Category Archives: Cavite

A Historical Tour of Corregidor (Cavite)

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Battery Hearns

Come morning, prior to breakfast, Lee and Mark opted to do some fishing as South Dock.  The fish that early morning weren’t biting and the only thing they had to show for their unsuccessful effort was a lost fish hook.   After a hearty and filling breakfast, Mark and I, with other hotel and day tour guests, joined the regular tour via tranvia.  Its itinerary included Batteries Hearns, Geary, Way and Crockett, plus the Pacific War Memorial (and its museum), Lorcha Dock and the Spanish Lighthouse.

A tranvia

Battery Hearns, a 12-inch seacoast gun, was built from 1918 to 1921 at a cost of US$148,105. One of the last major additions to Corregidor’s defense system, it had a maximum range of 29,000 yards and was capable of firing in all directions. Intended to defend the island against enemy naval threat from the South China Sea, Battery Hearns had been in action firing towards Cavite from February 1942 and, on April 8 and 9, 1942, towards Bataan. When Corregidor fell, this gun emplacement was captured nearly intact by the Japanese.  It was subsequently repaired and put back into action.  However, in January and February of 1945, it was completely neutralized by American aerial bombardment.

Battery Way

Battery Way, built from 1904 to 1913 at a cost of US$112,969, was named after 2nd Lt. Henry N. Way of the 4th U.S. Artillery who was killed in 1900 during the Philippine-American War.  It was armed with four 12-inch mortars capable of firing a 1,000-lb. deck piercing of 700-lb. high explosive shell in any direction with a maximum range of 14,610 yards at the rate of one round per minute per mortar.  Three of the serviceable mortars opened fire on April 28, 1942 and on May 2, two of these were hit.  After more than 12 hours of continuous firing, the remaining mortar finally froze tight on May 6, the last to cease firing before the surrender.

Battery Geary

Battery Geary was built from 1907 to 1911 at a cost of US$145,198. It was named in honor of Capt. Woodbridge Geary of the 13th U.S. Infantry who died in 1899 during the Philippine-American War. With a maximum range of 14,610 yards, its eight 12-inch mortars were capable of firing in any direction.  Considered as the most effective anti-personnel weapon in Corregidor, the vertical plunging trajectories of the mortars made them ideal for use against enemy entrenched on higher grounds in Bataan.  The battery had two mortar pits with 3 magazines and its standard crew consisted of 4 men per mortar.

Battery Crockett

Battery Crockett, one of the 6″ disappearing” gun batteries that formed the interlocking field of fire which totally encircled the island, was built from 1905 to 1908 at a cost of US$290,049. Armed with two 12-inch seacoast guns mounted on disappearing carriages behind a concrete parapet, this battery basically fired south across the major southern channel into Manila Bay.  It had a range of 17,000 yards and was capable of a 170-degree traverse, with overlapping fields, or a total of 220 degrees coverage for the battery. Similar to Battery Cheney and Battery Wheeler in design, it was centrally located on the island.

Pacific War Memorial

The Pacific War Memorial, standing on the highest part of Corregidor, on the island’s west,  was built by the U.S. government and completed in 1948 at the cost of US$ 1,230,000.  It is dedicated to the Filipino and American soldiers who shed their blood on Corregidor. The memorial’s dome has an opening at the top through which sunlight shines through to exactly fill a circular altar on the week of May 6, the Fall of Corregidor. Left of the acacia tree-shaded entrance is the Cine Corregidor Ruins and behind it is a small, modest marble museum containing war relics, photos, a documentary film projection room, souvenir shop and descriptive information.

Eternal Flame

To the right of the museum is the remains of the Bachelor Officers’ Quarters and the Post Headquarters.  Within the complex is the steel wing-shaped sculpture Eternal Flame designed by Greek-American sculptor Archimedes Demetrius. The flagpole, originally a mast of a Spanish warship, was salvaged by Admiral George Dewey after the Battle of Manila Bay, and had it planted in Corregidor.  It is where the American flag was lowered during the surrender and raised again during the liberation.  The American flag was lowered for the last time on October 12, 1947 and the Philippine flag was hoisted in its stead.

Lorcha Dock

Lorcha Dock, situated near Gen. Douglas MacArthur Park (has a life-size bronze statue of the general), is often referred to as The Army Dock or MacArthur’s Dock.  It was at this dock where, on March 11, 1942, Gen. Douglas MacArthur boarded PT Boat 41, under the command of Navy Lt. John Bulkeley, for Australia.  The Spanish Lighthouse, located on the highest point of the island (628 ft. above sea level), is a reproduction of the old lighthouse built in 1897 but destroyed during World War II.  It has a commanding view of the island.  We previously visited the lighthouse and the Pacific War Memorial during the Adventour.

