The fall and rise of Corregidor -2

More accessible

Corregidor became more accessible to the public during the time of President Aquino. After recognizing the island’s historical importance and tourism potentials, Tita Cory’s Department of Tourism immediately buckled down to work. Before tapping Sun Cruises to provide Corregidor with regular ferry service, the government refurbished the existing road network within the island and added new ones.

A 30-room hotel was soon built followed by other recreational facilities. Aside from managing the daily tours, Sun Cruises also promotes the island and runs the hotel for the Corregidor Foundation. It, in turn, is in charge of the island’s administration.

When Corregidor first became accessible to the public, most of those who came to visit it were Filipino and American veterans and their families. The attraction also draws a substantial number of war veterans and tourists from Japan. Lately, however, local visitors have begun to outnumber foreigners, especially during peak summer months.

"Indeed, this is a very encouraging sign," says Martinez, who claims to be one of the first tour guides to win DOT’s prestigious Kalakbay Awards. Sun Cruises boasts of a pool of proficient and entertaining tour guides, who know their history by heart and can speak several languages.

Government efforts culminated in the inauguration of "The Malinta Experience" on May 6, 1991. It has clearly become one of the island’s major draws. The Corregidor Foundation is also in charge of running the attraction, which Avellana missed by a few weeks. Just like Quezon, the legendary filmmaker passed away without seeing his dream project.

"There was no regular ferry service to the island before," says Sun Cruises GM Cristina Cortez. "It was so near Manila, but it was inaccessible to ordinary tourists."

Sun Cruises, a subsidiary of Magsaysay Lines, operates a single "fastcraft" (it used to run two) that slices through Manila Bay’s murky waters daily. Its clean, air-conditioned cabin can seat up to 150 people.

And, oh, yes, there are clean his and hers toilets inside the boat so you don’t have to control your bladders all the way from the CCP terminal in Manila to Corregidor’s Engineering Dock. With Manila Bay’s choppy waters, doing it in the middle of the bay is out of the question.

"The Philippines may not be as sophisticated as the US and Europe," says Cortez, "but we try to our best to be at par in terms of cleanliness and safety."

Schedule

The day tour (P1,690 per person inclusive of lunch) begins a few minutes past 9 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. Guests are usually back in Manila before 4 p.m. Students who tour in groups as part of their schools’ field trip are charged P450 per head. Veterans also get a 20-percent discount.

This summer, for instance, Sun Cruises is renting a bigger, no-frills boat to be able to allow more families to see the sites. As of this interview, Cortez has yet to come up with the exact price for the entire package. But if she can have it her way, families will shell out no more than P750 per member. Bring your own baon, please. Call Sun Cruises at 526-8888, 831-8140, 834-1523 and 834-6858.

Guests who want to stay an extra day or two can make prior arrangements at Sun Cruises’ Manila office. You will need more time to tour a number of attractions by foot. Tour buses inspired by pre-war cable cars are unable to go to certain areas where an old-cemetery, American-era escape tunnels and MacArthur’s residence are hidden from view.

Nature-trippers will have a grand time scaling the island’s virgin forests and uneven terrain. Hiking packages are classified as easy, medium and difficult.

What about landmines? The island has been cleared of such lethal devices years ago, says Martinez. If you happen to have a third eye, then perhaps the only thing to watch out for are ghosts from wars past. Sun Cruises also offers nocturnal hiking trips for the brave, indifferent, or simply foolish.

A walk through Corregidor in the dead of night? Why not if doing so with real and unseen friends is a lot more fun? Lately, the island has also become a preferred venue for team-building seminars, company-sponsored treasure hunts and other activities to promote bonding among managers and their subordinates.

The beach also provides an excellent swimming area as long as the water remains free of Metro Manila’s trash. Believe it or not, there are seasons when plastic bags and various floating debris from the nation’s capital find their way to Corregidor’s pristine waters.

"Veterans have been classified as a fading market," says Cortez with a smile. "That’s why we’re making it an adventure island to attract younger people."

Where decades of study, through insipid books and uninspired teachers, have probably failed, a daylong trip to Corregidor may finally succeed in drawing Filipinos’ attention to their country’s rich and colorful past.