Camotes tour will appeal to big-city folks, says consul

By Risel S. Adlawan

Sunday, April 10, 2011

BLESSED with fine weather, around 140 participants arrived in the island of Camotes yesterday and were impressed by its natural beauty.

For their first stop, the visitors went to Poro town, where dancers in colorful attires welcomed the delegation led by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. Several pump boats, with flags in different colors, surrounded the fast craft as it docked at Poro wharf, to welcome the participants.

Blue umbrellas marked “Poro, your gateway to Camotes” were given to the participants to protect themselves from the heat. Visors, bottled water and T-shirts were also given to all delegates as part of their kit for the “Suroy-Suroy Sugbo,” a local tourism program of the Provincial Government.

As part of the visit, the governor and Acting Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale and guests like Ambassador Francisco Benedicto and Consul Samuel Chioson signed a climate change adaptation pledge of commitment and planted trees.

Pilar town in Camotes has set a target of two million trees planted by 2015.

Several tourist spots in the island were shown off, like the Bukilat Cave in Barangay MacArthur, Tudela, one of the eight natural caves in Camotes, said Mayor Erwin Yu.

Delegates were told a ritual should be performed before any visitor can enter the
cave.

Valentina Lanuza, 85, first started to do the ritual when she was 10 years old. Part of it is making sure a fresh egg can stand on its own, without being held, before visitors are allowed into the cave. At the bottom of the cave is a pool that mixes fresh and seawater.

Visitors were also asked to pass by the “palina” or to walk through smoke from a small wooden fire, believed to drive away evil spirits.

Linda Ouano, wife of Provincial Board Member Thadeo Ouano, said she did not expect to see such a beautiful cave and was surprised that it exists in Cebu. The last time she saw a beautiful cave was in China, she said.

“It’s amazing. We can find it here in the Philippines,” she said.

In Tudela, visitors tried a special dish called “inutok,” made with coconut, crab meat and ginger.

Because Camotes is a known tourist destination, it already has some well-run resorts that include the Buho Rock Resort of Poro, and Santiago Bay Garden and Resort and Mangodlong Resort, both in San Francisco.

The participants had lunch, which featured sea cucumber and other seafood, at Buho Rock.

In San Francisco, delegates enjoyed fishing in the Lake Danao Park and most visitors bought dried tilapia fish at P200 per 200 grams.

An official of the Chinese Consulate said the program is a good way for their tourists to explore Cebu Province.

Consul General to Cebu He Shi Jing, who was among the participants in the two-day “Enchanting Camotes” tour, said he was very happy to visit the island.

He said it was the first time for him and his wife to join the visit, which they found exciting. He also said it will give Chinese tourists who come from big cities like Shanghai and Beijing a chance to explore the natural beauty of the province.

He said the governor can promote the program in China.

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Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on April 10, 2011.