Dumaguete comes from the word “Dagit” which meant to snatch or kidnap. It was named that way because during the past, it was said that pirates had occupied the city. Nowadays, when you go and visit Dumaguete City, don’t be surprised if the beauty of the city will snatch your heart.
Given that we only had a few days in the “City of Gentle People”—Dumaguete City—we wanted to choose how and where we would spend our days well. An easy choice would have been to go to the nearby towns in the outskirts of Dumaguete, but due to limited budget and time, we decided to stick to the city and see what’s there to see.
Our palates led us to explore the different restaurant and
establishments around the city. It was also a natural and easy excuse for us to
visit since Mom had just celebrated her birthday, and we tried to find excuses
to eat.
Eat what the locals eat. We had lunch Dumaguete
style—heapings of fragrant puso rice (Visayan rice cooked in coconut milk
wrapped in coconut leaves) and a plate of kinilaw na tanigue or Wahoo. In
Dumaguete, kinilaw is eaten like ulam (viand), so each spoonful was a contrast
of cool and steaming hot. The freshest, sweetest fish, the acid freshness of
calamansi, the bite of ginger, the spicy heat of chopped chili, and a heap of
crushed chicharon (crispy post rind) to add crunch meatiness + a picturesque
view of the Visayan sea—truly made that meal unforgettable. It was the best
kinilaw I had ever eaten in my entire life! On the other hand, the Sinigang na
Blue Marlin with loads of veggies blew us away. It was fantastic!
After lunch, we rode a tricycle
that would take us to the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Diocese of
Dumaguete. Towards the side, a spectacular view of the city greeted us with the
Grotto and the Belfry or Dumaguete Bell Tower piqued our curiosity. Originally
built in 1754-1776, it was reconstructed in 1885 and was extended with its
present façade in 1936.
Across the church is the Quezon
Park. Take a photo at Maria Clara and our national hero, Jose Rizal at the
heart of the plaza. Here’s a little trivia in history: Jose Rizal had been to
Dumaguete City on the eve of July 31, 1896 on his way back to Manila from
Dapitan, Mindanao. Rizal was with his love, Josephine Bracken and sister
Narcisa. On August 1, 1896, Rizal met
Governor Emilio Regal, head of the islands of Negros Oriental along with
Faustino Herrero Regidor, Rizal’s former classmate. Rizal did an eye operation
on Governor Emilio Regal within the same day just before he left the city of Dumaguete.
And to honor and remember Rizal’s kind gesture, thus the statue of Rizal and
the character of Maria Clara (from Rizal’s novel, Noli Me Tangere) can now be
found in the heart of the city.
Tour the Silliman University. Established
by American Presbyterians in 1901, it has pre-war buildings mixed with modern
structures and facilities with over 300 acacia trees throughout the campus. It’s
like the University of the Philippines in the South. Their Claire Isabel McGill
Luce Auditorium is similar to the Cultural Center of the Philippines. If I could only turn the hands of time, I
would’ve chosen to study here.
Another fascinating attraction was
Silliman University’s Marine Mammal Museum or University Town Anthropology
museumon Hibbard Avenue where fossils and remains of different giant whales and
sea creatures like Dugong (sea cow) were on display. This one fascinated Kyle
to no end! Admission fee is P25 per person. This is quite far from the heart of
the city because it’s near the beach (near the coastline) but definitely worth
the trip.
Many sweets show European
influences such as sans rival, silvanas, ensaymada, pastillas, cookies,
muffins, cinnamon buns, pralines etc. The said business started by the late
Trinidad Sagarbarria y Teves (1920-2004); she may have passed away but her
family continues her legacy to the people of Dumaguete and up to this day, her
to-die-for silvanas are still the best! Thus it became the famous Silvanas from
Dumaguete. Remember the immaculate white and sky blue colors of the box—they’re
guilty pleasures you must-try while in Dumaguete! Sans Rival’s Silvanas costs
P125 a box (consists of 10 pieces). Their silvanas are made from heirloom
recipe. Oozing with butter, its slightly sweet and chewy delicately layered
yellowish or brownish (they even had chocolate flavored silvanas) crust
covering is enough to make you salivate for more and drives more tourists crazy
that they end up buying a big box of those heavenly goodies. Try their warm,
soft and deliciously heavenly cinnamon buns. Even if you’re not a cinnamon fan,
you’ll easily be converted upon first bite. Sans Rival’s cookie monster cake is
also quite a legendary among the people of Dumaguete.
The next day, after checking the Google map for directions, we headed to the Dumaguete Public Market on Bishop Surban Street for some cheap breakfast. Realizing that it was just around the corner from where we were staying, we had to experience “painitan”—a cup of rich hot chocolate or coffee and a local budbod (read: “Suman”—local delicacy made from glutinous sticky rice and chocolate cocoa). While you’re there, be adventurous when it comes to food and sample the Dumaguete local viands such as Paklay (pork dish), Balbakwa (ox tail soup) and Chicken Halang-halang.
Along Sta. Catalina, don’t forget
to try Pizza Jamba at a place called Food Net. It had everything I like to eat:
chicken, seafood, viands, barbecues etc. But the best happens to be their Pizza
Jamba with seven different flavors: Hawaiian (consists of cheese, base with
pieces of ham and pineapples); Pepperoni (pepperoni spruced up with onions,
bell peppers and cheese; Super Meaty (all-time favorite ground beef topped with
pineapples, onions, mushrooms and cheese); Cheesy Pizza (topped with cheese,
basil and sautéed garlic); Pizza Karne (loads of ground beef topped with
mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and cheese); Hot and Spicy (Ground meat topped
with peppers and cheese); Hungarian Pizza (topped with sausages, spiced with
onions, bell peppers and cheese. For a 14” sized pizza, they’re pretty cheap
for P120 each. Pizza Jamba’s very tasty and crunchy with its thin crust;
they’re perfect for an afternoon snack. We spent a good six hours tasting all
we could possibly sample. If you have extra money to spare, Dexter’s Pizza
(also on Sta. Catalina) is your next bet.
The original
inasal can still be found in nearby island of Bacolod, but Dumaguete had their
own version called inato. Slow-cooked and grilled to perfection, chicken inato
is best eaten with s sawsawan (condiment used for dipping) of sinamak (age old
local vinegar) mixed with ginger, chili, and other spices and generous amounts
of garlic rice. Don’t forget to drizzle it with annatto chicken oil. It’s like
chicken confit simmered in annato oil. Most small native chickens have tough meat
but this one is juicy and tender. For the best chicken barbecue, head over to
City Burger (which surprisingly does not offer burger on their menu) along San
Jose Street for some juicy barbecue chicken. Jo’s Chicken Inato (Rizal
Boulevard and Silliman Avenue) comes close with its P95 meal with unlimited
rice.
Dumaguete will certainly be in your heart for its own rustic charm. I wish to go back there someday soon. Only The Lord knows when. 
