Thursday, May 14, 2015

Enjoy Carcar City, Cebu

Jose Rizal Monument built in 1929
For seven days, I stayed in Carcar City, Cebu. It is one of the several cities in Cebu and one of the newest cities in the Philippines. How I enjoyed the place was not only basically defined by foods to eat in Carcar but by the things that made it historical. I usually love to visit historical sites because I like history. In Carcar, I enjoyed history and development.

There are few hotels to stay in Carcar, however, the price is reasonable enough for budget travelers like me. I stayed in RL Apartments whose owner, Richard, is friendly and accommodating. At 700 pesos per  day, the room is already spacious and can accommodate even an additional or extra bed for a third occupant. RL Apartments is located along Gen. Luna St., Poblacion 2, with mobile number 0908-505-7030. The hotel is family owned and not so many workers are there to attend to your needs but basically family members. Travelers always look for wifi, don't worry RL has wifi connection.

Leon Kilat Monument built in 1959
St. Catherine de Alexandria Church built in 1859
Several landmarks are seen within the City Hall compound of Carcar. First, the Jose Rizal monument that dates back to 1929. There is also the monument of Leon Kilat, a famous Filipino fighter and revolutionary leader of Cebu during the Spanish regime. He died in Carcar in 1898, hence, a statue is in honor of him right at the entrance of the city hall.

The Hispanic church of St. Catherine de Alexandria is just facing the city hall. It was built in 1859. Other religious sites are the Theotokos Shrine, house of Our Lady of Family. We visited this shrine located on top of a hill with the sight of remaining parts of Carcar. I was not able to visit the Bishop Camomot Shrine. The said bishop's (Camomot) beatification is now on process in Vatican.


Giant Statue of Our Lady of the Family 
Theotokos Shrine in Barangay Perrelos
Don't forget to visit Carcar City Museum. It was built under the American period and started by Don Mariano Mercado in 1929 as dispensary building. I sat with the table that was used by Leon Kilat during the Spanish revolt for purposes of meeting, it is still in tact and inside the museum.

At the back of the museum is a facility that tells many stories. Its back has the remains of a former huge swimming pool because Carcar was once the summer capital of Cebu. The doors around the swimming pool remains are former bath houses but became torture rooms during the war. 


A former Dispensary in 1929, now Carcar City Museum
The Green Mansion, a heritage house, is open for business.
The Green Mansion
Carcar is famous home to heritage houses. These houses date back to 1800s. The Balay na Tisa, just walking distance from my hotel, was built in 1859. I was not able to enter because generally, these houses are privately owned. I also saw Mancao Ancestral House and I likewise observed some cracks in Ang Dakong Balay, which according to my interviews, was attributed to the great Bohol quake that reached up to Cebu. The Green Mansion, on the other hand, is still being used for trade and commerce up to now since it was built in 1910. There are shops on the ground floor area of the mansion.

The Carcar Rotunda is a place where one will observe concentration of traffic congestion during rush hours. Chicharon and delicacies stores are located in the Rotunda and tourists usually drop by every now and then to buy pasalubong. It needs repair like landscaping to improve it aesthetic view. I cannot even cross the Rotonda and reach the statue in the middle because of so many cars passing around. The Carcar Rotunda was constructed in 1937.


Balay na Tisa (Sarmiento-Osmena House)
Ang Dakong Balay (Don Florencio Noel House)
Not so many people can enter the NIA Hard filled dam located in Barangay Can-asujan. I was lucky enough that a city hall official brought my group to visit the dam. The dam was funded by Asian Development Bank. During our visit, water in the dam is already in critical level. The dam irrigates farms for agriculture of neighboring barangays within the city of Carcar.

I visited the Mainit-Mabugnay Hot Spring. The upper portion of the water system is the source of potable water for Carcar Water District. It is frequented by people who swim during summer. The challenge here is on how to maintain the place neat and clean and free from plastics and other refuse. I did not see, by the way, hot springs.


