Puraran on SIP: The First Filipino Cafe Lifestyle Magazine

Puraran beach in Catanduanes is featured on SIP: The First Filipino Cafe Lifestyle Magazine, April issue. You can grab your copy at any Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf branch in the Philippines. Check out the nearest branch.

RELATED LINKS:

• Puraran Beach - Take a glimpse of the surroundings of Puraran.

Puraran Beach

Probably the most popular tourist destination in the island is Puraran in Baras Catanduanes. It is the home of the well-known “Majestic” waves with its awesome long-barrel-type surf. Offshore waves are in their utmost shape during the months of August to September.

The area around Puraran also shows marvelous view of mountains and bays. Photo enthusiasts could also get a great view of the sunrise in this area.

For holiday seekers, this place is for total relaxation, be in touch with nature, bird watch, camp and simply stargaze at night.

Puraran is accessible both by public and private vehicles. An hour and 45 minutes ride from the capital town of Virac, that passes through the old Bato Church and the longest bridge in the island. At the approach of the bridge, you can view the ruins of the old concrete bridge washed away by floods during one of the worst typhoon in this island's history.

Note that Catanduanes is considered to have the highest rainfall in the country. Best time to visit is April-June and worst is November-January.

RELATED LINKS:

• Sights in the Northern Part - Sights in Gigmoto, Viga, Payo, Bagamanoc, Pandan and Caramoran
  
• Must-See Sights in Catanduanes - Random sceneries taken around Catanduanes
  
• Usual Sights Around the Island - Candid shots of people and places in Catanduanes.
  
• Bird Watching in Catanduanes - Endemic birds in Catanduanes
  
• The Old LORAN Station - Site of former US Coast Gurad Station in Panay Island in Catanduanes

DOT-5 Sets Aside P2-M for Tourist Facilities in Catanduanes

A total of two million pesos has been earmarked by the Department of Tourism (DOT) regional office in Bicol for the construction of tourist facilities and acquisition of equipment that will further boost tourism ventures in the province of Catanduanes.


According to Tourism Promotions Officer Carmel Bonifacio-Garcia of the provincial government of Catanduanes, the fund will be used to implement four projects that will energize domestic and even foreign tourist patronage on the island. A Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) has already been issued to this effect, with the breakdown of expenditures already known.

Out of the allotted fund, P500,000 will be channeled to the construction of the Visitors’ Information Center at Puraran, Baras while another P500,000 will be used for the purchase of surfboards. On the other hand, P500,000 has been set aside for the establishment of Gayon Bicol Bath House at Virac Seaport, and P500,000 more for the construction of Gayon Bicol Travel Café at Virac Airport.

To serve as the registration area of all visitors of the world renowned surfing site, the Visitors’ Information Center at Puraran will have a briefing room and audio-visual facilities that will provide information and serve as spearhead of the promotion drive for the tourist spot. The surfboards will be used for bolstering surfing activities in the area and will be rented out to surfers, thereby generating revenues that will help in the maintenance and operation of the tourist center.

Meanwhile, the Gayon Bicol Bath House at Virac seaport is expected to serve as comfort room and provide amenities for tourists and travelers alike.

"My idea is to organize the group of vendors, porters and other small entrepreneurs in the area, give them the opportunity of maintaining the bathhouse and appropriately charge a just few pesos for those who will use the facility. In this way, they can generate income for their group," Garcia added.

Tthe Gayon Bicol Travel Café at Virac Airport will have a tourism information center, souvenir shop and a coffee bar. A free Wi-Fi internet service can also be provided at the café for the convenience of tourists and other visitors.

The DOT regional office will take charge of the construction of tourist facilities and the local government units concerned will assume the maintenance of these amenities. The construction of these tourist facilities is expected to start at the second quarter of this year.

In line with this, the Catanduanes Tourism and Promotions Office headed by Garcia has scheduled a series of meetings with Mayor Bong Teves of Baras and the managers of Philippine Ports Authority and Virac Airport for the identification of possible sites of the tourist facilities.

Garcia expressed her thanks and appreciation to DOT V Regional Director Maria ‘Nini" Ravanilla for the much needed fund support. She is also optimistic that the LGUs and concerned government agencies will give their full support to the project.

"The growth of tourism industry is largely a multi-sectoral effort hence this inter-agency collaboration is definitely on the right track," the province’s tourism promotion officer said.

"We already have our natural tourist attractions in the province. We are endowed with ecotourism attractions, plus a culture that is distinctively Catandunganon. These facilities, which we have been working on to be realized, will complement what we already have in Catanduanes. This will definitely invigorate our efforts to stir and strengthen tourism industry in the province," Garcia emphasized. - March 04, 2009

source: Catanduanes Tribune

RELATED LINKS:

• 2008 Wishlist - Micro-finance, NGO, digital divide, GSIS, livelihood, typhoons
  
• Tourism: The Catandungan Way -Tourism development, laws, people, rural development
  
• Bato Church - old spanish churches, architecture, Bato Catanduanes,
  
• About Geotourism - Geo-tourism, people, places, way of life
  
• The Old LORAN Station - Old military installation outside continental USA, cold war
  
• Usual Sights Around the Island -Transportation, living, tricycle, palay harvest, remote towns
  
• Sights in the Northern Part -Attractions in Panganiban, Gigmoto, Pandan, Caramoran, Bagamanoc and Viga
  
• Must See Sights in Catanduanes - churches, waterfalls, beaches, white sand, wildlife, banks.

NDCC Report: Minor Flooding and Landslide

National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) 7 January 2009 report.

Situation Overview

• Governor Joseph C. Cua of Catanduanes Province DPWH 5 has confirmed that continuous rains which occured since last night triggered the occurrence of landslide and flooding along Circumferential Road in said province.
• Sections were affected last night were Brgy Sipi, Bato; Bato-Linao; Tilod, Baras and Banabaan in Caramoran; and two sections along Baras-Gimoto Road.

One electric post in Viga-Bagamanoc Road collapsed due to landslide.

No casualty were reported in relation to landslide incident.

Road Condition as of 3:00 PM today, 7 January 2009

• Virac-San Andres Road Section - passable until the area of Panabanaon as the chokepoint of the heavy landslide in the area.
• San Andres-Caramoran-Pandan Road Section - impassable due to the chokepoint at the Panabanaon area which is totally under debris of mud, gravel and vegetation.
• Virac-San Miguel Road Section - The Balonbong area had been blocked again by debris. This section has an intermittent occurence of landslides. Hence all types of vehicles cannot pass this section and commuters are now using Bato river to traverse.
• Virac-Bato-Baras Road Section - passable until Bagumbayan, Baras and with landslide at Tilod and Batolinao, all of Baras.
• Baras-Gigmoto Road Section - impassable due to landslide at Barangay Agban.
• Gigmoto-Viga Road Section - impassable due to landslide at Villa Aurora.
• Viga-Bagamanoc Road - now passable to tourist as clearing operations is ongoing.

Actions Taken

• The First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative (FICELCO) is currently undergoing repair of collapsed post in Viga - Bagamanoc. Electricity is still cut off until the post is fixed.
• DPWH is fast tracking the clearing operations in all landslide areas and monitoring all vital reports and situations including warning generations for all threats caused by the intermittent bad weather.

Issues and Concern
Catanduanes Province is now low on petroleum and LPG supplies due to the rough seas. There is an intermittent power outage in the entire island.