AFTER a late breakfast last Sunday, we had a “tour” outside the city. We know that many of us, especially the seniors, do not have the opportunity to go out of our homes anymore because of the pandemic. We are therefore sharing with you our sightseeing trip on the car during the weekend. We did not go out of the vehicle except once to see the beach in Barangay Barroc, Tigbauan, Iloilo.
We started from our home at NHA Village in Mandurriao, Iloilo City and passed the road behind the public market and connect to the circumferential road to Villa de Arevalo.
Along the circumferential road in Barangay Sooc, Mandurriao, there are new building constructions to the right of the highway. A wide area has been cleared and filled to the level of the highway. A one-storey building is rising reportedly intended as a hospital for COVID patients. It looks like this COVID menace is going to stay for some time.
Upon reaching Villa de Arevalo from the circumferential road, we turned left to connect us to the beach at the corner of the Petron gas station after the district plaza. We therefore took the route to Barangay Alegre along the beach to reach Oton town proper.
We now see a line of houses along this road in Barangay Alegre to Oton proper towards the public market area. But the end road to the market site was closed as there was a construction going on. It must have been some time that we have not passed here because we remember that this area was a vacant field before, but now we see many houses.
Another growing “commercial” section in Oton, aside from the market area, is at Gaisano City’s site at the southern end of town along the highway. Two other big department stores have also set up branches along the highway southward after Gaisano. This will give the southern Iloilo towns more opportunities to shop for their needs without going to Iloilo City.
We ended our road trip in Barangay Baroc, Tigbauan. After crossing the bridge at the main highway, we turned left and stopped at the old bridge that has been cut off by the river that freely flows and marks the boundary between Barangay Cabanbanan, Oton and Barangay Baroc, Tigbauan.
We feel strange travelling with no traffic on the road. There is only one vehicle we caught up with in Barangay Trapiche, Oton whose occupant stopped to buy some talaba shells being sold beside the road.
Very few people were going out of their homes on this Sunday. We met only two vehicles from the city until we reached Molo, Iloilo City and turned left towards Mandurriao district, ending our weekend “tour”. One thing we noted was that Iloilo roads were clean and well-maintained.
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GEM OF THOUGHT
“Ducks in a row.” – This expression means that if you have your ducks in row, you are well-organized.
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