Cebu City

Not to be confused with Sibu, a city in Malaysia.

"Santísimo Nombre de Jesús" redirects here. For other uses, see Holy Name of Jesus.

Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Sugbo; Filipino: Lungsod ng Cebu), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. It is the capital of the Cebu Province, where it is geographically located but is one of three cities (together with Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City) that are administratively independent of the provincial government. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, ^[6] making it the sixth-most populated city in the nation and the most populous in the Visayas.

Cebu City Dakbayan sa Sugbo
Highly urbanized city
City of Cebu
From top, left to right: Downtown and Uptown Cebu City • Basilica of Santo Niño • Magellan's Cross • National Museum-Cebu • Cebu Cathedral • Skyline of Cebu City
Seal
Nicknames:  Queen City of the South; Oldest City in the Philippines; First Capital of the Philippines; and Creative Capital of the Philippines
Map of Cebu Province with Cebu City highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Cebu City Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 10°17′35″N 123°54′07″E / 10.293°N 123.902°E / 10.293; 123.902Coordinates: 10°17′35″N 123°54′07″E / 10.293°N 123.902°E / 10.293; 123.902
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Visayas
Province	Cebu (geographically only)
District	1st (North) and 2nd (South) districts of Cebu City
Founded (as Spanish colony) Reincorporated (as city)	1565 24 February 1937
Highly urbanized city	December 22, 1979
Barangays	80 (see Barangays)
Government ^[1]
• Type	Sangguniang Panlungsod
• Mayor	Michael L. Rama (PDPLBN)
• Vice Mayor	Raymond Alvin N. Garcia (BARUG)
• City Council	Councilors Nestor Archival Jerry Guardo Joel Garganera Edgardo Labella II Mary Ann de los Santos Joy Augustus Young Noel Wenceslao Pastor Alcover Jr. 1st District (North) Dondon Hontiveros Jose Abellanosa Jocelyn Pesquera Phillip Zafra Renato Osmeña Jr. James Anthony Cuenco Rey Gealon Pancrasio Esparis 2nd District (South)
• Congress	Representatives 1st LegDist (North) Rachel del Mar 2nd LegDist (South) Eduardo Rama Jr. Commission on Elections
• Electorate	733,044 voters (2022)
Area ^[2]
• City	315.00 km^2 (121.62 sq mi)
• Urban ^[3]	205 km^2 (79 sq mi)
• Metro	1,062.88 km^2 (410.38 sq mi)
• Rank	34th out of 145
Elevation	135 m (443 ft)
Highest elevation	981 m (3,219 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)^[4]
• City	964,169
• Rank	6th
• Density	3,100/km^2 (7,900/sq mi)
• Urban	2,454,000^[3]
• Metro	3,164,337
• Metro density	3,000/km^2 (7,700/sq mi)
• Households	238,317
Demonym(s)	Cebuano Cebuana
Economy
• Income class	1st city income class
• Poverty incidence	6.70% (2018)^[5]
• Revenue	₱7,095,995,317.55 (2020)
• Assets	₱34,754,361,736.59 (2020)
• Expenditure	₱8,692,757,512.52 (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Visayan Electric Company (VECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	6000
PSGC	072217000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)32
Native languages	Cebuano
Sister cities	List International Busan, South Korea Guadalajara, Mexico Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands Kaohsiung, Taiwan Kortrijk, Belgium Sabrosa, Portugal Seattle, U.S St Petersburg, Russia Vladivostok, Russia Xiamen, China Yokohama, Japan Yeosu, South Korea Local Butuan Davao City General Santos Manila Ozamiz
Dominant religion	Roman Catholicism – 80%
Notable festival	Sinulog Festival – Third Sunday of January
Catholic diocese	Archdiocese of Cebu
Patron saint	List • Our Lady of Guadalupe • Saint Vitalis of Milan • Saint Pedro Calungsod
Website	cebucity.gov.ph

It also serves as the regional center of Central Visayas and its metropolitan area exerts influence on commerce, trade, industry, education, culture, tourism, and healthcare beyond the region, over the entire Visayas and partly over Mindanao. It is the Philippines' main domestic shipping port and is home to about 80% of the country's domestic shipping companies.

Cebu City is bounded on the north by the town of Balamban and the city of Danao City, on the west by the city of Toledo, on the east by the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue and the towns of Liloan, Consolacion and Compostela and to the south by the city of Talisay. Located at the center of the eastern seaboard of Cebu Island, it is the core city of Metro Cebu, the second largest metropolitan area in the Philippines, which includes the cities of Carcar, Danao, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Naga and Talisay and the municipalities (towns) of Compostela, Consolacion, Cordova, Liloan, Minglanilla and San Fernando. Metro Cebu had a total population of 3,165,799 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area of the nation, after Metro Manila in Luzon and Metro Davao in Mindanao.^[7]

The current political boundaries of the city are an incorporation of the former municipalities of Cebu, San Nicolas, El Pardo, Mabolo, Talamban and Banilad in the Commonwealth period.^[8]

In the Precolonial period, the area of what is today Cebu was occupied by the Rajahnate of Cebu which was known to the Ming dynasty as the nation of Sokbu (束務).^[9] The capital of which was Singhapala (சிங்கப்பூர்) which is Tamil-Sanskrit for "Lion City", the same rootwords with the modern city-state of Singapore.

The city has experienced rapid economic growth since the 1990s, a phenomenon also known as "Ceboom". Owing to its economic importance and influence in modern times, Cebu City is also popularly referred to as the Queen City of the South.

Etymology

The name "Cebu" came from the old Cebuano word sibu or sibo ("trade"), a shortened form of sinibuayng hingpit ("the place for trading"). It was originally applied to the harbors of the town of Sugbu, the ancient name for Cebu City. Sugbu or Sugbo, in turn, was derived from the Old Cebuano term for "scorched earth" or "great fire".^[10][11]

History

See also: Lapulapu and Rajahnate of Cebu

Founding

Main article: Singhapala

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Cebu City was part of the island-rajahnate and trade center of Pulua Kang Dayang or Kangdaya (literally "[the islands] which belong to Baya"), now better known as the Rajahnate of Cebu. It was founded by a prince of the Hindu Chola dynasty of Sumatra, the half-Malay and half-Tamil, Sri Lumay. The name Sugbo (shortened form of Kang Sri Lumaying Sugbo, literally "that of Sri Lumay's great fire") refers to Sri Lumay's scorched earth tactics against Muslim Pirates or Moro raiders (Magalos).^[10][11] The capital of the Cebu Rajahnate was called Singhapala on what is now modern day northern Cebu City.

