Sidetrip: From Cagsawa Ruins to Daraga Church to Embarcadero De Legazpi

This is Embarcadero de Legazpi by day, the most popular urban mall in Legazpi City. (Photo taken during a bad weather day). It's a mall by the wharf or harbor, hence the name embarcadero. 

This is practically a waterfront establishment and inside the mall are stores, boutiques, restaurants, pasalubong center, etc. (There's also a hotel within the mall - the Ellis Hotel).  

But locals say that the best time to go malling here is at night when most restaurants and bars are open, making the place alive and exciting.  

From Embarcadero to Cagsawa Ruins and Back 

From Embarcadero (near the point of the first picture above) you can ride a jeep going to the Cagsawa Ruins. Ride a jeep bound for Polangui or Guinobatan and tell the driver to drop you off the Cagsawa junction. (See my blog on Getting to Cagsawa Ruins).    

From the Cagsawa Ruins, you can drop by Cagsawa Church before going back to Legazpi City. You can take this route:

1. At the Cagsawa junction, ride a jeep going to Daraga or Legaspi (I forgot the exact fare but it's more or less P10.00 only).

2. Tell the driver to drop you off the Caltex Station in Daraga. In front of the Caltex station is the Novo store. In between the Novo store and the South Star Drug there's a street. 

3. Enter that street and a few steps ahead you can see a way leading up to Our Lady of Gate Parish Church popularly known as Daraga church (Close between10 p.m. and 6 a.m.).  

This is a Baroque church located on top of a hill so from this point you can see the majestic Mayon Volcano in its full cone shape on a fair weather day. It was cloudy when we went there so we were not able to take a full view of the Mayon. Chances are you've seen this already on screen as this has been used as a shooting location for several local movies. 

You can attend the daily mass in the morning or in the afternoon. We attended the 5:00 p.m. mass (On Sundays, mass is all throughout the day). When the mass ended, we went out and we saw a different view of the church facade on a blue hour. It was so romantic to be in this place around that time.   

Then we walked down from the church. There are restaurants around the area and down the streets for lunch or dinner. You can try Graceland, a popular local fast food chain in Bicol. It's down the busy street of Daraga and a 10-minute walk down from the church. Combo meal ranges from P80.00 to P150.00.  

Outside the fast food chain you can ride a jeep going back to Legazpi City (Fare is P10.00). On your way back to the city you'll pass by Bicol University, the biggest and most popular state university in Bicol region. There are also tricycles that can take you to anywhere within Daraga (Fare is P8.00). 

Jeepneys bound for Legazpi City have different routes so you better ask the driver first if his jeep passes by the place where you stay or where you want to go. Jeepneys with Rawis signboard, for example, pass by Embarcadero. Other jeepneys have different destinations.       

Economic Growth in the Philippines is Not Inclusive

"For a country that achieved a 7.2-percent growth in gross domestic product last year, the second-fastest in Asia next to China, many like Cristobal do not feel its benefits," says the Philippine Daily Inquirer in its article "The informalization of Philippine Workers." Cristobal, a construction worker without a permanent job, personifies the extent of poverty in our country.  

In the same article, Dr. Rene Ofreneo of the UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations calls it "unequal and exclusivist" growth. Meaning, there is growth in the economy but it's not inclusive because poverty still persists and many are still jobless. The GDP growth rate is expanding but employment growth is not, as shown in this graph using the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority:

            

Notable in the graph is the GDP vis-a-vis employment growth trend from 2011 to 2013. GDP growth rate over the last three years went up but the employment growth went to the opposite direction. Clearly, employment growth is not catching up with economic growth and this could be the reason why Cristobal is not feeling the benefits of the economic expansion that our government has been proudly declaring.  

   

  

Sidetrip: How to Get to the Cagsawa Ruins in Albay

When you’re in Legazpi City, one of the popular tourist spots you can visit is the Cagsawa Ruins. From this point you can see the beauty of Mayon Volcano in its perfect cone. If the weather is not fair, however (just like when we went to Cagsawa), there's a probability that you'll not see the entire shape of the volcano, but you can still enjoy the site with all the ruins on the ground. It was rainy and cloudy when we got there so this was what my camera captured:

   

According to the locals, the best time to be there is in the morning when the weather is fair. Going around are local jokes that when Mayon Volcano doesn't show up, it means she doesn't like you. Joke, of course! Nevertheless, you can still enjoy the surroundings. 

The park's ground is wide it is perfect for dating and family bonding. Perfect also for "selfie" and picture-taking. Inside the park are cottages, restaurants and pasalubong centers. Here we tried the sili shake (buko shake with sili) while relaxing in one of the cottages.

So how can you get to the Cagsawa Ruins? 

From Legazpi City:

1. Ride a jeepney going to Polangui, Guinobatan or Camalig. Fare is P15.00 per person.

2. Request the driver to drop you off the Cagsawa junction. Right at the junction is the way leading to the Cagsawa Ruins. 

3. Ride a tricycle (Fare is P10.00 per person) or walk straight ahead going to the entrance gate. It's just near the highway so you can really stroll down until you reach the entrance gate. Then pay the entrance fee (P10.00 per person). 

Upon entering the gate, you'll see this bell tower which is part of the remnants of the Cagsawa church that was buried by rocks and sand from the eruption of Mayon Volcano centuries ago (February 1, 1814).     

If you think you've already captured all corners of the park and the perfect shot of the Cagsawa Ruins with the beautiful Mayon Volcano as backdrop, then it's time to go back to Legazpi City or head to other tourist spots in Albay. 

From the site you can ride a tricycle or stroll down the street going back to the highway. On your way you'll pass by this All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) adventure site offering a tour to the base of the volcano. If you have the budget, then you can try this adventure.      

Should you decide not to take this adventure, then you can proceed walking straight to the highway where jeepneys going to back to Daraga or Legazpi City are waiting. Ride a jeep and in less than 30 minutes you're back in the city!