Checking the town of Pio Duran, Albay

A few months ago, I was planning on a trip to Masbate, and Pio Duran port was one of my options as my jump-off point to Masbate. However, I was having difficulty searching for the RORO schedule and that’s when I decided na pumunta na lang sa Pilar port in Sorsogon, sya ang pinakacommon port na madalas maging jumpoff point ng mga passengers who are bound for Masbate City.

Ligao City jeepney terminal

the crossing in Ligao City going to Pio Duran

Few months had passed after my Masbate trip and I am still curious on what Pio Duran port looks like, or what the town of Pio Duran has to offer. So I ventured for another adventure and travelled all the way to Pio Duran. My original plan was to travel to Pio Duran via Libon town and then passing the Pantao road. However, since it was a weekend, there are only few jeepneys and passengers going to Libon. I arrived at Libon crossing in Barangay Matacon, Polangui town at around 11am and the tricycle going to the town of Libon doesn’t leave the terminal unless it is on its full capacity, and renting the tricycle would cost me extra amount of cash. I was the first passenger of the tricycle and kailangan pang maghintay ng ibang pasahero.  After 15 minutes na wala pa din dumadating na ibang pasahero, I then decided na sumakay na lang ng bus bound for Legazpi City.

My plan B was to go to Ligao City and take the jeepneys bound for Pio Duran. Ligao City to Pio Duran is the fastest route going to the town of Pio Duran. So I proceeded to the Pio Duran-bound jeepney terminal in Ligao City and lucky for me, the jeepney is already full of passengers and is about to leave the terminal. At dahil lahat babae ang nasa loob ng jeepney, nahiya naman ako na pumasok sa loob kaya sumabit na lang ako sa jeep even though it was high noon and the sun is shining so brightly. Nakakahiya naman na yung ibang babae nga nasa bubong na ng jeep tapos ako uupo sa loob ng jeep.hehehe!

Pio Duran-bound jeepneys

Anyway, the travel time from Ligao City to Pio Duran is almost an hour and a half and the fare is 55 pesos. Pio Duran is only 38 kilometers away from Ligao City but it is a long and winding road and there are a lot of stops because the jeepney is picking up and dropping off passengers. I arrived at around past lunch time and I immediately proceeded to its port to start asking for RORO schedule. I do managed to get the information that I needed but I wasn’t been able to get the shipping companies contact number.

Pio Duran Port

Pio Duran is also the nearest point going to Burias Island, Masbate.  There are daily trips from Pio Duran going to Claveria town of Burias Island, Masbate. The travel time is only 1 hour and most of the trips depart at Pio Duran every morning.  The boat MB Aleth 3 leaves Pio Duran for Claveria at around 7:30am, and the other boat, MB Maribel 3, leaves at around 8:30am. These boats have a capacity of 50 to 70 passengers only. The fare for Pio Duran to Claveria is 100 pesos. The port for the motorized boats going to Burias Island is just beside the port for RORO vessel going to Masbate City. There are also several motorized boats bound for the other barangays in Claveria. These boats are docked at Barangay 2. This is also near the RORO port. There are boats bound for Bukingganyo, Tagilid and Buyo. These are all located at Claveria town, however, these 3 routes doesn’t have a fix schedule. They depart depending on the number of passengers on the boat. Most of the time, these boats are docked and waiting for passengers early in the morning.

Pio Duran port for Burias bound boats

Barangay 2, pio duran

For the RORO or ferry, there are only two shipping companies plying the Pio Duran-Masbate City route. One is Sta.Clara Shipping Line and the other one is Medallion Shipping Line. The RORO operation in Pio Duran started last June 2011 and there is not much passenger in Pio Duran port compared to Pilar port in Sorsogon.  Pilar port is still considered as the most used port for passengers going to Masbate province. Medallion Shipping Line ferry leaves Pio Duran port for Masbate at around 3 am and then it leaves Masbate City port for Pio Duran at around 12noon. For Sta. Clara Shipping ferry, two ferries leave Pio Duran port at around 2am and 5am. And then it leaves Masbate City port at 11am and 2pm. The fare for Sta. Clara ferry and Medallion is 250 for air-conditioned cabin, and 200 for economy. The travel time is 4 hours.

