The date of my visit at Corregidor is June 23, 2026.

Corregidor, as derived from the Spanish word “corregimiento,” means “corrector” or “magistrate.”  It is pronounced “cor-RE-idor”, where the “g” is silent.

At the cusp of Japan’s successful occupation of the Philippines during the early stages of the Pacific War, there was never any doubt that surrender in Corregidor was the best possible outcome for the island and the stationing forces — although not before a brutal battle was fought at the island.

Corregidor is one of the four islands that constituted the collective harbor defense of Manila Bay at Cavite. Corregidor, being the largest of the four, was a fortified island since the Spanish colonial times. The four islands of Corregidor (Fort Mills), El Fraile Island (Fort Drum), Caballo Island (Fort Hughes), and Carabao Island (Fort Frank) served defensive functions throughout the American colonial times. When the Americans took over the Philippines after the Spanish-American War, they fortified further the smaller islands close to Corregidor. Fort Drum became known as the “Concrete Battleship” because it was completely built into the shape and form of a battleship in 1909 and fitted with turrets.

At the fall of the Bataan Peninsula, Corregidor was the “last man standing” in terms of the United States’ presence in the Asia Pacific. The original plan was to hold out for 60 days, as a way to delay Japan’s rapid succession of its attacks in Asia. The troops held on for five months and that has resulted in a tactical advantage in the eventual trajectory of the Pacific War.

General Macarthur: I shall return.

When General MacArthur left Corregidor in March 1942, the island was left in the command of Major General Jonathan M. Wainwright. The longstanding rivalry between the army and the navy was so significant that General MacArthur, being a general of the United States Army, had to leave the island in its northern dock (he was heading south to Australia) because the Navy had the southern part of Corregidor.

An Introduction of Corregidor as an American Army and Naval Base

Corregidor is shaped like a tadpole, with a pointy tail on its eastern end. The island has a total area of about 2,200 acres (5.5 square kilometers). As it had a long history serving as the military bases for both the Spanish and the Americans, there are an enormous number of military facilities there.

To name a few, there are three large barracks (Bottomside, Middleside and Topside) that came with full-serviced venues for culture and recreation (indoor swimming pool, theater, church), more than 20 batteries with 56 guns and mortars installed, and the famous Malinta Tunnel. Half a day was a rush for one to tour just some of the key infrastructures on the island.

Preliminaries for a Tour to Corregidor

It does take some luck for one to be able to visit Corregidor these days. Before the COVID 19 pandemic, tours would run throughout the day in the island. At its heyday, the Corregidor Tour would operate in ten tourist buses throughout any day of the week. Tourism boomed to a point of a proper hotel being run on the island to accommodate overnight stay. Needless to say, that all tours stopped during the pandemic. It is a great pity that tourism in Corregidor has never revived since (and we learned about the possible reasons during the tour too). All but one tour bus is now serving the sparsely scheduled tours at the island.

I looked online and found some potential operators. The first one that I approached was bounced back as an email that no longer existed. I then approached Villa Carmen Resort. I am grateful for Villa Carmen Resort for its professionalism in handling my request throughout the planning. The wonderful staff have the ready mindset to solve problems and to offer a world-class tour experience.

If you are willing to pay a very high cost, the tour can run for 1-2 people in a private setting. Although I was exceedingly keen to see the island, the cost for 1 person in a private tour was frankly way out of my budget (they would charge a solo tourist the cost for 2). I happened to be able to sign up for a potential group tour that requires 9 participants for it to be offered. The tour was finally confirmed in the second last day before I was due to fly out to Manila. In the meantime, I took the risk in booking my accommodation in Mariveles for the night before the tour without having the confirmation of the tour.

Although a day trip from Manila to the Bataan Province is possible, it requires a very early morning start (5 to 6 am the latest) for a private car to arrive at Corregidor for the late morning session of the tour at 11am. If all runs well, you will end the tour at 4pm, and take 3.5 hours of a private ride back to Manila on the same day.

There used to be a ferry that ran between Manila and the Bataan Peninsula, but it no longer operates. Land transportation is the only way from Manila to Bataan. I took a local bus (more than four hours one way) from Manila. Private car would be very expensive, but it takes less than four hours.

In the morning of the tour, I further had the problem of having to head out to Villa Carmen Resort from my hotel in Mariveles. The ride would take a good 45 minutes. There were bus lines that ran in the area, but I opted for a tricycle. The ride was very bumpy but it was the right choice.

I think it would make sense, for the purpose of the Corregidor tour, for one to opt for Villa Carmen Resort as the accommodation of choice in Bataan.

Transportation in the Bataan Province come in two options. One is the bus, and the other is the tricycle. It is a fair practice for you to tell the tricycle driver the distance that is required, and there is a standard rate for the distance traveled. From Mariveles to Villa Carmen, I paid 300 pesos and I did not think that the driver ripped me off.

Corregidor Tour

I was delighted to arrive at Villa Carmen early in the morning. The tour was to begin at 11am and I had coffee at their seaside restaurant with al fresco seating for an hour before the tour. The day was slightly overcast to start, but that fit the mood perfectly. War history is meant to be gloomy.

Perhaps it is no surprise that Americans are the keen tourists for this type of historical tour. All of the tour members are Americans. That guaranteed cordiality throughout our time together.

