SAINTS PETER AND PAUL CATHEDRAL (CALBAYOG CITY)

Location: Corners of Acedillo, Rueda and Bugallon Streets, Calbayog City, Samar, Philippines

Note: The pictures posted here is a part of my May 1-8, 2015 Samar-Leyte-Biliran-Mactan-Cebu Trip.

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral: An Iconic Symbol of Calbayog

Note: This is a part of my May 2 - 8, 2015 Samar-Leyte-Biliran-Mactan-Cebu Trip which includes: Capul Island, San Antonio Island, Dalutan Island, Sambawan Island, The Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Shrine, Ciriaco Hotel, Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Other Calbayog tours, San Juanico Bridge, MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park, Limasawa Island

The Roman Catholic Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral of Calbayog City is the seat of the Diocese of Calbayog under the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical province of Palo which has then became an archdiocese and finally on November 15, 1982 Palo was promoted to be a metropolitan archdiocese. This cathedral was established in 1910 where its ecclesiastical foundation was laid on April 10, 1910 by Pope Pius X. It was in May 2010, that a Vatican’s Philippine Representative was sent to attend for its first Centennial Celebration. As of this posting, it is already 105 years old.

The majestic Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral with its proud Bell Tower

The Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral is the most important landmark in Calbayog City where its tell-tale dome, spire, and thick walls reveal the blending of Spanish and modern architectural designs. It is located in the corners of Acedillo (a part of the Pan-Philippine Highway), Bugallon and Rueda Streets. It is a block away from the city hall and opposite to Cardinal Julio Rosales Plaza. Since it is along the Pan-Philippine Highway, buses with routes to Catbalogan, Tacloban, Ormoc, Maasin, Baybay, Surigao, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and some other parts of Southern Philippines would normally pass along this symbolic figure of Calbayog City.

The awesome architectural design of the altar

Posting this blog is somewhat a personalized effort on my part as I am a proud Calbayognon and this cathedral has been a great part of my life being a Roman Catholic. I was a catechist of Calbayog Catechetical Circle for 6 years of which I became the head of it for the last two years of my membership teaching Religion and Values Education in Calbayog East Central School. We usually held our closing ceremony in this cathedral. It was also here that I had our Baccaulaureate Mass when I graduated college in Christ the King College.

The bishop Reverend Isabelo C.Abarquez seated on the pulpit in an 8:00 P.M. Sunday Mass

This Calbayog Cathedral is indeed strategically located in the heart of the island of Samar. Being here would give you the opportunity to visit to a haven of natural attractions; towering and cascading waterfalls (Veriato, Bangon, Pan-as, Ton-ok, Tarangban and a few others) which dubbed Calbayog as the “City of Waterfalls”; beaches like the Lo-ok Beach of Malajog and caves and picturesque rock formations in Biri Island; beaches and a hot spring named “Mapaso Hot Spring with consistently 100 degrees boiling water and with healing value; a new attraction of the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Shrine ; a marble park forest ideal for mountaineering (Malopalo Marble Walls), trekking, housing caves underneath preserved for over a hundred years; a few hours land and sea travel to the beautiful islands of San Antonio (the Boracay of Samar), Capul and San Vicente for Pink Beach; it hosts the annual Sarakiki/Hadang Festival which is unique for its grand street dance performance and exhibition depicting different rituals of participants and the legendary dance of “Kuratsa”.

Not only that, driving towards Catbalogan would only take more than an hour and further at 3.5 hours would give you San Juanico Bridge - the longest bridge in Southeast Asia which connects the provinces of Samar and Leyte. Barely 30 minutes drive further will be Tacloban City and just adjacent to it is the McArthur Leyte Landing Memorial Park of Palo, Leyte. From Palo, is another 2 hours drive via Curry Avenue and Lemon-Leyte-Biliran Road for 108.60 kilometers. And finally from the port of Naval will be 1.5 to 2 hours boat ride leading to the most-prized destination of Sambawan Island. But don't forget to drop by on the white sand beaches of Dalutan Island and Capinahan.

