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Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Past and present collide in Vigan. Impressive Spanish colonial architecture still stands as monuments to that era of Philippine history, even as the town moves quickly and quietly to modernization. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, growing interest in the town’s Spanish-era buildings has brought about the development of tourist amenities in the poblacion, while also protecting the integrity of the old town center and its historic structures. |
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Anilao, Batangas. Anilao, in Batangas province, is a diving and windsurfing paradise. It is a proud theme of a picture book that bagged the International Prize for Underwater Images at the 27th World Festival of Underwater Images in France in November 2000. “Anilao" book creators and Filipino scuba divers Scott Tuason and Eduardo Cu Unjieng defeated big names in underwater photography such as Jacques Mayol, Pascal Kobeh, Monique Walker, and Alessandro Tommasi.
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Manila City Hall. The Manila City Hall clock tower is a major landmark of the city. On the foreground is Hole #10 of the 18-hole Club Intramuros Golf Course. The Course used to be a wide moat that protected the walled city from invaders during the Spanish regime. The moat was drained and turned into a golf course for sanitation reasons later when the Americans ruled the country.
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Mag-Aso Falls. This picturesque falls is one of the most recommended tour sites in the Philippines for waterfall lovers. It is located in Antequera, Bohol, 20 km. from Tagbilaran City. It is about 25 feet tall with verdant green forest as a fitting background for the placid waters. It has a very beautiful bathing resort with its cool cascading water and scenic surroundings. |
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Calauit Island. This island in Palawan is home to the biggest game preserve and wildlife sanctuary in the Philippines. Initially, 104 giraffes, impalas, topis, gazelles, elands and zebras were imported from Kenya, Africa. They now number well over 600. The forests, grasslands and mangrove swamps also host some of the country’s rarest and most endangered species, such as the Calamian deer, bearcat, Philippine mousedeer, tarsier, pheasant peacock, scaly ant-eater and monitor lizard. Calauit’s marine sanctuary provides refuge to sea turtles (pawikan), giant clams and the rare seacow (dugong).
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Club Noah Isabelle. Isabelle, the first Club Noah-owned resort is designed to be a model-case for eco-tourism. With administrative authority over one mile radius of the island, Club Noah has slowly brought the reefs of Isabelle back to life. The presence of the grey reef egrets, the Palawan hornbill and the kingfisher attest to the abundance of fish in the water. On land are playful otters and civets, and a rainbow of wild orchids color the black marble cliffs.
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Fort Santiago, Intramuros Manila. Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippine National Hero, spent his last days here before he was executed by the Spanish Government on December 30, 1896. The restored shrine inside Fort Santiago houses Rizaliana items in his memory. Among the objects exhibited are various books and manuscripts by and about the national hero; sketches, paintings, wood carvings and sculpture done by the hero. Fort Santiago was also used as a prison camp by the Japanese during World War II.
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Mt. Pinatubo. Image shows the crater after the 1991 eruption. The canal near the bottom of the image was built to release extra water and avoid another round of flash floods. Radiometric dating on Mt. Pinatubo indicates that it has been active for over 1.1 million years. Pinatubo is one of the 22 active volcanoes dotting the Philippines. To the Aetas, the country’s semi-nomadic Negrito tribes, Mt. Pinatubo is the Aetas’ ‘Holy of Holies’, the inner sanctum where their supreme God, the Apo na Mallari, dwells. They believe the recent eruption was due to Apo’s anger over the continued denudation of the environment.
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Subic Bay Yacht Club. One of the most striking parts of the club is the main entrance, with its high- ceiling foyer that leads to either the main lobby/reception area or the restaurants in the lower ground. Its two bridge suites offer two super-king sized beds, a balcony overlooking the marina, a dining table that could fit 8 people, a spacious living room area, bar and a bathroom fit for a king. Both bridge and standard suites have jacuzzis.
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Magellan's Cross. This Cebu City shrine marks the spot where the first Christian Filipinos, Rajah Humabon and Queen Juana and about 400 of their followers, were baptized by Fr. Pedro Valderama. The Cross was brought by Ferdinand Magellan and planted in April 21, 1521. It is encased in hollow tindalo wood, which is housed in a centuries-old kiosk of wood adobe and red-brick tiles. Cebu City is the oldest city in the Philippines. It is often called the "Queen City of the South" and the Seat of Christianity in the Philippines.
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