CANTILAN is a tiny town of Surigao del Sur that takes pride in its people’s assertion to preserve the beauty of their place amid the onslaught of large-scale mining around them. That its people have pride of place is obvious, and you can’t even say that they are being backward about it. The town may be rustic, but its people are not.
Retired Lt. Gen. William Hotchkiss III, the 24th Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force, comes from Cantilan. Having retired from service he is now the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General and is an ex-officio member of the Philippine Eagle Foundation. While the star of the town is Lt. Gen. Hernando Delfin Carmelo Arreza Iriberri, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
What does one do when in Cantilan? You can go around town and and enjoy their beaches, including the General and Ayoke Island, but most of all: eat. The must-go place is Chanlac Seafood Restaurant.
Its seafood are the freshest ever, and you get a view of the river at that. They also know how to cook their veggies, thus you get your pinakbet with still the fresh crunch in them.
Their expertise is their seafood as you get to dig your teeth into the tender meat of seashells that could have become tough when handled by the less experienced. The fun part is that it’s a bamboo house on stilts, thus you can enjoy your meal in an airy ambience that only a bamboo house by the river can ever give. Its official address is Embarcadero Mini Wharf, Barangay Linintian.