HOW TO GET THERE

There are daily flights from Manila to Calbayog and vice versa for just an hour. You may opt to travel by land via South Road for 16 hours in a distance of 682.2 kilometers excluding the ferry boat which would take you to cross the turbulent waters of San Bernardino Strait from Matnog Port of Sorsogon to Allen of Northern Samar and then the bus ride continues till it reaches Calbayog City.  Though the land travel is long passing through the provinces Laguna, Quezon and the Bicol region, you will have the opportunity to see the countryside and among this is the famous Mount Mayon Volcano.  It is a long but exciting trip.

CIRIACO HOTEL (CALBAYOG CITY)

Location: Km. 745 Maharlika Highway, Brgy. Bagacay, Calbayog City, Samar, Philippines

Note: This is a part of my May 2 - 8, 2015 Samar-Leyte-Biliran-Mactan-Cebu Trip which includes: Capul Island, San Antonio Island, Dalutan Island, Sambawan Island, The Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Shrine, Ciriaco Hotel, Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Other Calbayog tours, San Juanico Bridge, MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park, Limasawa Island

The state-of-the-art swimming pool of Ciriaco Hotel

Ciriaco Hotel is the only deluxe hotel in the entire Region VIII and because of this fact, it somewhat spurs progress in the entire region being world-class of its kind. Guests can be accommodated in its 45 elegant and luxurious rooms, a restaurant with the best chef with his culinary expertise in various cuisines whether local, Oriental, American, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and a few others. It is noted, too, for being the region’s premier boutique hotel with other facilities like ballroom and function rooms for private and corporate events and state-of-the-art swimming pools for guests’ swimming pleasure.

The modern and stylish facade of Ciriaco Hotel

If there is one great significance that Ciriaco Hotel is contributing to the provinces of Samar (Northern, Eastern and Western provinces), it is no other than its pioneering role of boasting its tourism by offering its guests adventure getaway packages in the adventure-filled and scenic-bounty island of Samar where these tour packages are summed up into three, as follows:

Eco-exploration Package

A 3-day/2-night package that will let you explore Samar’s enchanting falls and Biri Islands intriguing rock formations .

Extreme Adventure Package

A 3-day/2-night package that will test your limits as you embark on an exciting journey to Samar’s famous falls and wild river rapids.

Ultimate Expedition Package

A 4-day/3-night package that will take you to an exhilarating expedition to enchanting falls, wild rivers and intricate rock formations.

It is appropriately cool to have a plunge in the wide-ranging pool of Ciriaco Hotel

Hitting its website at www.ciriacohotel.com , you will know what are those tourist attractions that you will know about Samar Island and Calbayog City in particular in order to give you an idea of what tour package you will opt to have.

A Superior Deluxe (Highway View) 37-square meter room with two queen beds

Hotel rooms are classified into five as follows: (1) Deluxe (Highway View), (2) Deluxe (Sea View), (3) Superior Deluxe (Highway View), (4) Superior Deluxe (Sea View), and (5) Executive Suite. Each room is equipped with 37" LCD TV with cable connection; Duvets and 350-thread count linen bed features; bathroom features: ultra plush bath linens, rainforest shower and Ciriaco bath amenities such as shampoo, body soap, body lotion, toothbrush, razor, comb, vanity, sewing kit, hot and cold water; and with room features such as luggage rack, oversized work desk, in-room safe with charger and in-room electronic safe port.

Rooms with Sea View has also the Pool View

Dining services includes a mini bar, with coffee maker upon request and with 7:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. in-room dining. Its room services also includes laundry and pressing services and personalized wake-up services. In addition, it also has WIFI internet access in guest rooms. Its check-in time is at 2:00 A.M. and check-out time at 12:00 Noon.

A blend of scenery: the sea and pool view for rooms with sea view

Other than Biri Island and the water falls, Ciriaco hotel is a 30-minute drive away from The Queen of the Most Holy Rosary along with Lo-ok Beach and accessible to the beautiful islands of San Antonio, Capul and San Vicente for the Pink Beach. Driving eight hours from Calbayog heading to Naval of Biliran, tourists can board a boat from there going to Sambawan Island.

