Concealing wonders of Cebu City and its nearby towns

My first time in Cebu City was year 2008 when I attended the International Tourism Forum at Mactan Shangrila Hotel. From then on I considered Cebu as one of the most beautiful places in the country with its bustling commercial position and palatable seafood dishes, among others.

Cebu seafoods

Last August 13-14, 2012 I got another opportunity to be back to the Queen City of the South with a different purpose: traversing the city of Mactan up to its last frontier which is the Municipality of Santander. Together with some local authorities of Sta. Cruz, the trip was officially designed so that we could gather vital yardsticks regarding investment promotions and tourism development that may be applicable to Sta. Cruz setting.

We had a very fruitful meeting at Mactan with the administrator and personnel of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), after which we then had a tour around its Economic Zones 1 and 2. Mactan Economic Zones are one of the best examples of a successful PEZA-registered economic zone, catalyzing economic development in Lapulapu City and surrounding environs. 

On the second day we travelled all the way to the Municipality of Santander, a distant town of Cebu being considered as Cebu’s last frontier and gateway to Negros, Dapitan and Siquijor. This town boosts of its scenic coastline with fine white sand resorts. It also takes pride of its delicacy called “tostado”, a toasted biscuit with pounded sugar spewed in its top portion. With its popularity, the town crafted the annual celebration of Tostado Festival.

Cebu towns can be reached through public utility buses

There are actually great things to discover in the province of Cebu other than the busy life of the city. Our trip to Santander allowed us to appreciate the other towns’ beautiful wonders. Talisay is a booming city. Carcar is another promising city known for its shoe factory, pork chicharon and  ampao. Argao is one of the more famous towns being the gateway to Mama Mary’s Sanctuary in Simala, perhaps the most dominant catholic-inspired architecture in the entire country. The town of Alcoy is an added promising attraction in the province. 

Mama Mary's Sanctuary located in Simala

The town of Dalaguete also shares its famed “torta” delicacy, a food item that has over the years been replicated in Ceboley, Sta. Cruz. It was in Dalaguete also that I tasted the strange but tasty Banana-Meat, an ordinary banana que inserted with grind pork.

An isolated island which can be seen in the highways of Dalaguete , Oslob and Santander

The one town in Cebu that amused me much was Oslob, as it features whale sharks as a main tourist attraction. I took the boat ride together with colleagues Mam Camille, Cheryl and Sir Ben to personally witness the mammoth-sized whale sharks or butandings. We have seen so much of butandings there as locals tried to feed them when visitors come. At a package rate of 300 pesos per head, one will be able to take first-hand experience of butandings trying to blend with humans in Oslob, a very spectacular experience.

One of Oslob's whale sharks

Cebu province is undeniably one of the bests in the Philippines. I’ve been to so many places in the country but Cebu has really captured my interest. It is the country’s highly commercialized city next to Manila but it certainly ranks on top in terms of Filipino hospitality and managing the wealth of wonders. It also sits on top of religious conviction with the presence of the Mama Mary Shrine in Simala, not to mention the world renowned Sinulog Festival.

One of Santander's beautiful pieces of seascape

I have blogged so much about Philippine destinations but Cebu will always be a prime place that I will keep coming back and keep blogging back. 

LOGSAC Reunion Climb set

A reunion climb for the Local Government of Sta. Cruz Adventure Club (LOGSAC) will be staged on September 7-9, 2012 at Mt. Apo using the Sta. Cruz trail, Davao del Sur as part of the celebration of its 5 years of existence. The climb will reunite pioneering and new members of the club since its inception last February 19, 2007. The climb is also expected to achieve the following purposes:

Create awareness on environmental protection. As such, the climb is expected to bring down bulk of garbage from Tinikaran campsites and Mt. Apo summit. This will be conducted with huge physical support from Sibulan Porters Association based in sitio Colan.

Actual practice of Leave No Trace Policy (LNT). Since this climb will be Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC) compliance, all participants will apply the universal outdoor principle of LNT, whereby a zero impact mountaineering should be practiced, re: take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.

Strengthen Club Camaraderie and Friendship. LOGSAC Group has been existing for five years now and we intend to solidify the bond that keep us united for that span of time by doing the things we love most, climbing mountains and doing outdoor adventures.

For five years, we got more than what we expected from our young group. We reached out to help environmental conservation and protection advocacies in Region XI given with our minimal resources.

More or less thirty (30) members will be joining this climb which will also benefit the Colan, Sibulan community as we will be conducting outreach program especially to the Bagobo-Tagabawa dwellers.

Stride Guide 03: ANG TRIBU BAGOBO WOODLANDS

 I was lucky enough to have joined a group of assessment team from the Department of Tourism to assess Ang Tribu Bagobo Woodlands resort in Digos City last July 27, 2012. The team was spearheaded by no less than the Regional Director of DOT XI Sir Art Boncato, along with his staff and my Boss Mam Camille. It was a great trip then, considering the first-hand experience I got in terms of observing new travel destinations in the region. It was indeed a nice thing to know also having private individuals erecting new places that would help the tourism industry flourish.

Stairway to Function Hall

Situated in Barangay Binaton, Digos City; Ang Tribu Bagobo Woodlands is a newly-opened commercial resort in the middle of a forest. The owner of the resort – Ate Nene Abajero – who eventually hails from Sta. Cruz, said the conceptualization of woodlands resort is attributed mainly because of the Bagobo Tribe who settles in the place. And with the opening of this unique recreation area, weekenders have now several reasons to flock to Barangay Binaton.

One of the 3 -level swimming pool

This 10-hectare resort is a distinctive haven located in the foothills of Mt. Apo. It is more or less 30 minutes from downtown Digos and is accessible by land transportation. It has state-of-the-art facilities ready to cater to wide-range of clientele such as the alluring 3-level swimming pool, function hall, open and close cottages, tent city and billiard hall; all equipped with free wi-fi internet connection.

Tent City

Moreover, since it is positioned in the middle of a secondary-growth tropical rainforest, the main attraction in the evening is the sanctuary of fireflies beaming all over the sober place. Ate Nene told us that fireflies can be best seen in between 6:30 to 7:00 in the evening. The resort as well offers an extensive variety of flora species.

The rich flora species 

One of the exceptional highlights of the resort is that majority of the materials used are purchased all the way from Australia. Ate Nene revealed that having all those materials are worth it. It’s all for the good of the resort and at the same time by doing so she can help preserve the environment of the Philippines. “We really cannot compare Australia and Philippines in terms of preserving and protecting nature. In Australia, once a tree is cut, it will be replenished afterwards. That’s why I would rather purchase lumber outside the Philippines.”

When asked about her future plans for the resort, Ate Nene said she is bent on putting up a firefly information center (which is already on-going) and to designate a place as showcase area of the Bagobo tribe. She would also like to enhance the landscaping aspect of the resort.