Philippine Visayan travel experience to offset the horror of the Maguindanao massacre

Malapascua ferry
original photo by Ted Nelson

A Philippine travel experience in the beautiful Visayan island chain is a great experience.  This article is part three of a series of articles whose goal is to offset the horrible news coming out of the Philippines in the last week due to the Maguindanao massacre.

Part I

Part II

By now everyone has heard the gruesome details of how over 50 people including over 15 journalists were massacred. There are reports of several innocent victims who just had the misfortune of being at the wrong place at the wrong time as they were coincidentally driving behind the convoy when it was attacked and were killed too.

The attack occurred because a gubernatorial candidate, Islamel "Toto" Mungudadatu, had received threats against him by the Amputuan clan that if he filed papers to run against them he would be kidnapped. He then sent his wife and sisters who left with a large convoy to file these papers and their group was attacked and surrounded by gunmen.

The head of the Amputuan clan, Andal Amputuan Jr. was taken in for questioning and has been since arrested. He implicated the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the attack. The MILF, who have been linked to bombings and coordination with the Al-Qaida linked Abu Sayef, condemned the attack stating that the accusation by Amputuan was an attempt to divert the issue. Philippine Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puto stated that "At the moment, there is no evidence that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front had anything to do with this.”

It seems clear that this was not a terrorist attack, but a political attack aimed at stopping a rival clan from the election. The government has said they have sworn statements from witnesses and there are some reports that some of the victims had called on their cell phones and indicated that Andal Amputuan was at the scene. Although Amputuan Jr. is the only suspect in actual custody, the government has indicated many more arrests in the near future.

In my first article I explained the difference between the regions of the Philippines and how the islands are divided into three sub groups and how the violent dangerous area is found in the southern island group of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago where this incident occurred. These are the only islands indicated in U.S. State Department warnings.

In the second article I reflected on a travel experience in the Banaue and Batad Rice Terraces in the northern island of Luzon. In this article I am going to write about my experience in the central island group called the Visayas. In order to offset the horror of the news reports these articles are intended to reflect a typical travel experience in the other areas of the Philippines.

Malapascua Island -

In Manila I met a British traveler named Roger who had extensive travel experience all over the Philippines. When I mentioned that I was interested in visiting Boracay Island he suggested instead that I visit Malapascua Island off the northern tip of the island of Cebu, which is one of the main islands in the central island group called the Visayas.

From Cebu City I took a four hour bus ride up the coast to the very northern tip of the island. I was the only foreigner on the bus and the bus driver took it upon himself to make sure I was safe. He asked where I was going and said he would take care of me. I appreciated the gesture although I felt quite safe as the other passengers on the bus were about as tranquil a bunch that one could find.

We passed through lush jungle vegetation with large coconut trees and from time to time we entered small villages.  It amazed me that even in the smallest of villages if there was a basketball net there would be a large group of kids playing ball. One influence of our pre World War II occupation of these islands was a love for basketball. The Manila newspapers covered NBA basketball scores and news daily. When I told people I was from Chicago they would often times yell, “Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman,” and shake my hand.

We finally arrived at the tip of Cebu and the bus driver shook my hand and pointed to a ferry, which would take me to my destination. The ferry was a small little boat with gliders on each side that would take us the final 45 minutes to Malapascua.

Malapascua ferry from outside my room
original photo by Ted Nelson

Flying fish floated above the water on each side of the small craft as we scooted through the beautiful aqua colored water. We soon docked on the sand beach of the island and embarked to find a place to stay. I choose a little hotel on the coast, which was a great choice as my window caught the incredible sunset.

Unfortunately, I am not a scuba diver as this location is a world class diving location. Malapascua is the only place in the world for daily thresher shark sightings. White-tip sharks, hammerheads, mantas, wrecks, and coral reefs are also available for the underwater explorer.

The island itself was tiny and could be walked across in a matter of ten to fifteen minutes. Roger had suggested the island as another option to Boracay, which is a beautiful island as well, but very touristy. I had been traveling for three months and had grown tired of masses of tourists, so this island was a welcome respite from the hordes as the only other travelers on the island were the few divers that had heard of this unknown paradise.

If looking for an unfound diving location or just an island to chill and relax, Malapascua is definitely a great place. The Visayas are full of little islands like this. Bohol, Leyte, Samar, and Palawan are the main islands in this group, but there are hundreds of little undiscovered gems in this chain as well.

    Boats along the beach
    original photo by Ted Nelson

I boarded the return ferry and watched paradise slowly disappear behind me. I would definitely return, but next time I will come certified to dive. I boarded the bus and a different bus driver asked where I was going and then where I was staying. As we approached Cebu City the bus driver shouted for me to get out at a certain corner. I disembarked the bus and the bus driver smiled and waved as he pulled away. Even the bus drivers are cordial and friendly here in the Philippines.

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