Mark tries out the ROCKet zipline

After the tour, we returned to the hotel for lunch and check out.  After lunch, all four of us, together with Jovy and Mat, proceeded to the Mile Long Barracks for additional photo ops and, prior to our leaving, Mark (a first for him) and I tried out the ROCKet Zipline (http://www.benjielayug.com/2009/12/launch-of-the-rocket-zipline-corregidor-cavite.html).  a 40-ft. high, 300-m. long free-fall cable ride.  Gravity-propelled and with rocket-like speed, it stretches from Corregidor Inn to the South Beach.  This piece de resistance truly capped two adrenalin-fulfilling days in the historic, and now adventure-filled, island of Corregidor.

Sun Cruises, Inc. (SCI) – Reservation Office: CCP Terminal A, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila.  Tel: (632) 831-8140 and (632) 834-6857 to 58.  Fax: (632) 834-1523.  E-mail: suncruises@magsaysay.com.ph.

Sun Cruises, Inc. (SCI) – Sales Office: 21/F,  Times Plaza Bldg., Ermita, Manila.  Tel: (632) 527-5555 local 4511 and 4512.  Fax: (632) 527-5555 local 4513.  E-mail: sales@suncruises.com.ph.

Overnight in Corregidor (Cavite)

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After the Corregidor Adventour and our delightful boodle lunch, Bernard Supetran and SCI’s Roland Portes and Bob Aquino and the other participants left for the mainland on board the 2:30 PM boat but four us, professional photographer Lee Llamas, blogger Mark Vincent Nunez, Philippine Star Lifestyle columnist Enrico “Rico” Miguel Subido and me, opted to stay overnight at the Corregidor Inn.   Market Development Officer Jovany Ann “Jovy” Lee, with her daughter Mat, joined us.

Check out “Corregidor Island: Adventour Challenge“

Corregidor Inn

This would my first time to stay overnight on the island, aside from my 1975 overnight bivouac during my high school  pre-military training (PMT).  The inn, sometimes called the Corregidor Hotel & Resort, is strategically located on top of a hill at the center of the island (Middleside), between the North and South Dock.

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review: Corregidor Inn“

The standard twin room we stayed in

At the inn’s second floor, Mark and I stayed in an airconditioned standard twin room with bath (one of 30) while Lee and Rico stayed at the inn’s lone but more opulent and roomy suite located at the end of the hall.  Our room had no cable TV but the lobby had one (although showing only local channels). All 31 rooms have a star lantern making the inn, as our tour guide would jokingly say, the only 31-star hotel in the world.

Hallway leading to the rooms

 

La Playa Restaurant

A short walk away from the inn is the beach with some unique stones. Called bloodstones, they have red blemishes which, according to a story, are believed to be the blood of the dead soldiers.

The inn’s swimming pool
Corregidor Inn: Signal Hill, Brgy. San Jose, Corregidor Island, Cavite.  Mobile number: (0917) 527-6350. E-mail: corregidor_inn@suncruises.com.ph.  Website: www.corregidorphilippines.com/corr_inn.html.
Sun Cruises, Inc. (SCI) – Reservation Office: CCP Terminal A, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila.  Tel: (632) 831-8140 and (632) 834-6857 to 58.  Fax: (632) 834-1523.  E-mail: suncruises@magsaysay.com.ph.
Sun Cruises, Inc. (SCI) – Sales Office: 21/F,  Times Plaza Bldg., Ermita, Manila.  Tel: (632) 527-5555 local 4511 and 4512.  Fax: (632) 527-5555 local 4513.  E-mail: sales@suncruises.com.ph.

Malinta Lateral Tour (Corregidor Island)

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After the launch of the ROCKet Zipline, I joined the media group on a ghost-hunting tour of the unexplored and unlighted hospital laterals of Malinta Tunnel.   Here,we donned hard hats for head protection (some parts of the tunnel have low head rooms) and brought flashlights.  We started the tour at the tunnel’s east entrance, proceeded to the second lateral on the right side, then headed northward towards the tunnel’s north entrance.

Check out “Launch of the ROCKet Zipline“

Malinta Tunnel entrance

Malinta Tunnel entrance

At one time, our tour guide requested us to turn off our flashlights for a few seconds so as to have a feel of the eerie darkness of night.  He also pointed out the location where, just prior to the recapture of Corregidor by the Americans, a number of Japanese soldiers who, rather than surrender, strapped themselves together and committed suicide by blowing themselves up with grenades.

Into the darkness

Into the darkness

Our guide narrating the tunnel's past history

Our guide narrating the tunnel’s past history

The guide  also pointed to a piece of bone (presumably Japanese), charred as a result of the Americans pouring gasoline down the air vents and then dropping grenades to detonate it. As a result, most of tunnel walls (ironically, built with Japanese Asada cement) were blackened with soot.  Of the 2,000 remaining Japanese, only 26 of them survived the blazing inferno.

An air vent where gasoline was poured into the tunnel

An air vent where gasoline was poured into the tunnel

Land crab - denizen of the dark

Land crab – denizen of the dark

Sun Cruises, Inc. (SCI) – Reservation Office: CCP Terminal A, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila.  Tel: (632) 831-8140 and (632) 834-6857 to 58.  Fax: (632) 834-1523.  E-mail: suncruises@magsaysay.com.ph.

