We couldn’t seem to get enough of the towns in the southern part of Cebu. After that South Cebu Tour we had last year, we thought we’ll have to give North Cebu its time to shine. But that time has not come yet. There’s still so much more to South Cebu that we couldn’t move on.
Last February, the hubby and I celebrated our Valentine’s Day in Coal Mountain Resort in Argao, Cebu. But I’ll talk about that in a later post. For now, let’s see what Argao has in store for us.
Half of our second day in this municipality was spent walking in the town proper. It’s amazing how Argao managed to keep the Spanish flavor around.
- Cabecera de Argao
Just a minute or two walk from the main road, the town hides the remnants of the Spanish era, from the church to the government buildings.
- Saint Michael, the Archangel Parish
Our first stop was the 200-year old church of Saint Michael, the Archangel.
Just like most churches in Southern Cebu, this church walls are also made from coral stones. The facade contains articulate carvings depicting the patron saint displayed on its niche. There are urn-like finials flanked at each corner of the pediment. It’s great that they have preserved this old structure.
You should not miss checking the interior of the parish, too. The ceiling immediately caught our attention because of the colorful painting that depicts that archangel’s life. We did not have the chance to check the altar because it was under rennovation.
- The Hall of Justice.
Second stop, was the town’s Hall of Justice. One of the edifice in the town that shows evident Spanish taste. This served as military barracks during the old times but now functions as the Hall of Justice.
- Torta, Argao’s delicacy.
Have you tasted that delish sweet flatbread called “torta“? How was it? If you think it wasn’t delicious then you have not tasted Argao’s torta. 🙂
I say, “Torta is Argao, and Argao is Torta!”
When you visit the town, don’t you dare miss this delish delicacy. Argao is known for its homemade tortas that are traditionally baked in a clay oven and they use tuba (coconut wine) as the leavening agent. They said “with time, it gets tastier” or “magkadugay, magkalami“. Hmmm? I ate mine after two weeks, I say they’re right. 🙂
- Nature Park.
The town also has a nature park where you can relax and think about your existence. (Kidding.) They offer canoing for only Php10. You can have a picnic or try their wall climbing, too. The park has an entrance of Php5.
Personal rambling:
Our short jaunt in the town proper brought to us a Spanish flavor. Despite the pain the era had caused us, it’s nice to know how we are so forgiving, how we showed importance to its legacy. It would be easy to move on from the Spanish colony by destroying everything that reminds us of that time, but we chose not to. Because these…these things is a constant reminder of how our great grandparents fought for our freedom. A constant reminder that we have to take care of this sovereignty we have now. A constant reminder that we had been a slave once and we should not go back to being one anymore. 🙂
We hope you enjoyed our virtual diary about Argao.
‘Til our next adventure!
Keep safe!
Love, Ace and Demi
Ace and Demi Travel Stories 
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Wow I’ve been to Argao several times and the only place I’ve visited was the Argao’s Nature Park. I genuinely didn’t know that there’s more to see in Argao. Truly, the southern part of Cebu has so much to offer. I’m happy that you guys are really exploring the town.
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It was just a quick jaunt, Padz. It has been our practice to drop by the churches of every town we visited. Although the Spanish central plan — church, plaza, municipal hall being in one place; is a very common scene, but we know each town has it’s own unique way to showcase them.
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