Last weekend, me and my friend, Glen of EscapeManila.com went on a day trip to the town of Sta. Maria in the soon to be province of Davao Occidental. It is one of the 5 towns that was carved out from the province of Davao del Sur to form the new province of Davao Occidental via Republic Act No. 10360. The new province will include the towns of Sta. Maria, Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos, Sarangani and Malita, the new province’s proposed capital. But it will it have to wait until the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) performs a plebiscite that will ratify the creation of the new province.
Getting to Sta. Maria is not a problem since there are regular buses from Ecoland Bus Terminal in Davao City to Malita which passes by the town of Sta. Maria. But for faster travel we opted to take a non-stop bus to Digos City (95 pesos, 1.5 hours) and then another bus to Sta. Maria (60 pesos, 45 minutes).
Upon reaching Sta. Maria, we roamed around to see things. It is a typical provincial town with few commercial establishments. We went around and saw the municipal hall, the public market, gymnasium and the church.
Sta. Maria Municipal Hall
Public Market
Gymnasium
Grocery Store
Holy Cross of Sta. Maria Parish
After about 30 minutes, we took a habal-habal or a single motorcycle (25 pesos each, 20 minutes travel time) to "Little Boracay Resort" where Naprey Almario and his family are waiting for us. It's a pretty decent resort secluded on a cove with a rough cream sand. Several huts and tall coconut trees line up the shore. There are also air-conditioned rooms for those who want to stay overnight.
One of the main reasons that brought us here is through the invitation of Naprey to join his Behind the Rolling Chair's annual "Back to School Gift-Giving Project". We went to the nearby Cabalantian Elementary School where some school kids are waiting for us.
It was an awesome experience to see smiles from the faces of almost 80 kids as they receive some school supplies for the upcoming school year. It may just be a small gift, but to these kids, it meant a lot. Thanks again Naprey for inviting us!
How to Get to Sta. Maria
There are regular air-con and non-aircon buses from Davao City's Ecoland Bus Terminal going to Malita which passes by the town of Sta. Maria, travel time is about 3.5-4 hours. For faster travel you may opt to take a non-stop bus to Digos City for 95 pesos; travel time is around 1.5 hours. Then transfer to another bus bound for Malita which passes by Sta. Maria, fare is around 60 pesos, 45 minutes travel time.
Support Behind the Rolling Chair's Projects
For your pledges and donations, you may contact Naprey at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/napzalmario
FB Page: www.facebook.com/napreyalmario
Twitter and Instagram: @napreyalmario
More photos on Pinoy AdvenTurista's Facebook Page, click here.
This trip to Davao City was made possible by SEAIR-Tiger Airways. Book now at www.tigerairways.com.
This is my entry to the Pinoy Travel Bloggers’ Blog Carnival for June 2013 with the theme "Travel with a Cause" hosted by Grasya Bangoy of This Grasya on the Road.
FOLLOW MY ADVENTURES ON YOUTUBE @PinoyAdventurista
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yay! its always a nice feeling na mamigay :)
ReplyDeletethere is no place like my home town.....fun
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