Eastern Samar

Eastern Samar is one of three provinces on Samar Island, the second largest island in the Visayas, the region between Luzon Island to the north and Mindanao Island to the south. It stretches from north to south from San Policarpo to Guiuan, along the southern coast from the Pacific Ocean to Lawaan, in the center from Taft to Bagacay. The provincial capital is Borongan with a population of about 55.000 people. Other important towns are, among others, Oras, Dolores, Taft, Llorente and Guiuan. The local inhabitants call themselves Waray and speak a dialect which is called Waray - Waray, considered one of the major dialects used in the Philippines.

Climate

Eastern Samar has a different climate than the rest of the Philippines. Eastern Samar, being located on the Pacific Ocean experiences greater rainfall throughout the year without the hot, dry season from March to May like most of the Philippines. Most of the rainfall occurs from November to February. There is no real dry season, the best sunny weather found from April to July but almost daily includes some rain so be prepared.

 

Please note that all times are approximate and fares were correct as of August 2006.  As prices go, Aircon buses are the most expensive, followed by aircon vans then local buses. See the home page for internet links to transport companies.


  • BY AIR

    Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific both have scheduled flights from Manila to Tacloban City. The flight time is approximately 70 minutes and a single ticket should cost approximately P2,900 but lookout for frequent special promotional prices. You can continue your travels to Eastern Samar by Bus or Van.


  • BUS & VAN

     Eagle Star and SilverStar all operate aircon and/or ordinary buses from Manila to Borongan and Guiuan, whilst local companies operate buses and vans between Tacloban and Borongan, Guiuan & Ormoc (Western Leyte). Both van operators offer a door-to-door pickup and drop-off service. See below for contact details of the major bus and van operators.

            From Lilo-an, Southern Leyte:

Local buses and aircon vans operate between Lilo-an and Tacloban. The journey takes 3.5 hours and costs p180 by van. Change vehicle in Tacloban, to continue your journey to Eastern Samar.

                   

                        From Manila, Luzon:

Eagle Star and Silverstar journey details from Manila to Borongan & Guiuan. See the tables below for journey details, every bus takes passengers for both Borongan and Guiuan. The indicated price includes the ferry from Matnog (Sorsogon, Luzon) to Allen (Northern Samar). Eagle Star offer Students and Senior Citizens on production of valid ID, a 20% reduction on the quoted price. The journey time to Borongan is approx. 24 hrs, depending on the ferry connection, add another 3.5 hrs for arrival time in Guiuan.

      In and around Metro Manila

  

Name of Establishment

:

EAGLESTAR

Municipality

:

Borongan

Address (Bor.)

:

Brgy. Songco, Borongan, E. Samar

Cell#

:

0932858844

Service Offered (bus/van with/without air-con)

From

To

Schedule

Price

 ·         Manila, 2121 Dimasalang St. Sta. Cruz. Tel: 02-711-3883

 ·         Quezon City, Alimall, Cubao. Tel: 02-913-1510

 ·         Cubao, Aurora Terminal. Tel: 02-725-3200

  

Name of Establishment

:

SILVERSTAR

Owner

:

Engr. Homer Mercado

Municipality

:

Borongan

Address (Bor.)

:

Brgy. C -  G Alido St. Borongan, E. Samar

Cell#

:

09193598120

Service Offered (bus/van with/without air-con)

From

To

Schedule

Price

- Cubao, Alimall. Tel: 02-439-8768
- Laguna, San Antonio, San Pedro. Tel: 02-868-9094

From Ormoc, Western Leyte:

Local buses and aircon vans operate between Ormoc and Tacloban. The journey takes 2 hours and costs p100 by Van with a change vehicle in Tacloban for your onward journey to Eastern Samar. The van operator on this route is Dup Tours and their departures times are: 03.30, 05.40, 08.00, 10.00, 13.00 & 14.00. Local buses seem to run on their own timetable and usually depart when the driver deems that they have enough passengers.

From Tacloban City, Leyte:

There are two possible routes when coming to the capital town Borongan, depending if you prefer a local bus or an aircon van. The departure point for local buses is the Public Bus Terminal. The van operators of this route are BJB Tours, Dup Tours, Van-Van’s and Greenfields.

i)        The West Coast route through the province of Samar is via the Wright-Taft road. This route is favored by local non-aircon buses, takes 6 hours and costs P150.

ii)      The East Coast route through Eastern Samar is via the Basey-Lawaan road. This route is favored by aircon vans, takes 4 hours and costs approximately P180.

Name of Establishment

:

BJB Ty Tours

Owner

:

Bernard Lobrus Ty

Municipality

:

Borongan

Barangay/Address

:

Alang-alang

Telephone # (Bor.)

:

(055) 560-9015 

(055) 2613146                          

Tacloban # (Tac.)

 (053 325-4573 -          (053) 523-3846

Cell #

:

09196964579

Service Offered (bus/van with/without air-con)

From

To

Schedule

Price

Name of Establishment

:

DUPTOURS SHUTTLE SERVICES

Owner

:

Rodulfo Pflieder

Municipality

:

Barangay/Address

:

Sto. Niño St. cor. Imelda St. (Tac.) & Songco, Borongan

Telephone # (Tac.)

:

(053) 321-1370  

(053) 523-810                  

Cell#

:

09196964579

Service Offered (bus/van with/without air-con)

From

To

Schedule

Price

·         <!–[endif]–>Every hour from 5 AM to 5 PM   (Tacloban-Borongan)

·         <!–[endif]–>Every hour from 3 AM to 4 PM   (Borongan-Tacloban)

Name of Establishment

:

Greenfields Transport Services

Owner

:

Eugenio F. Carpeso

Municipality

:

Borongan

Address (Bor.)

:

Brgy. Songco, Borongan, E. Samar

Cell#

:

09186124207 - 09205120126

Service Offered (bus/van with/without air-con)

From

To

Schedule

Price

Name of Establishment

:

Van-Van’s Group

Owner

:

Manuel S. Granados

Municipality

:

Tacloban

Address (Bor.)

:

Brgy. Taboc, Borongan, E. Samar

Service Offered (bus/van with/without air-con)

From

To

Schedule

Price

The West Coast route takes longer, is quieter but the road is not as good as the East Coast route but on the plus side, you can view so much more from the local bus as opposed to the rather cramped conditions in a van (15 seater mini-van, although it can accommodate many more!

  •   SEA

Entry into Eastern Samar is via the island of Leyte. Several companies operate from Ormoc, Western Leyte. The most popular route is documented below but more detailed information can be obtained by visiting the Southern Leyte Provincial Site at:
http://www.southernleyte.com/tourism/quickfacts.htm

From Cebu City, Cebu:

Cebu Ferries (5 hrs), SuperCat (2 hrs) both operate daily services between Cebu City (Cebu Island) and Ormoc (Western Leyte). You can continue your travels to Eastern Samar by bus or van via Tacloban.

From Lilo-an, Southern Leyte:

Operators do run several ferries daily, between Surigao, Mindanao and Lilo-an, Southern Leyte. You can continue your travels to Eastern Samar by bus or van via Tacloban.