​The Mactan-Cebu International Airport is the main gateway of the Queen City of the South for flights coming from other places in the country and the world. It was initially an emergency airport of the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force. During that time, it was known as the Mactan Air Base. According to the website of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, a total of 71,543 planes flew in and out of the airport last year. That is nearly 200 flights coming in and out of the airport every day.

Cebu Landing Field

But long before the Mactan-Cebu International airport started operating, there was the Lahug Airport. The Lahug Airport started off as the Cebu Landing Field. It was designated as a Military Airport and Landing Field prior to the Second World War. The designation was issued by President Manuel L. Quezon under Executive Order No. 154 on June 25, 1938. 

After the war, President Manuel A. Roxas designated the Lahug Landing Field as a national airport on August 12, 1947. The designation was part of the efforts of the government to speed up the development of civil aviation in the country. This eventually led to the setting up of the Civil Aeronautics Administration on November 10. 1950. 

​Before its designation, the Lahug Airport was used for both civilian and military use. The airstrip was oriented from the southwest to the northeast and was around 800 meters long. It also had a width of around seventy meters. Its facilities included a two-storey barracks, gas dump and hangar. 

The airport was also the home base of the 6th Observation and Attack Squadron under 1st Lt Oscar Sales of the Philippine Army Air Corps. The air squadron was composed of thirteen (13) O-1 observation planes, one (1) Stinson Reliant and one (1) Stearman 17 trainer plane.

Papal Mass

The Lahug Airport in Cebu was located in what is now the Cebu IT Park. In fact, the runway of the airport is the present Jose Maria del Mar Street or the main thoroughfare of the place that runs up to the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino. The airport was also the venue of the papal mass on February 19, 1981. The late Pope and now Saint John Paul II offered the mass in front of thousands of residents and visitors to the Queen City of the South. It was the only open-air mass offered by the late pope. 

​By this time, air traffic was already routed to the Mactan Airport. The Lahug Airport was not expanded due to safety concerns since it was located in the middle of a residential area and close to the business centers of the city. The move was to avoid substantial loss of life in case a plane crashes.  Operations at the Lahug Airport were moved to Mactan Island in 1967 since the place had a bigger airstrip.

​A food truck is a large-sized vehicle with equipment to cook and sell food. The history of food trucks started with the Texas chuck wagon, which was essentially a mobile kitchen that prepared food for traveling workers in the United States in the late 1800s. Another precursor of the modern-day food trucks was the lunch wagon parked outside a newspaper office in Rhode Island. These food wagons eventually evolved into mobile food trucks that were nicknamed “gut trucks” or “roach coaches.” 

These mobile food trucks provided meals to blue-collar workers in the United States at a reasonable cost. Gourmet food trucks emerged after some laid off fine dining chefs looked for ways in making a living. Food trucks eventually became trendy with the advent of social media. This trend was enhanced as the idea of finding the location of a particular food truck became a favorite activity of people in the big cities of the US.

Food Trucks in the Philippines

Here in the Pearl of the Orient, food trucks were first spotted in the country’s capital. While the precursors of the food trucks in the Philippines were burger trucks that emerged in the 80s, modern food trucks in the country offer gourmet dishes at a reasonable cost. 

Pungko-Pungko On Wheels

The Queen City of the South is not wanting when it comes to food trucks. There are some “pungko-pungko” vendors who took their profession to the next level by selling their wares on a multicab. But one company took this to a higher level by offering gourmet food on a food truck. The Big Daddy Food Truck is a trend-setting food truck concept of the Creative Cuisine Gourmet Group. 

Big Daddy Food Truck

The food items offered by the Big Daddy Food Truck are typically available in gourmet fast food restaurants. They offer different variations of the burger, including the Big Daddy Cheeseburger, Bacon Mushroom Cheeseburger, Wasabi Burger, Double Patty Cheeseburger and Jalapeno Cheeseburger. In addition to the burgers, the Big Daddy food truck also has the Hungarian Sausage and Krainer Sausage sandwiches on its menu. 

