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TONDOL BEACH Anda Pangasinan: Boracay of the North squandered

I know every corner of Tondol Beach as I am a native of Anda Pangasinan myself.I've been here countless times even if it's located Northeast of the island of Anda whilst I live in the South.I remember when we were in high school, my classmates and I would occasionally skip classes just to have a swim in the beach. I could say that this was the first beach to register in my vocabulary.I liked Tondol.Back then it was bare of establishments along the beach and one can enjoy it's beauty.It's such a shame though that I wasn't able to blog and document it through the years and how it has evolved into what it is today.

Not that so much has changed, but the little changes that took place didn't please me during my last visit.
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 TONDOL:  Boracay of the North Squandered


I remember one of our Town Mayor dubbed it as "THE BORACAY OF THE NORTH".I was a fan of its sand and I can say that the powdery white sand of Tondol Beach is one of the best in Luzon.

After seeing countless beaches in the country,I can still say that Tondol has an edge over many of them---except that that edge seems to be going down the drain.It saddens me to see the Boracay of the North Squandered through time.
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 my wife with her nieces
THE PROBLEM
1. poor access road to Tondol ---- the only concrete road leading to the beach from town has deteriorated.I often encounter flat tires whenever I take my father's tricycle here. The reason, deep cracks all over the expanse of the  13km road.Driving to Tondol is such a pain.And I see no effort to rehabilitate the road. :(

2.Seaweeds everywhere----- this has been a perennial problem of Tondol (not just in the beach area).It's something difficult to control due to the nature of the sea but it has been done in the past. Yes, there has always been seaweeds but people used to care to take them out of the coastline in the past.Not during my recent visit. You see seaweeds piled onshore as if they have been there for eternity.It seems that those who are in charge of the collection for the entrance fee are too busy just collecting fees. And the Resort and cottage owners don't care too other than earning.Please show more concern.....
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3.The SEA WALL on the east side and the cottages on it----- this annoys me as it takes away the picturesque view and it takes away the natural border of the beach.
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4.The trash---again, nobody seems to care.
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5. The Concrete Dock-----I have issues with this concrete dock which was originally created for fishermen  except that it's no longer used for such purpose.All I see now is an eyesore cutting the beach into two sections and stopping the sea current from flowing freely.Result--stagnant water at times when the waves are not strong. Take it down please!
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....look at the stagnant water I was referring to.my wife said maybe because it rained that day.Granted.But until when will the water stay this murky? The concrete dock is stopping the water from flowing freely......

UPDATE: On my last visit this summer 2018, the dock is already shortened. Thank God! It could be better though if they make it even shorter or completely remove it so as to make the shoreline continuous.

 
HOPE FOR TONDOL
I love my place and please don't accuse me of being unpatriotic because I have always  cared for my town and hoped for what is best for her.And I am not painting myself as a hater of development.I like development and I encourage it, but it has to be sustainable.And it should benefit not just the few.But when corporate greed is obvious, that's when I get pissed off-------in this case, the mockery of Tondol beach for the sake of profit.And I hate it when you transform something beautiful to something ugly.
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Tondol Beach is beautiful it could definitely attract more tourists but the ongoing mockery of Tondol will surely put it in history books under the list of "Squandered Beaches in the Philippines"

STOP MAKING TONDOL BEACH UGLY!
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Comments

  1. Magandang beach pa naman sana... pupuntahan sana nga namin kaso it look now well-maintain.

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  2. maganda yung place kaso nga based from what you mentioned, may seaweeds na natatangay sa shore. Medyo pangit sa paningin yung ganun na messy ang dalampasigan plus kung stagnant pa, medyo magiging smelly

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  3. looks like a great place. A little development and maintenance will absolutely make it more beautiful.:-) thanks for sharing!

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  4. Hello po! Ngayon po ba, ano po yung mga possible strengths, opportunities, threats and other weaknesses of Tondol aside from the stated above. We're conducting a study about tondol po kasi. I hope you can help us since you know more about tondol than I am because I've never been there. Thank you so much!

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  5. maraming salamat sa post and comment about Tondol beach...I don't think whoever post about Tondol beach,i dont think she or he don't really live in Tondol,kasi yong party lang na posted niya sa bungad lang yon....You guys why don't you explore it yourself...i admit that road going to Tondol are pretty bad but not as bad as some other road...i'm sure na aayusin na ng punong bayan sa madaling panahon...dahil dinaing na namin ito sa mamamayan...

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  6. Hello, any suggestions when is the best month to visit Tondol Beach? We are planning to visit it in April. Is it a good month to pay a visit? :) Thanks!

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  7. We've been to this place Jan 26-27, 2013 and I personally do not like the place. We arrived quarter after five in the morning and left 12:20PM after catching some sleep from the tent we pitched. Will blog about our experience later :)

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    Replies
    1. I do not think magagawang maganda ang Tondol Beach unless some rich person actually develop it. If we depend on the local government, well, they are too busy with their agenda, that is making sure they get more money before the next election.

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  8. I hope to someday visit the place again. maybe run for office there and actually get it done with the help of the local people. not the government type. Local people care to make it like a beach where it can attract tourists.I would advertise it with ads in the web and colleges. This coming year I am going there to take pics as I am a professional photographer. Hopefully I can help the people of Tondol. I will be forming a band in Anda!!!

