Cebu City
Philippines
Region
Central Visayas (Region VII)
Province
Cebu (capital)
Districts
1st and 2nd districts of Cebu City
Barangays
80
Incorporated (town)
1565
Incorporated (city)
February 24, 1937
Government
- Mayor
Tomas D.R. Osmeña (BO-PK/Lakas-CMD)
- Vice Mayor
Michael Rama (BO-PK/Lakas-CMD)
Area
- Total
291.2 km² (112.4 sq mi)
Elevation
17.0 m (56 ft)
Population (2000)
- Total
718,821
- Density
2,468/km² (6,395/sq mi)
57
Website: www.cebucity.gov.ph
The City of Cebu (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Sugbo , Tagalog: Lungsod ng Cebu) is the capital of Cebu in the Philippines and is the second most important metropolitan center in the country. The city lies on the eastern shore of the island of Cebu and is the first Spanish settlement in the country. It is the country's main domestic shipping hub and is home to more than 80% of the country's inter-island shipping companies. Cebu is also the main hub, outside of the capital, of international flights into the country and is the most important center of commerce, trade, and industry in the Visayas and Mindanao, the southern parts of the country. It is because of this and other important aspects that Cebu City is dubbed the Queen City of the South. According to the official 2000 census, it has a population of 718,821 people in 147,600 households.
Cebu City is the center of a metropolitan area called Metro Cebu, which includes the cities of Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, Talisay, Naga. Metro Cebu has a total population of more than 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 is located.
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History

A 19th Century map of old Cebu (downtown Cebu City.

The Cebu Heritage Monument in Parian.
As early as 3,000 years ago, Cebu, Zebu, Zzubu or Sugbu, was already a prosperous settlement before it was colonized by Spain. It had trade relations with China and the other countries of Southeast Asia.
On April 7, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu. He was welcomed by Rajah Humabon also known as Raiah Hamabar, who, together with his wife and about 800 natives, were baptized by the Spaniards on April 14, 1521 and are considered to be the first Filipino Catholics. Magellan, however, failed to successfully claim the Philippines for the crown of Spain, having been slain in neighboring Mactan Island on April 27, 1521 by the chieftain Lapu-lapu.
On April 27, 1565, Miguel López de Legazpi, with Augustinian Friar Andrés de Urdaneta, landed in Cebu. Legazpi renamed the city on January 1, 1571, from San Miguel to Villa del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus. During this six year period, Cebu City was the capital of the newly established Spanish colony. (See also: Manila Galleon)
The province of Cebu was created under Act No. 2711 on March 10, 1917. It is the home province of Sergio Osmeña, Sr. who succeeded Manuel L. Quezon as Commonwealth president during World War II.
In the early 1990s, the province of Cebu and specifically Cebu City experienced a surge in international investments, which coined the term "CEBOOM" to describe the booming economy.
In 2006, Cebu City was scheduled to co-host the ASEAN Summit along with neighboring Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City. However, due to the typhoon that swept through central Philippines on that month, the convention date was postponed to January 2007.
Cebu City has a land area of 291.2 km². Of this, 55.9 km² is classified as urban, while 235.2 km² is classified as rural. Its geographic coordinates are 10°17′0″N, 123°54′0″E. 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.
The city is politically subdivided into 80 barangays. These are grouped into two congressional districts, with 46 barangays in the northern district and 34 barangays in the southern district.
The city is an important cultural center 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 Philippine Islands in 1521. It was encased in hollow tindalo wood in 1835 upon the order of the Augustinian Bishop Santos Gomez 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 the Cebuanos, the Cross of Magellan is a symbol of the beginning of Christianity in the Philippines.
A few walks away from the Magellan's Cross is the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, an Augustinian church which was elevated to the rank of minor basilica in 1965 during the 400th year celebrations of the Christianization of the Philippines held in Cebu. The church, which was the first to be established in the islands, is built of hewn stone and features the country's oldest relic, the image of the Santo Niño de Cebu.
Cebu City is also host to the popular Sinulog festival, held every third Sunday of January in honor of Santo Niño, the "Holy Child". The Sinulog is a dance ritual of pre-Spanish 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, Pigafetta offered, as a baptismal gift, to Hara Amihan, wife of Rajah Humabon and later named Juana, the image of the Santo Niño (Child Jesus). With Magellan gone, the natives likewise honored the Santo Niño with their Sinulog. Because the Augustinian missionaries appreciated native culture, the Sinulog was preserved but limited to honoring the Santo Niño. Once the Santo Niño church was built in the 1500's, the faithful started performing the Sinulog in front of the church, the devotees offering candles and the dancers shouting "Pit Señor!"

Procession during the Feast Day of The Santo Niño
During the annual feast of the Santo Niño, held every 3rd Sunday of January, the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, which houses the original icon, turns into a dancing hall after the solemn mass, with all the devotees executing the Sinulog. The dance continues during the procession in front of the carroza which bears the statue along the streets of Cebu up to late evening.
In 1980, the city authorities of Cebu made the Sinulog part and parcel of the religious feast of the Santo Niños. A mardi-gras atmosphere was added, the innovation becoming more colorful each year. The religious and the earthy sometimes overlap each other but, as a whole, there is much fun for Cebuanos and tourists alike who find in the Santo Niño festival that part of every one's childhood that must stay like Santa Claus and halloween.
In the early 2000's, one can see the widening gap between the secular Sinulog hosted by the City of Cebu and the religious Sinulog of the Agustinian priests. While most enjoy the secular celebrations, those of religious persuasion have been dismayed by the commercialization of the religious holiday.