City mulls buwad dining station in Tabo-an market

CEBU, Philippines – To further promote Cebu’s dried-fish commonly known as “buwad,” the Cebu City government plans to establish a buwad dining station that will be designed after the famous “Larsian” barbecue station in Fuente Osmeña.

Cebu City councilor Gerry Carillo said that he will discuss the proposal with the barangay leaders of San Nicolas District, where the Tabo-an dried fish market is located, to convert a portion of the market into a dining station for all kinds of dried fish products and other delicacies of Cebu.

While the Tabo-an market, which hosts over a hundred or more dried fish vendors, has been established as the “buwad tambakan” of products from other countries as well as overseas including imported dried fish from China, the government said it is high time to maximize the market’s potential to be developed into a tourist destination.

In fact, Carillo added, one of the majority market of the Tabo-an are the local and foreign visitors making shopping for dried fish at the Tabo-an as part of the itineraries for City tours.

 The establishment of the Buwad Dining Station, Carillo said will not only provide another uniquely-Filipino food trip alternative to adventurous tourists and even locals, but it will also open up another window of enterprising opportunity for the residents.

The San Nicolas District is composed of six barangays under Cebu City, namely; Calamba, San Nicolas, Pahina, Pasil, Suba, and Sawang.

Carillo, who is in-charge of the City's social and livelihood services, said that there is a good space in the Tabo-an Market that is still idle, and can be used as "buwad" dining station, which will showcase the different ways of cooking, eating dried-fish products--the Cebuano or Filipino way.

Tabo-an Market has been the dried fish wholesale and retail capital in Cebu for many years. If realized, the Tabo-an dried fish dining station will become the newest "it’s more fun" dining experience destination for Cebu.