Corregidor Island

August 26 (Monday) is National Heroes Day in the Philippines.  Since it is another 3-day weekend, Filipinos will be heading out to their favorite destinations.  Though beaches and mountain resorts are the usual favorites, I would suggest a destination so near Metro Manila, and very appropriate for this holiday.

This island destination  is  just a 1 hour 15  minute boat ride from Manila, which is relatively quick travel time for a country wherein most tourist destinations are usually 3 to 5 hours away.  Yet most Metro Manila residents seem to have overlooked this neighboring island for their vacation plans.

On the other hand, this lack of  overexposure in the minds of tourists both local and foreign helps this island avoid becoming another crowded tourist trap.  And this island rightly deserves that kind of quiet and relaxing atmosphere as it is a historical site for some of the fiercest battles fought during World War 2 between the American/Filipino forces and the Imperial Japanese Army.

This is Corregidor, a small tadpole shaped island west of Manila, that served as a massive island fortress guarding the entrance to Manila Bay during the earlier part of the 20th century.  And since it served as battleground for fallen World War 2 heroes,  numerous relics from the war are its main attractions.

Since it would be my first time to visit, I decided to go with an all-in discounted package that included a guided day tour of the island via trams.

A major part of the guided tour is the visit to the batteries in different locations.  The tour group was really awed by the well preserved artillery pieces.  I heard some American tourists state that "this is really awesome....we've never seen anything like this."  And I would tend to agree.  I've never heard of any World War 2 battle site that can rival Corregidor in terms of actual World War 2 military hardware.

the big guns of Corregidor

Several plaques provide detailed info for the history/military buff

Not really a Mile Long, but it was supposedly the longest barracks back then.

One of the highlights of the tour is the Pacific War memorial - which also houses the Corregidor museum.  The museum does not charge a separate fee, which is surprising since during most of my travels in the Philippines, most bathrooms charge for use of the toilet.  Voluntary donations for the museum's upkeep are welcome though.

Eternal Flame of Freedom

the museum has several  World War 2 weapons and memorabilia

And like most islands in the Philippines, there is also a Spanish-era lighthouse.  Tourists are allowed to climb the lighthouse in order to experience scenic sweeping views of Manila Bay and nearby Bataan.

Bataan

One of the major downsides of being part of a tour group is that you would usually have other tourists included in your photos.  Especially for a tour that has 3 to 4 trams filled with tourists stopping for only 5 to 10 minutes for the rudimentary photos.

The limited time is due to so many scenic landmarks in Corregidor visited by the trams.  Here are some more photos:

Beachfront @Corregidor;

The tour concludes with the the Light and Sound Show at Malinta Tunnel.  This is not included in your day tour fee, but is a separate P200 (US$) fee.  It is optional though.

USAFFE Gen. Douglas McArthur and President Manuel Quezon

The Tiger of Malaya and his staff

The 30 minute show was interesting, but I did not feel comfortable during the show as the 400 foot tunnel had such poor ventilation. Just imagine 40 to 50 tourists crammed inside a tunnel without aircon or windows in a tropical island.  Well I think you get the idea.

I guess the tour organizers also wanted you to experience how difficult life was during the war, sans artillery fire.  But you can chose to skip it and just wait outside at your parked tour bus.

The nice thing about taking the late afternoon ferry return trip is that when it is time you to go back to Manila, you might get to experience a nice sunset view.

And another good thing about Corregidor is that is relatively inexpensive, i.e you would only spend around US$50 for the day trip (inclusive of roundtrip ferry ride, tram tour and lunch)  I actually got mine for only half of that since it I got a deal back then from the group buying site dealgrocer.com.

Though I did not get to try them, Corregidor offers other outdoor activities e.g. biking, camping, and ziplining.   There's also a beach (well it is an island after all) but I probably will not recommend swimming as it so close to Manila Bay.  Despite that proximity, Corregidor is so well maintained and uncrowded. that you wouldn't think you are just an hour away from a highly populated urban area in the Philippines.

No buses, jeepneys, tricycles, or taxis in Corregidor

One more thing a tourist will like about Corregidor is that there's virtually no traffic.  Almost all the vehicles I saw were the tour buses and a few utility vehicles used by workers.  That's right, 

For more detailed info, proceed to the www.corregidorphilippines.com of Sun Cruises.  If I'm not mistaken, they are the only designated ferry operator to and from Corregidor.

Sun Cruises Corregidor Ferry docked near
Harbor Square near Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

"I Shall Return"