Borongan, Eastern Samar – Foreign and local tourists may now have a convenient way of discovering the unexplored paradise in Eastern Samar.

This, after the new airport in the provincial capital city of Borongan opened here yesterday with an inaugural flight of South East Asian Airlines (Seair).

The historic landing of the first commercial flight to the eastern-most tip of the Visayas was marked by festivities of a people that saw a new door to better opportunities.

Gov. Ben Evardone said they have long been hoping and working for the opening of the Borongan City airport, which he expects to help boost tourism and business in the province.

“We have arrived. We made history today and we will continue to make history. A lot of opportunities are waiting out there for Eastern Samar,” Evardone told his constituents after landing via the historic flight at around 12 noon.

The governor believes that the new airport – the first in the province and which directly links it to Manila, will “unclog and unleash opportunities for our people.”

“Our province used to be isolated in the Eastern Visayas since there was no direct flight to Manila and we had to go to Calbayog in Western Samar or Catarman in Northern Samar. Now, we are very happy and fortunate to have this airport,” he said.

Evardone said he was thankful to President Arroyo for prioritizing the airport in her agenda. The national government has initially released P20 million for the project and has allocated another P20 million for its development.

The governor also thanked the management of Seair for granting his invitation for the airlines to fly to Borongan from Manila and back.

Seair president Avelino Zapanta admitted it was “a gamble” on their part to accept Evardone  invitation:  But when the governor and the mayors met with us in Manila, they demonstrated their solidarity in building this project so we are also happy to help.

Zapanta said they decided to extend operations to the new airport after seeing the potential of the province of Eastern Samar in becoming a well-developed tourist destination.

“We are also happy to be the first airline to fly into the city of Borongan. That history and you canat erase that. We are also hoping this will contribute to economic progress to the province,” he added.

The maiden flight took an hour and 20 minutes via Seair’s Dornier 328, a 32-seater German aircraft known to be one of the fastest jet props in the world, which left Manila Domestic Airport at 10:50 a.m.

The airline said the Manila – Borongan and Borongan ‑ Manila flights will initially operate for two days in a week, specifically on Mondays and Fridays.

Eastern Samar, dubbed by the Department of Tourism as “unexplored paradise,” has a total of one city and 22 municipalities and is home to over 400,000 people.

Local officials said the people of the province who are “hospitable and very gracious hosts” are its best offer to tourists.

They also took pride in the rich history of the province. It was where Ferdinand Magellan, the Spanish navigator who discovered the Philippines, first set foot on Philippine soil – specifically in Homonhon island in Guiuan.

The province is also popular among international and local surfers. The Calico-an island, also in Guiuan, is reportedly a favorite destination among surfers.

“We are already part of the international surfing community. In October, we are hosting an international surfing competition,” said Evardone.

Edu Punay (Philstar News Service)

August 24, 2008 

PIA

BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar  –  It’s all system go for SEA-Airlines as it sets to fly on 1^st September its proving flight to Borongan City.

This was learned from Dr. Joel Mendoza, Senior Staff of SEA-Air in an interview.

Mendoza expressed hopes that their 32-Seater airline will propel a more active economy in this part of Region 8.

“Not to brag, we opened Boracay and Palawan to the world,” the young executive claimed.  It has been our forte to open future tourist destinations,” he added which implies his expectation that Borongan City or the entire Eastern Samar might follow suit.

Mendoza’s team was in the City recently to further inspect the Punta Maria Airport, its apron and terminal which were the final requirement for landing.  He said in the interview however, that both are now okay and are ready to receive passengers.

Asked how much would it cost to fly to Manila and vice-versa via SEA-Air, the Officer did not reply promptly, instead, he enumerated several considerations and comparisons, vis-à-vis, travel time, cost, even stress level and energy when one takes the land trip.

