"The nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people."
Hello Hiver's! It's Virgoxsy once again; Kumusta! I hope all of you are doing well these past few days. In today’s blog, I will be sharing one of Gwendolyn Garcia’s programs, which is Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo, and giving you some background on who Gwendolyn Garcia is.
Gwendolyn, or Gwen, Garcia is a Filipino politician who is now in charge of the province of Cebu. She was elected governor in 2019 and took office on June 30, 2019. She is a member of the Philippine National Unity Party. She was elected governor for the first time in 2010 and was re-elected for a second term in 2013. She lost the governorship in the 2016 election but gained it again in 2019. Garcia earned her law degree at the University of San Carlos after attending Ateneo de Manila University. Before joining politics, she practiced law and served on the Cebu Provincial Board. Her goal as governor is to focus on improving infrastructure, education, and healthcare.
Launched in 2005, Suroy Suroy Sugbo—which means "wandering in Cebu" in the Cebuano language—are the official tours of Cebu Province organized by the Cebu Provincial Tourism Office. Each of the overland bus tours focuses on a particular area in the province, stopping by every single municipality to visit the town center (usually the town church and plaza), taste the local delicacies, and watch cultural presentations.
The term "suroy" refers to the action of "traveling" throughout the province of Cebu or Sugbo. A groundbreaking tourism effort called Suroy-Suroy Sugbo makes the whole Cebu province, including all 47 towns and four cities, accessible to tourists. To be called "visitable," these sites must be "consumer-friendly, accessible, participatory, performative, and safe."
The Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Northern Escapade, which runs from January 17 to January 19, 2023, includes over 800 participants who traveled by bus through Cebu Province's northern villages and a metropolis. The cities of Consolacion, Compostela, Carmen, Tabogon, Daanbantayan, Medellin, San Remigio, Santa Fe, Madridejos, Bantayan, Borbon, Sogod, Catmon, Liloan, and the City of Bogo are among the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Northern Escapade.
The various festivals hosted across the provinces, the majority of which coincide with the yearly fiestas of the towns and cities, aim to project an image of a tourist destination, even though some of these identities are still in dispute. While the suroy-suroy dates do not coincide with the fiestas of the towns in one cluster, cultural activities, particularly street dancing, take place throughout the caravan.
To commemorate Gov. Gwen’s arrival in the City of Bogo, students from City of Bogo Senior High School creatively manufactured colored flags.
A friend of mine quickly struck a pose as he successfully made his flaglet.
Each student from the HUMSS, ABM, GAS, STEM, TVL, and Arts and Design strands brought their own set of flags to wave as Gov. Gwen Garcia passes by our school's front road.
While waiting for Gov. Gwen to pass, the students were bored, so they playfully swung their flags at every car that drove in front of them. As students hoisted their flags, several vehicles or riders gladly waved back, creating quite a spectacle.
Despite the scorching heat, my pals managed to keep a grin on their lips and strike a pose conveying their enthusiasm for Gov. Gwen's arrival.
After 30 minutes (or more) of waiting, Gov. Gwen and the other buses containing tourists from local and different countries finally passed. The streets were filled with ear-splitting shrieks from students (including myself) as they hysterically waved their flags for Gov. Gwen to see how excited we are to be a part of the municipalities they are touring.
Even though we weren't able to take a picture with Gov. Gwen or even see her up close, our lengthy wait was not in vain, for we saw her wave and smiled to us in the end.
Thank you so much for taking a portion of your time in reading my blog! Keep safe everyone and may God bless you all!