Sun Cruises, Inc. (SCI) – Sales Office: 21/F,  Times Plaza Bldg., Ermita, Manila.  Tel: (632) 527-5555 local 4511 and 4512.  Fax: (632) 527-5555 local 4513.  E-mail: sales@suncruises.com.ph.

Taal Vista Hotel (Tagaytay City, Cavite)

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Taal Vista Hotel

A lot of my childhood memories included family visits to Tagaytay  City where we enjoyed the cool and crisp (average temperature is 22.7 degrees Celsius) mountain air and a picture-pretty view of Taal Volcano from its original grand viewdeck: Taal Vista Hotel. I wanted to sample what the hotel had to offer, so I brought along my wife Grace, kids, Jandy and Cheska, plus in-laws, and stayed two nights in 2 (out of 88) interconnected superior rooms. On arrival, we were welcomed by the soft-spoken, Mr. Ikuo Itoi, and Ms Zeny Alcantara.

Check out “Hotel and Inn Review: Taal Vista Hotel“

De luxe room

The hotel has its beginnings way back in 1935 when the Zamoras of Manila Hotel bought six hectares of flatland perched atop an incline along Ilong Kastila (people say it resembles a nose or ilong) from American Hammon H. Buck, the Superintendent of Schools in Batangas. Two years later, hotel was built. Its architect was probably Andres Luna de San Pedro who, just a few years earlier, renovated another landmark, the Manila Hotel, to accommodate a suite for Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

Its contractor was probably the well-known Pedro Soichi who built the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila. Both were favored by Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon who was then, as I still am now, equally fascinated with Tagaytay. Upon completion, Quezon frequently held cabinet meetings in the lodge’s premises and, on 21 June 1938, he converted Tagaytay into a chartered city by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 338.

During World War II, the lodge was converted into quarters for Japanese officers. Between 1956 and 1964, Tagaytay began to be promoted as a major tourist attraction of the Philippines and Taal Vista Lodge was one of its leading attractions. n fact, the hotel was the public viewing ground to the September 28, 1965 (8 PM) major eruption of the volcano as well as mild to moderate eruptions from 1966 to 1970 (lasting from three to 65 days), and mild eruptions in 1976 (September 3 to October 23), 1977 (October 3 to 4 and  November 9 to 12) and 1991. In 1973, Taal Vista Lodge, now a three-star hotel, boasted a large pavilion for dinner and dancing, a bowling alley, a golf course, a billiards hall and a horseback riding area beside the lodge.

One its many regular visitors was a young man who often chose one spot in the grounds from which he gazed out and dream. That dreamer was Henry Sy whose SM Investments Corp. would later acquire the hotel. In 2002, he had the hotel rebuilt in the style of the original lodge and added 2 new extensions on the east side of the complex to provide 128 rooms, conference facilities and amenities. In 2004, this reinvigorated and now first-class hotel welcomed back guests and visitors. Today, it remains a landmark deeply entrenched in the history and heritage of Tagaytay City.

Taal Vista Hotel Historical Mural

The original building now houses the hotel’s front desk, business center, shops, ball room and meeting rooms. At the hotel foyer is the 26-ft x 8-ft. Taal Vista Hotel Historical Mural, a joint project of Paolo Alcazaren and Felix Mago Miguel.

Seasons

However, the building’s focal point are its three food and beverage outlets: Cafe-on-the-Ridge, Season’s, and the Lobby Lounge. Both take you far beyond the plate,whether al fresco or from within, as their panoramic floor-to-ceiling glass windows allows diners to watch, aside from Taal Volcano and Lake, the fog rolling in, the captivating sunset and, at nighttime, the stars or the pinpoint lights of fishing boats and the lakeshore towns. cafe-in-the-ridge, offering a la carte & buffet service, recreates the cuisine and ambiance of two continents, featuring a menu that distinctly highlights the simple elegance of Europe, the carefree disposition of Spain and the Asian mystique was offered with live entertainment at night. Season’s, where you can dine of the finest gourmet creations made from the freshest of the season,  is a classy fusion of setting and landscape, is a perfect place for intimate dinners and cozy get-togethers.

The Lobby Lounge, with its natural motifs, was an ideal rendezvous for a lazy after dinner conversation, evening interludes and winding down moments. Its well-stocked bar offers light meals, coffee or cocktails. Here, warmed by the fireplace, we all sampled hot chocolate while listening to a piano.Try sampling  the Chocolate Eruption, a sinfully delicious dessert concoction prepared and baked, minutes before serving, by Canadian executive chef Bill McGrath.

Swimming pool

The tropical style Ylang-Ylang Spa, ran by French doctor, Charles Sutter and his Filipina wife Pristine in Davao, applies all-natural techniques and ingredients rooted on the principle of  “touch therapy” which has been proven to stimulate the release of endorphins which is supposed to make you happy.

The hotel is in the midst of a Php 650 million (US$16 million) expansion which will add 133 more rooms, 6 function rooms, and a 1,000-seater grand ballroom. By the end of the year, the hotel will have a total of  261 guestrooms, 2 grand ballrooms and 16 function rooms.

