By IAN ROSALES CASOCOT

This April, we celebrate National Literature Month, and this May, we celebrate National Heritage Month. So what better way to celebrate these two national cultural fests than by mapping out a virtual “litera-tour” of Dumaguete, highlighting the works of key authors in Negros Oriental and at the same time celebrating their works as important intangible heritage of the community! It’s a unique DIY tour you can take to get to know Dumaguete in an approximation of its literary splendor.

We encourage you to take this issue of Buglas Writers Journal as a map to do your own walking tour of specific sites in Dumaguete that have valuable connections with various pieces of literary works, giving the reader/tourist a chance to appreciate the works and to see the significance of specific places in Dumaguete in the light of the literary. [This issue will be closely connected to our Facebook postings.]

In a way, we are aiming to underline the importance of Dumaguete as a “City of Literature” in the Philippines, where many Filipino writers—both local and national [and international]—have aspired to set many of their stories, poems, dramas, and creative non-fiction: Dumaguete as inspirational wonderland.

We have chosen twenty-one spots in Dumaguete that can be found in passages of relevant literary texts. Let’s begin…

SPOT 1: THE CAMPANARIO DE DUMAGUETE

Read: T. Valentino Sitoy Jr.‘s Dumaguete in Historical Perspective.

We will begin this literary tour at the Campanario de Dumaguete, or the Dumaguete Belltower, long the symbol of the city. The campanario was built during the time of Fray Juan Felix de la Encarnacion who took charge of the Dumaguete parish between 1867 and 1879. It is set on the remains of the original southeastern watchtower originally built by Fray Jose Manuel Fernandez de Septien, parish priest of Dumaguete, between 1755 and 1760. Fr. Septien could very well be considered as the “Father of Dumaguete,” because it was through his efforts that the town grew in strength, even managing to deflect marauding pirates from the South. This literary tour begins with a comprehensive look at the history of Dumaguete, written by one of its eminent historians, Dr. T. Valentino Sitoy Jr.

SPOT 2: THE JOSE RIZAL MONUMENT AT THE M.L. QUEZON PARK

Read: Jose Rizal, Sábado, 1 de Agosto de 1896, Dumaguete [Diary Entry]

From the campanario, proceed to the monument of Jose Rizal in M.L. Quezon Park. Cross Perdices Street, and enter the city plaza from the western side and proceed to the center, where the statue of the National Hero is located. Rizal came to Dumaguete twice: in 1892, right before he arrived in Dapitan for the start of his exile, where it was noted that he had breakfast at the house of one Jose Longa; and then in 1896, right after he departed Dapitan at the end of his exile, on the way to Manila to volunteer his services as doctor in the Spanish enclave of Cuba—an aborted plan since he was immediately arrested by Spanish authorities, and by the end of the year was executed at Bagumbayan.

SPOT 3: PO’S MARKETING AT THE CORNER OF LOCSIN STREET AND PERDICES STREET

Read: Rowena Tiempo Torrevillas, Bombay Bazaar

From the statue of Jose Rizal in M.L. Quezon Park, exit the plaza in the western side, facing the Catholic Church, and proceed on foot turning right on Perdices Street [formerly Calle Alfonso XIII]. Go northwards, crossing one block, until you get to the corner of Perdices Street and Locsin Street. On the northwest corner stands Po’s Marketing, which was constructed from the ruins of Hassaram’s Department Store, which burned down in 2007. Hassaram’s and Rajan’s Department Store were two of the earliest department stores in Dumaguete, owned by South Asian immigrants. Also in this area was located Bombay’s Bazar. Reading Torrevillas’ essay, how did Dumaguete locals treat langyaw [or strangers] in their midst?

SPOT 4: BACK TO M.L. QUEZON PARK

Read: Edilberto K. Tiempo, Mr. McLure

Go back to M.L. Quezon Park, and contemplate it and its environs. Quezon Park in Dumaguete is not only the veritable center of the city, it is also the true mark of confluence in terms of Oriental Negrense history. The plaza occupies the space between the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria [the original foundation of which was built in 1754] and the Presidencia [built in 1937 by renowned Filipino architect Juan Arellano], and by its very location has been witness to the historical upheavals and progress of Dumaguete at the height of both Spanish and American colonial rules. It was in this space, for example, that Don Diego de la Viña and his men settled when they arrived in Dumaguete from Guihulngan on 24 November 1898, completing the liberation of Negros Oriental from Spanish rule. Formerly a field of weeds, and then a corn field, and finally a makeshift plaza between the casa tribunal and the Catholic Church, Quezon Park was formally dedicated in the afternoon of 17 September 1916 with the firing of cannons, speeches, music, and refreshments—marking a year of rapid progress in Dumaguete. Quezon Park was refurbished under the direction of Sr. Juan Posadas, transforming the area into recreation grounds with green lawns, gravel walks, flower beds, and concrete benches. It was named after the statesman Manuel L. Quezon, even before he became the President of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935. This was in honor of his efforts in the passage of the Jones Law, or the Philippine Autonomy Act, in 29 August 1916. Quezon had been one of the Philippines’ two resident commissioners to the U.S. House of Representatives, and had drafted at least two versions of the Jones Bill. Quezon would make frequent visits to Dumaguete in the ensuing years, developing a close relationship with the place. After World War II broke out in the Pacific and the Japanese Occupation began, Quezon and members of his family, and their military escorts, slipped off to safety in Australia from the port in Dumaguete by submarine on 6 March 1942. In Tiempo’s story, we meet an American resident of Dumaguete, who lives in a house with a great view of the park and its environs, and whose life somehow mirrors much of the historical upheavals of the town.

