Balik Cebu 2025 launched

CEBU, Philippines — The Balik Cebu program has officially kicked off yesterday with the opening of the Balik Cebu 2025 booth.

The booth is located at the ground floor of Ayala Center Cebu, which serves as a consolidated information hub for different activities lined up for the 2025 Sinulog festivities.

It also sells tickets for various Sinulog events and provides a range of tourist assistance services, as well as tourism tour packages.

"From the moment our balikbayans step on their foot upon their arrival at the airport, the VIP treatment starts,” said Tetta Baad, chairperson of the Balik Cebu program, which has been existing since 1982.

“(For) Twenty-three years now, this program has been existing and we have our balikbayans now. Pagsugod, sila they are kids and now they are adults. These people kept on coming back that goes to show that our Sinulog celebration is something to look forward to by our

kababayans,” said Baad.

Initiated by various tourism industry stakeholders to attract Filipinos based-overseas, the Balik Cebu program has played an instrumental role in enjoining balikbayans to come to Cebu.

This event is a tourism initiative to welcome back balikbayans in time for one of the biggest and grandest festivals in the Philippines.

Baad said they cannot estimate yet as to how many balikbayans are coming back as there are some have been here since the Christmas.

“We cannot estimate how many kay some of them diri na pag December pa lang unya diritso na sa Sinulog,” Baad said.

On Wednesday, Jan. 15, a welcome ceremony for balikbayans will be held by the Balik Cebu program committee at the Mactan Cebu International Airport.

Around four to five flights coming from Russia, United States of America, Australia, Hawaii, and other parts of Asia will be arriving at the airport.

The Balik Cebu Program is a tourism initiative aimed at bringing balikbayans to Cebu during the Sinulog.

For this year, 300 balikbayans will be treated to a fiesta dinner and musical performances, showcasing Cebu’s talents and various festival performances on Jan. 16.

The dinner ticket is priced at P500 per person. The welcome dinner is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Interested participants must present their passport as a proof that they are balikbayans.

For the past 23 years, Ayala Center Cebu has been hosting Balik Cebu, one of the main events of Sinulog, in partnership with the Cebu City Government through the Cebu City Tourism Commission, Balik Cebu Committee, Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority, Department of Tourism, Sinulog Foundation Inc. and other tourism stakeholders.

Present during the opening were the prime movers of the Balik Cebu program, representatives of the Cebu City Government and the candidates of this year’s Miss Cebu.

Meanwhile, Ayala Center Cebu also launched yesterday the "Sto. Niño Devotional Display," an extensive display of different images of the Sto. Nino. The exhibit runs from Jan. 8 to 26.

Dame Lourdes D. Jereza, curator of the display and vice chairperson of the Museum Committee The Heritage of Faith Museum, said that there are more than 50 Sto. Niño collectors coming from Cebu and other places in the country that participated in the exhibit, which has been ongoing for 26 years.

Looking back, Janra Montilla, Ayala Malls Cebu Marketing Cluster Head, said that the collection started with a few images but now they have to do it in a much bigger venue to accomodate the collections.

Among the highlights of the exhibit is the display of a six feet and five inches image of Sto. Niño. The image is owned by Engr. Jaime Amatong Jr., one of the collectors. Amatong said that the image has been with their family for five generations.

Amatong said he has been joining this exhibit for the past 20 years as his faith in the Sto. Niño remains unwavering despite life’s trials. — /JG (FREEMAN)