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Geography
South of the island of Luzon, north of Mindanao and east of
Palawan is the Visayas. The major islands in this group are
Cebu, Bohol, Guimaras, Leyte,
Panay, Negros, Romblon and Siquijor with many other little
islands between them. Travellers will see and feel the
island are different in topography, economic development,
nature of the locals and even in the design of the tricycles
The
Visayas, is
the middle cluster of islands are characterized by natural
and cultural diversity. The beaches of Boracay are regarded
as some of the world’s best. In Boracay you will find most
of the exotic Philippine hotels and resorts. Cebu is the
cradle of Christianity and Bohol has one of the world’s most
intriguing geological formations.
People and Culture
The people of Cebu are called Cebuanos and are descendants
of Malay, Negritos, Spaniards, Mexicans and Chinese
ancestries. Cebu is also home to a number of Spanish and
Chinese communities who play an important economic and
marketing role in the Cebuano society. Visayan - Cebuano
culture is laid back and easy going; the people are friendly
and has preserved strong Spanish-oriented traditions in its
cultural life to this very day. |
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Dialect
Linguistically, Cebu is home to the country's second largest
group. A derivative of Bisaya, the Visayan language, Cebuano
was originally spoken only in the island of Cebu. However,
it is now being spoken in many parts of Mindanao, the
eastern part of Negros Island, the western and southern
parts of Leyte, Bohol, and in Samar. The term Visayan came
from an ancient Malay kingdom, called the Sri Vishayan
Empire which ruled some parts of the Philippines in the 14th
century to the early years of the Spanish conquest.
 Religion
The patron saint of Cebu is the Santo Niño de Cebu, which is
the image of the Child Jesus and housed in the country's
oldest church, the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. According
to historical accounts, the Santo Niño was given by
Ferdinand Magellan to the wife of the chief, Rajah Humabon
as a gift to celebrate their alliance. That act is depicted
in Cebu's largest, most popular cultural event, the Sinulog
where street-dancing preceded by a holy mass is the main
attraction.
Previously a part of the Archdiocese of Manila, Cebu was
later made into a separate diocese, independent of the
Manila archdiocese. It has several major churches, including
the Basilica, the Cathedral, the San Carlos Church, the Sto.
Rosario Parish Church, San Jose-Recoletos Church, Sacred
Heart of Jesus, etc. as well as several other non-Catholic
churches. Most of the population in Cebu are Roman Catholic
(as in most Philippine provinces with the possible exception
of Mindanao) though there are some thriving Muslim
communities, most of whom are migrants from the islands of
Mindanao.
Other religious minorities include Iglesia Ni Kristo,
Jehovah's Witness, God's Kingdom, the Philippine Benevolent
Missionaries Association, Church of Latter Day Saints, etc.
 Population
In the Census of Population and Housing (Census 2000), Cebu
City recorded a total population of 718,821 persons, 56,522
more compared to the 1995 Census of Population (POPCEN)
results. Cebu City has one of the country's highest annual
population growth rate, recording at 1.77 percent for the
years 1995 to 2000. At the national level, the city shared
0.94 percent to the total population of 76.5 million as
recorded in the Census 2000.
Economy
Cebu's economy is a hodgepodge of industries and commercial
ventures. Recently, due to its burgeoning furniture-making
industry, Cebu has been hailed as the furniture capital of
the Philippines. The Department of Trade and Industry in
Cebu is aiming to develop this aspect of Cebu economy by
specifically targeting small to medium enterprises or SMEs
whose products are considered export-quality. Cebu itself
does not have a rich source of raw materials for
furniture-making due to denudation of the forests, however,
several the manufacturers are able to procure their
materials from other islands and from imports as well. Cebu
has two major economic zones located in Mactan - the Mactan
Export Processing Zone I and II (MEPZ I & MEPZ II).
