My First Time at Romblon

My good friend Richard invited me to his parents' place in Odiongan, Romblom. It’s also where a fellow photographer from Nayon Photographers’ Club resides – Doctor Kurt Tan. So I decided to tag along.

We left Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City around 3pm last December 27, 2025. We arrived at Batangas Port around 6pm. The last time I was in this port was in 2019 when we went to Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

I was surprised that Batangas Port is now HUGE. A porter said that the expansion of the Batangas Port was completed about 5 years ago. Our ticket was purchased online at the 2GO website and around 8:30 pm we lined up to be boarded. Our bags were already scanned by the X-Ray machine but there’s also a K-9 dog that sniffed our bags.

The entire trip from Batangas Port to Odiongan Port in the island province of Romblon took about 8 hours. We left the port past 10PM. We had a good night sleep and at around 6:00 AM we’re already at the Odiongan Port / Port of Tablas (Island).


Day 1 (December 28, 2025 Sunday)

We rode a tricycle from the port to Richard’s place at barangay Batiano, Odiongan. His parents’ place is a decent bungalow with 3 bedrooms and is adjacent to the beach front. There was a seawall that was constructed about 5 years ago, which prevented storm surges. His parents were a lovely couple in their 80s but they’re still very sharp. I also met his siblings and nephews.

In the afternoon, we visited the vacation house of Doctor Tan near the Mayha Barangay Hall. He toured us around their house and in their garden and greenhouses. He’s into plants and he has a lot of pitcher plants and other unique plants. He even cultivates a variant of pechay and even raises some chickens. Later, he served us an Italian-style spaghetti which we all enjoyed. It’s my first time meeting Doctor Tan although I’ve known him for years by being a member of Nayon.

He dropped us at the Odiongan Town Proper where we took some pictures of the municipal hall, main church, Rizal’s statue, the Odiongan marker at the town square as well as the Jollibee outlet.


Day 2 (December 29, 2025 Monday)

Around 9 am, we left Odiongan via motorbikes (driven by his 2 nephews) and toured some towns down the island. First stop was the quiet town of Ferrol, Romblon. We took pictures of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Ferrol Municipal Hall, Rizal’s monument and the park which is still decorated for Christmas with the theme antarctica. There are no public market in Ferrol and I was told that they do their market stuff at Odiongan.

We went to the next town but we took a side trip to Binucot Beach, still in Ferrol. It’s a nice beach and is photogenic / Instagram-worthy but like most of the beaches I’ve seen around the island of Tablas, it’s a bit rocky. The place is almost deserted.

Our next town was Looc. We took a picture of the same things – Rizal’s monument, the Looc Municipal Hall, the Parish of St Joseph Spouse of Mary church including it’s interior and the Looc Public Market. The famous fish sanctuary is visible from the market but we skipped it because it will require a banca ride.

The thing that surprised me about this town is the presence of some old houses in great condition. I took pictures of these ancestral houses as well, including Casa Formilleza.

The last town on our list is Alcantara. Same routine – took pictures of the town plaza which has a huge Christmas tree, the municipal hall, Rizal’s statue and the St Thomas of Villanova Parish Church. They have a very small public market but there are no nearby restaurants. So we have to go back to Looc for lunch.

We had lunch at Tankey’s Resto Bar located along the street towards Looc. We had beef steak, chop suey (with noodles), pansit bihon and their Pansit Patok, which resembles Chicken Sotanghon without the sabaw. I ordered palabok but the waiter probably didn’t hear it. We also had 2 halo-halo and the entire bill was P1,541 which was expensive.

Around 3:00 PM we’re back at Batiano, Odiongan. The fuel for the 2 motorbikes we used cost about P300 for both and then we gave P500 to each of our drivers.

We also went to Tablas Forwarders to check Richard’s package which we shipped in Cubao the day we left Makati but it’s still not in their office.

That night around 11:00 PM we’re at a gasoline station which also serves as a terminal for vans going to San Agustin Port.


Day 3 (December 30, 2025 Tuesday)

The van left Odiongan around 1:30 am. I fell asleep and woke up at San Agustin Port around 3:00 AM. The ticketing office is already open and the ship is scheduled to leave at 4:00 am. The fare to Romblon Port is P125 including the P15 terminal fee. Romblon Town is in Romblon Island and is the capital of Romblon Province (which also includes the islands of Tablas – where Odiongan is located – and SIbuyan.