​For people who cannot live without rice, the food truck also offers a good selection of rice meals, including the Pork Steak with rice, Burger Steak with rice and Krainer Rice Meal. People who simply want to have something to munch while passing time may order the Belly Chips with Seasoned Vinegar, Flavored Fries or the Chili Cheese Fries. The Big Daddy Food Truck also has combo meals for their guests. One of the combo meals is composed of the Big Daddy Burger, French Fries and Soda. 

​The Big Daddy Food Truck is typically parked at the Chika-an Restaurant parking lot along Salinas Drive. But there are instances when it can found at the parking lot of a school or mall for a special event at the place. Have you tried out the food offerings at the Big Daddy Food Truck already? Tell us what you ordered on the comments section below.

​Carcar is home to a number of Spanish and American era structures. Due to this, Carcar is also known as the Heritage City of Cebu. Aside from the historical and cultural significance of this southern city, the City of Carcar is also known for its food. Aside from the lechon, chicharon and ampao, another popular pasalubong item one can get from Carcar is the bocarillo.

​The bocarillo is candied strips made from coconut meat. It comes in different colors and is a favorite treat of children. This sweet treat from Carcar is shaped like a flower and its color makes it an appealing pasalubong option for visitors to Carcar. It comes in shades of pink, green, yellow, and blue, among others. 

​While the treat is also known as the bukayo in other place, the bukayo is not as colorful as the bocarillo. The bocarillo also makes use of the meat from young coconuts while the bukayo typically uses mature coconut meat. The treat is normally sold at the Carcar City Public Market. Ambulant vendors also sell the bocarillo in buses as they pass by Carcar. 

​According to bocarillo vendors, the name of the treat is derived from the name of its original maker. Aurillo dela Cerna. It’s a type of bukayo made by Aurillo. The family of Aurillo makes a special type of bocarillo that is made using secret ingredients. Their bocarillo has already reached the international market.

​Have you tasted the bocarillo from Carcar already? Tell us about it on the comments section below.

​Casa Verde is well known for its appetizing dishes not only among locals but to visitors to the Queen City of the South as well. The restaurant has become so popular that it already has branches in SM Mega Mall and Ayala-UP Town Center in Metro Manila. Aside from its delectable American-style dishes, the place also offers a wide array of dessert items guaranteed to sate anyone’s sweet tooth. The dessert items at the place were so delicious that they made a separate restaurant serving only desserts. The name of the place is Room for Dessert.

​The Room for Dessert is one of the newest restaurants opened by Casa Verde. Located at the Sky Park of SM Seaside City, the place is ideal for reminiscing good times with friends, casual meetings, or a simple weekend afternoon with the family.  The location is also perfect for watching the sun set over the horizon since it is on the outer deck of the mall. The glass walls of the structure provide guests an unhindered view of the setting sun.

​Room for Dessert offers a good number of hot drinks, including Espresso, Café Latte, Cappuccino, and Green Tea Latte. The place also has a number of Ice Blended Coffee variations, such as Mocha, Caramel and Double Chocolate Chip. Milkshake lovers will not be out of place at the Room for Dessert since it also has Chocolate, Very Vanilla, Oreo and Strawberry milkshakes on its menu.

​In addition, the menu also includes an assortment of cakes, including Tiramisu, Red Velvet and Lemon Curd Cheesecake. The place also offers sandwiches for people who want to have something else to go with their drinks. Their sandwich offerings include the Egg/Tuna Salad sandwich, Roast beef sandwich, Pulled Pork sandwich and Turkey sandwich.

​But people normally go to Room for Dessert for their Soft Serve Ice Cream. Their Soft Serve Ice Cream is unique since it is served with cotton candy wrapped around it. This makes the treat rather eye-catching aside from being delectable. The treat is offered in a number of favors, including Mason’s Bear Belly, K Pop C’s, Ting’s Heavenly Chocolate and Juliana’s Cookie Madness.

​The Room for Dessert by Casa Verde is definitely a shoo-in in any list of dessert places in Cebu. In fact, it is probably one of the places offering the most Instagrammable food items in Cebu. Have you visited the Room for Dessert by Casa Verde already? Which flavor of the soft serve ice cream did you order? Tell us about it on the comments section below.

