The port of Sibulan, the town next to Dumaguete
City, is just fifteen minutes from the airport of the province of Negros
Oriental. Here, ferries regularly cross the Tañon Strait from Sibulan to
Santander at the southern tip of the island province of Cebu, and vice versa. The
trip takes about thirty to forty-five minutes for P65. People from Santander
and neighboring towns such as Samboan, Moalboal and Oslob go to Sibulan and
Dumaguete to buy supplies instead of Cebu City, which is a four-hour drive
away.
The water of Tañon Strait near Cebu is
lucent, and dolphins, whales and sharks are regularly sighted here. By the
shore of Oslob, fishermen have been interacting with whale sharks, tuki
in Cebuano, feeding them krill like they are pets.
The southern part of
Cebu is sleepy and rustic, in contrast to the province’s capital, Cebu City,
about 125 kilometers away, which with the adjacent cities is the Philippines’
second largest urban area. Tourism has been sporadic save for Moalboal, which
is known for its dive sites. Recently, Oslob has seen rapid development and
vibrant tourist influx after travelers discovered the whale sharks that
frequent its waters.
In the country, the town of Donsol in
Sorsogon has been long popular for whale shark watching and interaction. Now,
Oslob is suddenly in the limelight, offering a surer and closer sighting and
interaction. Although guidelines have been set, the way they conduct the
interaction has also often drawn criticism, particularly the fishermen’s
feeding of the sharks to bring them closer to the tourists. The impact on the
sea creatures still cannot be ascertained and is being studied. One thing is
sure though: Oslob has experienced a boom. The barangay of Tanawan,
where the whale shark tourism is concentrated, has been bustling with visitors
and has seen several constructions of resorts and other kinds of
accommodations. The whale shark tourism also affected other areas as tourists
began to discover and visit other sites in southern Cebu.
The whale shark tourism started at around
2012, surmised EJ Barretto, resident manager of Bluewater Sumilon Island
Resort. He said it has drawn attention to other tourist attractions that have
been unnoticed before.
“The start of the tourism on whale shark
watching changed the resort, as well as the town of Oslob and the province of
Cebu,” he said.
Located on the coralline island of Sumilon,
part of the barangay of Bancogon, Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort is
most likely the only luxurious and well-appointed resort in southern Cebu. It
occupies about seventeen hectare and developed about eight hectares of the
24-hectare island just off the shore of southeastern Cebu. The area was the
first marine protected area in the Philippines and was made a fish sanctuary in
1974 under the guidance of Silliman University Marine Reserve.
Charming villas nestled along the rocky
shore, which contain modern amenities and sport a lovely contemporary design
infused with Filipino sensibilities and details, which can be also be found in
other Bluewater resorts owned by the Alegrado family of Cebu and Bohol.
The Alegrados started in the hospitality
industry with opening of the Almont Hotel in Butuan City in Agusan del Norte in
1983. In 1989, the family established Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort in the sitio
of Buyong, Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City, on Mactan Island, Cebu. Bluewater Sumilon
Beach Resort opened in 2005, furthering the Bluewater brand of which the resort
in Panglao, Bohol, is the latest property.
Among their resorts, Bluewater Sumilon
resort has been the most private and serene, being the only property in an
uninhabited island of a languid town. The attractions of the resort include a
white-sand beach and another one at another part of the island, which changes
shape and location. There is a mangrove-fringed lagoon within the resort where
one can go kayaking and fishing.
One can also go trekking through the forest
of the island and espying on birds. At the southern part, trekkers will
discover a lighthouse inside a protected tree park and a 19th-century
watchtower or baluarte, used to look out for slavers and marauders.
The resort also offers tours around the
area, visiting waterfalls, heritage sites and other attractions. Tourists can
also watch dolphins in Tañon Strait. Other water activities are boating,
snorkeling and diving.
The rooms are one of the best parts of Bluewater
Sumilon. Starting with fourteen villas, it now has twenty-nine rooms—fourteen
deluxe villas, twelve premiere, two one-bedroom and one two-bedroom.
Additionally, if one desires to rough it out but without the usual
inconveniences, the resort offers a chic kind of camping—glamping. One area has
pre-pitched tents with electricity and accessibility.
The Pavilion is the largest structure in
resort, an octagonal hut with thatched grass roofing. It houses the restaurant
that serves of local and international cuisines with a panoramic view of the
swimming pool and the luminous sea. Notable are their seafood dishes and their
innovative takes on local dishes such as the adobo rice served inside a bamboo
cylinder, lamb shank caldereta and the suman panna cotta. The
resort also regularly prepares buffet feasts on the beach and occasionally a
lovely private dinner at the sandbar. One feasts on grilled squid and prawns
with lamps dangling from a bamboo pole over the table and swaying in the sea
wind, surrounded by the sand, the sea, the darkness perforated by distant
lights and the sound of waves.
Diving has been the main activity before the
whale shark interaction, said Barretto. Also, the occupancy was middling. Now,
it dramatically increased that they are almost always full. Day tours have also
dramatically increased, and usually these are the whale tourists. Because of
the increase in clients, the resort is now expanding to add more rooms.
Filipinos still comprise the biggest slice of the market with about more than
half, followed by the Chinese, a recent development.
Aside from the resort and the whale sharks,
many of these tourists explore other sites in the area. The most popular is the
town proper, especially for heritage lovers. The town proper has retained the
old provincial air with church and its environs forming the most important
heritage zone of Oslob. Facing the sea, this area was also developed into a
tourist complex, with the preservation of the old structures and the building
of a small museum. At its heart is the 19th-century buttressed
Church of the Immaculate Conception, constructed of limestone and coral stone,
as with most churches in Cebu and many parts of the Visayas.
Just across it is the Cuartel, also made of
coral stone. The building was erected in late 19th century as a
barracks for Spanish soldiers, but was not finished until Spanish occupation
ended in 1898. Also in the area are the ruins of a watchtower, built in 1788.
It is part of the series of old Spanish-era watchtowers along the shores of
southern Cebu to look out for marauding pirates and invaders. Also, the church
stone walls or fences are still largely intact.
On the other hand, the museum contains
pieces of furniture, utensils, daily implements, etc., giving visitors glimpses
of life in the olden days.
Aside from the town proper and Tumalog Falls
within Oslob, tourists explore as far as Samboan for the Aguinid Falls. The
falls has several levels, and the adventurous challenge themselves to climb the
higher levels with guides and ropes already in place. Here, Bluewater Sumilon
can arrange a Boodle Fight-style lunch to complete a nature adventure
experience.
With
Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort as base, the offerings of southern Cebu are
opened up for the tourists with a range of experiences that can be exhilarating.
