The National Highway follows the undeveloped Antique shore for 125 km with the ocean on the left and...

rice fields and the mountains on the right. Between Laua-an and Tibiao, Antique

Gabaldon Building of Central School of Tibiao, Tibiao, Antique Province

The residents of Tibiao, Antique deserve great credit for preserving this historic “Gabaldon” schoolhouse.  The school and the meticulously maintained grounds reflect pride in the community and also the importance the community gives to educating its young people.  Gabaldon schools were built throughout the Philippines during the commonwealth era.  Funding was provided as a result of a bill introduced by Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon of Nueva Ecija, and became known as Gabaldon Act.  Many Gabaldon schools have been neglected and have fallen into disrepair.  Not so in Tibiao!  For more on Gabaldon schools see: http://gabaldon.blogspot.com/search?q=gabaldon

Tibiao, Antique Municipal Hall

Enlargement of sign in front of Tibiao, Antique Municipal Hall

Another sign in front of Tibiao, Antique Municipal Hall. It seems to give a public account of projects and expenditures.

African Tulip Tree (Spathodea campanulata) in clean and tidy municipal plaza, Tibiao, Antique Province, Philippines. This tree is a native of Uganda in Africa.

Tibiao Church, Tibiao, Antique Province. The tower in front seems to hold bells from a previous church.

Tibiao Maninihon Festival: 3rd week of February

Tibiao Religious Fiesta: September 11

More Tibiao information at: http://members.tripod.com/ACUSA_1/home_eng/tibiao.htm

Continuing north, Mararison Island comes into view.

We had our binoculars with us when we had lunch at Neil’s (below) and were able to give take a good look at Mararison Island.  It looks like a great place to visit with lots of white sand beaches and a considerable settlement on the easterly shore.  Unfortunately, it’s also where a cargo ship MV Ocean Papa sank on June 21, 2008 on it’s way from Manila to Iloilo City.  While the ship was salvaged, its cargo of sixteen metric tons of toluene di-isocyanate was not. While the vapors of TDI are hazardous to workers, we’re not sure of the impact of the liquid on marine life.  Phaidon Resort in Pandan (see below) is said to offer snorkeling trips to Mararison.  Also check with Panay Explorers.

Neil's Restaurant, between Tiabao and Culasi, Antique Province

Places to dine between San Jose and Boracay are scarce.  We stopped at Neil’s Resto Grill twice.  It’s located just beyond milepost 176KM, right on the shore. It offers traditional Filipino fare such as grilled fish, nilaga (boiled pork with cabbage and potato), KBL (kadyos, baboy, langka) boiled pork with beans, and young jackfruit plus rice, beverages and chips.  We enjoyed the food.  The prices are very reasonable.  We paid a total P135 (less than $3) for grilled fish, two other dishes, rice, buko (coconut) juice and coffee.  The owner and workers were very friendly.  Bob left behind his prized Nike baseball cap.  The pretty waitress ran after us to return it.   Neil’s is popular with buses traveling the route but this is not a problem.  I was surprised that most passengers did not get off the bus when it stopped at Neil’s.  There is good parking if you’re driving your own vehicle.  There’s a public restroom (CR).  It’s basic Filipino — no toilet seat or toilet paper but it’s kept quite clean.

Spectacular rice field and mountain panoramas continue for miles

Note: this post is a section of a longer narrative about a trip from Iloilo City to Boracay.  The full narrative can be found at: http://goiloilo.com/iloilo-city-to-boracay-via-antique-province/

We very much welcome any suggested corrections or additional information about the Tibiao area.  Please leave them as a comment at the end of this post or e-mail them to hammerslag@gmail.com