Metro Cebu


Metropolitan Cebu, or simply Metro Cebu, is the main urban center of the province of Cebu in the Philippines. Metro Cebu is located along the central eastern portion of the island including the nearby island of Mactan. It accounts for 19.9 percent of the land area and 61.5 percent of the population of the entire province of Cebu.
Metro Cebu is a metropolitan area that consists of Cebu City along with twelve surrounding cities and municipalities.
The Metropolitan Cebu Development and Coordinating Board is a body mandated to formulate development plans for the Metro Cebu area and coordinate their implementation. Unlike the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the MCDCB does not have legal and institutional powers. However, MMDA's powers are limited by jurisdiction to only the core of the agglomeration.
As of the 2024 census, Metro Cebu is the largest metropolitan area in the Visayas and the third-largest metropolitan area by urban population in the Philippines, after Metro Manila and Metro Davao.

Cities and municipalities

Metro Cebu comprises seven cities and six municipalities, with Cebu City serving as the metropolitan area's central core. The provincial capitol, the central business district, major educational institutions and the international port are all located in Cebu City while major industrial companies and factories are located in Mandaue. The international airport and the export processing zone are located in Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island. Danao is primarily a mining city while Talisay is a residential city with its income generated by small- and medium-sized businesses.
File:Cebu Metropolitan Region map.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The metropolitan core is the most densely populated area and the most conurbated. The brightest area on the map is the other cities.

History

Cebu City was a fishing village and farming settlement governed by Visayan native kings who traded with the neighboring islands of Malaysia and Indonesia. Cebu was the location of the Rajahnate of Cebu, an Indianized kingdom founded by the half Indian and half Malay, Sri Lumay, from Sumatra.
On 7 April 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in Cebu. Magellan failed to successfully claim the Philippines for the crown of Spain as he was killed on Mactan island on 27 April 1521, by its leader, Datu Lapu-lapu.
On 27 April 1565, Spanish explorers led by Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in Cebu from Mexico. The Spaniards renamed the city on 1 January 1571, from San Miguel to Villa del Santissimo Nombre de Jesús. The island were a former capital city of the Spanish East Indies before the capital city was moved to Manila in 1571.
Mandaue then was known as Mandani ruled by their lord Aponoan. It was formally constituted into a "pueblo" between 1580 and 1700 and was officially known as the Población de Mandaue in 1899. It emerged into the industrial city of Mandaue. Mandaue became a chartered city on 21 June 1969 through Republic Act 5519. It was considered a highly urbanized city in the year 1991.
Talisay was a former Augustinian order hacienda in 1648 and became a municipality in 1849. On 30 December 2000, Talisay became a component city by virtue of Republic Act 8979.
Lapu-Lapu city was originally referred to as "Mactan." It later became the town of Opon in 1730, the 7th town founded by the Augustinian Friars in Cebu. The town of Opon became a city on 17 June 1961. Its largest district, Lapu-Lapu, was named after Datu Lapu-Lapu.
Metropolitan Cebu was conceptualized by government planners in the 1970s and was based on the experiences of urban planning in Metro Manila. Metro Cebu represented the province's thriving urban centers that are physically proximate to Cebu City, which is the leading commercial and financial hub in the Visayas and northern Mindanao areas with a population largely dependent on the economic opportunities prevailing in the area.

People

Ancestry

The people of Cebu are called Cebuanos, which are Visayan people. Some also have Chinese, Japanese, Indian and other foreign ancestries as well as ancestries from other Filipino ethnic groups.

Languages

is the most common casual vernacular language spoken in Metro Cebu. English is commonly used as a formal language in educational institutions and business transactions. Other languages also spoken include Chinese, Tagalog via Filipino mass media and Filipino class, though Tagalog not as widely spoken as Cebuano even though it is spoken through most of the rest of Cebu province, as taught in schools in Cebu and a range of other Visayan languages from neighboring regions and islands. Mandarin is also taught in Chinese class of Chinese Filipino schools and few other schools in Cebu.