And here I would just like to give top kudos to our wonderful Filipino guide, Armando. He gave impassioned speeches throughout the tour that moved us by the words and the spirit. With conviction, he spoke about the injustice that was done to the Philippines during the Pacific War. No, not just by the Japanese, but also in the way that the Americans have not managed to do enough for the Filipinos either. It was a sombre occasion for all.

From the Zero Kilometer Death March Park, the van took the tour group to board a boat. We were on our way to the island, finally. On our way, we passed by the Sisiman Cove, where the PT boats once docked for their night patrol missions.

When I arrived, the first impression of Corregidor was, “it is now, finally, at peace.”

Application for the Corregidor Island to be a UNESCO World Heritage has been submitted and it is on the tentative list for consideration.

Sources

Tour of the Corregidor by Villa Carmen Resort

The Wikipedia on Corregidor.

The UNESCO Tentative List on Corregidor.

The Wikipedia on Fort Drum.

Mtncorg, Artillery of Corregidor – Big Guns on an Island, Meandering Through the Prologue.

In my first evening in the Peninsula, I learned that my phone was not equipped to install an eSIM, so I ran to the mall nearby to get a physical SIM set up. I had to catch an early bus to Bataan Province next morning and the phone had to be ready.

The Glorietta Mall was bling all around. Its vibes certainly rival any major American mall. In the early evening on a Sunday, crowds of people gathered at the mall, wiggling their way between the competitive aromas of food and the half-filled walkways amongst the well-lit storefronts.

When I was done getting my phone set up, I walked into what would be the most severe thunderstorm I experienced in this trip. I was amazed. Within less than half hour, the rain flooded the streets. Despite having an umbrella, I was soaked to the skin by simply walking on the well-paved streets of Makati District. This was the Philippines’ weather in its true colors.

A Realistic Look at Manila as a City

I headed to the Pasay district for the bus terminus in the next morning, my first full day in the Philippines. The bus terminus in Pasay is the transportation hub where locals take intra-provincial buses. The City of Pasay lies south of Manila, and it is now mostly known for the Ninoy International Airport of Manila.

Perhaps it is no surprise that Pasay, which is nearby Makati, would be worlds apart from Makati in every perceivable way. A casual passerby would notice the working-class character of the city. In Pasay I saw the first jeepney in my life.

The Jeepney Story

There is something strangely heartwarming and comical about the jeepney. It is no exaggeration to call it a “community rider” in the streets of Manila, where traffic jams are the fact of daily life. The jeepneys are built to just about the height of an adult sitting down. People are packed like sardines into the car to take up two full rows of cheap plastic-covered cushioned seats. When the passengers are all squished, one jeepney can easily take up 20-25 commuters at full capacity.

There is typically no closing door at the back, people hop on and hop off as the jeepneys make their rounds amidst the chaos of Manila life.  The common jeepney now is two unlikely features in one. Its structure is like a long and hard steel box. It roars on the streets of Manila in a masculine fashion. But most jeepneys also come with bright colors — some have graffiti-like decorations. When you see them on the streets, they do not necessarily strike you as a “cheap” mode of transportation, but rather a hip mode of transportation, bold in character.

The jeepney is the national cultural and urban icon of the Philippines for a good reason. They used to be American-made military vehicles called the “Willy Jeep.” In the Philippines, nothing goes to waste. After the Second World War, the Filipino company Sarao Motors took over the maintenance and repair of the jeeps. They fulfilled the urgent needs of public transportation in the Philippines in the post war years.

As the jeepney became a popular mode of transportation, the same company lengthened the original Willy Jeep to become the jeepney that we see now. This modification sealed the jeepney’s place as a more agile mode of transport than the regular bus. Sarao Motors remains the key company that produces the jeepneys today.

As it turned out, I never had a chance to get on the jeepney in this trip, due to safety concern as one reason, but more so because it would have taken too much time and effort to learn how to do it (the fares, the schedules, the uncertainty of my routes, everything).

At the bus terminus I learned that the next bus to Mariveles would depart in an hour. I took a look around. A few humble establishments offered snacks and bottled drinks. Then there are some vendors selling some commoners’ food that I couldn’t name. Some looked like burgers with patties of unknown meat. Others were so novel to me that I could not tell if it was sweet or savory. Funny enough, it was the food hawkers there that told me the time of departure of the next bus. I was told that I would pay on the bus.

When I got on the bus, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a spacious coach that meets any proper tourist coach standard. It was clean, air conditioned, and the windows were lined with curtains.

A Bus Conductor Punching Holes

The bus ride from Pasay to Mariveles turned out to take more than four hours because there were many stops on the way. On the bus I came across a phenomenon so long-lost in the memory lane that it was a familiar novelty — a bus conductor. He did his work the 20^th century way as well, by punching holes and giving away paper bus ticket stubs.

In so many stops along the way, food vendors made their rounds on the coach to sell their food. They hopped on and off every so often. I was curious about these Filipino delicacies, but I dared not try.

Within half an hour I started seeing countryside scenery. I had left the urban reality of Manila. The countryside views were pleasant, and no different from the countryside views that I have seen in other Southeast Asian countries. I did not know what Mariveles would be like. I had some loose plans, but a lot had to be played by the ear because provincial Philippines was completely new to me, and information was not so readily available. “What an adventure,” I thought, and it turned out to be so as well.