There was a time back in the 60s when bus travel from my hometown of Bayugan to the city of Butuan really took a long, long time. If I recall rightly, I think that it took about two hours to get there. I could be wrong but that was how I remembered it as a young boy back then. According to Google it’s only 43.5 kilometers and it only now takes 57 minutes to go there. Back then, the roads were very rough and dusty. And I could still remember that the ladies including my mom would put on their bandanas to cover their heads from all the dirt and dust as we travelled on bumpy and dusty roads. The buses had entrances and exits on the right side of the bus on each row of seats. It was “air-conditioned” alright and you have to climb up to the bus to get on board!
Travel by Bus
Times have changed. A few weeks ago I was in Cagayan de Oro and I travelled by bus to my home city in Bayugan. A young friend offered to bring me there using his car but I declined because I thought that was a really long, long drive away from his home.
I was surprised that in Cagayan de Oro, they now have a diversion road along the seashore from the bus terminal in Agora going towards the east on our way to Butuan without passing through the inner city. It was great to see the seashore as we began our travel through this new road which avoided going through traffic inside the city.
Bus Travel Much Improved
The aircon buses are a great improvement and comfort from what I had experienced during my boyhood years. They also have movies to pass the time away as we travelled on. But I enjoyed more looking outside at the sceneries all around me as we moved along. I actually have seen all the movies anyway. The bus stopped in so many towns but I did not mind it at all. I was in no hurry. I enjoyed watching the people and the places all along the way. I actually took the wrong bus. I learned later that my travel would have been faster had I taken a bus that only stopped a few times. Oh well, I did not know it but I enjoyed the ride anyway. It’s been decades that I have used a bus on this route.
Much Improved Road Conditions
I also remember back in 1986 that the Bukidnon-Davao Road (BUDA) was really a rough dirt road. Concrete roads were only in some portions from Cagayan de Oro to somewhere in Valencia, Bukidnon. Back in 2005 (if I recall rightly) I drove all the way from Davao City to Zamboanga City and many portions of the road were still unpaved and rough but road construction was ongoing all over Mindanao during that time. I also experienced the rough roads from Davao to Agusan.
Back in July I also travelled by bus for 3 hours from Zamboanga City to Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay. I’m glad all the major roads (national road) are all paved now all over Mindanao. Bus travel in Mindanao has now really improved a lot.
Lesser Checkpoints Than Before
And to my surprise, there was not much military checkpoints all along the way! And it’s supposed to be martial law in Mindanao right now. It is still in force. Back then, when I travelled in Zamboanga to Ipil and back, I could see lots of checkpoints along the way. It felt like there was a checkpoint every 10 kilometers hahaha! It’s different now.
I’m just glad Mindanao’s roads have improved a lot including bus transportation. It was great to have experienced riding a bus once again in Mindanao.