Sta. Clara Shipping Line schedule

Pio Duran port ticketing office

PPA Pio Duran

So after checking the schedule and doing some research and also eating a late lunch, I then walked around the town. Pio Duran downtown is small that you can walk the entire downtown in an hour. I took some photos around the downtown of Pio Duran and proceeded to their municipal hall. Their municipal hall is kinda bit far from downtown, it’s about 15 minutes tricycle ride and the fare is 8 pesos. After taking some pictures, I then decided to go back to the jeepney terminal to catch the last trip for jeepney bound for Ligao City. The last trip for jeepney bound for Ligao City is 3pm. However, I wasn’t able to catch the last ride for Ligao because the jeepney left the terminal only a few minutes before I arrived.

Marine sanctuary in Pio Duran

Municipal Hall of Pio Duran

Pio Duran Church

Pio Duran Public Park

Republic Colleges Pio Duran

I didn’t panic because I still have an option to go to Ligao City. There are buses in Pio Duran bound for Pasay and Cubao and they leave the town late in the afternoon or early evening depending on the number of passengers. There is also another option to go out of Pio Duran town. The ferry from Masbate City arrives at Pio Duran port at around 5 or 6pm, and this ferry also has buses bound for Pasay and Cubao. These are the buses that are waiting for passengers at the Masbate Port and they ride the RORO for Pio Duran to pick up more passengers.  So even though the last trip for jeepney bound for Ligao City is 3pm, you can still be able to go to Ligao City because of those buses bound for Pasay and Cubao. From Ligao City, marami ka ng option ng sasakyan, so you can either go to Legazpi City or to Naga City.

So I boarded the bus bound for Pasay and Cubao because the bus leaves the terminal a little bit early on that weekend. The bus left the terminal at around 4pm on that day even though it only has 4 passengers. Since I am bound for the town of Nabua, which is about 2.5 hours away from Pio Duran, naging mas mabuti pa tuloy na hindi na ko sumakay ng jeep kasi naging direderetso na yung byahe ko. Hindi ko na kailangan bumaba pa ng Ligao City para magabang ulet ng bus na dadaan ng Nabua town.

After 2.5hours, nakarating na din ako ng Nabua and from that town, I then boarded a multicab bound for Iriga City. It was a tiring day, lalo na dahil sa sobrang init ng panahon but still it was a day full of excitement because it was my first time to go to that town and it satisfies my curiosity for Pio Duran. So iiwan ko kayo ng makabagong quotes. Curiosity is the best policy. Haha!



How to get to Pio Duran:

By Plane:

Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines and Zest Airways have several daily flights to Legazpi Airport. From Legazpi Airport, you can ride a taxi or a tricycle to the central terminal. From the central terminal, you can ride a jeepney or a bus bound for Ligao City. The travel time from Legazpi City to Ligao City is about 45 minutes to 1 hour. And then at Ligao City, ride a tricycle or a pedicab and tell them to drop you off at Pio Duran-bound jeepney terminal. The regular fare for tricycle and pedicab is 8 pesos. The jeepney travel time from Ligao City to Pio Duran is 1.5 hours. The fare is 55 pesos.

By Bus:

From Manila, there are several buses bound for Bicol region. Ride a bus that is bound for Legazpi City and tell the driver to drop you off at Ligao City. There are a number of bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City, that have buses bound for Legazpi City. There are also bus terminals in Pasay City, near Pasay Rotonda. The usual travel time from Metro Manila to Ligao City is 10 to 11 hours. And then at Ligao City, ride a tricycle or a pedicab and tell them to drop you off at Pio Duran-bound jeepney terminal. The regular fare for tricycle and pedicab is 8 pesos. The jeepney travel time from Ligao City to Pio Duran is 1.5 hours. The fare is 55 pesos. You can also ride a bus from Manila going directly to Pio Duran. One of the bus company plying the Manila-Pio Duran route is A.Arandia Bus Line.