He said that after some careful study, they found it reasonable to cost each passenger: P3,500 for promotional, majority price-P4,300 and regular-P5,300. SEA-Air leaves Manila at 10:50am and an hour and eight minutes later, it is expected to touch down Borongan; and an hour after again, it flies back to Manila.

Initially, Mendoza said they will schedule regular flights on Mondays and Fridays.  Their booking office is at Avon-Amistoso bldg., Tabok, Borongan City.

Commentary: PGMA SONA commitment for Guiuan Airport dev’t being implemented in full blast

Tacloban City (May 18) — The Guiuan Airport Development Project, a SONA commitment of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, is now being implemented in full blast.

The airport is seen as the key to the coming of more tourists to the island paradise which is being promoted by no less than President Arroyo as a major destination in the Visayas.

Already, an airline company has agreed to make flights at the Guiuan Airport once it is completed.

The Regional Development Council Project Monitoring team reported that the estimated project cost is P142 Million and so far, the amount of P10.0 Million and P15 Million was allocated in 2006 and 2007. For 2008, the amount of P70 Million has been programmed.

The 2006 and 2007 allocation was used for the construction and concreting of Apron and Taxiway and for the rehabilitation of the Passenger Terminal Building.

The construction of Apron and Taxiway was completed in September of 2007 while the concreting of the Apron and Taxiway was completed in January of 2008. The rehabilitation of the Passenger Terminal Building is 80 percent completed.

Meanwhile, the P70 Million programmed for 2008 is for the construction of the perimeter fence, site acquisition and construction of access road, completion of apron and taxiway and asphalt overlay runway.

The RDC Monitoring Team reported that the construction of the perimeter fence is on-going already.

The Guiuan Airport Development Project is a priority project of President Arroyo in line with her super region concept of development where Region 8 is part of the Central Philippines Super Region envisioned to be the tourism center of the country.

In Region 8, the Calicoan Islands in Guiuan is being developed as an important tourist destination. A sanctuary of privacy and indulgence highlighted by tropical landscape and surrounded by the relaxing sound of the ocean – this is how Calicoan, will win the hearts of local and international tourists.

Calicoan Island boasts of miles of white sand beaches. With powerful swells rolling in from the Pacific over the 10,000 meters Philippine Deep, Calicoan is a surfer’s paradise.

The rich diversity of the area is evident when one sees the exotic species being sold. The surrounding waters support several marine based industries such as fish, seaweed, and pearl farming.

In the middle of the island are six lagoons ringed by forest, the largest being 30 hectares in size. At the cliffside margin of Calicoan’s forests are dozens of caves. On the northern tip of Calicoan are wetlands like the Everglades, teeming with fish, shrimp, and crabs.

 (source PIA

The DoT reported that 244,786 tourists visited the region in 2007, which resulted in tourist receipts of more than $5.22 million. Of the number, 47,400 were foreigners with North Americans and East Asians leading the visitors.

“We hope to surpass last year’s record by at least 10 percent this year,” said Karina Rosa Tiopes, regional tourism chief.

The 2007 tourist arrivals were a marked increase compared to the 203,569 tourists, who visited the region in 2006 that brought in $4.23 million in tourist receipts.

Eastern Visayas is composed of Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar (Western Samar), and Southern Leyte.

Tiopes said the increasing trend of tourist arrivals in the region could be attributed to their aggressive campaign to promote Eastern Visayas as an adventure destination.

Tourists, she said, can enjoy the region’s white beaches, wonderful caves, and waterfalls for their “adventure activities.”

Among the tourist attractions the DoT is pushing in the region are the Sohoton National Park located in Basey, Samar, which is rich in geological features such as caves, underground rivers, and limestone boulders; and the Calicoan Island in Guiuan, Eastern Samar, which is being promoted as a surfing area.

Tiopes also credited the cooperation extended by the local government units in the region which have been doing their own share in promoting their respective tourist destinations.

