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Tracing Cebu’s Heritage in the South
Source: Manila Bulletin
Author: -
Date: 2005-05-16
 
However, Cebu is more than just a “city of increasing sophistication.’’ It has a rich cultural past that still retains its provincial warmth and charm. It is not only a silver of an island surrounded by white sandy beaches and clear waters but also a host of several relics, from churches and museums to old fortresses and watchtowers.



Cebuanos are proud of their cultural and historical heritage, a "legacy which has endured thru the centuries from the time Ferdinand Magellan first planted the cross in Cebu’s shores.’’ A drive through the southern part of the province takes one not only past rural sceneries but also provides glimpses of a rich historic past. Churches gracing the towns of Carcar to Santander are standing as "proud testaments of enduring Catholic faith… That have seen all of nature’s fury – fires, typhoons and earthquakes.’’



We begin in the town of Carcar which is not only famous for its chicharon (pork rind), shoes and "bucarillos’’ but also of well-preserved Spanish colonial houses and the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria. Costas described the church as a Greek-Tuscan structure with strong Muslim influence, of masonry with one main nave and two aisles.’’ Carcar was once a vicarta of the San Nicolas Parish of old Cebu and the southernmost boundary of the said parish. It is said to be the southern frontier of the new religion brought in by the Spaniards.



There is also the parish church of Argao, St. Michael the Archangel Church, which was built on the orders of Cebu bishop Santos Gomez de Marañon in 1830. The ground floor of the convent, a minor seminary of San Carlos from 1949 to 1950, is a museum holding a sizeable number of religious artifacts in its collection classified as gold, silver and metal. Another sight to behold is the San Guillermo De Aquitaña parish church in Dalaguete which was established in 1711 under the patronage of San Guillermo de Aquitaña, an Augustinian monk. The church has a style similar to churches found in northern Philippines where the bell tower is built a distance away from the church-convent complex, connected by a small passage.



The Church of Patrocinio de Maria in Boljoon is the country’s last few remaining fortress-churches and one of the oldest Augustinian churches in Cebu next to the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño (from which the Boljoon church design was copied). It has retained its Spanish churchyard.



The National Historical Institute declared Boljoon’s church a national historical landmark in 1999 because of its distinct Filipino baroque style "reflective of the aesthetic sense of its friar builders and the artistry and ingenuity of Filipinos.’’ In July 2001, the National Museum declared it as a national cultural treasure, together 25 other Philippine churches.



Further down south is the town of Oslob, which became an independent parish in 1848 under the advocation of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. The 200-year-old church was fully rebuilt after a fire in 1956; its priceless artifacts stolen except for a few statues. Towards the end of the Spanish colonial period, engineer-architect El Maestro Gran Sabandal who build several church in Bohol constructed the Cuartel from the remains of the belfry. This structure is just a stone’s throw away from the church.



Next stop is the Samboan parish, which was established in 1780 with St. Michael the Archangel as the town’s revered saint. It has an Escala de Jacob (Jacob’s Ladder), a flight of 157 stone steps built simultaneously with the church, some 30 meters towards the sea. It descends from a watchtower and runs all the way down to the wharf, where boatloads of friars were once unloaded for mission work.



At the southernmost tip is Santander where stone-cut watchtowers and fences around Santander Roman Catholic Church were constructed in the 1800s by Spanish priest Fr. Julian Bermejo to protect the church from Muslim raids. Other significant churches in the southern part of Cebu are the Parish of Santa Teresa de Jesus de Avila in Talisay City and the Sibonga Church which was built in 1830.



These old churches and structures are the major attractions of the Southern Heritage Trail, the third and final weekend destination of the Suroy Suroy 2005, which will happen on May 28 and 29.



Suroy Suroy Sugbu was introduced by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), in partnership with the Province of Cebu, to draw up interest in Cebu’s tourist destinations, with focus on cultural and heritage sites. It encourages local and foreign tourists to get a look-see of places in the island province that are largely "undiscovered,’’ having remained outside of the tourism trial. For Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia, the Suroy Suroy (which literally means an excursion, a departure from a fixed course) will take us "in the less-known corners, in the unfamiliar turns… where you always stumble upon a point of discovery, a little known fact that seems to stand out, but, upon close reflection, you soon realize it’s all part of this rich and multi-colored mosaic known as Cebu.’’



The first weekend tour took place in Camotes Islands recently where the participants discovered the islands’ natural wonders and experience its "pastoral rural setting." The 2nd destination, dubbed as the Northern Island Escapade, will happen on May 21 and 22. Tourists will explore the northern coast of Cebu with its sun-kissed beaches complemented by the people’s rich culture and progressive local communities.



The Southern Heritage Trail, the last of the weekend tours, not only showcases idyllic heritage sites in Carcar, Argao, Dalaguete, Boljoon, Oslob, Santander and Samboan but also the picturesque Matutinao River in Badian (with glimpses of Badian Island and Tañon Strait) and the coastal town of Moalboal along the southwest end of Cebu which gained wide popularity for its fantastic diving grounds. The tour also includes the Orchid farm outside the Moalboal town proper, which is a paradise for orchid and flower lovers, and the Sinanggiyaw Festival in Dumanjug, which is a reenactment of the pre-Spanish native rituals celebrating a good harvest. Carcar will present its Kabkaban festival (a religious fanfare in honor of St. Catherine of Alexandria and a cultural catalogue of the town’s history and industry showcased through street dancing and parade) aside from a tour of the ancestral home and structures. Each town will also feature their native products and delicacies.



Suroy Suroy Sugbu is a project of the Tourism Committee of the CCCI, in celebrating Cebu Business Month (CBM) 2005, which carries the theme "Cebu: Gearing Up for Global Play."
 

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