Spanish period

 

19th century kiosk containing the Magellan's Cross, which is said to be the cross planted by Ferdinand Magellan's expedition in 1521.

On April 7, 1521, Portuguese explorer at the service of the Spanish Crown and leader of the first expedition to circumnavigate the world, Ferdinand Magellan, landed in Cebu. He was welcomed by Rajah Humabon (also known as Sri Humabon or Rajah Humabara), the grandson of Sri Lumay, together with his wife and about 700 native islanders. Magellan, however, was killed in the Battle of Mactan, and the remaining members of his expedition left Cebu soon after several of them were poisoned by Humabon, who was fearful of foreign occupation. The last ruler of Sugbo, prior to Spanish colonization, was Rajah Humabon's nephew, Rajah Tupas (d. 1565).^[10][11]

On February 13, 1565, Spanish and Novohispanic (Mexican) conquistadors led by Miguel López de Legazpi together with Augustinian friars whose prior was Andrés de Urdaneta, left New Spain (modern Mexico) and arrived in Samar, taking possession of the island thereafter. They Christianized some natives and Spanish remnants in Cebu. Afterwards, the expedition visited Leyte, Cabalian, Mazaua, Camiguin and Bohol where the famous Sandugo or blood compact was performed between López de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna, the chieftain of Bohol on March 16, 1565. The Spanish arrived in Cebu on April 15, 1565. They then attempted to parley with the local ruler, Rajah Tupas, but found that he and the local population had abandoned the town. Rajah Tupas presented himself at their camp on May 8, feast of the Apparition of Saint Michael the Archangel, when the island was taken possession of on behalf of the Spanish King. The Treaty of Cebu was formalized on July 3, 1565. López de Legazpi's party named the new city "Villa de San Miguel de Cebú" (later renamed "Ciudad del Santísimo Nombre de Jesús)." In 1567 the Cebu garrison was reinforced with the arrival of 2,100 soldiers from New Spain (Mexico).^[a] The growing colony was then fortified by Fort San Pedro.

 

A 19th-century map of Cebu City

By 1569, the Spanish settlement in Cebu had become important as a safe port for ships from Mexico and as a jumping-off point for further exploration of the archipelago. Small expeditions led by Juan de Salcedo went to Mindoro and Luzon, where he and Martín de Goiti played a leading role in the subjugation of the Kingdoms of Tundun and Seludong in 1570. One year later, López de Legazpi departed Cebu to discuss a peace pact with the defeated Rajahs. An agreement between the conquistadors and the Rajahs to form a city council paved the way for the establishment of a new settlement and the construction of the Christian walled city of Intramuros on the razed remains of Islamic Manila, then a vassal-state of the Sultanate of Brunei.

In 1571, the Spanish carried over infantry from Mexico, to raise an army of Christian Visayan warriors from Cebu and Iloilo as well as mercenaries from the Tagalog region, and assaulted the Sultanate of Brunei in what is known as the Castilian War. The war also started the Spanish–Moro Wars waged between the Christian Visayans and Muslim Mindanao, wherein Moros burned towns and conducted slave raids in the Visayas islands and selling the slaves to the Sultanates of the Malay Archipelago and the Visayans fought back by establishing Christian fort-cities in Mindanao, cities such as Zamboanga City.

On August 14, 1595, Pope Clement VIII created the diocese of Cebu as a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Manila.

On April 3, 1898, local revolutionaries led by the Negrense Leon Kilat rose up against the Spanish colonial authorities and took control of the urban center after three days of fighting. The uprising was only ended by the treacherous murder of Leon Kilat and the arrival of soldiers from Iloilo and Manila.^[13][14] On December 26, 1898, the Spanish Governor, General Montero, evacuated his troops to Zamboanga, turning over government property to Pablo Mejia.^[15] The next day, a provincial government was formed under Luis Flores as president, General Juan Climaco as military chief of staff, and Julio Llorente as mayor.

American occupation and World War II

 

Aerial view of Cebu, 1936

 

Malacañang sa Sugbo

The signing of the Treaty of Paris at the end of the Spanish–American War provided for the cession of Cebu along with the rest of the Philippine Islands to the United States until the formation of the Commonwealth Era (1935–46). On February 21, 1899, the USS Petrel (PG-2) deployed a landing party of 40 marines on the shores of Cebu.^[16] Cebu's transfer to the American government was signed by Luis Flores although others, most notably General Arcadio Maxilom and Juan Climaco, offered resistance until 1901.^[17] Governor W. H. Taft visited Cebu on April 17, 1901, and appointed Julio Llorento as the first provincial governor.^[18] Juan Climaco was elected to that office in January 1904.^[18]

Cityhood

Main article: Cities of the Philippines

With its city status^[19] granted by the King of Spain in 1594 invalidated by the change of colonial administration, in 1934 the neighboring municipalities of El Pardo, Mabolo, Talamban, Banilad, and San Nicolas were dissolved and merged to become the chartered City of Cebu on February 24, 1937. These former towns were broken up into several barangays, including their town centers which assumed their names (in contrast, Manila and Iloilo preserved their incorporated towns as geo-political districts).^[8] Many other Philippine cities such as Dansalan (now Marawi), Iloilo City, and Bacolod were also incorporated at the same time (see Cities of the Philippines).

Japanese occupation

Along with the rest of the country, Cebu came under Japanese occupation during World War II. The Japanese encountered opposition from guerrillas and irregular forces led by Col. James Cushing and the Cebu Area Command. It was finally liberated with the Battle for Cebu City in March and April 1945. The military general headquarters of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and 8th Constabulary Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary, active from January 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946, was stationed in Cebu City during World War II.

Post-war years

 

Skyline of Cebu City in 2009

The war virtually razed Cebu City to the ground. Reconstruction, however, had been rapid. The city's central business district, which had been confined largely around the port and the coast in the pre-war years, had expanded inland. Colon Street, the oldest national road in the Philippines, which was once a residential area in the pre-war years, became the center of a dense and compact area in downtown Cebu City, becoming home to many shopping and business activities, which included the city's most fashionable shops, restaurants, and movie houses. In 1962, construction of the Cebu City North Reclamation Area commenced, and finished in 1969, which expanded the port of Cebu and provided the city with more developable land close to the city center. During this time, Cebu had also become a prominent educational center for the Visayas and Mindanao regions and new schools were established in Cebu's uptown areas, such as the Talamban campus of the University of San Carlos.^[20]

During the Marcos dictatorship

Main articles: Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos and Human rights violations of the Marcos dictatorship

Cebu became a key center of resistance against the Marcos dictatorship,^[21] first becoming apparent when the hastily put-together lineup of Pusyon Bisaya defeated the entire slate of Marcos' Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) in Region VII.^[22]

Among the Cebuanos immediately arrested by the Marcos dictatorship when Martial law was announced on September 23, 1972, were columnist and future National Artist Resil Mojares and human rights lawyer and Carcar Vice Mayor Democrito Barcenas, who were both detained at Camp Sergio Osmeña.^[23][24][25]

One of the Marcos Martial Law desaparecidos from Cebu was Redemptorist priest Fr. Rudy Romano,^[26] a prominent Marcos critic and executive secretary of Cebu's Coalition against People's Persecution, who was accosted by armed men in Tisa, Labangon, Cebu City, on June 11, 1985, and never seen again.^[27][28] Levi Ybañez, Romano's colleague in the Coalition against People's Persecution, was abducted on the same day as Fr. Romano, and was also never heard from again.^[29][30]

Later, Cebu would play a key role in the days leading up to the 1986 People Power revolution and the ouster of Marcos. It was from Fuente Osmeña circle in Cebu City that the opposition forces relaunched a civil disobedience campaign against the Marcos regime and its cronies on February 22, 1986. After that, the Carmelite Monastery in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City, served as a refuge for opposition candidates Aquino and Laurel during the first day of the People Power revolution, because it was not yet safe to go back to Manila.^[31]

Economic boom and contemporary history

In 1990, Typhoon Ruping (international name Mike) hit Visayas and Cebu in particular, causing considerable damage to the infrastructure of the city and province. The typhoon cut off many of the city's communication lines, and was virtually cut from the outside, causing delays for aid from the national government in Manila. This forced local authorities to rethink governmental priorities, and enforced some radical measures, such as food, water, and fuel rations.^[32] However, the city quickly recovered, and by the end of the decade, it was experiencing rapid economic growth,^[33] dubbed Ceboom.^[34] The economic growth of the city also spread economic growth to its neighboring cities and municipalities, which spreads from Danao from the north all the way to Carcar to the south.

Within the city, economic growth was observed in other areas as well, and much of the business activity shifted from the old and derelict downtown area to the more modern and more diverse business districts located in other areas of the city, including areas around Fuente Osmeña (colloquially known as "Uptown Cebu"), the Cebu Business Park, and the Cebu IT Park, among other areas. The opening of the aforementioned Ayala Mall and SM City Cebu had also shifted significant retail activities away from Colon, though it remained to serve as an important transit point for public utility jeepneys (PUJ) covering arterial routes within the city.

In 2002, the South Road Properties (SRP) was completed, initially with the intention of being a hub for light industries but gradually shifted to be a hub for mixed-use developments. The Cebu South Coastal Road, which traverses through SRP, has helped alleviate the city's traffic by serving as an alternative to the Natalio Bacalso Avenue. SM Seaside City Cebu opened in 2015, and was one of the largest shopping malls in the Philippines upon opening. The opening of the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway in 2022, which links the city to Cordova in Mactan, is poised to unlock the SRP's potential as the city's next economic hub. Other infrastructure projects, such as the Metro Cebu Expressway and the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit System, are also in place to help facilitate the city's future growth.^[35]

Geography

 

Panorama of Cebu City North district

 

Panorama of Cebu City South district

Cebu City has a land area of 315 square kilometres (122 sq mi). To the northeast of the city is Mandaue City and the town of Consolacion; to the west is Toledo City and the towns of Balamban and Asturias; to the south is Talisay City and the town of Minglanilla.

Across Mactan Strait to the east is Mactan island where Lapu-Lapu is located. Further east across the Cebu Strait is the island of Bohol.

Barangays

See also: List of barangays in Cebu City

The city comprises 80 barangays. These are grouped into two congressional districts, with 46 barangays in the northern district and 34 in the southern district.^{[36][37][38][39]}

As of the 2020 census, 58 barangays are classified as urban barangays where 888,481 (92.15%) of Cebu City's population lives, while the remaining 22 rural barangays are home to 75,668 residents, representing 7.85% of the total population.^[40]

The most populous barangays in the city, as of the 2020 census, are Guadalupe (70,039), Tisa (47,364), and Lahug (45,853), while Kalubihan is the least populous barangay with only 663 residents

 

