This is evident not only from its old church, but also from its venerable houses made of tisa, which is said to have been imported straight from Spain. These include eighteenth century houses and buildings to age-old socio-economic activities and livelihoods that started during the Spanish era, or even farther than that. A walk in the poblacion proper would undoubtedly allow anyone a glimpse of what has been. Aside from its historicity, Argao is also blessed with an abundance of nature’s attractions, from beaches with pristine water and white sand, deep and intricate caving systems where only a portion has been explored by cave experts, to majestic and lush-green forests seated at the top of Argao’s famed Mt. Lantoy, where also an abundance of rare wildlife reside.

The Argao Tourism Commission has identified destinations, heritage monuments and buildings, livelihoods activities, and natural splendors that will cater to any group of tourists or visitors. Even people who simply want to relax and get away from the city can surely benefit from what Argao has to offer. Romantic, historic, and so much more, Argao is one town in the province of Cebu, that both local and foreign tourists should not fail to visit.

GEOGRAPHY OF ARGAO

The municipality of Argao is located at the southeastern portion of the province of Cebu, approximately 68 kilometers from the City of Cebu. Argao is exactly between Cebu City and the southern tip of the island. It is approximately 26 Km from Carcar, from Alcoy, and from Lo-on which is across the Bohol Strait. The rectangle that is Argao (approximately 20 X 40 Km) is bounded, clockwise, in the west by Badian, Alcantara, Ronda, and Dumanjug; in the north by Sibonga; in the east by the Bohol Strait; and in the south by Dalaguete. Aside from the Poblacion proper are 44 barangays which are, clockwise, Tulic, Bogo, Talaga, and Casay; then Balisong, Cambantug, Bala-as, and Linut-od; then Butong, Cansuje, and Tulang; then Anajao, Apo, Mompeller, Lengigon, Colawin, Gutlang, Langub, and Sumaguan; then Guiwanon, Taloot, Bulasa, Binlod, and Langtad. Inner barrios are Alambijud, Uba-ub, Capio-an, Mandilikit, Mabasa, Jampang, then Usmad, Catang, Panadtaran, Jomgao, Talaytay, Canbanua, and Lamacan; and finally the southern group of Calagasan, Conalum, Tabayag, Lapay, Tiguib, and Bug-ot.

Going to Argao is easy and relatively convenient now since the national road has undergone vast improvements recently, ensuring a safe and faster travel to the southern portion of Cebu. Traveling time to Argao takes approximately an hour and a half to two hours, depending on the traffic situation. Around the town, one can ride motorcycles (tricycles and habal-habal), trisikads, and jeepneys.

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HISTORICAL ARGAO

Brief history of the town. The town of Argao is considered as one of the oldest towns in the province of Cebu, having been founded by the Spaniards and established as a pueblo in the year 1608. But prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, what was then Argao was composed of several families that lived mainly by fishing and farming, as many still do today. According to stories passed on from generation to generation, the name of the town was derived from an abundantly-growing plant in the area, known locally as “Sali-argaw”. The story of Argao’s name is very much like many other localities in the Philippines that derived their names from popular flora or fauna found in the area. As the story goes, a delegation of Spanish officials came to the town and asked a villager, some say a fisherman, what the name of the town was. Obviously, not comprehending the foreign tongue, the man presumed that the Spaniard was referring to the “Sali-argaw” plants in the area, as the Spaniards were waving their arms to mean the entire place. With this, the fisherman simply said “Sali-argaw”, and from that moment on the Spaniards christened the area as el pueblo de Argao.

Extant records pertaining to the establishment of Argao as a town go only as far as the middle eighteenth century, when the Augustinians started building the church in Argao, later named after St. Michael the Archangel. Indeed, prior to 1730, there have been no more written records that have survived to this day that can pinpoint to the 1608 founding of the town.

