Omni-Freeze Zero at Corregidor Island!


Corregidor Island, famous for its war-ravaged ruins & historic batteries, is located in the southwestern part of Luzon. It's tadpole-shaped island about 6.5 kilometer long, about 2 kilometer wide at its widest with a total land area of about 2,200 acres. During World War II, Corregidor was the site of two costly battles—the first during  1942, and the second in 1945—between the Imperial Japanese Army and the US Army.

If you are curious what's the history behind the name of the island, Corregidor comes from the Spanish word corregir, meaning "to correct." There's a story that the island was called Isla del Corregidor (Island of the Corrector) due to the Spanish customs system, wherein all ships entering Manila Bay were required to stop and have their documents checked and "corrected". The island is divided into 4 sections: Topside, Middleside, Bottomside & Tail End.

Corregidor is the perfect location to test and experience the newest product from premiere outdoor brand COLUMBIA Sportswear called OMNI FREEZE ZERO! They claim that a special fabric called Omni-Freeze Zero uses your sweat as a cooling agent. When mixed with the fabric, your sweat actually makes it cooler to the touch.

Distinctive little blue rings, embedded and visible in the fabric of Omni-Freeze ZERO apparel and footwear, contain a special cooling polymer. When exposed to sweat or moisture, these rings actually swell (similar to goose bumps) creating an instant and prolonged cooling sensation.

all of us were given a sample of OMNI FREEZE ZERO Short Sleeve Polos.

SRP: P3,490.00

I've read that instead of just wicking away perspiration, Omni-Freeze Zero puts it to work. Your sweat (or moisture) reacts with the specially designed polymer contained in the visible rings in the material to create a cooling effect. The rings actually swell like goose bumps and create a "prolonged cooling sensation."

Omni-Freeze ZERO will be integrated across a line men's and women's shirts, performance layers, headwear, sleeves and other accessories. Columbia will also add Omni-Freeze ZERO to its footwear models to keep the shoes cool in hot weather. The full line is designed to keep consumers and athletes comfortable from head to toe, even as temperature records continue to rise.


SUN CRUISES (Located at the back of Folk Arts Theater) has ferry schedules to CORREGIDOR every 7AM daily. Estimated travel time of 1 hour & 15 minutes.

Corregidor is on my bucket list and actually we're already planning to visit the island on August, good thing I experienced it earlier, thanks to Columbia! I'm really curious if there are really ghost in the island but of course I don't want to see one :)  Its noontime when we explore the island so I didn't feel eerie at all :)

Each of us were given a name tag with corresponding numbers & tranvia assignments.When we arrive there, there are more than 3 groups including us. There were Japanese tourists and some American-looking groups. Our tour guide said that the "tour" is different if you are Japanese. They don't mix Japanese tourist with others.

All of us (bloggers, media & photographers) were given orange polos, though I don't like the color and their medium size feels large for me. I've appreciated their clothing when we arrived at the island because its really hot. The fabric feels like silk and I felt cool with it.

Our tranvia is a replica of Corregidor's electric trolley system (public transport) during its heyday. Mr. Arman is our tour guide and he's a natural comedian! Request for him if you have plan visiting the island.


Our first stop is Battery Hearn, the longest-range coastal piece along with Battery Smith. A 12-inch (305 mm) guns with a horizontal range of 29,000 yards (27,000 m) Beside this is large open bomb crater!

Battery Grubbs

leading to the 'disappearing' batteries.

Can you see the concrete embedded on the tree? that's part of comfort room flooring. Our guide said that a big impact (probably from a bomb) made this possible.

Battery Way was named in honor of the Coast Artillery Corps of the U.S. Army. Its mortars, capable of a 360-degree traverse, could fire on land targets at Bataan. They brought the most destruction on Japanese positions during the attempted landings on the southwest coast of Bataan late in January to the middle of February 1942. These mortars were silenced by enemy shelling in May 1942.

Topside (Mile Long) Barracks was the world's longest military barracks for its entire length of 1,520 feet. It's a 3-storey hurricane proof of reinforced concrete built in 1914 and destroyed in December 1941.


ruins of Topside (Mile Long) Barracks.


