By Jujemay G. Awit
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
THREE waterfalls, a forest and a few caves in Cebu City are just some of the attractions the 8th Visayas Mountain Festival will feature.
For the first time, the festival will be held in Cebu City, with the City Government taking the lead in promoting the activity as part of its program to make Cebu City an “Event City.”
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The four-day festival will go around the mountain barangays of Sudlon II, Tabunan, Tagbao and Tap-Tap.
“This is part of the plan of the Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC) to promote outdoor Cebu. Beaches are over-promoted and Cebu City does not have beaches,” said Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young, who sits as chairman of the commission.
While many think that mountain barangays are in the province and Cebu City is made up only of urban barangays, Young said 70 percent of Cebu City is actually in the mountains.
“We will go beyond the festival of the Sinulog. There are so many things going on and all we really need is promotion,” said Councilor Margarita Osmeña, a member of the CCTC and the chairperson of the City Council’s committee on tourism.
CCTC is promoting several festivals and launched for the first time the Cebu Chinese New Year Festival last month.
The commission wants to host at least one festival a month so that balikbayans won’t have to wait for the next Sinulog to come to the city.
Holy Week
Next month, CCTC will organize activities in observance of the Holy Week, which the commission does not want to call a festival but will be part of the line-up of festivals.
The Visayas Mountain Festival is organized by the University of San Carlos Mountaineers (USCM) and the Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines Inc, and will run from March 31 to April 3.
The four barangays are home to attractions that are not known to most of the Cebuanos.
Sudlon II is home to numerous caves and one of the City’s sources of fresh vegetables, while Tabunan hosts the City’s remaining forest.
Barangay Tagbao has
Managsang and
Liki Falls while
Tap-Tap has
Linut-od Falls and is one of the sources of flowers and sweet corn.
According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Tap-tap also grows an endemic species of cinnamon and flower beggar.
While their members are experienced climbers, Joel Cariño of USCM said the festival does not just aim to promote mountaineering but also to promote Cebu City’s tourist spots.
Cariño expects 100 to 150 participants to join the festival.