Claveria, Masbate. The beautiful town in Burias Island.

The province of Masbate is one of the least known tourist destination in Bicol. Usually, the name Bicol is synonymous to Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon. To many people, Masbate is just a cattle land or a cattle-producing province. They also feared Masbate because of the news regarding the political killings and other crimes that happens in Masbate.  But this province has a lot to offer when it comes to tourism at sana mapalitan ang mga negative views ng province into something positive. One of the least known tourist destination in Masbate province is in the town of Claveria, located at Burias Island. The Burias Island is one of the big islands that comprise the Masbate province. The other island is Ticao Island. Burias Island is composed of two towns. This island is just an hour boat ride from Pio Duran Port.

The semi-white sand beach of Brgy San Isidro, Claveria, Burias island, Masbate

A few weeks ago, me and my friends were planning for a getaway and our original plan was to go to Caramoan, Camarines Sur. But a few days before the day that we were supposed to go to Caramoan, a lot of my friends backed out from the said travel and since it would be expensive to go to Caramoan and island hop, some of us just then decided to travel to other destination that is much cheaper for a small group. Me, my cousin and one of my friend decided that we will just go to Claveria, Burias Island. I’ve been to Caramoan twice already and I’ve never been to Claveria in Burias Island, so going to Claveria makes me feel more excited since this would be my first time and also for my friend and my cousin, this would also be their first time to travel to Burias. I had also been to Masbate province but only at the main island.

So our plan was to spend in Burias for 2 days and 1 night. My cousin and I travelled from our house to Ligao City. That was about an hour bus travel. At Ligao City, we waited for my friend who was coming from Tabaco City, which is also about an hour jeepney ride to Ligao City. We met at around 7 in the morning and then from Ligao City, we rode a jeepney bound for Pio Duran. The town of Pio Duran is the nearest jumpoff point to Burias Island. The jeepney ride from Ligao City to Pio Duran is 1 hour and the fare is 55 pesos per person. Punuan ang jeep going to Pio Duran and my cousin insisted na sa bubong ng jeep na lang kami sumakay. So since it was her request at game naman ako at ng kaibigan ko sa idea nya, sa bubong ng jeep na lang kami umupo. She said she wants to enjoy the view, kya kahit alam kong masusunog kami sa sikat ng araw, game pa din ako kasi mas enjoy nga naman talaga sumakay sa bubong ng jeep, maliban na lang kung sa jeep na Cubao-Quiapo na route ang sasakyan mo, hindi masaya ang nasa bubong, lalo na bawal yan sa Metro Manila.hehehe!

Anyway, we arrived at Pio Duran at around 9am and we weren’t able to make it to the last boat trip going to Claveria. There are daily trips going to Claveria. Two boats leave Pio Duran at around 7:30am and 8 am. There are also other boats that goes to the other barangays of Claveria but these boats doesn’t have a fixed schedule. They will leave Pio Duran only if there are a good number of passengers. These boats are bound for Barangay Buyo, Sampinitan and Taguilid, all in the town of Claveria.

The Pio Duran port for Burias-bound boats

Since it was already 9 in the morning and the last boat bound for Claveria already left, we have no choice but to take our chances sa ibang bangka papunta ng ibang barangay. When we arrive in Pio Duran, there was another boat bound for Buyo but the boat crew said that they can’t guarantee what time they will be leaving. They said that their original schedule is to leave in the afternoon but if there are a good number of passengers, they will leave earlier. While chitchatting with the boat crew, they asked me where in Claveria are we heading and I replied that we are heading to Barangay San Isidro. The crew said that it was good that we didn’t took the boat that is bound for Claveria port since it is way too far from San Isidro, they said it is about more than 2 hours of motorcycle ride. They said that we are in the right boat since their boat is bound for Barangay Buyo, which is just a 30 minutes to an hour motorcycle ride to Barangay San Isidro. Nagtanong pa ako ng ibang information tungkol sa Claveria and Burias and they gave me a lot of information. And they offered their motorcycle in Buyo at sila na lang din daw maghahatid sa amin papuntang San Isidro.

Well, since it was a weekend, there are only few passengers arriving at the port. The pump boat can accommodate at least 40 to 50 passengers and we were only 10 in the boat. We waited for almost 3 hours and we thought that the boat will actually leave at their original schedule. By around 12 noon, after the crew ate their lunch, they informed us that we will now leave for Claveria town but we will not go straight to Buyo but we will also be dropping by at Claveria port. Our travel time from Pio Duran to Buyo took about 4hours since there was a lot of stopover at some other barangay in Claveria. The usual travel time from Pio Duran to Buyo is only about an hour. The fare from Pio Duran to Buyo is 120 pesos. For Pio Duran to Claveria port, the fare is 100 pesos.