You may find this Trip Advisor link very useful to know more about the place based on the testimonies of the satisfied clientele.

For reservations, you may contact Ciriaco Hotel and Resort through their numbers at (055) 2096521, (055) 5339300 and Mobile Number at (+63) 917 7100787 or Email address at sales@ciriacohtoel.com and search on at www.ciriacohotel.com.

HOW TO GET THERE

There are daily flights from Manila to Calbayog and vice versa for just an hour. You may opt to travel by land via South Road for 16 hours in a distance of 682.2 kilometers excluding the ferry boat which would take you to cross the turbulent waters of San Bernardino Strait from Matnog Port of Sorsogon to Allen of Northern Samar and then the bus ride continues till it reaches Calbayog City proper. The bus you are boarding can drop you in front the hotel as it is more than two kilometers away from the city proper.

THE QUEEN OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY SHRINE (MALAJOG)

Location: Barangay Malajog, Tinambacan District, Calbayog City, Samar, Philippines

Updated: January 2, 2020

The imposing Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Shrine

Note: This is a part of my May 2 - 8, 2015 Samar-Leyte-Biliran-Mactan-Cebu Trip which includes: Capul Island, San Antonio Island, Dalutan Island, Sambawan Island, The Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Shrine, Ciriaco Hotel, Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Other Calbayog tours, San Juanico Bridge, MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park, Limasawa Island

The Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Shrine is indeed, a pride of Calbayog City. It was erected through the leadership of Mr. Leonardo Hermo Oben, Jr. or known as Junior, when he was still the barangay captain of Barangay Malajog. This whole area of real estate property is a conjugal property of the deceased couple Catalino Pelito Oben and Dionesia Abayon Oben. Junior is just one of the descendants of this deceased couple. Junior worked hard in the United States to finance this project where on its later stage, some of his friends and relatives in the USA, had helped him to finance the completion of this project.

The shrine taken from the Look Beach

Brgy. Malajog is 24 kilometers away from Calbayog City or approximately 25 minutes drive. Malajog is one of the barangays of Tinambacan District --- which is one the three districts of Calbayog City, Samar. This shrine is closer to Calbayog Airport at 18.7 kilometers or 19.5 minutes drive.

The shrine taken from the entry point of the Kutay peninsula

The construction of this shrine started in October 2007 erecting initially the 22-foot statue of the Blessed Virgin Mother. It was in the year 2009 that the 14 stations of the cross, nativity scene, resurrection and the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ and two archangels has been started and was finished for more than a year where the construction of all statues was supervised by Mr. Jose Camacho. By September 4, 2010, the blessing of this shrine has been held through Bishop Isabelo C. Abarquez and he declared it as the Marian place for reflection and meditation.

The 20-foot statue of the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary on top of the hill

By February 2012, the construction of the shrine’s chapel with its adjoining guest rooms was started where there was no architect employed for this building construction. All the designs was the concept of Junior and was supervised by its visiting engineer, Mr. Allan Lanuza. The chapel is named Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. Presently, the shrine is fully operative accepting guests who wanted to stay overnight in Barangay Malajog.

The underlying view from the hilltop

There are three guest rooms at the back of the chapel where each guest room has one double-bed and one king-size bed for an overnight charge of only P1,500 per room equipped with airconditioned units and lockers to keep the guests’ stuff safe. Each guest room has each own comfort and bath room with clean towels also provided.

Overlooking the beach front stretch from atop the shrine

The common area for these three guest rooms is a 10-seater dining table, a sala and porch and a kitchen equipped with gas range and freezer where guests can use for free including the plates, cutleries and kitchen utensils. Cooking of the food can be requested from the very accommodating caretaker, Mr. Ricky Sagala.

The rewarding scenery of the famous Malajog Lo-ok Beach as viewed from atop the shrine

As of this posting, there are on-going construction for the terrace for the sunset viewing at the back of the chapel, guard house, gift shop and the office of the shrine association.

