I rarely write about maritime transport so I took this opportunity to take photos of the typical boats used for fishing and transport in the Philippines. Here are a few photos I took one morning in Laiya, Batangas.
Typical outrigger bancas on the beach in Batangas – there are motorised and non-motorised bancas. Most of the motorised kinds use surplus or second-hand car or truck engines customised for the boats. The outriggers provide balance and keep the boats from capsizing. Typical of the sturdy fishing boats that go out to open seas, these are the types used by fishermen from Zambales who got out to fish for a living in the West Philippine Sea. These are also used for tourism including transporting people to diving or snorkelling areas. Similar boats are used to take people to the staging area for the Underground River in Palawan. Afterwards, they transfer to smaller, non-motorised bancas for the river tour.
Caught (up) in traffic 