CEBU Queen City of the South

First Capital of the PhilippinesFurniture Capital of the Philippines

Native Name: SugboNickname: Hara nga Dakbayan sa Sugbo

HISTORY

August 6, 1569● The province was founded with the city provincial capital, Cebu City.

Between the 13th and 16th century Cebu then known as Zubu (or Sugbo) was an island inhabited by Hindus, Buddhists, animists and Muslims ruled by Rajahs and Datus. It was a kingdom of the defunct Rajahnate of Cebu.

The Rajahnate of Cebu was a native kingdom which used to exist in Cebu prior to the arrival of the Spaniards. It was founded by Sri 'Lumay' otherwise known as 'Rajamuda Lumaya', a half Malay and Half Tamil prince of the Chola dynasty which had invaded Sumatra in Indonesia. He was sent by the Maharajah to establish a base for expeditionary forces to subdue the local kingdoms, but he rebelled and established his own independent Rajahnate instead.

The arrival of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 established a period of Spanish exploration and colonization.

Losing favour for his plan of reaching the Spice Islands from King Manuel I of Portugal, by sailing west from Europe, Magellan offered his services to King Charles I of Spain. On September 20, 1519, Magellan led five ships with a crew of 250 people from the Spanish fort of Sanlúcar de Barrameda en route to Southeast Asia via the Americas and Pacific Ocean. They reached the Philippines on March 16, 1521. Rajah Kolambu the king of Mazaua told them to sail for Cebu, where they could trade and have provisions.

Arriving in Cebu City, Magellan, with Enrique of Malacca as translator, befriended Rajah Humabon the Rajah or King of Cebu and persuaded the natives of allegiance to Charles I of Spain. Humabon and his wife were given Christian names and baptized as Carlos and Juana. The Santo Niño was presented to the native queen of Cebu, as a symbol of peace and friendship between the Spaniards and the Cebuanos. On April 14, Magellan erected a large wooden cross on the shores of Cebu. Afterwards, about 700 islanders were baptized.

Magellan soon heard of Datu Lapu-Lapu, a native king in nearby Mactan Island, a rival of the Rajahs of Cebu. It was thought that Humabon and Lapu-Lapu had been fighting for control of the flourishing trade in the area. On April 27, the Battle of Mactan occurred where the Spaniards were defeated and Magellan killed by the natives of Mactan in Mactan Island. According to Italian 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 as captain of the expedition and sailed their fleet back to Spain, circumnavigating the world.

Survivors of the Magellan expedition brought tales of a savage island in the East Indies with them when they returned to Spain. Consequently, several Spanish expeditions were sent to the islands but all ended in failure. In 1564, Spanish explorers led by Miguel López de Legazpi sailing from Mexico arrived in 1565 and established a colony. The Spaniards fought the King

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Rajah Tupas and occupied his territories. The Spaniards established settlements; trade flourished and renamed the island to Villa del Santísimo Nombre de Jesús (Town of the Most Holy Name of Jesus). Cebu became the first European settlement established by the Spanish Cortés in the Philippines. In 1595, the Universidad de San Carlos (University of San Carlos) was established and in 1860, Cebu opened its forts to foreign trade. The first printing house, Imprenta de Escondrillas y Cia was established in 1873 and in 1880, the Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion (College of the Immaculate Conception) was established and the first periodical The Bulletin of Cebu (El Boletin de Cebú) began publishing in 1886. In 1898, the island was ceded to the United States after the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War. In 1901, Cebu was governed by the United States for a brief period; however it became a charter province on February 24, 1937 and was governed independently by Filipino politicians.

Cebu, being one of the most densely populated islands in the Philippines, served as a Japanese base during their occupation in World War II which began with the landing of Japanese soldiers in April 1942. The 3rd, 8th, 82nd and 85th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was re-established from 1942 to 1946 and the 8th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was re-established again from 1944 to 1946 at the military general headquarters and the military camps and garrisoned in Cebu City and Cebu Province. They started the Anti-Japanese military operations in Cebu from April 1942 to September 1945 and helped Cebuano guerrillas and fought against the Japanese Imperial forces. Almost three years later in March 1945, combined Filipino and American forces landed and reoccupied the island during the liberation of the Philippines. Cebuano guerrilla groups led by an American, James Cushing is credited for the establishment of the Koga Papers which is said to have changed the American plans to retake the Philippines from Japanese occupation in 1944, by helping the combined United States and the Philippine Commonwealth Army forces enter Cebu in 1945. The following year the island achieved independence from colonial rule in 1946.

February 6, 2012● Cebu Island experienced the effects of magnitude 6.7 earthquake on the

neighbouring island of Negros and was the largest quake in the area for 90 years. The tremor shook buildings and caused fear however there were no reports of major building damage or loss of life on Cebu Island itself. This tremor was caused by a previously unrecorded "blind" fault.

October 15, 2013● Cebu and Bohol were hit by record setting 7.2 magnitude earthquakes

leaving over 100 dead, 5 historical churches collapsed sending residents to panic, there were over 700 aftershocks.

LOCATION

ABSOLUTE LOCATION

10° 19´ N 123° 45´ E

RELATIVE LOCATION

N Visayan Sea

S Siquijor Island and Mindanao Sea

W Tañon Strait and island of Negros

E Island of Leyte and Camotes Sea

SE Island of Bohol and Bohol Strait

GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY

TOTAL LAND AREA

508,840 hectares (5,088.4 km²)

9th largest island in the Philippines

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DIVISIONSIndependent Cities 3Component Cities 6Municipalities 44Barangays 1,066Districts 6

*Surrounded by 167 islands and islets

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS● Long and narrow, stretching 196 kilometres (122 mi) from north to south

● 32 kilometres (20 mi) across at its widest point

● It has narrow coastlines, limestone plateaus and coastal plains

● Province’s terrain consists of rugged and mountainous with low peak

● It also has rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the northern and

southern lengths of the island● Province’s highest mountains are over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) high

● Flat tracts of land can be found in the city of Bogo and in the towns of San

Remigio, Medellin and Daanbantayan at the northern region of the province

ATTRACTIONS

Basilica Minore del Santo NiñoCebu Taoist Temple

Fort San PedroLapu-lapu ShrineMagellan ShrineMagellan’s Cross

*The Magellan’s Cross 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

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FESTIVALS AND FIESTASSinulog Festival – Cebu, 3rd Sunday of January

*The largest fiesta in the Philippines which celebrates the festival of the Santo Niño, the patron 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 the current (sulog) of the river and thus the name Sinulog

Others:Pintos Festival BogoKaransas Festival DanaoGarbo sa Lapu-lapu Festival Lapu-lapuPanagtagbo Festival MandaueHalad Inasal Festival TalisayDagitab Festival NagaHinulawan Festival ToledoKabkaban Festival Carcar

DEMOGRAPHY

POPULATION4,167,320 (as of 2010 by NSO)

LANGUAGECebuano 93%Other Visayan language 5%Tagalog 2%Others 1%

RELIGION● Majority of its population are Roman Catholic

● There are also some followers of Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism

● The province is the capital of the Catholic Faith by virtue of being the first

Catholic city● Also known as the birthplace of Christianity and the Philippine Church (Birthplace

of Christianity in the Philippines)

CLIMATE

Tropical2 seasons – dry and sunny most of the year with some occasional rains during the months of June to December.

● Temperature can reach a high of 36 °C (97 °F) from March to May, and as low as

18 °C (64 °F) in the mountains during the wet season. The average temperature is around 24 to 34 °C (75 to 93 °F), and does not fluctuate much except during the month of May, which is the hottest month. Cebu averages 70–80% humidity.

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GALLERY

POINT OF INTERESTS

ARGAO CHURCH

BOGO, CEBU

CEBU METROPOLITAN CHURCH

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FORT SAN PEDRO

CEBU HERITAGE MONUMENT

MAGELLAN’S CROSS KIOSK

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MALACAÑANG PALACE OF THE SOUTH

LAPU-LAPU SHRINE AT MACTAN

CARCAR ROTUNDA

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CEBU INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER

ISLAND IN THE SKY MOUNTAIN RESORT

INTERIOR OF CEBU TAOIST TEMPLE

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CANTABUGON BEACH, ALOGUINSAN, CEBU

MALAPASCUA ISLAND

BOLJOON, CEBU

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