Casa Gorordo Museum

The Casa Gorordo Museum, also a residential house, shows how a prominent family lived during their generations. From the floor, artistic walls, windows, rooftop, toilets, etc. - all parts are really gorgeous. At the main entrance of this house, its historical background was written and here's what it says: "This house was built in the mid-19th century by Alejandro Reynes y Rosales and was bought by Juan Isidro de Gorordo, a Spanish merchant, in 1863. Four generations of the family lived in this house, including the first Filipino Bishop of Cebu, 1910-1932.

Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House

Photo: Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House.

The Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House was initially owned by Chinese merchants Don Juan Yap and Doña Maria Florido. It is one of the oldest residential houses in the Philippines. It was built between 1675 and 1700 and was made from coral stones; egg whites were used as glue, and "Tigas" or clay was used for the roof. The wooden parts of the house were made of "balayong" and "tugas" or molave, the hardest woods in the country.

Cebu Cathedral Museum

Cebu Cathedral Museum is an ecclesiastical museum of the Archdiocese of Cebu. The building itself doesn't have exact information about when it was constructed because the archdiocesan archives were burned along with the Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace during the trial bombing of the U.S. forces in September 1944. However, some historians believe it was built by Bishop Santos Gomez Marañon during the mid-1800s. Bishop Marañon was known as a church builder. He designed the Metropolitan Cathedral and other religious structures in the province of Cebu.

Rajah Humabon, a brave leader of Cebu

Rajah Humabon, also known as Sri Hamabar, was a leader of Zubu (now Cebu) and was regarded as the wisest and bravest man on the island. While backpacking in the city, I found a monument near the Cathedral Museum stating that he was the first Filipino chieftain to embrace Christianity.  When Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu on Sunday, April 7, 1521, he made a blood compact with the Portuguese-born Spanish explorer as a symbol of their newfound friendship. Captivated by its noble teachings, on Sunday Morning, April 14, 1521, he and his wife, Humamai, and about 800 locals were baptized. This monument is just a few meters away from Cebu Cathedral.

READ: Location, How to Get Here, My Solo-Backpacking in Cebu

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ABOUT ME: SIRANGLENTE

Featuring Zamboanga Sibugay - Solo-Backpacking in Mindanao

My first destination in Region 9 was the Province of Zamboanga Sibugay, 3.5 hours by land travel from Zamboanga City. Ipil, its capital, is the usual stopover for buses heading to the cities of Dipolog, Pagadian, and even Cagayan de Oro. Like other municipalities, it's a center with big business establishments and busy streets. However, as a busy area, it hides something unique and is an Instagram-worthy tourist spot and attraction.

Solo Backpacking in ZamBaSulTa, Region 9, Misamis Occidental

What is ZamBaSulTa

ZamBaSulta is an acronym given to Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. That's the usual route; however, on this journey, I made a twist and created ZamTaSulBa. I even made it more extreme by including Region 9: Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Misamis Occidental, which is part of Region 10. Details below are my actual itinerary for 9 days, covering 7 Provinces and the independent City of Zamboanga.

Negros Museum

This museum is almost in front of the Negros Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City. It serves as the provincial museum of Negros Occidental, which was opened on March 16, 1996, at the Provincial Capitol Building. In May 2003, it was transferred to its current location, which is the former Agricultural Building. The Agricultural Extension Building was built in 1941 and was renovated in 1991.

San Jose Church

San Jose Church is the first church in Iloilo, built by the Jesuits around 1607.  But, on April 29, 1617, the Augustinians established San Jose, a house of the order. It was saved from being bombed by the Americans during World War II.  As the years went by, some renovations were made. READ: Location, How to Get Here, My Solo-Backpacking in Negros Occidental and Iloilo

CLICK HERE TO HOMEPAGE: LIST OF ALL PROVINCES

ABOUT ME: SIRANGLENTE

Cinco de Noviembre (Silay City Travel Guide)

Cinco de Noviembre served as the drugstore and a hideout where Negrense Revolutionaries secretly helped plan the revolution against the Spanish Colonial Forces on November 5, 1898. Today, it is a small landmark in Silay City, but before, it played a huge part during the revolution. This is the perfect location where Negros Republic was created.

Tigbauan Church

It is believed that there had been no parish priest when Tigbauan Church was established, but it could be between 1575 and 1580 when F. Luis de Montoya was assigned as Prior. This church underwent a lot of repairs because of natural disasters like earthquakes. The repair was done by different people who served as church leaders.