For the past many decades, visitors enjoy Dumaguete, the capital of Negros Oriental, because, aside from its interesting attractions, its residents are so friendly and go about their daily lives in a quiet, calm, and genteel way. I noticed this myself when some friends and I flew to this city recently.
The moment we got to the arrivals terminal, porters and airline staff were so respectful and refined in their demeanor, while gently offering their services to us. Of course, we visited Dumaguete to enjoy its tourist attractions but it certainly helped that it is The City of Gentle People. The residents made our “discovery tour” much more pleasant and enjoyable.
From the airport, we wasted no time and immediately proceeded to the iconic Silliman University campus. Founded in 1901, it is the first American and Protestant university in the Philippines and is named after Dr. Horace Silliman, a businessman and philanthropist from New York who donated the initial US$10,000 needed to establish the school. Granted university status in 1938, it is known for its outstanding graduates in the field of Accountancy, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Performing Arts, and Marine Biology. The massive gardens on the campus, lined with age-old acacia trees, are such a soothing welcome to visitors.
A skip and a hop away from the university is the Dumaguete Cathedral, the oldest stone church on Negros island. Originally built in 1776 as a church complex with a convent, it was surrounded by walls with four watchtowers at the corners. Wars and catastrophes left the complex with only one watchtower, which has been turned into the belfry of what is now formally known as the St. Catherine Alexandria Cathedral.
On our second day, we drove for a little over an hour to Bais to catch a pump boat that would take us to the famous Manjuyod White Sandbar 30 minutes away. We made it there just in time for some frolic because, after a few minutes, the sandbar started to disappear with the high tide setting in. In fact, about half an hour later, those who stayed on were already in neck-deep water.
From the sandbar, our pump boat motored around 15 minutes away to the sea fronting Ginatilan, Cebu, the area where dolphins are usually seen rollicking in the waters. We were not disappointed because they were there, cavorting all over the place, much to our delight. Known to be very intelligent, their sophisticated behavior is the reason why many amusement parks use them for entertainment. They have a happy and friendly look, easily endearing them to any audience.
In the evening, we took a leisurely stroll along the city’s famous seafront Rizal Boulevard, with the refreshing sea breeze continuously blowing from all directions. It was aglow with brightly-lit art installations in various forms and sizes done by local artists. Since it was a Saturday night, the area was packed with fun-seekers and promenaders like us. There was also a very exciting volleyball game going on, with fans screaming every time their team earned a point.
Our third day in Dumaguete brought us to Pulangbato Falls in Valencia, a 30-minute drive from the city. The waterfalls’ setting made for a picture-perfect memento of our visit because the red rocks around it pose an attractive contrast to the verdant foliage bordering the cascading water.
The huge rocks in the area are red-orange in color because of the sulfur deposits in the water.
Nearby is the Sulfur Mountain which has continuous steam emanating from its surface due to the extremely high temperature within the potentially active volcano, Mt. Talinis, located not far away. This geothermal energy is the power source of Dumaguete. To allay our fears, our guide assured us that the volcano hasn’t had any eruptions in the past and, most likely, won’t have any in the coming years.
But an interesting incident that our group witnessed is worth telling about. We visited another town, Bacong, to see the famous 171-year-old church of St. Augustine of Hippo, listed as a National Cultural Treasure. It has the country’s oldest pipe organ, approximately a century old, was imported from Spain, and is one of only two in the country (the other one is in Bohol).
As we walked back to our parked van, we saw that its right rear tire fell into a muddy hole. Our driver, even if he was helped by the church’s maintenance guy and two sacristans, was having a hard time pulling the van out of the hole. After several minutes, another man who, obviously was on his way to Mass, helped them, too. Our driver and these four helpful strangers spent around 30 minutes trying different ways to get our van out of the hole. Finally, after tons of perspiration on their part and harnessing all the wooden planks and large stones they could find on the premises, they succeeded.
When the rest of my group was already in the van, I walked back to the four kind strangers to give them some cash, in appreciation for their hard work. Much to my surprise, all of them refused to accept it and told me that they just wanted to help. I insisted and placed the cash in their hands but they returned it and walked away from me. Wow! Where else can you find such kindness and willingness to assist people in distress? All of us in the group were very impressed beyond words. Back at our hotel in the evening, we still could not forget the kindness of those helpful men.
With that experience, it’s more appropriate to tag Dumaguete as “The City of Gentle and Compassionate People!” It prides itself with the hashtag “DumaGetMe” because, truly, Dumaguete gets you with its attractions, with the best Sans Rival and Silvanasyour palate will ever delight in and it gets into you with the kindness and compassion of its gentle people. Indeed, a great city to visit.
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