One of the best things to do when you are in Argao is to take a tour around the old pueblo. The main poblacion of Argao remains one of the reminders of Spanish influence in Cebu. Although many of the houses in the main pueblo are already post-World War II structures, some can still boast of having been built during the last century of Spanish rule, and there is one remaining 18th century house that is called by people in the town as the “balay na tisa”, aptly named so because of its clay roof. The old municipal building is also made of the same structure as this old house, and indeed this structure is perhaps one of the remaining old municipal buildings in the province of Cebu. The following buildings and structures are places one can visit if doing a tour around the pueblo:

San Miguel Archangel Parish Church and Convent. Argao became a parish in 1703, which prompted the construction of a beautiful rococo-baroque church structure in 1734 and was completed in 1788. A good number of religious artifacts have remained in the church. Dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, there are more than 20 figures of angels sculpted on its brass-studded portals. The altar (retablo) of the church is still the original. The church was renovated for its bicentennial celebration in 1988, and its outer walls were scraped. Despite some renovations and modernizations done to it, the San Miguél Archangel Parish still remains one of the richly furnished churches in the South. There is a convent that was used primarily as a seminary during the mid-1900s. This two-level structure is known to be one of the highly ornate churches in the island. Together with the convent and other older buildings in the area, it is a dominant structure in the town. Very prominent on its flat façade is the articulated carving of the parish patron saint. Oversized urn-like finials standing on a rectangular base on the corner of the church provides a decorative element.

The unique ceiling of the Church. Its church is with unusual ceilings of canvass painted all over with religious motifs. On the ceiling are murals done by two of the best church muralists during that time (early 20th century). The first portion portraying biblical manifestations of angels was done by the famous artist Canuto Avila. The other portion by the altar was done by Reynaldo Francia and depicts the victory of St. Michael over Lucifer and his followers. This can be seen above the altar and is done in tinting color.

The Pipe Organ of Argao. Aside from the unique murals, Argao is also blessed with another treasure that is considered rare throughout the Philippines. The Church of Argao is possessed of one of the remaining 14 Spanish era pipe organs, and is one of the three towns in the whole Cebu province to still have this instrument. The pipe organ of Argao, though today no longer useable, is estimated by many historians to have been built between the 17th to the 19th century. Organs built in this period were of typical Spanish Baroque style except for the ones built during the last part of the 19th century which are Neo Gothic in style. But all of them are constructed in the reliable Mechanical Action, also known as the Tracker Action. It is a great possibility that Argawanons took a great part in building their pipe organ along with Spanish or Mexican Organ-builders. According to the study done by Mr. Hans Gerd Klais of Johannes Klais Orgelbau of Bonn, Germany, who published his research in one of the volumes of Acta Organologica, as late as 1977 the organ was still in good condition. Professional organ makers describe Argao’s organ as having “windchests constructed from a massive solid wood. Channels were patiently carved out of the massive Narra wood. There are two windchest blocks connected by lead tubes to accommodate all the stops. It has some similarities with the casework of the pipe organ of San Agustin in Manila. Three round towers with the biggest in the middle. Three towers are separated with flat field of pipes. Also, it has white naturals and black sharps of ebony wood and toe pedals, and has a wedge bellow with 4 folds supplied by a 1 fold wedge pump bellow.” Unfortunately, no records in the church exist to show who played the organ, though according to some residents, after the 2nd World War Mr. Juan Calledo played the instrument and a certain Noy Ino was tasked to pump the organ. Further research with shed more light to the matter.

The Argao Museum. Through the initiative of one of Argao’s most loved residents, Monsignor Elias Matarlo, the Argao Museum was constructed in 1999 in order to house what was left of the church’s priceless antiques, and also to showcase the religious artifacts and icons of families who have decided to let the museum safe-guard their family heirlooms. Inside the museum one can see old and elaborate vestments worn by Spanish friars, beautiful and antique religious icons, many of which were imported from Spain, hand written musical notes that were used during the Spanish era, and many more.

The Bantay Hari. In order to keep away foreign invaders from having the opportunity of a surprise attack, and in order to ensure the peace and quiet of the town, several watchtowers were built strategically around the church perimeters and near Lawis, Looc. Guards were assigned here to keep watch day and night. These structures were build primarily to defend the church complex. The one with the circular plan, and as its ruins today show, utilized river stones set in mortar.

