Cebu City Philippines (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Sugbo) is the capital city of Cebu and the second city in the Philippines. It is the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and also known as the oldest city established since the Spanish times in the country.
The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. Cebu is the Philippines’ main domestic shipping port and is home to about 80% of the country’s domestic shipping companies. Cebu also holds the second largest international flights in the Philippines and is a significant centre of commerce, trade and industry in the Visayas and Mindanao region.
Cebu City is the centre of a metropolitan area called Metro Cebu, which includes the cities of Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay. Metro Cebu has a total population of about 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 and an aquarium attraction are located.
History of Cebu
In the 16th century, Cebu City was an area part of the Rajahnate of Cebu with an Islamic, Hindu and Animist population. On April 7, 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu. He was welcomed by Rajah Humabon, the King of Cebu, who together with his wife and about 700 native islanders, were baptized by the Spaniards on April 14, 1521. Magellan, however, failed to successfully claim the Philippines for the crown of Spain, having been killed by Datu Lapu-Lapu, a Muslim king in Mactan Island on April 27, 1521 in the Battle of Mactan. On April 27, 1565, Spain colonized the area with the arrival of Spanish explorers led by Miguel López de Legazpi, together with Augustinian Friar Andrés de Urdaneta, sailing from Mexico, arrived in Cebu. The Spaniards established settlements, trade flourished, and renamed the city on January 1, 1571, from San Miguel (Saint Michael) to Villa del Santísimo Nombre de Jesús (Village of the Most Holy Name of Jesus). During this six year period of exploration and settlements by the Spaniards, Cebu City was the capital of the Spanish East Indies. In 1898, the city was ceded to the United States after the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War. In 1901, the city was governed by the United States for a brief period, however it attained the status of a charter city in 1936, and was governed independently by Filipino politicians. Following the end of the Japanese occupation in World War II, the city gained independence from colonial rule in 1946 as part of the Republic of the Philippines.
Cebu City Philippines Government
Cebu City is an independent and chartered city. Registered voters of the city cannot vote for provincial candidates unlike its nearby counterparts (Mandaue and Talisay cities) that form part of Metro Cebu. It is the capital of the province mainly because the provincial capitol is located in it. There were proposals, however, during the time of Governor Emilio Mario Osmeña to establish an “administrative district” that would be independent from Cebu City Philippines. This would literally mean carving out Cebu City’s Barangay Capitol where the provincial capitol and other provincial offices are located. The plan however didn’t push through and was even followed by other proposals like the transfer of the capital to Balamban.
Cebu City is governed mainly by a city hall, composed of one mayor, one vice-mayor and sixteen councilors (eight representing the northern, and eight representing the southern region). Each official is elected publicly to a three year term. The chief of the Association of Barangay Captains and the President of the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation also managed in the city council. The day to day administration of the city is handled by a city administrator.
Michael Rama is the incumbent mayor of Cebu City Philippines. He was a former vice mayor, and was elected during the 2010 Philippine elections. The current vice mayor is Joy-Augustus G. Young.
Source: wikipedia.org
