STRAIT DRIVING IN SURIGAO
This laid-back city in Mindanao’s northeastern tip has earned the monikers “nickel capital” and the “Gateway to Mindanao” due to the Davao-bound vehicles which disembark at the Lipata port after crossing the Surigao Strait from Southern Leyte.
With the Maharlika Highway at its spine, motoring around Surigao and environs is a breeze, especially now with the road widening which stretches up to most parts of Mindanao. The city can be reached by air through a connecting flight from Cebu, or a two-hour land trip from Butuan City via UV express, aircon bus or a rented car.
The city, in recent years, has embraced the more alluring “City of Island Adventures” tag because of its 17 islands scattered across 21 barangays, which increases the opportunities of frolicking in powdery beaches and gin-clear water twentyfold. And with the scenic and meandering roads hugging its coast, driving along the Strait is such a visual delight which only cross-country overland bus travelers have enjoyed for a long time.
Pit Stop 1: Silop Caves. Situated 20 minutes away from the city proper, this cave system is a terrestrial wonder with its 12 chambers and awesome limestone formations, fit even for beginners. With a good road leading to its main opening, its accessibility has made it a mustvisit for those who want to be initiated to caving 101.
Pit Stop 2: City Proper. A quaint spic-and-span town square with the tree-lined Luneta Park which is a public recreational area and houses the City Tourism Office, your one-stop center for information on the tourist spots within the city and neighboring towns.
Across the plaza are the Cathedral of San Nicolas de Tolentino and the City Hall which bears a historical plaque memorializing the first raising of the Philippine flag in Mindanao by Filipino revolutionaries in 1898 which ended Spanish rule.
At the scenic boulevard are the I Love Surigao landmark for the obligatory social media photo and the Museo nan Surigao Heritage Center, a private archaeological and geological museum of the Surigao provinces. Occasionally, you may be able to spot dragonboat paddlers as the city has positioned itself as a center for watersports in the Caraga region.
Pit Stop 3: Battle of Surigao Strait Memorial and Museum. The city’s newest attraction which opened a few days ago to mark the 75th anniversary of World War II’S last major naval encounter in 1944 where US and Australian forces routed the Japanese Navy.
Located at a scenic cliff overlooking the Strait in Punta Bilar where the pre-dawn battle took place, its core is a museum containing the war’s historical timeline, vintage photographs,
miniature ships, and relics of the naval battle, most prominently a Japanese torpedo excavated somewhere in Dinagat Islands.
Future commemorative events will be held here henceforth as a fitting tribute to the more than 4,000 war dead, most of whom are Japanese sailors, and the quest for lasting world peace.
Pit Stop 4: Pebble and Rock Beaches. The city’s closest and cheapest getaway, these beaches in barangays of Looc and Mabua-ipil teems in smooth, multi-sized rocks. They are dissected by a rock hill which you can ascend through a 100-step staircase for a commanding view of the sea and mountain as they meet in the horizon.
Perfect for gazing and photographing the kaleidoscopic sunset, Mabua is also known for the home-made sdelicacy sayungsong, a glutinous conical snack wrapped in banana leaves. There are nipa hut cottages where guests can laze, guzzle on a cold beer or have dinner after the breath-taking sunset-watching.
Pit Stop 5: Day-asan Floating Village. Tucked in the midst of a 550-hectare mangrove forest and houses on stilts, it can be enjoyed by going on a pumpboat cruise which will reveal concealed pockets of fine beaches, areas for kayaking and stand-up paddle, snorkeling, and aquaculture farms of premium lobster. For only a P 550 boat rental fee, you and your friends can explore one of northern Mindanao’s best-kept secrets.
Pit Stop 6: JB Nature Farm and Resort. Located at the hilly village of Sukailang 16 kms south of the city, this 7hectare agricultural land is a unique blend of farming, inland resort with a huge wave pool, and an Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) learning site. Once barren and scarred by small-scale mining, this recreated forest which opened in 2017 has become a showcase on farm tourism with its espousal of organic and natural agricultural and livestock-raising practices called permaculture.
Now a regional favorite for educational field trips, farmers’ training, and family fun, it has made strait driving in Surigao a less straight, but more exciting journey.