To Caticlan via the Port Town of Bulalacao

Bulalacao in Oriental Mindoro also has a port that offers RORO trip to Caticlan in Panay Island (Aklan Province to be exact). I went to Boracay last year via Bulalacao Port onboard the FastCraft.

There are no jeep plying to Bulalacao so I have to take a public van. I arrived late in the afternoon and after securing my ticket at the FastCat ticket office, I visited the main church of Bulalacao, the municipal hall and the market.

The Municipal Hall of Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro

The trip to Bulalacao from Roxas is very similar to my trip from Calapan to Puerto Galera – zigzag road but with a view of the sea. It was almost 6 o’clock when I reached the sleepy town of Bulalacao. The van took us straight to Bulalacao Port. It won’t accept ticket reservation until 7:00 PM so I rent a tricycle for P60 to take me to the town hall, church and market. They have no Rizal Monument at their plaza.

Bulalacao Port is constructed with the help of the Philippine Port Authority (PPA). The trip to Caticlan Port is roughly P460 with a P30 terminal fee. The RORO is new and is operated by FastCat. Our departure time is 10PM so I had some time to eat, take a bath and sleep at a nearby cafeteria.

Here’s more information about Bulalacao from PhilAtlas:

Bulalacao, formerly known as San Pedro, is a coastal municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro.

The municipality has a land area of 321.86 square kilometers or 124.27 square miles which constitutes 7.59% of Oriental Mindoro's total area. Its population as determined by the 2015 Census was 39,107. This represented 4.63% of the total population of Oriental Mindoro province, or 1.32% of the overall population of the MIMAROPA region. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 122 inhabitants per square kilometer or 315 inhabitants per square mile.

The Port of Bulalacao is managed by the Philippine Ports Authority.

 

Bulalacao Church, Oriental Mindoro

Guillermo H. Salas Memorial Gymnasium, Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro

Bulalacao Public Market

Some fishing boats anchored at the Bulalacao Port

Seats at the Bulalacao Port Building

Bulalacao Port Holding area for passengers going to Caticlan, Malay, Aklan.

The FastCat RORO

The Bulalacao Port as seen from the FastCat.

The seating arrangement of the FastCat.

Flickr Tags: Bulalacao Port,Oriental Mindoro,FastCat,Trip to Caticlan

Some Old Houses of Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro

I am surprised at some of the old houses in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro. Their municipal officers did a great job at preserving these houses. I’ve only visited A. Mabini Avenue in Pinamalayan due to a tie schedule but I’m hoping there are more old houses in the other streets.

I’m also hoping I could visit this town again to explore more.

It’s good to know that old houses in Pinamalayan are being repurposed without losing the architectural component of the house

I looked up the history of the town from the Official Website of Pinamalayan to know more.

The name Pinamalayan, as the story goes, came from the words “IPINAMALAY NA” (“It has been made known to us”), as exclaimed by its first settlers who lost their bearing amidst a turbulent sea,  when a rainbow appeared in the horizon and guided them towards safety and to a place where they discovered abundant resources for livelihood. Other sources  attribute the name Pinamalayan simply to the fact that the area was once a vast area planted to rice, hence the name “PINAGPALAYAN”.

The Town of Pinamalayan is one of the oldest in the Province of Oriental Mindoro.  Its territory once went as far as the old settlements of Sumagui and Anilao which are now part of the towns of Bansud and Bongabong respectively.  The Town of Pola was also a former part of Pinamalayan until it got its permanent township status in the early years of American Colonization while Gloria was separated from Pinamalayan in 1964.

These territorial reorganizations signify the role of Pinamalayan as a major political and economic center in the southern part of Oriental Mindoro way back the latter years of Spanish regime.  Administrative orders regulating secular activities in these settlements were once sent from Pinamalayan thereby giving the town derivative advantages in trade, infrastructure development, social facilities and even political accommodations at the onset of the century.

Pinamalayan was organized as a permanent settlement in 1800's under the leadership of a Gobernadorcillo. In 1914, the Municipal Council acted on the selection of a new town site through viva-voce voting. It was in 1916 that the seat of the Municipal Government was transferred from Lumambayan to its present site. During the American Occupation American planners made sure that the town is properly laid out according to a planning system that included wide, symmetrical roads with appropriate drainage facilities. It was also during this time that a big plaza was constructed adjacent to the municipal building. To date, Pinamalayan remains a model in town planning.

 

Cebuana Lhuillier and M Lhuillier side by side.

