Cebu, I'm back! Maayong Buntag! That's good morning in Cebuano language. Since I was traveling to Siquijor, I was in Cebu just two weeks ago, planning to take a bus from the South Bus Terminal to Dumaguete. It was my third time there, and I will surely create another blog post about it. I really missed Cebu, which is why I'm sharing my first experience in that province, which happened back in 2022.
What comes from your mind when you hear the word Cebu?
Struggling but enjoying here. Welcome to Oslob!
Me? I remember the song of Karencitta, "Cebuana", and I still know the chorus. It's like,
"You really need a Cebuana
I'm more than a summertime lover, uh-uh
Ari ba, ari ba, ari ba
Grabiha, grabiha, grabiha, baby
You really need a Cebuana, (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
You really need a Cebuana (yeah)
You really need a Cebuana
uh, Cebuanang padala."
Oslob Whale Shark Watching
Cebu? Several things immediately come to mind. "Queen City of the South", dried mangoes, dried fish, chicharon, lechon, Sinulog Festival, Magellan's Cross, Mactan, beaches, islands, and other good stuff.
I'd heard so many great things about Cebu since college, and even dreamt of visiting during my first job, but it never happened. Fast-forward to 2022, and that dream finally came true.
I'm still not sure if it was a blessing in disguise, but after numerous flight cancellations due to the pandemic, I ended up with a pile of travel vouchers. This allowed me to book multiple flights that year, including one to Cebu.
It was my second time flying that year, after Bacolod, and definitely part of my revenge travel. Luckily, I wasn't solo in Cebu; my friend, who also accompanied me to Intramuros that year, was right there with me.
True to my usual style, before sharing the details of my Cebu trip, I want to first provide some background on its rich history and general facts.
According to the website, cebu.gov.ph, Cebu is the second most populous province in the Philippines. As of 2020, the total population is estimated to be 3,325,385. The province consists of Cebu Island, as well as 167 smaller islands that include Bantayan, Malapascua, Olango and the Camotes Islands. Although the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, and Mandaue are independent cities not subject to provincial supervision, they are often grouped with the province for geographical and statistical purposes.
Per the site, Cebu's climate is characterized by dry and wet, tropical climate. The wet and the dry seasons are the two distinctive seasons in the province. In terms of temperature, the warm months of the year are March through October, from November to February, the winter monsoon delivers cooler air. It is coolest from December to February and hottest from March to May.
Sumilon Island
Also from the site, Cebuano (Bisaya or Binisaya) is the language commonly used and is the native tongue of the province. While Filipino is commonly understood and spoken, the English language is widely used in business transaction and in education.
From general information to history of Cebu, also from the same site, cebu.gov.ph, it is said that the history of Cebu goes way beyond 439 years ago when the island became a province at the start of the Spanish colonization.
Long before that, Cebu was already the center of trade of what is now the southern Philippines, dealing with traders from China, Malaysia, Japan, India, Burma and other parts of Asia.
Cebu already had an organized social structure before the Spaniards came, with small groups headed by a datu who served as leader. A datu governed his community, settled disputes, made decisions, protected his village from enemies, led them into battle, and received labor and tributes from his people. The position being both a political office and a social class, his authority was taken from his lineage, although his power depended on his wealth, the number of subjects and his reputation for physical prowess.
A community ranged from 30 to 100 households grouped as a barangay and was one based mostly on kinship. Aside from the datu, there were free men called timawa and then the olipon. Spanish reports called the role of an olipon as dependent rather than a slave, because of the absence of violence and harshness notable in European slavery.
Tumalog Falls
People in Cebu then were called pintados because men were heavily tattoed. Lavish ornaments such as gold jewelry were used not only by women but also men. Prior to Spanish colonization there were already permanent townhouse-looking wooden structures where the datus lived. Ordinary people lived in field cottages or balay-balay that were on stilts: hagdan (house ladder) was a common sight, with floors (salog) made of bamboo or wood and roof (atop) made of palm tree shingles.
In 1521 Ferdinand Magellan and his troops arrived in Cebu, were warmly welcomed by Rajah Humabon's community which converted to Christianity. But Magellan was not received well at the island of Mactan, where he was slain by the local chietain, Lapulapu. Cebu remained free until Manuel Lopez de Legazpi arrived in 1566.
It was then the start of the transformation of Cebu's civilization under the Spanish regime: Catholic churches were built, priests ruled communities alongside civil leaders, watchtowers were scattered along the island to guard against Moro raids. For complete details of this, please read this here, https://www.cebu.gov.ph/history.php.
Where does the name of "Cebu" come from? Great question! Based on the article of cebudailynews.inquirer.net, Cebuano archaeologist and historian Dr. Jobers Reynes Bersales, explains that Cebu was historically known as Zubu or Zebu, which were European adaptations of Sugbu, which means “to get out of one’s boat in order to wade in shallow water,” in reference to the port of Humabon’s settlement.
Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church
“‘Sugbu’ was misspelled as Zzubu or Zubu (which much later became Cebu) by Antonio Pigafetta, the Italian chronicler of the Magellan expedition simply because his ear was not accustomed to hearing the hard ‘g’. And that Sugbu meant to “wade in shallow water,” an important characteristic of Humabon’s port,”
According also to this article, Cebu City is recognized as the oldest Spanish-established city in the Philippines and the site of the first Spanish settlement and colonial capital. -https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/623817/cebu-city-a-few-things-you-should-know-about-the-queen-city-of-the-south
That's a lot of information, and I hope you learned a lot about Cebu. Going back to my travel story, thankfully, after searching multiple times on Facebook, I was able to find affordable and nice Cebu tour packages. I know you'll be asking, so let me share it with you: it was Kuya J Travel and Tour. Not sponsored, but since my friend and I had a great tour in Cebu, I thought I might as well share it with you. Their staff were nice, very accommodating, and welcoming.
Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway
Monastery of the Holy Eucharist
Lapu-Lapu Monument
Sirao Garden
Temple of Leah
La Parisienne Cebu
Yap-San Diego Ancestral House
Heritage of Cebu Monument
Magellan's Cross
The Basilica Minore del Santo Nino de Cebu
Comments
Post a Comment