The tourism regional chief, however, said some municipalities in the region have yet to give priority to promoting their areas as tourism destinations or have no ordinances that could help their localities attract tourists.

To boost tourism promotion by local government units, DoT-8 will spearhead on April 25 a regional forum to be attended by members of the city, municipal, and provincial legislative councils.

Tiopes said the one-day forum would aim to help local legislators come up with ordinances, resolutions, or codes that would set the guidelines in the promotion of the tourism industry in their respective areas.

Expected to attend the forum are Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano and Senator Loren Legarda, vice chairperson of the Senate’s committee on tourism, according to Tiopes.
source: inquirer.net

April 14, 2008
SULAT, one of the oldest towns of Eastern Samar, is not on any list of must-see places. It does not merit a footnote in travel books and many would be hard pressed to find it on a map.

But those who call it home, or who have had the rare chance to visit, are only too glad for the anonymity. It means that they can selfishly have the fifth-class municipality’s unspoiled beauty all to themselves. But they may not be able to keep their secret for much longer, because word is slowly getting out that Sulat, a little over 30 kilometers south of the province’s capital of Borongan City, is an ideal getaway for surfers.

Facing the Pacific Ocean, Sulat is gifted with tall enough waves—about six to eight feet high—to merit the expense and hassle of lugging a surfboard to this town about four hours away from the nearest major airport in Tacloban City.

Local surfer Divino Evardone says that a number of surfers from Australia—in perpetual search for new places to explore and surf in—have become regular visitors to one of Sulat’s islands, Macate. They’ve been taking more and more of their foreign and local friends along because in Sulat they can surf to their heart’s content without other surfers getting on their wave unlike in the more established and better-known surf spots in La Union, Surigao and Aurora.

There are also many sites to choose from—there are about two surfing sites near the poblacion of Sulat, besides Macate, there’s another one off the island barangay of San Vicente—and all are practically deserted, save for fishermen out for their daily catch.

Visiting surfers do not face competition for the waves from the locals. Only recently have a few Sulatnons started to take up the physically demanding and yes, expensive sport. Neither do visitors need to spend a fortune for the experience – a cottage on Macate rents out for only P200 for a whole day, P500 if they want to spend the night.

Evardone shares that for four straight years, an elderly Australian surfer has stayed on the island for a whole month during surfing season—from August to January— just to get his surfing fix. And he’s scheduled to come back yet again this year.

But even if people do get to hear about Sulat’s considerable merits, they hesitate to make the trip because it can be grueling indeed, mainly because of the sorry state of the two main roads that link Sulat to the airport in Tacloban City on the island of Leyte.

Travelers will agree that the journey is definitely not the destination. The shorter three-hour route across the famous San Juanico Bridge through the towns of Calbiga and Wright in Samar, and then Taft in Eastern Samar will leave the visitor feeling like they just rode a jackhammer. They have to grit their teeth while navigating a seemingly endless series of potholes, road cuts and even remnants of landslides.

The longer, more scenic southern route via the town of Lawaan is easier on the backside because of the relatively smooth roads. That feeling ends at the capital of Borongan where the rocky roads start. It must be like traveling on the surface of moon with its numerous gaping craters. Because of the deep ruts, the 32-kilometer stretch from Borongan to Sulat takes about an hour’s ordeal of maneuvering through all the hazards that wreak havoc on any vehicle’s tires and engine, even those of the buses and trucks.

Eastern Samar Gov. Ben P. Evardone said in an interview that the province continues to look for ways to ease the motorists’ and residents’ misery by spending on the long-delayed rehabilitation of the damaged portions of the national road. He added, however, that the provincial government can only do so much since funds for the repair of national roads are in the hands of the Department of Public Works and Highways. The province’s congressman, charged with networking the project, just said that he “was trying his best.”

