A trip to Tuburan

CEBU, Philippines — When visitors – both local and foreign – consider Cebu as their destination, they usually only think of the resorts at Mactan. The Mactan beach resorts seem to be everyone’s concept of what Cebu is about. Thanks to the recent popularity of the whale sharks in Oslob town, south of the island province, the Cebu in visitors’ minds has expanded a bit.

In fact, Cebu is lot more than the beach resorts close to the capital city. There are rivers, waterfalls, caves and more beaches spread all over the province.  More attractions are rather unheard of, drowned in the noise of advertising by the ‘big’ destinations.

One example would be Tuburan, a town approximately 96 kilometers to the northwest from Cebu City. The town derives its name from the Cebuano word “tubod,” meaning “spring,” a good number of which are found in the place. It is bounded in the north by the town of Tabuelan, in the south by Asturias, in the east by Sogod and Catmon, and in the west by the Tanon Strait.

Buses at the city’s North Bus Terminal ply the route between Cebu City and Tuburan, at regular intervals throughout the day.

The town is said to have been established in 1851 by Don Mariano Monteban, who was a native of the neighboring town of Sogod. The town has an area of about 24 thousand hectares, inhabited by over 50 thousand residents (as of the 2010 census). The main income of the people comes from farming.

Tuburan is also known all over the province for being the hometown of brave fighters who figured prominently during the uprising against the Spanish rule and in World War II. Perhaps the most known of these men is revolutionary leader Arcadio Maxilom in whose honor the town’s library is named, the Maxilom Memorial Library.

Over 9,000 hectares of the town’s land area are set aside as national parks and playgrounds.  The beauty of its natural environment, its interesting sites, and the various possibilities for leisure and adventure in the town have been consistently drawing visitors to Tuburan, albeit in trickles. The popular attractions are the Molobolo Spring, Mantawihan, the Marmol Cliffs and Cave, Lantawan Tunnel, and the white beaches, among many others.

The municipal tourism office is sure to recommend other interesting features of the town. For Cebuanos, in particular, a trip to Tuburan is a good one to take this summer. (Reference: www.cebu-bluewaters.com)