Taal Vista Hotel: Tagaytay City, Cavite.  Tel: (046) 886-4325 and (046) 413-1000.  Fax: (046) 413-1225.

Aguinaldo Shrine (Kawit, Cavite)

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After bringing my son Jandy to school, I decided, on a whim, to do some sightseeing outside Metro Manila, motoring all the way, via the Cavite Coastal Rd., to Kawit in Cavite where I plan to visit the Aguinaldo Shrine, the birthplace of Philippine Independence.  Upon arrival at the shrine, I met up with Mr. Alvin Alcid, the shrine curator, who toured me around the mansion.

Aguinaldo Shrine

The stately, 6-storey (including a mezzanine) Aguinaldo’s house started out in 1845 as a wood and nipa thatch structure before being rebuilt in 1849 as a bahay na bato with a stonewalled ground floor and a wooden second floor with banks of capiz windows.  Emilio Aguinaldo was born (according to his mother) here on March 22, 1869 (March 26 according to his partida de baptismo or parish records).

The Independence Balcony

The mansion underwent another facelift from 1919 to 1921.  To commemorate the “original” Independence Day (albeit on a personal basis), Aguinaldo added the elaborate, cannon-capped “Independence Balcony” to replace the bank of capiz windows at the living room. The Philippine sun, stars and foliate patterns decorate its eaves.  The balcony is now used during June 12 Independence Day celebrations.

The watchtower

Before his death on February 6, 1964, at the venerable age of 94 (our oldest president), Aguinaldo, in a fitting, final gesture, turned over his home and a portion of the gardens to the government on June 12, 1963 to “perpetuate the spirit of the Philippine Revolution of 1896.”   Four months later, on June 18, 1964, the mansion was declared a National Shrine and a National Treasure, by virtue of Republic Act No. 4039, and placed under the management of the National Historical Institute (now National Historical Commission of the Philippines).

Aguinaldo’s bedroom

The architecturally-inclined former president also added a family wing of children’s bedrooms; a gabled, 3-storey, spired watchtower (Aguinaldo’s favorite spot for viewing, on a clear day, the skyline of Manila) on top of the mansion (designed to match a 200-year old tamarind tree, since felled by lightning), and below it, a bedroom called the Tower Suite, his favorite retreat in his later years.

Today, the entire house uniquely blends Rococo, Baroque and Gothic architectural styles characteristic of the Spanish and American colonial period.  The entire ground floor, formerly the zaguan or grain storage area, was converted into a revolutionary-theme museum.  On exhibit are Aguinaldo’s personal memorabilia and uniforms, dioramas of the Battle of Zapote River, the Battle of Binakayan and Aguinaldo’s oath-taking as president, an exhibit of prominent Cavite revolutionary heroes, historical relics and weapons.    There is also a chess set and a bowling alley.

Aguinaldo had a very inventive and secretive mind. The antique, mostly Philippine hardwood furniture done by skilled native woodcarvers, some designed by the general himself, includes an armoire, inlaid ivory love seats, four-poster beds, China cabinets and Vienna rocking chairs.  Some chairs and cabinets have secret compartments to hide important documents or even weapons.  Ingenious sliding wall panels, along the narrow stairways to the upper rooms and in the bedrooms, are used as secret storage areas large enough for two people to hide.

The Dining Room

There are also camouflaged secret passages made just for the general.  The one leading to his second floor bedroom is concealed by a wall of shelves at the main stair landing.   Below the ground is a stone air raid shelter concealed under the kitchen’s wooden dining table top.

The decorated dining room ceiling

On the second floor are the general’s bedroom, the grand hall, conference room, dining room and kitchen and the azotea.  The rectangular grand hall is a visual showcase of Aguinaldo’s nationalistic fervor.  On the walls and pillars are recurring flag patterns done in polished wooden mosaic. The floor, a waxed-and-polished jigsaw puzzle of flags, is a mosaic of wooden trapezoids.  The decorated ceiling, which commemorates the events of August 30, 1896 (the start of the revolution), features Inang Pilipinas (Mother Philippines), an eight-rayed sun representing the first 8 provinces to rise in revolt, and the furled flags and dove of the pre-World War II League of Nations (symbolic of Aguinaldo’s aspiration for Philippine recognition in the League of Nations).

Corridor leading to children’s bedrooms

At the end of the hall are the historic windows and the added “Independence Balcony.”  The dining room ceiling is a gallery of soaring symbols featuring a bas-relief map of the country with Cavite (site of his glorious victories) painted red to symbolize war.   Overlooking the grand hall, like an alcove or balcony, is the mezzanine library.   A corridor leads to the mansion’s eastern wing where Aguinaldo’s daughters used to live with their families.

Children’s bedrooms

Another flight of stairs lead me to the Ambassador’s Room, the former study of Ambassador Jose Melencio, Aguinaldo’s son-in-law.  Above it, through a narrow stairway, is Aguinaldo’s Tower Suite.  In it are a brass bed and a large roll-top escritorio.  To reach the spired tower, the general’s favorite retreat, I had to climb a foot-wide, almost ladder-like stair.  Here, I had a bird’s eye view of the town and Aguinaldo Park (Liwasang Emilio Aguinaldo).