Aerial view of the guest house and the chapel

Just below the shrine is the lone building with the guest house on the rear part of the building and the front has the chapel named Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. The shrine nestles in the Kutay peninsula. It was once an abandoned piece of property.

Overlooking the vast beach coast from atop the shrine

Indeed, the peak of the hill offers a 360 degrees panoramic view showcasing the nearby islands and islets, the beaches, the rugged mountains and the picture of Barangay Malajog on its totality.

Clean beds and cabinets with lockers are provided

Guest rooms are spacious for a minimum of five persons and it allows extra bed (s) for a bigger group of family occupants and there are enough electrical outlets so that guests can provide the following day. There is mobile and internet network within the area.

Two of the guests' common areas - the dining table and the living room

There are common areas in the guests' house such as the hightech kitchen and the spacious living room with the dining table just adjacent to it. The living room has a glass sliding door which offers the complete scenery of the nearby picturesque islands.

Dining table, living room and the kitchen rolled into one common place

The ambiance inside the guesthouse on its guest rooms are just so rewarding as its amenities are just the same with that of a typical hotel room which are fully furnished.

The Most Holy Rosary Chapel

The chapel can accommodate at least 60 persons during held Catholic masses. Holy masses scheduled every First Saturday of the month and  if there are some special occasions.

Each guest room has a double bed and the queen size bed

Just close to the shrine are some added attractions where guests can also enjoy just like the beach line stretch of Lo-ok Beach. The beach itself is being surrounded by high limestone walls grown with trees which are used as a habitat of the “balinsasayaw” birds where its feces are used as expensive soup in some hotels.

Daraga Islet as taken from the gate of the shrine

Next is the Daraga Islet which is just across the shrine for 5 minutes boat drive. Guests can request the caretaker to look for boat facility to cross to the islet where it is good for swimming. The islet is uninhabited and there are no facilities there. Since nobody manages the islet, guests can enjoy it without paying for any entrance.

A private sea port as viewed atop the shrine

Another 6 minutes drive is the Malopalo massive marble walls along the Bulungto River which empties to the sea. Its entry point is in Malopalo Bridge.

Malopalo marble walls along Bulungto River

With credit to Golden Hour Photography

The pictures below were taken on January 2, 2020

Additional developments were made to this site after I posted  on May 20, 2015, and I posting all these developments based on the pictures I took on January 2, 2020.

Structures erected at the back of the initial accommodation units constructed

Initially this part of the site was nothing but a rocky portion.  These massive rocks were usually reached by the high tide and its tendency is to be slippery then.

Light posts and concrete chairs, tables and pathways were installed

The back of the site was completely turned into an open park which indeed a total makeover, enabling the guests to enjoy the beauty of sunrise and sunset on these amenities.

Truly a refreshing place to enjoy the cool breeze of the sea early in the morning and afternoon

With the developments made, the place is open for reservations for events like: wedding (there is a chapel and the restaurant for reception, so convenient); family reunion, seminars/trainings, birthday party,  meetings and conferences, team building, workshop, retreat and the like.

Its backdrop is the majestic seascape and the distant islands

For retreats or recollections, the venue can accommodate a maximum of 80 persons where adjacent to the chapel are four accommodation rooms for a total of 25 persons and the accommodation upstairs can accommodate 100 persons foam beddings.

Daraga Islet as captured from its rear part

The rear tip of the site with Daraga Islet on its backdrop

The best service it can offer the guests is its restaurant which it is called Bamboo Restaurant, which is why you will its structure is mostly made up of bamboo materials.

The spacious Bamboo Restaurant

The restaurant itself can accommodate 200 persons for dining and the 14 cottages can accommodate 84 persons for dining.    The restaurant's specialty is all-seafoods menu.  There is a live band every Saturday and Sunday from 5:00 to 11:00 P.M.

The interior of the Bamboo Restaurant

The bamboo-inspired walls of the restaurant

CONTACT DETAILS

To reserve accommodation for the guest rooms, restaurant or the whole venue, you may contact Mrs. Naty Oben or Mr. Leonardo Oben at mobile numbers: 09171600650 or 09530618671 or contact Junior through his Facebook account at Leonardo Oben. 