The Can-asujan Small Reservoir Irrigation Project, services 369 hectares of rice land
and 403 hectares of vegetable lands.
Bamboo bridge in Poblacion 2
While Marikina is the shoe capital of Metro Manila, Carcar is the shoe capital of Cebu. Its shoes are being supplied to various parts of Visayas and Mindanao. I have talked with the President of the shoe makers in Carcar, Gerry Sanoy, when we visited his factory and store in Tangasan. One of the things that pull the shoe industry in Carcar, according to him, are the cheap shoes from  China and Korea. I do not know what the government, local or national, is doing to help this industry of shoes in Carcar to survive. I have seen a shoe store, which accordingly, is owned by the mayor of Carcar. They too are members of the shoe makers association, who are suffering from the influx of cheaper imported shoes.

Marikina of the south, one can buy Carcar-made shoes.
 Stores are concentrated in Acacia Grill compound, Brgy Valladolid
Quality-wise, I bought several shoes in Carcar. At reasonable and factory price, I bought two pairs of shoes at 270 each, which can be sold at more than 500 pesos in Metro Manila. I also bought a third pair, which becomes my favorite footwear when going out during summer.

How to get to Carcar:
Ride a bus at South Terminal Station in Cebu City. Fare is 40 pesos for ordinary bus while 60 pesos for aircon bus. Travel time is more than an hour. Or you may hire a taxi or van in Cebu City.

To know more about Carcar, I texted the mobile number given in the city museum, 0998-5581-081 (landline number is (032) 266-5050). When I asked about the horseback riding and zipline in one of the barangays in Carcar, I received a reply to go to the city hall tourism office to ask. It seems that the one who holds the mobile number of the tourism office is not updated of what is happening on the tourism sites that the city is promoting. It is not even proper to let me go to the city museum office when I am on my way far from the area instead of giving me answers right away. It was from a friend whom I learned about that horseback riding and zipline adventure has already been closed by the owner, not from the tourism office anymore.

With information from "Ways to enjoy Carcay" provided by the City Tourism Office

Wonderful Sights and Castle Church in Sibonga, Cebu

Thanks to Jigme Dorji who took this picture inside the Monastery of the Holy Eucharist
located in Marian Hills, Lindogon, Barangay Simala, Sibonga, Cebu.
Simala Church ceiling
Cebu is known for historical places and old structures. However, not all structures are old. I visited the famous castle church in barangay Simala, town of Sibonga. Since I stayed in Carcar City, where my hotel was located, I hitched aback of a single motor cycle called habal habal by the locals.

Heritage church (Our Lady of the Pillar) and building opposite of  the municipal hall
Risky and amazing. Risky because the driver and I were not even wearing helmet. I do not know why they are not used to wearing helmet when the roads belong to national highways. Amazing - because I enjoyed joy riding. It was too hot then, under scourging heat of the sun and yet riding was fun. When on our way back to Carcar City, the four habal habals which we rented were stopped at police checkpoint in Sibonga. I was surprised to know that the motor registration of all the four habal habals were expired or were pending to be released after filing renewal with the Land Transportation Office. I could say that in that part of this country, maybe in other parts too, habal habals are not being regulated. They are just being allowed to travel without making sure that all necessary requirements are met. Had we met an accident then I will not be able to claim insurances - I have plenty of life insurances.

Jose Rizal Monument
Anyway, Sibonga is a small town after Carcar City. The view of the sea at the back of the municipal hall is so amazing. The town hall as well as its park is neat and clean while the opposite church is historical dating back to Hispanic period. 

Sibonga Municipal Hall
When we reached Simala, I saw a lot of cars going down from the upland. These cars, mostly private and tourists, visited the Catholic church in the barangay. When we reached the area, it is like fiesta. Amid the sunlight, people do not cease to come and line up for the visit up. Souvenir items, plentiful of them. Shorts and sleeveless shirts and so sexy attire are not allowed inside the church. The security guard strictly implements the dress code among visitors.

Well of Nazareth
The church is a huge complex and some of its parts are still undergoing continuous construction. The design on the front is so beautiful that it resembles that of the European castles I saw in magazines and postcards before. 

Religious items are for sale outside including rosaries, books and novenas. One can enter the church and pray as well and visit the altar while observing queuing properly.

Sibonga Pier
How to reach Sibonga: Ride a bus going to Sibonga at South Bus Terminal in Cebu City or rent a taxi from Cebu City.