 

Flickr Tags: Old Houses of Pinamalayan,Oriental Mindoro

The Colorful City of Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro

I’ve been hearing a lot about Pinamalayan and to my understanding, it’s one of the most progressive town in the entire Mindoro Island. When I reached Pinamalayan from Victoria (via van, because the jeepney route stops at Victoria), I was impressed with the town.

 

The municipal hall has a character, the main Roman Catholic church of St Augustine is beautiful, the marketplace is huge, the town plaza has a covered court and a Rizal Monument and there are quite some old houses here. I’ll post the pictures of the houses in a separate blog post here.

Pinamalayan has Jollibee, Mercury Drug, Southstar Drug, Metrobank, Novo Hotel, Mang Inasal among others. It’s also a coastal town so they have an aplaya. The Western Strong Republic Nautical Highway doesn’t pass through the town center itself, but I dropped off at the huge monument of a palayok (pot). I guess they’re projecting the town as the end of the rainbow with the pot of gold.

Here is some information about the town from PhilAtlas.

Pinamalayan is a coastal municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro.

The municipality has a land area of 282.26 square kilometers or 108.98 square miles which constitutes 6.66% of Oriental Mindoro's total area. Its population as determined by the 2015 Census was 86,172. This represented 10.21% of the total population of Oriental Mindoro province, or 2.91% of the overall population of the MIMAROPA region. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 305 inhabitants per square kilometer or 791 inhabitants per square mile.

You could also visit the Official Website of Pinamalayan here.

 

Mang Inasal, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro

King Plaza, Oriental Mindoro

 

 

Novo Hotel, Pinamalayan

Metrobank, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro

Jose Rizal Monument, Pinamalayan Park

Chinese Garden, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro

Dambana ng Kagitingan, Pinamalayan Public Park

 

Pinamalayan Public Park

Pinamalayan Municipal Building, Oriental Mindoro

Interior Shot of the St Augustine Church, Pinamalayan

 

St Augustine Parish Church, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro

Pinamalayan is a coastal town

Pinamalayan Public Market

Mercury Drug, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro

Robinson’s Builders, Oriental Mindoro

  

Jollibee, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro

Flickr Tags: Pinamalayan,Flickr,Jollibee,Oriental Mindoro

The Sleepy Town of San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro

When I travel, I try to visit every town along the jeepney route as much as possible. Between the Puerto Galera and Calapan City jeepney route, there’s the Tamaraw Falls and the sleepy town of San Teodoro. I dropped off at San Teodoro just to take some pictures.

The San Teodoro Municipal Hall under construction. July 18, 2019

Whenever I visit the town, I always try to visit the main Catholic church, the municipal hall, Rizal’s monument, the marketplace and some ancestral houses. During my visit at San Teodoro, their municipal hall is being constructed (or renovated). I saw an old house with the signage “Post Office” – (I’m not sure if it’s really their post office) besides the market, which is smaller than Kenneth Talipapa in Pasig City.

Their main Roman Catholic church is dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.

According to PhilAtlas:

San Teodoro is a coastal municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro.

The municipality has a land area of 341.00 square kilometers or 131.66 square miles which constitutes 8.05% of Oriental Mindoro's total area. Its population as determined by the 2015 Census was 17,904. This represented 2.12% of the total population of Oriental Mindoro province, or 0.60% of the overall population of the MIMAROPA region. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 53 inhabitants per square kilometer or 136 inhabitants per square mile.

Bangko Rural ng San Teodoro, Inc

Post Office?

San Teodoro Public Market

Tricycles here are in great shape. Mostly made of stainless steel

Too bad I visited on a Thursday so I was unable to see the interior of the church.

 

Immaculate Conception Parish, San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro

The jeepney conductor

Tamaraw Falls, Barangay Villaflor, Puerto Galera

From Puerto Galera, I rode a jeepney going to Calapan City. I made two stops – one at Tamaraw Falls (along the road) and the other at the sleepy town of San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro.

Tamaraw is a species of Water Buffalo or Carabao that is native to Mindoro Island. Sadly it’s an endangered species and this falls is named after the Tamaraw. I was here July 18, 2019 and even though it’s cloudy due to typhoon Falcon, the waters at the falls is not “heavy”.

Besides Tamaraw Falls is the Welcome Sign to the beach town of Puerto Galera.

 

 

Puerto Galera-Calapan City Road

 

Tamaraw Falls in Barangay Villaflor, Puerto Galera

 

 

Tamaraw Falls in July 18, 2019

Technorati Tags: Tamaraw Falls,Puerto Galera