Calbayog is tagged as the City of Water Falls and some other tourist attractions. Thus, it deserves to be toured around. You can hire a van good to move around the place through Indira Ambos Rumohr with Facebook account at Indira Rumohr or through her mobile number at 09177188182 or through her driver in the name of Mr. Rey Tocayon with mobile number at 09265078350.

Philippine Airlines has just recently opened its new flight schedule as an additional flight to Calbayog City as indicated in this announcement below:

SAMBAWAN ISLAND

Location: Municipality of Maripipi, Biliran Province, Region VIII, Philippines

Sambawan Island in all its splendor

Note: This is a part of my May 2 - 8, 2015 Samar-Leyte-Biliran-Mactan-Cebu Trip which includes: Capul Island, San Antonio Island, Dalutan Island, Sambawan Island, The Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Shrine, Ciriaco Hotel, Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Other Calbayog tours, San Juanico Bridge, MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park, Limasawa Island

Sambawan is a part of Maripipi, and island municipality of Biliran province with 8 municipalities located northwest and considered as the smallest municipality of the province. Sambawan Island is a part of Maripipi but politically speaking, it does not belong to any of the 15 barangays of the municipality, not even Barangay Ol-og which has a port leading to Sambawan.

Biliran Bridge - it connects the provinces of Biliran and Leyte

Sambawan is indeed an island paradise with such an enchanting turquoise blue waters. There are 12 diving sites on its vicinity which have been identified showcasing variant and rich biodiversity of coral gardens. The whole of it offers a very rich marine life.

The panoramic view of Biliran town as taken from Biliran Bridge

The resort of Sambawan is managed and operated by the local government and with my experience it is well-organized. Of course, to get a chartered boat would always depend on your haggling skills. You have the option to take a boat from the Kawayan Wharf which would cost P3,000 to P3,500 for 50 minutes. Traveling there late in the afternoon will take longer as the sea becomes lightly rough even during summer, thus, it would take more than an hour. Another option is taking a boat from Naval Port which would cost you around P7,000 to P8,000 for one and half hours but again, during late afternoon, the sea becomes rough and this can even take you for 2 and half hours reaching the island.

The undisturbed Capinahan Island

For my trip, I was in a group of 10 for a 7-day Samar-Leyte-Biliran-Cebu Trip. Our trip to Sambawan was such a long one coming from Barangay Malajog, Tinambacan District, Calbayog City leaving there at 3:30 A.M. and reaching Naval Port of Biliran at 12:40 Noon for a total of 341.2 kilometers. On our way, however, we dropped in Catbalogan (Samar) – 5:25 A.M., Calbiga (Samar) – 6:05 A.M. for breakfast, San Juanico Bridge – 7:53 A.M., San Rafael Farm (Babatngon, Leyte) – 8:05 A.M., McArthur Leyte Landing Memorial Park in Palo (Leyte) – 9:05 A.M. and Biliran bridge – 11:40 A.M. via Pan-Philippine Highway just for pictorials.

This picture was taken at 6:05 P.M. of May 5, 2015

We had our lunch in Naval and decided to market our drinking water and all other food supplies we need in the island. Lunch in Naval was in a decent carinderia where costs varies from: viand is P30 and P10 for rice, fried and paksiw fish costs P15 for two pieces and vegetable per order is P20 while buco is P25 which is the same with Manila’s price. Its public market offers P160 a kilo for yellow fin fish and same with tuna. Practically, all the food supplies you need are in Naval. There are banks there and grocery stores.

The southernmost tail end of Sambawan island

We left Naval Sea Port at 2:05 P.M. and docked at Capiňahan Island at 2:30 P.M. We just stayed there for short pictorials and headed to Dalutan Island where we reached there at 3:00 P.M. The island has a stunning scenery overlooking the nearby islands and so we stayed for 20 minutes there. We reached Sambawan Island at exactly 5:00 P.M. with a total travel time of 2.68 hours from the port of Naval.

The majestic sunrise as captured from the foot of the viewdeck

Sunset in Sambawan island offers a superbly majestic scenery where one can readily capture it without any obstruction in any part of the island most particularly from the island's viewdeck.

