Chronicles: The town of Padre Burgos in Quezon

After months of planning, the annual summer trip of me and my friends finally came. The first plan was to go to Sandbox and to Subic, and then it was changed to Baler. Unfortunately all resorts in Baler are already full when we inquired so the next plan was to go to Padre Burgos, Quezon. Upon hearing Padre Burgos, Quezon one summer destination came into mind – Borawan. But Padre Burgos is more than just a fishing town that serves as a take-off point to Borawan.

Going to Padre Burgos is very easy. You just need to ride a bus bound to Lucena Grand Terminal. There are buses going to Lucena from Cubao (Jam and Jac Liner) and in Alabang. We are coming from Alabang and the ride is about 3 hours long. Once you reached the Lucena Grand Terminal you need to ride a jeep, FX or bus going to Unisan and tell the driver to drop you at Padre Burgos or advise them that you are going to Borawan. Landmark for Padre Burgos is the large signage of QCRB. The trip from Lucena Grand Terminal to Padre Burgos is approximately 1 hour.

Upon stepping foot at the town of Padre Burgos, townsfolk are ready to accommodate every tourist. I think that the people have become accustomed with tourists visiting their place that they have adapted it to their way of living. You will be welcomed by the questions “Sir/Ma’am island hoping po?” or “Sir/Ma’am pupunta po kayo Borawan?” and of course “Sir/Ma’am may bangka na po kayo?” Although it is natural for them to ask you these questions and be offered of their boat ride services, the good thing about the people of Padre Burgos is that they don’t take advantage of the tourists. If you are planning to go to Borawan or Dampalitan or to Putting Buhangin you did not need to worry of the items that you will need in your camping. The town has a small grocery store that is complete with basic needs for your camping and boating trip.

a fisherman at the shore of Padre Burgos

a family playing at the shores of Padre Burgos

Another great thing about the town of Padre Burgos is the cheap food. You cannot expect any special food or cuisine at the town of Padre Burgos but you can be sure that your money is worth the food or even more the food you eat. At Php 30.00 we already have a complete set of food consisting of rice, viand, soup and softdrink. At Php 70.00 we have a fresh tilapia good for four persons and add Php 20.00 for the grilling services of the vendor. For Php 40.00 there is a “paluto” for pansit, chami that is good for 2-3 persons. And since it was summer, if you are craving for halo-halo Padre Burgos is the right place for you as there are lots of stores selling affordable halo-halo with lots of ingredients. For the three days stay that stayed in the town we also become a constant customer of the town’s burger house that sells affordable burgers, sandwiches and other meriendas.

If you are planning on an island hopping trip in islands of Padre Burgos, you have to take note of the low tide and high tide in the area. During low tide a large area of the beach and sea will literally go dry and it will be hard for the boat men to dock at areas near the beach. The good thing about low tide is that you will see the abundance of starfish crawling at the sand and small fishes swimming fast to the deeper part of the sea which will not be affected by the low tide.

a starfish I found at the shore

the afternoon view at the top of a cliff during low tide

The only disappointing thing about Padre Burgos is that the shore line is not clean and not suitable for swimming. This is may be also the reason why tourists opted for island hopping rather than staying at the town to enjoy the beach. Good thing the town of Padre Burgos offers a good view of the sunrise while you walk at the dry beach during your morning stroll.