Check out “Liwasang Emilio Aguinaldo“

Aguinaldo Park
View of town from Tower Suite

At the garden behind the house is Aguinaldo’s marble tomb, facing the river whose waters often served as a secret escape route.

Aguinaldo’s marble tomb
Aguinaldo Shrine: E. Aguinaldo Highway, Kawit, Cavite. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 8 AM-4 PM.

Residence Inn Zoo (Tagaytay City, Cavite)

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From the 41st Division P.A. USAFFE Shrine, Jandy and I continued on our way to Residence Inn.  As it was along the highway, it was easy to find.  There’s an entrance fee.  The inn,  which also has an excellent view of Taal Volcano and Lake, has airconditioned accommodations and a restaurant.

Check out “41st Division P.A. USAFFE Shrine“

However, we were just there on a 1-day tour of its mini-zoo which is more like an interactive petting zoo as, at the entrance, fresh fruits and other food  are sold to visitors who want to feed the animals (except the tigers).  The zoo has a menagerie of 30 or so animals,  some caged while others were free-roaming.

Jandy beside a free-roaming cassowary
A caged tiger

The first animals we saw were the noisily chirping parrots and cockatoos, some caged while others were out, tied loosely to their perches.  Also near the entrance were pythons, fishes and a tiger cub.  There were also screaming monkeys, caged Malay civet cats and tigers, free-roaming peacocks, ponies, llamas,  a free-roaming cassowary, wild pigs and crocodiles.  The zoo could actually be toured in an hour.

A caged crocodile
A python in a glass case

Residence Inn: Km. 65, Brgy. Neogan, Tagaytay City, Cavite. Tel: (632) 899-9829 (Manila)

41st Division P.A. USAFFE Shrine (Tagaytay City, Cavite)

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After my jobsite inspection at La Residencia de Laguna and lunch in Tagaytay City, Jandy and I went out of our way to visit the Residence Inn Zoo.  Along the way, we made a stopover at the 41st Division P.A. USAFFE (United States Armed Forces in the Far East) Shrine, beside the City Hall and Tagaytay Convention Center.

Check out “Residence Inn Zoo“

41st Division P.A. USAFFE Shrine

Within the shrine are marble walls etched with the names of all 6,000 servicemen of the 41st Division, Philippine Army, under the command of Brig.-Gen. Vicente P. Lim.  Coming from Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Tayabas (now Quezon) and Palawan, these men mobilized on Tagaytay Ridge on August 1941.  Here, they set up camp and trained for war, prior to joining the ensuing Battle of Bataan. A bas-relief sculpture also helps tell the heroic story of the defenders of Bataan and Corregidor.

The bas-relief sculpture

41st Division P.A. USAFFE Shrine: Km. 59, Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Brgy. Kaybagal South, Tagaytay City, Cavite.

My First Visit to Corregidor (Cavite)

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Corregidor Island

The first time I visited the island fortress of Corregidor was way back in 1975 (via a Philippine Navy LST) when we had our Don Bosco High School CAT (Citizen’s Army Training) bivouac.  Back then this bastion of democracy was just as it was – in ruins, and Malinta Tunnel was just a haunt for the ghosts of World War II past.  And to add insult to injury, scavengers even made a killing cutting up some of the pre-World War II guns for scrap iron.  Surely, its defenders would have turned in their graves.

MV EGI Enterprise

Things have changed since then.  In 1987, the private, non-stock Corregidor Foundation, Inc. was created by the Department of Tourism with the Philippine Tourism Authority as its implementing arm.  The island was reforested and its infrastructure was developed and upgraded.  Now, more than 50,000 people visit the island each year.

Jandy and Grace with her Tita Rory Bilog (second from right)

Twenty years since I last visited the island, I again made a pilgrimage to this former bastion of military supremacy in the Pacific.  My wife Grace and my 8 year old Jandy joined me and we left early in the morning aboard the MV EGI Enterprise, owned and operated by  E. Ganzon Inc. (E.G.I.), the outfit where wife worked.

Jandy seated on the lap of his Tito Greg Bilog

Joining us were sisters Helen and Cherry Pie Ganzon and E.G.I. officers Mely Macapagal (a distant relative of  now President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo) and Raquel Purificacion.    Other employees of E. Ganzon, Inc. also joined us.   By coincidence, Grace’s Tito Greg and Tita Rory Bilog were also on the trip.

EGI staff on board the MV EGI Enterprise

We departed the PTA Bay Cruise Terminal at the CCP Complex by 8 A.M..  The trip took all of three and a half hours and lunch was served before we disembarked.

This tadpole-shaped, 9 sq.km. Corregidor Island lies at the entrance to Manila Bay and is dominated by huge limestone formations.  It is 5.6 kms. long, 2.4 kms. at its widest point and is 6 kms. off the tip of the Bataan peninsula, 16 kms. from Cavite to the south and 45 kms. across the bay from Manila.

