Cebu Province
From Free net encyclopedia
Cebu is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is Cebu City. Cebu Island is a long narrow island that stretches 225 km (140 mi) from north to south and is surrounded by 167 neighboring small islands, including Mactan Island, Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Malapascua, Olango the Camotes Islands, etc.
Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the country. The Metropolitan Area of Cebu or Metro Cebu (which includes Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City) is second only to Metro Manila in population in the country.
2000 census—3,356,137 (largest)
Density—660 per km² (6th highest)
Highly urbanized cities—2
Component cities—4
Municipalities—20
Barangays—1,203
Congressional districts—8†
Cebu lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol province. It is flanked on both sides by the straits of Cebu (between Cebu and Bohol) and Tañon (between Cebu and Negros).
Cebu is served by Mactan-Cebu International Airport, which is located in Lapu-Lapu City, some thirty minutes drive from downtown Cebu City.
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People and culture
The people of Cebu are called Cebuanos and are of Bisaya, Chinese, Spanish, and Negrito ancestries. Cebu is also home to a number of Spanish and ethnic 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 have preserved strong Spanish-oriented traditions in its cultural life to this very day.
Languages
Cebuano (Binisayang-Sinugboanon) is the native tongue of Cebu as well as the lingua franca of a large part of the Visayas and Mindanao. "As a language, Cebuano is spoken in Cebu, Bohol, western Leyte, Negros Oriental, the northern and eastern coasts of Mindanao, and parts of Bukidnon, Agusan, Surigao, Davao, Cotabato, and Zamboanga del Sur. Differences exist but in many of these places the variations are slight."Template:Ref There are more than 20 million speakers of Cebuano in the Philippines.[1] Most Cebuanos are conversant in English and Tagalog, the official languages of the Philippines, as well as other Visayan languages like Ilonggo and Waray-waray.
Religion
The patron of Cebu is the Santo Niño de Cebu, who is Jesus represented as a child. The statue is housed in the country's oldest church, the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. According to historical accounts, the Santo Niño was given by the Portuguese sea captain and explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the wife of the chief, Rajah Humabon as a gift to celebrate their alliance. Soon, Magellan died in a battle at Mactan Island. That act is depicted in Cebu's largest, most popular cultural event, the Sinulog where street-dancing and loud drum beats 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 Cebu Metropolitan 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 Protestant churches of Iglesia ni Cristo, Jehovah's Witnesses, God's Kingdom, the Baptists, Reformed Baptist, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Latter Day Saints (Mormons), 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 within cebu.
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 businesses, are hedging 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.
Cebuano Brands
Like any other region, Cebu has its own original brands of products and services which brings pride to its people. In effect, these local grown business form what people call as "Cebuano Enterprise" and these include:
- Bo's Coffee Club- a home grown designer's coffee shop founded by a local entrepreneur. More commonly called as "Bo's", the coffee firm now has over 15 branches over the Philippines, including one in Makati City and one in Bohol. Although its brand is strong and its following is huge in Cebu, Bo's Coffee Club lost a significant share of the province's coffee market to Starbucks Coffee which has two coffee shops operating in Cebu City.
- Orange Brutus - reportedly a Cebuano imitation of the famous Orange Julius company, Orange Brutus is a fast food firm serving hamburgers, french fries, pork chops, cakes and juices to its customers. Operating since 1980, Orange Brutus is more known for its food than its orange juice despite its name. Orange Brutus is reportedly the only establishment to hire hearing-impaired employes as part of its responsibility and mission to the community.
- Thirsty Shakes - one of Cebu's more original businesses. Thirsty Shakes produces and sells fruit juices and shakes made from natural ingredients reflecting the tropical nature of Cebu as well as its richness in fruits.
- Burger Joint - a new alternative on hamburgers and French fries. Instead of imitating the more oily cooking of Jollibee and McDonald's, Burger Joint flame broils and grills its burgers.
- Jonie's Flavored Chicken- is a local restaurant chain imitating the more popular Kenny Rogers Roasters. Like its famous counterpart, it sells roasted chicken, ribs and assorted side dishes. Jonie's also offers three different kinds of sauces (oriental, barbeque and garlic) to complement its chicken. Recently the managers of the restaurant chain announced plans to expand its business beyond Cebu. Noteworthy however is that Jonie's lost a huge share of its customers in Cebu to Kenny Rogers Roasters, which now has one restaurant operating in the same province. It remains to be seen if Jonie's can actually survive from the onslaught of its famous rival, which they imitated in the first place.
- Julie's Bakeshop - a 100% pure Cebuano-owned chain of bakeshops and even fastfood cafeterias.
