During this pandemic, I was fortunate to sandwich far in between my self-imposed lockdown at home, a few working trips that strictly followed safety protocols, to the Cordillera highlands, the organic farms in Quezon, and the picturesque Lake Lumot in Cavinti, Laguna. The only thing missing was a socially-distanced jaunt to the beach. Just when I was starting to wonder if I had to wait for this damn pandemic to end before I could dip my toes again in the ocean, a travel writing assignment arrived in my inbox.
Getting to Know Padre Burgos in Time of Covid | Quezon
Sir Gadja from the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines (TPB) invited me to join a small group for a four-day assessment trip upon the invitation from the LGU of Padre Burgos in Quezon. Their objective was to highlight places in their municipality that were ideal travel bubble destinations, as well as the safety protocols they were enforcing in accordance with the guidelines set by the IATF.
“Since our objective is to thinly spread out tourists to avoid overcrowding in one destination, we need to promote other options, especially the ones near Metro Manila because right now, flying to other provinces still has a lot of requirements,” Sir Gadja explained to us.
A Bit About Padre Burgos
Padre Burgos was where a stretch of shoreline known among backpackers and beach campers as Borawan Island was located. Even this fact escaped most travelers as a lot of them thought the island was still part of Pagbilao—Padre Burgos’ neighboring town.
It turned out Borawan Island was just a saxophone player in a jazz band comprising other must-see places in Padre Burgos. An unassuming and quaint town blessed with a spectacular shoreline facing the marine-rich waters of Tayabas Bay, the charms of Padre Burgos were already evident even way back in the late nineteenth century when historian and writer Juan Álvarez Guerra raved about the places he visited there in his book “From Manila to Tayabas”.
According to town historian Ryan Panganiban, the former name of Padre Burgos was "Laguimanoc"—a reference to the coastline's shape that resembled a chicken or a manok. Another version of the origin of its former name was that hawks (lawin) used to fly around the area to snatch young chickens. Therefore, locals would warn other locals raising chickens whenever hawks would appear by yelling "Lawin-Manok".
A decade after Padre Burgos became a municipality on January 1, 1917, the town council changed its name to Padre Burgos in honor of Fr. Jose P. Burgos (one-third of the martyred Gomburza priests).
"We don't know yet the decision to name our town after Padre Burgos since he was from Ilocos Sur, and we don't have much record of his connection to our town," Panganiban told us. "My guess is, because during that time, the United States, who still governed us, used to prohibit locals from displaying Philippine flags. So maybe, as an act of defiance and to show patriotism, a lot of towns were named after Philippine heroes," he added.
Borawan Island
During the next four days, we visited a lot of places around Padre Burgos—mostly aboard a motorized boat—from one coastal barangay to the next. Of course, there was Borawan Island, which the locals named as such because they likened its white sands to Boracay and its rock formations to those of El Nido in Palawan.
To set your expectations clearly, while I found the sands of Borawan Island fine and light-colored, you still couldn't compare it to the powdery sands of Boracay. Plus, the rock formations and limestone cliffs of Borawan weren't as many as those found in El Nido.
The comparison could be well off, but still, the island, especially with its circling stretch of shoreline, was a good substitute and a wonderful place to just chill and unwind from the anxieties of the real world. No wonder on the day we visited, we found tents being pitched on the other side of the island. “We’re pitching tents for incoming guests, but don’t worry, we’re setting up each tent away from each other. There’s still social distancing even with tents,” a local guide told us.
The island’s carrying capacity had been greatly lessened since the pandemic. Visitors were required to reserve a slot online, and at the time of our visit, Covid rapid tests were needed. I just hoped that even after we beat the pandemic, the LGU would still maintain a lower number of island capacity on any given day.
Mangayao Beach
A sense of quietness spread over seven hundred meters of shoreline in Mangayao. This quiet camping spot led to a mangrove and migratory bird observation area and a view deck where one could also spot several migrant bird species.
St. Rita de Cascia Parish Church
The old parochial church of the town was also built on top of a hill more than a century ago (on the other side of the town). When Padre Burgos celebrated its 100th founding anniversary in 2017—following a tradition of building a new parochial every hundred years—they opted to construct the now St. Rita de Cascia Parish Church atop this hill.
My favorite part of the church was its mountain-range-facing balcony that summoned a perfect meditative vibe.
Hinguiwin Falls
This waterfall was located inside a ten-hectare farm owned by a retired OFW couple who spent three decades in Libya. The farm itself was a good picnic destination, but to be able to cap it off with a dip in the soothing waters of Hinguiwin Falls would make your pit stop there more memorable. Oh, chat up with the lovely owners if you chanced upon them; they were such accommodating people to talk to.
San Vicente Beach
Almost bare-looking and inhabited only by a small community relying on fishing, its long stretch of shoreline screamed of solitude bliss with nature. Pitching a tent under one of the trees while facing the calm waters should gift you with a Zen-kind of escape.
Dampalitan Island
Next to Borawan, Dampalitan Island was another favorite beach camping site thanks to the rows of pine trees lined up parallel to its shores facing the turquoise waters of Tayabas Bay.
This beach used to get crowded on most weekends during pre-pandemic days. Nowadays, tents and campers were properly distanced from each other, thus giving everyone more space to frolic and relax with nature. I hoped they kept up with that current setup of socially-distanced beach camping to preserve the beauty of the place and maintain its peaceful vibe.
Burol
Simply referred to as the ‘Burol’ or a hill, this spot was the perfect place to wait for the sunset while sitting or lying over a patch of grass accompanied by friendly cows.
From there, you could see the magnificent view of Tayabas Bay, Pagbilao, and Borawan. You could also catch sight of a cemetery situated on the opposite hill facing the sea. It was interesting to note that the location of the cemetery played into an old-age belief that when a person died, their soul must cross the ocean to the other side.
Woven Buri Fan
A very interesting local product there in Padre Burgos, Quezon, was the woven fan made of the Raffia fiber sourced from the Buri Palm (same family as the Anahaw palm).
Its circular shape and popping colors were a welcome variation from the classic and typical heart-shaped Filipino pamaypay we were accustomed to. These were made by the members of the Kinagunan-Ibaba Women’s Association (KIWA) in Brgy. Kinagunan-Ibaba, Padre Burgos, Quezon.