Cine Corregidor Movie Theater

This Spanish Lighthouse looks eerie. It has a small Spanish museum on its ground floor.

Eternal Flame of Freedom is a 40 feet (12 m) Corten steel structure symbolizing freedom and part of the Pacific War Memorial.


view from the lighthouse.


Located at the highest part of Corregidor's Topside is the Pacific War Memorial, which was built by the US Government to honor the Filipino & American soldiers who participated in WWII. Completed in 1968 at the cost of $3,000,000. The major memorial structure is a rotunda with a circular altar directly under the dome's oculus through which light falls on the altar during daylight hours.


the shop outside the spanish museum.


The Corregidor Museum near the old cinema has a lot of interested objects and artifacts. Our guide says a leisure walk on Corregidor's forest could lead to getting some important memento like soldier's dogtag or old coins.


The historic Malinta Tunnel is now home to an audio-visual presentation by National Artist Lamberto V. Avellana of the events that took place on the island, including the reluctant departure of General Douglas MacArthur and the evacuation of the President Manuel L. Quezon and his family to unoccupied areas of the Philippines and eventually in exile in the US. Our day included a tour of the tunnel's lateral. It was an exhausting and memorable experience but fun! That day I discovered that I'm claustrophobic (or so I though)

We took flashlights and wore hardhats and explored the tunnel's lateral. It was a maze inside, without our guide I can't go back on my own! I felt weird inside the tunnel, especially when our guide dared us to turn off our lights for atleast a minute. Scary! Since there are no ventilation inside, it was humid, damp, and I'm really perspiring a lot.

That's the last part of the tour, and we head on to Corregidor Hotel to freshen up & eat. We all had photo taken through the thermal camera and while some of us got a lot of reds (means sweating or in heat) I only got a few reds. Just on the chest part because the sweat is already gone.

I dunno how, but it works! The polo shirt are quite pricey (P3,490.00) but you will get what you paid for. Recommended for people who are into sports or for those people who just want to cool-off in these unpredictable Philippine weather.

other photos at facebook.com/blog.ph

JL Santiago Aquino

A millennial lifestyle blogger from Caloocan City who adores trying new things. ✨ Email: blog.ph7@gmail.com. Follow @JayL_Aquino on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok & Facebook.

11 comments:

  1. A tour like this is one chance that I shouldn't pass as I can learn a lot about the island. I've heard Corregidor a lot of times and I haven't seen the actual island. If given a chance, I would LOOOVE to learn and have fun at the same time.

    And that Omni-Freeze Zero shirt you have is a must especially in our tropical weather. Good thing we have Columbia store here in Davao. It might be really expensive but if I have enough money, I would die to buy one! :D

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  2. I also use omni freeze technology for my runs because it gets cooler as it becomes hotter. Perfect clothes for Corregidor.

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  3. Omni-Freeze seems like the perfect type of clothing for summer too bad it's the rainy season already. I have yet to go to Corregidor but would like to visit the place because of its history.

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  4. What a post! A history and product are conglomerated just to come up with a review of this sweating-cooling fabric. Good job!

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  5. I think the Omni Freeze Zero is great especially that we are living in a hot and humid country. Anyway, the Corregidor pictures are great! :)

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  6. Now we want to have that Omni Freeze Zero shirts. We surely love it since we tend to get sweaty and this will made us cooler. The only setback for it will be it's steep price, I hope they have a discounts or vouchers :)

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  7. I should bring my children to see this. It will do them a lot of good to see a part of history.

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  8. Wow. I think I've been here once but I can fully remember. It's so nice to go to this place and remember your roots and history.

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  9. I've geard of this Malinta Tunnel when I watched one episode of Kris TV. Sana makapasok din ako dun soon!

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  10. I wanna take that old spanish lighthouse into frame..
    Interesting Segue too, but the facts about Corregidor is what gets me.
    I keep on planning a visit here, but it never comes to fruition

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  11. That Omni Freeze feature is interesting, that's very ideal during summer trips. I just wonder if it will last long.

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