For Tourists, Places to Visit in the Zamboanga del Norte Area

Aligway Island - Part of Dapitan City (Zamboanga del Norte) visible from the shores of the towns of Manukan, Roxas, Katipunan, Dipolog and Dapitan City. About a fourth of the island is rocky. The The island is of natural white corral sand belonging to Dakak Park and Beach Resort. The island is around 10 hectares in size. No wildlife except the two kinds of wild brown pigeons that feed with the residents' chickens. A community ordinance prohibits the hunting and hurting of the birds. Other birds also reside in the island, the locally called golansiang black in color, red eyes, belonging to the starling family. Small brown birds of thrush family and thumb size birds, yellow chest and greenish brown body feathers of the humming bird family also reside in the island. No land snakes so far found. Water snakes are sometimes found among corral rocks trapped by the receding tide. Cemetery 18 graves, houses of light materials more than one hundred. No electricity, no water system. Rainwater is collected by the residents into drums and containers. Drinking water, other than the bottled mineral waters come in black former soy sauce containers from Dipolog and Dapitan.

Libuton Cave - Located in a mountain community seven kilometers from the town proper of Manukan, Zamboanga del Norte. Libuton Cave is the path of an underground river with undiscovered source and drops vertical into an abyss-like hole nobody knows where the water goes from there. The entrance to the cave is a tiny hole as small as a 29-inch television. Once inside after a short crawl spaces widen. The underground river is host to albino looking fishes and freshwater crustaceans due to absence of sunlight.

Chicken Statue - Inside the Manukan municipal complex along the national highway is the statue of a male bantam. Inside the statue is the municipal historical museum. The chicken statue is around four stories high from the ground to the tip of the crest and a length of 30 meters from

the tip of the bill to the end of the tail

Jose Rizal Shrine - A small park of about 15 hectares in size in Dapitan City where the Philippine's most important hero, Dr. Jose Rizal was exiled by the Spanish government from 1892 to 1896. A view deck for a complete view of the historical little city is placed on top of a rock above the park is reachable by winding foot trail. The Pulawan Harbor to the west is also visible from the view deck The house of light materials Jose Rizal built as his dwelling during the period of his exile is preserved inside the park. A museum also inside the park houses the collection of items Jose Rizal used and faded photographs about the hero.

Villa Ester Resort Mountain - A mountain resort nine kilometers from the national highway, a part of Roxas, Zamboanga del Norte. The resort swimming pool is feed by a spring that contributes to the water of Dohinob Daku River, Cottages of all-bamboo materials thatched with marsh palm leaves are available to guests.

Dakak Park and Beach Resort - A world class cove beach resort located in Dapitan City.

Franceso Paliola Murder Site - Inside the Adaza Estate in Jose Dalman, Zamboanga del Norte, close to the shore is the murder site of an Italian Jesuit missionary priest by the name of Franceso Paliola. The very spot on which he died is enclosed in a steel fence piled with corral rocks and planted around with dwarf cypresses. He was tasked by his superior Jesuits in Dapitan the evangelization of the Subanos in the Manukan and Ponot (now Jose Dalman) areas between 1642 and 1648, the year he was murdered. Although not regarded as holy as no work for the sainthood of the Italian priest is being done, people come to visit the murder site to say prayers to seek the murdered priest's guidance and to light candles around the steel fence. A framed psychic picture as to how the priest was killed hangs on an altar by the murder site. Franceso Paliola was the first foreigner to have learned the Subano language.

Hotels
Sunset Boulevard Hotel, Dapitan City
Camilla Hotel, Dipolog City
Top Plaza Hotel, Dipolog City
West End Court Inn, Dipolog City

Restaurants
Jollibee, two hamburger restaurant branches in Dipolog City
CL Fastfood Restaurant
Jos Inato Restaurant
Big Joe Restaurant

How to Get to Zaboanga del Norte
One hour flight from Manila to Dipolog. The route is serviced by Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific with one flight each daily. By boat, 24-hour travel from Manila to Pulawan Harbor, Dapitan City serviced by Aboitiz-Jibsen and Sulpicio Lines, Inc with one boat each weekly. And from Cebu, six hours of slow, diesel smelling, old boats departing there at 10 o'clock in the evening and getting Pulawan Harbor 4 o'clock in the morning.