By Train:

The PNR has a regular train schedule for the Manila-Ligao City route. The train departs at Tutuban Station in Manila every 6pm and arrives at Ligao City at around 6am the next day. The usual travel time is 10 to 12 hours. And then at Ligao City, ride a tricycle or a pedicab and tell them to drop you off at Pio Duran-bound jeepney terminal. The regular fare for tricycle and pedicab is 8 pesos. The jeepney travel time from Ligao City to Pio Duran is 1.5 hours. The fare is 55 pesos.

Cebu via Masbate, an exciting adventure route...

Most of you probably haven’t heard about this route, or some of you might didn’t even know where Masbate province is located, but this Rodeo Capital of the Philippines is located just a little bit north from the island province of Cebu. A few weeks ago, I tried this not-so-ordinary route. I took the Camarines Sur-Masbate-Cebu route. I am from Camarines Sur and the quickest way to go to Cebu from Camarines Sur is to take a bus going to Legazpi City and then from Legazpi Airport, ride a plane bound for Cebu City. There are two airlines plying this route, AirPhil and CebuPacific. It is only a 45 minutes flight from Legazpi City to Cebu. Another method is to ride a Manila-bound plane at Naga Airport and then from Manila, ride another plane bound for Cebu. Another alternative way going to Cebu from Camarines Sur is via Samar-Leyte route. You will be riding a bus bound for Matnog, Sorsogon and then from Matnog Port, you take the RORO bound for Allen, Samar and then take a bus bound for Ormoc in the province of Leyte and then from Ormoc you then take a RORO or a fastcraft bound for Cebu.

Bituon Beach, Mobo, Masbate Province

I’ll be sharing with you the information for Masbate to Cebu route. If you are coming from Manila, you can take a bus bound for Masbate City. There are several bus companies plying this route. Some of these buses are Raymond Transport, RORO Bus, and MegaBus line. The travel time takes around 12 to 15 hours, and that includes the 3hour ferry ride from Pilar Port, Sorsogon to Masbate City. If you are coming from Naga City, Camarines Sur, you can ride a bus bound for Daraga City or Legazpi City. If you get off at Legazpi City, there are several buses and van bound for Pilar. You need to go to Pilar Port because that is common jumpoff point for Masbate City. There is also the Pio Duran port to Masbate City port route but I don’t have the details for that route. Anyway, if you happen to get off at Daraga City, there are jeepneys bound for Pilar port. The terminal for those jeepneys bound for Pilar is located near the van terminal in Daraga and near the Shell gasoline station. The travel time from Daraga City to Pilar Port is one hour and the fare is 50 pesos.

From Pilar Port, there are several vessel plying the Pilar to Masbate City route. You can choose to ride the fastcraft by Montenegro Shipping Line, the RORO, or those big pumpboats. It only cost around 200 to 250 pesos. The travel time for pumpboats is 2 to 2.5 hours. The quickest way to go to Masbate from Pilar is via a fastcraft. It is also the expensive way. The travel time is 1.5 to 2hours and it cost around 349 pesos. Another way is via RORO, however, most of these ferries depart early in the morning since most of the trucks and buses from Manila arrive in Pilar early in the morning. The ferry or RORO fare cost around 200 to 250 pesos and the travel time is usually from 3 to 4 hours. You can check this website for more information: http://www.montenegrolines.com.ph/

Inside the pumpboat bound for Masbate City. The pumpboat can accomodate up to 100 passenger

Pilar Port, Sorsogon. You can see the typical pumpboat plying the Pilar-Masbate route

Mt. Bulusan. This picture was taken near Pilar port

Mayon Volcano. This picture was taken near Pilar port, Sorsogon

In Masbate province, there are two ways to go to Cebu province. One is the Masbate City to Cebu City route being served by TransAsia Shipping line and SuperShuttle Shipping. The other route is Cataingan to

Bogo City being served by Montenegro Shipping Line. The Masbate to Cebu City route travel time is 11 to 13 hours. The TransAsia ship leaves Masbate port at around 6pm every Tuesday and Thursday only, while the SuperShuttle RORO leaves Masbate port at around 5am every Wednesday only. The SuperShuttle RORO vessel ply the route Batangas-Masbate-Cebu route. For SuperShuttle ferry the cost is 555 pesos for one way only. For TransAsia the ferry fare is 605 pesos for economy, 870 pesos for an airconditioned accomodation and 1,492 pesos for a cabin accomodation. You can visit these websites for more information: http://www.transasiashipping.com/schedules/  and http://supershuttleferry.com/web/

