Eastern Visayas / Leyte / Transportation
Tacloban - Capoocan - Ormoc - Palompon
buses in the morning and early afternoon
Tacloban - MacArthur - Baybay - Maasin
several buses during daytime, the route Baybay-Maasin is plied mainly by jeepneys; the last bus for Baybay leaves Tacloban in the late morning; this is extremely inconvenient if one arrives in the late morning by plane in Tacloban as one has to rush to get that bus (a very crowded minibus); from Baybay, there is, however, an afternoon bus to Tacloban that arrives early enough to catch a plane to Manila
Tacloban - MacArthur - Sugod - Liloan
frequent buses during the day; this stretch is a part of the Pan-Philippine Highway and is served regularly by Philtranco busesBato / Hilongos to Baybay, Ormoc and Tacloban - see elaborate entries under Bato/Hilongos
Maasin to Tacloban, Ormoc and Sogod - see entries under Maasin
Ormoc to Baybay and Tacloban - see entries under Ormoc
Luzon - Samar - Leyte - Mindanao
Philtranco buses ply the route from Manila via South Luzon (Legazpi, Matnog), Samar (Calbayog, Catbalogan), Leyte (Tacloban, MacArthur, Liloan) to Mindanao (Surigao, Davao or Cagayan de Oro) - see also entries under OrmocSea Transportation
To Island (Port) From Port (Company, Frequency, Duration, Vessel)
Bohol (Ubay) Bato (10:00 Wed, Fri, 3 hrs, MV Inopacan Express)
Bohol (Ubay) Maasin (10:00 daily, 2 hrs)
Cebu (Cebu City) Bato (South Pacific, 21:00 daily, 6 hrs, alternately MV South Pacific and MV Fiji II)
Cebu (Cebu City) Hilongos (22:00 Sun, Tue, Thu, 6 hrs, MV Guada Cristy)
Cebu (Cebu City) Hilongos (10:00 Sat, 6 hrs, MV Guada Cristy)
Cebu (Cebu City) Hilongos (20:30 Sun, Tue, Thu, 7 hrs, MV Florante)
Cebu (Cebu City) Hilongos (20:30 Mon, Wed, Fri, 7 hrs, MV Gloria-G)
Cebu (Cebu City) Liloan (K & T, 2 trips weekly, 12 hrs, MV Guian)
Cebu (Cebu City) Maasin (Trans-Asia, 2 trips weekly, 6 hrs)
Cebu (Cebu City) Maasin (Georgia Lines, 00.00 Tue, Sat, 7 hrs)
Cebu (Cebu City) Ormoc (Aboitiz, 23:00 daily, 6 hrs, alternately MV Don Ramon and MV Ormoc)
Cebu (Cebu City) Ormoc (Sulpicio, 24:00 Sun, 5 hrs, MV Cebu Princess)
Cebu (Cebu City) Palompon (Gothong, 1 trip weekly, 5 hrs, MV Dona Cristina)
Cebu (Cebu City) Tacloban (K & T, 3 trips weekly, 12 hrs, MV Leyte Queen)
Luzon (Manila) Ormoc (Aboitiz, 22:00 Sat, 32 hrs, via Romblon, MV Legazpi)
Luzon (Manila) Baybay (Aboitiz, Sat afternoon, once a week, 48 hrs, via Romblon and Ormoc, MV El Cano, sometimes MV Legazpi)
Luzon (Manila) Tacloban (William, 17:00 Sat, 24 hrs, MV Tacloban City)
Mindanao (Surigao) Baybay (Aboitiz, 22:00 Thu, 15 hrs, MV El Cano or MV Legazpi)
Mindanao (Surigao) Liloan (at least 2 trips daily, 3-4 hrs, car/passenger ferry)
Samar (Guian) Tacloban (almost daily, 6-7 hrs)
Samar (Catbalogan) Ormoc (Sulpicio, 10:00 Tue, 7-8 hrs, MV Cebu Princess)
Ships, Rates, Schedules
MV Fiji II (South Pacific)
Bato (Leyte) - Cebu City; Cebu City - Bato (Leyte)
Daily alternately with MV South Pacific of the same company, 21:00; travel time 6 hrs; first class 55 P; second class 50 P; third class 45 P
MV Florante
Hilongos (Leyte) - Cebu City: Sun, Tue, Thu 20:30
Cebu City - Hilongos (Leyte): Mon, Wed, Fri 20:30
travel time 7 hrs; second class 43 P; third class 33 P
MV Gloria-G
Hilongos (Leyte) - Cebu City: Mon, Wed, Fri 20:30
Cebu City - Hilongos (Leyte): Sun, Tue, Thu 20:30
travel time 7 hrs; second class 43 P; third class 33 P
MV Guada Cristy
Hilongos (Leyte) - Cebu City: Sun, Tue, Thu 22:00; Sat 10:00; Cebu City - Hilongos (Leyte): Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat 22:00; travel time 6 hrs; first class 50 P; second class 43 P; third class 33 P
MV Inopacan Express
Bato (Leyte) - Ubay (Bohol): Wed, Fri 10:00
Ubay (Bohol) - Bato (Leyte): Tue, Thu 10:00
travel time 3 hrs; uniform fare 30 P
MV South Pacific (South Pacific)
Bato (Leyte) - Cebu City; Cebu City - Bato (Leyte)
Daily alternating with MV Fiji II of the same company 21:00; first class 50 P; second class 45 P
Flights
Philippine Airlines has two to three flights daily between Tacloban and Manila, usually one in the morning, two in the late afternoon. Furthermore, there is a daily PAL flight between Tacloban and Cebu City. Aerolift flies small aircraft between Cebu and Ormoc, maybe also to Manila. (The reader should be aware that minor changes in flight schedules are very common in the Philippines; however, while departure hours are moved, there are only seldom changes in the frequency of flights between major destinations.)**********
The only difference is that before quacks had to travel from town to town (if for no other reason than to avoid the guns of those who have tried their potions and found them to be worthless), and that now, they can spam the Internet (safely out of reach).
Jan Garanoz
Juhu Tara Road, Juhu,
Mumbai - 400049 India
Last updated: May 08, 2010