Proposed "Super Bridge" to connect Batangas and Mindoro

A proposed "Mindoro-Batangas Super Bridge" was presented to Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto and Oriental Mindoro Gov. Alfonso Umali Jr. that aims to connect Batangas City to Oriental Mindoro province. The plan is to build the 15 kilometer-long bridge at an estimated cost of US $ 1.2-1.8 Billion that would take 2 years to complete.

Mindoro Occidental - The Capital Municipality of Mamburao

Where is Mamburao? (Photo from wikipilipinas.org)
Mamburao is the capital municipality of Occidental Mindoro, a 2nd class municipality with a population of 34,487 people (2007 census) and has 20,344 registered voters (2010). It has a land area of approximately 33,950 hectares. It is located on the northern part of Occidental Mindoro, on its west is the town of Paluan, on the north is Abra de Ilog and on the southeast id the municipality of Sta. Cruz.

From our overnight stay in Pandan Island, we decided to spend the last day of our "3-day escape" in this town. A 3-hour bus ride from Sablayan brought us in this quiet town. Tough it is the capital of the province, there's nothing much to see here.

Mindoro Occidental - Pandan Island, a Simple yet Comfortable Hideaway

Beach in Pandan Island

Pandan Island is Occidental Mindoro’s west side diving attraction. It is unassuming but very welcoming resort. Surrounded with nice stretch of white sand beaches with lush tropical forests, it is a perfect island getaway for beach lovers like us.

A 15-minute boat ride from Sablayan mainland will bring you to this island paradise. It offers great accommodations, different amenities and activities. If you want a place where there's not too much of a comfort living, Pandan island is the best for you!

Top Thing to Do in Mindoro Occidental - Amazing Sablayan!

We're going to Sablayan
After finishing all the things we need to do in Sta. Cruz, we took an ordinary bus bound for San Jose. It took us around 2 hours before we reached the town of Sablayan. One of the biggest towns of Occidental Mindoro and boasts to be the top "tourist destination" in the province.

Bus ride to Sablayan
Seated at the heart of Occidental Mindoro, Sablayan is a town gifted with nature's blessings. It is home to Apo reef - the largest atoll-like reef in the country and probably in Asia. They are also proud to have fine beaches and shorelines ideal for swimming, kayaking and snorkelling; they also offer activities such as picnicking, bird-watching, trekking, camping, tamaraw herd-watching and more.

Where is Sablayan?
The 2-hour bus ride from Sta. Cruz is bumpy but fun! You'll get to see beautiful landscape of mountains, hills and rice fields.

Mindoro Occidental - The Quaint Town of Sta. Cruz

I never heard of this quaint town not until "Promding Lagalag" invited me for a trip to Occidental Mindoro last month. My life is kinda messed up during that time, so when he asked me to accompany him, I quickly said "yes!". It is somehow my way to "escape" from the metropolis even just for a while.

Municipal Building
The town of Sta. Cruz is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Occidental Mindoro. Composed of 11 barangays, it has a population of 26,887 people in 5,407 households (2000 census). Approximately 170 km south of Manila, it would take you around 6 hours to reach this town via a RORO ship from Batangas City.


The main reason why we're here is for my friend to do some errands in the municipal hall. So, while we're waiting for the offices to open, we took some time to rest in the nipa huts located in the municipal grounds. I even slept in here while waiting him to finish the documents he needs to process.

Pinoy Transpo : Montenegro Shipping Lines' MV Maria Zenaida, My First RORO Experience

@ 2:00 AM, aboard MV Maria Zenaida

Montenegro Shipping Lines, Inc. is a domestic shipping company established on September 16, 1978 by Vicente Leyco Montenegro, Sr. who was the pioneer service provider of commercial and public transportation by sea via the route Batangas City - Abra de Ilog and back. (www.montenegrolines.com.ph)
My first experience riding a RORO boat happened on my trip to Occidental Mindoro last month. Promding Lagalag and I took Montenegro Shipping Line's MV Maria Zenaida on our trip to and from Abra de Ilog - the gateway to Occidental Mindoro.
Here are some of the photos.

Mindoro Occidental - "A 3-day Escape to the Land of Mangyans and Tamaraws"

Few weeks ago, I went on a 3-day escape to Occidental Mindoro with my good friend Benj. It was an unplanned trip, so we don't have any prepared itinerary. We just relied on what we know about the province.

DAY 1

We took the RORO boat in Batangas Port bound for Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro. Various shipping lines offer the Batangas-Abra de Ilog route, we chose Montenegro shipping lines and boarded their MV Maria Zenaida ship. Fare is Php 208 pesos, travel time is about 2.5 hours.


Upon reaching Abra de Ilog, we took a bus bound for San Jose. We got off at the town of Sta. Cruz because Benj has to do some errands there. The fare from Abra de Ilog to Sta. Cruz is 120 pesos, travel time is about an hour.