The way to Carles

My hometown is 146 kilometers away from Iloilo City, the provincial capital.  It is the farthest northeastern town of the Province of Iloilo (it is located in the northeastern tip of Panay Island).  Going to Carles would mean to some as a something to bear or put up with.

Aside from its distance from the provincial capital, people always laugh when they hear that the name of my hometown is CARLES (when pronounced, its sounds literally means "no car"). Truly, Carles was in scarcity of land transportation a decade ago, but due to improved road network that homonym is now a myth.


In the 40's it would take eight (8) hours more or less to travel by passenger bus from Carles to Iloilo City.  At present, it takes barely three hours. Passenger jeepneys make a trip to Balasan (the nearest town, 13 kilometers away) and back every 15 minutes interval. A bus company have a regular trip to Iloilo and vice versa every hour.  Vans also transport passengers to and from the remotest barangays. 


Schedule of trips from Iloilo to Carles:

1st trip       3:30 AM at Tanza, Iloilo City Terminal
2nd trip      5:30 AM at Tagbak Terminal
3rd trip       7:30 AM and every hour onwards
Last Trip     5:00 PM

Carles to Iloilo

1st trip       3:30 AM at Bancal Terminal
2nd trip      5:30 AM and every hour onwards
Last Trip     4:00 PM

Fare varies on whether it is an ordinary or aircon bus at Php 165 to 198 respectively.


Crossing the seas to the islands is not difficult nowadays, but it is hazardous during stormy weather when the sea is rough.  Motorized medium sized bancas, locally referred to a pumpboats provide transportation from the mainland to the islands of Carles.  Some pumpboats ply from Bancal, Carles to Masbate as well.