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Thursday, February 09, 2006
Speak out: Cebuanos and ‘Suroy-suroy’
By Sam Bumatay
I have been coming to Cebu from Florida, USA for the last 12 years or so mainly to scuba dive in Moalboal, Pescador Island, Olango Island and Malapascua Island.
Cebu has also been my base in going to other dive sites in Bohol, Palawan, Negros Oriental and Davao. I didn’t know much about the towns outside Metro Cebu until I joined the Suroy-suroy sa Sugbo on Jan. 27-29, 2006.
Our first stop was Naga. When we arrived there, local government officials and employees met us. To my complete yet pleasant surprise, I saw Gov. Gwen Garcia. I never met her personally before but there I shook hands with her. She joined us throughout our three-day two-night tour to the southern towns of Cebu.
I never thought two busloads of ordinary tourists would be part of the governor’s entourage. Some in our group were from the tourism department, travel agencies and the media.
After Naga, we proceeded to Barili, Dumanjug, Ronda, Alcantara and Moalboal. In every town, local government officials and townspeople greeted and welcomed us.
Dances, presentations
Cultural dances and other presentations were shown. Students lined up the roads. Residents showed up by the hundreds to witness the presentations. Local crafts and agricultural products were displayed for show and sale. Drawings and pictures of churches and other local historic buildings were shown.
Our first night stop was Moalboal. We were assigned to different resorts in Panagsama and Saavedra. I went to the beach with a couple of beer to unwind. It was dark and the only noise was the surf hitting the sand and coral rocks. The sky was clear and perfect for identifying objects in the sky.
I remembered joining an astronomy club while working for Nasa at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Members would go with their telescopes to designated Star Party sites. It was indeed a glorious night in Panagsama.
The next day we went to Badian, Alegria, Malabuyoc, Ginatilan, Samboan, Santander and Oslob. The third and final day took us to Boljoon, Alcoy, Argao, Sibonga and Carcar.
Again, local government officials and townspeople welcomed then showered us with cultural dances and other presentations.
We were provided with breakfast, lunch or dinner. The food that included varieties of homemade delicacies was incredibly delicious. In fact, just after the first leg, somebody in our group renamed our activity to Suroy-Suroy Busog Tour.
Natural wonders
We stopped in Santander for the second night. We stayed at some beautiful resorts/cottages along the sandy/rocky beaches. Nightlights from Dumaguete and Sibulan in Negros Oriental and the silhouette of the Negros mountain ranges were visible. Again, the sky was studded with stars, nebulas, galaxies and planets.
Our tour also took us to natural wonders like the Mantayupan Falls in Barili, Kawasan Falls in Badian and, of course, the beautiful and sometimes rugged Cebu coastlines. We visited beautifully restored Spanish era churches.
The tour confirmed my long-held belief that Cebuanos are truly hospitable and friendly. They are warm, peace loving and always ready to help.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (February 9, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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