SIARGAO ISLAND BASIC INFORMATION AND TUTORIALS

SIARGAO ISLAND - THE MYTH, THE LEGEND, THE TRUTH
Where Is Siargao? How To Get To Siargao?

Siargao Island
Off the northeastern tip of Mindanao lies the teardrop-shaped island of SIARGAO, a largely undeveloped backwater with languid beaches, dramatic coves and lagoons battered by the Pacific Ocean and a verdant hinterland of rustic little barrios and coconut groves.

Some of the first tourists here were surfers, who discovered a break at Tuason Point that was so good they called it Cloud Nine, and though it’s still off the tourist trail, word of mouth is bringing an increasing number of surfers from around the world.

Arrival and getting around
Most visitors arrive by ferry at Dapa, 16km from the modest but comfortable resorts around the island’s friendly little capital of General Luna, known as GL, on the east coast. There are no banks and credit cards aren’t accepted in most places, so bring cash.

Your choices for getting around the island are fairly limited. Most locals use the habal-habal (motorcycle) drivers, good for up to two people and light luggage. Rates are fixed: Dapa to Cloud 9 is P200, while Dapa to GL is P150. Rides between GL and Cloud 9 should be P15. Drivers will take you to Magpupungko for P300 or the Tak-Tak Falls near Burgos for P1000; in both cases the price includes the trip back. If you intend to do a lot of roaming around, ask your accommodation about renting a motorcycle (P500/day).

The other options are tricycles and minivans: tricycles will charge at least P30 per person (P150/vehicle) between Dapa and GL, but sometimes ask for a lot more (it depends on how much commission they are expecting from your hotel). Minivans charge P300 per person or P1500 per trip to the airport – other trips will be charged according to time and distance. For bangka trips see opposite.

Accommodation
Accommodation in Siargao covers the whole range, from modest lodges aimed at backpackers and low-budget surfers, to upmarket tropical resorts. Most accommodation is a short distance from GL, and can help arrange motorbike rentals, bangka trips and other forms of transportation.

Exploring the island of Siargao
Resorts line the coast north of GL, and though there isn’t really a beach here it’s a lush laidback strip, with swathes of coconut palms linked by a sand road. The whole area is generally referred to as Cloud 9, though the world-renowned break is actually at Tuason Point, 2km north of GL, towards the end of the hotel strip.

The peak surf season is September and October, while things tend to slow down at the end of the year; beginners will find the weaker surf in June and July more manageable. Even if you don’t surf, wander out to the viewpoint at the end of the Cloud 9 boardwalk, a rickety wooden pier that cuts across the lagoon to the edge of the biggest waves.

Some 35km north of GL via mostly dirt road is PILAR, a village of traditional wooden stilt houses on the edge of the mangroves. It’s best known for Magpupungko Beach, 2km further north and the site of regular beach parties every Friday night (P20). The sandy beach is one of the island’s best, but the highlight is the giant natural swimming pool (basically a huge rockpool) that forms to the far left of the beach at low tide.

The water is beautifully clear and inviting, assuming the weather cooperates. There’s a nominal charge of P50 per person, but this isn’t always enforced. Minivan drivers should take you for P2000–2500 (1hr). It’s a long and bumpy ride by motorcycle.

Siargao island-hopping
The seas around Siargao are littered with unspoiled and rarely visited islands, but you’d need your own boat and lots of time to explore them all. The easiest to visit are the three islands just off the coast of GL (around 30min by bangka): day-trips to all three cost P1500 or P2500 depending on the size of the boat. Most resorts can fix you up with local bangka operators.

Naked Island is little more than a giant sand bar and perfect for lounging in the sun. Dako Island is the largest of the three, smothered in coconut palms and home to a small fishing community. The villagers will happily serve you fresh coconut (P20) or even barbecue chicken (P150) if required. Tiny Guyam Island comes closest to the stereotype of a classic desert island, a circular clump of sand and palm trees ideal for picnics, swimming or sunbathing.

The island caretaker usually charges a fee of P10 per person. Snorkelling isn’t much good off any of these islands – the best reefs lie in between them, so ask your boat to make an extra stop. Another appealing day-trip from Siargao is to La Janoza and Mamon, the easternmost islands in the archipelago – the bangka ride takes around one hour and costs around P3500 per boat.

There’s a powdery white sand beach and a quaint fishing village on La Janoza and between the two islands is a pellucid lagoon that’s wonderful for swimming and snorkelling; both islands are also surfing hotspots.

