City to showcase mountain barangays in tour

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Government will be showcasing the beautiful agricultural sceneries in the mountain barangays of the city in its new tourism program called the Hilly Land Tour.

The featured barangays include Babag, Adlaon, Taptap, Kantipla, Sudlon I and Sudlon II.

The tour will be organized by the Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC), Cebu City Historical and Affairs Commission (CCHAC) and the City Agriculture Department (CAD) in coordination with the Cebu Association of Tour Guides (CATG).

CCTC executive director Cinbeth Orellano said this is a unique tour because the tourist will be able to appreciate and experience the bounty of the agricultural products offered by the featured barangays.

“We made this kind of tour for a change because our tourists could already memorize the different tourist spots in our heritage tours. That’s why we will establish the Hilly Land Tour as soon as possible,” Orellano said.

Orellano explained that in Babag, the tourists will be taught how to cut flowers in a big flower farm while in Adlaon, they will experience picking sweet corns, pay for their harvest at a lower price and bring the crops home.

In Sudlon II, they will see the lettuce on the rocks and the Moncado Colony. They will be able to visit the CAD Nursery in Taptap and the Kantipla Integrated School.

An agricultural tramline will be featured in Sudlon I, where a motorized cable car transports the vegetables harvested by the farmers to Tabunan and other barangays.

“The farmers will no longer carry their harvest but a cable car will transport the harvested crops to the different barangays,” said Glenda Gabuya of CCHAC.

Orellano said residents of the mentioned barangays are happy and excited about the tour as this will not only highlight their barangays, but will also give them an opportunity to earn.

The idea of holding the Hilly Land Tour came up after the 75 families recognized during the centennial celebration of the Cebu City Government were given an agricultural tour.

CATG newly-elected president Judalyn Taghoy said they already discussed the project with the CCTC during their courtesy call on Mayor Michael Rama last week.

Before marketing the tour, an ocular tour with the tour guides will be done as soon as the barangays to be visited are prepared. — (FREEMAN)