“A museum is a place where one should lose one's head.” - Renzo Piano

A museum is an institution that conserves artifacts and objects of cultural, artistic, and historical significance. Many of the cities in the country have a museum or two. The Queen City of the South has a number of museums showcasing the rich cultural history of Cebu. One of these museums is the Rizal Memorial Library and Museum.

​Located along Osmeña Boulevard, the Rizal Memorial Library and Museum is one of the stops of the annual Gabii sa Kabilin of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. It houses historical archives and objects significant to the city and province of Cebu. The structure was initially designed to be a library before the museum opened in 1992.

History

Then Councilor Jose Nolasco spearheaded the efforts in the construction of the building. He was also the Project Chairperson for Cebu Carnival. He initially wanted to have a monument made as a tribute to the national hero, but Flavia Suson- Muaña convinced him to construct a building instead. The funds used for the construction of the building came from ticket sales from carnival expos and literary musicals. Funds were also contributed by the Los Tocayos de Rizal as well as the Cebuano community. 

​Architect Juan Marcos Arellano, the same person behind the Cebu Provincial Capitol building, designed the three-storey structure. A statue of Dr. Jose Rizal sitting with an open book on his lap and two children reading the book completed the structure. The building was inaugurated on December 30, 1939 with Don Ramon Aboitiz turning over a plaque. The plaque was made into a marker on the building. 

​However, the library was closed during the Second World War. The structure was used as the headquarters of the Japanese. While some of the book collections were transferred to the nearby Capitol building, a good number were destroyed during the war.

​Even as the building was not totally destroyed, it still required repairs following the end of the war. The government allotted PHP40,000 for the repair of the structure as well as the completion of the Cebu City Hall building. During this time, the library was relocated to the Cebu City Hall. The structure was also used by Perpetual Succour Hospital in the 1950s. The library eventually returned to its home in 1959 after the hospital moved out. The museum opened its doors to the public on March 16, 1992.

​The lot where the Rizal Memorial Library and Museum stands was donated by the Cebu Provincial government to the Cebu City government to safeguard the library and the museum.

The Museum and Library

The Rizal Memorial Library and Museum showcases a collection of artifacts significant to the history of Cebu. A number of prominent Cebuano families donated the antiques, furniture, wood carvings and scriptures displayed at the museum.  It also houses some paintings made by the best artists from Cebu. These paintings showcase the customs and traditions of the Cebuanos. 

Portraits of well-known Cebuanos are also displayed at the museum. The museum also houses a number of significant archeological finds in the island. The ground floor of the structure houses the library where 14,000 volumes of journals, books and similar publications are available to the public. The museum itself is located on the second floor of the structure while the third floor houses a performance arts hall where concerts and cultural presentations can be held.

​Even as technology has nearly made libraries and museums relics of the past, they still offer an experience one cannot get from staring at a screen the whole day.  When was the last time you visited the Rizal Memorial Library and Museum? Tell us about your experience on the comments section below.

​Whenever people go to a new place, one of the things they normally look for is the delicacies offered at the place. A delicacy, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “something pleasing to eat that is considered rare or luxurious.” In other words, a delicacy is basically food items you can find in that particular place.

Salvaro of Cebu

Cebu has a good number of delicacies visitors can taste or take home with them. These delicacies include the dried mango, peanut browas, otap and danggit, among others. In addition to these delicacies, Cebu is also home to a flat, oval-shaped coconut cracker, the salvaro. The coconut flavor of these biscuits makes it unique compared to the other delicacies available in this island in the middle of the archipelago.

Variations

The salvaro are wafer-thin biscuits with a coconut flavor. It is made of enriched wheat flour, shredded coconut, sugar, shortening and sodium bicarbonate. This coconut-flavored biscuit is considered a nutritious and healthy delicacy. In addition to Cebu, some areas in Mindanao have their own version of the salvaro using cassava instead of coconut as one of the main ingredients. Aloguinsan, a town situated in the western coast of Cebu, offers a salvaro using kamay, a red-colored sugar.

