Excursions in history, culture and nature with Naga X

MANILA, Philippines - Naga City is, without a doubt, one of the fastest emerging cities in the country today. It has a rich history dating back to when it was called Ciudad de Nueva Caceres by the Spaniards who established it as the third Royal City of the Philippines, after Manila and Cebu. In 2010, President Aquino declared Naga a “Pilgrim City” — the only one in the country — with its over 300 years of religious history with Our Lady of  Peñafrancia. Aside from that, the city and its surrounding areas are abundant in natural resources, sites and rich local culture. Making all of these easy to access and enjoy is Naga eXcursions.

Also known as Naga X, this exciting development is a new tourism product of Metro Naga, composed of 16 local government units (LGUs), 15 of them municipalities with Naga at the center. Alec Francis Santos, chief of office for arts, culture and tourism and city publications and external relations chief, says, “Naga X does not just assist tour operators, we are more inclusive. We include hotels, transport providers, restaurants, and tour guides. We group them under one organization — we call it a tourism consortium acknowledged by Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., as the only consortium created by an LGU.”

Santos invited a number of journalists to a familiarization tour of Naga recently to sample a taste of what Naga X has to offer. And for a good part of the tour, it was literally our taste buds that enjoyed the most.

During our time there we stayed at the Avenue Hotel along Magsaysay Avenue in Naga City, a street lined with numerous restaurants and entertainment venues, making it the de facto gimik spot of the area. Santos and a group of guides, composed of student interns from different colleges in the area, greeted us at the hotel’s posh lobby as we arrived.

Just in time for lunch, we were led to one of the well-known local restaurants along Magsaysay called Bob Marlin. As the pun implies, you can have great seafood here. However, the highlight of the table were the plates of pinangat — a mixture of chili peppers, and cream of grated coconut (gata) wrapped in gabi (taro) leaves and stuffed with shrimp and pork. Alongside it was the natong, similar to pinangat and is made of shredded gabi leaves, simmered in gata with pork and shrimp bits and diced chili. A dialled-down Bicol Express was served with pineapple chunks. Another standout dish was beef dinuguan cooked with gata.

For merienda, we traveled to nearby Barangay Dayandang to a small roadside eatery named Cordova’s Kinalasan. The place is a simple, makeshift house which is home to, reputably, the best kinalas in the city. Kinalas is a noodle dish made of stripped meat from cow’s or pig’s head which are boiled until tender. Complementing the meal was a plate of maruya (banana fritters).

In the evening we started our city tour. Heading toward the town center we passed by bridges that crossed the Naga River, famous for the traditional fluvial procession for the image of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia. The center of town, with its numerous plazas and surrounding Spanish-era churches, buzzed with activity. At Plaza Quince Martires is a monument commemorating the 15 brave martyrs of Bicol. Further on is Plaza Quezon where parades and public events are held. Adjacent to it is Plaza Rizal which has a monument that is supposedly the original winning entry for the Rizal Monument in Luneta Park in Manila.

Other nearby places of interest is the Plaza de Nueva Caceres which has the monument depicting Naga’s history from pre-colonial times onwards. Beside it is the Naga City People’s Mall which used to be the largest single-roof structure in Asia when it was built in the 1970s.

The next day we headed for Mt. Isarog. The trip was a short 20-minute ride to the base of the 2,000-meter high mountain. As a major watershed, Mt. Isarog is filled with numerous waterfalls, streams and thousands of different plant and animal species and is one of the oldest and well-preserved natural forest parks in the Philippines. From Barangay Panicuason. it was a short half-hour walk up a steep dirt road to the trail leading to Malabsay Falls. Along the way there were clearings where you could take in a panoramic view of the mountain. From the trail we walked down through a lush forest into the falls. The 40-foot cascade poured into a cold pool of water streaming down the mountain slope.

Nearby is Panicuason Hot Springs Resort. The resort has several natural pools with temperatures ranging from a cold 20 degrees Celsius to a relaxing 39 degrees Celsius. If you want something more adrenaline-filled, the resort has one of the fastest ziplines in the country. At 280 feet above the ground, the Tower 3 zipline is 200 meters long and takes an average of 10-12 seconds to traverse.

In the afternoon we opted for a tour of some of the churches on Naga X’s Heritage and Pilgrimage itinerary. First stop was the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral, considered the largest church in the region. Beside it is the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary. A national landmark, the seminary produced the first Filipino bishop, Jorge Barlin, and national hero, Jose Ma. Panganiban. Within the structure is the Archeological Museum which showcases  pre-colonial artifacts and, oddly, a set of dinosaur eggs from the Gobi Desert. Also within is the Ecclesiastical Museum with religious artifacts on display.

Afterwards we rode across the city and its outlying barangays, visiting churches such as the St. Joseph the Worker Parish, known for its Baroque design. We ended our tour by stopping at the Peñafrancia Shrine and having a snack of toasted siopao.  A Bicolano innovation, the meat and egg stuffed dough is oven-toasted for a longer shelf life. But it is best eaten while warm.

Whether it’s the activities, religious pilgrimage, culture or food that you seek, Naga X is able to bring all of these tourism elements together for the best kind of experience for all kinds of visitors. It is a prime example of what happens when the government and the private sector work together in perfect harmony.

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For more information on Naga eXcursions and the various tour packages/itineraries available, log on to www.NagaX.com or www.naga.gov.ph/see. Or call the Naga City Arts, Culture and Tourism Office at (+6354) 473-4432 or e-mail at info@nagax.com or tourism@naga.gov.ph. Photos by Fernan Nebres