Hosting and organizing regional or international sports events is among the tourism attractions that provinces and cities can embark on.
Puerto Princesa International Marathon
Last May 31, another successful Puerto Princesa International Marathon was held, and an estimated 5,000 runners participated in various categories from 5k to 10k, 21k, and the full 42k.
I was not there, but I saw from photos on Facebook and those shared by friends who joined the run that there was high participation. For events like this, serious runners from other provinces or countries should stay at least two nights: one day to survey and study the route, and another night to rest and prepare for the run the next day. The demand for hotel rooms, food, and related services can bring additional revenues to local businesses.
Tour of Luzon 2026
Last month, there was also a big international competition, the Tour of Luzon (ToL) 2026. It is an annual cycling race, now sponsored by the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC). This year, the tour had 14 stages that covered 1,815 kilometers across 13 provinces, from Batangas to Cavite, Pampanga to Cagayan, and Ilocos Norte to Pangasinan, ending in Baguio.
There were 12 teams—six from abroad (UAE, HK, Malaysia, Indonesia, and two from S. Korea)—while Team 711 had both local and foreign riders. It is nice to see foreign teams competing at the ToL, which makes it among the premier international cycling races in Asia.
I briefly saw Stage 12 of the race last May 11, from Agoo, La Union to Mangatarem, Pangasinan. There were so many big motorcycles, team vehicles, Tour officials’ vehicles, ambulances, and media vehicles. It was colorful and exciting to watch the cyclists pacing at 45–50 kph on a flat road.
French rider Antoine Huby from Team 711 won the stage at the steep Daang Kalikasan in Mangatarem; he is a strong climber. In second place was Russian rider Nikita Schulchenko of Team UAE, also a strong climber, while third place went to Pinoy rider Erickson Lopez of Team Dreyna Orion Cement.
The next day, May 12, I watched Stage 13, an individual time trial (ITT) along Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan. Korean rider Kyeongho Min from Team Seoul Cycling won the race; he was pedaling like a monster while many riders were wilting under the hot, cloudless sky and strong winds from the sea. In second place was Nikita Schulchenko again, a strong time trialist and climber too.
The final stage, Stage 14, went from Lingayen to Baguio via central and eastern Pangasinan, then La Union and up Kennon Road. I was driving that day from Pangasinan to Vigan, Ilocos Sur, but I saw from the race video later how Frenchman Huby of Team 711 pulled away from the lead group on Kennon Road, particularly at the steep Lion’s Head ascent. His pace was brutal, his legs were fierce, and he won the race at John Hay in Baguio to a shower of cheers from a thick crowd. Second to him was Schulchenko, and third was Huby’s teammate from 711, Pinoy rider Ronnilan Quita.
The overall winner of ToL 2026 was Schulchenko of Team UAE, second was Huby, and third was Syrian rider Alrefai Yousef Ibrahiem Alrefai, also of Team UAE. A Russian, a Frenchman, and a Syrian.
Filipino riders could not keep pace with the foreign riders, for now. Nonetheless, those foreign riders and teams saw many provinces in the Philippines and must have left with positive feedback about the country and the Filipinos.
Vigan, Ilocos Sur
I drove there with my family from Pangasinan just for sightseeing. We stayed at the Hotel Luna, situated among the famous Spanish-era buildings and houses near the Vigan City Hall and the Ilocos Sur provincial capitol. It is a beautiful hotel in a convenient and good location. Parking is several blocks away, but their staff will guide motorists there in an EV and drive them back to the hotel after they leave their cars.
The Spanish-era houses and cobblestone roads are beautifully preserved, offering a nostalgic look back at our history up until a century ago. At 7 p.m., there is a fountain show at the park in front of the provincial capitol—15 minutes of lights, music, and dancing fountains. It is beautiful and stands out as one of the premier tourism attractions of Vigan.
While some roads in La Union and northern Pangasinan are rough, the roads of Ilocos Sur are smooth. I also noticed that tricycles mostly stay on the right side or slow lane of the four-lane highway, which is excellent. One of my pet peeves is tricycles on highways that occupy the inner or fast lane and refuse to move over to the slow lane. This is common in Tarlac, Pangasinan, and many other provinces.
Sagada, Mountain Province
The next day, I drove from Vigan to Sagada via the towns of Tagudin and Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, passing by Besang Pass. The road is good and cemented, with only one or two road cuts due to rockslides in recent months. The roads are generally narrow, and the zigzags are more frequent compared to the winding roads in Benguet.
The road boundary between Ilocos Sur and Mountain Province is marked by a sudden contrast: ugly, rough patches of mountain road on the former side, and smooth, asphalted road on the latter. Another set of zigzag, cemented roads leads to the wide municipality of Bauko, Mt. Province. From Bauko, turning left toward Sagada, the road becomes steep and long.
This was probably my fifth visit to Sagada over the last three decades, and the place still mesmerizes me. It features very thick pine forests, cold and beautiful weather, a high elevation with steep ascents, friendly people, and great food. We stayed at the house of our friend, Jane Capacio, and her family.
A nice roadside restaurant, 7J’s View Deck Resto Bar, offers a great view of the surrounding mountains. It is cold and windy, and they serve good food too. Lake Danum (Banao) is about a five-minute walk away—wide and peaceful, though the water level is low during dry months like May.
Baguio and Benguet
After two days, I drove from Sagada to Baguio, passing through Bauko again and turning left toward the municipalities of Buguias and Atok, Benguet. These are high-elevation, very cold places. It was quite cloudy that day, and the temperature from mid-morning to noon—from upper Bauko to Atok—stayed between just 17 and 23 degrees Celsius. I turned off the car’s air conditioning except in town centers where traffic crawled.
La Trinidad, the capital of Benguet, is somewhat flat and packed with vehicles and buildings. Nonetheless, it remains cold. From there, the road climbs up again to Baguio city proper. Baguio remains nice and chilly, though it can get very crowded. Personally, I dislike their number-coding scheme. Last March during Holy Week, the Baguio PNP apprehended me for a coding violation on a Holy Thursday—what a “crime.” The city hall seems greedy for penalty revenues, even when Baguio has fewer visitors due to the high prices of gasoline and diesel.
We stayed at Baguio Holiday Villas, which is a nice hotel in a good location just a few blocks away from the Burnham Park area. However, their parking area is tight and inconvenient; I would not recommend this specific place to friends.
TPLEX, SCTEX, NLEX, Skyway
The drive from Baguio back to Makati was a smooth ride. We descended via Kennon Road, entered the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), transitioned to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), moved on to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), went up Skyway Stage 3, and finally exited at Buendia in Makati.
Our tollway system should cover the entire country, stretching from Ilocos Norte all the way down to Sorsogon, followed by connected networks in Samar-Leyte, and from Surigao to Agusan down to Davao, GenSan, and Zamboanga.
Palawan itself should also have its own north-to-south toll road someday. It would make local tourism and travel significantly more convenient, safe, and swift.