Mass media
Television
Cebu is largely dependent on Manila-based television and media networks for news and information on both regional and nationwide scopes. Despite its growing economy and population of over 3.5 million people, Cebu only has 3 local networks, Cebu Channel 28 Real Cebu Television (RCTV 36) and the Cebu Catholic Television Network (CCTN 47), a religious station partly owned and endorsed by the Archdiocese of Cebu. Channel 28 and 36 are only seen on cable television and CCTN operates a UHF frequency on channel 47 on free TV and channel 56 on cable.
Like the rest of the country, Cebu's TV market is dominated by the duopoly between GMA Network and ABS-CBN. While ABS-CBN has led GMA in the island for many years, recent surveys showed that GMA has signifcantly reduced ABS-CBN's share of the market. "Balitang Bisdak", GMA's Cebuano-language news program, is currently the number 1 news program in Cebu averaging more than 10 points better than the Cebuano version of "TV Patrol" (ABS-CBN) in the ratings.
Cebu is the newest battleground for TV ratings between GMA Network and ABS-CBN. On May 1, 2005 both giant networks conducted its own "fans day" activities with concerts, autograph signing, free medical services, all-star appearances and more. GMA invested P40,000,000 for its week-long activities while ABS-CBN spent P30,000,000. It was estimated that during the May 1 activities, GMA attracted more people than ABS-CBN, 55,000 to 28,000.
Newspapers
While national newspapers have presence in the island, Cebu has three English-language local newspapers: The Freeman, Sun Star and Cebu Daily News whilst there are also Cebuano-language newspapers, SuperBalita owned by Sun Star and Banat News owned by the Freeman.
As of 2005, each of the local dailies sell for P10 a copy, which is much cheaper than their national counterparts. The Freeman is owned by the Gullas political clan (which merged with The Philippine Star) while Sun Star is owned by the Garcia clan. Cebu Daily News on the other hand is controlled by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Geography
Cebu is located between 9°25'N and 11°15'N latitude and between 123°13'E and 124°5'E longitude in the center of the Philippine archipelago. It is 365 miles south of Manila.
Political
Cebu is subdivided into 47 municipalities and 6 cities.
Cities
Municipalities
Physical
The main island of Cebu is a long, narrow slither of land flanked on both sides by Tañon Strait and the Strait of Cebu. To its southeastern tip is a small body of land that is Mactan Island. Cebu is comprised of hundreds of small islands, some of which are uninhabited which make them the targets of adventure-seeking tourists.
Cebu is known for its narrow coastlines, limestone plateaus, and coastal plains, all characteristics of a typical tropical island. However, Cebu also has predominant rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the northern and southern lengths of the island.
Cebu's steep mountains reach over 1,000 meters but there is actually a substantial lack of adequate forest cover. Flat tracts of land can be found in towns of Bogo, San Remigio, Cebu, Medellin, and Daan Bantayan at the northern tip of the province.
Infrastructure
Cebu is continuing to develop its infrastructure to make travel more efficient as it continues to attract more investors and tourists, especially the Koreans.
To date, Cebu's infrastructure is highlighted by the two steel bridges that connect Mactan Island with the main island.
A 3rd Mactan-Cebu bridge as well as an underwater tunnel are both being discussed by local leaders citing the growing inconveniences related to the existing two steel bridges. Funding for the new projects however are out of reach.
South Reclamation Project
Cebu City on the other hand has the much-anticipated South Reclamation Project (SRP), a massive pile of reclaimed land estimated to be at around 3 square kilometres. Cebu City has plans to sell or lease land to potential investors and big businesses. Among the planned construction projects for the SRP is a modern sports complex (replacing the overused Cebu City Sports Center) and a hotel. Mall operators also expressed interest to build malls and pour their investments in the SRP.
The SRP has a modern highway (called South Coastal Road) which connects Cebu City to Talisay City and due to its quality and isolation, the road cuts travel time between the two cities by as much as 50 minutes.
History
Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Cebu, then known as Zubu (or Sugbo in Visayan), was a thriving fishing village and a busy trading post, with trade routes to China, Siam, Arabia as well as the nearby Malay islands.
The Magellan Expedition
On March 16, 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. 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 a local Datu Lapu-Lapu. On April 27, the historic Battle of Mactan occurred 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, Juan Sebastián Elcano 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 and Colonial Period
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 500 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 and his men, 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 Cortés in the Philippines.
On August 141571, 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 garrisons and a provincial governor to look after it and left half of his soldiers 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 reoccupied the city, resulting in a Japanese surrender.
2004 Philippine General Elections
For the first time ever, the nation recognized the province of Cebu as a major source of votes during the 2004 National Elections. With an estimated 1.6 million registered voters, Cebu was easily the heaviest voting province in the country (followed by Pangasinan with 1.3 million).