Church Plaza, The Site of the Former Palacio, Morgue/Chapel. Late in the afternoon, it would always be best to sit on one of the benches distributed around the plaza and enjoy a beautiful sunset. Visible also in this area is the former “Palacio”, the temporary residence of church dignitaries from Manila or Cebu City who came to Argao to visit. Also, sadly located at the back of the Kintanar Memorial Hospital, is the Church morgue, a very old structure that was build around the early 1800’s. Its primary purpose was as a half-way house for the dead from the far-flung areas of Argao: whenever a family arrives in the poblacion way before sunrise, the morgue served as a temporary resting place for the cadaver before it was eventually placed inside the church for its final rites. Later on, it served as an autopsy area for those who died tragically during the early American regime.

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Historical Structures and Places

Around Argao, other than the buildings with religious significance, are old stone and wooden structures that remain a stark reminder of Spanish and early American presence. These include hospital buildings, schools, government buildings, houses, and other structures worth mentioning. These structures worth visiting are the following: the site of the Former Maternity House, which was recently torn down so that its space could be occupied by the municipal government, where the legislative building now stands; The Municipal Building (Casa Real), which was built around the time of the foundation of the pueblo, and remains perhaps the only clay-tiled Spanish era municipal building still in use in the province of Cebu; Another historical building found inside the pueblo is the AFTA building which is being rehabilitated to serve as the Hall of Justice. Bantay Hari at Lawis, which, like those surrounding the church complex, was built to keep watch of Moro pirates.

Old houses also dot the main portion of the poblacion, as well as along the national highway. Although many of these houses are already in disrepair, most, if not all, can still be salvaged if the owners or the municipal government start to restore these venerable structures. The remaining old houses in Argao range from those built in the 1700’s up to the middle of the twentieth century. Topping the list of old houses is the “Balay na Tisa”, aptly called because of its tisa or terracotta and clay roof tiles. There seems to be some confusion as to the origin of this edifice; some say that it used to be the property of the Jesuits due to some carvings on the exterior of the house that may pinpoint to Jesuit influence. However, according to the Lucero family, the original owners of this house, it was built around the time of the building of the church of Argao, sometime in the middle eighteenth century. The Tisa House is the only remaining eighteenth century house that is still intact and being used. The other old houses include: the Socorro Villafuerte Kintanar House, which was built sometime in the middle nineteenth century as a wedding gift for Maria Lucero Cabrera and Cayetano Gumila, a Spaniard. The Calledo and the Gaudilla Regis Houses, both built in the middle nineteenth century and were known as hablonans, or where female Argawanons did their weaving; the Alacrez House, built in the 1880’s and which used to serve as a tabacallera; the Ruiz-Diaz House, built in the middle of the nineteenth century; the Alex K. Gonzales House, built in late 1800’s which played host to a gasoline company TEXACO, beer warehouse, and an ice plant before it was transformed into its present form, Alex Kafé; The other notable houses are the houses of Francisca Peña (1940’s), Alexandra Kintanar (1940’s), Atty. Kintanar (1940’s), Katalino Kintanar (1920’s), Redempta Kinatanar (1950’s), Camillo Semilla (1905), Aguilar family (1890’s), Precilla Lucero (1880’s), and the Padilla family (1900’s).

After a tour around the main pueblo, visiting these old houses and buildings, one could almost feel like being back in the Spanish era.

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SOCIO-CULTURAL ARGAO

Aside from these age-old houses and building that truly manifest the historicity of the town of Argao; there are also several very venerable social activities that are still being practiced in modern-day Argao. Some of these activities include indigenous livelihood that predated the arrival of the Spaniards. Two livelihoods that are common throughout the archipelago are fishing and farming, the primary source of income of most families prior to and during the Spanish era. These two livelihoods are still prevalent today and visitors to Argao can make arrangements to stay with and observe some of the farming and fishing families. Then, of course, there are also two other very famous and unique industries in Argao. These are, of course, the baking of traditional delicacies like Torta de Argao, borowas, podrida, and tableya. The other surviving traditional craft is weaving or hablon..

