THE GREAT WONDER OF HUNDREDSISLAND

The history of Hundred Island

The national park was created by Presidential Proclamation No. 667, covering an area of 16.76 square kilometres (6.47 sq mi) and signed by President Manuel L. Quezon on January 18, 1940, for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the Philippines and known as the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP). The Republic Act No. 3655 signed on June 22, 1962, created the Hundred Islands Conservation and Development Authority (HICDA), for the conservation, development and management of HINP. The park including Lucap Bay was transferred from HICDA to the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) by virtue of Section 35 of Presidential Decree No. 564.

On April 27, 1982 under Proclamation No. 2183, the national park including Lucap Bay and its foreshore areas, beginning from Sitio Telbang to the east to Sitio Recudo to the west, were declared as a Tourist Zone and Marine Reserve under the control and administration of the PTA. Subsequently under the Presidential Proclamation No. 2237 enacted on November 6, 1982, the parcels of land reserve for the Marine Fisheries Multi-Purpose Farm (created under Proclamation No. 1282 of June 21, 1974) were withdrawn and were also placed under the control and supervision of the Tourism Authority for development purposes.

The Executive Order No. 436 signed by President Arroyo on June 21, 2005 transferred the administration, management, maintenance, and operation of the whole Hundred Islands National Park (HINP), including all the activities, facilities, and improvements thereafter, from the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) to the city government of Alaminos, Pangasinan in pursuit of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991, which encouraged the transfer of power and authority from the national government to local government units, in line with the government’s devolution program mandated by the Constitution.

How to go to Hundred Islands National Park?

By car
With gasoline at multi-year lows and with highway expansions now reaching the southern tip of the Ilocos region, the best way to visit the national park is via private car. Take the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) which merges with the Sublic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and eventually with the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX). From here you have a few options. First is to exit at Paniqui, Tarlac and drive along the Romulo Highway which ends at Lingayen. From there, the Alaminos-Sual Road takes you to Alaminos itself where the national park is located. Second option is to exit TPLEX at Urdaneta City and take the Calasiao-Urdaneta road which takes you across several towns in Pangasinan such as Calasiao, Dagupan, Santa Barbara and Lingayen. Although it offers one a whirlwind tour of the province, there’s frequently heavy traffic on this route.

Being one of the most prominent tourist spots in the Philippines, we have this connotation that the place has already been exploited and there is just a slim chance that I will like it. we have this unfair notion that it is not worth the five-hour travel time.

One weekend, however, we found at the top of Governor’s Island, impressed and awestricken with the magnificent beauty of Hundred Islands. What motivated me to finally visit the said place? Read on…

While searching the internet for the best places to go in Pangasinan, me and my sole partner came across this blog article featuring Tondol Beach in Anda, Pangasinan. The article states it is the most beautiful beach in the province. The photos on the blog are so amazing that we decided to check out the place to satisfy our curiosity. We packed our bags that night and travelled up north to where the said beach is located. When we arrived, we were disappointed. It was beautiful, but not what we expected. 

After spending roughly 6 hours in Tondol beach, we just decided to go to Hundred Islands instead since Alaminos (the town where Hundred Islands is located) is just 30 minutes away from Anda. We knew at that time that it was the best and most feasible option we had. Besides, it will not hurt to take advantage of the proximity and visit a famous location when you are already in the vicinity right? So there, we hopped in a jeepney from Anda to Alaminos with a plan to spend the night in one of the islands there.

Information About Hundred Island.

The Hundred Islands National Park in Brgy. Lucap, Alaminos City, Pangasinan is 250 kms. from Manila.

This National Park covers a land area of 1,884 hectares with 123 islands. However, only three (3) islands have been developed for tourists namely: Governor, Quezon, and Children's Island.

Of the three (3) Islands, only the Governor's Island keeps a Guesthouse which is ideal for family use. It has 2 bedrooms, living room, dining room, comfort room/bath and kitchen. Linens, water (4 drums), generator lighting, ceiling fans, dining and cooking utensils/equipments are provided for.

The bahay kubos at Children's Island are for budget travellers as it consists only of screened bedrooms with kerosene lighting and one (1) drum of fresh water and linens. Common areas are provided for dining and cooking as well as for toilet and bath.

Quezon Island is for picnickers and campers.

At Lucap Point (Mainland), the main building houses a conference room and accommodation facilities. A tower-type building near the Lucap Park housed an Information/Business Center at the ground floor which controls the flow of tourists to the said Islands.

Governor's Island Quezon Island Children's Island

Children's Island

The Children’s Island lives up to its name as its shallow waters are very suitable for small children. This island can be considered as the kiddie version of Hundred Islands’ Quezon Island because there are plenty of fun activities here as well but are more suitable for kids. We even saw some kayaks here with special compartments for kids. The island’s beach front itself is in kiddie size as well as it is very narrow and can accommodate very few people only.

This island has a solid and sturdy looking rock form which has stood the test of time and survived the waves. There are several elevated sections in this island with pathways and wooden fences which acts as terraces where visitors can relax while enjoying a nice view of the ocean and the cool breeze. One odd thing we saw is the small cave which we really can’t tell if artificially made or just a natural wonder because it has a large window-like opening. We saw some kids hanging out that large opening without any restriction. This is a bit risky because there’s no metal or wooden fence that can prevent them from slipping out from it.

Cuenco Cave and Bats

The Cuenco Cave is a shallow cave on a separate island just near the Children’s Island. What we’ll see inside this cave are some smooth and light-yellowish rocks which matched the exact features of its walls. We’ll see how intact some limestone formation in certain sections of this cave are, for surviving hundreds of years of changes in climate. This cave has a smaller opening on the opposite side which is already the edge of the back of the island.

Quezon Island

The Quezon Island can be considered as Hundred Islands’ activity center because among its many islands, this jam-packed bliss is the only place where you’ll see a lot different fun activities happening. We’ve seen people throwing Frisbees, playing volleyball, snorkeling, kayaking, kids playing in the sand, etc. The presence of large huts in this island is a clear indication that the Hundred Islands’ management decided to dedicate this island for recreational activities.