Together with 400 people, we just arrived at El Pueblo Antiguo Hispano de Argao, one of the last intact pueblos in the Philippines. Argao’s Spanish-era town center transformed into a fiesta setting — cultural performers danced in front of St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church while locals handed out colorful Hablon shawls. They welcomed us to a banquet of their best food products: torta, tubâ and tablea.
At that moment, the journey starting from Minglanilla began a three-day excursion program covering 22 southern Cebu towns. I was invited to the “Suroy Suroy Sugbo Southern Heritage Trail” tour, which kicked off on Nov. 30, 2023 and ended on Dec. 2. By the first day, it was already the grandest and most organized way to see almost all the municipalities in the south of Cebu, and there was still so much to see.
Launched in 2004, Suroy Suroy Sugbo (translated as “Wander Around Cebu”) is one of the tourism programs of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia that aims to attract local and foreign tourists to visit the province and boost the economy of the host municipalities. At every itinerary stop, local government officials welcomed us, and the town’s best talents performed. Stalls showcased each town’s unique products and traditions.
Feast: Tasting the local cuisine
“Aside from Suroy, we call this tour, ‘Kaon kaon Sugbo’ (Eat eat Cebu),” says our Department of Tourism-accredited guide, Raymond Fernandez, commenting on the abundant food samplings. Early on, he gave us a tip (“pace yourselves”) for the extraordinary culinary experience we were about to embark on.
Each town presented its best food and delicacies making it a gastronomic feast: Samboan served Linubihang Kagang, a dish made up of land crab simmered in coconut milk, Ronda served their Humba de Ronda, a braised pork belly dish, and Malabuyoc served palagsing, a young coconut meat and brown sugar mix that makes palagsing moist and chewy. I also got to try several variations of rice cakes like bibingka, and torta, as well as binisayang manok (native chicken) dishes and lechon (roasted pig).
Surprise: Discovery and exploration
Aside from the food, another exciting part of this trip was hearing facts about each town. I learned that Alcoy has conservation-focused projects to save the endangered bird “Siloy” (Black shama) endemic to Cebu. Samboan, known as the “Waterfall Capital of Cebu,” has 11 waterfalls that could be a separate waterfall-hopping trip. In Ginatilan’s St. Gregory of the Great Parish Church, the monument of St. Pedro Calungsod stands as its most important feature, as Ginatilan claims to be the birthplace of Calungsod. These learnings made me want to come back and learn more.
Getting immersed in culture was also one of the reasons why John Harvey, blogger and owner of tour company Real Cebu Travel, joined the tour. “People from all over the world come to Cebu, and the best way I can design tours for these clients is to immerse myself in the local culture. Suroy Suroy is a rare opportunity to see the southern towns’ delicacy, culture, arts, and heritage in one go.”
Celebrate: Fun, bonding and souvenirs
At least six buses full of tourists participated in the tour, setting up social possibilities for those traveling solo or as a group. Cebu Eastern College (Batch ‘73) Arlene Yu, Jean Jane Lao, Emma Corpus Uy, Mary Jane Ormoc, Elvira Pecson Go, Susie Chan and Cely Lao all signed up for one purpose: fun. “We’re here to bond,” they all said in unison while exchanging stories about their favorite parts of the trip. Like these high school friends who lived in Cebu and have visited most tourist spots around it — the fact that there was still so much to experience and discover in lesser-known towns was a welcome surprise.
During the tour, what stood out for me was learning about all the hidden gems in Cebu that I’d like to explore further. For example, I learned about Pulchra Resort from our San Fernando tour guide, so I marked it as my next travel destination. All in all, the hospitality service and cultural showcase went far over and above my expectations. I even came home with bags full of souvenirs like shoes from Carcar, banig (mat) from Badian and rattan placemats from Alcantara.
Suroy Suroy was an excellent travel experience, something I wish every local and foreign visitor could try at least once — an “unforgettable heritage adventure,” as Governor Garcia described the excursion. From first-hand experience, I agree that it delivers its bold promise.