The Philippines - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 653

Shopping Dozens of small sari-sari stores line White
Beach selling the usual range of drinks and snacks, plus
beachwear, T-shirts and souvenirs, while at D'Talipapa
Market you can buy fruit and fish. D'Mall has an ever-
expanding range of shops selling clothes, souvenirs and
handicrafts. Boracay Budget Mart at the back of D'Mall
is an inexpensive supermarket (by Boracay standards);
Heidiland deli in D'Mall is another good, if expensive,
option for self-caterers.

may change and visiting this area may be
possible at the time of reading. Pay
attention to the news and seek local
advice before considering a trip to
Mindanao. For this edition we have
focused on the islands of Camiguin and
Siargao and provided information on
Cagayan de Oro as a transit hub.

CAGAYAN DE ORO
CAGAYAN DE ORO (CDO) on the north
coast of Mindanao is the starting point
for many travellers for a trip to dazzling
Camiguin Island. he only reason to
linger in CDO is to go whitewater
rafting . Rafting Adventure Philippines
on Hayes Street ( T 088 856 3514,
W

Mindanao
he signals Mindanao sends to the rest of
the Philippines and the wider world are
nothing if not mixed. his massive island
at the foot of the archipelago is a place
where tribalism and capitalism clash head
on, and a refuge for those fleeing Manila
in search of cleaner air and greener
pastures. All of this has led to something
of a cultural and economic boom in cities
such as Davao , Mindanao's de facto
capital and gateway to the southern half
of the region, but Mindanao is also a
troubled island, with various indigenous
Islamic groups agitating, sometimes
violently, for autonomy (see box below).
Following renewed tensions and violence
in 2013, at the time of writing the entire
island was considered unsafe for visitors
and all travel to the area is strongly
advised against. However, the situation

raftingadventurephilippines.com) can
organize everything from beginners'
courses to night rafting trips.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane The new Laguindingan International Airport,
46km southwest of the city, finally opened in June 2013,
but has been plagued by problems, with many cancella-
tions, in part due to the absence of landing lights. The
airport is accessible by jeepney (P40 to Laguindingan turn-
off, then P20 shuttle to the airport), shuttle vans (Magnum
Express leave from Magnum Radio in CM Recto hourly from
4am to 3pm for P199) or taxi (P1200).
Destinations

8

Air Asia, Cebu Pacific and PAL fly to Cebu City
(5 daily; 50min); Davao (daily; 1hr); and Manila (15 daily;
1hr 30min).

THE MINDANAO PROBLEM
Mindanao has been a nagging thorn in the side of successive governments, with repeated
attempts by the island's Muslims ( Moros ) to establish autonomy on the island, while the
indigenous Lumad peoples also assert rights to their traditional lands. The Communist New
People's Army (NPA) has also been resurgent in recent years.
The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) started a war for independence in the 1970s.
Meanwhile, a communist-led rebellion spread from the northern Philippines to Mindanao,
drawing in many Filipinos. In 1996 the MNLF were recognized by Manila, when they co-signed
a peace pact granting a certain degree of autonomy to four provinces. This led to the
formation of several splinter groups including the MILF and Abu Sayyaf (“Bearer of the
Sword”), whose centre of operations is largely Basilan Island, part of the Sulu archipelago off
Mindanao's southern coast. Abu Sayyaf is widely believed to have ties to al-Qaeda and to have
been responsible for the Philippines' deadliest terrorist attack, the bombing of the WG&A
Superferry 14 in February 2004, which claimed 116 lives. Since the Maguindanao massacre
(see p.588) of November 2009, which led to the president declaring a state of emergency,
numerous ceasefires have come and gone, but at the time of writing the whole province was
on high alert following a spate of bombings in Cagayan de Oro and Cotabato City, and the
month-long separatist occupation of Zamboanga city.