More Walking Tours for Cebu

Pasiyo Sa Kabilin is the Flagship Heritage Walking Tour of Cebu. A brainchild of Commissioner  Tetta Baad of the Cebu City Tourism Commission , she is also the one who conceptualized the Cebu Province's Suroy Suroy Sugbo as well as the famous tag line "Cebu an Island in the Pacific".

Come June the Pasiyo would be a year older. But this early reviews of it are mostly positive, but of course it have some negative too, which were already addressed. But the men and women behind the Pasiyo keeps on researching and developing the total experience.

Soon to be added in the Walk:

OSMENA WALK: A walking tour that would explore the legacy of the Grand Old Man of Cebu Don Sergio Osmena. This walk would also Feature the 3 Generations Of Osmenas. There will be a mix of Historical Facts, Fiction a.k.a gossip and more..

COLONIAL WALK: A walk that traverse the Oldest Street in The Philippines.

CARCAR WALK: A walking tour around the Heritage City of Carcar. Beyond the Ampao and Chicharo, visit some of the colonial mansions of the Ilustrado.

ARGAO WALK:  Arogao one of the remaining intact Pueblo in the Philippines. The Walk will relive the footprints of the colonial past. And of course a visit in the town would not be complete with out sampling the Torta de Argao.

DURANO WALK:  A walking tour that pay homage to the Strong Man of North(Nope not Marcos, not that North) Don Ramon Durano. See the Legacy of the Man who puts Danao to where it is now.


As of the moment all of the above mentioned tours are in the development stage, a team of researcher are digging into the archives to come up with Tour Commentaries  that are factual and some gossips on the side.

The Night the Light Shines

The event started with a walking tour "Pasiyo sa Kabilin" Cebu's very own Heritage Walk. The walk start from Fort San Pedro, a Tartanilla ride to Magelan's Cross, then to the Basilica del Sto Nino, onwards to Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, A Tartnilla ride traversing Colon Street which end at Binakayan Street to visit the 1730 House, then to the Yap-Sabdiego House.

A picture of a guide in an Ilustrdo outfit by Reynan Villena

The Switch-on is a culminating activity of the 2 million peso worth of rehabilitation and lighting project funded the the Dept of Tourism and executed by Cebu City.

Now the Heritage Monument is bathed with light....

 Thank to the Giver of Light...

Light finally shines at the Heritage

The Cebu Heritage Monument will finally see the Light of the Night.

For so long a time, the Cebu Heritage Monument was groping  in the dark, it had been a lovers's line straight or otherwise. Poor Pantaleon Villegas also known as Leon Kilat the brave leader of Cebu's revolution was helpless when a theft rob him of his sword.

As a Tour Guide and a resident of the area, I could not take it seating down. I seek the help of mass media, and became a Citizen's Patrol of the TV Patrol Central Visayas.   I wen to the office of then Parian Barangay Captain William Balaga and Cebu City Counselor Pax Pacaña.

Immediately after the report went on air, elements of park and play grounds cleaned the Monument, and the Street lamps were re-adjusted to make the park brighter.

Hey thats not my idea of just make the park brighter, I was dreaming of the choreograph light that would enhance the beauty of the sculpture at night.

A year ago, the TAYTAYAN, a heritage advocacy group based in Parian,  hosted a dinner one of the guests is the Secretary of the Department of Tourism. Together with Joy Uy, Joy's father and Parian Barangay Captain Mark, I  toured Sec. Ace Durano around the park in flash light, the street lamp were out that  time.

Right there the Secretary promised to allocate funds for the Lights..

And the Night has come  to finally see the LIGHT...

BEATING THE SUMMER HEAT the Binondo street kids way...

I was in Binondo weeks ago, to take part of Ivan Mandy's The Big Binondo Wok.

By habit, being a TOUR GUIDE , I came to the meeting place ahead of time.

I was taking pictures of the facade of Binondo church when my attention shifted to the com commotion by the fountain just across the church.

And these what i got....

Aloguinsan, Its Place Under the Sun

I was invited by a good friend Boboi Costas to the Launching of the Bojo River Eco-Cultural Tour.

While waiting for other participants, Abeth Cuizon of Cebu City Task Force on Street Children does her job, taking care of the street children.

After a little while we were on-board a mini-bus that took us about an hour and a half drive to the countryside  of Cebu. Exactly 73.2 kilometers away from Cebu City is the town of Aloguinsan.

Warm local hospitality meet us as we dis-embark from the mini-bus.

A leisurely walk by the riverbank.  

Budbud which is made from glutinous rice and local bread Pan Bisaya together with hot Sitwate was offered to us.

A brief on the importance of Mangrove Ecosystem serves as premier of the River Cruise.

A Tambalan, a local shaman casted away bad spirits from the river and prayed for our safe journey.

Well, they don't only rely on the Shaman for safety. 

Studying History Portraying History.

I am always fascinated of the stories of my grandmother about the ordeals of the people during the "panahon sa guerra" (times of war). We could spend the whole afternoon by the porch, lola would sat on the bench while her lap would be my pillow, her hand is busy in searching the tenants in my head, who hid under my thick wavy hears. The session would always end me knock-down into dreamland, and lola in the kitchen preparing a feast.

As i went to seek further learning, obviously I majored in History.

To top it all, in all the colleges and universities that I been to, I stayed most of the time in Libraries. Don't get me wrong, I worked as a student assistant in the library, some school take a cut in my tuition, other scrap it all.

When i finally became a Tour Guide in Cebu, the things I've learned help me a lot in doing my job.

And my History fast becoming a Cebu-centric one, to the point that some aspect of history, world's in general and Philippine's in particular would slip my mind.

In studying Cebu's history I came to knew the foremost Cebu Historians, if Manila have Gregorio Zadie, well we have Dionesio Sy, and of course there are Dr. Resil Mojares, (University of San Carlos), Dr. Michael Cullinane (University of Wisconsin), Fe Susan Go (University of Michigan) Felix Sales (Cebu Fire Station), yes you got it right Sales work a a fire marshal and write history in between fires. Jose Eleazar R. Bersales (University of San Carlos) who is digging his way into the pre-colonial Cebu. And the 50 or soo Town History writers of the Cebu Provincial History Project.

What could be more fascinating than reading history?

Oh well, PORTRAYING IT.

I was "COERCED" by THE Tonette Pañares of STC Museum, to portray Pantaleon Villegas A.K.A. Leon Kilat.

Who could say no to Tonnete, not even Cebu City vice-mayor Mike Rama who played Miguel Lopez de Legaspi

I really had fun..

Manolo in Manila

March 18 just barely 3 days after my birthday, and vesper of the Fiesta of San Jose ( my patron saint). People in my birthplace are busy preparing for the fest, while here am i packing my bag.


I have to depart for Cebu to catch my next day flight for Manila. I was booked for a Cebu Pacific flight 5J 564

Before we check-in our luggage, there was a commotion by the entrance of the domestic departure of Mactan Cebu International  Airport (MCIAA). A senior American guy was escorted by the police. I later found out the he was mob by hes co-passengers of another airline. He had a tantrum, and broke the window of the plane 15 minutes before landing. Luckily it was the inner window.      

I was with Cebu Association of Tour Guides(CAT-G)  president Al Cuizon and PR Work's Doris Mongaya. We are on a study tour, co-sponsored by Department of Tourism 7 and PR Works. We are to observed to of the best Walking Tour Guides in Manila, in the hope we can learned from them and apply it to the Walking Tour in the Queen City of the South. We are booked on tour of Carlos Celdran's IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK! and Ivan Mandy's the BIG Binondo Food Wok!




The weather is Cebu is just perfect and the window by my seat isn't broken. I don't know every time i check-in, its automatic to ask for the window seat, ohh well the dream of flying always push me to the window seat. Don't you?

I was overwhelmed but the size and modernity of the Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. I just hope Cebu would have the type of Terminal soon.

We stayed at the Manila Pavillion courtesy of Department of Tourism on our first night and our second night was sponsored by Pan Pancific Travel.

Luneta is just around the corner, I was able to coerced Doris and Al to take a walk rather than wait for our room in the hotel lobby.

We walk toward Luneta Park, in a strange coincident, Tere Romones of Pan Pacific, passed by, i was able to thank her for the room.

As we walk Doris got the fell of being Tourista, taking picture with her digicam and so is Al.

The Luneta walk was just part of my greater plan, i was really aiming at the Manila Ocean Park which was quite a far walk by Doris' standard. After Rizal's Monument, i could hear her complaining of the heat, her  feet started to blister, among others.

To be continued...