Revisiting Kawit

KAWIT, the quarantine island, used to be an excursion destination, along with Talisay, Liloan and Marigondon, that students went to a decade or two after the Second World War. That island has disappeared, swallowed up by the south reclamation area, but it is still there, in that area after the Bay Walk, recognizable by its fortress-like walls.

There’s a “No Entry” sign at the road leading inside Kawit, but do dare to go in and savor its park-like ambiance.

The short road leads to Sugbu, a four-story fort-like building housing the South Reclamation Project (SRP) management office. Fronting it is a lawn with park benches at its side. Beyond Sugbu is another area that is sometimes used for outdoor events. Here there is a tall Santo Niño statue with a cross at its back, on a raised platform, which is perfect for photo shoots that say “Hey, I’m in Cebu!” From here, one can see a building with stained glass windows—the building is actually a senior citizen center but for lack of power, it has not yet been fully used.

If you want to catch the sea breeze, then you must go to the seawall, where there’s a beautiful walkway with some gaps that open to stairs leading down to the sea. The seabed is dark, though, and not inviting (the plan is to cover it eventually with white “sand”). At the end of the walkway is a series of concrete platforms, meant to be a recreational area when finished. At its street level is a series of reflecting pools.

For park-starved Cebu, this is another place for relaxation, for communing with nature, for enjoying the seascape and the ever-changing sky-cloud paintings above. Those who have discovered the place know that activities, reunions, receptions can be done here. Go, discover the place! (Cookie Newman)