Moncado Hotel, Sudlon, Cebu

This hotel is located up in one of the mountain barangays of Cebu, in Sudlon (I forgot if it was I or II). We followed Trans-Central Highway going up towards Balamban or Toledo. Following one junction in a dirt road, we ended in a small and quiet barangay of Sudlon.

As the bus rolled towards the front of the hotel, we were amazed at how old the hotel was. It was a three storey structure all in wood. In front of the hotel was an empty 10 feet swimming pool. As we entered the ground floor where the supposed reception was located, it was as if we were taken back in time like 40 years ago. The glass display was dusty and the front desk looked like there was no front dest clerk in a very long time. The whole reception area was eerie with a sense of antique welcome.

We went up to the rooms in a narrow wooden staircase that creaked as our foot dropped in each step. We were led to the third floor and were assigned rooms that was facing the front. I found out that there were still other rooms behind our rooms. But most of those rooms are abandoned and only birds took them as their palaces where they built their nests.

Dinner that night took place at the topmost room where the kitchen and dining room was located. As we settle ourselves in the tables we were told that there is a cord that is tied near the kitchen and nobody must ring the bell. The bell once rung signifies emergency for all Moncadistas around the premises.

The Moncadista is a religious sect founded by Hilario Camino Moncado. The bell cord ran from the kitchen towards a hill across the wide lawn of the hotel. The hill was considered holy because it was there that Moncado himself was preserved. He was placed in a glass casket. His body did not decompose. He was looking very regal and still commanding even while lying inside the casket. We also found out that he was a four star general leading Filipino and American troops during World War II.

The next morning was a Sunday. We heard church bells ringing. The church was in a room at the ground floor of the hotel. What fascinated me most was the outfit of the men who were on their way to the church. Most of them were old men. They have white long beard that reached the breast. And, their clothing was a World War II khaki army uniform complete with badges and ranks. Some of them even have World War II rifles. The women, mostly were old women, were also in old fashioned dresses with a lace cloth on their heads. Just like the women of long ago.

I have been to the place only once and that was seven years ago. When I was still in college. I loved how they preserved the place, the old fashion way. They also preserved the history of their founder who not only founded the Moncadista but also helped the Fil-American soldiers. I wonder if the old hotel was still there until this time. I hope I can go back there once of these days and tell another story about it once again. :)