Its head rises 200 m. from the sea, flattens into two plateaus called Topside and Middleside and below them is Bottomside (its lowest point, at 50 ft.  above sea level) and Malinta Hill. The distance from Topside to Bottomside is about 3 kms.. The summit affords fine views of the Bataan peninsula and the surrounding sea while the tail end has narrow sandy beaches with clear waters.

The island’s name was either derived from the Spanish name for “corrector” (one who checks and corrects papers of incoming ships) or from the Spanish word corregidor (the man who heads the corregimiento or unpacified military zone).  It is currently administered from Cavite Ciy (Cavite).  The island is, however, nearer geographically and historically to Mariveles (Bataan) and is currently being contested by the two provinces.

Originally called Maribela, it was the haunt of Chinese and Moro pirates and was a signal station where bonfires were lit to apprise Manila of an incoming galleon.  The Dutch captured the island in 1647 and used it as a base for raids on the Bataan coast.  The Spanish subsequently built a dockyard, naval hospital, lighthouse and gun emplacements.

Approaching North Dock

The Americans, seeing its strategic value, renamed it Fort Mills and strengthened its fortifications, boring  Malinta Tunnel and installing 56 coastal guns in 23 seacoast batteries  and mortars and 76 anti-aircraft guns in 13 batteries.   The artillery models date back to 1890.

Nicknamed “The Rock” and now a National Shrine, it acquired immense significance as a symbol of determined resistance to Japanese invaders by its embattled Filipino and American defenders during World War II.  It was also the seat of the Commonwealth government of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon after the fall of Manila, and the headquarters of Gen. Douglas MacArthur and U.S. High Commissioner Francis B. Sayre.

The island was first bombed by the Japanese on December 29, 1941.   After Bataan’s fall on April 9,  MacArthur withdrew part of his Fil-American forces to Corregidor and its sister islands, Caballo, Carabao and El Fraile.  It was intensively bombarded by Japanese planes and 110 guns, ranging from 75 mm. to 240 mm..  The guns of Corregidor and the other islands countered as best as they could until all its guns were knocked out.

On May 5, the Japanese launched a two-battalion invasion on the beaches, two-thirds were destroyed by the gallant defenders, but the remainder made a successful beachhead. The 13,000 sick and hungry defenders retreated to the Malinta Tunnel system, held out for a day, and surrendered on May 6, 1942.

During the liberation, Corregidor was captured by a combined air (503rd Parachute Regiment led by Col. George M. Jones) and sea assault from February 16-March 1 which cost 210 American lives.  Fewer than 50 of the 5,200 Japanese defenders survived.

In 1968, Corregidor again hugged the headlines when over 60 Tausug and Sama youths, recruited for a top secret training program known as “Project Merdeka”  (objective: attack disputed Sabah or Borneo), staged a mutiny on the island.  They were all killed by their training officers in what became known as the infamous “Jabidah Massacre.”  This event was said to have triggered the birth of the Moro National Liberation Front and the rise of its chairman, Nur Misuari.

Upon arrival at the island’s North Dock, a jeepney was waiting to tour our group around the island.  Our first stop, past the Corregidor Hotel and Resort, was South Dock at Bottomside where the gallant allied garrison surrendered.

Walking around, we visited Lorcha Dock and San Jose Church.  Lorcha Dock is where Douglas MacArthur departed via PT boat for Australia.  It contains a life-size bronze statue of the general and a plaque with the immortal MacArthur words “I Shall Return”. San Jose Church, at Barrio San Jose, is a reconstruction of the island’s original church.

San Jose Church

We then booked ourselves (P100 for adults and P50 for children) for the 2 P.M., 30-minute Light and Sound Show at Malinta Tunnel. Vividly staged for visitors, it was scripted by the late National Artist Lamberto V. Avellana and it reenacts dramatic events during World War II like the Japanese invasion, the surrender and the liberation of Corregidor.

Malinta Tunnel

Malinta Tunnel, since renamed Wainwright Tunnel, is actually an 836-foot long, fishbone-shaped system of bombproof tunnels with three 227 meter by eight meter main sections and 24 49 m. by 4.5 m. laterals. Besides being the headquarters, it also housed a 1,000-bed hospital, a U.S. Navy command unit and storage areas. It was bored out  of Malinta Hill with Old Bilibid Prison inmates between 1922 and 1932.  MacArthur stayed here from December 29, 1941 to March 12, 1942 and occupied the third lateral (north side) from the entrance.

Waiting outside the tunnel

After the show and tour of the tunnel, we visited the Aviary which housed foreign and local varieties of birds like the Philippine horned owl, Australian cockatiels, scarlet macaus  and peacocks.

Back to our jeepney, we then proceeded to Battery Way and Hearns at Topside. Topside, the heart of Fort Mills, contained all the major caliber seacoast guns around it which commanded the north and south entrances to Manila Bay. It  also contained the pre-war Army headquarters (Harbor Defense and Senior Officers Quarters), American High School, parade ground, golf course, theater (Cine Corregidor), old Spanish lighthouse, the “Mile Long” barracks, the Pacific War Memorial and the famous flagpole.

