Mango Magic at Mactan Newtown
One of my best college memories is enjoying The Pen Pal’s dessert, a rich ice-cream tower with swirls of whipped cream, brightly finished with a cherry on top. Surrounded by friends, we exchanged tales of love and reminisced about life together. Today, I’m back in that spell of delight at Mactan Newtown for the Cebu Mangoes Festival for the largest halo-halo activity. But this celebration is not only about halo-halo; it is about that mixed sweetness that binds us all.
And what a halo-halo it was: over 200 pounds of ripe mangoes, combined with saba bananas, mango beans, corn, gulaman, nata de coco, and topped off with four gallons of rich, creamy evaporated milk — all blended into a colossal five-foot glass bowl. The scent of mangoes filled the air, a festive brass band played, and everyone cheered as this sweet spectacle came to life. It wasn’t just dessert — it was a symbol of joy, culture, and shared identity.
The Cebu Mangoes Festival first burst onto the scene in 2019, paused during the pandemic, and has now returned with even more heart and heritage. At its core is a tribute not only to Cebu’s golden fruit but also to tradition, togetherness, and Filipino pride.
It was Dr. Andrew Tan who planted the roots of this celebration with his vision. According to Harold Geronimo, dynamic VP for public relations and media affairs of the Megaworld Corporation, Dr. Tan personally instructed the planting of over 200 mango trees around the property — an eloquent gesture expressing his belief that nature, culture and modern living can thrive side by side.
Next destination after the lavish Belmont Hotel was the Mactan Newtown Beach. As our feet stepped onto the sand, it felt like we were in a far tropical hideaway. Quite resembling the likes of French Polynesia or Seychelles, it has a beach with thatched casitas swaying in the wind, turquoise waters stretching from the shore, and a pool sparkling almost as though it had sunshine of its own. The Glass Pavilion was set perfectly perched by the beach, completely air-conditioned, ready to host an event for 300 people of any occasion, from the grandest affair to the most intimate.
Lunch was a feast to remember: flavorful, succulent meats, pasta and fresh vegetables lovingly prepared by GM of Mactan Newtown Beach Dom Romano. Shared with the cheerful cast of Unang Hirit, the meal set the tone for an afternoon of celebration and revelry.
Sparking laughter across generations was the festival’s lovable mascot, Jody Mango — a tribute to the iconic Joe D’Mango, the radio personality who once dished out heartfelt love advice.
As twilight deepened, we moved to the cozily elegant mango dinner held at the Savoy Hotel. Each and every delicacy was a tribute to the humble mango: appetizers of tuna ceviche with a mango twist, surf-and-turf mains harmonizing with its golden splash of sweetness and, finally, desserts that took mango to the level of fine art. It truly was not a dinner. It was a narrative on a plate, an odyssey from taste to heritage.
According to Geronimo , Mactan Newtown is also primed for a bigger transformation. Slated to be finished by 2025, the new Mactan Expo Center will rise as Cebu’s premier convention and exposition venue. This two-level building will boast a main convention hall with theater-type setups for 2,500 persons and banquet-style functions for 1,600 persons. The township will also welcome the Mactan World Museum, a P1.2-billion venture intended to showcase the myriad cultural and historical links between the Philippines and Spain.
But something beyond the spectacle and the skyline still lingered: a festive feeling. In past years, it was the giant mango sago. This year, the spotlight belonged to the towering mango halo-halo. With every scoop and smile, Cebu proved one thing: The mango magic in Mactan Newtown is only getting sweeter.
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For more information, visit www.facebook.com/TMN.OfficialTownshipPage.
