Liboo Hill
Liboo Hill

In the southern part of Cebu, somewhere in the town of Ronda, stands the famous Liboo Hill. The hill's awesome presence is reassuring, relieving people of their tired bodies.

This hill is source of local legend, a story handed down through oral tradition from past generations of Rondahanons. Well, there’s no proof of truth to this story, which is similar to many folktales of other towns. But legend has it that hundreds of years ago, the barangay of Liboo was festive and progressive. The trees were blooming with fruits of different kinds and the fields were abundant with everything that was ready for harvest, which gave everyone better chances of living.

There on the hill was a big leak which looked like the entrance to a church. This leak was merciful and kind to anyone who begged for help. It was the practice among the local folks every time they held big celebrations like the last day of the wake, baptism, wedding and other events to borrow whatever items they needed for cooking from this leak in the hill.

Everything changed, however, when Kaloy, the son of Ponso and Asing was about to get married. Kaloy was betrotiled to a girl named Piyang, daughter of Tancio and Kayang. The young man was asked to give a large dowry consisting of: one hundred pesos, one carabao, a piece of land, and other items for the banquet.

All was prepared as required by Piyang's parents. These included the girl's wedding dress as well as her adornments like necklace, ring, and bracelet. Both Kaloy and Piyang went to the leak in the hill to personally borrow the things they needed. They likewise promised to return everything they borrowed as soon as they were done with it. If in case they broke the promise, they were willing to become slaves and as a consequence, the leak would stop lending anything to the people.

The wedding took place during a full moon, which was such a big celebration for both families of the newlyweds. Yet something bad happened. The necklace that the couple borrowed from the leak got lost. No matter what they did to find it was a failure.

Thus, all of a sudden the leak in the hill was nowhere to be found. And together with its disappearance was the newlywed couple, Piyang and Kaloy.

Another story surrounding the majestic Liboo hill is that, it was also the abode of Ronda's  famed founder—To Pongtod and his beauteous wife, Ta Bugtai. For a time, this hill served as a natural "lighthouse" for weary travelers or fishermen who wanted to find a temporary place to unwind after a hard day's toil at sea or simply to find some place to spend some brief respite from any activity.

Now, centuries later, the Liboo Hill is a place of adventure for trekkers, with a breathtaking view of Ronda and beyond.

It was declared a sanctuary for wildlife, a municipal tree park and a municipal landmark.




© 2018 Municipality of Ronda, Cebu. All rights reserved.