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People’s Park in the Sky
Improbably perched on a towering mound of earth at Tagaytay’s eastern end, this is Ferdinand Marcos’ unfinished summer home. It remains a crumbling yet appealing ruin, with a decrepit Greek-style amphitheatre and a smattering of tourist attractions on the grounds. A newly construct
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Nacpan Beach
To escape the crowds, head north by tricycle or motorbike to this golden-hued 3km beach. Development is limited to a few snack shacks and some basic lodging, but change is imminent so enjoy the peace while it lasts. To get here drive 18km north of El Nido on a paved highway, then a
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Taluksangay
Muslim and Christian communities live together peacefully in this settlement about 18km northeast of Zamboanga City. Like Rio Hondo, it’s built partially out over the water; a mosque with red minarets built in 1885, the oldest on the Zamboanga Peninsula, dominates the skyline. The
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Malinta Tunnel
Completed in 1932 after 10 years of construction, the Malinta Tunnel complex is built into the side of a hill and was used by the Americans as a bombproof bunker, for ammunition storage, and also as a hospital. The tunnel spans 250m, with numerous laterals branching off, one of whi
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Baguio Mountain Provinces Museum
This thorough museum is a great introduction to the Igorot (mountain people) of the Cordillera and also the harmful savage highlander/cultured lowlander divide, introduced by the Spanish. Each display focuses on a separate indigenous group, and you may spot the spears, bolos (mache
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Bukilat Cave
Beside a rough dirt road just beyond MacArthur is the well-hidden Bukilat Cave . The road you want heads north from Tudela, then east, passing the Calmante Elementary School about 4km along. A sign for the cave pops up once you’re almost there. The entrance fee is payable at the ne
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Paoay Church
Nineteen kilometres southwest of Laoag is North Luzon’s most famous church. Unesco World Heritage Paoay Church was built in classic earthquake-baroque style, with a towering belfry and massive brick reinforcements running along its sides. Begun in 1704 and finished 90 years later,
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Weavers
Vigan weavers are known for using abel, a locally produced cotton fabric, to hand-weave shawls, tablecloths, napkins and barong (traditional Filipino shirts). In barangay Camanggaan, just a 10-minute tricycle ride southeast of Vigan, you can watch abel handweavers in action at Rowi
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Cantaan Kabila White Beach Giant Glam Sanctuary
Some of the best-preserved coral around Camiguin, as well as giant clams, can be found in the waters just off this small white-sand beach halfway between Benoni and Guinsiliban in barangay Cantaan. However, typhoons Sendong (2011) and Pablo (2012) did cause significant damage and t
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Sampaguita Gardens
What to say about the extraordinary Sampaguita Gardens ?! Part cultural theme park, part environmental education centre, part luxury resort (rooms from P1890), part children’s playground, all packaged in year-round Christmas kitsch combined with oriental opulence – you have to go a
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Ma
The Ma-Cho is one of the most striking Chinese temples in Luzon. A loud collision of Taoism and Chinese Catholicism (think bright red imperial Chinese decor mixed with the iconography of a Latin American church and you get the idea), the pagoda sits atop a hill just north of San Fe
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Santo Niño Shrine & Heritage Center
Taclobans most famous daughter is Imelda Romualdez Marcos, whose family home is in Tolosa, one of the coastal towns most devastated by Typhoon Yolanda. The family’s influence in Tacloban is evident in street names and in this prominent old mansion built with the Marcos millions, ye
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Rajah Sikatuna National Park
The Rajah Sikatuna National Park is an immense 9000 hectares of native molave forest and grasslands, kilometres of haphazardly marked trails, more than 100 caves and a dubious camping area (per person P30) that is little more than a sign in a small, cleared zone. With assistance fr
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Kawasan Falls
Located 17km south of Moalboal, Kawasan Falls comprise a series of three waterfalls; the largest cascades 20m into a massive, milky-blue swimming hole. Unfortunately this main pool has been a little spoilt by weekend crowds and over-development. The second and third waterfalls are
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Talipanan Falls & Mt Talipanan
Much less touristy than Tamaraw Falls, Talipanan Falls are a short walk from the village of Talipanan. Hire a Mangyan guide (P200) in the Iraya-Mangyan village just off the main road in Talipanan. From here a track behind the school winds for about 30 minutes uphill and through for
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Escolta St
While today Escolta St is a fairly gritty and rundown strip, it remains of historical significance as one of the last remnants of swinging pre-WWII Manila, when it was a ritzy strip of upmarket department stores and theatres. Numerous heritage buildings remain along Escolta, includ
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Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary
As parks go, the Maryknoll Sanctuary, located about 25 minutes outside of downtown Baguio, is nice enough. There’s 2.8 hectares of preserved forest – pretty, peaceful if not particularly striking. What does wow us about Maryknoll is the ‘Cosmic Journey’, a pathway that threads thro
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Capas National Shrine
This former Camp ODonnell POW camp was where the American and Filipino soldiers who endured the notorious WWII Bataan Death March were transported: their final destination. Its now a 54-acre memorial park, centred by the Capas National Shrine, a 70m needle-shaped obelisk standing s
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UST Museum
Housed in a superb heritage-listed 19th-century building on the campus of the University of Santo Tomas, this museum lays claims to being the oldest in Asia (its original Intramuros campus dates to 1611). It comprises an interesting mix of taxidermy, coins, religious artefacts and
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Pottery Factories
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, Chinese settlers pioneered a still-active pottery industry. You can visit a couple of pottery factories on Gomez St, near the corner with Liberation Blvd. The 50m-long kiln at RG Jar, which was made in 1823 and can hold nearly 1000 jars, is a wo
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