Grace and Jandy at Battery Way

En route to Battery Way, we passed by the ruins of two three-storey buildings of Middleside which housed the 60th Coast Artillery Regiment and the 91st Philippine Scout Coast Artillery Regiment and the post hospital.  It was briefly occupied by the 4th Marine Regiment upon its arrival in Corregidor in December 1941.

Battery Way

Battery Way, completed in 1913, was armed with four 12-inch mortars capable of firing in any direction with a maximum range of 14,610 yards at the rate of one round per minute per mortar.  Three of the serviceable mortars opened fire on April 28, 1942 and on May 2, two of these were hit.  After more than 12 hours of continuous firing, the remaining mortar finally froze tight on May 6, the last to cease firing before the surrender.

Battery Hearns

Battery Hearns,  a 12-inch seacoast gun with a maximum range of 29,500 yards, was capable of firing in all directions.  It was one of the last major additions to the island’s defense system and had been in action firing towards Cavite (from February 1942) and towards Bataan (April 8 and 9).  It was captured nearly intact by the Japanese, repaired but completely neutralized by American aerial bombardment from January-February 1945.

Pacific War Memorial

After our visit to these batteries, we then proceeded to the Pacific War Memorial. Standing on the highest part of Corregidor on the island’s west, it was built by the U.S. government and completed in 1948 at the cost of US$ 1,230,000.

Check out “Pacific War Memorial Museum“

Circular altar

It is dedicated to the Filipino and American soldiers who shed their blood on Corregidor. The memorial’s dome has an opening at the top through which sunlight shines through to exactly fill a circular altar on the week of May 6, the Fall of Corregidor.

Left of the acacia tree-shaded entrance is the Cine Corregidor Ruins and behind it is a small, modest marble museum containing war relics, photos, a documentary film projection room, souvenir shop and descriptive information.

Cine Corregidor Ruins

A familiar display is the bullet-riddled car used by former First Lady Dona Aurora A. Quezon when she was ambushed by Huks on April 28, 1949 together with daughter Ma. Aurora and son-in-law Felipe Buencamino III.  It was formerly housed in Fort Santiago in Manila.

Corregidor Museum

To the right of the museum is the remains of the Bachelor Officers’ Quarters and the Post Headquarters.  Within the complex is the steel wing-shaped sculpture Eternal Flame designed by Greek-American sculptor Archimedes Demetrius.

The bullet-riddled car of Dona Aurora A. Quezon

The flagpole, originally a mast of a Spanish warship, was salvaged by Adm. George Dewey after the Battle of Manila Bay, and had it planted in Corregidor.  It is where the American flag was lowered during the surrender and raised again during the liberation.  The American flag was lowered for the last time on October 12, 1947 and the Philippine flag was hoisted in its stead.

Eternal Flame

The 880-m. long, three-storey high and hurricane-proof “Mile Long” Barracks is reputedly the world’s longest military barracks.  It housed 8,000 men and the headquarters of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.  Our visit to the memorial concluded our island tour.  It was getting late and we had return to our ship for another three-and-a-half hour trip back to Manila.

There are many other sites that could be visited besides those mentioned here.  They include the Japanese Garden of Peace Park, the 6,000-square meter Filipino Heroes Memorial, the Buddhist Shrine, the Spanish Lighthouse for a breathtaking view of Manila Bay and the South China Sea, the 2,000-sq. m., fully landscaped Filipino-America Friendship Park and many other sites.

Check out “Japanese Garden of Peace Park” and “Filipino Heroes Memorial“

The author with Jandy

The island also brims with numerous other possibilities.  For those with a sense of adventure, the island’s beaches, wide open spaces and thick vegetation lend themselves to a number of outdoor activities, like hiking along mountain trails, kayaking, biking, swimming and the game of Gotcha! (a paintball game).  You have to bring your own bikes and kayaks.

Puerto Azul Golf and Country Club (Ternate, Cavite)

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From the  Palace in the Sky in Tagaytay City, we next motored, via the Naic-Indang Rd., to the town of Ternate where we  visited the 1,024-hectare Puerto Azul Golf & Country Club.  This 5-star resort, carved out of heavily forested valleys and towering mountains, was developed during the 1970s Marcos era.

Check out “Palace in the Sky“

We first made a stopover at Paniman Beach along Paniman Bay, one of the resort’s 4 gray sand beaches (the others are Caysubic, Cayokno and Palicpican).  During its earlier days, this beach used to be covered with white sand said to have been brought over from Boracay, then unknown to the Filipinos.  The white sand is now gone, washed away by the tides.

Mel and Grace at one of Puerto Azul’s beaches

From the beach, we next negotiated a steep road to get to its lookout which has a view of the resort’s 100-hectare golf course, a private club open only to hotel guests.  One of the country’s most scenic courses, the golf here is surpassed only by views of Palicpican Beach.  Designed by world-renowned golfer Gary Player and Ron Kirby, this 18-hole, 6,556-yard, par 72 (adjustable to 71 for big events like the Philippine Open) golf course has a front 9 with rugged terrain punctuated with mountains, pristine rivers and streams while the back nine is close to the sea.