SPOT 5: THE NATIONAL MUSEUM AT THE DUMAGUETE PRESIDENCIA

Read: Gemino H. Abad, Casaroro Falls [from Issue No. 1]

Proceed to the Presidencia, which currently houses the National Museum of Dumaguete. In 2017, the City of Dumaguete turned over the restoration of the original architecture, built in 1937 and designed by the great Filipino architect Juan Arellano, to the National Museum of the Philippines, which now oversees a Dumaguete branch in the property. Opened in November 2022, the National Museum of Dumaguete currently showcases sections on local natural history, on local anthropology and archaelogy, and on heritage edifices found in Negros Oriental and Siquijor. Part of the natural history display are various flora and fauna found in the island of Negros, as well as minerals and rocks sampled from various sites, including Mt. Talinis and Casaroro Falls. Because we are confining ourselves in this literary tour within the borders of Dumaguete, we can try to explore within the National Museum other places outside of the city, such as Casaroro Falls in Valencia, that have inspired Filipino writers, like this poem by National Artist for Literature Gemino H. Abad.

SPOT 6: THE ARNAIZ ANCESTRAL HOUSE ALONG RIZAL AVENUE

Read: Cesar Aljama, Night of the Rabble-Rousers

From the National Museum, exit through the Calle Sta. Catalina gate and turn right towards Burgos Street, a pedestrian promenade that connects M.L. Quezon Park to the Rizal Boulevard. Once you reach Rizal Avenue, turn left and in the next corner, you will see the Arnaiz Ancestral House, one of Dumaguete’s “sugar houses,” the homes of Oriental Negros’ sugar hacenderos. It has a fascinating story. In the 1980s, it was the home of Father Eleuterio Tropa, the founder of the Lamplighter World Peace Mission [also called Spaceship 2000]. Then it was the site of the first Shakey’s in Dumaguete, and is now Allegre Bar and Arte Gallery Cafe. It overlooks an area of the Rizal Boulevard which became famous for being the battleground of various men of differing faiths debating over religion.

SPOT 7: PANTAWAN DOS AT THE RIZAL BOULEVARD

Read: Myrna Peña-Reyes, Harbor Home

Head towards the new Pantawan Dos [or People’s Park] area of the Rizal Boulevard, where the Panilongon monument is also located. Immediately to the right of the newly-reclaimed land is the Tinago community, which has thrived on subsistence fishing for many generations, as portrayed in the poem. The Pantawon Dos gives a good vantage point for observing what is happening to Dumaguete, and on good days, you can also see the majesty of Cuernos de Negros in the background. The picture you see is that of a city that is in constant change, perhaps an anti-thesis to the town of nostalgia by the persona of Peña-Reyes’ poem. What is the Dumaguete you remember, and love the best?

SPOT 8: RIZAL BOULEVARD ACACIA

Read: Nerisa del Carmen Guevara, Boulevard Tree

Walk down the Rizal Boulevard towards its northern point, and across Why Not? is a curiously shaped acacia tree, which has inspired many writers who come to Dumaguete. The acacia trees of Dumaguete are an iconic natural heritage of the city, and most of them are more than a hundred years old, a significant number having been planted by American missionaries at the beginning of the 20th century. [The Silliman campus itself is dotted with over 300 acacia trees.] An old story goes that an acacia planted at the Rizal Boulevard indicates the Protestantism of the family whose house that particular tree fronts.

SPOT 9: RIZAL BOULEVARD BENCH

Read: Bobby Flores Villasis, Menandro’s Boulevard [from Issue No. 1]

Walk down the Rizal Boulevard towards its northern point, and across from Paseo Perdices [formerly the Mariano Perdices mansion] and Sans Rival Bistro [formerly the Manuel Teves mansion], on the [almost] grassy area of the seaside promenade is a bench. There are actually many Rizal Boulevard benches, but this one is our favorite, and feels like the very bench from Villasis’s story. Officially the Paseo de Rizal, it was built in 1916 and currently extends at a length of 967 meters, from the Press Club to the pier [including the extended promenade]. It is named after Philippine National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, who was said to have spent a few hours along the stretch to stroll before departing for Dapitan for his exile. Presently, it has become the most sought-after, most romantic promenade of the city, where local social life practically begins. In Villasis’ story, a member of Dumaguete’s old guard who lives in one of the sugar houses falls into a tentative friendship [even love] with a prostitute who uses the Boulevard as her walking ground. What does this say about Dumaguete’s generational and economic divide?