Masbate City

Masbate City Port

The economy bunker bed of TransAsia M/V Asia Indonesia plying the Masbate City-Cebu City route

TransAsia M/V Asia Indonesia plying the Masbate City-Cebu City route

TransAsia M/V Asia Indonesia plying the Masbate City-Cebu City route

TransAsia fare matrix for Masbate City-Cebu City route

TransAsia M/V Asia Indonesia plying the Masbate City-Cebu City route 

If you want the cheapest and fastest way to go to Cebu, then you should take the Cataingan to Bogo City route. The ferry travel time from Cataingan to Bogo City is 6 to 7 hours only. The ferry leaves Cataingan Port at around 12 noon and the ferry leaves Bogo City for Cataingan at around 12midnight. The fare is 365 pesos only. However please take note that Cataingan is 1.5 hours travel from Masbate City. There are jeepneys and vans bound for Cataingan from Masbate City. And also please take into consideration that Bogo City is around 3 hours bus ride from Cebu City. There are several bus companies plying the Bogo City to Cebu City route. The Polambato Port in Bogo City is kind of a little bit far from eGwen Highway or from downtown Bogo City so you still need to ride a habal-habal or a tricycle to go to the main highway or to the city proper.

Cataingan Port, Masbate Province

Montenegro RORO plying the Cataingan-Bogo City route

Montenegro RORO fare. Cataingan-Bogo route

Montenegro RORO schedule. Cataingan-Bogo route

The bunker bed in Montenegro RORO plying the Cataingan-Bogo City route

So if you will be going to those destinations in the northern part of Cebu, then the Cataingan Port to Polambato Port, Bogo City is the recommended route. Malapascua Island and Bantayan island are the famous destination in the northern part of Cebu. Bogo City is a 1 hour travel away from Bantayan and Malapascua.

The RORO Bus Line also ply the route Masbate City to Cebu City. Their buses leave Masbate City at around 8am or 9am and then travels to Cataingan port, and then from Cataingan port it takes the ferry at around 12noon. It will arrive at Polambato Port in Bogo City at around 6pm and then it will continue its travel to Cebu City North Bus terminal.  And then for the Cebu City to Masbate City route, the RORO Bus leaves Cebu North Bus terminal at around 8:30pm or 9pm and it will travel to Bogo City for 3 hours, and then from Polambato Port in Bogo it will take the 12 midnight ferry bound for Cataingan. By around 6am, the ferry arrives in Cataingan and the bus will continue its travel to Masbate City. By around 7:30am or 8am, you will be in Masbate City.

RORO Bus plying the Masbate City-Cebu City route

Sunrise view at Cataingan Port, Masbate

Bogo City tricycle

Malapascua Island, Daangbantayan, Cebu

Pintos, the delicacy of Bogo City

Polambato Port, Bogo City

If you happen to miss the RORO Bus bound for Masbate City at Cebu North Bus terminal, you can just take a Ceres Bus bound for Daanbantayan, Maya or Bogo City. The travel time is 3 hours from Cebu City. If you take the Daanbantayan or Maya bound buses, get off at the junction going to Polambato Port. It is about 2 or 3 kilometers away from the Bogo City proper. There is not much signage going to the port so you must tell the driver or bus conductor to drop you off at the junction going to Polambato Port. From that junction, it’s still another 4 to 5 kilometers travel. There are habal habal or motorcycle or tricycle on that junction and you can ride on those transportation mode. The fare is 30 pesos. If you took the Bogo City bound buses from Cebu City, you can get off at Bogo City bus terminal and then you go to the tricycle terminal near Jollibee to take the tricycle bound for Polambato Port. The travel usually takes around 15 to 25 minutes. The tricycle fare is 25 pesos. The Montenegro ferry at Polambato Port, Bogo City departs at around 12 midnight so you must be on that port before 12midnight.

I hope those information would help you in your next travel adventure. If you’re on for an adventure, then this route surely won’t disappoint you. There are lots of beautiful places to visit in Cebu, Masbate, Sorsogon, Albay and Camarines Sur province. So what are you waiting for? Byahe na!