Re-awakening the trading roots of Bogo

CEBU, Philippines – Bogo City was founded on trading. It was named after the tree (Garuga florigunda) where traders of old used to seek shelter from the scorching heat of the sun while selling or bartering their wares with the locals.

A natural gateway to the rest of the Visayas, Bogo City seeks to re-establish itself as Cebu’s trading destination, next to Cebu City. It boasts of its newly opened Polambato Port which welcomes large cargo boats from Bicol, Leyte and Samar. “Our location is very strategic (for businesses), and the cost of property is still very inexpensive,” said Bogo City’s active mayor Celestino “Junie” Martinez, Jr.

Mayor Junie said that with Bogo closer to Samar, Leyte and Bicol it would be most practical for cargoes and passengers to take the Bogo route and vice versa.

Bogo City is just three hours away from Cebu City, and when it comes to utilities and facilities, it boasts of many, including internet connectivity. In fact, the city hall is wired via WiFi and they plan to set up the same facility in the public plaza which is just a stone’s throw away from the public library and the museum.

On entering Bogo City, one would be bombarded by the site of beautiful sugarcane plantations that sweetly borders both sides of the road. Since the 1920’s the city’s main industry is sugar and Bogo boasts of more than 3,000 hectares of land devoted to sugarcane. With these are haciendas that could have doubled as vacation houses of the affluent owners of the sugar estates.

Bogohanons have also placed importance on education. In fact, the city’s patron St. Vincent Ferrer was a noted intellectual. As one enters the city proper you would be greeted by the humble campus of Felipe R. Verallo Memorial Foundation, which serves as Bogo’s leading educational institution offering allied health courses like Physical Therapy and Nursing. Aside from FVMF, the city boasts of three other major institutions of higher learning: St. Louise de Marillac College, Northern Cebu Colleges and Cebu Roosevelt Memorial Colleges. 

For a city with a population of roughly 70,000 (as of 2007 census), having four major colleges in addition to 26 elementary schools, 14 high schools and a TESDA-ran vocational school has made Bogo a center of education in North Cebu, catering not only to Bogohanons but also to residents of neighboring municipalities and islands. This, according to Mayor Junie, would ensure the supply of manpower for the companies who will locate in Bogo City.

In terms of infrastructure, the city is currently working on the development of a 29-hectare business park together with a private investor. He said that the business park will be the site of the new city hall and of a major mall that will soon be serving the entire of North Cebu and neighboring islands. The new city hall is set to be finished on April 2010.

In addition, Mayor Junie said that the city is currently talking with several investors for the development of the 40-hectare export processing zone near the Port of Polambato. Being an export processing zone, Mayor Junie is positive that many manufacturing companies would want to put up their factories in the area because of the benefits that they would be getting.

When it comes to tourism, Mayor Junie revealed that they are pushing for the development of the Island of Capitancillo and the communities facing the island. The island is 15 minutes from the coast and boasts of beautiful coral formations. A heritage site, it houses a solar-powered lighthouse built on top of a ruin. The city government has facilities in the island that includes a rental facility for diving gears.

A natural cove, Bogo City boasts of resorts with excellent beaches like Nailon Beach Resort, Hisoler Beach Resort, Marangog Cove and the Tugbungan Mangrove EcoPark Family Leisure Resort.

Being a pre-Spanish settlement, Bogo City boasts of its humble share of heritage sites including the recently declared Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Vincent Ferrer. The structure was built in 1940 in the tradition of typical ecclesiastical architecture. One of the five church bells date back to 1922. The heritage square, on the other hand, is where you will find Spanish-era structures, its set-up typical of a Spanish pueblo.

With all the challenges that the city faces today, Mayor Junie is positive that with the current direction being taken by the city government, they would soon become Cebu’s newest industrial and trading city, although this is but a return to its glorious trading past.