Sunday, September 2, 2012

Medellin Trip 1: A well-appointed place

 Medellin, Cebu--a well-appointed place for the Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO) of regional line agencies in region 7 to hold a training on "Maximizing Use of Social Media for Development Communication" on August 9-11, 2012 at the Medellin Municipal Hall.  

We expected over 20 participants but sadly there were only seven of them but as they say, the "show must go on!"  Medellin is roughly two hours drive/ride from Cebu City passing through the countryside and coastal roads of San Remegio, Daanbantayan, Bogo City.  You can also take an aircon bus at the Cebu North Terminal, Mandaue City at P155 one way fare but we hired a van at  P1800 per trip for convenience and comfort.  

 We arrived in Medellin at about 11:00 a.m. on August 9.  Giles Villamor, the all smiling and very amiable municipal administrator took care of our needs and briefed us all about Medellin, including her economic and tourism developments.  We conducted the training at the town's session hall and we had a grand time posing for photos at the Mayor's Office after we completed the workshops.

 Medellin, I suppose is Cebu's sweetest town with its 7400-hectare land area producing sugar from its main product--sugarcane! According to Giles, Medellin reinvented her "image into becoming the eco-adventure/tourism capital of northern Cebu,"  with her white sand beaches, 'funtastic' adventures at Gibitngil Island, Hideaway resort, Zipline and tarzan jump at Caputatan Norte as well as the latest Korean investment in Medellin and her existing Mercedez Golden Village Golf and Country Club for Korean retirees. 
Part of the training was to take as many pictures of Medellin for the social media posts and blogging workshop.  Edward, our tour guide showed us around the Poblacion, the market area, the town plaza/playground and the Medellin Museum.
The town plaza cum playground is very colorful for children and families to enjoy. There is an old hacienda train (with the town's seal) at the center of the plaza with a water fountain that dances with the music and lights during the evening.   


The market area is small but clean.  Medellin hosts the northern campus of the Cebu Normal University (CNU) whose student population rose from 110 in 2008 to 600 in 2010.  

It boasts of its foreign teachers in its faculty line-up including a retired English headmaster Geoff Hoare that teaches World Literature and Italian Chef Carmini Pece that teaches culinary arts. The Medellin CNU campus encourages more students from the neighboring towns of northern Cebu.   

To know some heritage and culture of the town, Dulce, Gay, Ed, Clifford, Fritz, Vit, Joy and me visited Medellin municipal Museum fronting the plaza.  The museum is an old wooden house that displays vintage equipment, instruments and farm implements, antique furniture, documents, religious icons and anything of old.




The weather that day was bright with cloudless blue skies. We got thirsty and hungry after some hours of "suroy-suroy" (roaming) around the town center.  Where does one go  for snacks in a town? "Julie's Bakery!" This is a widely distributed bakery franchise in almost all towns in Central Visayas.  Julie's is a constant "landmark" at the countryside that identifies the Filipino entrepreneur. Until my next blog entries on Medellin's scenic, secret hideaways.  









No comments: