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Major Hubs 5 Major Destinations
Manila and Its Spokes
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Cebu and its Spokes
Laoag / Baguio and its Spokes
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Davao and its Spokes
Clark/Subic and its Spokes |
Others and its Spokes
Cebu
7,000 TIMES MORE
CELEBRATIONS
Cebuanos celebrate life like
no other. They strum their guitars and sing the "balitaw"
when they're happy. They strum the guitar and sing the
"harana" when they’re sad. And when they pray, they dance!
It therefore comes as no surprise that the guitar is a prime
product in Cebu which, quite naturally, has also produced a
large share of the country's best musicians and master
showmen. The Cebuano's flair for showmanship and love for
celebrations is manifested in the Sinulog, a colorful
festival of pageant proportion observed every third Sunday
of January. Cebu is an anchor tourist destination and one of
the 7,000 times more islands that make up the Philippine
archipelago.
THE ISLE OF YOUR TROPICAL DREAMS
Cebu is the traveler's fantasy of a tropical island come
true - balmy weather, pristine beaches, crystalline waters,
and luxurious resorts with all the frills of modern living.
The island-province of Cebu was where the Portuguese
navigator Ferdinand Magellan planted the Cross of
Christianity in the name of Spain in 1521. But even before
Cebu became the Occidental gateway to the Orient, it was
already a popular entry point among Asian merchants.
Cebu has since blossomed into a choice tourist destination,
with many leisure establishments taking full advantage of
its sea-valley-and-mountain location. Metropolitan Cebu, the
country's second biggest metropolis, is the political,
economic, educational and cultural center of the Visayas.
Hotels, shopping malls, entertainment halls, casinos and
golf fairways are ever present in the metro to cater to
every tourist's whim. The rest of Cebu's 166 islands
and islets are fringed with sandy beaches and sapphire-clear
waters teeming with marine life, perfect for divers.
FIESTA EXTRAVAGANZA
The fiesta is when life in these islands is celebrated in
full pageantry, complete with a brilliant display of sights
and sounds, scents and tastes. Cebu shows us how. The
Sinulog is Cebu's biggest and showiest fiesta in honor of
the Infant Jesus or Se๑or Santo Ni๑o. In a choreographed
movement, "tribes" clad in dazzling costumes hold aloft
images of their tiny patron even as they simulate the
natural rhythm of sea waves which brought the Holy Child to
their shores. The prayer-dance is synchronized to the beat
of drums and shouts of "Pit Se๑or! Viva Santo Ni๑o!"
The tribes wend through the city's major streets, starting
early in the morning and stretching into early evening. A
big entertainment roadshow and grand fireworks display bring
to a close the celebration. The Kadaugan sa Mactan is a
one-day pageant re-enacting the historic battle between the
Magellan-led Spanish colonizers and the resisting natives
led by Rajah Lapu-lapu. The festival is celebrated every
April 27 in Lapu-lapu City at the beach area where the
Portuguese voyager met his death.
While the rest of Christendom observes Holy Week with somber
rituals, fasting and abstinence, Bantayan Island makes an
exception. The townspeople display their brand of folk
Catholicism by feasting on roasted pig and then swimming at
its white sand beaches after a religious procession. The
Semana Santa is a movable feast between the months of March
and April. The rustic town of Opon honors its patroness, Our
Lady of Rule, with a fiesta from November 20 to 21.
Guests take the occasion of the Feast of St. Catherine of
Alexandria to visit the beautiful old town of Carcar which,
aside from its splendid colonial architecture, also produces
a number of Cebu's popular delicacies. In December, Cebu
culminates its fiesta celebrations with the month-long
Paskuhan, a festival of Christmas songs and lantern
displays.
CITY SIGHTS
Cebu takes pride in being the country's oldest colonial
city. Many landmarks attest to the richness of its history.
On April 14, 1521, Magellan planted a cross to mark the spot
where some 800 natives - led by Rajah Humabon and his wife,
Queen Juana - were baptized into the Catholic faith. The
original cross is now encased in a hallow hardwood cross and
can be found in a roofed kiosk along Magallanes Street.
As a baptismal gift to Queen Juana, Magellan gave a black
image of the Infant Child which, on April 27, 1565, managed
to remain unscathed after a fire razed Cebu to the ground.