​Even with these variations, the salvaro is just one of the many unique delicacies one can find in Cebu. Were you able to taste the salvaro of Cebu already? Tell us about it on the comments section below.

​Mango Avenue is one of the busiest streets in Cebu. This is especially true when you visit the place at night. The street has a number of bars and restaurants catering to locals and visitors, alike. While most of these bars and restaurants are situated close to Fuente Osmeña, there are also some restaurants that can be found at the other end of the street. One of these restaurants is the Lighthouse Restaurant.

House Specialties

The Lighthouse Restaurant can be considered as an icon in the restaurant landscape of Cebu. The restaurant offers a good selection of Filipino that delighted the discriminating palate of Cebuanos for decades.  The house specialties are the Lechon de Leche, Alimango (crab), Kalderetang Kambing (stewed goat’s meat) and Lengua (ox tongue).

​In addition, the place also offers ocean lobsters and rock lobsters, but these are seasonal dishes that depend on the availability of the lobsters. The appetizers offered by the restaurant include Manggang Hilaw (green mango), Calamares (squid rings), Gambas (shrimp) and Quail Relyeno (stuffed quail). 

Soup and Main Dish

The Lighthouse Restaurant also offers a wide array of soup dishes, including Sinigang Manok (chicken stew), Sinigang Lamang Dagat (seafood stew), Monggo sa Gata (mung beans with coconut milk) and Bulalo Soup (beef shank soup), among others. For the main dish, guests can choose from a number of chicken, pork, beef and seafood dishes. These dishes include the Crispy Beef Spareribs, Beef Steak Tagalog, Crispy Pata (deep-fried pork knuckles), Pork Chop, Breaded Chicken Wings, the Lighthouse Fried Chicken, Stuffed Squid and Inutok sa Alimango (crab with coconut milk).

Healthy Options

Health-conscious guests will not be left to starve since the restaurant also has a suitable number of healthy food items on their menu. These menu items include the Green Tossed Salad, Crab Salad and Grilled Talong with Mango Salad (grilled eggplant with mango salad). For vegetable lovers, they can opt to have the Grilled Talong (grilled eggplant), Mixed Vegetables or Steamed Broccoli of the restaurant.

​The Lighthouse Restaurant has been serving delectable dishes to Cebuanos and visitors to the Queen City of the South for generations. It is a familiar site for longtime residents of Cebu whenever they pass close to the intersection of Mango Avenue and Gorordo Avenue. The restaurant also has another branch located at Gaisano Country Mall. The place is suitable for family gatherings and reunions. 

Have you tried out the dishes offered at the Lighthouse Restaurant already? Tell us about your experience on the comments section below.

Cebu is synonymous to lechon. The lechon from Cebu is known all around the world and is one of the pasalubong items people would bring back after a trip to Cebu. It is perfect for parties, beach outings and other get-togethers. But Cebu is also known for something else that goes well with the Cebu lechon, the puso or hanging rice.

The puso is one of the icons representing Cebu. It is basically rice wrapped in “lukay” or coconut fronds. You can usually see puso sold at a lechon or barbecue stall in Cebu. It is a practical way of transporting and serving cooked rice, especially when you go to the beach or go island hopping in Cebu. 

History

Despite its humble image, the puso actually has a rich history behind it. It was a ritual object used in the animist religion practiced by the people before the Spanish colonization of the country. It was associated by pre-Hispanic Cebuanos to a unique mystical experience. But this practice was obliterated since it was frowned upon by the Spaniards.  According to Dr. Reynaldo Inocian, the expert puso makers are called the “manlalah.” Weaving the puso is a part of the informal education in the upland areas of Cebu. Mothers teach the skill as part of their preparation for the “hikayan.”

​A number of rituals are practiced by a small community in Barangay Taptap in the mountains of Cebu. These rituals include the “Harang sa mga kalag” or ancestor worship offering, the “Tigpo”  or atonement for the sins of the spirits of the underworld by the farmers, the “Sagangsang” or a ritual by for tuba gatherers for abundant wine, the “Damit” or a ritual to prepare for an abundant harvest, the “Buhat Silung” or diwata ritual for good fortune, the “Pamisa” or a ritual for souls in purgatory, and the “Balangkisaw” or atonement rituals for sins against the spirits of the water gods.  The puso was used as an offrenda or an offering made for the anitos from the people. 

