At least for the many Anahawnons coming from Manila, the road to Anahawan starts at this point in Malibay, Pasay called the Philtranco Terminal. There were some Manila-Leyte passenger ships before but they somehow got lost, probably due to safety issues and trip availability. Recently, many of us would now start the road back home at the Manila Airport
in Parañaque for the more comfortable and quicker trip at almost the same cost.
The Buzzes about the Buses
Currently, there are only 2 bus companies who have trips to Anahawan: Philtranco and CUL. Unfortunately, Philtranco no longer have Air Conditioned trips to Anahawan, so you will have to settle in a chicken-packed 30-hour bus ride. No, you will not ride with chickens, you will be chicken and you will be packed like chickens together with your co-passenger’s precious Manila souvenirs and cargoes ranging from kitchen utensils, stoves, televisions that would sometimes include an 8-foot outdoor antenna, refrigerators, the Pasay Biscuits, the Baclaran and Divisoria goods, and all sorts of pasalubong or tinabuan until the bus is full from top to bottom, from underneath your seats, to the overhead baggage compartments, the isle, the iskribo, and towards the back seat. If packed-like-chickens is an understatement for this, you may opt to choose packed-like-sardines, and that would be the spicy sardines because by the time you are half-way through the trip, you will all be smelling spicy. Thank heavens none of you will notice it since you will all smell the same :).
By the way, the regular fare for that exciting ride is about PhP1800. Don’t forget to include pocket money for at least 3 or 4 meals along the way costing around PhP80 to PhP100 each meal. You might also need to set aside about PhP200 for the ferry boat fare as your bus crosses the sea from Matnog, the tip of Luzon Island, to Allen, or some pier in Samar. (Addendum: Info as of June 5, 2010, ordinary bus fare to Anahawan is PhP1,476 including ferry boat fare.)
If you really like to push through with an Air Conditioned bus ride towards Anahawan, I guess you can opt to take the Manila to Davao trips via Silago. The fare though is PhP2400 and I don’t know if dropping off at Anahawan will get you a pro-rated fare. By the way, Philtranco Terminals in Manila are located in Cubao and Pasay. They are categorizing their trips into AC and NAC. I am pretty sure that AC stands for Air Conditioned but NAC? Hmmmm….. "Not Air Conditioned"? I suppose so, sorry for the second thought on this one as I am only used to seeing “Ordinary” for non-air-conditioned buses. (Addendum: Info as of June 5, 2010, bus fare from Manila to Davao is PhP2400 for Air-Conditioned Bus and PhP1800 for Ordinary bus. Currently for Manila to Davao trips, the drop off point nearest to Anahawan is Lilo-an or Sogod. Trips via Silago are currently not available.)
The other way of getting an air conditioned trip is by taking CUL bus. They say CUL has a terminal in Pasay but I just could not find it. If you know where it is, please help your fellow Anahawnons find it by leaving a comment below. I am pretty sure though that you can take CUL at Cubao Terminal, the one located near Araneta Coliseum, Gateway, or the Ali Mall. I have not tried this bus yet so I just can’t say how cool this CUL Bus is. There is also no guarantee on the packed-ness of these air conditioned buses to Anahawan from Manila, be it Philtranco or CUL.
If you don't have much baggage and is game on hopping from one bus to another, you may choose from a variety of any other buses going from Manila to any point of Leyte or Southern Leyte. I guess they would all go pass through Tacloban where you can drop off. Then you can take another bus to Anahawan, just keep in mind though that the Tacloban buses going to Anahawan have a last trip at around 3PM. Lately I heard that there is another bus departing at 4PM, but I have not tried that one yet. So keep in mind of these Tacloban bus schedules if you plan on going home this way.
Addendum (as of June 5, 2010): To confirm trip availabilities and fares, always try to visit their corresponding offices or terminals or call them. Philtranco website is right here.
The Plane........ Kay Moagi ko :)
Thanks to Lucio Tan, we can now go home with our human dignity in tact at around the same fare with those of the buses. The only catch about taking the plane is that you need to have your travel schedules finalized at about 2 to 3 months in advance. If you can have it earlier, you will have better chances of getting a cheaper fare. A friend of mine bought her round trip ticket from Philippine Airlines last January for a trip this June. It only cost her PhP1700 in all. My favorite though is not Philippine Airlines, but Cebu Pacific. Last year I got a round trip ticket at about PhP2400. Today, a one-way ticket on June 10, that's 10 days in advance, already is PhP3,794 not yet including the taxes and other charges. Take note, it is only one-way. If you have a credit card, or know a friend who have one, you can actually buy your tickets online. Cebu Pacific website is here while the Philippine Airlines is here.
Whatever mode of transport you prefer, there is one great improvement that I am sure you will appreciate on your way home towards Anahawan, that is, the opening of the Abuyog - Silago road. Instead of going through Sogod, St. Bernard, and Cabali-an, your route from Tacloban to Anahawan will now go through Abuyog, Silago, Hinunangan, and Hinundayan. The used-to-be 4-6 hours travel from Tacloban to Anahawan could now take as short as 2 hours. I believe this road has been opened only within the last 3 years or so. So those of you who have not been able to visit home during this period, I know you will appreciate this latest improvement on your way back home.
A happy and safe trip to all!!!
