Patayan Island

Patayan Island

To an out-of-towner, the name of the island would be creepy. "Patayan" when read without accent (slowly) would mean "Killing". But wait until you hear the locals pronounce the term. They pronounce it with an accute( ´ ) or fast accent on the second syllable as in Patáyan, in the same way you say Tapáyan (earthen jar). Patayan Island in the foreground is not far from Grande Island which hosts the Pagbilao Power Plant as seen in the background How to get there? Being an island, Patayan could be reached by boat from anywhere within Pagbilao Bay such as Brgy. Bantigue or from the now-accessible-by-bridge Pagbilao Grande Island. If you don't want your vehicle to go thru the rigors of the routes described below, Patayan is even accessible by boat from the wharf in Brgy. Daungan in Pagbilao proper. The wharf is by bank of the Tambak river which drains out to the sea. But the nearest access would be from Sitio Angas, Brgy. Pinagbayanan. To get to Sitio Angas, there are three routes: Route 1: Just follow the National Highway going to Atimonan. Less than one kilometer after Tambak bridge, you will notice a hard left curve of the highway. Right after this curve, a few meters before Cristy Motors (formerly Philip Motors), is a small concreted road to your right. The concrete portion is only for a few meters though. Follow this road until you cross the railroad. This portion near the railroad could be difficult for vehicles with low ground clearance. After the railroad crossing, there is a steep uphill climb followed by a downhill drive. A few meters downhill, the road turns left while being joined by another road from your right - take note that this is where Route 2 joins in. Keep on following the road which passes between fish ponds until you reach a residential area where the road will be concrete again. The road turns right from here until you reach the beach and you will have a distant view of Patayan Island. You will find fishermen's boats moored in the area. Use your negotiating skills to hire one at a reasonable price. Route 2: From infront of the St. Catherine Church and Pagbilao Municipal Hall, go east and find Gloria St. which is the second corner from Quezon St. which is directly infront of the church. Turn right at Gloria and go down the road until you reach the railroad - take note of this crossing which should be the start of Route 3. But we are still at Route 2, so cross the railroad, turn right at the next corner, then turn left to Quezon St. until you reach the bridge. At the right foot of the bridge is Pagbilao Wharf or locally known as Daungan - take note that this is the wharf mentioned in the first paragraph where you may hire a boat (at a higher price of course, due to longer route). Following Route 2, cross the bridge, then thru a dirt road passing in front of a subdivision, then between fish ponds. This road will then join Route 1 as earlier noted Route 3: As noted in Route 2, the railroad crossing along Gloria St. is a terminal for wooden trolleys driven by a single cylinder engine. It uses the railroad to ferry passengers to Angas Terminal which is located near the residential area mentioned in Route 1. From the said residential area, you may walk the remaining few meters down to the beach. From here, you may hire a motorboat to Patayan If you will go picnicking and would take time on the island, most fishermen here are not willing to wait because they have to attend to their crab traps laid in the Bay. More often than not, they will just arrange to drop you off and pick you later at an agreed time. In the unlikely event that the boatman did not show-up hours past pick-up time, your cellphones would be handy to ask for help from Pagbilao Police at 042-7317997. Be sure to check the number, because as far as I know, the local police has changed numbers three times already. Note: 166 could not be accessed by cellphone. Better yet, have someone's number in Pagbilao vicinity in your memory. The island has been parceled and owned by a few rich and not so rich individuals. Although some owners are kind enough to allow a free use of their cottage or beach house, and some caretakers would even share a few of their catch from the fish ponds inside the island, a few may accuse you of trespassing if you land just anywhere in the island. Thus, the favorite spot for invaders is this sandbar or "Tulay-Buhangin" in the northwest end. Surely, nobody could own and fence off this paradise which is partly submerged during high tide. In the event the tide comes in without your boat yet, you can always run towards dry land. The place offers not only a nice view, but a nice place to swim and frolic too. Mount Banahaw serves as a majestic backdrop for the sandbar. This strip of sand is more than 400meters, which would allow you to have a nice place to jog if you do not want to swim. Please watch for future updates when I could provide distances and more details in the routes described herein. See Patayan Island feature on waypoints.ph With many thanks to Ed Garcia for enhancing some pictures on this page. No material from this site (photos, creative writing, narratives, quotes, etc) may be used without the written consent of the copyright owner. All other materials, previously sent as email attachments, handed over in electronic/magnetic/optical storage media or by any other means, shall not be given to third parties, but may be borrowed by the original recipient for non-profit use only, and only if due credit to the copyright owner is appropriately indicated. Photos and Narratives by  Engr. Gerry B. Lontok ©2002