CORREGIDOR, A Historic Defense Monument

It has been a long time since I stepped out of my usual "places to go" routine. I decided to have this adventure to Corregidor with Sun Cruises. I decided to drag Riza along with this adventure as she gets to pay for the trip! This trips gives you that jump start to be proud for our ancestors who stood their ground and to be proud as a Filipino!



Corregidor was considered to be the gates to Manila Bay during World War 2 due to its location. Anyone who would like to approach Manila by sea would need to come with terms with Corregidor. Translated as "corrector" (being named by Spaniards), it was a custom's site during the Spanish times wherein people/ships had to have their documents corrected before approaching Manila.

What to expect?
A 1 hour ride to and from the island. A raffle at the end of the trip. Sweat and liters of it! Really educational! (however I'm pretty sure you will forget most of the details)... Pretty much it...Oh yes, don't climb the lighthouse unless if you are physically ready for it! You can also get pictures from their official photographer for 100php

7:00 AM

After a brief breakfast and coffee, we decided to push to CCP. Tickets were bought online to have a reserved seat. You can purchase your tickets on site however you need to come in earlier to make the cutoff for the number of passengers allowed. After a good 10-15 minutes line, we were able to get our tickets with seat numbers. I didn't expect the number of people on site! To think that they have a daily trip, all seats were taken (and mostly are Filipinos!). We boarded the 200+ seater ferry at around 730AM and left Manila CCP Complex at around 8:15 and arrived at our destination in an hours time. While on the trip, we were "entertained" by kuya Ryan (shown on left) who even had time to pose for the cameras (sorry, I didn't get your wacky pose while you were speaking)


Tranvia, your friend for the next 6 hours!

Upon arriving, you need to hustle to one of the assigned Tranvia. We settled for Tranvia #2 with tour Guide Sonny who wants to live until 100+ years and Driver/Accountant/Vendor/Bell Ringer Caesar.  We were to tour topside, middleside, bottomside and tailside of the island. Sonny was a walking and breathing Corregidor archive. As we go thru various structures, Sonny explains how buildings were destroyed, batteries and artillery used. Insights on which artillery was good for what was really interesting. Each artillery had their own strength and weakness.

Battery Way was our first stop. Battery Way consists of 4 mortars.

Next up was Battery Hearn, which was used to shoot towards Bataan

Ah yes, the lighthouse! The view is nice, however, the last two sets of very steep stairs will kill your thighs!

 

Pacific War Memorial. Whats so cool about this is that the light shines exactly on the circular altar every 2nd week of May.  We also have the Eternal Flame of Freedom

 

Battery Geary, an 8 mortar embedded battery (only around 5 to 6 were still in the location). This was destroyed when its ammunition bay was directly hit by a japanese bomber during the war

Battery Crockett was one of the disappearing guns because of the its positioning. Once fired, they can immediately lower the mortar and hide it from plain sight.


After a quick 40 minute lunch (with a really good and tasty food, kudos to Corregidor Inn), you are once again thrusted back to the Tranvia for more adventure

Filipino Heroes Memorial consisted of various murals showing different battles from the past

 

Lorcha Park, also known as McArthur's Dock, was believed to be the location where McArthur left Corregidor

Malinta Tunnel was the last stronghold for both Philippines and American joint forces had before surrendering.  There is also a lights and sounds show inside the tunnel which depicts various events such as Manuel L Quezon's exit to the US.








Here are also ruins from various barracks in the island

 



What to do next
After exploring the Day Tour Package, we would like to try the overnight stay here in Corregidor. For me, one of the reasons is to explore the Malinta lateral tunnels! Also, there are other adventures you can try on the island during an overnight stay.

Other Comments

Pretty much a straightforward tour. Not so much hassles, crew in the boat and on the island were kind and helpful. So yes, I do recommend this quick getaway to Corregidor with Sun Cruises!

Team San Tayo for this event
Riza Macabingkil
Kookie Cascon









Corregidor
Tour Company : Sun Cruises Philippines
When : Everyday
Time : Departure for Corregidor is at 8AM
Where : CCP Complex
Website : http://www.corregidorphilippines.com/
Package : Day Tour Package