Masbate

                                                                            Access
              Masbate province belongs to Bicol Region and it shares close affinity with Bicol provinces such as Albay and Sorsogon to which it used to be their sub-province in succession. Regular ferry service connects Masbate City to Pilar in Bicol. Masabte City is also connected to another point in Luzon – to Lucena in Quezon. The big vessels connect this capital of the province to Manila and Cebu City. For quick travel, PAL flights are available between Masbate City and Manila.
              Mandaon Port: This minor port in Masbate has passenger pump-boats, locally called ‘motor’, that offers trips to Kadiodijocan in Sibuyan Island (Romblon) and Estancia, Iloilo. Two trips a week are offered to each of these destinations.
              Calasuche Port: This minor port in Milagros, Masbate has passenger pump-boats plying two routes in Panay Island – to Estancia in Iloilo and Roxas City in Capiz. Trips are also offered twice a week to each of these destinations.

                                                                 Travel Nightmares
               The profligacy of drivers or transport service hands to overcharge or deceive travelers seems to be a common occurrence, if not a common trait. However, the pattern and excesses in deception to which the SB climbing party had been subjected into in Masbate has gone beyond an alarming level. Early in Estancia, the party was duped to sail to Mandaon by a crew-member of the ‘motor’, giving all assurances that there is a trip from Mandaon to Sibuyan on the next day. As the boat entered the Masbate port, the same crew-member retracted his statement, informing the party of the absence of a trip to Sibuyan by the next day.
                In Masbate City, a tricycle driver refused to accept Php 20.00 for the fare of three for a 2km ride within the city and demanded, instead, Php 30.00. His demand contradicted his earlier condescension to allow the passengers to decide the amount of fare. (In Roxas City, the city-limits fare is Php 3.00 per person with an additional Php 1.00 for every kilometer exceeding 3kms.)
                Again, in Masbate City, a young tricycle driver offered the party a special trip to Calasuche port for Php 300.00, which he himself later lowered to Php 250.00. He justified this amount under the pretext that the L-300 fare to Milagros is Php 80.00 per person. Ignorant, he didn’t know that the group had just taken the 64km ride on a van from Mandaon to Masbate City for Php 70.00 per person. The actual fare to Milagros, 24kms from Masbate City, is Php 25.00 for an air-con van and Php 17.00 for the jeepney.
                As the last instance of deception, a tricycle driver after driving 4kms from Milagros town-proper to Calasuche port asked the three travelers Php35.00 for fare. Belle gave him Php 40.00 in bills and, for change, he handed Belle the 5-peso coin given to him by a fellow passenger. Oh well, there must be a different fare rate for non-Masbateños. However, what does not hold well is how exactly could the three divide among themselves the 35-peso fare. In these days when the virtually lowest denomination is 25 centavos, at Php 11.66 each (dropping any attempt for a round-off)?

                                                                             In Transit
             The contents of this brief review for the mountaineering potentials of Masbate, an island-province south of Bicol Peninsula, are based mainly on observations gathered by the SB climbing party from August 21 to 23, 2001. From Estancia in Iloilo, the 3-man party sailed to Mandaon, a small port in the west coast of Masbate, to look for a sailing trip to Sibuyan Island. Dismayed to learn that the closest schedule is five days from the day of arrival, the party went on the second day to Masabte City to look for a more acceptable schedule. In the ensuing 64-km ride across the interior of the island, the party was able see the breath of the island from the west to the east coast. Learning that there is no direct trip to Sibuyan or Roxas City (for an indirect trip), the party rode back to Milagros town and went to Calasuche port south of Mandaon. In Calasuche, the party learned that the trip for the next day to Roxas City was diverted to Estancia, the only alternative destination left to the party. Hence, on the third day, the party member left Masabte, bringing with them experiences to make up for their frustrations.

                                                                       The Mountains
             On paper, the 404,769-hectare island of Masbate presents no promising peaks in terms of elevation. The highest mountain in Masbate, Mt Uac in Milagros town, stands at a measly elevation of 1,945ft ASL. In 1942, the island is said to be mostly virgin forest, the refuge of Filipino guerillas fighting the Japanese Imperial Army forces. Today, its undulating mountains or ‘hills’ is a blight spectacle of lifeless rocks, rank cogon grass and barren slopes.
             Mountain Traverse: However, despite of its deficiencies, Masbate remains viable for trekking, in particular for mountain traverse. Stretches of rock-ridges – the spines of long eroded mountains – are found in Mandaon, Balud and Milagros towns. Unlike any bushwalk, however, a mountain traverse in Masbate is a prolonged exposure to the searing heat of the sun in summer. Be that as it may, a trekker must take cognizance of the fact that most of the Masbate countryside is divided into fenced landholdings of ranchers. Grazing cattle is a common fixture of Masabte countryside scenes.
             Rock-Climbing: Mostly granite, the sheer rock-faces, about 300 to 700 ft high, in Masabte are its primary asset. Again, Mandaon, Balud and Milagros abound with such natural walls, likely ‘virgin’ to rock-climbers. Of special mention, the crags of Pulo-Dacu and Cagmasusu isles, off the bay of Mandaon, are boasting a challenge along the coast.
             Spelunking: For caving, Brgy Bat-ongon in Mandaon is said to have a cave with a vertical opening (the party failed to see it for lack of time). Perhaps, this is the famous Botongon Cave with a marvelous tunnel connected to a cave in Zapatos Is. At any rate, Masbate must have several caves considering that limestone cliffs line its northwestern coast.