Claveria Port, Masbate Province

There is no port in Buyo. The boat will just docked at the beach and during low tide you’ll have to wade on knee-deep water. From Buyo, we rented 3 motorcycle para ihatid kami sa San Isidro Beach. The road to San Isidro to Buyo are not 100% paved. I think only a few portions are cemented. Most are potholed roads, some are not even considered as road but rather as a trail. Sobrang rough road talaga na hindi kakayanin kung 3 kayo sa isang motor. Dapat isang pasahero lang. May part pa ng kalsada na kailangan mo bumaba kasi baka matumba ang motor sa sobrang tarik ng daan. After 30 minutes, we arrived at Barangay San Isidro beach, and there is only one resort in San Isidro. The resort has no name and the caretaker informed us that it is a resthouse owned by a French guy. When we arrived at the resort, there were 4 French who were having a vacation. Sabi nga nung caretaker hindi daw kami pwede dun since andun yung anak ng resort owner pero nakiusap na lang kami na magtetent lang naman kami. Buti na lang pumayag yung caretaker and he also informed us that the 4 French will also be leaving on Sunday and if we want pwede na kami sumabay sa bangka. Our plan was to spend just 2 days in Burias but when our boatmen from Buyo informed us that there is only one trip going back to Pio Duran from Buyo, which is at 6 am only, nagdecide kami na Monday morning na lang bumalik ng Pio Duran pero nung sinabi ng caretaker ng resort sa San Isidro na pwede kami sumabay sa bangka ng mga French guests nya, we then informed the driver of the motorcycle na sabihan na lang yung boatmen na huwag na kami antayin sa Buyo kasi hindi na kami sasakay sa Buyo. We paid the motorcycle driver 175 pesos for the one-way trip.

crab at the beach

San Isidro beach, Claveria, Masbate Province

semi-white sand beach of San Isidro Beach, Claveria

Our lighting effect

Sobrang mabait din yung caretaker, they even offered us na magstay sa isang room nila but we insisted na magtetent na lang kami at gagamit ng isang open cottage na malayo sa mga French guests nya. At dahil wala din kaming lutuan, the caretaker gave us sinangag for our dinner. Hindi na kami nagluto kasi may mga ulam din kaming dala. The beach in San Isidro is cream sand, not really a white sand but on a sunny day, it appears as a white sand. Maganda ang beach nila. Masyadong mababaw but marami din mga sea urchin sa ibang part ng beach. It reminds me of Dumaluan beach in Panglao, Bohol na sobrang madami din ang sea urchin. Naligo at naligo kami sa dagat but we didn’t bother na magnight swimming kasi baka makaapak pa kami ng sea urchin. On a Sunday morning, lumangoy at lumangoy pa din kami. The caretaker informed us that they will be leaving at around 1pm and we should be ready by that time. The boat will docked at Pilar port instead of Pio Duran but it really doesn’t matter since we can also travel from Pilar to Daraga, Albay and then from Daraga we can then ride another bus to Nabua town.  And besides, it is only about an hour jeepney ride from Pilar to Daraga City. At around 2pm we then left San Isidro and started our boat ride to Pilar. It is a much longer route but it gave us the opportunity to view the other part of Burias coastline. The travel time was around 2.5 hours and we just gave the boatmen 700 pesos as a fare para sa aming tatlo.

Claveria, Masbate

Our route

Our route. 

We arrived at Pilar port at around past 4pm and we boarded the jeepney bound for Daraga. The travel time is 1 hour and the fare is 50 pesos. My cousin and I were supposed to drop by at Guinobatan to buy a rice puto with macapuno fillings but since it was already dark when we arrived at Daraga, we just then rode another bus bound for Manila, but we just got off at the town of Nabua and then rode a multicab bound for Iriga City. Our adventure in Burias was awesome. We were all first-timer. It was our first time to go to that island and to Claveria town. The island of Burias has a lot to offer. The Claveria town has a long coastline of cream sand beach na pwedeng ipagmalaki at maging tourist destination. But in order for that to happen, kailangan muna na ayusin ang kalsada kasi napakadelikado ng kalsada papunta ng San Isidro. It is much safer to ride a boat to San Isidro than riding a motorcycle but it would also mean na mas mahabang byahe ang kailangan kasi iikot pa ang bangka sa isla. If you’re a traveller looking for an exciting and adventurous travel, then I would recommend that you visit the town of Claveria or San Pascual in Burias Island, Masbate Province. Oh, byahe na!

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.