Pasalubong culture has come under fire in recent years, but there’s no harm in bringing home small souvenirs from the Philippines. Each little gift is a way of telling the people you’re coming home to abroad that you thought about them while you were visiting your motherland.
Still, you don’t want to go overboard on your pasalubong spending. Neither should you risk overweight fees on your luggage during your return trip from PH. Worse, you don’t want to be stopped and questioned by customs officers after a long flight home. Not only is it a hassle, but you could end up paying high penalties and not being able to bring your gifts with you anyway. This is why planning your souvenir shopping will save you headaches on your return trip.
With that in mind, here are 10 easy choices for Cebu souvenirs you can bring back abroad on an international flight from your visit to the Queen City of the South. We’ve divided our list into edible and nonedible pasalubong:
Food
1. Dried Mangoes
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Apart from being Cebu’s most famous pasalubong item, these have in fact become one of the Philippines’ top food souvenirs. With their sweet, chewy goodness, dried mangoes are a sure crowd pleaser. And for extra points? Get the chocolate-dipped varieties as well as the classic options of dried mangoes, dried mango chips, and dried mango strips.
2. Rosquillos
Although there are several varieties on the market for these “ringlet” cookies, go for the original rosquillos from Titay’s of Liloan. The crunchy golden brown cookies were first made in 1907 by Margarita “Titay” Frasco from flour, eggs, shortening, and her secret recipe. According to stories, Cebu governor Sergio Osmeña, who later became the fourth President of the Philippines, gave them their name. Rosquillos is derived from the Spanish word rosca, or “ring.” These cookies are available by the box or packet from supermarkets and pasalubong centers. You can also visit the Titay’s Flagship Store in Poblacion, Liloan.
3. Otap
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Cebu’s famous puff pastry cookies are best paired with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Otap (or utap) are sweet, buttery, and flaky oval-shaped cookies. You can buy these by the pack or box from any supermarket or pasalubong center. We recommend going for Shamrock Otap, which boasts “70 years of excellent baking” in Cebu.
4. Tablea and other local chocolate products
Also known as tableya or sikwate, tablea are discs of ground-up cacao beans used to make traditional Filipino hot chocolate. Although found all over the Philippines, tablea is very much a favorite for Cebuanos. A breakfast of puto or sticky rice with sikwate and a sweet Cebu mango makes for a perfect start to your day.
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Grab these and other local cacao treats at homegrown stores like The Chocolate Chamber in Robinsons Galleria Mall (apart from their classic and flavored tablea, their Dark Chocolate Bars with Cacao Nibs and Choco Cayenne bars are must-tries). You can also visit various branches of Tablea Chocolate Café in Bonifacio District, JY Square Mall, and Banilad. Here, you can try their tablea as a churros dipping sauce or as a traditional drink. Must-buys also include champorado kits and Crunchy Cacao Nibs.
5. Peanut Browas
Another pasalubong classic and perfect snack for kids and kids at heart is Lola Pureza’s Peanut Browas. These crunchy treats can be enjoyed on their own or mixed with other desserts. You should be able to find packs of these in any souvenir store or even the local supermarkets in Cebu.
Nonfood
6. Hometown pride shirts and apparel
Yes, these can be a little cheesy (especially the shirts that yell CEBU in festive colors). But they’re a popular option for a reason. You can get shirts, caps, totes, and more that proudly show where you went and what landmark activities you participated in while there.
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Stores like Islands Souvenirs carry Cebu-related apparel. But if you want something more specific, you can check the tourist centers or markets in the local towns you visit. Any top tourist site is sure to have at least a couple of kiosks selling souvenir shirts, shorts, hats, and more.
7. A locally-made ukulele
Cebu is famous for its guitars and ukuleles. The city of Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island is even known as the Guitar Capital of the Philippines! And while a guitar may be a bulky pasalubong, ukuleles are the perfect size for a souvenir.
Some of the most popular stores you can visit to try out the instruments before buying them (and you might be able to request personalization too!) are Alegre Guitar, Ferangeli Guitar Handcrafter, Inday Celia’s Guitar Factory, and Susing’s Guitar.
Not headed to Mactan for your trip? You can hit the local malls where there are several stores, although mall prices will normally be a bit higher. You can check out kiosks like Wagas Ukuleles. These are made in Compostela, but they’re designed to be pasalubong-friendly (though they warn that ukuleles are best hand-carried). Plus, many of their designs let you show off your Pinoy Pride.
8. Handcrafted jewelry, magnets, keychains, and other accessories
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You can go to just about any mall to find rows of popup stores selling local handicrafts. Or you can head to a local market, the biggest of these being in the Freedom Park/Carbon Market area. Just remember that when going to these, you’ll want to make sure to haggle! And bringing a local who can speak (and bargain) in fluent Cebuano will save you a lot of pesos, especially if you’re buying a lot of things.
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For a more curated experience, you can check out HoliCOW Gallery-Store for their scarves, face masks, pins, brooches, and earrings. They also carry home accessories that can also be great souvenirs. And just in case you’re in a rush, just about every mall or department store in the metro will carry Islands Souvenirs items.
9. Unique local fashion
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Cebu designers bring a lot of color and creativity to the fashion world. So if you’ve got a fashionista friend to buy for (or if you’re looking for a memorable piece to take home for yourself), there is a lot to choose from. One top pick would be the panyo, loro, and wrap skirts using local weaves from Anthill Markets. If buying for someone who matches you in size, you could even have something custom-made by local ateliers.
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10. Albums by VisPop and BisRock artists and other local talents
Cebu’s music scene is loud, proud, and full of native and international influences. While many Cebuano artists can now be found on Spotify and other online music platforms, there’s something special about holding an album in your hands. Among the best artists Cebu has to offer, whom you can check out on Spotify, include Aggressive Audio, The Ambassadors, Martina San Diego, Missing Filemon, Jewel Villaflores, Cattski, and more.
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The best time and place to get a band or artist’s albums is to go to their gigs—and you should definitely try to catch a live performance if you can. It’ll also let you get your album copies autographed! In case your schedule doesn’t align with this, though, you can try messaging your favorite artists on social media. Homegrown indie label 22 Tango Records also sells albums at their home base in Mango Square Mall, Cebu City.
Pasalubong Reminders: What You Can & Can’t Bring Home
Picking the right pasalubong can be tricky because you, like so many other travelers, run the risk of getting flagged by customs for bringing unauthorized items into your home country. And some of the things you can and can’t bring might surprise you.
For example, pork and other meat products are likely to be a no-no, but you can usually bring dried fish so long as you make sure this is packed correctly in airtight bags. You’ll probably want to double- or even triple-bag these for good measure, to avoid letting the smell spread to the rest of your luggage.
And if you’re wondering why we didn’t list Cebuano food staples like lechon and chicharon here, it’s precisely because of the ban some countries have on meat products. Plus, lechon doesn’t travel well. However, if you’re going to visit family and friends in another province or city before going abroad, it’s a great choice for endearing yourself to them. Local restaurants like CnT Lechon are happy to pack ready-for-check-in boxes for you.
And, sorry to the plantitas out there, but cuttings or seeds of any kind of plant are sure to get you in trouble. Thus, it’s best to avoid these, no matter how much you may want to plant that sunset-flowered hibiscus in your home garden.
Just remember, customs restrictions can evolve quickly, so make sure to research before you buy as to whether the country you’re going home to or visiting allows the items you want to bring over. And the best advice we can give you for bringing items home from the Philippines is to declare, declare, declare. Hiding your goodies may well lead to bigger penalties if caught.