Nine hours in Masbate City

Masbate is known for its ranches and every year, it has its Rodeo Masbateño, the province's top tourist drawer. It has also powerful families who slug bloody jousts come election time.
After five hours at sea and with my senses barraged with stunning seascapes off Ticao, I finally arrived in Masbate City from Pilar, Sorsogon. Its terra firma and its the first time that I’ve been here. What can I expect? Are there old churches or houses that I can visit? Colonial era fortifications and other tourist spots? With just nine hours before I leave for Cebu, I cannot really go beyond the city limits.
The island province is located between Bicol and the Visayan islands of Leyte, Cebu, Negros and Panay. It is nearer to Samar and it’s two main islands are Burias and Ticao with several islets strewn in its seas.
During the Spanish colonial era, it was conveniently in the eastern route of the Manila - Acapulco galleons and had been a supply area just before these trading vessels head out into the Pacific. At the height of the Muslim slave and piratical raidings, Burias and parts of Masbate became a base for these fishers of men where they launched periodic incursions in Bicol and the Visayas.

Finally, the pumpboat that brought me from Pilar, Sorsogon finally docks at the Masbate City pier. Almost five hours after.
Even during Spanish times, the forests of this province have already been exploited. Among them as source of wood in the construction of the galleons. Logging has continued into modern times. Then as now, it has the same situation as Cebu: heavily deforested with precariously small patches of forests left.
Because of the wide expanse of cleared lands, ranching is widely practiced. Every year, sometime around April, Rodeo Masbateño is the main crowd drawer. There is another aspect that this province is known for: a notoriously dirty political atmosphere that it has one of the bloodiest come election season.

Villa Bayot, an ancestral house at the city center.

Detail of sliding windows of Villa Bayot. Translucent capiz shells form the square grids.
I was a bit disappointed, really. While asking at the tourism center at the provincial capitol, I was told that there are only two Spanish colonial era churches left: San Pascual and San Jacinto. Both are in the islands of Burias and Ticao respectively. The woman who attended to me didn’t know of any existing fortifications, even if its in bad condition. I have heard some accounts, though, that there are some caves in the island that have altars made by people who retreated into the interior when the slave raiders came ashore.
As for ancestral houses, there are only a handful of which, Villa Bayot, built in the 1880s is prominently located at the town center near the pier. Unfortunately, when I asked permission to look inside, I was told that the matriarch is not feeling well and can’t receive visitors. Like the old rich in other towns, they are also caretakers of Lenten images that have pilgrims’ following.

Like in many other cities in the country, these stilt houses rising from the sea can be seen near the pier.
Tourist areas like beaches are present but these are beyond the city limits. With no other thing to do or visit, I spent some time sitting at the park. It’s a wide area near the capitol with tall trees and benches underneath. Just breezy and refreshing. Later in the afternoon, I killed time at an internet cafe before heading to the pier.

Already in the passenger boat and ready to sail for Cebu in the evening.
It’s already evening and I was aboard the Trans Asia passenger ship. For a tourist accommodation (airconditioned with comfy double decks but crowded, set inside a small area) the ticket is quite steep: just a few pesos short of P900. In a few hours, I will finally be home in Cebu.
Was the trip worth the extended travel time? Of course. As always, its an opportunity to discover new places and enrich one’s experiences.












deforestation is quite a sad news. as much as the cities are cutting down trees, i believe that they should also triple or even more the planting of trees.
the stilt houses are similar to the ones you’ll see in basilan.
that’s a cool shot of the stilt houses. never been to this place.
the usual “tourism” folks are clueless. and the DOT is really intent on increasing tourist arrivals here. Mabuhay ang mga travel bloggers!
sabi nila poorest province daw ang masbate. mukha nga bang ganon?
Wow…you increased quite a bit your color saturation lately…
not bad… but for my taste at the edge…
so naa na ka sa cebu karon?
Hi, Estan. You explore the place more than I did. I was here in 2003 passing Masbate from Roxas City (Capiz) to Sorsogon. Pumpboat ra sab akong gisakyan.
I’m planning to visit this place to get better photos and explore the place more intensively.
Nindot sab kaayo imong mga kuhang photos diri
Hi Langyaw…nice photo collections…hope you’ll include Siquijor in your next inteneraries….
dong, unfortunately, all are lip service.
kouji, you should visit masbate even for once. i’m also wishing that i can visit their rodeo masbateno next year.
tutubi, sad but true. its just exasperating that all they know are beaches, beaches and more beaches.
tin-tin, i really can’t say unless i stayed more time in the area. what you see is not always what you get
sidney, polarizer and a bright sunny day just gives you those colors (and my usual +15 saturation. hehehe)
gibb, this week bai magabot ko diha.
dodong flores, wow, a Roxas City to Sorsogon via Masbate. I’m always intrigued with not so traveled routes
eric, siquijor is still in my list as I’ve never been to this place before.
thanx all for the visit.
Trackbacks
Leave your response!
Here at Langyaw.com
Sponsor
Subscribe
Free Photo e-book!
Announcements
New in Langyaw.com: multimedia slideshows
Check out this new feature here. (0)
Sponsors
Sponsors
Follow me
Visit My Sites
Others
Tags
Aklan Albay announcements Baguio Bicol Cagayan de Oro Cebu Cebu-Sugbo kini christmas churches Davao Oriental festivals Food history Ifugao Ilocos Norte Iloilo In Transit I Travel Laguna Leyte Luzon Manila Masbate mayon Mindanao mindoro multimedia Negros Palawan pasko philippine blog awards Quezon Samar semana santa Sorsogon Surigao del Sur the Cuyo Loop The Loop travel etc Visayas waterfalls World Heritage SiteLinks
Archives
Ang Langyaw
I enjoy the freedom that going to places entails, both the trip itself and the destination, revelling in the many things that the act of travel offers: the sounds, the sights, the people and the flavors.
More about the author and this blog.
—via Lightstalkers