Basilica Minore de Santo Nino de Cebu
While traditionally it has been seven Catholic Churches that has to be visited during the Visita Iglesia on Holy Week, I’ll be featuring only two...yet these are the closest to both my heart and soul. The first one would be the Philippines’ first Catholic Church, a pilgrimage site, a historic site, and a ...
While Olango has bird-watching, Mactan has plane-spotting. Spending the whole afternoon in Mactan Airport, taking photos of man's best invention--airplanes.
Ngohiong and Puso--tambalang walay kaparis!
First time I’ve read about ngohiong was some issue in Tug-ani (UP Cebu’s Official Student Publication). Ngohiong was one of the “student foods for lunch” in Cebu, much as like instant pancit canton to dormers. I got curious since it looks like lumpia but crispier, and its ingredients are mostly made out of veggies. What ...
Magellan's Cross basking in afternoon glow
If you ask any elementary school student in the Philippines, the red tiled and almost circular house in the middle of the city, with a cross inside it, they’ll answer—Cebu! Then ask what it is, they’ll answer, Magellan’s Cross po! If Manila has its Rizal Monument in Luneta as its most important landmark, then ...
Lake Malubog and the Floating Restaurant
Toledo City in western Cebu Province is known for being a “mining city,” since one of the country’s largest copper-gold mines are located here. Most people have a picture of Toledo as an industrial city in the west, fueled by heavy industries and mining. Beyond these images, Toledo’s tranquility hasn’t hit the mainstream tourism ...
Different schools all throughout Cebu City and Province in Central Philippines competed at Sinulog sa Kabataan last weekend. This weekend, Cebu will celebrate one (and perhaps the) of the largest grand parades in the Philippines, honoring the Holy Child that was given by Portuguese Explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the Queen Juana of Cebu in 1521. The festival pays homage to ...
While December and Holy Week is considered as peak season for Philippine air travel, January is the month of the big festivities: The Black Nazarene of Manila, Ati-Atihan of Kalibo and the rest of Aklan Province, Sinulog Festival of Cebu and Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo. As expected, thousands of festival lovers, tourists, devotees and the curious take their pilgrimage in ...
The Sinulog festival was initiated by the government to pay homage to a pagan ritual being done by Cebuanos, then and now, as a way of worshiping and praying for the intercession of Santo Niño de Cebú. Yet where did the dance that sparked the largest festival in the country today started? Two steps forward and one step backward, ...
All throughout the week before Sinulog in Cebu, I was already checking the weather forecast. It has been raining in Cebu for the past few days and I was worried that it’ll rain come Sunday Sinulog. 16th of January came, I lost my wallet in the cab at Makati while I’m on my way to the airport (good thing I ...