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Post by EXO on Dec 19, 2018 21:24:01 GMT 8
It's at www.corregidorisland.com.phYour comments are invited.
The swimming pool we know. But what about the 9 hole Golf Course? Yes, you read that right.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Dec 20, 2018 12:06:59 GMT 8
Corregidor visit of US Senator Mitt Romney Z238. From CFI FB: Corregidor visit of US Senator Mitt Romney and Family 181209. This snipping came from this new CFI Facebook page:
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Post by Karl Welteke on Feb 28, 2019 13:22:15 GMT 8
Corregidor is becoming very expensive.
In the last year some aspects of visiting Corregidor have become more expensive or very expensive. I visited Corregidor 5 times within the last year and all my costs have increased or increased dramatically.
These are what I experienced, paid or observed:
Many things have become more expensive such as food and drink at the McArthur Lounge, prices went up somewhat, like 70 peso for a SM Light. 150 Peso for a Carlos Meal, rice, 2 eggs and a small can of pork and beans. A pancit dish is 200 peso; it is available at the other place for 120 or 140 peso.
Staying at the budget Rowhouse is gone; CFI eliminated this service last year. I took advantage of this service about 10 times in the last 15 years, stayed there maybe 20 to 30 days. It used to be only 500 peso, increased to 700 peso for the room/1 day, a few years ago. 2 people could share and the rooms even had separate bath (CRs). The rooms were spacey, had a fan, were good and were very affordable and saved me money and encouraged me to visit Corregidor more often. The building with many rooms is still there and I miss this service!
The former rooms at the former MacArthur Lounge are now managed by CFI and cost now 1500 peso, before we frequent visitors received a discount, but that is no more.
The PSE (Prime Square Enterprise) boats with overnight stay on Corregidor rose to 6200 peso from 3500, and they are no longer stationed on Corregidor, they are now at the MAA pier on Bataan. That is a dramatic price increase, why?
The Villa Carmen and the Cabcaben BOOTOP boots have increased their prices to 3000 pesos many years ago. In 2004 to 2007 I only paid 1200 peso. Because I stay several days on Corregidor at a time, the boots have to run twice to pick me up and so I have to pay 3000 twice, total 6000 peso. In Jan. 2019I paid for an air roundtrip ticket to Tacloban 4000 peso. Comparing that with the boat prices I think that is too expensive, cant the Tourist Department do something about it. A few month ago I met a Philippine–American Couple they were charged 3500 for a single ride to Corregidor by a boot from the Cabcaben BOOTOP, is that gauging?
The PSE jeepney is 2000 peso now vise 800 pesos only a year ago; that is a dramatic price increase, why? I believe there is only one jeepney available. They have one more minibus which is 2500 peso.
The Sun Cruises ferry roundtrip of about 1200 peso is not available any more. The only way one get on the island from Manila via the ferry, one has to pay for the whole day tour, 3358 peso even if you don’t want the trolley tour and buffet lunch, if and because one wants to do different things. This does not make sense, Sun Cruises uses the twin hull ferry which carries over 200 passengers; why not fill empty seats? This service was available before but they wrote that I have to pay for the whole thing, even if I don’t want the buffet and the guided tour. No explanation was given, do they want to punish visitor like me? Workers on Corregidor still can use this service for a lower price, but maybe that price has increased also.
The Corregidor Inn offered a twin room with breakfast for 2000 peso with breakfast in the past but now it is 7500 including 3 meals. It is cheaper to stay in the Manila Hotel! I cannot afford that price and stay in that Inn. That is also a very dramatic price increase. Renovation is given as a reason; to me it looks like bad management.
In the last year I heard several times that the visitor count is down and new things are coming to change that. With all those price increases will that help things to change that?
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Post by EXO on Mar 1, 2019 17:47:58 GMT 8
I have received a bit of correspondence as the result of the recent observations (current affairs) from the tourist point of view. These are edited and comments identifying the authors have been removed: Letter A: "Doubling prices, messing up a system that works, slashing amenities and options but letting the grass on Topside grow out of control...sounds like Corregidor is the beta test run for the implementation of Alexandria Occasional-Cortex's green New Deal! All jokes aside, I'm really saddened to hear the news. It certainly sounds as though my most recent trip was probably my last. I didn't know it at the time, but now I'm kind of glad I brought my Mac hat and Ray Bans on that trip and posed for a few pix down by the dock before leaving, ala his farewell tour of 1961. After all the renovations, did they at least fill up the pool with water? There was nothing better than coming in from a long, steamy day of exploration and jumping into the pool and having a cold bottle of San Miguel. I don't think its been open in at least 12-15 years. EXO's comment to A: I wouldn't have said it was that long ago that the pool was closed. I thought it was up and running and in great condition until the Inn was closed for refurbishing. Letter B: "I'm sure their plan to use reverse Capitalism to increase tourism will be a big success. Doubling the price of everything and cutting service is standard fare here." EXO's comment to B: It's standard fare in many places. Governments everywhere do it all the time.
Letter C: What insane, time-consuming logistics for delivering meals to the Corregidor Inn as their kitchen is not operational? To say nothing of the logistics involved now in getting on and off the island, as well as around the island to the various important sites. That said, I have probably been there for the last time. (The rant) about the disappearing birdlife, nesting turtles, and the proliferating feral cats and stray dogs was a sad commentary, but one that anyone in the Philippines is used to experiencing. EXO's comment to C: My understanding, perhaps faulty, was that the dining tent on Topside was a temporary measure while the Inn was being refurbished. As the Inn's kitchen has not been put back into commission, this indicates that the temporary measure is likely to be with us a while yet. That's the way it is with "mission creep." IMHO, the dining tent had great ambience, was always a magnificent facility, a great midday dine in. Probably one of the nicest decorated fixed menu cafes I can recall. Picturesque to the max on the interior. Letter D: it's becoming more and more painful to go back. Those overgrown trails, the unkempt areas that were once so well maintained. EXO's comment to D: A platoon of workers properly funded with working equipment and commanded, could handle it in a few weeks. Look what a great job Faith Academy did! What the island is today is the result of limited earnings for a period which went much longer than intended. In March 2018 there was a media release by TIEZA (The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority) slating big plans to develop the island of Corregidor into a flagship tourism enterprise zone (TEZ). I wrote of it, linking to an article in the Philippine Star. It's almost exactly a year since. No one has sought our views as stakeholders. It’s during the last year that things appear to have gotten overlooked. One hopes that the TEZ plans include a strong empathy towards the island's history, respect for the dead, ecological and environmental positives, and not more of the same old same old. Reinventing a faded but popular tourist facility is a difficult thing, and if not handled properly, it can do more harm than good. The problem will always remain, though, that Corregidor needs to generate its own power, provide its own water, and to deal properly with its wastes. The solution is not just to put the prices up, that tends to invoke the law of unintended consequences. Neither is the solution to flog it off to the Chinese. It should be a National Park, and run along those lines. Letter E: Maybe we're jumping to conclusions about the new management. Perhaps they are really historically minded and with the pool, wanted to give guests a good idea of the POW experience at the 92nd Garage Area? Haha. It's no laughing matter what they're doing with our beloved Rock, but I guess crying is the only other alternative. EXO's comment to E: I appreciate your satire, but will bet some folk consider it ridicule. It is incongruous, yes, to have accommodation facilities at that price level without a pool. What it means, I have't a clue. Facts are facts, commentary is commentary. They aren't the same weight. One's a cannonball, the other's a feather.
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