Balamban was once a Spanish pueblo that included neighboring towns of Asturias and Tuburan. It was once known as baling-balang in reference to the way the natives linked their arms together to carry a Spaniard across a river. The name was later shortened to bang-bang before it eventually became Balamban. The town is also known as the “Ship Building Capital of the Philippines” with the presence of Tsuneishi Heavy Industries, a renowned ship-building company.
Aside from the ship-building industry, the Municipality of Balamban is also known for its liempo. The pork liempo or pork belly of Balamban is prepared using a special method. The residents of Balamban add a number of herbs, like dahon sibuyas or spring onions, tanglad or lemon grass, and garlic, among others, into their liempo. All of these ingredients add to the flavor of the pork. The whole dish is cooked over charcoal. In addition to its uniquely savory taste, the meat of the liempo of Balamban is also so tender that you could swear it melts in your mouth.
To get to Balamban, you can hop on a van for hire at the Ayala Center Cebu PUV Terminal headed for the town. The trip takes around an hour depending on the traffic. You will be treated to majestic views of the mountains of Cebu since the van will pass through the transcentral highway.