The trip was almost 1 hour long and by 5:00 AM we were already at the town proper of Romblon Town. Romblon is the Marble Capital of the Philippines – but it’s not prominent in the town houses and buildings. Aside from the signages of government buildings (in marble), some of the things I saw in marble are the obelisk in front of the post office with an eagle and the lion at the town plaza.

I took pictures of the church, Romblon Municipal Hall, Rizal’s monument, an ancestral home, and the public market. By 5:30 am, we rode a tricycle and went to Bonbon Beach. The public entrance to the beach is P20 per person. We walked about 500 meters until we saw the island that appears on most pictures of Bonbon beach. It’s still high tide that morning so we’re unable to walk towards that island. But it’s a quite beach and is children friendly. It’s not a rocky beach like the ones I saw on Tablas Island.

By 8:30 am we left Bonbon Beach back to the town proper. The tide still hasn’t receded. We took some pictures of ancestral houses in Romblon Town and walked towards the Romblon Provincial Capitol, around 1 kilometer from the town center. The design of the Romblon Provincial Capitol complex is modern but with little marble on the facade.

We had lunch at Mom’s Restaurant near the public market. We had giniling, nilaga and mixed vegetables for P460 pesos. It’s expensive! Then we climb the stairs towards the historic Fuerza San Andres. I later learned that it was built by the Spanish in 1644 to protect the town from Muslim raids. The climb was exhausting but the view was majestic. It’s a must-have place to visit when in Romblon.

By 12:00 noon we were on the ship going back to San Agustin. The ticket we purchased from Montenegro Lines included a van ride to Odiongan for P350. The ride from San Agustin to Odiongan was zigzag that reminds me of the trip to Baguio. By around 3:00 PM we’re back at Odiongan.

I also visited this ancestral house along the highway near Batiano. I heard from the guy who gave me a ride that this used to belong to a judge. But now, his offspring are already in the US and only a caretaker keeps them.


Day 4 (December 31, 2025 Wednesday)

We visited 3 sites this morning – the Budiong Fish Sanctuary, Firmalo Boulevard (Tabing-Dagat / Beach Front) and the Libertad Mangrove Forest.

Budiong Fish Sanctuary is near the Odiongan Town Proper. It was low tide the morning that we visited the place but it’s more of a mangrove forest. There’s a bamboo-made elevated walkway / pathway across the forest that leads to some shelter with a great view of the sea.

Firmalo Boulevard along the bay (Tabing-Dagat) is just your usual beach front. Nothing much to offer but I guess it’s romantic here at dusk.

Libertad Mangrove Forest is located about 11 kilometers from Batiano. It’s very similar to Budiong Fish Sanctuary but it’s larger, with concrete pathways across the mangrove forest, which also leads to an elevated gazebo that offers an excellent view of the sea.


In the afternoon, Richard and I swam again at the beach near his parents’ house in Batiano. By 6:00 PM I was already at the Port of Tablas. The 2GO shipped left the port at 7:00 PM. I spent the new year at sea.

 

 

Binucot Beach in the town of Ferrol, Tablas Island, Romblon

 

 

 

Batiano, Odiongan

 

 

 

Mangroves at Batiano, Odiongan

 

 

 

 

An elevated pathway at Binucot Beach 

 

 

 

Bonbon Beach in the island of Romblon, Province of Romblon 

 

 

 

St Anthony of Padua Parish Church in the town of Ferrol, Tablas Island, Romblon 

 

 

 

Looc Municipal Hall, Tablas Island, Romblon 

 

 

 

Odiongan Signage at the town plaza

 

 

 

Odiongan Municipal Hall, Tablas Island 

 

 

 

An old house in Looc, Tablas Island 

 

 

 

An old house in Odiongan, Tablas Island, Romblon 

 

 

 

An old house in the Town of Romblon, Island of Romblon, Province of Romblon 

 

 

 

Jose Rizal's statue in Odiongan, Tablas Island 

 

 

 

Marker at Romblon Town 

 

 

 

San Agustin Port Terminal, Tablas Island 

 

Why we need to amend the Internet Transaction Act of 2023 (Republic Act No. 11967)

It all started when my four-year-old Reddit Premium account, with over 70,000 karma, was erroneously banned by the platform. I appealed the ban, but my efforts fell on deaf ears at Reddit.

Because it was a Premium account, I am entitled under consumer law to redress in the form of a refund, since it is a paid subscription. This is where Reddit’s Terms of Service (TOS) conflict with Philippine consumer law.

Reddit’s TOS explicitly provides no refunds for banned accounts, while Philippine consumer rights guarantee refunds for paid services that are no longer being enjoyed. I filed a complaint with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Consumer Services Division, but it was outright dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction, as Reddit has no office or legal representative in the Philippines.

In my research, I later discovered that a newly enacted law—the Internet Transactions Act of 2023—guarantees minimal contact with overseas companies doing business in the Philippines, such as Reddit and most social media platforms. These platforms offer subscriptions and accept advertising from Philippine companies.

I then filed another complaint with the DTI, this time through its newly created Internet Transactions Bureau. Two online hearings were scheduled via Microsoft Teams, but Reddit failed to appear on both occasions. I was later advised that the DTI would issue a Certificate to File Action against Reddit in a local court.

However, as with my earlier experience at the DTI Consumer Services Division, I believe this case would likely be dismissed by our courts for lack of jurisdiction. Reddit has no office or legal representative in the country.

This is where the gap in the Internet Transactions Act becomes apparent. Although the law requires minimal contact with foreign companies conducting business in the Philippines, if these companies refuse to respond to mediation hearings or even to complaints sent via email, there is effectively no way to compel them to face proceedings in local courts.

In further research, I also learned that Reddit has a separate grievance mechanism for Indian users. This resulted from the Indian government requiring social media companies operating in India—such as Meta, Instagram, and Reddit—to maintain a local office, legal representative, or grievance officer based in India. India’s IT law is similar to our Internet Transactions Act but goes further by mandating local representation for large social media platforms.

We often pride ourselves on being among the countries with the highest number of social media users in the world. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and even Reddit are widely used in the Philippines. In fact, Reddit usage in the Philippines ranks 10th globally.

I believe this number will only continue to grow as Reddit’s popularity increases. The r/Philippines subreddit alone now has 3.5 million users. There is a high likelihood that many Filipino users have also experienced erroneous bans but simply chose to create new accounts due to the lack of a proper grievance mechanism for Filipino Redditors.

I have also learned that many Facebook and Instagram users in the Philippines have fallen victim to waves of unjust bans worldwide. These issues could have been resolved more quickly if we had a grievance mechanism similar to India’s.

Because of this, I wrote several emails to our current senators, urging them to address the lack of a proper grievance mechanism for social media users in the Philippines. The Office of Senator Jinggoy Estrada responded and referred me to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). However, the DICT reiterated what I already knew—that it currently has no authority to address unfair bans or the lack of an effective redress process.

The Office of Senator Bam Aquino also replied to my proposal, stating that they would study it further. I sincerely hope they consider the amendment I am suggesting so that Filipino social media users may enjoy the same protections currently afforded to users in India.

Contrary to what some Reddit users claim, this proposed amendment would not undermine freedom of expression on social media. On the contrary, it would strengthen the enforcement of existing Philippine laws, such as the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

I firmly believe that social media companies operating in the Philippines should be held accountable for decisions and policies that contradict existing Philippine laws. Let us spread awareness and encourage our fellow social media users to speak up now.

Sign up the petition here.

Blogging In The Time of Deep Fakes

We're living in very dangerous times. There's so much disinformation, misinformation and deep fakes on the internet, specially on TikTok. 

Not to mention that AI can create very realistic videos these days that you'll really have to look closely at those AI watermarks i.e. Sora on each and every outrageous videos out there.

It's like all of these issues rose just this year. 

I remember my first encounter with ChatGPT 3 years ago. I am excited and shocked at the same time, when I realized that searching something on the net (aside from Googling it) was made even easier by ChatGPT. I'm actually grateful for AI because it's very useful in checking grammar and spelling, but I realized these days that it's even more than that these days.

Now there's a browser created by OpenAI -- the company that made ChatGPT. I'm testing it the past few days and aside from some minor bugs, it's a good browser. 

