A view of the Hundred Islands in Alaminos City, Pangasinan, taken from the top of Governor's Island

January 29, 2010. It is rare to find a Filipino, young or old, who is not familiar with the Hundred Islands. Along with the Mayon Volcano and the Banaue Rice Terraces, the renowned group of islands in Alaminos, Pangasinan has always been a standard mention in textbooks as one of the best natural wonders of the Philippines. The group of islands has thus etched itself an almost permanent part in the consciousness of many Filipinos from childhood.

Corals and stones can be seen from the crystal clear water that surround the Hundred Islands

Despite its relative fame, however, the city government of Alaminos admits that the islands do not attract the number of visitors nor the investments they deserve, compared to other beach destinations in the country. I, myself, have never been to Hundred Islands before Lakbay Norte’s stop at Alaminos. And what a shame, indeed. The islands are unique gems incomparable to the Philippines’s other beach destinations.

Boats docked at Lucap Wharf, the jump off point from mainland Alaminos to the Hundred Islands

From our hotel in Alaminos, it was just a few minutes ride to Lucap wharf, the jump-off point to the islands. We boarded a large motorized banca that took us around the islands. We went around some of them and made a stop at Governor’s Island before finally settling down at Quezon Island.

Boats can take you island-hopping among the 123 islands of the Hundred Islands group

From atop Governor’s Island, we hiked up more than a hundred steps to the view-point on top of the hill. From the top, one can marvel at the beauty of the islands, which look like a fleet of battle ships anchored on the blue waters deceitfully covered in blankets of green foliage.

You can rent kayaks at Quezon Island and paddle your way around or to the nearby islets

By lunch time, we settled at Quezon Island, perhaps the most visited island in the group, for its fine white sand and its concrete structures and facilities that can accommodate large groups of vacationers. Aside from sunbathing and frolicking in the clear-blue waters, visitors can rent kayaks and paddle their way to the nearby islets or rent goggles and snorkle in the surrounding coral reefs.

Visitors can swim in the shallow waters of Quezon Island

As of today, only three of the islands have structures to accommodate tourists. The rest of the islands are raw, undeveloped and largely unexplored, which is makes them perfect for the more adventurous.

The city government, however, does plan to open up some of the islands to stewardship agreements where private individuals can adopt islands and construct self-sustaining facilities that can accommodate more visitors. Aside from such developments in the islands, the city government also plans to establish more infrastructure in the mainland, from a new airport to an underwater marine park.

Indeed the Hundred Islands deserve its familiarity among millions of Filipinos. Just waiting to be discovered beyond the textbooks, the Hundred Islands and Alaminos can give visitors a hundred reasons to come back, and perhaps even stay for good.