It is said that no house in Argao is complete during fiestas without a torta, and indeed many households even make their own tortas during fiesta. While the torta-making business used to be a popular livelihood in Argao, most households prefer to make these only during special occasions, and for those who still engage in selling torta, most of these prefer to have the tortas pre-ordered. The most popular torta-maker in Argao today, known not only because of her delicious traditional ingredients used but also because her torta is baked in the traditional clay oven. She remains the only year-round seller of torta and is perhaps one of the very last Argawanons to still follow the traditional process of baking the delicacy, is Mrs. Aniceta “Chitang” Camello. Nang Chitang said that this is also a family tradition. A visit in Argao would never be complete without a stop-over at Chitang’s Torta.

Tableya, Today, many households and stalls in the public market make and sell this delicious Cebuano delicacy. Indeed, it is said that no breakfast in Cebu is complete without the hot sikuwate, or hot chocolate, which is made from cacao. The tableya-making industry of Argao is indeed traced to a time when only legends were available to explain the origin of things. According to well-guarded stories in Argao, the cultivation of cacao was a common source of livelihood of many indigenous Argawanons in the past. The most popular tableya maker in the town today is Mrs. Miguela “Guilang” Lanoton, whose house in Canbanua serves also as the site of tableya production. According to her, their family started with small-scale production until they decided to commercialize this art in 1948.
As already mentioned earlier, the other indigenous livelihood that still exists in Argao is the hablon or weaving industry. If one goes through the old records of the church, one would notice that most women during the Spanish era were listed as tejedoras or weavers and were engaged in hablon-making. Indeed, older Argawanon women still recall that their grandmothers, and their grandmothers before them, made the finest hablons that were sold not just to the principalia in the town but also to elite families in Cebu City. A visit to any of the remaining hablonans in the town is easy to arrange, and one can see just how intricate and complex the procedure is in making one simple towel or sheet. Today, some of the weavers in Argao have branched out of the town and sell their products to hotels and resorts. So the next time you buy a towel from a hotel or resort, you just might be holding one that was made in Argao.

There are also some other traditional, albeit not as old, industries that thrive in Argao. These include tuba/bahalina-making, wood-carving

Aside from these activities, which provide income to the residents of Argao, there are also some activities that, though also observable in other localities, are worth looking for when one visits Argao. Year round activities include, but are not limited to, guided panginhas, or shell-gathering, if ones pursuit is that of a quiet and serene afternoon. Any fishing family will be very glad to show your way around the beach and guide you in panginhas; tigabakay or cock-fighting, a little bit different from the usual cock-fighting sport done inside a gymnasium or arena. The tigbakay involves pitting fighting cocks in the streets. Of course the famous tabo-tabo. Take advantage of extremely cheap merchandise by going to the tabo-tabo at the Mercado sa Argao. These tabos boast of fresh fruits and vegetables, livestock, household wares, clothes, and many more.

Walking, hiking, jogging, or plain sight-seeing are simple pursuits than can be done within the vicinity of the Poblacion and surrounding barangays. Enjoy a walk around Don Gil Gardens, a long stretch of road going to Argao Nature Park perfect for early morning or late afternoon jogging or walking, or even picnics. Enjoy watching the sunrise or sunset in wide open space of the rice fields, and get a chance to watch wild egrets feeding. Argao Nature Park is also another perfect destination for those with quiet pleasures. Walk under big trees or sit by the lagoon area while watching different and some rare birds around the park. Nearby Argao you can visit the "Riverstone Castle", considered as the “only authentic castle in Cebu. The Castle is made up of stones collected from the nearby river and was constructed using authentic castle-building procedures. Outside the castle, there’s a mini zoo, a collection of monkeys, snakes, rabbits, civets, and other unique animals.

There are also other socio-cultural activities that are done in certain times of the year. These are the Fiesta activities and the celebration of the Holy Week, which showcases the traditional aspects of this Lenten activity to include the colorful procession on Holy Wednesday and Friday. A sugat play is also conducted by the church on the dawn of Easter Sunday.

One can also participate in street-dancing or bayle, many of which are held by the barangays of Argao during their respective fiestas spread throughout the year. If you’re in Argao during one of the barangay fiestas, be sure to attend the bayle so you’ll see how Argawanons party!

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