SPOT 10: HAYAHAY ALONG FLORES AVENUE

Read: Justine Megan Yu, Sweet Baby [from Issue No. 2]

Disembark from your tricycle at Hayahay along Flores Avenue [which, for some reason, most locals used to call Escaño], fronting Piapi Beach [which, for some reason, most locals also call Escaño Beach]. “Escaño,” for many generations of Dumaguete youth, was “party central,” where you could park your car along the seawall, turn the car radio up loud, and party with friends. Hayahay, which includes Lab-as Restaurant, founded by the Fuentes family in 1988, is famous for its Reggae Wednesday, and also for being the “headquarters” for Dumaguete youth for most of the 1990s until the 2010s. Yu’s story paints a picture of this youth culture. What wild things did you do in Hayahay?

SPOT 11: THE HENRY HOTEL ALONG ESCAÑO DRIVE

Read: Marianne Villanueva, Dumaguete

From Hayahay along Flores Avenue, walk northwards down the adjoining Escaño Drive, which has only been recently constructed and completed, reclaimed from what used to be a beachfront leading towards Silliman Beach in Bantayan. This will lead you to The Henry Hotel, a posh resort that used to be South Seas Resort, one of Dumaguete’s pioneering beachfront hospitality property. [In Villanueva’s story, it is masked as Seven Seas Resort.] Absent in The Henry Hotel is the dark vibe that pervades the story of a wife running away with her son from domestic strife. [What darkness does Dumaguete hide?] But while at The Henry, enjoy the offerings of its many restaurants, including Sans Rival, Si Señor, and Coffee Collective.

SPOT 12: THE OLD TIEMPO HOUSE AT AMIGO SUBDIVISION

Read: Edith Tiempo, Bonsai

Exit The Henry Hotel from its Escaño Drive side, and choose either to walk or grab a tricycle to the next stop. We suggest walking, for the exercise, and retrace your steps back towards the intersection of Flores Avenue, Escaño Drive, and EJ Blanco Drive, and walk westwards down the latter. Turn left at the first road you will encounter, and you will have entered Amigo Subdivision, Dumaguete’s pioneering subdivision, established in the pre-war years by Mary Davis Amigo and her husband Norberto Noblefranca Amigo. Soon enough, you will come to the subdivision’s main artery. Turn right, westwards. Somewhere on the left, there is a gated property that used to be the home of Edilberto and Edith Tiempo, where they entertained [and taught] for many years, which they had to sell. Miraculously, the house is still intact, albeit in a dilapidated state. “Bonsai” was written in this house, and touches on personal items from the Tiempos’ lives.

SPOT 13: IN TRANSIT, ON BOARD A DUMAGUETE TRICYCLE

Read: Diana T. Gamalinda, Dumaguete

From the western entrance to Amigo Subdivision along Hibbard Avenue, hail down the ubiquitous Dumaguete tricycle [which is also locally known as a “pedicab,” albeit a misnomer since the cab does not run on pedals, but is attached to a regular motorcycle]. The cab goes about town with its distinctive three-wheels, and is the most popular form of public transportation in Dumaguete. Its size makes it arguably one of the biggest cabs of its kind in the country. There are currently about 2,500 tricycles plying the streets of Dumaguete. The regular fare, post-pandemic, is 15 pesos per kilometer. Read Gamalinda’s short poem while on transit. Do Dumaguete’s roads “crawl on [their] bellies to the sky” still?

SPOT 14: OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP REDEMPTORIST CHURCH

Read: Merlie M. Alunan, The Bells Count in Our Blood

Disembark from your tricycle at the Our Mother of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church, which is accesssible from Jose Pro Teves Street [formerly Cervantes Street] via San Lorenzo Ruiz Drive, which skirts the church’s compound. The church was inaugurated in 1970, but started its congregation at the then Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel at the nearby Manuel L. Teves Memorial Hospital compound in 1958. The Redemptorist Church famously put out a statement to toll its bells when Fr. Rudy Romano was abducted by military forces at the tail-end of the Marcos regime for his activism, never to be seen again. Those who grew up in Dumaguete in the 1980s would remember the ringing of these nighty bells.

