Cebu, Philippines

Cebu, the Queen City of the South. In Cebuano, Sugbo, a province in the Philippines, located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands. Cebu is a long narrow island stretching 225 kilometers from north to south, surrounded by 167 neighbouring, smaller islands, which include Mactan, Bantayan, Malapascua, Olango and the Camotes Islands. Cebu has narrow coastlines, limestone plateaus and coastal plains. It also has rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the northern and southern lengths of the island. Cebu's highest mountains are over 1000 meters high. Flat tracts of land can be found in the towns of Bogo, San Remigio, Medellin and Daanbantayan at the northern region of the province. Its capital is Cebu City, the oldest city in the Philippines which forms part of the Cebu Metropolitan Area together with four neighboring cities which include Danao City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City and Talisay City and eight other municipalities. Mactan-Cebu International Airport, located in Mactan island, is the second busiest airport in the Philippines.

Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the Philippines, with Cebu City as the main center of commerce, trade, education and industry in the Visayas. The United Kingdom based Condé Nast Traveler Magazine named Cebu the seventh best island destination in the Indian Ocean-Asia region in 2007, eighth best Asian-Pacific island destination in 2005, seventh in 2004 and in 2009.

Online Resources, see:
http://www.cebucity.gov.ph
http://www.cebu.gov.ph

Fort San Pedro

Fuerza de San Pedro is a military defence structure, built by Spanish and indigenous Cebuano labourers under the command of Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi and the Spanish Government in Cebu. It is located in the area now called Plaza Indepedencia, in the Pier Area of Cebu City, Philippines.

The smallest, oldest triangular bastion fort in the country was built in 1738 to repel Muslim raiders. In turn, it served as a stronghold for Filipino revolutionaries near the end of the 19th Century. This served as the nucleus of the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines.

The fort is triangular in shape, with two sides facing the sea and the third side fronting the land. The two sides facing the sea were defended with artillery and the front with a strong palisade made of wood.

Photo Blog http://fotographiya.blogspot.com/2010/08/old-photographs.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_San_Pedro

Carbon Market, Cebu

Santo Nino De Cebu

The Santo Nino de Cebu (Holy Child of Cebu) is a Roman Catholic figure of the Child Jesus. The statue is said to be the oldest Catholic relic in the Philippines and is permanently housed at the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino de Cebu since 1565.

Feast

Thursday after the Solemnity of the Epiphany, the Fiesta Senor celebrations starts. Every year, the celebration usually starts with a procession called Walk With Jesus. This procession ends with another procession, Walk With Mary, wherein the image of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de Cebu is carried in procession on the streets of Cebu at dawn. On the last day of the novena, the images of Senor Santo Nino de Cebu, Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de Cebu and the Ecce Homo is then brought to the National Shrine of Saint Joseph, Mandaue City. The traditional "traslacion" meaning transfer, takes place.