BEACHES AND CHURCHES: ISLAND HOPPING IN BURDEOS

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

ISLAND HOPPING IN BURDEOS

Coccoc Rocks, Burdeos

Among the islands of Polillo, Patnanungan remained the one place I had yet to visit. I had been to Polillo itself, but not to Burdeos or Panukulan. So when our office shifted to a four-day workweek, the long weekend presented itself as an invitation.

A providential suggestion shaped the journey. When I mentioned my plan to the new bishop of Infanta during the seminar of new bishops, he advised that instead of going directly to Patnanungan, we should pass through Polillo and Burdeos first—already an island-hopping route in itself, and more practical given Patnanungan’s location behind Polillo. We followed his advice.

Upon learning that the parish priest of Real—where we planned to leave our car—was my former student in Canon Law at UST, I reached out to him for assistance in arranging our trip to the islands. He readily took the initiative, coordinating with the priests in the areas we intended to visit and organizing everything—from our meals and accommodation to the island-hopping itinerary.

We left the CBCP at 1:10 a.m. and reached Real, Quezon just before dawn. We caught the first 5:00 a.m. RORO to Polillo. After a two-and-a-half-hour crossing, we were welcomed at the parish convent with a warm breakfast, a gesture that would set the tone for the rest of the trip.

From Polillo, a van took us along a now fully cemented road to Burdeos. Even public buses already ply this route from Manila, boarding the RORO as part of their journey—a quiet sign of how accessibility has improved over the years.

We stayed at the parish convent in Burdeos. The parish priest, Fr. Jonard, was away on vacation, as his father was celebrating his 60th birthday. The convent, a relatively new two-story building, had several guest rooms. We were warmly received and cared for by the parish staff who came along with us for the island hopping trip.

Because of low tide, we could not depart from the usual port in Sabang, which is over a kilometer from the town proper. Instead, we went to Barangay San Rafael, about six kilometers away, where we boarded a parish-owned boat.

Our island-hopping itinerary included:

Binunbunan Island – where I saw beautiful hard corals.
Anilon Island – where we had lunch; the area featured impressive staghorn corals.
Anawan Island – where the corals were mostly stony and lobe corals, distinct from those in Anilon.
Anilon Cave – a striking rock formation with a natural opening; we admired it from a distance since there was no place to dock.
Luli (sandbar) – visible only during low tide.
Puting Bato – a white cliff formation with no docking area, but excellent for snorkeling due to its coral formations.

We returned to town by 4:30 p.m., this time docking at Sabang, the main port near the town.

The following morning, we celebrated Mass before breakfast. Then we set out for Patnanungan, passing along the way the striking Coccoc Rocks—two boulders standing side by side on a sandbar, like a father and child keeping watch over the sea. Then we passed by Pacabalo sandbar and lastly Minasawa island.

We arrived in Patnanungan just past noon and were welcomed by Fr. Joey Manaran, the parish priest of the Alagad ni Maria. Lunch, prepared by the parish, was served at Laura Visah Transient House and Resort on the northern end of the town. The banagan lobster was especially memorable.

We were accommodated in a nearby transient house close to the parish church. It had three air-conditioned bedrooms, providing a comfortable place to rest. Later in the afternoon, we visited the beach at the southern end of the town, at Villa Karrine Beach Resort, where we enjoyed the sunset.

Supper was served at the convent. We shared with the women who prepared our meal some bahalina (coconut wine) that we had brought. They enjoyed it very much, taking turns drinking from a single glass in a simple yet joyful tagay.

I concelebrated with the parish priest for the 7am Sunday Mass then took a hurried breakfast at the convent as we prepared to leave. Parish volunteers gathered at the port to see us off. The boat, scheduled to depart at 9:00 a.m., left a little past 10:00. We arrived in Real at 1:30 p.m. and took a tricycle to the parish, where lunch awaited us. Earlier, Fr. Imay had sent word that he would prepare a meal for our return. It was, in every sense, a gracious ending to a journey marked by quiet beauty and generous hospitality.

On our way back to Manila, we made one final stop—to visit Santa Maria, Laguna, the last town in Laguna that I had yet to see.