Suroy-Suroy to Cebu’s northern towns

By Cebu Network
Published September 9th, 2007

Local cuisine and cultural dances were top fares in the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Northern Escapade, a tour of 15 of Cebu’s northern towns that ran from August 30 to September 1, 2007.

At every stop were tables bursting with native food like lechon–the local term for roasted pork, “puto” paired with mango, “budbod” in its many forms, seafood that Cebu’s coastal areas are well known for, and other edible delights indigenous to the towns like Catmon’s budbod kabug and coconut balls, Liloan’s masi, Medellin’s “bokayo,” Bantayan’s famous “buwad” or dried fish.

ALEGRE BEACH RESORT. A side trip to the Alegre Beach Resort was one of the highlights of the visit to Sogod town. Click on photo to view larger image.

In the area of entertainment, town mayors tried to outdo each in pleasing Suroy participants. Many had students or residents lining up along roadsides and waving flags to welcome the tour convoy of 3 Ceres buses, coaster, and over five other smaller vehicles that carried the 230 Suroy participants. They prepared cultural and other dances, which were performed by selected students or residents of the towns, and put up booths displaying local products that were a big hit with the guests.

Three of the mayors did the entertaining themselves. Compostela Mayor Ritchie Wagas and Madridejos Mayor Salvador dela Fuente serenaded guests with local songs. Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia, which led the Suroy-Suroy to Cebu’s northern towns, sang a duet with Mayor Wagas featuring the Visayan song “Matud Nila.”

Liloan Mayor Vincent Frasco performed a one-man act where he became a “balut” vendor. The act culminated in his giving bouquets of flowers to Governor Garcia and her daughter Christina.

Daanbantayan fiesta

Daanbantayan, the first day’s last stop, was celebrating its fiesta and a riot of colors–from the costumes and props of street dancing contestants to town decorations–greeted Suroy-Suroy guests when they arrived in the town. The tourists were also treated to performances of street dancing winners during Daanbantayan’s Haladaya Festival. Haladaya, said town officials, is short for “Halad Kang Datu Daya (Offering for Elder Daya)”. Daya was the leader of the first Malayan settlers in Daanbantayan and the festival featured his story.

SUROY-SUROY TOUR GUIDE. Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia with two of the children who joined the tour to Cebu’s northern towns. Garcia conceptualized the Suroy Suroy Sugbo project to promote local tourism. Click on photo to enlarge.

In Borbon town, guests remembered how it was to play the “palo-sebo” by letting kids compete for a prize. The game involves kids taking turns climbing up a greased pole. The first kid who can reach the top and get the flag wins the prize.

Catmon had a group dance to a local song about a popular town specialty called the “budbod kabog.”

All of the visited towns put up booths showcasing native products: accessories made from wood and seashells; furniture carved out of old tree roots; baskets and other home decors created from indigenous materials.

Danao City had booths devoted to its gun-making industry and pottery business. Suroy participants, many of them Cebuanos who now work and reside abroad, swarmed over the Danao-made firearms displayed in the booth. In another booth showcasing pottery products, a woman potter demonstrated the process of creating earthenware from moist clay.

Danao City was the third town visited on the first day of the tour. Following Danao, the tour stopped for lunch in Carmen and it was a welcome respite from the rush of the first day’s morning tour.

Medellin, the first stop on the tour’s second day, proudly presented creations of its farmer scientists, including fermented fruit juice and grape wine. Its handicrafts, such as its accessories, were also big hits with the tourists. The town is home to the 18-hole golf course Mercedes Plantation Golf and Country Club. A game in the golf course costs 800 pesos during weekends and 500 pesos during weekdays.

Basket crafts

Taking prominence in San Remigio were its basket crafts–among them the popular “Hapao” and those made by Carlos Ursabia and his partners–and Sinamay cloth, which can be made into hats and bags. The Hapao has become one of San Remigio’s best handicraft products due to its unique design and durability.

Ceramic jars and other products are specialties of Melgar Countrycraft in Liloan. The town is famous for its “masi” and is home to the popular Titay’s, maker of rosquillos and otap.

Performers prepare to welcome Suroy-Suroy guests upon their arrival in Daanbantayan. Click on photo to view larger image.

Borbon displayed furniture made from huge roots of trees dug from the ground and sold for a few thousand pesos.

Also highlighted in the Suroy-Suroy were scenic spots in northern Cebu and a side trip to the world-class beach resort of Alegre was a must when the tour stopped in the town of Sogod.

Alegre is known for its white sand and cool waters and the fish varieties that populate its shallows.

A visit to Cebu’s north wouldn’t be complete without a stopover at Bantayan island, with its long stretch of powdery white sand, clean blue waters, and stunning sunsets.

Bantayan Island

The afternoon of the second day and the start of the third day’s tour were devoted to visits to Bantayan island’s three towns–Bantayan (which has the same name as the island), Madridejos, and Santa Fe.

Suroy-Suroy participants who included Tourism Undersecretary Edu Jarque, Central Visayas tourism director Dawnie Roa, Inquirer columnist Rina Jimenez-David, Ilocos Sur Governor Deogracias Victor Savellano, famous pianist Ingrid Sala-Santamaria, and Manila Standard’s Julie Yap-Daza stayed in the different resorts in the towns of Bantayan and Sante Fe at the end of the tour’s second day.

Not even the intermittent water supply and poor service at the Kota Beach in Santa Fe, where some of the guests stayed, can detract from the splendor of the place.

Ogtong Cave Resort in the town of Sta. Fe. in Bantayan Island.