I remember starting surfing the internet on Netscape Navigator back in the year 2000, during college. Then it was overrun by Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Then came Firefox from Mozilla Foundation, which I love greatly. Then Google made their own browser named Chrome. Microsoft fought back by renaming IE to Edge. There's also Safari from Apple and the Opera browser as well. Now there's ChatGPT Atlas, which I think will take a lot of share in browser users in the coming days.

Now there's the problem of Deep Fakes. Those videos with human "narrators" that are made entirely by AI -- which really resembles the real person. You'll find a lot of these deep fakes on TikTok -- celebrities and famous people endorsing different products.

You'll even find these "speakers" endorsing the products in Tagalog / Filipino. Good thing I'm a native Tagalog speaker so I really can distinguish AI from mispronounced Tagalog words. But these AI-generated videos are good and I'm guessing, a lot of people are being deceive by these videos.

I am really hoping that the Philippine Government would do something about this, just like what Finland is doing.

An Open Letter to Roland Simbulan, CenPEG.ORG

Dear Sir Simbulan,

I saw/heard your interview at DZMM Radyo Patrol 630, DZMM Teleradyo (22 June 2025) and I am greatly troubled by your statements that you repeatedly said -- that the modern-day land of Israel is an occupied state ng mga Palestinians.

This is alarming because he's a resource person and a former professor at UP, and yet he's a victim of fake news.

First, there was never a Palestinian nation / state. The modern State of Israel was from the Ottoman Empire. It was conquered by the British after WW1 and then divided by the UN into the State of Israel and Palestinian Authority. Israel accepted the partition plan but the PA rejected it. Israel is never a colonizer.

"The word Palestine derives from Philistia, the name given by Greek writers to the land of the Philistines, who in the 12th century bce occupied a small pocket of land on the southern coast, between what are now Tel Aviv–Yafo and Gaza. The name was revived by the Romans in the 2nd century ce in “Syria Palaestina,” designating the southern portion of the province of Syria." --Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Palestine

It's a Roman Empire invention to severe the ties of the Jews from the ancient land of Israel.

I hope that the former professor would study his history more before providing such information on public.

Note:

He did reply. Then blocked me.

Chowking Nagpayong Store To Be Constructed Soon

 While we are waiting for the opening of Jollibee Nagpayong, its sister company Chowking already setup tarpaulins announcing that it will construct a store besides Jollibee.

That's Jollibee and Chowking along Sandoval Avenue. Double the store, double the traffic. Hopefully the trees along this street will be retained.

Nagpayong is truly transforming to a place for dining. Hopefully it will be a separate barangay from Pinagbuhatan.

Jollibee Nagpayong Opening Soon

 I can't believe that there is a Jollibee branch here at Nagpayong, besides Palmdale Gate, along Sandoval Avenue. We're just waiting for the announcement of its opening day.

One of the most populated areas of Pasig City (or even Metro Manila) now has a Jollibee branch. Truly, this would cause more traffic in the area. But at least, we can dine it at this popular fast food.

Its closest competitor, McDonalds, is located near Villa Alegre in Pinagbuhatan. So no competition so far.

My Trip to Bicol 2025

I started my trip from Canyon Woods in Laurel, Batangas, which is about 10 kilometers from the border of Tagaytay and Nasugbu.

I rode a jeepney to Lemery around 10:00 AM. After about an hour, I arrived at the town center. I took some pictures of the usual subjects of my trip: the main church (usually located in the Población), the munisipyo (town hall), Rizal's monument, the palengke (marketplace), the town plaza, or some ancestral houses.

My next stop was Batangas City. I did the same thing there. Then, I rode a jeep to the Grand Terminal, which is located about 45 minutes from the town center. To my surprise, there weren’t many buses going to Bicol, or at least to Quezon. I asked some bystanders, and they pointed me in the right direction.

Fortunately, there was a non-air-conditioned bus going to Lucena, which is the "bottleneck" city for buses going to Bicol. Almost all buses pass through this part of Quezon Province. I left Batangas City at 2 PM, and the travel took almost 4 hours. The bus that was supposed to go from Batangas City to Lucena passed through other towns like Candelaria, Sariaya, and others.

Finally, by 6 PM, I was in Lucena City. I roamed around the Población area and took pictures of my usual subjects. I also had dinner at KFC. By 7 PM, I was at the Grand Terminal (which is not as grand as its name suggests). There were two bus companies traveling to Bicol. By 10 PM, I was en route to Bicol via Raymond Transport.

