Cebu City
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| Cebu City Lungsod ng Cebu Dakbayan sa Sugbo Ciudad de Cebú |
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| — City — | |||
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| Nickname(s): Queen City of the South | |||
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| Coordinates: 10°17′N 123°54′E / 10.283°N 123.9°E | |||
| Country | Philippines | ||
| Region | Central Visayas (Region VII) | ||
| Province | Cebu (capital) | ||
| Districts | First (North) and Second (South) districts of Cebu City | ||
| Barrios or Barangays | 80 | ||
| Spanish colonial foundation | 1565 | ||
| Reincorporated city | February 24, 1937 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Tomas Osmeña | ||
| - Vice Mayor | Michael Rama | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 291.2 km2 (112.4 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 17.0 m (56 ft) | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| - Total | 798,809 | ||
| - Density | 2,743/km2 (7,104.3/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | PST (UTC+8) | ||
| Area code(s) | 32 | ||
| Website | www.cebucity.gov.ph | ||
Cebu City (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Sugbo; Filipino: Lungsod ng Cebu; Spanish: Ciudad de Cebú) is the capital city of Cebu and the second city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest city in the country.
The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. Cebu is the Philippines' main domestic shipping port and is home to about 80% of the country's domestic shipping companies. Cebu also holds the second largest international flights in the Philippines and is a significant centre of commerce, trade and industry in the Visayas and Mindanao region. According to the 2007 Philippine census, the city has a population of about 798,809 people.
Cebu City is the centre of a metropolitan area called Metro Cebu, which includes the cities of Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay. Metro Cebu has a total population of about 2 million people. The Mactan-Cebu International Airport, located in Lapu-Lapu City is only a twenty-minute drive away from Cebu City. To the northeast of the city are Mandaue City and the town of Consolacion, to the west are Toledo City, the towns of Balamban and Asturias, to the south are Talisay City and the town of Minglanilla. Across Mactan Strait to the east is Mactan Island where Lapu-Lapu City and an aquarium attraction are located.
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[edit] History
Before being colonized by Spain in the 16th century, Cebu was a trading settlement with a Islamic and Animist population. On April 7, 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu. He was welcomed by Rajah Humabon, the chieftain of Cebu, who together with his wife and about 700 native islanders, were baptized by the Spaniards on April 14, 1521. Magellan, however, failed to successfully claim the Philippines for the crown of Spain, having been slain by Datu Lapu-Lapu, a chieftain in Mactan Island on April 27, 1521 in the Battle of Mactan.
On April 27, 1565, Spanish explorers led by Miguel López de Legazpi, together with Augustinian Friar Andrés de Urdaneta, sailing from Mexico, landed in Cebu. The Spaniards established settlements, trade flourished and renamed the city on January 1, 1571, from San Miguel (Saint Michael) to Villa del Santísimo Nombre de Jesús (Village of the Most Holy Name of Jesus). During this six year period of exploration and conquest by the Spaniards, Cebu City was the capital of the Spanish East Indies.
Cebu City attained the status of a charter city in 1936.
[edit] Culture
Cebu City is a significant cultural centre in the Philippines. The city's most famous landmark is Magellan's Cross. This cross, now housed in a chapel, was supposedly planted by Ferdinand Magellan when he arrived in the Philippines in 1521. It was encased in hollow tindalo wood in 1835 upon the order of the Augustinian Bishop Santos Gómez Marañon to prevent devotees from taking it home chip by chip. The same bishop restored the present template or kiosk, located at the present Magellan street between City Hall and Colegio del Santo Niño. Revered by Filipinos, the Cross of Magellan is a symbol of the beginning of Christianity in the Philippines.
A few steps away from the Magellan's Cross is the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño (Church of the Holy Child), an Augustinian church which was elevated to the rank of basilica in 1965 during the 400th year celebrations of Christianity in the Philippines, held in Cebu. The church, which was the first to be established in the islands. It is built of hewn stone, and features the country's oldest relic, the image of the Santo Niño de Cebu (Holy Child of Cebu).
This religious event is celebrated on the islands cultural festivities known as the Sinulog festival, held every third Sunday of January which celebrates the festival of the Santo Niño, the patron saint of Cebu. The Sinulog is a dance ritual of pre-Hispanic indigenous origin. The dancer moves two steps forward and one step backward to the rhythmic sound of drums. This movement resembles somewhat the current (sulog) of the river. Thus, the Cebuanos called it Sinulog.
