Of queen bees and sustainability: The Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort journey
By Marivir R. Montebon
Cebu City – “Who’s the husband of the queen? I mean the father of the eggs…?” I asked, my voice so coarse because of sore throat. It’s not a Netflix series that I was asking about.
This rather naïve question was meant for Indig to answer. He’s an agriculturist and a beekeeper at the Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort. He seemed a bit stunned by my question. But he went on to thoroughly explain that about 8-15 drones would mate the queen bee and then they would die afterwards.
Agriculturists Indig (left) and Oninz with GM Rhyz Buac (right).
The queen bee, after mating only once in her life, would continuously lay eggs in her lifespan of three to five years.
“Gamhanan gyud diay ang babaye (the woman is indeed powerful),” I remarked. We laughed.
I got this.
That was my sparkle of life lesson learned from visiting the bee farm of the Bluewater Maribago, a premiere resort in Mactan island. The honey from its farm goes to the breakfast buffet every day.
In my recent homecoming, I decided to stay at this family-owned, wholly Filipino resort again, as I did three years ago because it felt being in the bosom of home within my motherland Cebu. I came back.
Circular care: Taking care of yourself, others, and the environment - is key to sustainability.
Bluewater Maribago is one of the few resorts in Cebu which has been mindful of sustainability even at its inception. With over 35 years of existence as a favorite family resort, it is known for its amuma (care or nurture in Cebuano) for guests, staff, and the environment.
Unknown perhaps to many of its guests, Bluewater has ensured the farm-to-table freshness of its food offerings.
Aside from fresh organic honey, its famous Delfino’s pizza is made of home-made sour dough, and the mushrooms were harvested from its own farm.
General Manager Rhyz Buac said that the farm could still not fully provide for the consumption needs of the hotel guests, but they make sure that their suppliers are providing them with farm-fresh and organic produce.
Farm-fresh organic honey at the buffet.
Bluewater Maribago has cultivated its own trees, bamboo, herbs, decorative plants, and domesticated animals on its farm to provide fresh organic materials for its amuma spa and kitchen.
Margie Munsayac, Bluewater’s Vice President for Sales and Marketing, said that providing care is inherently a Cebuano trait and a shared philosophy of the owners of the resort. “Right from the start, we have been mindful of taking care of our guests and the environment. That’s our core value. Of course, like everything else, we took baby steps in implementing care in our programs.”
One of the resort’s vegetable gardens.
The word amuma was suggested to the family owners by a respected media person in Cebu, recalled Munsayac, a pioneering executive for Bluewater.
The resort’s amuma philosophy and culture is integrated in taking care of people, the Cebuano way - guests, company employees, environment, and community.
Bluewater is also strictly keeping clean its beach front, underwater (it has an annual scubasurero cleanup dive), and land, making it a consistent winner of environmentally sound practices in the locality.
It received the ASEAN Green Hotel Award in 2016, 2018, and 2020 and a finalist in the 2025 Sustainability Champion of the 4th Cebu Tourism & Hospitality Awards.
Home-grown mushrooms
Strict cleanup for Earth care - above water and underwater and on land too.
In walking the talk, Bluewater takes care of its workers as well. Chef April Doria said she appreciates the company for giving them the opportunity to discover and improve their dishes. “It’s a growing experience being here for 10 years. Especially when we are giving the chance to innovate with a given budget and take care of the kitchen crew too.”
Such growth in the organization is shared by Mike Oyao who started at the creative department, and now the top marketing person handling all the Bluewater properties. “I was given the chance to become the best version of myself.”
A greate conversation with Margie Munsayac (left) with Mike Oyao and Rhyz Buac.
April Doria perfects her sour dough pizza with farm-fresh organic mushrooms.
Cebu culinary artistry at its finest.
With Executive Chef Stephen del Amen and April Doria with her mushroom and bacon pizza.
Living the Cebuano-Filipino culture of food and care.
The famous Cebu lechon by the beach.
Pure hot chocolate, puto maya, and bibingka.
Buac, also a pioneering pillar of Bluewater, said that amuma has proven itself to provide for the company’s sustainability. He said, taking care of people and the environment should become just a habit.
“If you amuma (take care) the environment, it will take care of you. If you amuma the staff, they will take care of the guests well and they will stay for long. If you amuma the guests, they will come back.”
There goes the sustainable power of Bluewater, its mindfulness for care.
Even during the pandemic, the resort managed to innovate and stay afloat. It converted itself to be the home and office for call center employees and a much better respite for cancer patients who had to be isolated from covid patients in a nearby hospital.
Bluewater Maribago - an intimate, family-owned, wholly Filipino resort in Cebu that caters to the family by providing amuma (care) and championing Cebuano culture and heritage. I am home.
With my sister Joan, nieces Julian and Carmela, and Tet, high school friend who’s an environmental impact consultant.
During those harrowing times, Bluewater had to halt the construction of a six-story building. Today, the Sidlakan wing of Bluewater is open to guests from the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions segment of tourism. The hotel now has 255 rooms, blending the high-rise Sidlakan with its one and two-story bungalows in the seven hectare property in Mactan.
Sidlakan, a new expansion.
“Our north star Sidlakan is up and expanding our clientele with the same care we give,” Munsayac beams.
Three years ago, I had a conversation with hotel owner and assistant GM Domiku Ugarte who remembered his grandfather Arcadio Alegrado fondly. “He established the resort, meant to cater to families, and made sure they took care of the trees (they never chopped down trees during the construction) and our people.”
That tradition of care lives on. #
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