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Historical Trivia
Cebu City, the Queen City of the South, shares memories that will surely
interest people. It started from a sleepy fishing village in 1521. Magellan arrived and planted the wooden cross, which became
Cebu’s first symbol of Christianity. The said cross is now located at the upper Magallanes, a street named after Fernando
de Magallanes. He was intrepid Portuguese explorer who made the great voyage of exploration under the flag of Spain.
In
April 3, 1898, General Leon Kilat of Bacong, Negros Oriental, organized a revolution against the Spanish colonialism. The
Spaniards then decided to build a shelter for themselves. It was Miguel Lopez de Legazpi who insists on building a fort, which
is now famous for being the oldest and smallest fort in the country, the Fort San Pedro.
However, on December 1898,
the Americans beat the Spanish fleet during the war of Manila Bay. And the fort fell into the native Cebuanos’ hands.
With the American reign in full force in 1901, the Senate Pro Tempore, late President Sergio Osmena Sr. and the Congressman
and majority floor leader in the House of Representatives, late Senate Manuel Briones took action for Philippine Independence.
One of the most unforgettable moment in Cebuano history is the granting of charter by virtue of Commonwealth Act No.
58 on February 24, 1937. The late Senator Vicente Rama helped as the author and sponsor of the bill. Elpidio Quirino, as the
representative of Manuel Quezon, appointed the mayor and board members of Cebu City.
Due to Cebu City’s extensive
population and strategic location, it became the principal Japanese base after their landing on April 10,1942. Finally, on
March 1945, Cebu felt freedom when American liberation landed in Talisay town. In full circle, Liberation restored law and
order and established the Philippine Civil Affairs Unit (PCAU) in the city.
In April 1965, Cebuanos focused on Christianity,
Don Legaspi and Fray Urdaneta ordered to build the San Augustine Church, which is now called the Basilica Minore del Santo
Nino, in honor of the first miraculous image of Seņior Santo Nino.
Cebu, which was formerly called as Sugbu, Zebu,
Zubu, Sebu, Sibuy and others by merchants, from a sleeping fishing village, is now one of the most productive cities in the
Philippines. And now that’s something we are certainly proud of!
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Geography
Cebu City is located on the central eastern part of Cebu Province,
an island at the center of the Visayas in Southern Philippines. As defined by the Bureau of Land Location Monument (BLLM)
No. 1, Cebu Cadastral Survey, it is 10 degrees 17 minutes North Latitude and 123 degrees 54 minutes East Longitude. It is
bound by Mandaue City in the North and the City of Talisay in the South. On the East is Mactan Channel and on its West are
the Municipality of Balamban and the City of Toledo. | |
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| Land Area : |
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Composition:
Cebu City Area: 29,124.78 has.
Urban Area: 5,598.53 has.
Rural Area: 23,526.25
has.
North District Area: 12,341.15 has.
Urban Area: 2,965.45 has.
Rural Area: 9,375.70
has.
South District Area: 16,783.63 has.
Urban Area: 2,633.08 has.
Rural Area: 14,150.55
has.
Number of City Barangay: 80
North District: 46
South District: 34
Classified
Urban Barangay: 50
Classified Rural Barangay: 30 | |
Physical Characteristics : |
TOPOGRAPHY
The topography of Cebu City is rugged and mountainous with elevation
reaching up to 900 meters above the mean sea level. Flat lands are found only along the shorelines occupying about 23 square
kilometers (8% of its total land area), containing 40 barangays and about 2/3 of its population.
GEOLOGY AND SOIL
It is made up of structurally complex sedimentary and volcanic
rocks that have undergone various degrees of metamorphism.
The three types of Soil in Cebu City;
a. Mandaue Silt, characterizing
most of the coastal plains from Mandaue City to Minglanilla.
b. Faraon Clay, found in the middle part of the city .
c.
Baguio Clay, found in the upland areas and the watersheds of Mananga and Kotkot-Lusaran.
WEATHER AND CLIMATE
Weather and climate are determined by temperature, moisture
and movement of air. The principal climates zones defined in terms of temperature averages, which occurs the broad areas of
the earth. These are tropical, polar, and temperature climate zones. The Philippines is within Tropical Climate Zone.
TEMPERATURE
Mean Annual Temperature: 26.50 'C
Mean Highest Monthly Temperature:
34.80 'C
Mean Lowest Monthly Temperature: 20.60 'C
Coldest Month: January
Warmest Month: May
RELATIVE HUMIDITY
Average Relative Humidity: 75%
RAINFALL (Source: PAG-ASA)
Average Annual Rainfall: 1,636.70 mm in the old Lahug
Airport, and 1,609.70 in the Cebu Customs House area. Rainfall decreases from February to April and gradually increases from
May to July.
WIND VELOCITY AND DIRECTION
Average Wind Velocity: 10 km/hr for varying directions
Northeast
Wind (amihan): November to May
Southwest Monsoon (hagabat): June to September
Typhoon usually comes: October to December
Strongest
Typhoon Occurred: 1991 Typhoon Ruping
LAND COVER
a. Residential
b. Commercial
c. Industrial
d. Institutional
e. Agricultural (remained only in the upland or hilly land areas)
LAND CLASSIFICATION AND PROTECTION
a. 28% of Cebu City are within 18% slope or
less
b. 64% of the city's land classified as alienable and disposable
c. the rest are classified as forest and timberland
d. 76.3% of its land covered under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS)
e. 23% of the 80 barangays
are totally or partially located in the watershed areas | |
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