CEBU PACIFIC TOP 3 SERVICE FAILURES IN RECENT TIME

CEBU PACIFIC RECORD OF TOP 3 FAILURES
Epic Fails of Cebu Pacific

Cebu Pacific if the leading air passenger carrier of the Philippines. It is a budget airlines, but with wide reach (local and abroad) and a relatively good service.

However, part and parcel of its operations are its complaints and failures in services as well. We are listing the top 3 epic fails of Cebu Pacific in recent times.

NUMBER 3 - OFFLOADING A CHILD WITH MENTAL DISABILITY (DECEMBER 2010)

On December 23, Alcantara and her son, John Arvin, was pressured by Cebu Pacific's purser and cabin crew to get off a plane bound for Manila from Hong Kong.

Alcantara said the crew members flatly told her that John Arvin was a special child and was banned from boarding Cebu Pacific planes as stated under company rules.

Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific Airlines is facing a P5-million civil suit for attempting to offload a child with developmental disability from one of its flights last December.

Marites Alcantara and her family, represented by their legal counsel Salvador Panelo, filed the case before the Antipolo City Regional Trial Court on Thursday.

Cebu Pacific had apologized to Alcantara and her son, saying that the incident was "a result of the cabin crew's misinterpretation of government regulations designed to assure the safety of passengers."

"Cebu Pacific has no policy that discriminates against persons with special needs," the airline previously clarified. "We taken all the necessary measures to make sure similar incidents do not happen again and that passengers with special needs are properly attended to."

NUMBER 2 - CHRISTMAS SEASON FLIGHT CANCELLATION FIASCO (DECEMBER 2015)

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) imposed a P52-million fine against the Gokongwei-led airline for operational lapses and a disproportionate number of delayed and canceled flights over the Christmas holidays.

The performance of ground handling agent for domestic operations was inadequate. "Our ground handling agent failed to meet manning and service level commitments."

There was a shortfall of "promised domestic check-in agents on the afternoon and evening of 25th.

"By the early morning of 26th, we were faced with unprecedented absenteeism which created chaotic situation at our check-in counters," he added.

Gokongwei said the airline is reviewing the performance of its ground handler "in order to ensure that the appropriate service levels are maintained in the future."

Cebu Pacific earlier said the widespread cancellations were due to air traffic congestion, weather conditions, and sudden absence from work of ground crews.

"In hindsight, we should have been more aggressive in pursuing remedial measures including increasing number of frontline staff and being more vigilant in supervision of ground handler," he said.

Cebu Air took initial steps to prevent a recurrence of the massive flight delays and cancellations over the Christmas holidays, Gokongwei said.

Data submitted to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) showed that Cebu Pacific had 20 canceled flights and 288 delayed flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 from Dec. 24 to Dec. 26.

NUMBER 1 - DAVAO CITY LANDING OVERSHOOT (JUNE 2013)

Cebu Pacific on Monday apologized for Flight 5J-971’s skidding off the runway at Davao International Airport Sunday night and offered to transport passengers from Davao to General Santos at no extra charge.

The carrier also waived rebooking fees and mounted 16 additional flights to “reaccommodate” passengers.

Despite the apology offered to its passengers for their harrowing experience on Sunday night, however, Cebu Pacific Air, the country’s biggest budget airline, is threatened by a boycott by longtime customers who felt they were neglected during the emergency.

The management of the Davao airport is also facing an investigation, with the Davao City government itself asking the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to “make heads roll” for the airport’s alleged concealment of information from the city government and refusal of an offer of help.

Jacones said the pilots and the crew seemed to have been stunned by what had just happened that they failed to attend immediately to the passengers.

“They (cabin crew) apparently lacked crisis management training because they performed so poorly during the emergency. A few of us passengers were the ones who tried to calm down the rest of the passengers,” he said.

Jacones said it was only 15 minutes later that the pilot came out of the cockpit to speak to the shaken passengers.

“He told us that it was the heavy rain and that they lost sight of the runway lights,” he said.

Narciso also said it was 15 minutes after the incident before the pilot came out to speak to the passengers.

“He explained that the problem was caused by the plane’s wiper,” he said.

Menard Dacono, 26, a business development manager working in Singapore, said it took a while for the passengers to be evacuated.

“When the passengers reached the terminal, there was no one there from Cebu Pacific to face them,” Dacono said.

“No one from the airline offered an explanation,” he said.

“We were even barred from taking photos of the aircraft,” Dacono said.

CAAP Deputy Director General John Andrews told a news conference on Monday that the Cebu Pacific plane overshot the runway probably because the pilot failed to correct the aircraft’s heading while landing against a crosswind.