Cebu's Politics, Landmarks and Festivals

Politics
Cebu is currently subdivided into 9 cities and 44 municipalities.

Highly-Urbanized Cities (administratively independent of Cebu Province)
Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City

Component Cities
Bogo City, Carcar City, Danao City, Naga City, Talisay City and Toledo City

Municipalities
Alcantara, Alcoy, Alegria, Aloguinsan, Argao, Asturias, Badian, Balamban,
Bantayan, Barili, Basak Pardo, Boljoon, Borbon, Carmen, Catmon, Compostela
Consolacion, Cordova, Daanbantayan, Dalaguete, Dumanjug, Ginatilan, Liloan
Madridejos, Malabuyoc, Medellin, Minglanilla, Moalboal, Oslob, Pilar, Pinamungahan
Poro, Ronda, Samboan, San Fernando, San Francisco, San Remigio, Santa Fe, Santander
Sibonga, Sogod, Tabogon, Tabuelan, Tuburan, Tudela,

Landmarks
Cebu Heritage Monument, Magellan's Cross, Fort San Pedro, Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, Magellan shrine, Lapu Lapu shrine, Cebu City Chinatown, Cebu City Japantown, Cebu City Koreatown, Cebu Provincial Capitol, Cebu International Convention Center, Marcelo Fernan Bridge, Taoist Temple

Festivals
Sinulog
The Sinulog festival is Cebu's biggest and most popular festival. It is celebrated every 3rd Sunday of January. The feast is in honor of the holy image Señor Santo Niño de Cebú. Fiesta Señor, as it widely known, is the most celebrated among Cebu's festivals where people converge along the route of a grand solemn procession and partake in the gaiety amidst a mardigras parade immersed in vivid colors and the constant drums of the Pit Señor.

Mantawi Festival
Unique and exotic, dance steps are accompanied by a different beat, played by a brass instead of the usual drum and bugle. This makes up a one-of-a-kind festivity that entices and seduces the crowd to gather and witness one of the most anticipated celebration in the City of Mandaue, the Mantawi Festival.

In April 7, 1521, Magellan first sighted the island of Sugbo in search for food and supplies for his vessels’ voyage back to Spain. Mandaue at that time was called “Mantawi” - derived from a vine that grew abundantly in the coves of the area. This community with abundant vines has even been mentioned by Antonio Pigafetta as a flourishing settlement nearest to Sebu under the leadership of Datu Lambuzzan.

Paskuhan
A Christmas celebration of songs and lantern making held during the month of December spread good cheers to local residents and visitors alike.

Kadaugan sa Mactan
A one day re-enactment - held at the Mactan shrine - celebrated with much pomp and pageantry every 27th of April to commemorate the historic Battle of Mactan between the forces of Lapulapu and Magellan.

Virgin of the Rule Fiesta
Held to honor the patroness of Opon on November 20-21, this religious and social event reveals the deep religious faith of the people and the penchant for merry making. A food fair, a procession and a coronation of the Fiesta Queen highlight the festivity.

Semana Santa sa Bantayan
A unique mixture of solemn religious rites and local celebration highlights the Holy Week activities in Bantayan Island. The normally quiet island is visited by relatives and friends of the residents, as well as tourists to experience the scenic rites and to cool off the summer heat in the beautiful white sandy beaches and clear tropical waters.
Fiesta sa Carcar. Is celebrated on November 24-25 in honor of the town's patron, St. Catherine of Alexandria. Carcar town is noted for its old Spanish style houses in the quiet countryside setting. During fiestas, the residents would invite friends, relatives and town visitors into their homes to taste popular local delicacies. A lively and enjoyable event.
Nuestra Señora de Regla Fiesta. Lapulapu City - Held to honor the patroness of Opon on November 20-21, this religious and social event reveals faith of the people and the penchant for merry making. A food fair, carnival, procession and a coronation of the Fiesta Queen highlight the festivity.

Tagbo Poro, Cebu
Celebrated every January in honor of Patron Santo Niño de Poro. Beloved memoir of a living past, Tagbo is the cornerstone from which this great municipality has sprung. Rich in cultural heritage and deep in spiritual values, Tagbo is a very significant event preluding the birth of a town every dear to the hearts of her sons and daughters.

Sanayon
Agro-tourism festival in the southern towns of the second district about 100 km from the city. A month-long activity to spread out tourism to the coutryside.

Tres de Abril Celebration
Celebrated every 3rd of April in commemoration of the Spanish resistance in the south. This historic battle under Leon Kilat's leadership gave Cebu the glory of being the first major island outside Luzon to oppose Spanish dominance.

Siloy Festival
Celebrated every August 26 in the town of Alcoy.
Haladaya Festival. Celebrated during the summer in the town of Daanbatayan (see Datu Daya).
Bakasi-Dinagat Festival. Celebrated in the town of Cordova.

Pastores de Naga
A Christmas celebration held in the city of Naga. Its origins is traced back to the 16th century as a way for the Spanish missionaries to Christianize the natives communities of southern Cebu.
Hinulawan Festival. A festival to be launched on June 12, 2008 in Toledo City, Cebu.

Lapyahan Festival
Lapyahan is a festival celebrated in cognizance with the municipality of San Remigio's Fiesta. It is named after the "lapyahan" meaning "shoreline". The theme of this festival is a combination of Town’s History and God’s gift of natural beautiful shoreline. The Municipality of San Remigio boasts in having the longest shoreline in Cebu Province.

Kinsan Festival
Kinsan festival is held in the town of Aloguinsan every June 17th. It is a festival held to promote the fish, Kinsan, a fish abundant in the town in April through June.
Kabanhawan Festival. A festival in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This festival is held in Minglanilla.

Pasigarbo sa Sugbo Festival
First celebrated in 2007. It features all the festivals of the cities and municipalities of Cebu in one show.

Cebu's Infrastructure

Industrial Estates / Economic Zones

Crossing at the Cebu Business Park
The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in Mactan Island has regular direct flights to (among others) Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Busan, Koror, Tokyo, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Shanghai and Doha, Qatar. There are also direct transfer flights via the capital's NAIA that readily connects the city to other destinations in the world.

With the number of weekly international flights to and from MCIA increasing, a new international terminal will be constructed starting 2006 and will be completed in four years
MCIA which has a capacity of 2 million passengers, will in future be purely devoted for domestic use.

The Cebu International Port is the biggest and main port of entry in the province of and Central Visayas Region. Its international port is a multipurpose terminal covering an area of 10 hectares.

Electricity
The city mostly gets its power from an interconnection grid with the Leyte Geothermal Power Plant which also powers majority of the Visayas Islands. There are also coal-fired power plants. Distribution of electricity is provided by the Visayas Electric Company (VECO).

Telecommunication facilities in the city are abundant provided by some of the country's largest telecommunication companies. Connections to the internet are also readily available (e.g. DSL/Broadband Connection).

The Cebu Business Park, a prime business and financial center in Metro Cebu Nearby is the Asiatown Information Technology (IT) Park, another business district that caters mostly to businesses related to the information technology (IT) industry such as software development, telecommunication, call centers, engineering research and development centers, among others.
South of the city is the South Road Properties (SRP) Special Economic Zone, a 300-hectare prime real estate zoned that would house a business district, a tourism zone, and an industrial area patterned after the nearby Mactan Export Processing Zone. Its main thoroughfare is the South Coastal Highway which stretches from downtown Cebu City up to Talisay City down south. A 1.2 kilometer tunnel is currently being constructed at the highway's entrance in Cebu City to connect it with Sergio Osmeña Avenue which traverses the North Reclamation Area connecting with Ouano Avenue at the New Mandaue City.