Besides furniture-making, Cebu is also fast becoming the IT
capital of Southern Philippines. Many companies, either
local or outsourced, are establishing their headquarters in
Cebu. The city has become a site for various U.S. call
centers and BPOs. The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
an organization comprised of Cebu's business elite, are
centering the city's growth and economy on information and
communications technology, with the aim of making it a
premier ICT investment, software, and e-services hub in
Southeast Asia.
History
The Magellan Expedition
On April 7, 1521, the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand
Magellan landed on Cebu island. He was on expedition under
the command of the Spanish king and his goal was to search
for the fabled island of Moluccas and to see about expanding
the Spanish territories to the Orient.
Magellan persuaded the Chief of Cebu, Rajah Humabon to swear
oath and allegiance to the Spanish King Charles V .
Accompanied by Spanish Dominican friars, the expedition was
responsible for the first wave of Christianity in the
Philippines. On April 14, Magellan erected a large wooden
cross on the shores of Cebu where the first Holy Mass in the
Philippines was also held. Afterwards, some 400 native
Cebuanos were baptized, along with Rajah Humabon and his
wife who took the Christian names Carlos and Juana,
respectively to honor the Spanish King. The Santo Niño was
also presented to the queen as a symbol of peace between the
Spaniards and the natives.
Encouraged by his success in Cebu, Magellan later crossed
the channel to the nearby island of Mactan which was under
the rule of Muslim Datu Lapu-Lapu. On April 27, the historic
Battle of Mactan occured where Magellan was killed and his
men were driven off the island by the natives. According to
historian and chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan's body
was never recovered despite efforts to trade for it with
spice and jewels.
Magellan's second-in-command, Sebastian del Cano took his
place and sailed the remainder of the fleet to Spain, taking
a route different from the eastern route as opposed to the
western route which they took when they first arrived. In so
doing, the fleet became the first to "circumnavigate the
world."
The Spanish Conquest
Survivors of the Magellan Expedition brought tales of a
savage island in the Orient with them when they returned to
Spain. Consequently, several follow-up expeditions were sent
but all ended in failure.
Forty-four years after Magellan first set foot in Cebu, in
1565, conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi and his 400 armed
soldiers together with several Augustinian and Franciscan
friars arrived and declared that the Spanish crown succeeded
in colonizing the islands. Legazpi and his men then marched
through Zugbo and bombarded the palisades of chieftain Rajah
Tupas and destroyed the village. He later rebuilt it and
called it Villa del Santisimo Nombre de Jesús (Village of
the Most Holy Name of Jesus). Thus, in 1569, it became the
first Spanish settlement established by the Spanish Cortes
in the Philippines.
On August 14, 1571, Cebu (Villa del Santisimo Nombre de
Jesús) was detached from the Catholic diocese of Manila and
became a diocese of its own. When Legazpi departed for
Manila in 1571, he did not abandon Cebu. Instead, he
employed a state governor to look after it and left half of
his men in Cebu.
Three centuries later, in June 12, 1898 marked the end of
the Spanish era and the onset of the American regime. In
1901, Cebu became a municipality and on February 24, 1937
became a chartered city.
World War II
Cebu, being the most densely populated island in the
country, served as a vital Japanese base during the Japanese
occupation in World War II which began with the landing of
the Japanese Imperial Army on April 1942. Three years later
on March 1945, an American force landed and liberated the
city from the Japanese.
Transportation
By sea
The Port of Cebu is the region's main gateway. There are
also ports in Dumaguete in Negros Oriental, Tagbilaran in
Bohol and Larena in Siquijor. Inter-island shipping is
served by numerous shipping lines, two of them fastcraft
companies which serve all the provinces in the region.
By air
The main airport is the Mactan-Cebu International Airport,
which is in Cebu. There are also airports in Dumaguete (in
Sibulan town), and in Tagbilaran. Tagbilaran airport is
serviced by Asian Spirit, which flies to Cebu and Manila;
Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines which flies only to
Manila. Dumaguete is served by Air Philippines and Cebu
Pacific, both of them flying only to Manila.
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