Rock formations and white beach west of Higatangan Island.
(Photo courtesy of the Biliran Provincial Government.)


How to get there



Transportation Facilities

The province of Biliran is reachable by various modes of transportation.

Land transportation. From Manila, the province of Biliran can be reached by land through buses from several bus lines that ply daily the Pasay or Cubao to Naval route. The travel time is estimated at 28 hours.

It takes only three hours from Tacloban and two hours from Ormoc to reach Naval. The road from these two cities to Naval is concrete-paved throughout.

During daytime, there is at least one passenger vehicle (bus or van) that leaves Tacloban for Naval every 1.5 hours. The trend now is a ride on any of several 10- to 12-seater vans parked at the New Tacloban Bus Terminal. These vehicles travel, non-stop, the 123 kilometers distance to Naval in about 2.5 hours.

At present, the total length of the road network in the entire Biliran Province is about 439 kilometers. Only one out of every 9 kilometers of road has been concreted.


Air transportation. The nearest commercial airport with several regular daily flights to and from Manila is in Tacloban City. From Tacloban, the province can be reached by means of buses and vans that regularly ply these routes.


Sea transportation. The principal seaport of Biliran is the Naval Port, and the usual route of small and medium-sized cargo-cum-passenger ships that dock here is Naval-to-Cebu and vice-versa. The other seven municipalities have their own seaports.

From Cebu City, Biliran can be reached by boat that docks at Naval in about 12 hours. A better alternative is to ride on a fast ferry from Cebu to Ormoc. The travel time is about 2.5 hours. From Ormoc, the commuter can reach Naval in another two hours by bus or mega taxi.


Communication Facilities

In October 1999, ISLACOM installed an initial batch of 350 telephone lines in various government offices, business establishments, and residences in the municipality of Naval. Additional telephone connections have also been made available to subscribers.

Despite this development, two other telephone companies - PLDT and Bayantel - continue to provide telephone services through their public calling stations in Naval. Bayantel also offers fax transmission.

The use of cellular phones for calls and text messages has also become very popular in Naval. There are also two Internet cafes in the locality, while some government offices (the Naval Municipal Government, the Biliran Provincial Government, and the Naval Institute of Technology) have availed of the Internet technology.

Two companies - PT&T and Butel - offer telegraph service, while another company - LBC Air - offers courier service.

A local radio station, Radyo Natin - Naval, provides FM broadcast. But strong AM and FM radio signals can also be received in the province from stations in Manila, Cebu, Tacloban, and Iloilo.

Three cable TV stations operate in the province, two are based in Naval.

Every municipality of the province also has its old reliable post office.



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