How much do you know about Cebu? How much of it have you seen? Being born in Cebu and having lived here for more than 10, 30 or even 50 years, can you really say with confidence that you truly know Cebu and have experienced everything that Cebu has to offer?
Hi. I’m Elisa Mae Yuvallos, proud iSTORYAn. I joined the Suroy-Suroy Sugbu Southern Heritage Trail with my husband, John Jay and fellow iSTORYAns, Norman Ymbong and Dan Brian Gerona. I’ve always been so proud of Cebu and of being Cebuano. Starting from when I was a freshman at the Ateneo de Manila University up until I was employed at the Metrobank Head Office in Makati, I’ve talked incessantly about our city, our beaches, our lechon, our Sinulog. Not realizing that my stories made a great sales pitch, I’ve been able to invite so many of my non-Cebuano friends to come to Cebu and experience all the great things that I talk about non-stop. But with this 3-day journey, I discovered that the beauty of a place isn’t measured by the number of years you’ve been living in it but by the thirst to see more, to discover more. I wasn’t just inviting tourists; I was a tourist to Cebu myself!
About the Suroy-Suroy Sugbu. The brainchild of Governor Gwendolyn F. Garcia, the Suroy-Suroy Sugbu started in 2005 and consists of 4 different programs (each traveling to different destinations): The Northern Escapades, The Southern Heritage Trail, Discover Enchanting Camotes and The Mid-West. This tourism project is the Cebu government’s reply to the question: After Sinulog, after the city tour and island hopping, what else is there for tourists in Cebu? The Suroy-SuroySugbu addresses this need by sharing the tourism limelight with the towns, not simply keeping the tourists in the confines of the city.
The Suroy-SuroySugbu Southern Heritage Trail visits a total of 22 municipalities as follows (menitioned according to order of visit):
• Minglanilla
• Naga
• San Fernando
• Sibonga
• Argao
• Dalaguete
• Alcoy
• Boljoon
• Oslob
• Santander
• Samboan
• Ginatilan
• Malabuyoc
• Alegria
• Badian
• Moalboal
• Alcantara
• Ronda
• Dumanjug
• Barili
• Carcar
• Talisay
Since every beautiful experience is best shared, let me take you with us to the highlights of the Suroy-Suroy Sugbu, to the beauty of Cebu and of its every Southern municipality.
Behind the Names. Did you know that the names of the different places and towns of Cebu have very interesting origins? The names are either descriptive of the place’s prominent feature [i.e. after trees that grew abundantly in the area: Argao after sali-argaw, Dalaguete after balete and Naga after narra] or commemorative of a historic person or event [i.e. Lapu-Lapu City, in memory of Datu Lapu-Lapu’s bravery].
However, the Spaniards changed some names during the colonization period for sentimental (in memory of their birth places or home towns) and practical (simply because they can’t pronounce some names properly) reasons. That’s why we have Santander, Minglanilla, Alcoy and San Fernando.
Of all the urban legends that I’ve heard about how the towns got their names, the one about Malabuyoc has got to be the funniest. It was said that during the Spanish times, Malabuyoc grew plenty of fruit trees like mangoes, lanzones, cacao and many others. During the harvest season, the branches of the trees bent heavily down due to the heavy weight of the luxuriant fruits, a sight that is described in the dialect as buyoc. When a group of Spaniards visited the locality, they were afforded the famed southern hospitality and were at once served with mouth-watering fruits. Because they were indeed delicious, the Spaniards gorged on them. Having overeaten, they subsequently came down with stomachaches. “Mala!” they complained, pointing to the fruits. Combined with buyoc, the place came to be known as Malabuyoc. Legends being legends, I can’t attest to the accuracy of the story. But to name a place after a stomachache?!
Ageing Gracefully. Cebu, as religious and pious to the Catholic faith as any province can get, is home to the most beautifully aged churches. Right in the heart of the city, we have the ever-famous Basilica del Santo Niño. Not getting as much attention though are the hidden treasures in the municipalities: far from the city, even more gracefully aged and more beautifully preserved.
The Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Francis of Assissi in Naga has its original coral walls still intact while the Nuestra Señora Patrocinio de Maria Church in Boljoon still stands proud with its original stone structure.
The Simala Church in Sibonga holds thousands of petition and thanksgiving letters as well as rows and rows of differently colored candles, each one a silent prayer to the Miraculous Holy Mary.
The St. Gregory the Great Parish Church in Ginatilan boasts of its original coral and limestone walls with its adjacent Belfry still shelter to the brass bells from the 1900’s.
The St. Catherine of Alexandria Church in Carcar, more than a century old, is made even more beautiful by the detail on its coral walls dealt by nature (just a fancy way of saying daghan pero nindot ang mga crack sa ilang bongbong); a long, colorful history being implicit.
The St. Michael the Archangel Church in Argao is a beautifully aged church, all traditional complete with a choir loft, an ancient pipe organ, a pulpit, a bell tower, a smaller door carved into a grand wooden door and scenes from the Bible painted on the ceiling.
Cebuano Hospitality. “So this is what it’s like to have fans.” That was my epiphany during the Suroy-Suroy Sugbu. As we made our way from town to town, the roads were literally lined with students and teachers waving colorful flags and cheering at the side of the road. Every time we got off the bus, we were greeted with pleasant smiles and with locally made, hand-crafted necklaces slung over our heads (our Cebuano version of getting leid – a word that I made up just now from the root word lei). Young majorettes, choirs, members of the local dance troupe, drum corps and other volunteers performed for us, entertaining us while we ate (as if eating wasn’t entertaining enough) and showcasing their town’s heritage as well as their homegrown talents.
The local residents really took the time and gave the effort to share the day with us as tour guides, servers, ushers, performers, greeters and on-lookers. Plus, I can only imagine the preparations that went into the entire production! To cap off the day-long trips, we were met at our resorts with refreshing drinks and cold towels. [Note to self: Must put a few face towels in the freezer to create the vacation-at-home feel. Imagine coming home to that after a hard day’s work!]
Prrrrrrtttttt! (sound of a whistle) Before we all go on information overload, let me share with you some Nice to Know’s as a parting gift before I take my mini-hiatus. I hope you were able to imagine yourself on the Suroy-Suroy Sugbu and I hope (even more) that you will catch me next week as we continue our journey through the South of Cebu!
Nice to Know’s (NTKs). 1. The Cebu Provincial Capitol was built in 1937 and was patterned after the State Capitol of Texas. 2. Every Holy Week, Minglanilla holds a carabao race and a carabao beauty contest. 3. The two key ingredients of the ever-famous Argawanon torta is tuba (local wine from fermented coconut milk) and mantika sa baboy (pork lard). 4. The statues on top of the Carcar Rotunda are of Mother America guiding and pointing the way to Mother Philippines. 5. Alcoy is currently the biggest dolomite mine in Asia. Dolomite is useful in the iron and steel industries and has practical usage in gardens and aquariums.
iSTORYA Ta! (Let’s Talk!)
What interesting trivia can you share about any of the 22 southern municipalities visited by the Suroy-Suroy Sugbu?
By: Elisa Mae D. Yuvallos
Lifestyle Editor, iSTORYA.NET
with: John Jay Yuvallos, Norman Ymbong
Pictures by: Dan Brian Gerona
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