Negros: My Island, My Region

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Mabinay Spring


What better way to end summer with a roadtrip to the other side of the island – Negros Oriental. It was two days after Executive Order 183 was signed by President Benigno Aquino - Creating the Negros Island Region that we decided to take a four and a half hours drive to Dumaguete City via Mabinay.

the Boulevard
I always look forward to visiting friends and relatives after summer class in the City of Gentle People – Dumaguete.  The city is the capital of Negros Oriental, which can be reached by air with four flights daily to and from Manila and one flight daily to and from Cebu. Fast ferries cater to the riding public to Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor. This is the city where pedicabs are considered a popular means of transportation. Most probably the province with the most number of motorbikes today. 
 

Sisters of St Paul came in 1904
Silliman was established in 1901
When in Dumaguete, here are some tips to popular places that you should not miss. First in the list is the Rizal boulevard which is clean and tourist friendly, children love to pose with the I Love Dumaguete signage. At the boulevard, you can start your day with a jog or walk and burn those calories and take a selfie at the landmark of the seven sisters of St Pauls of Chartres, and at the nearby market, you visit the ‘painitan’ where  the famous puto and tsokolate is a must taste, I chanced upon the Martinez couple at the market who has been selling puto for the past twenty years, Mrs. Martinez  measured four scoops of puto on a banana leaf using a cover of the local peanut butter bottle sold at P10.00. They also had bingka or rice cake at P7.00 each, while a budbud made of steamed sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf and sold by pair at P12.00, best tasted with ripe mango.  

Next is the Ethno-Anthropological Museum in Silliman University where you can also visit the Cafeteria famous for the fruit mix with the use of steel food trays. We told our kids to fall in line and wait for their turn in ordering for food – that’s the SU life experience. You can also walk around the campus and discover new places and buildings, or simply seat at the amphitheater facing the church. If you want to listen to a band and watch them up close and personal, visit the famous Hayahay by the sea or meet some tourist at Sans Rival for silvanas and dine-in , taste other pastries over a cup of coffee.

There was a month long festival costumes display at the mall for the celebration of Heritage Month during our short visit to Negros Oriental.

at Mabinay Spring
The scenery along the coastal town of Sibulan, San Jose and Amlan is refreshing, passing through Mabinay on the way home known as the CAVE TOWN of Negros Island, caving is best done with a guide at a minimum of two hours trek for  three caves like Bulwang, Crystal, Baliw or Odloman, Paglinawan and Mambajo Cave in Mabinay, they provide a tour guide and safety orientation. For a group of five, tour fee is P400.00 with entrance fee in at least three caves at P45.00 each, this is best for ecotourism activities for tourism students. Just about ten minutes away is the Mabinay Spring Resort where one can swim in the three pools at the spring or dive to the 10feet deep main spring, kayak around, they also have a chlorinated swimming pool with cabanas at affordable prices. With an entrance fee of  P10.00 each, visitors in Mabinay  reached 119,410 in 2014 as reported by tourism officer Gharie Caceres.

There are many places to visit in the other side of Negros, with the creation of Negros Island Region, we can now start making itineraries for our tours around the island.


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