SPOT 15: THE PARK AT THE SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER ALONG ALDECOA DRIVE

Read: Cesar Ruiz Aquino, Stories

From the Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church, grab a tricycle and go to the Silliman University Medical Center. For our purposes, let’s use as our stop the small park at the very center of the hospital compound. SUMC is an independent sector of the university, and grew out of the Mission Hospital first established along Hibbard Avenue [in the building now known as Katipunan Hall] in 1915, which served the community for more than one hundred years. The new one along Aldecoa Drive was built in 1974, and finished in 1976, and boasted of the first elevators in the province. In one part of Aquino’s story, a young man is confined in the hospital. How many stories are there in the actual story?

SPOT 16: CHANNON HALL IN SILLIMAN CAMPUS

Read: Elsa Martinez Coscolluela, In My Father’s House [Excerpt]

From SUMC, go a bit eastward down Aldecoa Drive and proceed to the northern entrance to Sillliman campus in a place everyone colloquially calls Laguna. The Laguna road is a bit of a long walk until you reach a second gate that takes you into the main campus. Turn to the immediate left, towards the dorms, and follow the path that leads to the back of Chapel of the Evangel. Channon Hall is the old building beside Hibbard Avenue, one-time torture chamber of the Japanese during World War II. The large acacia trees nearby also served as hanging trees for condemned prisoners. Get a nightmare. In this excerpt from Coscolluela’s play, a middle-class Dumaguete family starts feeling the personal ravages of World War II in the city. How much do you know about the Japanese Occupation in Dumaguete?

SPOT 17: SILLIMAN CHURCH

Read: Lakambini Sitoy, Sweet Haven [Excerpt]

From Channon Hall in Sillliman campus, cross the wide expanse of the Ravello Soccer Field towards the Luce Auditorium, and walk the concrete path going southwards along the entire length of the Roman Yap Road, which terminates in one of the drivethroughs that service West Quadrangle, the Amphitheatre, and Silliman Church, which was completed in 1949 and is the built testimony of Silliman’s American Presbyterian origins. Sitoy’s novel, which could be about Dumaguete as Donostia, sets a tense confrontation scene in the university church. Has your faith ever been rocked by doubt?

SPOT 18: JO’S CHICKEN INATO ALONG SILLIMAN AVENUE

Read: Ian Rosales Casocot, A Tragedy of Chickens

From Silliman campus, exit through the portals at the head of Hibbard Avenue and turn to the left, towards the sea, along Silliman Avenue. Right near the intersection, you will find Jo’s Chicken Inato, a heritage restaurant in Dumaguete City founded by Josephine and Jesse Ng in 1985 to introduce Dumaguete’s equivalent of Bacolod’s chicken inasal, which is the inato [or “ours”]. It started as a cake house, but later evolved into a roasted chicken empire that speaks much of the locals’ love for chicken. Casocot’s story is a reflection of this love, centered on the inato. While you’re here, eat a pecho.

SPOT 19: EL AMIGO/CAFE MEMENTO ALONG SILLIMAN AVENUE

Read: Allan Justo Pastrana, Geography

From Jo’s Chicken Inato, walk towards the east, towards the sea, along Silliman Avenue. Just a stone’s throw away from the corner of Rizal Avenue, you will come across a bar called El Amigo, which has a smaller coffeeshop/gallery inside it called Cafe Memento. This is owned by the visual artist Babbu Wenceslao, the son of the poet Merlie Alunan. Starting in the 2000s, this was the hangout of many of the city’s young artists, and particularly the poets that come to Dumaguete every summer. Pastrana’s poem is a story of a summer love. Have you ever fallen for the same kind of magic in Dumaguete?

SPOT 20: PANTAWAN UNO AT THE RIZAL BOULEVARD

Read: Timothy R. Montes, How to Write About Dumaguete

From Cafe Memento/El Amigo, walk along Silliman Avenue and go towards the sea, and cross Rizal Avenue to enter Rizal Boulevard once again, this time with a view of Silliman Hall, the oldest building in Silliman campus. Go to the area which is known as Pantawan Uno. “Pantawan” is the Bisaya word for “window,” and this square is just that: the window into Dumaguete, complete with a signage for tourists to take photos in. Sit by the seawall. Contemplate the view. Think of Montes’ love/hate letter to the city. Do you feel the same way?

SPOT 21: DUMAGUETE PIER / VISITOR’S CENTER

Read: Marjorie Evasco, Ritual for Leaving

From the Pantawan Uno of the Rizal Boulevard, where the Dumaguete signage is located, walk the brick pathway towards the northern end of the paseo, which terminates at the entrance of the Dumaguete Pier. Go to the Visitor’s Center, which contains information about Dumaguete for tourists. The Visitor’s Center also has a balcony which gives one a good view of the city, particularly the Rizal Boulevard area. It is a site for both welcome and goodbye. Read Evasco’s poem while looking at the city. Imagine that the farewell it talks about is yours.

Did you have a good trip?