person/eight-person boat.'
420
Aug 10, Ralph Balmer,
From El Nido to Coron, there are now daily connections via boat in both ways.
These connections even run in the low season as I experienced it travelling in
Palawan during all July 2010.
The Shedules are posted on different locals shops and are as follows:
From El Nido to Coron:

Jessabel: Tues / Fri / Sun: 07:30AM
Overvomer: Mon / Thur: 07:30 AM
Princess Welia: Wed / Sat: 07:30 AM
Costs for the trip are P 2.200 per person

Travel time depends on the boat. The Princes Welia is the newest and fastest boat
an makes the trip in 6 hours.
Jessabel and Overcomer make it in 8 hours.
From Coron to El Nido, the shedule is:

Jessabel: Mo / We / Sa: 08.00 AM
Overcomer: Tu / Fr: 08:00 AM
Princess Welia: Thur / Su: 08:00 AM
Normally, the boats never leave on time. waiting at least 1 hour is common.
From Coron to El Nido the boats leave from the Pier of the Seadive Resort which
makes it easy to wait as you can drink/breakfast and wait for the departure.
423
Activities/Diving: I really think we need to mention that the wrecks are very far
away from Coron town. So edit the second sentence to '…. can be found in the
waters off Busuanga. Most of the wrecks are at least a one- to two-hour boat ride
from Coron town. The depths at which ...'
423
Aug 10, Ralph Balmer,
There is now an ATM in Coron town which accepts foreign ATM cards. The BPI
(Bank of the Philippines Island) runs this ATM on the main street.
Page 21

423
Jul 10, Eleanor Bodling & Henrik Sundblad,
Just want to add that there is an ATM in Coron town that accept foreign ATM
cards. Just follow the National highway.
423
Nov 10, Cresil Tagle,
Calamian Group: Two banks are already available in Coron Town which are Bank
of the Philippine Islands and Allied Bank. International credit cards and ATMs are
accepted.
426
Getting there and away/Air: Change Air Philippines to 'Airphil Express' and note
that they have three weekly flights to Cebu as well as the flights to Manila. Delete
Seair from this list. They do not have flights to Busuanga anymore. Also delete
PAL Express from the list, as they have ceded their flights to Airphil Express.
427
The Sangat Island Reserve review has misinformation. There are NOT six wrecks
within 10 minutes; I've stayed there for several days and can vouch for this. There
is one that's about 20 minutes. Others are 35min to 45min. You can say that there
are 'several wrecks within a 45-minute boat ride'. Also, the resort itself is more
than a 30-minute boat ride from Coron. It's more like 45 minutes (in a speedboat, if
there is one; more in a bangka).
437
Sep 09
ATMs - from January 2009 the Philippino Government set a maximum withdrawal
of either 5000 or 10000 pesos on all ATM machines. Good to know if you have to
withdraw money before departing to a place without ATMs.
440
Sep 09
I was not informed that you only can stay 21 days for "free" in the Philippines. You
can stay longer, but then you have to pay up when you depart the country. I stayed
23 days and had to pay 3040 pesos. And again this is after check in, just before
the security check when they check your passport, so cash is needed here as well.
443
Apr 09, LARRY LEESE,
the International Departure Tax is now P750. They had problems providing
change although they deal with thousands of people on a daily basis.
443
Sep 09
Airport - when departing from Manila (NAIA) be aware that there is a 750 pesos
airport fee that all passengers have to pay. This is after you check in you luggage
and there are no ATMs so you have to go all the way out again if you don't have
cash.
Page 22

443
Jun 10, Corina Risseeuw,
the International departure tax from Manila (to Europe) is 750 PHP (June 2010).
You have to pay departure tax for domestic flights as well. From Manila tot Puerto
Princesa: $ 4.5 (pp) and from Puerto Princesa to Manila 200 PHp (pp).
443
The international departure tax at Manila's NAIA airport is P750, not P700
443
Terminal Chaos Box: They have still not shifted the international flights to terminal
3. Basically this box can stay the same, but make some slight changes to reflect
the introduction of Airphil Express (replacing Air Philippines)
445
Getting Around/Air. It's now easy to book e-tickets online with Zest in Seair without
getting a paper ticket, so please delete the last sentence of paragraph 5
Page 23

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Guidebook Update: Philippines 10

Traveller Submitted Updates (Unverified) 3-Dec-2010

Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219

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Philippines 10 / May 2009 / ISBN: 9781741047219