Backpacking: Corregidor Island, Philippines

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If you are in Manila, make sure to pay a visit to Corregidor Island. March and May will be the highest peak of tourism going to this place and make sure to be prepared for it. There is no public transportation around. It is advisable to take the package tour of Sun Cruises for those who want to go to Corregidor Island. This can save time and money and the tour is inclusive with round trip ferry transfer, shrine entrance and terminal fees, guided island tour aboard a Tran via buses (pre-war streetcars) and buffet lunch. There are professional, friendly tour guides that are very enthusiastic on exploration of the significance and contribution of the people during world war.

Corregidor activities and attractions must see.

Destination: Introducing Corregidor Island!

Corregidor Island is being maintained, managed, and developed by Corregidor Foundation, Inc. They administer the preservation of war relics, tourist facilities, and maintain several war memorial sites consisting of American, Japanese and Filipino historical military markers as well as various big guns emplacements and building ruins notably the Mile-Long Barracks, the seat of so-called “Fort Mills” in WWII, Corregidor’s military reference name at that time. They also operate a Light and Sound Show diorama inside the famous 800-meter Malinta Tunnel where Gen. MacArthur established his war room during WWII.

Corregidor’s History

Corregidor Island is a tadpole-shaped island, with its tail running eastward, is about 6.5 km (4.0 mi) long, about 2.0 km (1.2 mi) wide at its widest with a total land area of about 900 hectares (2,200 acres). The highest elevation is at 180 m (590 ft) on the Topside. It is located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of Manila Bay and the City of Manila from attacks by enemy warships in the event of war.

Corregidor played an important role during the invasion and liberation of the Philippines from Japanese forces. Under the Spanish rule, Corregidor served not only as a fortress of defense, a penal institution, and a station for Customs inspection, but also as a signal outpost to warn Manila of the approach of hostile ships. Corregidor comes from the Spanish word corregir, meaning "to correct." One story states that the island was called Isla del Corregidor (literally, Island of the Corrector) due to the Spanish customs system, wherein all ships entering Manila Bay were required to stop and have their documents checked and "corrected".

Getting there and away:

Sun Cruises, Inc. provides a ferry service, tours and hotel in Corregidor, and also Manila Bay Cruise. The fast ferry terminal is located adjacent to the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex. You can take a cab or jeepney ride going to the terminal. Their daily schedules are posted and there are no boat tours available around the island but only to transports passengers daily to and from Corregidor.

Passengers are advised to be at the terminal for check in at 7:00 AM. The trip takes about 90 minutes and the fast ferry carries the capacity of 48 passengers. The air-conditioned ferryboat is neat and consistently follows the arrival and departure schedule on time.

I. Corregidor Tour

1.     Pacific War Memorial

The memorial was erected to honor of the Filipino and American servicemen who participated in the Pacific War. The memorial also houses a museum which serves as the repository of relics and memorabilia related to the history of Corregidor.

2.     Malinta Tunnel

The Malinta Tunnel (830 feet long) furnished bombproof shelters for the hospital, headquarters, and shops, as well as a maze of underground storehouses. Reinforced with concrete walls, floors, and overhead arches, it also had blowers to furnish fresh air, and a double-track electric tramway line along the east-west passage.

3.     Mile Long Barracks

This is a three-story concrete building which was constructed to be hurricane-proof. It measures about 1,520 feet that it became popularly known as the world's longest military barracks. The headquarters of General Douglas MacArthur and the military forces are also housed in these barracks. It was used for the quartering of American officers and enlisted personnel detailed at the garrison. The passage of time from World War II resulted the building to be dilapidated to a roofless skeletal ruins.

4.     Guns Emplacements

These consisted of 56 coastal guns and mortars which formed the main power of the island fortress. There were 23 batteries were set up on Corregidor and the adjoining islands at the outbreak of World War II in 1941. Corregidor had 13 anti-aircraft artillery batteries with 76 guns, twenty-eight of which were 3-inch and forty-eight 50-calibers. With all the gun emplacements set up in the island, Batteries Geary and Way proved to be the best and most effective for the defense of Corregidor during the siege by the Japanese forces.

5.     Old Spanish Lighthouse

The original lighthouse was built by the Spaniards in 1836. During WWII, the lighthouse was damaged during the siege of Corregidor. The current lighthouse was constructed on the same site at an elevation of 628 feet above sea level. Being the highest point in the island, visitors who climb up the stairs of the lighthouse can have a breathtaking view of Corregidor, Manila Bay, the South China Sea, and the neighboring provinces of Bataan and Cavite.