Political map of Cebu City

Barangays of Cebu City
Administration				Population^[40]			PSGC Code and Class^[40]
Barangay	Geographic District	Legislative District	Barangay Captain (As of June 27, 2020^[update])	2020	2015	Change	Code	Urban/Rural
Adlaon	North	I	Nieves B. Narra	4,413	4,028	+9.56%	072217001	Rural
Agsungot	North	I	Pedro P. Damaolao	2,772	2,290	+21.05%	072217002	Rural
Apas	North	I	Virgil A. Cabigon	24,194	24,591	−1.61%	072217003	Urban
Babag	South	II	Cesar R. Dolorito	5,945	4,452	+33.54%	072217004	Rural
Bacayan	North	I	Zenaida E. Colina	14,460	15,919	−9.17%	072217006	Urban
Banilad	North	I	Dennes R. Tabar	6,336	7,890	−19.70%	072217007	Urban
Basak Pardo	South	II	Catalina A. Cabardo	17,854	19,415	−8.04%	072217005	Urban
Basak San Nicolas	South	II	Norman A. Navarro	38,965	35,422	+10.00%	072217008	Urban
Binaliw	North	I	Viviane O. Ruste	3,493	3,417	+2.22%	072217010	Rural
Bonbon	South	II	Eduardo R. Cabriana	6,108	5,632	+8.45%	072217011	Urban
Budlaan	North	I	Gino B. Antolihao	8,756	5,316	+64.71%	072217013	Urban
Buhisan	South	II	Gremar C. Barete	19,088	14,977	+27.45%	072217014	Urban
Bulacao	South	II	Rodrigo D. Jabellana	28,675	30,450	−5.83%	072217015	Urban
Buot	South	II	Richard L. Bacayan Sr.	2,927	2,475	+18.26%	072217016	Rural
Busay	North	I	Maria Christia A. Famador	17,145	13,048	+31.40%	072217017	Urban
Calamba	South	II	Victor B. Quijano Jr.	9,834	11,177	−12.02%	072217018	Urban
Cambinocot	North	I	Reynald A. Lauron	3,424	3,099	+10.49%	072217019	Rural
Capitol Site	North	I	Manuel G. Guanzon	12,604	11,307	+11.47%	072217020	Urban
Carreta	North	I	Mariano V. Ando	11,398	12,557	−9.23%	072217021	Urban
Cogon Pardo	South	II	Harry R. Eran	23,828	21,276	+11.99%	072217024	Urban
Cogon Ramos	North	I	Omar D. Durano	2,693	3,339	−19.35%	072217023	Urban
Day‑as	North	I	Freddie T. Esmas	3,815	4,817	−20.80%	072217025	Urban
Duljo Fatima	South	II	Elmer L. Abella	15,851	17,664	−10.26%	072217027	Urban
Ermita	North	I	Mark Rizaldy V. Miral	8,541	8,451	+1.06%	072217028	Urban
Guadalupe	South	II	Michael M. Gacasan	70,039	61,238	+14.37%	072217029	Urban
Guba	North	I	Orlan B. Herrera	5,732	4,976	+15.19%	072217030	Rural
Hipodromo	North	I	Ruperto B. Bacolod, Jr.	9,574	9,684	−1.14%	072217031	Urban
Inayawan	South	II	Kirk Bryan J. Repollo	32,675	30,707	+6.41%	072217032	Urban
Kalubihan	North	I	Rex Y. Millan	663	866	−23.44%	072217033	Urban
Kalunasan	South	II	Nunilon S. Monares Jr.	28,230	26,756	+5.51%	072217034	Urban
Kamagayan	North	I	Raquel E. Avila	2,004	2,170	−7.65%	072217035	Urban
Kamputhaw (Camputhaw)	North	I	Jessica P. Cadungog	17,664	20,030	−11.81%	072217036	Urban
Kasambagan	North	I	Franklyn O. Ong	7,967	8,428	−5.47%	072217037	Urban
Kinasang‑an Pardo	South	II	Susan B. Enriquez	18,756	15,185	+23.52%	072217038	Urban
Labangon	South	II	Victor M. Buendia	32,825	33,477	−1.95%	072217040	Urban
Lahug	North	I	Hazel Ann M. Empleo	45,853	38,584	+18.84%	072217041	Urban
Lorega‑San Miguel	North	I	Fritzgerald D. Herrera	12,273	11,873	+3.37%	072217042	Urban
Lusaran	North	I	Agustin P. Partulan	2,595	2,931	−11.46%	072217043	Rural
Luz	North	I	Ronilo M. Sab-a	16,175	18,313	−11.67%	072217044	Urban
Mabini	North	I	Richard M. Adolfo	2,307	1,909	+20.85%	072217045	Rural
Mabolo	North	I	Frank M. Gajudo	21,616	22,008	−1.78%	072217046	Urban
Malubog	North	I	Dennis M. Dabuco	3,316	2,568	+29.13%	072217048	Rural
Mambaling	South	II	Gines N. Abellana	30,459	32,564	−6.46%	072217049	Urban
Pahina Central	North	I	Carlo V. Yap	5,639	5,258	+7.25%	072217050	Urban
Pahina San Nicolas	South	II	Arnulfo R. Cambonga	2,743	3,196	−14.17%	072217051	Urban
Pamutan	South	II	Ronaldo C. Labitad	1,773	1,862	−4.78%	072217052	Rural
Pari-an	North	I	Jeremias T. Nuñez	1,058	1,574	−32.78%	072217054	Urban
Paril	North	I	Neresa Villa W. Doncillo	1,847	1,479	+24.88%	072217055	Rural
Pasil	South	II	Julius O. Guioguio	8,395	8,593	−2.30%	072217056	Urban
Pit-os	North	I	Nilo C. Tariman	7,752	6,244	+24.15%	072217057	Urban
Poblacion Pardo	South	II	Arcadio O. Araw-araw III	12,016	12,596	−4.60%	072217053	Urban
Pulangbato	North	I	Marlene B. Macua	8,037	5,988	+34.22%	072217059	Rural
Pung-ol Sibugay	South	II	Jerson A. Cadampog	2,333	2,556	−8.72%	072217060	Rural
Punta Princesa	South	II	Eleno M. Andales Jr.	22,658	22,369	+1.29%	072217062	Urban
Quiot Pardo	South	II	Pancrasio I. Esparis	27,984	24,200	+15.64%	072217063	Urban
Sambag I	North	I	Maria Ailien R. Guardo	11,526	13,434	−14.20%	072217064	Urban
Sambag II	North	I	Ryan P. Aznar	12,173	11,223	+8.46%	072217065	Urban
San Antonio	North	I	Daido Stephen D. Abcede Jr.	2,060	1,928	+6.85%	072217066	Urban
San Jose	North	I	Joventino A. Ardaba	8,027	6,870	+16.84%	072217067	Urban
San Nicolas Proper	South	II	Clifford Jude G. Niñal	5,327	6,694	−20.42%	072217068	Urban
San Roque	North	I	Virginia Abenoja	3,617	4,444	−18.61%	072217069	Urban
Santa Cruz	North	I	Jerome B. Lim	2,105	2,316	−9.11%	072217070	Urban
Santo Niño (Poblacion)	North	I	Lourdes R. Ramirez	781	1,213	−35.61%	072217022	Urban
Sapangdaku	South	II	Jovito S. Ladrazo	8,214	7,594	+8.16%	072217077	Urban
Sawang Calero	South	II	Sergio S. Ocaña	7,676	8,259	−7.06%	072217071	Urban
Sinsin	South	II	Aurelio R. Laspoña	2,578	2,161	+19.30%	072217073	Rural
Sirao	North	I	Flaviano C. Gabunada Jr.	3,647	3,456	+5.53%	072217074	Rural
Suba	South	II	Joel S. Sable	10,606	11,026	−3.81%	072217075	Urban
Sudlon I	South	II	Dante M. Tabucal	3,273	2,777	+17.86%	072217076	Rural
Sudlon II	South	II	Prescillo L. Alborez	4,229	3,913	+8.08%	072217088	Rural
T. Padilla (Villa Gonzalo)	North	I	Michael L. Ralota	6,719	7,646	−12.12%	072217078	Urban
Tabunan	South	II	Nerio B. Pador	2,270	2,138	+6.17%	072217079	Rural
Tagba-o	South	II	Ana C. Tabal	1,744	1,767	−1.30%	072217080	Rural
Talamban	North	I	Dario B. Arcilla	33,382	32,139	+3.87%	072217081	Urban
Taptap	North	I	Brian M. Bontuyan	2,484	2,093	+18.68%	072217082	Rural
Tejero	North	I	Hermogenes A. Galang Jr.	14,084	14,496	−2.84%	072217083	Urban
Tinago	North	I	Domingo V. Lopez	6,700	6,743	−0.64%	072217084	Urban
Tisa	South	II	Renato I. Pacaña	47,364	37,766	+25.41%	072217085	Urban
To-ong	South	II	Alejandro D. Borres	4,549	4,178	+8.88%	072217086	Rural
Zapatera	North	I	Francisco D. Benedicto	2,957	3,146	−6.01%	072217084	Urban
Cebu City				964,169	922,611
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority - Philippine Standard Geographic Code - Cebu City - Barangays

Climate

Cebu City has a tropical monsoon climate under the Köppen climate classification. The city has a lengthy wet season and a short dry season, with only the months of March and April falling into the latter season. Average temperatures show little variance during the year with average daily temps ranging from 27 °C (81 °F) to 29 °C (84 °F). The city on averages experiences roughly 1,700 millimetres (67 in) of precipitation annually.

Climate data for Cebu City (Mactan International Airport) 1981–2010, extremes 1972–2012
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	33.5 (92.3)	34.8 (94.6)	33.9 (93.0)	35.6 (96.1)	37.0 (98.6)	37.6 (99.7)	35.3 (95.5)	35.6 (96.1)	35.2 (95.4)	34.4 (93.9)	33.8 (92.8)	34.0 (93.2)	37.6 (99.7)
Average high °C (°F)	29.8 (85.6)	30.2 (86.4)	31.1 (88.0)	32.3 (90.1)	32.8 (91.0)	32.1 (89.8)	31.5 (88.7)	31.7 (89.1)	31.8 (89.2)	31.4 (88.5)	31.0 (87.8)	30.2 (86.4)	31.3 (88.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)	26.8 (80.2)	27.1 (80.8)	27.8 (82.0)	28.8 (83.8)	29.3 (84.7)	28.8 (83.8)	28.2 (82.8)	28.4 (83.1)	28.3 (82.9)	28.1 (82.6)	27.8 (82.0)	27.3 (81.1)	28.1 (82.6)
Average low °C (°F)	23.9 (75.0)	24.0 (75.2)	24.5 (76.1)	25.4 (77.7)	25.8 (78.4)	25.4 (77.7)	24.9 (76.8)	25.0 (77.0)	24.9 (76.8)	24.8 (76.6)	24.7 (76.5)	24.3 (75.7)	24.8 (76.6)
Record low °C (°F)	19.8 (67.6)	20.0 (68.0)	19.4 (66.9)	22.1 (71.8)	22.0 (71.6)	22.5 (72.5)	20.8 (69.4)	20.8 (69.4)	21.5 (70.7)	21.6 (70.9)	20.4 (68.7)	20.0 (68.0)	19.4 (66.9)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	105.2 (4.14)	69.6 (2.74)	58.6 (2.31)	48.1 (1.89)	95.0 (3.74)	175.6 (6.91)	192.9 (7.59)	143.5 (5.65)	179.6 (7.07)	194.8 (7.67)	161.9 (6.37)	139.7 (5.50)	1,564.5 (61.59)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm)	12	9	8	6	8	14	16	14	15	16	14	14	146
Average relative humidity (%)	83	81	79	77	78	81	82	81	82	83	83	84	81
Source: PAGASA^[41]^[42]

Demographics

See also: List of people from Cebu

Language Generally Spoken at Home (2010)
Language			Inhabitants
Cebuano			913,324
English			2,298
Tagalog			1,356
Hiligaynon			724
Others			2,646

Population census of Cebu City

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1903 45,994 —     1918 65,502 +2.39% 1939 146,817 +3.92% 1948 167,503 +1.48% 1960 251,146 +3.43%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1970 347,116 +3.29% 1975 413,025 +3.55% 1980 490,281 +3.49% 1990 610,417 +2.22% 1995 662,299 +1.54%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2000 718,821 +1.77% 2007 799,762 +1.48% 2010 866,171 +2.95% 2015 922,611 +1.21% 2020 964,169 +0.87%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^[4] ^[43] ^[44] ^[45]^[46]

The population reached 799,762 people in 2007, and at the 2010 census, the city's population had grown to 866,171 in over 161,151 households. ^[6]

The most recent census data on ethnicity (based on the 2010 census) shows that the vast majority of the city's population speaks Cebuano.^[47]

Religion

 

The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral

The city is considered the birthplace of Christianity in the Far East.^{[48][49][50][51]} The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu is currently the largest archdiocese in the Philippines and in Asia.^[52]

Christianity in the form of Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion in Cebu for about 80% of the population. The remainders are divided with various Protestant faiths (Baptist, Methodists and Presbyterian), Non-denominational, Iglesia Ni Cristo, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventist and other Christian groups. Other religions include Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.

Within the city is the Cebu Taoist Temple, a Taoist temple located in the Beverly Hills subdivision of Lahug.

Economy

Poverty Incidence of Cebu City

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[53][54]
[55][56][57][58][59]}

Ceboom, a portmanteau of "Cebu" and "boom", has been used to refer to the rapid economic development of both Cebu City and Cebu Province from the early 1990s to the early 2000s.^[60]

With Cebu City's proximity to many islands, beaches, hotel and resorts, diving locations, and heritage sites, high domestic and foreign tourist arrivals have fueled the city's tourism industry. Due to its geographic location in the middle of the country, accessibility by air, land and sea transportation, Cebu City has become the tourist gateway to central and southern Philippines. Its port, Port of Cebu, is the country's second largest seaport.^[61]

 

Cebu IT Park

 

Cebu South Road Properties

 

Skyline of Cebu City Pier 1

 

Colon Street, known as the oldest street in the Philippines

The city is a major hub for the business process outsourcing industry of the Philippines. In 2013, Cebu ranked 8th worldwide in the "Top 100 BPO Destinations Report" by global advisory firm Tholons.^[62][63] In 2012, the growth in IT-BPO revenues in Cebu grew 26.9 percent at $484 million, while nationally, the industry grew 18.2 percent at $13 billion.^[64]

Aboitiz Equity Ventures, formerly known as Cebu Pan Asian Holdings, is the first holding company from Cebu City publicly listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange. Ayala Corporation, through its subsidiary Cebu Holdings, Inc. and Cebu Property, both publicly in the PSE Index, developed the Cebu Park District where the mixed-used development zones of the Cebu Business Park and Cebu IT Park are located. Both master planned areas are host to regional headquarters for various companies in the banking, finance, IT and tourism sectors among others.

Shipbuilding companies in Cebu have manufactured bulk carriers of up to 70,000 metric tons deadweight (DWT) and double-hulled fast craft as well. This industry made the Philippines the 4th largest shipbuilding country in the world.^[65]

With a revenue growth rate of 18.8 percent in 2012, the real estate industry is the fastest growing sector in Cebu. With the strong economic indicators and high investors' confidence level, more condominium projects and hypermarkets are being developed in the locality.^[66]

The South Road Properties (SRP) is a 300-hectare (740-acre) prime property development project on a reclaimed land located a few metres off the coast of Cebu's central business district. It is a mixed-use development that will feature entertainment, leisure, residential and business-processing industries.^[67] It is registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and is funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation(JBIC).^[68] Traversing the property is a 12-kilometre (7.5 mi), 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.

Cebu City, and Metro Cebu as a whole, is one of the Philippines' major shopping destinations. The Gaisano family, which operates Gaisano Capital, Gaisano Grand Malls, Gaisano Malls, and the Metro Retail Stores Group, traces its roots to the city.^[69] There are four major super-regional malls in the city. SM City Cebu, located in the North Reclamation Area, opened in 1993, and is the first SM Supermall in the Philippines located outside Metro Manila. Ayala Center Cebu, opened in 1994, is a shopping mall at the Cebu Business Park. More than 85,000 people visit the mall every day, with the figure increasing to 135,000 daily on weekends.^[70] SM Seaside, opened in November 2015, is located in the South Road Properties and is one of the largest shopping malls in the Philippines. Robinsons Galleria Cebu opened in December 2015 and is in close proximity to the Port of Cebu. Other notable retail establishments include Ayala Malls Central Bloc in Cebu IT Park, Il Corso, Gaisano Mall of Cebu, and Gaisano Country Mall, among others.

Colon Street, the oldest national road in the Philippines, as well as its neighboring streets and surrounding areas, collectively known as Downtown Cebu, is an important center of commerce for the city. It is home to many malls, stores, and stalls selling various goods and services. Carbon Market is the city's oldest and largest farmer's market, and is set to be redeveloped to include other lifestyle and mixed-use developments. The redevelopment is scheduled to be finished by 2025.^[71] The Pasil Fish Market, located in Barangays Pasil and Suba, is a major fish wholesale market, sourcing fresh catch from different parts of the Visayas.

Government

See also: Cebu City Hall and Cebu City Council

 

Cebu City Hall

Being a highly urbanized city, Cebu City (along with neighboring Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu) is independent from Cebu province. Its electorate do not vote for provincial officials. There were proposals during the time of Governor Emilio Mario Osmeña to establish an "administrative district" that would be independent from Cebu City. This would mean carving out Cebu City's Capitol Site barangay, where the provincial capitol and other provincial offices are located. The plan, however, did not go through and was even followed by other proposals like the transfer of the capital to Balamban.

Cebu City is governed by a mayor, vice mayor and sixteen councilors (eight representing the north and eight representing the south districts). Each official is popularly elected to serve for a three-year term. The chief of the Association of Barangay Captains and the president of the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation also serve in the city council. The day-to-day administration of the city is handled by a city administrator.^[72][73]

Current city officials (2022–2025)

• Mayor: Michael L. Rama (BARUG)^[74]
• Vice Mayor: Raymond Alvin N. Garcia (BARUG)^[74]

19th Congress

• House of Representatives
  • 1st District (North): Rachel B. del Mar (NPC)
  • 2nd District (South): Eduardo R. Rama Jr. (PDPLBN)

Culture

 

Devotees inside the Basilica del Santo Niño.

Cebu City is a significant cultural center in the Philippines. The imprint of Spanish and Roman Catholic culture is evident. The city's most famous landmark is Magellan's Cross. This cross, now housed in a chapel, is reputed to have been erected by Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão Magalhães) when he arrived in the Philippines in 1521.^[75] 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 Magallanes Street between the City Hall and Colegio del Santo Niño. Revered by Filipinos, the Magellan's Cross is a symbol of Christianity in the Philippines.

A few steps away from Magellan's Cross is the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño (Church of the Holy Child). This is an Augustinian church elevated to the rank of basilica in 1965 during the 400th anniversary celebrations of Christianity in 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 figure of the Santo Niño de Cebú (Holy Child of Cebu), who is Jesus Christ as a Child.

 

Procession during the Feast Day of the Santo Niño.

This religious and cultural event is celebrated during the island's cultural festivities known as the Sinulog festival. Held every third Sunday of January, it celebrates the festival of the Santo Niño, who was formerly considered to be the patron saint of Cebu. (This patronage was later changed to that of Our Lady of Guadalupe after it was realized that the Santo Niño could not be a patron saint because he was an image of Christ and not a saint.) The Sinulog is a dance prayer 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 a baptismal gift to Hara Amihan, wife of Rajah Humabon. She was later named Juana, the figure of the Santo Niño. The natives also honored the Santo Niño de Cebú in their indigenous sinulog ritual.^{[citation needed]} This ritual was preserved but limited to honoring the Santo Niño. Once the Santo Niño church was built in the 16th century, the Christianized-Austronesian natives started performing the sinulog ritual in front of the church, the devotees offering candles and indigenous dancers shouting "Viva Pit Señor!"^{[citation needed]}

In the 1980s and 2000s, the city authorities of Cebu added the religious feast of Santo Niño de Cebú during the Sinulog Festival to its cultural event.

