Suroy Suroy Sa Sugbu Experience!

My love for nature and adventure, coupled with my desire to see more of my own country, made me pack my bag to join what was to be one of the most enjoyable weekends of my life. As I boarded our Catalina Coach # 1 at the Provincial Capitol, where the motorcade assembled, I was happy to find some familiar faces who were with me in two of my pilgrimage tours. This Suroy Suroy sa Sugbo was headed by no less than Gov. Gwen Garcia and Board Member Agnes Magpale. We departed at exactly 8:00am. Our Jan. 27 itinerary included breakfast in Naga, snacks in Barili and Dumanjug, lunch in Ronda, snacks in Alcantara and dinner in Moalboal. As we entered each town, we were greeted by smiling schoolchildren who were waving flags of welcome along the way, Sinulog-like beating of drums with dancers leading us to our place of welcome. At each place, a table laden with lechon from breakfast to dinner waited for us, as well as a variety of delicacies from each town or municipality, which were just too hard to resist. The government officials of each town were there to welcome us. Of course, Gov. Gwen responded by greeting the townfolks in her own personal and charming way. As we drove from one town to another, I suggested to our tour guide Grace, that the members of the group should be given a chance to introduce themselves and to tell us where they are from. To my greatest amazement, the group although looking like an all-Cebuano group except for four (4) male foreigners, turned up to be an international group. Rui Branco who was from Toronto, Canada, came with Filipina Teofila Oxinio, also a resident of Toronto. We had Ms. Noriko Sakao, a Japanese, and Norma Stott of Auckland, New Zealand. Manilia Halvorsen from Norway & Diane Enriquez from Atlanta, Georgia, as well as Ken & Terry Reddig who are now residing in Salinas Drive, Lahug, Cebu City. Cebu residents included Dr. Aguido Magdadaro and wife Dee San, Marilou Pintor who came with her hubby, Joe Castañares and his daughter, as well as Vic and Chit Chit Abinales of Cebu City who came with their sister Juanita Ignacio, from Toronto, Canada. Also with us was Sarah Caburnay from Cebu City and John Milton Branton from Vancouver, British Columbia. I know I am missing the names of two sisters (both single) both born in Boljoon but are now residents of New Jersey, U.S.A. They were seated in front seats of the bus. To our amazement, both sisters during the last day of our Suroy Suroy provided us with surprising revelations as they were interviewed by our super efficient and charming tour guide Grace that made all of us laugh for hours on end.

Aside from the very warm welcome we received from each town , we had a chance to visit Mantayupan Falls which is as enchanting as the story behind the name Mantayupan. Our overnight stay in Moalboal was very comfortable and I was amazed at the number of beach houses with first class facilities in the area and to find Europeans already enjoying the place ahead of us. Our second day saw a repeat of the same hospitality awaiting us in every town. We visited the Kawasan Falls in Badian and had our snacks at Batong Malunhaw Resort in Alegria. We were treated to a banca ride in Malabuyoc which was a real treat to our foreign guests. It was a site to see with more than 30 bancas with multicolored flags cruising the clear waters of Tañon Strait. Once again we were greeted with the sound of the drums and street dancing, which became a signal to us that we will be treated to another round of sumptuous snack, lunch or dinner. On the second day, we had snacks in Alegria, lunch in Malabuyoc, snacks again in in Samboan and dinner in Oslob. Tired though we were, we did not have the heart to skip any of the receptions, since we saw how much time and effort the organizers and participants had to spend inorder to give us a warm welcome. We stayed overnight at the Marine Village, but were advised to have our coffee only in the resort since breakfast was waiting for us in Boljoon.

On the third and last day of our Suroy Suroy Sa Cebu, we had breakfast followed by a Sunday Mass at the Boljoon Church which is undergoing a facelift. Next stop was Alcoy where we were once again treated to a very unique welcome. A home of the black shama bird in Cebu's biggest rainforest, we entered what looked like a forest tunnel with the sound of birds along the way. It lead us to the covered court where we were once again treated to local delicacies and ethnic dancers dressed as black birds. How original! Lunch brought us to the treasures of Argao where we were shown the Puerta Real, the Church Plaza, the Museum, the newly renovated Church of St. Michael Parish, the Cuartel/Hall of Justice which was restored through the efforts of Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide Jr., the Casa Real which were built during the Spanish occupation. We headed to the town of Sibonga and Carcar, where we were treated to Kabkaban street dancing, another round of gastronimic delights, a photo exhibit of the paintings of Don Martino Abellana. There was a tableau, as well as a visit to ancestral homes. While our bodies started to ache due to 3 continuous days of touring the 18 southern towns of Cebu, our hearts and minds were full of the happy memories of the warm hospitality we received from all the towns and municipalities that we visited. All told, our Suroy Suroy sa Sugbo was worth every centavo and more! The happy times we shared and the memories of the Suroy Suroy are unquantifiable! To Gov. Gwen Garcia who spearheaded this event...you have our greatest admiration for a job well done!

For your comments, you can reach me at Delmar Travel & Tours, Inc. Tel. (32) 2536561 & 2536571 or my email address at: [email protected]