Gilutongan Island

December 30, 2016 Bonet Smile

“The end is just a new beginning…”

A year-end and a new year become beautiful because of those wonderful times and memories we already collected and we are about to collect out from the 365 days. People are connected to one another each year. We live with love, peace, and unity. Time may pass but everything comes with so many things to remember. It shows that the essence of WE is more powerful than ME.

I got another moment to reminisce some of the good stuff in my year 2016.
I found it through one of my adventure at a crystal clear blue sea with my teammates before the year-end. But before sharing this let me look back my year 2015 team building activity with Team RON.

We got a trip to Bantayan Island and it was indeed worth reminiscing because of those people who truly become part of me for about 4 years in my job. Some of them are now seeking for greener pastures. They live with successful careers out from the working place they used to be with. Though people come and go, still the most import are those memories we had created that would last forever.

Two months before the year-end (2016), I looked back again my latest team escapade with the new faces of the group, we finally made our team building at Gilutongan Island. We got a chance to explore the island for free.
That was really amazing!

Abel, Polly, Stephanie, Miraflor, Alexis, Shezel, April, Bonet, Wina and Ron

Gilutongan Island is locally known as Hilutongan. It is an island with everything yet not all individual sees its hidden beauty and needs. It is the nearest island near Cordova, Cebu and lies about 12 km from the mainland of Mactan with an area about 11.26 hectares which entirely you can explore by just few hours.

The hidden beauty of Gilutongan Island

People living in Gilutongan Island struggle to carry on the daily need of drinking water and electricity. Every day, they purchase and transport fresh water from the mainland. Electricity is from generators and only operated every night. On the other hand, this island is abundant of sea treasures which are the main source of living for most locals.

The island is one of the richest and finest for marine life. Time to time, visitors drop by and get some snapshots of picturesque views but not all prefer to stay overnight since the resort was destroyed by the earthquake last year 2013. Most of them do such daytime activities for snorkeling and scuba diving. They enjoy the deep clear blue water and a crystal-like white sand. Local residents and government secure the cleanliness and safety of the area.

Snap Info:

Island Name: Hilutungan Island

Population: 1,360

Major Occupation: Fishing

Sea Shore Details: Northern and Western Part White Sand (lagoon) and Eastern part, Corals Very Shallow 100meters – 200meters.

Tourist Accommodation: Not Available due to the Earthquake last year 2013

Activities: Snorkeling (Westside of Island) and Diving

Distance Estimate Travel Time: 25~ 35 minutes from Cordova

Attraction: Marine Sanctuary and Clear white sand

Entrance Fee: Snorkeling PHP 100.- ,Diving PhP300.(9/09)

Comments: Best Place for Snorkeling and Diving. Government Well Protected Corals and Fishes.

(Source: Cebu KI Marine Dive and Tours)

How to get there:

The team rented a boat from Cordova, Cebu. It costs about Php. 1, 500 good for 10 pax. Entrance fee is about Php 100-200 per boat. Bring your own food for the whole day activity. There isn’t any restaurant around the place but you can ask some residents to cook for you (Ops! Giving some tips would be a great help.)

From the left: Abel, Polly, Stephanie, Miraflor, Alexis, Shezel, April, Bonet and Ron

People have a lot of reasons to stay in a place where life is full of everything, though everything is not what it meant to be but how the memories created with lots of meanings.

Thanks to Team Leader RON and he’s angels. ^.^

Lovelots, bye for now ♥