Beside the lighthouse is a small gift shop where visitors can buy souvenirs. The lighthouse was totally reconstructed in the 1950s with a different design and stands on the same spot where the first lighthouse once stood. The whole lantern of the lighthouse was recently replaced by the Philippine Coast Guard to run on solar power.

6.     Gen. MacArthur Park

This park has a larger-than-life bronze statue of the general which was erected in his honor near the ruins of Lorcha Dock. His famous message, "I Shall Return" is inscribed in a concrete marker erected beside his statue.

7.     Filipino-American Friendship Park

The park commemorates the close friendship and camaraderie between the Philippines and the United States in times of war and in peace which is depicted by ten-foot high statues of a Filipino and American soldier. A plaque at the park bears the following statement: "In these hallowed surroundings where heroes sleep may their ashes scatter with the wind and live in the hearts of those who were left behind. They died for freedom's right and in heaven's sight. Theirs was a noble cause."

8.     Filipino Heroes Memorial

The memorial is one of the newest landmarks in Corregidor which honors Filipino heroes and martyrs in their struggle for freedom and independence. This 6,000-square meter complex has 14 murals depicting heroic battles fought by Filipinos from the 15th century up to the present day. The complex was inaugurated by President Fidel V. Ramos on August 28, 1992.

9.     Japanese Garden of Peace

This garden features a 10-foot high stone Buddha with a reflecting pool, a shinto Shrine, and other Japanese soldier memorial shrines and markers. It is also used as a praying area for Japanese war veterans and the families and relatives of Japanese soldiers who served or were killed in Corregidor during World War II. Also on display within the garden are anti-aircraft guns which are relics of the war. A small pavilion houses some Japanese memorabilia and World War II photographs. The construction of this garden was made possible through funds generated by a Japan-based private group.

10.     Gen. Jonathan M Wainwright Memorial

Near Corregidor Hotel is a small plaza which was erected in honor of Gen. Wainwright, the former deputy of Gen. MacArthur who took over command of the Filipino and American forces in the Philippines when MacArthur left Corregidor for Australia. After the fall of Bataan and Corregidor, Gen. Wainwright was one of the American and Filipino soldiers who became prisoners of war.

Reservations Office
Fernando Ma. Guerrero corner Paseo Palisoc, CCP
Complex, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City
Tel. (632) 834-6857 to 58, (632) 831-8140
Fax (632) 834-1523
Mobile (63)917 513-2625, (63)922 337-0068
E-mail: suncruises@magsaysay.com.ph

Corregidor Tours (as cited in Sun Cruises, Inc.)

Check-in time & Boarding time                         7:00 AM
ETD Manila                                                       8:00 AM
ETA Corregidor (Guided tour with Lunch)         9:15 AM
ETD Corregidor                                                 2:30 PM
ETA Manila                                                        3:45 PM

Note:
Check-in counter opens 1 hour before scheduled time of departure and strictly close 30 minutes before departure. Passengers who arrive after the cut-off time will not be allowed to go on board.

Corregidor Island Tour
Note: Advance booking is required prior to travel date.

A. Day Tour Package: Daily

Inclusions: Roundtrip ferry transfers; shrine and entrance fees; guided island tour and buffet lunch

Day Tour Weekday Adult Rate - 2,350.00 pesos/person
Day Tour Weekend* Adult Rate - 2,549.00 pesos/person
Day Tour Child Rate (3-11 yo) - 1,500.00 pesos/person
*Weekend rate applies to Saturday, Sunday and Holiday trips

B. Overnight Room Rate (On top of the day tour package)

Single with Breakfast - 1,500.00 pesos
Twin/ Double with Breakfast for two - 2,000.00 pesos
Extra Person with Breakfast - 750.00 pesos

C. Corregidor Historical Walking Tour

Inclusions: Roundtrip ferry transfers; shrine and entrance fees; guided walking tour - 1,800.00 pesos/person

D. Corregidor Adventure

Inclusions: Roundtrip ferry transfers; shrine and entrance fees; packed lunch; Corregidor Adventure (Race) - 2,149.00 pesos/person

E. Corregidor Ferry Transfers

Inclusions: Roundtrip ferry transfers; shrine and entrance fees;
Ferry Transfers Weekday Rate - 1,400.00 pesos/person
Ferry Transfers Weekend* Rate - 1,500.00 pesos/person
*Weekend rate applies to Saturday, Sunday and Holiday trips

Optional Activities:

Lights and Sound Show at Malinta Tunnel - 200.00 pesos/person
The Rocket (Zipline) - 100.00 pesos/person
Outdoor Activities (Sunset and Sunrise viewing, Tunnel Lateral Tour) - 250.00 pesos/person
Kayaking - 500.00 pesos/hr.
ATVs (All-terrain vehicle) - 500.00 pesos/hr.

Happy Travels!

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