The Basilica Minor del Santo Ni๑o was built by Captain
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Fr. Andres Urdaneta on the spot
where the miraculous icon was found. The religious statue
has since been enthroned in the basilica, with the original
kept inside the convent and a replica enshrined at the
church's side altar. From mainland Cebu, Magellan crossed
the channel to the island of Mactan in an effort to spread
Christianity. The chieftain Lapu-lapu, together with his
warriors, resisted the attempt and killed Magellan as he
reached the shore. A monument now marks the site.
Fort San Pedro, located at Cebu City's wharf area, was the
nucleus of the first Spanish settlement in the country. The
fort has been turned into a museum-park. Colon, the
country's oldest street, was built at the Parian or Chinese
District. Located at the heart of downtown, it is a busy
commercial center by day and a lively entertainment belt by
night. The seat of the provincial government is an imposing
building of pre-Pacific War vintage rising majestically
along Osme๑a Boulevard.
Located at the center of the boulevard is Fuente Osme๑a,
named after Cebu's Grand Old Man, the late Commonwealth
President Sergio Osme๑a, Sr. A favorite strolling park
among locals, the circular Fuente becomes even more alive in
the evenings. Within the park is a skating rink. The
University of San Carlos was established by the Dominican
fathers on the site of the former Jesuit-run Colegio de San
Ildefonso, originally founded in 1595. Its museum on P. del
Rosario Street has an extensive collection of
anthropological and biological artifacts.
The Southwestern University Museum located on the Urgello
Private Road, takes pride in its large collection of
pre-colonial and colonial artifacts as well as its
Filipiniana Research Center. Casa Gorordo, along Lopez Jaena
Street, is the ancestral house of the first Bishop of Cebu
and affords one a glimpse of affluent Cebuano lifestyle,
circa 1800. The Jumalon Museum, Butterfly Sanctuary and Art
Gallery in the Basak district was the private museum of the
late lepidopterist Professor Julian Jumalon. His garden
continues to be a haven to thousands of butterflies and his
salon features mosaics made of butterfly wings.
The Cebuano's Chinese heritage is very visible and one of
the more popular destinations in the city is the Taoist
Temple, located at the highest elevation of the Beverly
Hills Subdivision. Devotees, meanwhile, go to the Heavenly
Temple of Charity at the Peace Valley in the Lahug district.
Yet another pilgrimage spot is the Celestial Garden where
life-size replicas of the 14 Stations of the Cross are
spread in a 12-hectare property within Banawa Hills.
CITY LIGHTS
Evenings are hot in cool Cebu. From downtown to uptown,
Metropolitan Cebu comes even more alive as dusk sets in,
with queues leading to music bars, discos and the casinos.
Cebu is a premier entertainment center. Electric high
tension fills the nightlife and patrons can’t help but
"shake those bodies" as they swing into the groove.
ISLAND ADVENTURE
For the island-hopper, Cebu is one exciting playground for
daring expeditions. Aqua sports top the list of what to do.
For scuba diving, the best dives are found in the islands of
Mactan, Moalboal and Camotes. The calm waters surrounding
Argao, Badian and Malapascua islands are ideal for kayaking.
Because of its hilly terrain, mountain sports has created a
following in Cebu. Rock climbing is excellent in Cantabaco
and Malubog. For trekkers, the 908-meter high Mount
Manunggal is a steady climb in the heat.
Mountainbike your way up and down scenic Talamban. It takes
less than a full day on the road, with plenty of stops along
the way. The ecotourist will find Olango an ideal place for
communing with nature. A wildlife sanctuary, the island
supports the largest concentration of migratory birds in the
country. For the golfer, the Cebu Country Club and the Alta
Vista Golf and County Club are conveniently located in the
metro, in Banilad and Pardo. There is also the Club Filipino
Golf Course in Danao City, some 33 kilometers drive from
Cebu City.
ISLAND FLAVORS
Cosmopolitan Cebu is noted for its inexpensive gastronomy of
many cuisines. Island flavors are fairly simple with meats
and seafoods cooked three ways - marinated in vinegar,
charbroiled or boiled - and then seasoned with condiments.
Chinese and Spanish cookery are the strongest foreign
influences in local cuisine
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