With my drive buddies Ramon and Dennis Nakpil, and with guest diver and friend Ed Hontiveros, I drove to Calatagan recently for a dive excursion. After an easy 2 ½-hour drive, we reached this town in Batangas, whose name translates as "flat place". Noticeably, there are more residences and sari-sari stores standing than before, as well as a handful of resorts-but no fast-food chains.

Santos-Viola, C. (2010, June 6). Calatagan-where natural reefs thrive along with artificial ones. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. F-2.