The scenic golf course

The course takes you through jungle, up and over mountains and finishes up on the beach.  An elevator takes you from the 6th green up to the 7th tee.  The last two tee shots on the back nine are probably the most dramatic. The par 3 17th Hole, the courses’ signature hole, is protected on its left by one of the deepest water hazards in Philippine golf – the South China Sea.  The 18th hole is across the beach.  Facilities include the nine-hole par-36 Camandag Executive Links, a driving range, tee house, clubhouse, restaurant, bars, locker and shower rooms swimming pool, sauna and massage.

L-R, Alex, Mel, Grace, Jandy and the author at the lookout

We can also see some of the 17 3 to 4-storey cluster buildings which houses 325 airconditioned rooms.  The resort is also home to restaurants, coffee shops, bars, 2 swimming pools, 300-pax ballrooms, 8 60-pax function rooms, business center, jacuzzi, sauna, 6 outdoor and 3 indoor tennis courts, 6-lane bowling center, volleyball/basketball court, two squash courts and 2 nature trails.

AUTHOR’S NOTES

Though still open, this resort, once dubbed as “Asia’s Paradise Resort” and the “World’s Golfing Capital,” seems to have been abandoned, reportedly due to lack of financial resources to maintain the site.  The hotel and cottages are worn out, the beach is dirty and only South Korean nationals use the not so well-maintained golf course.  However, Boulevard Holdings, the owner and operator of the site, plans to renovate the existing hotel and build an 8-room boutique hotel and 150-room grand convention hotel.

Puerto Azul Golf and Country Club: Brgy. Sapang,  Ternate, Cavite.  Tel:  524-0026 to 27.  Manila sales office: Tel: 844-8541.

Palace in the Sky (Tagaytay City, Cavite)

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Come Holy Thursday, Grace, then 2.5-year old Jandy and I, plus our E. Ganzon, Inc. friends Alex D. Guda and Mel Miranda decided to go  on a day tour to the controversial, half-finished Palace in the Sky.   Located 8 kms. east of the Tagaytay City rotunda, on the 710-m. high Mt. Gonzales  (or Mt. Sungay), the former “Palace” was a multi-million exercise in extravagance started in 1981 by the late former Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos for the 1983 state visit of then U.S. Pres. Ronald Reagan.  The state visit unfortunately (or is it fortunately?) never pushed through after the August 21, 1983 assassination of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr..  Marcos was deposed by the People Power Revolution of February 1986 and it was left unfinished and abandoned. 

Palace in the Sky

Upon our arrival, Alex, Grace, Jandy and I hiked along the asphalt road going all the way to the top but Mel took the more easygoing horseback ride. Even in its unfinished state, it was quite “palatial,” a true symbol of greed and indifference.  Also called the “Malacanang of Tagaytay” and “Bahay ni Imelda,” the pyramid-shaped villa had a huge kidney-shaped swimming pool and a tall radio antenna.

Hiking our way up the asphalt road

There was no one about, it being a holiday, but inside the palace were signs of new construction going on.  I even noticed, and was baffled, by a blueprint plan for a “torture chamber.”  A mystery indeed!  From the view deck we experienced the sweet, fresh and invigorating air of the city and admired the marvelous 360 degree view of 4 bodies of water (Taal Lake, Laguna de Bay, Balayan Bay and Manila Bay) and landward views of Metro Manila, Batangas, Rizal, Cavite, Quezon and even Mindoro, a spectacle initially meant for a chosen few.

AUTHOR’S NOTES

Nine month after our visit, the “Palace” hugged some of headlines when rebel soldiers took over the villa’s radio antenna during the failed December coup de etat.  In 1990, the mystery of the “torture chamber” was unveiled when the movie Delta Force 2:  The Columbian Connection, starring Chuck Norris, as a U.S. commando leader, and Billy Drago, as a Colombian drug lord, was shown in local cinemas.  The “Palace” turned out to be the drug lord’s seemingly impenetrable mansion and the “torture chamber,” his private viewing gallery where U.S. DEA agents were smothered to death by poison gas.  Some mystery!

On January 14, 1996, the “Palace” was ordered rehabilitated and refurbished into a 4,516-hectare resort by then Pres. Fidel V. Ramos.  Since then, it has been democratically renamed as the People’s Park in the Sky and is now enjoyed by poor and ordinary citizens.  Today, it has a lower ground restaurant, bar, 200-person open-air amphitheater (where free cultural and musical shows are held, Saturday and Sundays), view deck, native picnic huts and tables, wishing well (toss a coin and make a wish), fishing lagoon (the former swimming pool), art gallery, a grotto with 25-foot statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady of Fair Love, 150-person second floor seminar room (Centennial Room), second floor museum, lower ground tourism office, souvenir shops and a giant replica of the pineapple.

Today, the park has again fallen into neglect.  The fishing lagoon is now filled up into a garden, graffiti is everywhere and the premises are dirty.  Only the views remain spectacular.

People’s Park in the Sky: Brgy. Dapdap West and Dapdap East, Tagaytay City, Cavite.  Admission: PhP15.