Elmer Domingo: 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.