When the Spaniards arrived in Cebu, the Italian chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta, sailing under convoy with the Magellan expedition, offered, as a baptismal gift, to Hara Amihan, wife of Rajah Humabon and later named Juana, the image of the Santo Niño. The natives likewise honored the Santo Niño de Cebu in their indigenous Sinulog ritual. The Sinulog ritual was preserved but limited to honoring the Santo Niño. Once the Santo Niño church was built in the 1500s, the Christian Malay people started performing the Sinulog ritual in front of the church, the devotees offering candles and the native dancers shouting "Viva Pit Señor!" (Hail Mister).
In the 1980s and 2000s, the city authorities of Cebu made the Sinulog Festival part and parcel of the religious feast of the Santo Niño de Cebú to its cultural event.
[edit] Government
Cebu City is an independent and chartered city. Registered voters of the city cannot vote for provincial candidates unlike its nearby counterparts (Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay cities) that form part of Metro Cebu. It is the capital of the province mainly because the provincial capitol is located in it. There were proposals however during the time of Governor Emilio Mario Osmeña to establish an "administrative district" that would be independent from Cebu City. This would literally mean carving out Cebu City's Barangay Capitol where the provincial capitol and other provincial offices are located. The plan however didn't push through and was even followed by other proposals like the transfer of the capital to Balamban.
Cebu City is governed mainly by city hall, composed of one mayor, one vice-mayor and sixteen councilors (eight representing the northern and eight representing the southern region). Each official is elected publicly to three year terms. The chief of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) and the President of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation also managed in the city council. The day to day administration of the city is handled by a city administrator.
Tomas Osmeña is the mayor of Cebu City. He was elected in 1988 and re-elected in the 2004 Philippine elections. Michael Rama is the vice mayor.[1][2]
[edit] Economy
Cebu City considered as one of the most progressive city in the Philippines. It's rivalry city is Davao City since Davao city holds the record as the progressive city in the south with high income compare to Cebu City. About 80 percent of the island vessels operating in the country are also based there. Recently, the entry of business process outsourcing (BPO) firms such as call centres have contributed much to the growth of the local economy. Such has made the city together with the nearby cities that form part of Metro Cebu as the country's second important economic centre.
It was built by the city's government through a loan and is envisioned to play a driving role in the economy especially that congestion, given the fact that most of the city's land area is mountainous, would definitely be an issue in the future.
Most businessmen have acknowledged that the city must work hard in attracting direct foreign investments.
[edit] Geography
Cebu City is politically subdivided into 80 barangays.
[edit] North district
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[edit] South district
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Cebu City has a land area of 291.2 square kilometres and about 55.9 square kilometres is classified as urban, while 235.2 square kilometres is classified as rural. To the northeast of the city are Mandaue City and the town of Consolacion, to the west are Toledo City, the towns of Balamban and Asturias, to the south are Talisay City and the town of Minglanilla. Across Mactan Strait to the east is Mactan Island where Lapu-Lapu City is located. Further east across the Cebu Strait is the Island of Bohol.
The city is politically subdivided into 80 barrios or barangays. These are grouped into two congressional districts, with 46 barrios or barangays in the northern district and 34 barrios or barangays in the southern district.
[edit] Infrastructure
The Cebu Metropolitan Area has all the necessary infrastructures sufficient enough for its pace of urbanization. The city is readily accessible by air via the Mactan-Cebu International Airport located in Lapu-Lapu City which has direct international flights to Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China, Palau, Malaysia, Taiwan, Qatar, South Korea and other domestic destinations. There are many international and cargo airlines flying to Cebu, such as Cathay Pacific, Silk Air, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Korean Air, China Southern Airlines, Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and FedEx, 2GO, Pacific East Asia Cargo Airlines respectively. There are also direct transfer flights via the capital's Ninoy Aquino International Airport that readily connects the city to other destinations in the world. The city mostly gets its power from an interconnection grid with the Leyte Geothermal Power Plant which also powers the majority of the Visayas Islands. There are also coal-fired power plants though these have been controversial due to its impact to the environment. Another coal-fired power plant is nearing completion and is envisioned to make the city independent from the interconnection grid once completed. Distribution of electricity is provided by the Visayas Electric Company (VECO).
