Bataan: Kilometer Zero and Freeport Authority of Bataan in Mariveles

The Freeport Authority of Bataan (FAB) in Mariveles, Bataan is working on rehabilitating its old tourist facilities. I visited early this year to help give suggestions. I also checked out the nearby attractions, the most popular of which is Kilometer Zero of the Bataan Death March.

Kilometer Zero is the starting point of the Bataan Death March. There are actually two of them, the one in Mariveles, and another in Bagac. The memorial in Mariveles is marked by a bayonet thrust to the ground. A few years ago, the Filipino American Memorial Endowment installed new kilometer posts from Mariveles to San Fernando, Pampanga and Capas, Tarlac, including one for Kilometer Zero.


Two large historical markers installed by the National Historical Commission in 1967 recount the ordeal of the Filipino and American prisoners of war. I felt that the park needed to be rehabilitated though and the landscaping professionalized. The standards of local government landscaping in the country are simply horrible. We really need to invest in proper landscaping in major urban centers as well as tourism attractions, parks and open spaces.

Unfortunately, I had to rush back to Manila. So I wasn't able to visit the nature attractions of FAB which I hope to see in a future trip.

Occidental Mindoro: White Island and Ambulong Island in San Jose

I got to visit San Jose, Oriental Mindoro early last year. It was a really quick trip and I only had time to go island-hopping off the coast of San Jose. On the list of islands to visit is White Island which is about 15 minutes by pump boat from Caminawit Port.


I'm quite amused how the local government promotional material describes the beach as made of smooth and powdery white sand even though it's far from powdery. In fact, the sand is quite rough and most of the island is made of pieces of coral. But it's definitely better than the beach where I boarded the pump boat which has darker sand and was littered with plastic.


I also got to visit Ambulong Island which could have had really stunning beaches. But unfortunately, the local government did not control the development of the barangay there. So the houses are on the long stretch of beach itself, right by the water. For a beach as beautiful as Ambulong, the houses should have been built even just a few meters further back so that the community could have benefited from tourist arrivals. I was told that the community only sprouted a few years ago. Such a pity!


But the good thing is that there was a small patch of land further down the beach which had been fenced off to prevent settlers from building there. I was told by the caretaker that it belonged to a foreigner who was married to a local, and that they planned to build a beach resort there. Ironically, it's a foreigner who saw the potential of the beach.

When I fly to San Jose, Occidental Mindoro again, I'll make sure to visit Pandan Island in the town of Sablayan which is the beach resort to visit when you are in Occidental Mindoro.

Cagayan de Oro: Whitewater rafting in the Cagayan River

Whitewater rafting is a very popular activity for those visiting Cagayan de Oro. It was actually a visit of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon several years back which created a lot of buzz for Cagayan de Oro's top adventure activity. Today, there are several companies which offer whitewater rafting trips down the Cagayan River, seven companies I was told.


The good thing about the whitewater rafting trips in Cagayan de Oro is that you don't need to form a group to schedule one. All you have to do is book a trip at least a day in advance through your hotel or directly with any of the companies, and they'll pick you up from your hotel and drive you over to the Cagayan River. If you're just one or two, they'll group you with other guests, just like what we did.


In fact, this experience is so convenient, you could actually take the first flight to Cagayan de Oro, go whitewater rafting, have lunch, then take the last flight out of Cagayan de Oro.


It takes about 45 minutes to get to from downtown Cagayan de Oro to the jump-off point. Everyone is given a helmet, life jacket and paddle for the trip down the river. After a safety briefing by the crew, the group is off.

I was quite surprised that there were really young kids in another group. I asked if there was an age limit. And I was told it's the discretion of the parents since they are the ones who sign the waivers. Dangerous as it may seem, whitewater rafting in Cagayan de Oro is quite safe.




The three-hour trip takes you through a series of fourteen rapids for the regular course. If your guide is a bit naughty, he'd purposely cause the rubber raft to capsize to add to the thrill. Good thing that didn't happen to us. In some of the rapids, our guide would ask us to stand which was really fun.

In areas where the river is calm, we were allowed to get off the raft for a swim. For an extra fee, you can ask them to take photos and videos of your trip which we did.



At the end point of the trip is a restaurant called the Cabula River Grill. Their best seller would be the Lechon Baka (Php180) which we made sure to try. After lunch, we proceeded back to CDO. In fact, I had time for a power nap before taking the last flight out.


Never miss the whitewater rafting experience when in Cagayan de Oro. In fact, I'll try the advanced whitewater rafting course when I return to CDO.

Swift Travel + Tours
14 G/F Pelaez Sports Center, A. Velez Street, Cagayan de Oro City
(088) 8573897 / (08822) 727629 / (0922) 8333136 to 38

Thanks to Karlo de Leon for editing my videos from Cagayan de Oro.