The Name Puso

The term “puso” may have originated from the time when Cebuanos wanted to make the Chinese rice dumpling or the ma-chang. According to a story, when a Cebuano showed a Chinese what he made, the Chinese said “phu-shi,” which is Chinese for “it is not.” The Chinese also pointed to the rice dumpling while saying “ma-chang.” The Cebuano later realized his product was a “pu-so” and not the ma-chang.

​The puso or the hanging rice continues to be a popular way of serving rice in the Visayas and Mindanao areas. Its portability also makes it perfect for a trip to the beach or family gatherings. It is also a practical way of ensuring the rice is clean since it remains untouched by human hands after it is cooked. You can buy the puso at any barbecue or lechon stall and markets in the island of Cebu. 

​Catmon is a small town located in the northern part of Cebu. It is home to Mount Capayas or Mount Kapayas, the Duko Duko Eatery, and their own version of the suman, the Budbod Kabog. Actually, this delicacy is also found in Dumaguete as well as in Tanjay, Negros Oriental. 

​The budbod kabog is made from a cereal plant called “kabog.” It is mixed with coconut milk and sugar before wrapping it with banana leaves. The main ingredient is also known as the millet and is abundant in the mountains of Catmon. The residents of the areas where this small-seeded plant are found discovered that it can be used for food. Due to this they started to cultivate it.

​Legend has it that kabog or millet grass was discovered by a farmer scattered inside a cave in Barangay Agsuwao in Catmon. It was used as food by cave bats, which are locally known as kabog. The farmer brought home the millet seeds and cooked them. But it was bland to the taste and had a coarse texture. He made some experiments on the recipe and pounded the seeds before he cooked them. He added sugar to the recipe and the result was delectable.

​The people later cooked the pounded millet seeds with sugar and coconut milk and the result was the budbod kabog. According to the residents of Catmon, the delicacy was first sold at the Naghalin Bridge. The first buyers of the delicacy were supposedly cockfight aficionados. 

​The budbod kabog became the inspiration for the Budbod Kabog Festival in Catmon. The festival showcases how this delicious treat is made. The eight steps in the dance during the festival imitate the process of making the budbod kabog.

​The eight steps in the dance were created by Dioso Branzuela, Nelson Ares and Arlene Menchavez. The Budbod Kabog is held every February in the town of Catmon.

​Cebu is home to a number of delicacies that have tickled the taste buds of locals and visitors alike. Aside from the Peanut Browas, Rosquillos and dried mangos, Cebu also has another delicacy that Cebuanos living abroad would love to have whenever they come home to their native land, the masareal.

​The masareal is a Cebuano delicacy made of finely-ground peanut, water and sugar. Some masareal makers also have their own secret ingredient to add to the already delicious taste of the treat. This delicacy originated from Mandaue City, Cebu and is served in rectangular bars. They are packed in paper and secured using a string or plastic twine.  There are a number of masareal makers in Mandaue, but the more famous is Didang’s Masareal.

​Didang’s Masareal started when Juliana “Didang” Suico started her masareal business in 1914 in Basak, Mandaue. During this time, the process of making masareal was rather tedious. It starts off with cooking unshelled peanuts in a pot full of water. Once the peanuts are cooked, they are allowed to cool down before grinding them into fine bits. The sugar and water and mixed together and placed in a pot to make sugar syrup. Once the syrup becomes thick, the finely-ground peanuts are added. The whole mixture is poured into a baking sheet and allowed to cool down. Then they are cut into the rectangular shape the masareal is famous for.

​The name masareal may have come from two Spanish words, “masa,” which means dough, and “real,” which means fine.  The delicacy is available in supermarkets, groceries and pasalubong centers. Roadside stalls in Mandaue also sell this sweet treat that a good number of Cebuanos living abroad look for each time they come home.

​Have you tasted this sweet, nutty treat from Mandaue already? Tell us about it on the comments section below.