This is a shame considering that the entire Eastern Samar is being developed as a tourist destination, with surfing as its top draw. Calicoan in Guiuan, a municipality at the southernmost tip of the province, is already getting considerable investments, with the Shimao group of China pledging to invest in a tourism complex. Korean and Filipino groups have already broken ground on their own projects. The development of the rest of the towns like Sulat, which has just as many surfing destinations as Guiuan, may not happen if the roads remain as they are.

But despite the terrible roads, some visitors still manage to make the trip to Sulat, for they know that rewards await them at the end of the challenging journey. And it’s not just the surfers who are happy to get there. Nature trippers are, too.

The beaches here can outclass many of their more popular counterparts in Batangas, Cavite and La Union. Yes, coconut husks and shells still litter the beach and the sand is not white, but having vast stretches of clean, clear ocean waters all to oneself more than makes up for that. No Megamall-like crowds or Boracay gangs here.

Then there’s the rich marine life, a feast for both the eyes and the stomach. Snorkelers can have a field day in the outlying islands of Agawan, where aquarium fish still dart around. Those who would rather stay on shore can enjoy a fresh catch of shrimp, crab, tuna or other coral fish on their plate. Avid bird watchers also have something to look forward to. Egrets abound, and so do olive-backed sunbirds and kingfishers, which find a safe haven here since the locals do not bother or hunt them down. Foraging hawks and eagles are also known to make a regular appearance.

The list of attractions goes on, and as Filipinos and foreigners continue their quest for undiscovered places, it may only be a matter of time before the town and the province get the top billing that they deserve, hopefully sans the bad roads.

How to get there: From Manila, take a flight to Tacloban City, then get on the San Jose jeep at the airport (P50). You can ask the driver to drop you off at either the terminal of the vans (Duptours has regular trips to Borongan via the south road for P180, after which you have to take another jeepney to Sulat) or the bus terminal where you can take a bus to Borongan (via the older north road that will take you to straight to Sulat for P120.)

Sulat has no posh tourist facilities to speak of, although a local lady married to Hans Joseph Haury of Germany recently put up the Hans pension house for visitors.

Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer

Organized by:

Surfriders’ Club of Eastern Samar Inc. (SCES Inc.)
Provincial Goverment of E. Samar
LGU Guiuan
DOT Region 8

Calicoan is an island located at the southern tip of Guiuan E. Samar.The island is bounded in the east by
the Pacific Ocean and in the west by the Leyte Gulf. The island has a rugged landscape, virgin tropical
forests, unspoiled white sand beaches, crystal clear water and surf. The place
is a haven for adventurous travelers and intrepid surfers. ABCD Beach is the main surf spot on the island.
It has two main breaks, left hander and point break style, around 200 meters ride.
Best on a north swell. across the chanel is the right hand break, hollow take off, 150 meters long. Works on
a south swell. The bottom is reef, crystal clear water. In 09-11 september 2000, the Inaugural Crown Surfing
Contest was held in this site, through the initiative of the Borongan Awareness on Nature and Outdoor Group
(BANOG)and the local surfers.

DIVISIONS:

1. Open Division

Champion - ROMMEL ROJO Baler Aurora
1st Runner up - JUN FIETAS La union
2nd Runner up - CARLOS AGA - Borongan City Eastern Samar
3rd Runner up - BRYAN LASSITER - Borongan City Eastern Samar

JUNIOR DIVISION

Champion - VILMAR VELASQUES- San Juan La union
1st Runner up - MYREL SANTOS- Borongan City Eastern Samar
2nd Runner up - Reynaldo Rosel - Borongan City Eastern Samar
3rd Runner up- DANJIE LASEY - Sulangan Guiuan Eastern Samar

THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT & SPONSORS OF THIS EVENTS FROM :
SURF RIDERS CLUB OF EASTERN SAMAR

For more information, please contact:

BRYAN LASSITER - SCES President, cel # 09198120190
ABDEL ELECHO - SCES Vice-President, cel# 09274171392
www.samarsurf.com
or email to:
aelecho@yahoo.com