Education

Metro Cebu is the seat of more than a dozen educational institutions, the oldest of which is the University of San Carlos. Some of these institutions include, in alphabetical order:
  • Asian College of Technology
  • Cebu Doctors' University
  • Cebu Eastern College
  • Cebu Institute of Medicine
  • Cebu Institute of Technology – University
  • Cebu Normal University
  • Cebu Technological University
  • Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion
  • Don Bosco Technical College–Cebu
  • Saint Theresa's College of Cebu
  • Southwestern University
  • University of Cebu
  • University of San Carlos
  • University of San Jose–Recoletos
  • University of Southern Philippines Foundation
  • University of the Philippines Cebu
  • University of the Visayas
  • Velez College
A large number of students from neighboring provinces in the Visayas, as well as northern Mindanao, prefer to go to Metro Cebu to take up tertiary-level education.
There is also a sizable number of South Korean, Iranian, Sub-Saharan African, and South Indian students who take up tertiary-level courses in Metro Cebu, taking advantage of Metro Cebu's, and the Philippines', lower cost of education relative to their home countries.
Cebu has four internationally connected educational institutions: Cebu International School and CIE British School are located in Cebu City; Singapore School Cebu and Woodridge International School are located in Mandaue.

Healthcare

Metro Cebu also has several hospitals and clinics, there are two types of hospitals in Metro Cebu: the public hospitals which is owned by the government. Some public hospitals in Metro Cebu are the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Cebu City Medical Center and there are also few public district hospitals which are also managed by the provincial government of Cebu.
Some of the private hospitals in Metro Cebu are the Chong Hua Hospital, Cebu Doctors' University Hospital, University of Cebu Medical Center, Perpetual Succor Hospital and Cebu Institute of Medicine Hospital.

Events

2004 presidential inauguration

On 30 June 2004, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was the first Philippine President to be inaugurated in Metro Cebu. The inauguration was done in front of Cebu Provincial Capitol in Cebu City. This was done in gratitude for the support given to her by the people of Cebu during the election. In a break with tradition, she delivered her inaugural address in Manila before departing for Cebu for her inauguration.

2005 Southeast Asian Games

Metro Cebu and other key Philippine cities hosted the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. The event was held from 27 November to 5 December 2005. Venues for this event includes the Cebu City Sports Complex, Cebu Coliseum, Mandaue Coliseum, University of San Carlos and parts of Danao.
The Philippine SEA Games Committee wanted to decentralize the games from Manila, so that other cities of the country could experience the SEA Games.
Metro Cebu hosted six sports.
SportVenueCity
DancesportWaterfront Cebu City Hotel & CasinoCebu City
Pencak SilatCebu ColiseumCebu City
Sepak TakrawUniversity of San CarlosCebu City
JudoMandaue ColiseumMandaue City
KarateMandaue ColiseumMandaue City
Mountain BikingRamon M. Durano Sports ComplexDanao City

2007 ASEAN Summit and 2nd East Asia Summit

The 12th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, originally scheduled for 10–14 December 2006 was postponed to January 2007 due to Typhoon Utor and the consideration of the safety and welfare of the participants.
The Cebu International Convention Center is a structure built by the Cebu provincial government in time for the 12th ASEAN Summit and 2nd East Asia Summit at a cost of around US$10-million dollars, US$5-million dollars more than expected. It is a three-storey structure with a total floor area of and situated on of land at the Mandaue Reclamation Area.

51st International Eucharistic Congress

The 2016 International Eucharistic Congress, held on 24–31 January 2016, was a gathering of Roman Catholic priests, bishops, lay people, nuns and representatives from different parts of the world. The 8-day congress was observed with religious activities like cathechisis, processions and seminars, It was ended with a Statio Orbis or Closing Mass held at South Road Properties on 31 January 2016, it was attended by the Papal Legate, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo.

Utilities

Communication

is the major phone carrier in the metropolis and the entire province. Globelines Innove and Islacom, both subsidiaries of Globe Telecom came in after the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1995.
There are three wireless telecommunication companies serving Metro Cebu as well as the rest of the Philippines. These are:
  • Smart Communications/Pilipino Telecommunications Corp., a PLDT subsidiary – using the brands: Smart, Talk 'n' Text, Sun Cellular, and Addict Mobile
  • Globe Telecom – using the brands: Globe and TM
  • Dito Telecommunity – using the brand Dito