How to get to Mt. Gulugod Baboy/Pinagbanderahan

Mt. Gulugod Baboy/Pinagbanderahan offers a 360-degree scenic view of Anilao. From the summit, you can see the nearby Batangas Pier, Maricaban and Sombrero islands, and even the distant Mt. Maculot, Mt. Lobo and Manabu Peak.

Locals say it’s actually Mt. Pinagbanderahan that mountaineers go to, and Mt. Gulugod Baboy is the one behind it which is not easily accessible.

Here’s how to get to Mt. Gulugod Baboy/Pinagbanderahan:

• Ride a bus bound for Batangas City and drop off at the Diversion Road. (from Alabang, fare is P110)
• From Diversion Road, ride a jeepney going to Mabini and drop off at Anilao junction (P29), tricycle are cheaper (P30/head) but scarce over there so you may want to just drop off at the Plaza where you can hire a tricycle for P140 going to PhilPan.
• Once at PhilPan, the path on the opposite side of the road is the one that leads to the mountain trail going up Mt. Gulugod Baboy.

Before you reach the trail head, however, you will pass by Pabio’s store which you won’t miss because he’s the only one with a tarp displayed with the picture of the mountain and himself on it. See below.

Pabio is a guide and a porter and he will entertain you with his stories about the mountain and his experiences as a guide. He also knows the history of Mt. Pinagbanderahan with the guerillas and the Japanese of the World War II, he would even show you the site of a plane crash.

What’s more, he’s a nursing aid graduate so he knows first aid and the likes that may come in handy when you’re in the mountains.

You may contact him in advance before heading over to Mt. Gulugod Baboy. Guides can be very busy especially on weekends (and long weekends at that). Pabio’s mobile number: 0921-2656466. His photo below.

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How to get to Lucban, Quezon

I recently visited Lucban, Quezon with my friend K last month for the famous Pahiyas Festival. (Read about my Pahiyas 2012 experience here.)

There’s a Sta. Cruz route but we opted for the Lucena route since I frequent that part and I think it’s the easier one for commuters. Just my opinion, though.

We wanted an aircon bus cuz we left so early in the morning and we wanted to sleep through the trip to Lucena but the aircon one would leave at 5:00 AM so we opted for the ordinary bus which would leave sooner.

A & B Liner left Alabang at 3:30 AM. Despite the hard seats, K and I were still manage to sleep through most of the trip. We were charged P147.00 each. K could have gotten a discount for being a student but the ticket has already been printed by the time he said “estudyante ‘yong isa.”

We reached Lucena Grand Terminal at exactly 6:30 AM and rejoiced to know that Jollibee was open.

Past 7:00 AM, the Lucban-bound jeep we boarded in the same terminal departed, and we were already roaming the streets of Lucban a little past 8:00 AM.

It was quite an experience with all those colorful houses and festive mood. It was also such an experience eating pancit habhab and that heavenly buko shake.

Anyway, on our way back to Manila, we boarded an aircon Dela Rosa bus and K was quick to say that he’s a student. He was charged P144 to Alabang, while I paid P180. There’s a catch to that, though, cause we were three suspicious-looking men who boarded the bus in different stops but they were somehow looking at one another every so often. We decided to drop off somewhere in Tiaong, Quezon and we didn’t argue anymore about fare refund.

We boarded another bus and paid another P99 to Alabang.

K was the first to notice the suspicious men. One was actually sitting across the aisle from me, the other at my back and the third three to four seats front of us.

The one across the aisle from me was burly, and he would look at us everytime K would try to tell me something. One more thing, he had this big black bloated duffel on his lap, but we could tell the bag wasn’t full because it like deflates when he puts his hand on it. And he was careful not put enough weight on the bag with his hand so it would remain looking full.

The minute K told me about his suspicions, I reached inside my backpack where my DSLR was and carefully removed the memory card. It was funny but if my camera would get stolen, I would really plead to have the memory card back. Lots of memories in there.

K, meanwhile, had with him his father’s 40k Canon DSLR so he was really nervous. Of course, his father wouldn’t kill him for that, but I’m sure he’d wish he’s dead if that happens.

Anyway, here’s the very short summary of how to get to Lucban, Quezon from Alabang:

- Board a Lucena Grand Terminal-bound bus – P147.00 for non-aircon; P180 for aircon
- In the same Lucena terminal, board a jeepney going to Lucban – P35
- Walk to town or opt to ride a tricycle (P10)

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