The Paved Road Connoisseur - Luzon Leg Part 6

Cement or asphalt? Mixed? Before or after election? Administration or Opposition? When you travel close to 1,800 kilometers of the Maharlika Highway or the Pan-Philippine Highway you will be an expert on what would be the best material for paving roads. and if you have traveled from the Northern Philippines all the way down South many times over you would also know when the best time to travel is so that your brain remains intact at the end of the trip and your vehicle is still road worthy! If you follow Philippine politics and are very observant then you also would know who is close to the current administration and who is not!

I would go for asphalt anytime though I have to qualify that. It would make for the smoothest travel if and only if they follow the required thickness for the expected load of vehicles traveling. Unfortunately most of our asphalt paved roads seem to have an expiry date! And they all seem to deteriorate at exactly the same time all over the country. Around 1 year before election date which is every 3 years. And cement which is supposed to be more durable actually has the same expiration date. The Philippines is situated in the ring of fire and the Maharlika or Pan-Philippine Highway is in the Eastern coast facing the Pacific. Using cement is not practical at all. Sections would detach from each other and cracks would dot the pavement due to the earth's movement. The National Government has been repaving this highway for decades and we are supposed to have the best engineers in the world yet we still have one of the worst Main Artery road in Asia!

During this trip I was expecting that the section of the Highway in the Province of Samar would be the worst. It always held that distinction for me based on my previous road trips. I was so surprised to find out, that was no longer the case.The section from Lucena to Naga now holds that distinction, a total surprise considering this connects two very progressive cities.

The best and most well maintained would be from Legaspi all the way to Sorsogon and the port of Matnog the gateway to the Visayas. I remember two straight stretches at least 5 kilometers long sandwiched between rice fields. You have to be wide awake at these parts though or else you just might doze off as the drive would be too relaxing.

If you plan to make this road trip you won't need a 4X4. A small car would still do but if you are in a bit of a hurry a vehicle with bigger tires would be a necessity. A pick-up truck would be perfect for hauling various knick-knacks, fruits, and souvenirs along the way and the smell of which won't bother the passengers inside. I still feel bad not being able to buy the tasty Vinegar in Quezon Province.

Depending on your car's fuel efficiency it is safe to assume you would utilize One and a half full tank of gas by the time you board the Ferry from Matnog to Allen, Samar. Matnog is 650 kilometers away from the city center of Manila. Refill for a full tank at Naga or Legaspi City and you would be assured to reach Tacloban City with enough to spare. Cash is still king in the province, your plastic may in fact stay in your wallet as soon as you leave the island of Luzon. Gasoline prices though will be very expensive in Samar and Leyte compared to Luzon. Expect to pay 10% to 20% more! The ferry will charge you roughly Php 2,000 (46US$) for the transport of your vehicle and 4 passengers. It will be a short trip across, around one and a half hours only. If you left early from Naga like I suggested you would be able to take the 12:30 pm ferry even with the Mt. Mayon pictorial and a comfortable breakfast in Legaspi City. The ferry would leave the Matnog port every 2 hours. If you want to reach Tacloban City early in the evening you have to take this 12:30 boat ride.

Like I previously mentioned in my past blogs the road signs are very visible and clear. The metric system is in use and the language is in English. Beware though in the City of Iriga. The right turn sign in the middle of the city that says "To Legaspi" is actually placed after the street that you are supposed to take! I actually ended up in a one way street opposite 2 huge trucks and a cabal of police officers very much ready to issue me a traffic citation. An apologetic smile and clear explanation of why I ended up there got me off the hook. If you are a foreigner, then good English with an accent will even get you an escort back to the right way. If you look Filipino however please don't even try using that slang it will just get you into more trouble, they're used to family members or relatives who work for call centers speaking that way :-).

It took me 6 articles to finally leave the island of Luzon but in fact it will take just 12 to 14 hours drive. It is highly suggested that in a road trip like this, one should take his/her own sweet time. Take as many stops as you can. Stretch as many times as possible. Open your car windows because this is one of those rare moments.

Billboards Work But Marketing Jacks Up Pricing- Luzon Leg Part 3

No I'm not talking about the "controversial" EDSA billboards of scantily clad men and women. Instead I'm talking about the lowly commercial/private mile/kilometer markers that dot the country's Maharlika Highway. The Maharlika Highway or the Pan-Philippine Highway (AH26) is a 3517 km network of roads, bridges, and ferry services that connect the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao in the Philippines, serving as the country's principal transport backbone (Sourced from Wikipedia as always :-) ). When you drive an average of 10 hours a day for 4 days they become a source of entertainment and at times desolation or hope.

After bypassing the bitukang manok (Zigzag route at the Quezon Province National Park. Please see previous post) which would have surely regurgitated our breakfast from Tiaong via the new diversion road we were looking forward to a good lunch. Googling for a good lunch venue did not yield any good lead. So from Atimonan onward we were looking at all the mile/kilometer markers of various establishments in search of good food. My favorite spotter, Bettina, which I'm sure I would not have been able to say no to fortunately did not find any McDonald's marker. Instead we found this.

From 10 kilometers out they dotted the road with their billboard every 2 kilometers or so and every 200 meters after the last kilometer mark. Now when you're hungry and you see a colorful and catchy billboard like this that tells you exactly how close you are as you speed up at the speed of your grumbling stomach you have unfortunately become a captive market. Don't get me wrong Hapag Kainan has the freshest food. We were served freshly caught squid stewed in its own ink, grilled tilapia and a massive fish head that was also stewed in a sour broth and never ending serving of rice. Inclusive of all the ingredients it was as organic as any food can get. But just like any organic food out there which are also well advertised and marketed they cost a lot. Maybe it was Fiesta at Tiaong that made the meal relatively expensive but at three at times the cost of our breakfast fiesta (500 Pesos or 11US$) and considering we were in the province and miles away from the city center paying Pesos 1,500 or 33US$ did not sit well with me. Note to self putting up the billboard cost money and they have to recoup it somehow, sucker!  


While we are at the topic may I add another reason why you should own Jollibee shares and why it trounces McDonald's in this country. Every Jollibee marker you see simply states the distance of their establishment from your location along the road. As you approach their establishment it would have directional arrows together with the distance. McDonald's on the other hand does not have any marker along the National road. It is when you approach the town center that you would begin to see the McDonald's emblem. The funny thing though is it marks the town center's major landmarks like the church, a school, the public market and the like but never the location or distance of the establishment itself! Bettina was so disappointed that it took us a long time to locate the McDonald's in Legaspi City even though we have seen tons of their emblem all over the city. We had to stop and ask the locals for direction. Note for the McDonald's marketing manager billboards are meant to convey information about your store's location to drive more sales! The marketing manager of Hapag Kainan in Plaridel, Quezon Province could teach you a thing or two about effective marketing tools.