the Pacific Ocean, that’s given the city
an intriguing landscape, with many
natural riches within its terrain.
Since the mines were once again
allowed to operate — and dig for
nickel, gold, among other metals and
minerals — the city has been abuzz
with mining activity, and galvanized
by all the commerce it has brought.
Hotelier Jake Miranda, of the Tavern
Hotel, says about 70% of his guests
are either visiting miners or in town
for some kind of mining-related
activity. Establishments you might not
otherwise find in a city still moving in
provincial pace have sprung up as well:
spas offering respite from the hustle
were once unheard of.
Still, many recognize that the
fortunes to be made from mining might
be fleeting, and that mining by its very
nature will always quite literally seek
greener pastures. There have been
lessons learned when the Nonoc Island
mines shut down in the ’80s and left
many in the city without a job, and
there are moves to lay the city’s bets
on other, more sustainable industries.
Thanks to the city’s natural wonders,
tourism is one of them.
For most of what you’ll want to
see in Surigao City, you’ll need help
from the locals. After asking around
for guides to the caves in Barangay
Silop, we are told to visit the village
hall and look for a tourism officer. We
drive out to Kilometer 7, to the village
of Silop, just a quick turn off the main
highway, and find the village hall
empty on a Monday morning. There’s
one table and a typewriter, plus a guest
book. Like many town halls, there’s a
basketball gym next to it, but unlike the
town hall, the gym has a number of
men playing a round of basketball.
Finally, a woman shows up and
introduces herself as our guide. She
has with her some safety equipment
—
hard hats, headlights and gloves —
and leads us on a short trek along a
foot trail, treeless except for towering
coconut trees. It is nearly noon and the
sun is high and bursting light through
the treetops. We walk past a tethered
carabao, slapping flies off its back with
its tail, until we make it to the edge of a
Top to bottom:
Day-asan guides
Loloy and his
nephew Johnrod;
kids frolic among the
mangroves; inside the
Silop Caves
S U S T A I N A B L E S U R I G A O
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