Suroy suroy Sugbo tourists enjoy the cool ambiance of the Mantayupan Falls in Barili town. (CDN PHOTO/ CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
Almost 100 participants are joining this year’s first leg of the Suroy-suroy Sugbo, which kicked off its southern trail yesterday.
Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, chairperson of the Capitol’s committee on tourism, said this has been the usual number of participants in past tours.
“Back then, the number of participants would reach 200 but most of them were non-paying,” she said.
Magpale explained that almost all of the participants this year are paying for the tour which runs from Jan. 21 to 23.
The group is a mix of balikbayans, foreign and local tourists.
Participants were welcomed today in Carcar City with a hearty breakfast in the Mancao Ancestral House, a two-story mansion built in 1933.
Biko, suman, and buwad were among those served for breakfast.
Concepcion de Guzman, 67, has been wanting to tour the southern part of Cebu for a long time.
Born and raised in Cebu City, de Guzman said she has never been able to go around the province and visit actual tourist destinations.
“We’ve passed through towns in the past but this is actually the first time I got to drop by tourist destinations in Cebu,” she said.
After retiring from government service last year, she and her husband, David, decided to finally participate in a tour.
David Fitz-Gibbon, a retired member of the Canadian Armed Forces, has already been on several tours but this was the one he really wanted to experience.
The 67-year old former army man came to the Philippines to marry his girlfriend, Annabel, 13 years ago.
“We visited most of the towns along the east coast and now we just wanted to formalize it and take this tour, so here we are,” he said.
The participants were also treated to a spectacular view of the twin-cascade Mantayupan Falls, one of the main tourist attractions in Barili.
The Mantayupan Falls is considered to be one of the three main attractions in the interior barangays of the town.
In the afternoon, lunch was served at a seaside heritage park in Moalboal town, just across the municipal hall.
Gov. Hilario Davide and wife, Jobelle, joined the group shortly after.
Rain started to fall at 4:30 p.m., but this did not keep the participants from visiting the St. Francis Xavier Parish Church in Alegria.
They were then brought to a nearby agri-demo farm where they were introduced to organic swine fattening and vermi composting.
Capping off the day, dinner was served at the Alegria Heritage Park where they enjoyed music from local bands and musicians, and dances by local performers.
The first day of the tour coincided with Magpale’s 73rd birthday.
A festive fireworks presentation ended the first day.
Today, they are scheduled to visit the Mainit Hot springs in Malabuyoc, Aguinid Falls in Samboan, and some heritage sites in Oslob town.