A retired Fil-Am nurse tells US friends: ‘If you want to see Cebu, join Suroy Suroy Sugbo’

Bonga Festival dancers entertained the Suroy Suroy Sugbo participants during the Sibonga leg of the tour on Nov.  15., 2019. |CDND Photo /Rosalie O. Abatayo

TALISAY CITY, Cebu — Fe Wilson, 78, has completed her fifth Suroy Suroy Sugbo.

Wilson, a native of Compostela town, and her American husband, Sam, are among the 147 paying participants during the Southern Heritage Trail from November 15 to 17, 2019.

“It was really nice. This is my second time going to the south. I always tell my friends in the U.S., if you wanna see Cebu, join Suroy  Suroy Sugbo,” Wilson told CDN Digital  in Talisay City, the last leg of the tour.

Mrs. Wilson, a retired nurse, migrated to the United States in 1969 where she met and married Sam.  In 2018, the Wilsons decided to settle for good in the northern Cebu town of Sogod, returning to America only once a year.

For Mrs. Wilson, there is always something new to learn and to explore despite having been gone from north to south of Cebu several times during the Suroy Suroy Sugbo tours.

This year’s heritage trail covered 22 towns and cities in the southern section of the province.

Since she started joining in 2009, Wilson said she and her husband make it a point to join the tour whenever the tour coincides with their schedule in coming home to the Philippines.

“There are more towns now but it’s just too hectic especially for old people. All we do is eat, watch these things (programs). You can’t do it on your own. Where can you travel that you have the police, a doctor, the security? And the accommodations are good,” Wilson added.

During the three-day tour, the participants spend at least an hour in each of the municipality where they are offered native food, souvenirs, and cultural performances.

For a “returnee” like Wilson, improvements have been notable in the different destinations in the province.

“There has been improvements. The last time we went to Mantayupan falls, the road was narrow and it was noisy. But now, it’s not. They also have a hanging bridge. It’s nice and became more accessible, Wilson said.

The receptiveness of the people in every town, she said, is also one factor of the Suroy Suroy that they would remember.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said the Suroy Suroy Sugbo has brought unity among local government units (LGUs) in Cebu, regardless of political color.

Dumanjug Mayor Efren Guntrano Gica tours Governor Gwendolyn Garcia inside the D. Jakosalem Plaza during the town’s leg in the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo on November 17. (Dumanjug PIO)

In Dumanjug, a town on the southwestern side of Cebu, Mayor Efren Guntrano Gica personally toured Garcia in the Dionisio Jakosalem Plaza and discussed the developments that are being planned there.

The Garcias, who hail from Dumanjug, have been close political rivals of the Gicas who are incumbent officials of the town.

In January 2020, the Suroy Suroy Sugbo will north. The Northern Escapade will cover the towns and cities in the northern side of the province.

Also slated next year are tour packages for Enchanting Camotes, Explore Midwest and Urban Adventure./elb