The island of Negros recently served as the setting for the first leg of "Cruising 6 – Island Surprises" – a cross-country event marking the sixth year of Cruising, Manila Bulletin’s monthly travel publication.
A team composed of Cruising editor Pinky Colmenares, columnist Aris Ilagan, and photographer Anjo Perez, followed the route of the the Strong Republic Nautical Highway to reach their destination – the southern part of Negros island.
The Road Team drove an Isuzu D-Max from Manila to Batangas, where they boarded a RORO to bring them to Calapan in Mindoro. From there, they crossed the island of Mindoro to reach Roxas town, where they boarded another RORO to ferry them to Caticlan. From Caticlan, the team traversed Panay island to reach Iloilo, where they again crossed the seas to reach Bacolod.
The Road Team drove around the whole island, crossing the two provinces and discovering various unexplored spots. Originally, they planned to trek Mt. Kanlaon, but recent volcanic activity has forced a no-people zone and evacuation plans in the barangays around the foothills.
The two other legs of "Cruising 6 – Island Surprises" will be launched in Catanduanes Island from May 26-29 and Eastern Samar from June 2-5.
The Catanduanes team will explore Virac and other parts of Catanduanes island. Two Isuzu vehicles will be driven around the island for this leg: An Isuzu Sportivo and a new SUV from Isuzu. The road trip starts with a long drive (12 hours) from Manila to Tabaco, Albay where they will catch a RORO to the island.
In Eastern Samar, another team will start their island exploration from the city of Borongan, to the interesting towns and spots of the province.
All the stories on the "Cruising 6 – Island Surprises" event will be featured in the July 2005 issue of Cruising.
The event is sponsored by Isuzu Philippines, Caltex Philippines and Smart Communications.
