Seasons of Mactan Island,
and my observations.
Henry Roriguez
Summer in Mactan, March, April and May. It gets rainy starting in June, picks up a bit in July and will continue sporadically until September.
IT’S HOT! Think of a
Window units are best, since they are easiest to maintain. You can just yank them out and hose them clean! You must at least have a fan.
No matter what the season, if you are coming here to Mactan, you want to get reservations early. Mactan can run out of rooms very quickly at certain times of the year.
One time a foreigner was sitting at McDonald's with his backpack and looking very down. I asked him what's wrong. He told me, "I can't find a room. I got off the plane hours ago, and nobody has a room"
Well I knew plenty of places with rooms, so I told him, come with me, I know some places that aren't full. So we hopped on my scooter and I drove to every place I know in Mactan. And I grew up on Mactan. We started out looking at places for about 20 bucks a day, all full. Finally we forgot about prices and looked everywhere since the man had to have a room. Not a room in town. Not at the Shangri La, not at the Cadillac, not at the pension houses, not at the beach resorts, nothing. Everything was full. I couldn't believe it. He ended up having to stay in Cebu City. And Cebu City, is not as much fun as Mactan. We have all the beaches and the dive centers and McDonalds. Lucky for that guy, we have McDonalds!
Rainy Season: June to September
Most years see rainfalls which don’t last long and are followed by bright sunshine. Yeah, it will rain a bit, and then the sun will shine. Then it will rain again. Off and on, off and on. But don’t let the rainy season talk you out of your visit, since Mactan showers come and go quickly. Great place for a waterproof camera. I lost 
two cams to the sudden rains before I wised up and went waterproof. Some people complain about rainy season. Personally I like it best. It has some really nice advantages. First of all the showers usually don't last long, plus the days are cooler and the traffic is lighter because most of the tricycles go and hide somewhere till the rain passes. And the tricycles...God Bless 'em, are the number one traffic headache. Ha ha, I hope my barkada don't get mad at me! Two of them drive tricycles....the rainy season is not bad. Just make sure your room has a DVD player! Specially since DVD's are cheaper here. And don't forget, plant your trees in Rainy Season if you want to make sure they grow. Another thought... you haven't lived in Mactan unless you've come home soaking wet many times! So come....
Winter: October thru February.
The temperatures during these months are very pleasant and not so hot as in the summer. It makes visitors laugh to hear the people say “it’s cold.” Most people think it's funny that we think we have a winter, since you will never get cold here, unless you’re high in the mountains of
Typhoons occur from May to December
Devastating typhoons in remember to pity the unfortunate folks who are in their bamboo huts with their leaking
and pick up the kids. And it’s usually nothing more than a rainy day off.
Thankfully, our inner island location, deep in the heart of the
tin roofs and rising waters. That's usually the worst part of typhoons here in Mactan. But it's not as bad as it used to be. Our drainage here is better than it once was. When they widened the roads they put in better drainage. Just when you think the world is wonderful and everything seems to be looking up, when it seems that things are finally going your way, the typhoon comes along and blows the cardboard off your windows.
But look at the good side: typhoons can be a great excuse to stay inside, be lazy, and drink Tanduay with your honey. Henry
Motorbikes are the best way to get around on Mactan, and you can rent good ones at the Cadillac Cafe, but there are a few things you should know. First, there is the number one rule of the road: The larger vehicle has the right of way. And practically everything on the road is larger than your motorbike. Even the pedicycle. Hit one of those contraptions and enjoy your flight.
Watch out! Most motorbikes don’t have rear view mirrors. When you buy a new one, they have them. But the people like to take them off. I believe the reason for removing the mirrors is to give you more clearance when you are driving past trucks and jeepneys that have huge mirrors that can snag onto you
r mirror and topple you. Although I have experienced this impediment with my mirrors, I still have my mirrors on my bike. Call me crazy, but I like to check my mirrors before changing lanes, or even moving slightly left or right in the same lane.
Remember, there are usually multiple bikes behind you, just inches away from either side. The bikes with no mirrors think nothing of swerving into you as you attempt to pass. They have no idea you are there. Have a good loud horn on your bike, preferably a horn that sounds like a car, not a beep, but a blast. Honk b4 you overtake a vehicle, especially one with with no mirrors. Even when you are passing on the left, in a lane clear of oncoming traffic, be on guard for a vehicle to emerge from your right directly in your path. Again, no checking of mirrors. And I honestly believe that larger vehicles just have no concern for motorbikes. (Tricycle drivers and taxis are the worst!)
Be especially careful when you are passing vehicles on the right hand side when traffic is stalled from congestion in your lane. Daydreaming pedestrians will step out in front of you from between the slow moving cars! All the time! You will often encounter another motorbike that is snaking his way through the stalled cars by passing on the left and snaking back to the right through the opening between two cars and pulling out directly in front of you. OMG. No shortage of these guys! Many of the people on Mactan Island are fresh out of the province where there is no traffic, and they are still in the “no traffic” mindset. Nakalugsong man!
Motorbikes are the quickest way to cross the 
Very Serious Wobble that is almost impossible to control. I know first hand about this situation, but thank goodness, I wasn’t on the bridge at the time it happened. A front tire blowing on the bridge when you are passing with the curb just inches away on your right, and cars just inches away on your left is a recipe that will definitely result in Scrambled Rider. It might be better to just suffer the congestion along with the 4 wheeled vehicles, although I rarely do.
Make sure you wear your helmet; it's the law...and don’t just wear it. Wear it facing forward and buckled on! Since it is the law, and a good one, and since you are required to have a helmet on your head anyway, you might as well make sure it is going to stay on your head when you find yourself suddenly doing somersaults in the street. The hotdogs that wear it backwards and not buckled are just mentally challenged amateurs who are out searching for additional brain damage. And of course a full face helmet is your best protection, although they can get hot. A sweaty head is preferable to leaving your nose and face in various places in the street. Always remember, large vehicles think nothing of pulling out in front of a motorbike. Sad, but true. Use your brain and your horn on your bike, and watch out for the other guy. by Victor Wong