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  9. Thanks you Mr Carranza for the comments about my very own place.hipefully na mababasa lahat ng tags municipal office dahil sila na ang namumuno ng beach sa madaling salita ang kinikita ng beach pumupunta ay napupunta sa bayan.
    At nagoapasalamat din ako sa anonymous person who is willing to help my countrymen.i give you my two thumbs up!!!
    Sa mga taong walang appreciation sa Lugar namin maraming salamat

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  10. my family is planning to swim this summer and me and hubby had a chance to see this beach resort on tv. how we'll reach the place from Makati City to Anda Pangasinan?

    ..and is it true that it only costs p5.00 for the entrance fee and p300 for the cottage?

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    1. yes. pero hindi overnyt.. and sa isang part lang nang resort. been here last april 19-20, 2013 its true, seaweeds are still everywhere.. there are some trash around.. we were dissappointed, we never thought na ganun dadatnan namin.. we enjoyed nalang at each other's company.. maganda sana un beach.. kaso walang nag aalaga..

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  11. thank you for some interesting information.

    Our family is planning swim this summer and me and hubby had a chance to see this beach resort on television.

    How are we going to reach Anda Pangasinan from Makati City?

    Is it true that it only costs p5.oo as an entrance fee?

    thank you for your reply

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  12. I am not sure na.yeah.If not 5pesos,10 pesos per head.mura lang. @Cel

    Me mga buses na direct to ANDA TOWN PROPER.from there,you can rent a tricycle.You can also take cutting trip via Alaminos and from there abang nalang ngf mga buses going to Anda.Then tricy na.Enjoy!

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    1. MAM CEL, GIVE ME FEED BACK REGARDING YOUR PLAN TO VISIT TONDOL BEACH. IM ALSO INTERESTED IN GOING THERE. I GOT TO KNOW THIS PLACE WHILE IM WATCHING TV.

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    2. mr carranza... how much po mga family hotels sa tondol beach tnx

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  13. hi! what is the exact beach resort ang na feature sa tv patrol na may 5php as entrance fee? thankyou! :)

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  14. hi! whats the exact beach resort ang na featured last night sa tv patrol na may 5php entrance fee? thanks muchy much! ^__^

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  15. the entrance will be 10php lang? what is the exact place of this beach? how to get there from tarlac? please reply here or on my yahoo account kioheipoly@yahoo.com
    and how much will be the hotel accommodation? thanks :)

    no beautiful things when you dont know how to appreciate :)

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  16. I can really relate to this post. I used to live minutes from the beach when I was a kid and we often went on hikes which ended with a dip. The beach was nameless then, only accessible via a dirt road flanked by lilies and grass. The sand was not at all fantastic but the water is really great. I went back a month ago and could not find the beach anymore, a petrol depo is now standing where it once was. very sad.

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  17. Were plning to go there this coming sat,mdaling araw til sunday hpon,ask lng kung may rums kau for 9adults n 5kids,1big bedrm chka may ksma pong oen cottge nun?howmuch po!reply badly needed,ty

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  18. Hi ANTON---you might wanna try this one.kaso medyo disappointing.Wasn't able to feature other accommodations in the area pa.Bring a tent para me plan B. There's a lot of space for camping. http://www.pusangkalye.net/2012/06/cheap-accommodation-in-tondol-beach.html

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  19. Its been quite a while since i been to Tondol.I live in Cabungan 3 barangays away from Tondol so i difinitely know what was Tondol like 20 years ago.I have so many memories along this shore so many i couldn't remember anymore but to tell you the truth Tondol was different now than the last time we been there.It saddens me that it was became a very crowded area.I just wish the area was never touch and remain as it was,quite and full of life.But things change really fast and we can not avoid changes.My suggestion if we wanted to make Tondol as beautiful as it was before is to remove all establishments that scattered near shores.Put them 50 meters away from coastline.Pant more fruit and shady trees,and decorate the area.Maybe this things will make Tondol as great as it was 20 years before.

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  20. We've been there in tondol beach last April 28, 2013...direct from bulacan...we arrived at around 3 pm...were so disappointed sa umpisa pa lng, pro still we found some enjoyment along the way...1st w poor access road ,going there around 10 kms were not properly maintained, bitak bitak, , 2nd..dipa masyado developed un lugar..konti pa lng mga accomodations, buti me narent kami bahay but not in seaside..in fairness mura sya, 3rd ..super low tide..as in makakapaglakad ka from seashore un to around 1+ kms en makakapunta ka sa isang isla sa gitna without riding in a banca...imagined that,4th..daming seaweeds kaya pano ka makakapaligo...pwede ka magswimm pro need to go far from shore...1+ km from shore?.. up to 6 pm lakad lkad lng kmi sa gitna with matching huli ng live starfish.., so asking 1 resident when maghigh tide pra makaswim sa lapit sa shoreline.svi mga 9 am....aun 6 am ng umaga na low tide pdin....nagenjoy nlng kmi sa pagpicnic sa ilalim ng mga puno, so Plan B.. at 7 am we leave d place heading to 100 islands in alaminos..dun lng kami nagenjoy ng maayos.... sana in the near future maayos ng local govt en pvt. operators ang lugar..sayang...

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  21. I am so happy I got to read your blog before we actually go there next week. What a relief! I was attracted by its photo when I Love Travel Philippines posted a very scenic and breathtaking view via FB. Thanks to your post because I learned so much from it.

    Keep it up!

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  22. Me and my friends been planning to visit the place and I am so glad I was able to read your personal experience about it. i was really hoping the local government will do something about it. Sayang mukhang maganda pa naman yung beach..

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  23. we are planning to visit your place for our outing and for further information for the total package.

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  24. Road are all done now from anda town to Tondol, shame I can't upload the recent concreted road.

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  25. how is tondol beach now?

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