The bus had trouble around midnight somewhere in Quezon Province. A mechanic was in the aisle of the bus and went down a stairway leading to the engine. The bus reached Sorsogon City by 10 AM. Yup, it was a 12-hour trip.

The bus' signage indicated it was going to Gubat (Sorsogon), but I was too tired to travel further, so I got off at Sorsogon City. I rode a tricycle (P22) to the city center, took pictures of the church and other landmarks, and had lunch at Jollibee. It was raining that morning.

By 12 PM, I was on a mini-bus to Matnog, Sorsogon, the southernmost part of Luzon. The trip took 1.5 hours. There wasn’t much to see in Matnog, except for the arch that marks the departure from Luzon Island. I took pictures of the church, peed at a nearby construction site within the church compound, had some bread at a local bakery, and then returned to Sorsogon City.

By 3 PM, I was on my way to Daraga, Albay. The trip was also 1.5 hours long. It was cloudy when I arrived. I had to climb a hill where the church was located. It felt like I was in Baguio City. Then I saw it—Mayon Volcano.

Its peak was covered by clouds, but it still looked majestic. I took pictures and videos, visited the municipal hall and palengke, then rode a jeep to Legazpi City.

The RedDoorz I booked was located far from the city center. I had to ride another jeep via Rawis, get off at Pag-Asa Street, and walk about 300 meters to Narra Street, where it was located. There were actually two RedDoorz locations there, one of which was RedDoorz Mariners.

I had dinner at a nearby carinderia. The tapa was delicious and only P75. By 7 PM, I was already in bed.

I woke up around 4 AM. By 4:30 AM, I was already walking toward the giant statue of Our Lady of Salvacion. Fortunately, the road was lit, but I swear, I thought I saw "white ladies" twice, just out of the corner of my eye. It still gives me the creeps as I remember it today while writing this story.

The distance was about 2 kilometers from RedDoorz. The sunrise was scheduled for about 5:50 AM. Thankfully, it wasn’t as cloudy as the day before. I was able to take some good shots of the famous natural wonder and even created a video. I also realized that there’s a smaller Mayon on the opposite side of the larger one.

Around 6:30 AM, I rode a tricycle to the Cagsawa Ruins. The fare was P150, and it was quite a long ride. There was a marker beside the Legazpi-Guinobatan Road, and I walked about 200 meters over a bridge. On my left was the Cagsawa Ruins complex/park.

There was a P45 entrance fee to the park, plus a P20 fee to enter another park closer to Mayon, with a koi fish pond. There were lots of flowers that I used as foreground in my pictures of Mayon.

I saw the signage for Sumlang Lake and decided to visit. There are some popular photos of Mayon Volcano with its reflection on Sumlang Lake. I took another tricycle for P150, but there were jeepneys plying the Legazpi-Guinobatan Road.

There was a P100 entrance fee to the park. The place was nice, with a restaurant that opens at 10 AM. It was very Instagrammable. I also saw an actual Pili tree and the abaca plant, which is very similar to a banana plant.

From Sumlang Lake, I rode a jeepney back to Legazpi City and walked around the city center. The Albay Provincial Capitol was very near the Legazpi City Hall. I didn’t find a statue of Rizal, though.

I went back to RedDoorz, took a shower, grabbed my Dell bag, rode a tricycle, and then a jeep en route to Tabaco City. I thought there would be lots of tabak (big knives) in Tabaco City, but I didn’t see any.

I had lunch at the palengke. I had ginataang langka and toge, which cost around P60. I didn’t see any local kakanin. By 1 PM, I was in Tiwi, Albay.

I took some videos of the church complex, then took a picture of a nice Rizal statue in the middle of the plaza in front of the municipal hall. Then, I walked toward the beach (Lagonoy Gulf and Tiwi Beach). It was beautiful.

I returned to the plaza on an eTrike, then went back to Legazpi. With no other plans, I rode a bus back to Manila. By 2 PM, the bus left Legazpi City. It took 14 hours to reach Manila, specifically the Cubao area. I had breakfast at McDonald's. I got a stomach ache upon arriving in Manila, but thankfully, there was a nice restroom at McDo.

Before lunch last Tuesday, I was already snoring in my sleep.