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Journey / Travel To The Heart (of the Philippines)

Photo by: John Smart

Travel to the Heart (of the Philippines) is a journey to the center of the Philippine archipelago, designed to provide a five day showcase of the beauty, diversity and culture of the islands. In just five days you will discover how life on the islands flourished for thousands of years, how the gentle, fun-loving island peoples lived amidst lands and seas so bountiful (and you will also discover how modern Man unchecked, can destroy such bounty). Join the tour, visit Marinduque, Sibuyan, Bulalacao and Maestro de Campo now.

 

The journey starts on a SuperCat ferry leaving Batangas Port at sunrise, destination Mariduque. From Marinduque the SuperCat heads South to Sibuyan – the Galapagos of Asia. After enjoying the magnificent forests and rivers of Sibuyan the SuperCat heads West to Bulalacao to engage with the Mangyan – the indigenous peoples of Mindoro. Heading North from Bulalacao to the tiny island of Maestro de Campo. Fringed with white sand beaches and lush mangroves, Maestro de Campo is a window into how life is when living in harmony with Mother Nature, and without the greed of miners.

The Travel to the Heart project is the brainchild of ABS-CBN Foundation, Managing Director, Gina Lopez. Gina wanted to build on sustainable livelihood development programs that the Foundation has already started in Mindoro and Romblon and to encourage tourists from around the World to imbibe the true beauty of the Philippine islands.

Marinduque is the island of rehabilitation. In 1995 Marinduque was the site of the then World’s worst mining disaster, when the residue of the greed of the (still ungrateful and unrepentant) Canadian mining industry burst onto Marinduque’s farmlands and waterways in the center of the island, killing everything it touched. Today, Marinduque, without a single cent of worthwhile assistance from Canadian mining interests is building a tourist infrastructure that offers kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, caving, trekking and much more. Through the annual Moriones Festival the gentle people of Marinduque now shown a new face to the World that highlights their character and faith, rising above adversity.

Sibuyan is the island of conservation. On Sibuyan Island the forest is so dense in places that as many as 1,600 tree species per square kilometer jostle for sunlight in the rainforest that rises form the shores to the dramatic saw-tooth ridge of Mount Giting-giting. The rivers that flow out from the forest around Mount Giting-giting are recognized as the cleanest in all the Philippines, and possibly the cleanest in Asia. Known as the Galapagos of Asia for its biodiversity and unique animal and plant species, Sibuyan Island is currently under threat from foreign mining interests, who wish to strip the forest and poison the rivers. Sibuyan needs to be conserved. By visiting now you will demonstrate your love for the beauty of Mother Nature and help the people of Sibuyan fend off the destruction that mining brings.

Bulalacao is the place where the stars fall. Some suggest that the thirteen islands that surround Bulalacao are the fragments of a falling star and that this star blessed the area with the best farmland and the most abundant seas for the benefit of the indigenous peoples who still dominate the population. In Bulalacao you will obtain first-hand experience of the rich heritage of the Mangyan: their culture, their cooking and their handicrafts. Then you will experience the rich mangrove forests and the powder-soft, white sand beaches of the islands. When you return, as surely you will, there will be kayaking, scuba diving, caving, river trekking, mangrove trails, mountain biking, birdwatching and more.

Finally to Maestro de Campo – a microcosm of Earth itself. A tiny island, remote from Mindoro and everywhere else, the islanders are by nature self-reliant and live in harmony with their environment. Desiring to enjoy some of the benefits of the 21st century, Maestro de Campo is tentatively exploring is tourism potential and you can be some of the first to walk the trails that circumnavigate the island, take a dip in the clear waters that lap at the white sand coves, and snorkel over carpets of coral while watching the pawikan (sea turtles) swim lazily by. Maestro de Campo could very easily become the glamping capitol of the Philippines.

Over five glorious days and four starry nights you will discover the heart of the Philippines in a way that has never before been possible.

For more information about how to Travel to the Heart (of the Philippines), contact ABS-CBN Foundation’s Green Initiative: Ms. Mari-An Santos, +63 927 643-4809

 

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