For the 2004 elections, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her K4 coalition won a landslide victory over their opponents. Arroyo won about 1.2 million votes in Cebu, followed by the Koalisyong ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) presidential candidate Fernando Poe, Jr., with less than 200,000 votes. Among senatorial candidates, the K4 overwhelmed the KNP as Cebu voters gave them a 10 to 2 advantage (12 senate seats were up for grabs). On the vice-presidential race, Noli de Castro (K4) won a similar number of votes reflected to that of his running-mate Arroyo.
Notable Cebuanos
- Gwen Garcia
- Tomas Osmena
- Pablo Garcia
- Michael Rama
- Jonathan Guardo
- Alvin Garcia
- Roberto Go
- Winston Garcia
- Ramon Durano
- Ace Durano
- Lito Osmena
Landmarks
- Magellan's Cross
- Fort San Pedro
- Basilica Minore del Santo Niño
- Magellan shrine
- Lapu Lapu shrine
- Capitol Building
- Marcelo Fernan Bridge
- Taoist Temple
Festivals
Sinulog. The Sinulog festival is Cebu's biggest and most popular festival. It is celebrated every 3rd Sunday of January. The feast is in honor of the holy image Señor Santo Niño de Cebu. Fiesta Señor, as it widely known, is the most celebrated among Cebu's festivals where people converge along the route of a grand solemn procession and partake in the gaiety amidst a mardigras parade immersed in vivid colors and the constant drums of the Pit Señor.
Paskuhan. A Christmas celebration of songs and lantern making held during the month of December spread good cheers to local residents and visitors alike.
Kadaugan sa Mactan. A one day re-enactment celebrated with pomp and pageantry every 27th of April to commemorate the historic Battle of Mactan between the forces of Lapulapu and Magellan.
Virgin of the Rule Fiesta. Held to honor the patroness of Opon on November 20-21, this religious and social event reveals the deep religious faith of the people and the penchant for merry making. A food fair, a procession and a coronation of the Fiesta Queen highlight the festivity.
Semana Santa sa Bantayan. A unique mixture of solemn religious rites and local celebration highlights the Holy Week activities in Bantayan Island. The normally quiet island is visited by relatives and friends of the residents, as well as tourists to experience the scenic rites and to cool off the summer heat in the beautiful white sandy beaches and clear tropical waters.
Fiesta sa Carcar. Is celebrated on November 24-25 in honor of the town's patron. St. Catherine of Alexandria Carcar town is noted for Its old Spanish style houses in the quiet countryside setting. During fiestas, the residents would invite friends, relatives and town visitors into their homes to taste popular local delicacies. A lively and enjoyable event.
Nuestra Señora de Regla Fiesta. Lapulapu City - Held to honor the patroness of Opon on November 20-21, this religious and social event reveals faith of the people and the penchant for merry making. A food fair, carnival, procession and a coronation of the Fiesta Queen highlight the festivity.
Tagbo. Poro, Cebu - Celebrated every January in honor of Patron Santo Niño de Poro. Beloved memoir of a living past, Tagbo is the cornerstone from which this great municipality has sprung. Rich in cultural heritage and deep in spiritual values, Tagbo is a very significant event preluding the birth of a town every dear to the hearts of her sons and daughters.
Sanayon. Agro-tourism festival in the southern towns of the second district about 100 km from the city. A month-long activity to spread out tourism to the coutryside.
Tres de Abril Celebration. Celebrated every 3rd of April in commemoration of the Spanish resistance in the south. This historic battle under Leon Kilat's leadership gave Cebu the glory of being the first major island outside Luzon to oppose Spanish dominance.
Footnotes
- Template:Note Resil Mojares, Cebuano Literature: A Survey of Bibliography with Finding List (Cebu City: University of San Carlos, 1975), p. 5.
External links
- Official Website of the Provincial Government of Cebu
- Dazzling Cebu - User-contributed gallery featuring photographs of sights and scenes throughout Cebu Province
- Sun.Star Cebu Online
- Philippine Travel: Cebu
- Destination: Cebu
| Regions and Provinces of Visayas | |
| Western Visayas: | Aklan | Antique | Capiz | Guimaras | Iloilo | Negros Occidental | Palawan |
| Central Visayas: | Bohol | Cebu | Negros Oriental | Siquijor |
| Eastern Visayas: | Biliran | Eastern Samar | Leyte | Northern Samar | Samar | Southern Leyte |
de:Cebu es:Cebú (Filipinas) fr:Cebu ia:Cebú ilo:Cebu it:Cebu ja:セブ州 nl:Cebu (provincie) no:Cebu pam:Cebu pt:Cebu fi:Cebu tl:Lalawigan ng Cebu war:Sugbo