Midwest treat for palate, explorers

Apart from promoting the featured towns, Suroy-Suroy Sugbo also promotes their products.

Mothers Josephine Repasa and Josephine Suelto both put up a camote (sweet potato) cookie booth in yesterday’s Suroy-Suroy Sugbo in Aloguinsan town, midwestern Cebu.

Repasa and Suelto said they learned the recipe in the Sinanduloy Alang sa Kabusog, Sinanduloy Alang sa Kahimsog (Saksak), a livelihood program of the Cebu Provincial Agriculture Office.

Repasa told Cebu Daily News that she added malunggay to her camote cookies that were made with the usual mixture of  flour and milk.

Aloguinsan town is promoting organic products like malunggay.

Repasa said she sells her product not only in her hometown  but also in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue.

The success of the business has encouraged more Aloguinsan farmers  to plant camote to supply the crop to  cookie makers.

“Since last year we have been able to help farmers a lot since we have been ordering more camote,” she said.

Tourists in yesterday’s Suroy-Suroy were divided into two groups.

One group went to Bojo River and the other group proceeded to the organic farm.

After having lunch at the Baluarte Park, they proceeded to Pinamungahan town where they were greeted by students waving Philippine flaglets.

They were served native delicacies such as budbud.

Mayor Geraldine Yapha said the Suroy-Suroy program helped the town a lot.

“It made many people realize that there are many  wonderful places in  Pinamungahan,” Yapha said.

“Suroy-Suroy Sugbo program improved the tourism industry in the town when we made the Pamuhoan Festival.”

Pamuhoan is a Cebuano word for harvest. This is in honor of the town’s patron saint, Sta. Monica.

Yapha said the festival also deepened the sense of  identity of townfolks since Pinamungahan first joined the  Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Midwest  in 2008.

The last stop of the tour was Toledo City where the tourists witnessed the Hinulawan Festival.

Toledo City celebrates its annual thanksgiving in honor of its patron  St.John of Sahagun every 12th of June.

“Hinulawan” is a contraction of two Cebuano words, hin from “hinaguan” and ulawan from “bulawan.”

Hinulawan is also the old name of Toledo City.

Four features of the city were highlighted in the festival: Golden Harvest, Golden Friendship, Golden Treasurer and Golden Faith. /Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus