Philippine Coast Guard Archives

Overloaded Banca Boat Headed for Guimaras Submerges

12/20/202011/13/2019 by The Kano

First of all, local news outlets like the Daily Guardian and Panay News did not report this recent incident on the Iloilo Strait. At least I didn’t see it on their online editions today, November 13, 2019. If it weren’t for a tip from a Canadian friend on Guimaras, I wouldn’t have known about this … Read more

Boracay Tourists Beware: Nighttime Pump Boat Ban

09/09/2019 by The Kano

Boracay. Images of white sandy beaches, palm trees, and turquoise blue waters party in my head. It’s Number One on many tourists’ “Bucket List.” We’ve been to the famous White Beach on this small island a couple of times. While pesky vendors buzzed around our head like dengue-infested mosquitoes, the breathtaking Boracay sunsets are absolutely … Read more

GUIMARAS, SHABU LANE?

11/23/201907/29/2018 by The Kano

GUIMARAS, SHABU LANE? That’s what a headline in The Daily Guardian recently suggested. We moved to Guimaras, an island province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, over nine years ago. This sleepy, provincial island, known for the sweetest mangoes in the world, is generally quiet and peaceful. While someone might occasionally get a snootful of too much Red Horse and stab someone, we haven’t had any major problems while living here.

New People’s Army, Maute Terrorists: Iloilo Under Siege

01/04/202006/19/2017 by The Kano

TWIN TERRORIST THREATS inched closer to Iloilo City, a short 12-15 minute pump boat ride from Guimaras, the island province we call home. 40-50 armed rebels from the New People’s Army, NPA, a Communist insurgency group, raided the Maasin, Iloilo police station this past Sunday. On the same day a sister of the Maute brothers, a terrorist group, and two others were arrested near the Iloilo port. Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog has placed Iloilo City on full Red Alert status.

Man Overboard! Our 2Go Cruise Manila/Iloilo

08/04/201808/01/2016 by The Kano

Our recent trip from Manila was marred by tragedy: “Man Overboard! Our 2Go Cruise Manila/Iloilo.” Nine and 1/2 hours in to our 22-hour cruise back home, my wife suddenly called out to me: “Someone has jumped overboard!”

Are Life Jackets Crumpling Lawyers’ Suits on Iloilo-Guimaras Pump Boats?

11/23/201911/18/2015 by The Kano

only a few life jackets available on guimaras iloilo pump boat

UPDATE ON THE LATEST SEA TRAGEDY

Are life jackets crumpling lawyer’s suits on the Iloilo-Guimaras pump boats? Did a court in Guimaras prohibit the wearing of life jackets in motorized banca boats to help the lawyers prevent this? With the recent tragic loss of nine lives on the Tawash, the Coast Guard is cracking down. At least for now. Crumpled clothes or not.