The city is served by a domestic and international port which are handled by the Cebu Port Authority. Much of the city's waterfront is actually occupied by the port with around 3.5 kilometres of berthing space. The domestic port readily gives access to nearby islands and provinces. The city's central location makes it as an ideal transshipment hub. It is in fact home to more than 80% of the country's interisland vessels plying domestic routes mostly in the Visayas and Mindanao.
The South Road Properties (SRP)is a 300-hectare prime property development project on a reclaimed land located a few metres off the coast of Cebu's central business district. It is registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and is funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation(JBIC).[3] Traversing the property is a 12 kilometres, four-lane highway known as the Cebu Coastal Road that provides the motorists with a good view of Cebu's south coast and the nearby island of Bohol.
Telecommunication facilities, broadband and wireless internet connections are available and are provided by some of the country's largest telecommunication companies.
In the 1990s the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill was constructed to ease garbage disposal within the city. It is however nearing its lifespan although the Provincial Government is planning to build two sanitary landfills to serve both the northern and southern parts of Metro Cebu including Cebu City. In June 2005, the city fully implemented the segregation of wastes as mandated by law.
Mass transportation throughout the city and the metropolitan itself is provided by jeepneys, buses and taxis. There were previous plans of setting up a mass railway system but it was deemed not feasible as of the moment due to the high construction cost that it will entail and the uncertainty of making the routes profitable.
[edit] Education
Cebu City is one of three centers of education in the country, the other is being the Manila Metropolitan Area and Metro Davao. It currently has nine large universities each with a number of campus branches throughout the city and more than a dozen other schools and colleges specializing in various courses such as Medicine, Engineering, Nautical courses, Nursing, Law, Computer and IT and among others.
Among these schools is the oldest educational institution in the Philippines, the University of San Carlos. It has four campuses around the metropolitan area. Before gaining university status, it was originally called Colegio de San Ildefonso and was established in 1595 by the Jesuits. It is currently headed by the SVD.
The University of the Philippines, Visayas, located at Camputhaw in the district of Lahug in Cebu City currently has 8 courses and has plans of expansion and development.
Another catholic university in Cebu City is the University of San José-Recoletos which was established in 1947. According to its profile, it offers an academic environment equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and technologies conducive to the academic development in consonance with the Roman Catholic faith. It is currently headed by the Augustinian Recollects and has 2 different campuses within the city excluding a new campus outside the city located in the Municipality of Balamban.
Cebu Normal University was established in 1915 as a provincial normal school, a branch of the Philippine Normal School. It became an independent institution in 1924, a chartered college in 1976 and a university in 1998. It is one of the oldest educational institutions in Cebu City.
The newest university, Cebu Doctors' University (formerly Cebu Doctors' College) was granted university status on November 2004. It is the only medical university in the Philippines and has just recently relocated to a nine-storey main building at the Cebu Boardwalk in neighboring Mandaue City thus closing its old campus near the then Cebu Doctors' Hospital (now Cebu Doctors' University Hospital).
The University of Cebu in Banilad opened in June 2002, first had a modern eight-storey building. With the projected increase in enrollment in SY 2004-2005, a nine-storey building was constructed in the same campus. This is one of the campuses that the University of Cebu (UC) have. The University of Cebu's main campus offers a variety of courses such as Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT), HRM, Computer Engineering, BSED and others.
The Asian College of Technology, established in 1988 as the Asian Institute of Technology, is known for its best computer training. It has two campuses in the city, one located in Bulacao and the other along P. del Rosario St.
Also located in the city is the University of the Visayas.
Other noteworthy institutions in the city includes Velez College, Southwestern University and the Cebu Institute of Technology.
Many foreign students also come to Cebu City to study. Most of them are Iranians and Nepalese who come to take up medical courses. In recent years, many Koreans have come to Cebu to study English.
Cebu City has 68 public elementary schools, 23 national high schools and 28 night high schools. These night high schools are operated by the city government.
[edit] Tourism
Tourism continues to contribute much to the local economy, not just of the city itself, but to the entire province. Because of this, the city hosted the 1998 ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF). The city also hosted the East Asian Tourism Forum (EATOF) on August 2002, in which the province of Cebu is a member and signatory.
