by Jose Antonio Fajardo

The Bogo Tree (credits to cityofbogo.com)

The city is located in the northern part of Cebu Province and is approximately 100 kilometers away from Cebu City, where one can take a two-hour bus ride.

It is also accessible by sea from Masbate, Daanbantayan, and Bantayan Island. Its location, thriving agriculture and fishery industry and the presence of three wharves — Polambato (for ships and shipping vessels), Poblacion (pumpboats and fishing vessels) and Nailon (motorized pumpboats and bancas) — strengthen its bid to become the center for trade and commerce in the area north of Cebu.

Thus, while the city exudes a laid-back charm, locals and tourists enjoy the convenience of department stores, fast food restaurants, banks with ATMs and reliable communications and data services from trusted communication companies. In addition, Bogo has 4 colleges, pension houses, huge public market, public pier, boats going to Leyte and Masbate, parks, main plaza, museum with library, San Vicente Parish Church, Verallo Memorial Hospital, doctors, dentists and more! 

The City of Bogo has been adjudged as a National Hall of Fame Awardee as the Cleanest and Greenest Municipality (then) in 1998. In the same year, the municipality was accorded the Healthy Market Award by the Department of Interior Local Government (DILG). It is also recipient of the Regional Gold Award as Most Outstanding Municipality for 1st to 3rd Class Category in Local Budget Administration in 1999. 

The City of Bogo is now a 4th class city in the province of Cebu. It was voted for cityhood last June 16, 2007 and is now one of the component cities of Cebu.

A popular delicacy made from ground corn and wrapped in corn husk and known as pintos, is the star of a new festival in Bogo. The Pintos Festival, which coincides with the town fiesta during the latter part of May, replaces the Kuyayang Festival, with its roots in a traditional courtship dance. The shift in focus from the kuyayang dance to the popular  pintos, reflects a positioning more aligned with the city’s strengths: Most of Bogo’s flat lands are devoted to agriculture, with corn among the chief products.

Made from ground corn, milk, and either butter or margarine and wrapped in corn husk, Bogo’s pintos is among local and foreign tourists.

While the sweet delicacy is now the center of efforts to promote the city, through the Pintos Festival, Bogo has other attractions.

Attractions range from the religious to recreational. A popular spot is the Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in La Paz, Bogo City. Many devotees of the Blessed Virgin Mary light a candle and say a prayer at the foot of the giant image, after climbing 100 steps up the hill.

Another is Our Lady of Remedios Parish Church in Odlot, Bogo where devotees flock for prayers of healing. This features the images of Our Lady of the Remedios (Remedies), San Paplo (Saint Paul) and San Pedro (Saint Peter) that were cought by fishermen with their nets in the sea near the current parish church.  The Parish Church was founded in 1980 and many healings have taken place in this parish church.  Mother Mary is reported to have shed tears.  There is a healing mass every Wednesday and the priest gives credit to God for the healings.  The church is undergoing expansion and the facade will be finished soon.

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The presence of nearby white sand beaches, dive sites and golf courses also offer alternatives to first-time visitors of Bogo.

Fast becoming a favorite is Capitancillo Island, an isolated six-hectare coralline islet some 30 minutes away from the city via banca. On the surface is a solar-powered lighthouse, sitting among the remains of an old structure. Rebuilt in the 1950s, the lighthouse is one of the oldest lighthouses in the province. But the true beauty of the island lies in the seas beneath. Capitancillo has a shallow edge which drops down from 25 to 40 meters, making it ideal for snorkeling. The main attraction, though, is diving. Just off the island are three dive sites: the Capitancillo Island’s own southwest wall and the Ormoc and Nunez shoals.

All have shallow reef-tops at 33 feet leading to drop-offs with colorful soft corals, gorgonian sea fans, caves and black corals. The main interest of the dives are the walls, with their many caves and overhangs, small shoals of pelagic fish, all varieties of reef fish, whitetip and gray reef sharks, and the ever present possibility of encounters with larger pelagic species.

Those looking to just lounge around and swim can choose from nearby beach resorts in Barangay Nailon or the more popular resorts in the neighboring towns of Medellin and San Remigio. Golf enthusiasts, meanwhile, will be more than pleased with the presence of two world-class golf courses near Bogo City. In Medellin, the exclusive Mercedes Plantation Golf Club in Barangay Dayhagon ca be found. Those with families can also opt to stay at the Casa del Mar Golf and Dive Site, which features a white sand beach as well as the Verdemar Golf Club in San Remigio, a town some nine kilometers west of Bogo.

This is Bogo, it may not be much to many but it means the world to me. This is the place that molded me. Definitely a place to go.
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