A Visit To Santa Cruz Island of Zamboanga In The New Normal

Zamboanga City is known for many things, and among them is the Pink Beach of Santa Cruz Island.  The 1^st and last time we visited the island was 8 years ago, and I was just delighted that island reopens December 26, since the lock down just in time for our arrival on the 23^rd.

Sand Bar

The tint on the sand is from the crushed red corals abundant in the area and is more prominent during the summer months.

 

It is the local City Tourism that regulates the activities of the island and pre booking is required to visit.  Even before our arrival, actually while waiting for boarding on our flight, I already expressed our interest to visit. To book, you may reach the PAMO with the following details:

       Zamboanga City, Protected Area Management Office

       Email: zcpamolgu@gmail.com

      Globe: 0905-601-6316

      Smart: 0951-939-0114

 

As a displaced tourism professional myself, I look for opportunities to help local guides regain their livelihood, and hopefully this visit would do just that.

 

Immediately, I received a response with attached documents on what to expect and forms to accomplish.  They encourage minimal interaction, and pre registration allows them to manage the arrivals, which is limited to 150 per day.  I figured, an early visit would allow us to see how the island coped or recovers from the break in tourism activities.

 

Among the forms you would need to accomplish are the following:

• Health Declaration
• Commitment Form (In response to the Island Do’s and Don’ts)
• Manifest Form

 

The other attachments would be the government-imposed fees for the activities, which can be customized to your length of stay and the Do’s and Don’ts.

 

There are 3-departure times to choose from, 7AM, 8AM and 9AM. You are asked to be present 30 minutes before, but we got to the Check In Desk an hour early on the day of our schedule and left as soon as we made the necessary payments.

 

Our guides ushered us to our picnic hut where we settled our things.  

A few minutes later, we were invited back to the boat for the 10-minute visit to the Sand Bar.  The Sand Bar is actually part of the smaller Santa Cruz Island and is visible most of the year.

Unfortunately, we were not able to do the lagoon tour because of the tide condition.  We scheduled our departure at noon, just as when the water is rising.  Nevertheless, it just gives us reason to come back.

 

The rest of the morning was spent on exploring the beach, swimming, and taking photos.  With a beautiful island as your backdrop, you will never ran out of Instagram worthy images.

By noon, we were ready to go back to the mainland. 

 

The Local Tourism was very efficient with their controls and the visit was worth it.  The Do’s and Don’t’s was helpful in ensuring responsible tourism and has kept the island clean.

 

We will definitely come back!

Returning Home For The Holidays To Zamboanga City, What To Expect

It has been an annual tradition for me and my partner to visit his family for the holidays.  Since my siblings and Mom are in Canada, they make sure I'm part of his family and not miss out on holiday traditions. 

Coming home this year is extra challenging because of the pandemic.  Travel restrictions has to be satisfied in order to fly.  

Flight schedules are inconsistent.  Make room for adjustments and flexibility in your itinerary.  Our flights was cancelled and moved 3 times before the actual rebooked schedule.

Also, make time to process required documents.  5 working days before departure is ideal.  The requirements are different from different Local Government Units, but Zamboanga City has the following:

The first item we secured was the proof of residency.  This can be in the form of a Barangay Certificate coming from the hometown which can be secured by a relative.  A valid ID with the provincial address is also accepted.

We then applied for a coordination pass through the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdN3vvyl7KvYAJ6y2fax_tNxqvrg4lIE0U9vKEsDbrptlbbAg/viewform

Included on the attachment requirements is the travel pass, medical certificate, swab result, and valid ID's, but we were able to secure an approval with just the Barangay Certificate uploaded on all the attachment buttons.  The coordination pass was emailed the next day after the application.

The Health Certificate is next, coming from our Barangay Health center in Mandaluyong.  This is a required attachment for the travel pass issued by the City Police Department.  Once we're cleared from the community health center, we then brought the documents to the City Police Department that takes at least 3 days to process.  Be prepared to stand in line for hours since they're the only one allowed to issue the travel pass for all destinations in the country.  The city of Mandaluyong only issues travel pass on a specific travel dates.  It is best to ensure the finality of your flight prior to getting one.

We also had a swab test done 5 days before our flight.  We went to the Philippine Diagnostic Laboratory near NAIA 4 for their standard package that costs 4k and result within 3 days.  The result actually arrived within 2 days so there's no need to rush.  Just make sure the validity is within the requirement of your destination.

On the day of our departure, we arrived at the airport early.  

Make sure to download the Traze App, the contact tracing application used by all airports in the country.  Scanning the QR Code at the doors is required to allow entry.

We had all the documents printed out which was checked by the airline representative at the bag drop counter.  It was surprisingly easy as long as you comply with each item.

We arrived in Zamboanga International Airport as scheduled.