On early 2007, Cebu Plaza hotel was formally reopened under a new name, Marco Polo Plaza, after more than two years of closure. The hotel complex was formerly occupied by Cebu Plaza which was the first deluxe hotel in the province. It opened in the early 1980s and was viewed by some as a symbol of the province's economic growth.
There are a number of significant Spanish colonial buildings in Cebu City, including the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino, Fort San Pedro, Casa Gorordo Museum and Magellan's Cross.[4][5]
There are a number of shopping centres in the city, the most popular of which are the SM City Cebu, Ayala Center Cebu, Robinsons Plaza and Gaisano Malls. There are also other smaller shopping centres and stand-alone department stores. Throughout the years however, the establishment of large shopping centres offers some sort of a town centre environment which have become popular. Recent development and expansion of existing shopping centres have also given the shoppers a new variety of choices in the city such as SM Cebu's "Northwing", a multi-level annex building with multilevel parking and Ayala Center Cebu's "Leisure Oasis", a development that consists of redefining Cebu's shopping experience through the newly re-designed Ayala Shopping complex. There is also the Carbon Market, a farmer's market in the city.[4]
Away from the city, is the Cebu Taoist Temple, a Buddist temple situated in Beverly Hills. The Taoist Temple gives a commanding view of Cebu City and the nearby cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu. Views of Cebu City can also be seen from villages and gated communities located on the mountains.
The Cebu Reggae Festival is a popular Filipino Reggae and Roots music festival, formerly known as the "Cebu Bob Marley Day Festival", it now has become one of the Philippines's largest annual Reggae Festivals, in Cebu City, dubbed "The Reggae Capital of the Philippines".
The city also has a sport institution, the Cebu City Sports Complex which exhibits sporting and festival events.
[edit] Sister Cities (International)
Xiamen,China
Haarlemmermeer, the Netherlands
Kaoshiung, Taiwan
Seattle, Washington, USA- Salinas, California, USA
- Chula Vista, California, USA
Beersheba, Israel
Parramatta, Australia
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Bandung, Indonesia
[edit] Sister Cities (National)
[edit] References
- ^ globalnation.inquirer.net, Davide is acting Cebu City mayor Osmeña in US, Rama off to Korea
- ^ globalnation.inquirer, Osmenas leave for US amid prayer
- ^ Cebu City Government Official Website, [1], http://www.cebucity.gov.ph/
- ^ a b Chris Rowthorn, Greg Bloom, et al., Philippines: Lonely planet, p. 232 (9th ed. 2006), ISBN 9781741042894, found at page&q=Lonely%20Planet%20Philippines%209th%20edition&f=false Google Books; see also Lonely Planetwebsite page on Cebu City attractions. Accessed September 28, 2009.
- ^ Department of Tourism Philippines official website page on Cebu. Accessed September 28, 2009.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cebu City |
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| Largest cities in the Philippines | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | City | Region | Population | Rank | City | Region | Population | ||||
| 1 | Quezon City | National Capital | 2,679,450 | 11 | Cagayan de Oro | Region X | 553,966 | ||||
| 2 | Manila | National Capital | 1,660,714 | 12 | Parañaque | National Capital | 552,660 | ||||
| 3 | Caloocan | National Capital | 1,378,856 | 13 | Las Piñas | National Capital | 532,330 | ||||
| 4 | Davao City | Region XI | 1,363,337 | 14 | General Santos | Region XII | 529,542 | ||||
| 5 | Cebu City | Region VII | 798,809 | 15 | Makati | National Capital | 510,383 | ||||
| 6 | Zamboanga City | Region IX | 774,407 | 16 | Bacolod | Region VI | 499,497 | ||||
| 7 | Antipolo | Region IV-A | 633,971 | 17 | Muntinlupa | National Capital | 452,493 | ||||
| 8 | Pasig | National Capital | 617,301 | 18 | San Jose del Monte | Region III | 439,090 | ||||
| 9 | Taguig | National Capital | 613,343 | 19 | Marikina | National Capital | 424,610 | ||||
| 10 | Valenzuela | National Capital | 568,928 | 20 | Iloilo City | Region VI | 418,710 | ||||
| Philippines 2007 Census | |||||||||||