The city joined UNESCO's Network of Creative Cities as a Design City on October 31, 2019, on the occasion of World Cities' Day.^[76] Cebu City was also recognized by the British Council as the Creative Capital of the Philippines.^[77] In 2019, it joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Design.^[78]

Music

Cebu City is regarded as the birthplace of BisRock, a term coined by Cebuano writer Januar E. Yap in 2002.^[79] Notable BisRock bands include Missing Filemon, Junior Kilat, Phylum, and Scrambled Eggs, among others. Popular Filipino bands Urbandub and Cueshé also hail from Cebu, but mostly sing their songs in English, and in the latter's case, also in Tagalog.

The Cebu Reggae Festival is a popular Filipino Reggae and Roots music festival, it now has become one of the Philippines' largest annual Reggae Festivals.

Lifedance and Sinulog Invasion are rave music festivals held in the city in the days before the Sinulog Festival. These music festivals are regarded as among the biggest music festivals in the country.^[80]

The Cebu Pop Music Festival is an annual music festival, founded in 1980,^[81] showcasing Cebuano language pop songs. Like Lifedance and Sinulog Invasion, the music festival is also held in the days before the Sinulog Festival.

On Cebuano musical heritage, the Jose R. Gullas Halad Museum in V. Gullas St. (former Manalili) corner D. Jakosalem St. in Cebu City, holds musical memorabilia of Cebuano composers in the early 20th century, the likes of Ben Zubiri (composer of Matud Nila), Inting Rubi (Kasadya Ning Taknaa) and Minggoy Lopez (Rosas Pandan).

Since 2013, Cebu has hosted the Visayan Pop Songwriting Campaign, an annual songwriting competition that aimed to showcase songs written in the Cebuano language. Founded by multi-awarded artist Jude Gitamondoc, Ian Zafra, Cattski Espina, and Missing Filemon's front-man Lorenzo Niñal through the Artists and Musicians Marketing Cooperative (ArtistKo) with the support of the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Vispop, or sometimes Visayan pop, later on evolved from being associated with the music festival to a genre of the new wave of Visayan pop songs that gained nationwide popularity, even those songs that were not exclusively produced for or presented in the contest.

Sports

 

The Cebu City Sports Complex

The Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. is based in the city. Its member schools are located within the Metro Cebu area. It is often considered one of the Philippines' strongest college sports league.

The city has an active boxing scene. ALA Gym, one of the most famous boxing gyms in the Philippines, is based in the city, at the Banilad district. In addition, ALA Gym's promotion arm, the ALA Promotions, organizes the Pinoy Pride boxing series.

The Aboitiz Football Cup is the longest-running association football competition in Cebu. The cup has been considered to be one of the most prestigious association football tournaments in the Philippines. The tournament is organized and supported by the Aboitiz family, one of the Philippines' richest families, and owners of one of the Philippines' largest conglomerates, the Aboitiz Equity Ventures.

The Cebu City Sharks is currently the only professional basketball team that is based in the city. The team plays in the South Division of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). The team plays its home games at the Hoops Dome in nearby Lapu-Lapu and at the USJ-R Coliseum, located in Barangay Basak Pardo.

The Cebu F.C. is a professional football club in the Philippines Football League (PFL), and will begin play in 2021. The club is the second professional football club to be based in Cebu, after Global F.C., which also played in the PFL. The club plays its home games at the Dynamic Herb Sports Complex in nearby Talisay.^[82]

Former professional sports teams include the following:

• Global Cebu F.C., which played in the now-defunct Philippines Football League (PFL). They played their home games at the Cebu City Sports Complex. They have since moved to Makati, changing their name correspondingly into Global Makati F.C..
• Cebu City Chiefs, a rugby league team that participated in the Philippines National Rugby League
• Cebu Dragons, a rugby union team in the Philippine Rugby Football Union
• Cebu Gems, a basketball team that played in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA). The Gems played their home games at the Cebu Coliseum.

Tourism

Tourism is a thriving industry in Cebu. It hosted the 1998 ASEAN Tourism Forum. The city also hosted the East Asian Tourism Forum in August 2002, in which the province of Cebu is a member and signatory.

Views of Cebu City and its skyline can be seen from villages and numerous gated communities located on its mountainsides.

There is a significant number of Filipino-Spanish heritage buildings in Cebu City such as Fort San Pedro, Basilica del Santo Niño, Magellan's Cross, and the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.^[83] The city hosts the Museo Sugbo and Casa Gorordo Museum. The Cebu Taoist Temple is also situated within the city.

•  

  Fort San Pedro

•  

  Plaza Independencia de Cebu

•  

  Cebu Taoist Temple

•  

  Waterfront Cebu City Hotel

•  

  Colon Street Obelisk and Historical Marker

Infrastructure

Transportation

 

Mactan–Cebu International Airport

 

Osmeña Boulevard

Mactan–Cebu International Airport, located in Lapu-Lapu, is the country's second-busiest airport and serves direct international flights to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, China, Taiwan, Dubai and South Korea, with charter flights to Russia and domestic destinations.^[84][85] Many international and cargo airlines fly to Cebu. There are also direct transfer flights via the capital's Ninoy Aquino International Airport that readily connect the city to other destinations in the world.

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 (2.2 mi) of berthing space. The city is home to more than 80% of the country's island vessels traveling on domestic routes mostly in the Visayas and Mindanao.^[61]

Transportation throughout the city and the metropolitan itself is provided by jeepneys, buses and taxis. The Cebu City Government conducted a 2012 feasibility study on implementing bus rapid transit (BRT) system that will ease the transportation of the residents in the city and throughout the entire Metro Cebu area.^[86][87] Aimed to serve an estimated 330,000 passengers per day, the project would have a capacity of 176 buses running through 33 stations along Bulacao until Talamban with a link to South Road Properties.^[88][89] The project is currently branded as TransCebu and is expected to be fully operational by 2017.^[90] As of March 2017^[update] it was two years late, and the price had increased to ₱9.04B (US$180M).^[91]

In March 2019, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board announced the opening of a new Premium Point-to-Point Bus Service in Cebu City with three express bus routes to Lapu-Lapu, Danao and Sibonga.^[92]

A new light railway is expected to start its construction in 2022.

