The Tourist Gaze

Spending an afternoon on a beach in Pagbilao, Quezon is a refreshing escape from the usual tourist-heavy coastal destinations near Metro Manila. It’s around 3 in the afternoon, and I have spent the last half-hour alternately dipping myself in the ocean water and walking along a pebbly beach. My parents, my sister, my brother, and two kasambahays are eating late lunch of adobo and grilled fish. We’re somewhere south of Isla Grande, one of the best beach spots in Pagbilao. While it’s not exactly untouched paradise—occasional plastic debris appears in the water—it’s still a relaxing retreat after a long road trip and boat ride.

Two weeks earlier, I celebrated my birthday, and this trip was supposed to be on that day. But my sister was contacted by the Leni-Kiko Volunteer Center to cook for an event with the vice president’s meeting with the urban poor (we’re volunteers in her presidential campaign) on the same day, and it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. So my birthday was spent in that event and having a selfie with the vice president herself.

And then a few days later, my brother finished his long-awaited bar exams, which was postponed numerous times since November last year. We thus found a weekend road tripping with our parents a fitting treat for him to unwind.

Beaches in Pagbilao offer an off-the-beaten-path experience, far enough to escape the usual weekend crowds but close enough for an easy road trip from Metro Manila. Isla Grande, one of Pagbilao’s coastal gems, is a great spot for snorkeling and beach camping. Pagbilao itself is just east of Lucena, the provincial capital, though it feels farther, especially when you get to the Isla Grande, the small island jutting out of the mainland’s coast.

Kuwebang Lampas refers to the cave south of the island, which can be reached from a private beach during low tide. Otherwise, as with today, we ride a boat to reach it as well as a patch of white sand beach cut off from the rest of the coast by large rocks.

The southern portion of the island is also home to the Pagbilao Power Plant, a coal-powered thermal plant. The artifice of the structure and the old ships moored near the port are, honestly, a blight on the otherwise bucolic surroundings.

Back at Lucena about two hours later, we have dinner at a Buddy’s branch in SM City Lucena. Buddy’s is a popular local restaurant serving the famed pancit habhab and Lucban longganisa. Then, we hang around the mall, goofing around with the Valentine’s season around us.