UTANON FESTIVAL

 
Utanon Festival is a festival of music and dance featuring our high value crops and vegetables as a major form of trade, its contribution to the local economy, its role in cultural diversity and its significance as an industry representative of Dalaguetnons as a people. The festival shall focus on the concept of the people’s cultural practices of religious worship as thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest. It shall become a marketing tool for the promotion of our vegetable industry and gives emphasis that vegetable farming is a sustainable source of livelihood. These economic components shall be coupled with our reputation as a town of music and world class musicians featuring our cultural heritage.  This will be held during the Annual celebration of our Patron Saint San Guillermo de Aquitania on February.

TORTA

Call this the Queen of the Bring-house phenomenon. It has the shape of a crown and dusted with the white sugar crystals which glitter like tiny diamonds. There are differing traditions and recipes of the majestic Torta. The Dalaguete Torta distinguishes itself from all other tortas in its yolk to oil ratio content; that’s what makes it Dalagitnon. Guarded family recipes require the best eggs from free-range native chickens and pure home-produced pork oil. The ultimate torta has loads of yolk and oil per square millimeter making it the cholesterolic climax of pastries. Goes superbly with coffee, “tsokolate” or cola. Ideal for bring-house, pasalubong or giveaways, the torta has always been pinned for, here and abroad. It can remain soft, good and sugary for 5 to 6 days and would surely pass strict airport regulations.

BANANA MEAT

In Dalaguete, deep-fried bananas (ripe cardava variety), immaculately stuffed with prime ground meat would seemingly grow on trees every fiesta. These potassium rich bananas have amazed many famished eaters and undaunted visitors. At first sight it looks just like your ordinary “pritong saging”. At first bite, it’s a culinary wonder: soft, sweet and juicy outside, meaty and spicy inside. Appetizer, main dish or dessert, the Banana Meat can be found in every table during fiesta – only in Dalaguete. It’s so easy to prepare and it has become a mainstay in many households on fiestas, holidays and special occasion buffets. It has become as much a tradition as the lechon. It’s not for vegetarians but it’s the ultimate banana experience one can never have enough of!!

DALAGUETE BEACH PARK

Sandy palm-fringed shoreline, Dalaguete Beach Park is  one of Cebu’s best public beaches! It’s clean and well maintained government property which both locals and tourists would definitely enjoy! A minimal fee of 5php per person and 20php for parking is not bad at all for a very well maintained property. Cottages are also for rent for about 100-200 bucks. But we prefer setting our own beach mats and lying with sand on our back.

ROCK FORMATION

Tabon is an upland Barangay of Dalaguete. Characterized as an agricultural barrio, its large vegetable production/farming contributes a lot to Agriculture Industry of Cebu Province.You have to spend 45 minutes -1 hour travel from the town proper of Dalaguete to reach Barangay Tabon. Habal-Habal is the only available mode of transportation going to the area. Terminal is located at the town's corner street called “eskina mantalongon” . Hiring  habal-habal costs 100-150 pesos while regular fare (have to wait for 3 other passengers) ranges from 50-60 pesos. According to the locals there are  caves in the area - surprisingly still unexplored! Wish I could set another time and have proper preparations to explore the said caves. 

Tabon’s cool weather condition and untouched nature mixes adventure and nature hopping in one!

OBONG SPRING

The Obong Spring of Barangay Obong, Municipality of Dalaguete, Cebu is a natural spring water system which flows near the sea. The continuous flow of fresh water meets with sea water when the tide is high. With these features, hundred of tourists are visiting the Obong Spring from time to time. Spring is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground. Obong Spring is cold in nature. This gives the visitors a relaxing ambiance with matching old-aged trees and sculptures.

THE SAN GUILLERMO DE AQUITANIA CHURCH OF DALAGUETE

The Municipality of Dalaguete in Southern Cebu is also a destination of its own. I discovered this when we hurriedly toured around the town before ascending to Osmeña Peak. The town in itself is a heritage site to consider. It is dotted with several historical structures, heritage parks, and old colonial houses that defined the antiquity of this once a sleepy town. The most famous among these structures is the baroque-rococo church of Dalaguete – the Parish Church of San Guillermo de Aquitania.The institution of Dalaguete as a town started when it became a Visita of Carcar in 1690. It was later established as an independent parish in 1711. The present church today that erected at the town’s Poblacion was constructed in 1802 and was completed in 1825. Following that year, a church rectory was constructed and was finished in 1832. In 1860, a grand octagonal three-story church belfry was also built.