Utilities

The city mostly gets its power from an interconnection grid with the Leyte Geothermal Power Plant, which also powers the majority of the Visayas.^[93][94] Cebu is also powered by a coal-fired thermal plant with two units each generating 52.5-MW and 56.8-MW,^[95] a 43.8-MW diesel power plant and 55-MW land-based gas turbine plants located at the Naga power complex which is planned to be rehabilitated and replaced with 150-MW coal units by 2016 and to be completed by 2019.^[96]

Telecommunication facilities, broadband and wireless internet connections are available and are provided by some of the country's largest telecommunication companies.

In 1998, the 15-hectare (37-acre) Inayawan Sanitary Landfill was constructed to ease garbage disposal within the city. After 15 years, the landfill reached its lifespan and the Talisay city government recently allowed Cebu to temporarily dump its garbage in its own 2-hectare (4.9-acre) landfill.^[97][98] In 2015, Cebu appropriated a total of ₱2.5M to close and rehabilitate the landfill at Inayawan.^[99]

Education

See also: List of colleges and universities in Metro Cebu

 

University of San Carlos

 

University of San Jose – Recoletos

 

Cebu Normal University in Osmeña Boulevard

Cebu City, and Metro Cebu as a whole, is an important educational hub in Southern Philippines. Cebu City itself is currently home to ten large universities each with a number of campuses throughout Cebu province and more than a dozen other schools specializing in various courses.

Among these schools is the University of San Carlos, one of the most highly regarded educational institutions in the Philippines. It claims to trace its roots to Colegio de San Ildefonso, which was founded in 1595. It has five campuses around Cebu City, including the Downtown Campus (formerly Main Campus) and the Talamban Campus (TC), both of which are home to the school's college programs. It is currently headed by the Society of the Divine Word.

The University of the Philippines Cebu, located at Barangay Camputhaw in the district near Lahug currently has eight courses and has plans of expansion and development. The U.P. Board of Regents elevated the status of U.P. Cebu as a constituent university of the University of the Philippines System on October 27, 2016.^[100]

Another Catholic university in Cebu City is the University of San Jose–Recoletos which was established in 1947.^[101] It is currently headed by the Augustinian Recollects and has two different campuses within the city, excluding a new campus outside the city located in the municipality of Balamban.

Cebu Normal University (CNU) was established in 1902 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. CNU offers academic programs at the nursery, kindergarten, elementary, junior high, undergraduate, and graduate levels. CNU is designated by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as Center of Excellence (COE) in both Nursing Education and Teacher Education.^[102]

The Cebu Doctors' University (formerly Cebu Doctors' College) was granted university status in November 2004. It is the only private school in the Philippines to achieve university status without a designated basic education (pre-school – high school) curriculum; it caters mainly to courses related to the health services field. It was relocated to a nine-story building in 2007 at the Cebu Boardwalk (now Dr. P.V. Larrazabal Jr. Avenue) in neighboring city of Mandaue, thus closing its old campus near the then Cebu Doctors' Hospital (now Cebu Doctors' University Hospital). As of 2016^[update], the university now offers senior high school (grades 11 and 12)

The University of Cebu (UC) has four campuses located within the city: Its main campus, located in Sanciangko Street, offers degree programs such as a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT), HRM, Computer Engineering, BSED and others. The Maritime Education & Training Center (METC), located in Barangay Mambaling, which hosts the university's maritime programs, was opened in 1991. Its third campus, in Barangay Banilad, was opened in June 2002. A fourth campus, the Pardo–Talisay campus, located in Barangay Bulacao Pardo, near the boundary between Cebu City and Talisay, was added to the UC network in 2021 after the university's acquisition of St. Paul College Foundation, Inc.

Also located within in the city is the University of the Visayas, established in 1919, and is considered to be the first educational institution in Cebu which was granted with a university status. It was granted an autonomous status by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in 2010 and currently offers basic education and a number of courses in the tertiary level including medical courses (Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Midwifery, and Health Care Services) which are housed in its campus in Banilad area. Aside from its campuses within Cebu City, it also has numerous campuses located around the province of Cebu.

Other noteworthy institutions in the city include the Cebu Institute of Technology – University (formerly Cebu Institute of Technology), the main campus of Cebu Technological University (formerly the Cebu State College of Science and Technology), Southwestern University, University of Southern Philippines Foundation in Lahug and Mabini, Asian College of Technology (formerly Asian Computer Institute), Benedicto College, Cebu Eastern College, Cebu International School, Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion, College of Technological Sciences - Cebu, Don Bosco Technical College–Cebu (DBTC), Saint Theresa's College of Cebu, Sacred Heart School - Ateneo de Cebu, Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology, and Velez College (together with its independently administered medical school arm Cebu Institute of Medicine), among others.

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.

The Cebu City Public Library and Information Center is the only public library in Cebu.

Sister cities

International (in alphabetical order of the names of the cities)

•   Chengdu, China^[103]
•   Chula Vista CA, United States^[104]
•   Guadalajara, Mexico^[105]
•   Honolulu City HI, United States^[106]
•   Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands^[107]
•   Kaohsiung, Taiwan^[108]
•   Kortrijk, Belgium^[109]
•   Parramatta City, Australia^[110]
•   Sabrosa, Portugal^[111]
•   Salinas CA, United States^[112]
•   Seattle WA, United States^[113]
•   St Petersburg, Russia^[114]
•   Vladimir, Russia^[115]
•   Xiamen, China^[116]
•   Yokohama, Japan^[117]
•   Yeosu, South Korea^[118]

National

• Butuan, Agusan del Norte
• Davao City, Davao del Sur
• Iloilo City, Iloilo
• Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
• Koronadal, South Cotabato
• General Santos, South Cotabato
• Manila, Metro Manila
• Parañaque, Metro Manila
• Ozamiz, Misamis Occidental
• Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija

See also

•  Philippines portal

• List of parishes in Cebu
• List of people from Cebu
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu
• Metro Cebu

Notes

1. On orders of the King Philip II, 2,100 men arrived from Mexico.^[12]

References

1.  City of Cebu | (DILG)
2. "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN 0117-1453. (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
3. "Demographia World Urban Areas (17th Annual Edition, 2021.06)" (PDF). Demographia.com. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
4. "2020 Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH) Population and Annual Growth Rates by Province, City, and Municipality - By Region". Metro Manila, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
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External links

•   Media related to Cebu City at Wikimedia Commons
•   Cebu City travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official website
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Cebu City on SharePhilippines.com October 25, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
• Historic photographs of Cebu city

First

Capital of the Philippines 1565-1569

Succeeded by Iloilo City