This same angle was taken at 5:06 A.M. of the following day, May 6, 2015

Going to Kawayan wharf from the entry point of Biliran bridge will give you another 18.60 kilometers for it is nearer to Sambawan as compared with the Naval Port. There are available jeepneys which are always jampacked with passengers and cargoes.

An aerial view of the resort's cottages and beach coast as taken from the viewdeck

Personally, touching the ground of the majestic Sambawan Island is an event. I felt I was then close to mother nature. The place was so serene. The fresh sea breeze massages my skin and I find it so soothing. Friendly and accommodating staff guided us to our booked accommodation. They were actually giving us the usual briefing which included the house rules but I begged with them not to be disturbed and we just dropped our things in our cottage and we ran up to the 130-concrete stairs view deck to capture the best scenery, the one which I usually see in the blogs and their webpage.

The resort's viewdeck

I also captured a picture of a breathtaking sunset. My adrenalin rush of taking pictures came to a halt when the night gradually invaded the island. It was only that time that I came back to my normal senses. We had booked for two P2,500 cottages but we found out that each cottage has its own attic where it can accommodate 10 people in the cottage. This is not to mention that the spacious balcony of the cottage can accommodate four people to sleep. With this, I requested from the management if we can all stay in just one cottage and we were granted.

The concrete 130 stairs leading to the viewdeck

Our cottage is equipped with three beds only with soft pillow and a blanket. It has two electric fans, one in the main room and one in the attic. Outlets are available for charging cellphones and other gadgets enjoying a sundown-to-sunrise electricity supply. There is one comfort room and one bathroom equipped with fresh water. There is a strong network signal where you can enjoy net connection all night and day long.

Well-kept cottages and clean surroundings

It was at this time, too, that I negotiated with one resort’s staff to cook our food for dinner and breakfast. All the cutleries for dinner and breakfast were provided. We were charged for P300 for the cooking and the cutleries but satisfied of the service, we opted to pay the staff with P500.

The typical P2,500 per day cottages

After dinner, while enjoying the huge moon above us during a night swim, one of the resort’s staff approached us giving some in-house rules and we learned the following: (1) getting shells has penalty of P2,500; (2) no liquors are allowed in the viewdeck; (3) guests are responsible for the proper waste disposal where we are given three garbage bags segregating the recyclables, biogradable and non-biogradable; (4) our cottage has its own water meter where the first 200 liters is free and the excess would be charged for P1 per liter; (5) entrance fee is P100 per head; (6) boat docking fee is P125; and (7) minimizing noise is enforceable.

The receiving area and balcony of a P2,500 cottage

We woke up at 5:00 A.M. the following day to make sure that we can dip in the beach early in the morning. The water was really clear and irresistibly inviting. As early as 5:30 A.M., our breakfast was already served in our balcony. After rinsing, we trekked around the island which we knew that during high tide, the island transforms into three small islets.

The interior of a P2,500 cottage with a ladder going to the attic

We really wanted to stay but we still had scheduled trips ahead. Thus, at 7:08 A.M. we left the island boarding our chartered boat and reached Naval Port Terminal at 9:05 A.M. It was at the port that we eat much the chicken and pork barbecue and the puso rice. Then, at exactly 9:45 A.M. we left Naval boarding our chartered van heading to our next tourist destination – the Limasawa Island.

The toilet facility of the P2,500 cottage

The P500-rental cottages with common comfort rooms

The Diving Shop offering diving equipment and services

The J17 UP Bridge at the background

The open cottage that can accommodate 20 people for P1,000 rental

An upclose photo of the J17 UP Bridge

A photo of the cottages taken from the J17 UP Bridge

Last group photo in Sambawan island

Capturing the view of Tingkasan Island while on board the boat heading for Naval

Passenger motorized boats docked at Naval Port Terminal

A photo of Boning, our boatman with CP No 09464009849

For the resort's reservation for accommodation, you may contact in advance Mr. JC Manuel in his mobile phone at 09264104866.