Another side trip in Bantayan island was the Ogtong Cave Resort in Santa Fe. Like the rest of the island, the resort can boast of a white sand beach. Its main attraction, however, is the cave inside the resort.

In Madridejos, guests were served the town’s seafood specialty of crabs. The mayor said the crabs were being “hunted conservatively” in the town.

The cost for joining the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Northern Escapade was from 4,000 pesos to 6,000 pesos per person depending on accommodations. The amount also covered transportation and meals.

Like any kind of travel that involves a huge number of people, there were minor problems that bugged the Suroy-Suroy to northern Cebu. The more common ones were the failure to follow the time schedule in the itinerary, lack of bathroom facilities in most stops, and inadequate chairs, tables, and utensils for Suroy participants in the town plazas where programs and meals take place.

In case you decide to join the planned tour to the Camotes group of islands this September or other future excursions to Cebu towns and in light of the problems experienced during the recent Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Northern Escapade, here are some tips for surviving the trip:

• Bring a hand sanitizer at all times. There are some places where it is difficult to find soap and water for the required hand washing and the food requires the use of the hands when eating.
• Plan your bathroom trips. Always use the bathrooms in stops where there are more of the facilities; the next town might be far away yet or only have two bathrooms to cater to the needs of over 200 guests.
• Wet tissues come in handy. They can be used to clean hands, wipe sweat from faces, and just about anything so don’t forget to bring some.
• Don’t forget to put on sunscreen. It gets hot pretty quickly on this side of the globe and tour participants get more than their share of sun when hopping from one town to another.

It also helps to be flexible. Events don’t always follow schedules and don’t expect this tour to be any different. The bus driver might not know the exact location of your resort and as a result you might be doing more “suroy-suroy” than the other guests.

Here are more photos of the activity. Click on the photos to view larger images and their descriptions:

14 Responses to “Suroy-Suroy to Cebu’s northern towns”

1. violeta m. valdez says:
   1September 9th, 2007 at 9:19 pm

   i jas want to know what part of lapulapu city is being developed by a contarctor by now with 6-15th storey project…what project is this?

2. Antonio Smith says:
   2September 21st, 2007 at 10:27 am

   Looking for a nice small lot to build a house on for retirement.

   Thank you,
   Mr/Mrs. A. Smith

3. Milette Pepito says:
   3October 3rd, 2007 at 10:32 pm

   Wow, Madam Gov;
   Congratulation, Nalipay jud ko kay nianha di-ay mo sa Daanbayan taga dinha man ko pero dia ko karun sa Abroad,
   Nalipay ba ang mga Visita nimo dinha maayo man jud na
   mo abi-abi mga Cebuano, kana moy akung garbo sa usa ka
   Cebuana , Hospitality jud dinha wala maka labaw
   Reagrds;
   Milette;

4. roxanne says:
   4October 16th, 2007 at 11:44 pm

   i just want to know how much will be the room rate at ogtong cave resort

5. Cebu Network says:
   5October 18th, 2007 at 10:59 am

   roxanne,

   below are the room rates for ogtong cave resort. this was as of september 1, 2007, when we visited the resort. rates based on hand-outs given out to visitors by the resort.

   (in pesos)
   cottage (non-aircon) — 1,440
   garden villa (twin bed with ref and tv) — 2,880
   family room twin (with extra side bed and ref) — 3,200
   family room triple — 4,000
   sea-view villa (with ref and tv) — 3,200
   deluxe (with with ref and tv) — 4,000
   white house (2 bedrooms and a kitchen) 6,500
   row house (with ref and tv) — 2,880
   duplex — 4,880

   contact nos.
   landline — 438-0165, 438-9129
   cell — 0920-899-9456

6. Nelson Padayon says:
   6February 2nd, 2008 at 5:31 pm

   Suroy Suroy sounds fun, and a great idea. gusto lang ko mahibalo the exact dates for the next suroy suroy. plano man gud mi mo uli this year. also how many times a year is this? proud to be a bisaya.

   Regards Nelson & Eva

7. Nelson Padayon says:
   7February 2nd, 2008 at 5:39 pm

   who’s the contact person? and how can we make our bookings.

8. YUL SASAM says:
   8February 25th, 2008 at 9:08 pm

   WHEN IS YOUR NEXT SCHEDULE FOR SUROY-SUROY THIS YEAR 2008?
   ARE THERE DISCOUNTS FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED TO JOIN THE SUROY-SUROY TOUR? THANK YOU……

9. josephine valenciano says:
   9March 4th, 2008 at 3:28 pm

   we are planning of having a tour at Danao. Can you give us the specific place and destinations? and other places we could possibly drop by as we go north. thanks a lot

10. josephine valenciano says:
    10March 6th, 2008 at 5:40 pm

    we are planning of having a tour going north of cebu this coming april 28-29, 2008. Can you give us names of places we can posibly drop by?

11. Aimee Ventic says:
    11March 30th, 2008 at 3:29 pm

    Kindly send thru my email ad aimventic@yahoo.com your next schedule and destinations please. Would love to join exploring our own towns. Thanks!

12. Kate says:
    12March 31st, 2008 at 12:41 pm

    where is the Ogtong Cave Resort located? Thanks

13. Janive says:
    13May 12th, 2008 at 8:46 pm

    I just like to know if there are beach resort that we can stay overnight at Madridejos.
    Please provide contact numbers… Thanks

14. Ms D says:
    14August 4th, 2008 at 7:51 pm

    I am planning for an affordable team building for my team of 18 heads. Some of them are not from Cebu. It would be good to introduce to them our history. Do you have any suggestion.

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail