To locals, it’s simply called, Gensan. To businessmen, it’s the tuna capital of the Philippines. To sports aficionados, it’s the hometown of two boxing phenomena: Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao, the only septuple (seven weight) world champion in boxing history, and Rolando Navarette, a hard-punching southpaw who briefly held a junior lightweight (super featherweight) world title in the 80s.
As a tourist destination, General Santos City beckons. That was what we discovered when we visited the gateway to Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato recently. Historical sites, ecotourism destinations, beguiling festivals, captivating beaches, and mouth-watering foods – name it, the city has it.
As early as 1970, Gensan had been tagged as the tuna capital of the country. As such, one should not miss visiting the General Santos Fish Port Complex, an iconic attraction. Here, you can catch vistas of grueling fishermen dragging their gargantuan tunas at the break of dawn. Gaze at the fisher folk while they categorize the fish according to their quality and lineage and then proceed towards the adjoining market, where the fresh picks are lapped up immediately.
“About 200 to 250 tons of tuna are unloaded each day at the fish port,” said Rienje B. Andrada, a fish port staff member who welcomed us. The fish port, which lies along the shores of Sarangani Bay, is in barangay Tambler, about 17 kilometers south of the city proper.
Tunas are large, migratory oceanic fishes. There are 2l tuna and tuna-like species in the country but only six are commercially important. Among the big tunas, the important species are the yellow fin tuna (albacore), the big-eye tuna (tambakol), and the skipjack (gulyasan).
Gensan is known for the powerful swimmer yellow fin tuna, which rarely ventures into dirty and murky water, making it one of the safest fishes to eat. This species has a bright red flesh with meaty flavor. It is so versatile that you can grill, bake, broil, or sauté it.
Sashimi-grade tuna are exported to Japan, Canada, United States, Hong Kong, and Korea. These are also sold to leading hotels in Metro Manila, Cebu and other parts of the country. In the Philippines, tuna is the main ingredient of kinilaw.
Because of its popularity, tuna has been adopted as the city’s main business product. In fact, some small business enterprises are using tuna as main ingredients of their products. For instance, the KM Foods offers a variety of tuna value-added products like chorizo, embotido, bola-bola, shanghai rolls,siomai, nuggets, tocino, and burger patty and stick rolls.
“Our products retain tuna’s natural color without any artificial coloring,” assures Ramon A. Gabaldon, the owner and general manager. “In addition, we don’t smoke process our products nor do we add to them monosodium glutamate.”
In honor of tuna, Gensan celebrates Tuna Festival during its charter anniversary every first week of September. “Highlights of the festivities include culinary competitions, parades, street parties, ceremonial awards, pageants, and float competitions,” points out Gregory Dominic “Jing” Velos, of the City Economic Management and Cooperative Development, who facilitated our visit.
Alas, there’s more to Gensan than just tuna. Beaches and swimming areas abound. In barangay Tambler, for instance, there are four beach resorts one may select from: Dupalco, Family, Rajah, and Maharlika. While in barangay Baluan, you can swim at the Cebbans Garden Resort. When in barangay Apopong, you can choose any of these spring resorts: Lagare and Olaer.
But don’t miss to visit Dolores Tropicana, the city’s premier resort. It has a cozy swimming pool and the beach is just a walking distance away. It has 35 air-conditioned guest rooms. “The resort is our response to the changing demands of guests for quality resort, restaurant and hotel services,” explains Maybeline P. Almaden, the resort supervisor.
At the upper portion of Dolores Tropicana, some 10-minute drive away, is the spellbinding Sarangani Highlands. It has an awesome view of Sarangani Bay and downtown Gensan. On a clear day, you can see the majestic Mt. Parker and Mt. Matutum.
As you enter the gate, you get a glimpse of something like Mexico. And that’s only for a starter. Inside, you will see well-manicured gardens full of lush ornamentals and colorful flowers. “As you walk around and breathe the fresh air, you will forget whatever troubles you have,” comments my friend, Jose Rey L. Subaldo (JR for short). He adds that it reminds him of Tagaytay “but much better and more enthralling.”
Since its opening in July 2007, Sarangani Highlands has served as “the destination” to bring special guests, celebrate special occasions, and to show off to tourists who come to Gensan. Aside from the regular dining service, Sarangani Highlands also has function areas (both air-conditioned and al-fresco) that can accommodate guests for private parties, weddings, and meetings.
People who are adventurous and who are in search of exciting outdoor activities can always visit the Kalaja Karsts Land (derived from the word kalaha, which means a big “frying pan”), located at the northeast part of barangay Conel. The place is surrounded by karsts formation carved millions of years ago, which has produced caves and waterfalls. One of the famous spots in the area that tourists like to see is Kalaja Cave, which offers a swimming pool where they can take a relaxing and enjoyable dip.
Another must-see is the 12 waterfalls of Amsicong, also in barangay Conel. I had the pleasure of visiting the majestic falls, thanks to the assistance of Ruel B. Mascardo, chairman of the barangay tourism council and his assistant, Samuel S. Ginobatan.
But before one can reach it, one has to walk for 30 minutes following a river. Once one gets to the first waterfall, it’s already rock climbing if not rappelling from one falls to another. The longest drop measures 30 feet while the shortest drop is a mere three feet.
While it is fun, it also has an element of risk for the adventurous. At the seventh falls, my friend JR took off his shirt and jumped into the water. Several others followed suit. “The water is very clear,” he called out. “Since I am already here, why not take a plunge into the enticing water?”
At the end of the day, where does one find a place to sleep? Well, there exists a wide choice of comfortable places to stay in Gensan. For active backpackers and fast-paced business minds, lodging facilities range from budget accommodations to modern hotels.
If one prefers an exclusive and quiet place to stay, try Samantha’s Apartelle in barangay San Isidro. It offers affordable, comfortable, accessible hotel-like living in fully furnished single room studio type and two bedroom family apartments in the heart of the city. Contact Sunny Benzonan at these numbers: (083) 301-9128 and 0916-3704244.
Indeed, Gensan has a come a long, long way since General Paulino Santos led the first and largest batch of settlers organized under the National Land Settlement Administration to the shores of Sarangani Bay in 1939. The 60 or so hard-working pioneers, who mostly came from Luzon, tilled Cotabato’s fertile expanse of land. After this first influx of pioneers, thousands more from Luzon and the Visayas migrated to the area.
The territory became a municipality in 1948 named Buayan. In 1954, it was renamed General Santos as a tribute to its great pioneer (a park near the city hall was built in his honor). It gained its status as a city in 1968 thanks to a bill authored by then Congressman James L. Chiongbian (deceased).
How to get there? There are flights from Manila and Cebu. From Davao City, it is three hours of moderate and leisurely driving. The Gensan’s Makar Wharf connects the city to destinations within and outside the country.
