Ternate (Cavite)

Ternate is a municipality in Cavite, at the boundary with Batangas. Its name derives from the island of Ternate, one of the Spice Islands (present day Maluku in Indonesia). Some of the Christianized natives from that island settled here after volunteering with the Spanish, who immediately left their garrison on Ternate.

Nearby Maragondon is a small town just about away. Ternate used to be one of its barrios (today called barangays), but despite its historical contributions, Maragondon is nowadays overshadowed by Ternate, with its many beach resorts and bus terminal. Wikivoyage treats Maragondon as part of Ternate although it is governed separately, as their town centers are in close proximity.

History
This town got its name from the island in present-day Indonesia. The Portuguese who were seeking for the Spice Islands, subjugated the Sultanate of Ternate and the Jesuits converted the Islamized natives to Catholicism. The Spaniards captured Ternate island, which they turned into a garrison against the Dutch seeking for the other Spice Islands, but they were forced to leave when the Chinese pirate Koxinga planned an invasion to pillage Manila. Some of the natives helped the Spaniards, and they were given a settlement near the Maragondon River estuary, first named Bahra. Koxinga died and the invasion failed, and the Ternate natives integrated into the local Tagalog population, but they are able to keep the Spanish creole they have, which survives as Bahra Chabacano.

Adjacent Maragondon has its name from Tagalog madagundong, meaning "full of rumbles". During the Philippine Revolution, it was the site of Andres Bonifacio's show trial under Emilio Aguinaldo, the leader of the rival Katipunan faction, Magdalo, in 1897, and his following execution at the foot of Mount Buntis. This event has been the root of a lingering historical debate whether Bonifacio or Aguinaldo is the first president of the Philippines.

By bus
Many bus companies have trips to and from Ternate from Manila. Most trips are on companies like Erjohn and Almark, Saulog, and Saint Anthony of Padua, with departures from Parañaque bus station, but there are small players as well; see Parañaque for a comprehensive list.

Get around
Both town centers are small enough to be explored by foot, and between them, there are jeepneys and tricycles plying Governor's Drive.

The mountains southwest of Maragondon town center are quite off the beaten track, so it's useful you have a car. This can be true also to access the resorts around Puerto Azul. It's possible to ride a tricycle for both, but be prepared for an extortionate fare unless you haggle it down to something tolerable.

Hiking and mountaineering
Mount Palay-Palay/Mataas na Gulod Natural Protected Landscape has one of the remaining patches of lowland rainforest in Luzon, and its seven peaks, two of them being extinct volcanoes, receive many hikers and mountaineers from Manila.

Go next
Travel down the scenic Ternate–Nasugbu Road and you're in Batangas province. Nasugbu is the nearest large town, with large beach resorts nearby, but there are more beaches south at the towns of Lian and Calatagan.