Cebu

Overview
Cebu is a unique island. It is central to the region's booming economy.

It has good transport and commercial infrastructure. It is a major tourist destination, with natural beauty. And it has an industrious, educated workforce.

Minutes from Cebu City's urban and industrial areas are white sandy beaches and peaceful isolation. Clear turquoise seas surround Cebu, rich with coral beds, colorful fish, sea mammals and some of the best scuba diving in the world.Mountain ranges form a backdrop to the city, and support picturesque new housing estates with breathtaking views of the city and nearby islands.

Cebu is peaceful and prosperous, modern and efficient. It is fast becoming the preferred Asian city for business and enjoyable living.

Although Cebu comprises only 1.6% of total land mass and 4% of the population of the Philippines, it produces 11% of total Philippine exports

Basic Facts
Capital : Cebu City
Districts : Eight (8)
Cities : Six (6), namely Cebu, Danao, Lapu-lapu, Mandaue, Talisay and Toledo Cities
Municipalities: Forty-seven (47)
Barangays: One Thousand Two Hundred and one (1,201)
Population: 2.38 Million (2000 Census)
Land Area: 508,839 hectares (5,088.4 sq.kms.)
Certified Alienable Power Capacity: over 600 mw
Water Supply: 107,337 cu.m..

Road Network:
Total Road Length: 3,811.650 km Type of Pavement (in km): Concrete: 195.602 Asphalt : 605.294 Gravel: 2,837.435 Earth: 173.320 Existing Road Category (km): National Road: 622.857 Provincial: 950.074 City: 188.614 Municipal: 404.510 Barangay: 1,645.595

Sea Ports: 1 International Port & 44 Domestic Ports
Airports: Mactan-Cebu International Airport and Feeder Airports Telephone: 248,740 digital lines,70,410 non-digital lines, 2 land based telephone companies, 5 cellular phone firms, 15 Internet Service Providers

Media Facilities: 7 local television channels, 3 cable TV stations, 20 FM & 13 AM radio stations, a variety of local, national & int’l newspapers

Educational Institutions: Cebu is the educational center for 2/3 of the Philippines; has over 1,000 private & public elementary schools; 200 secondary (high) schools; 6 universities; 28 colleges; 10 manpower training centers and an average annual population of 130,000 college students.

Financial Systems: 50 commercial banks; 5 government banks,
9 savings banks and 27 rural banks

Major Industrial Activities: Industrial parts assembly, food processing, furniture, stonecraft, garments, fashion accessories, electronics, camera and camera paraphernalia, gifts and housewares (GTH), electrical equipment manufacturing, coal and dolomite mining

Accessibility: Cebu is the most accessible place in the country. It is base to over 80% of the inter-island shipping capacity of the Philippines.

Georgaphy and Topography
The province is an elongated island some 250 kilometers from North to South and 45 kilometers across at its widest point.

It is central to the Philippine archipelago and some 600 kilometers south of Manila. It is bounded on the east by the Camotes Sea, on the west by the Tanon Strait, on the north by the Visayan Sea and on the southeast by the Bohol Strait.

This location combined with a sheltered deep water harbour has made Cebu the base for most of the country’s domestic shipping and the gateway to the central and southern Philippines. The east and west coasts are separated by a mountainous spine which rises to 1,000 meters.

Its land area of 5,088 sq. kms. is 1.7% of the total land area of the country.Beaches coral atolls and rich fishing grounds surround Cebu.

The main island is ringed by about 166 smaller islands and islets of which Mactan, Bantayan and Camotes are considered the largest.

Predominantly hilly and mountainous, Cebu's rugged mountain range starts from the Southernmost town of Santander, reaching all the way to the town of Bogo, down to Medellin and Daan Bantayan in the North, although some flat lands can also be found in the northern end of the Cebu.

Its highest peak, Mount Manunggal, is approximately 1,000 meters above sea level.

Generally fair; temperature range : 23 - 330C/73 - 910F.; November has the heaviest rainfall while April the least. The coolest temperature can be felt in January and the warmest in May.

Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year, except for the summer months from March to May which are dry.

Cebu’s central location, proximity to unusually exotic tourist destinations, ready access to a diversity of plant, animal and geological wonders within the island, and remoteness from earthquake and typhoon activity are some of the special attributes which help maintain Cebu’s attractiveness to investors.

Living in Cebu
The quality of life is an important factor people consider when they decide to settle in Cebu. Quality housing is abundant in Cebu and rentals are less expensive than other cities in the region.

Normal power, water and communications including IDD telephone lines, mobile phone services and cable TV are available.

Health care is of high standard, with well qualified doctors, pharmacists, dentists and nurses on call. State of the art medical diagnostic equipment is also used in Cebu’s hospitals.

The education system is good with excellent schools up to the tertiary level. Many Cebu universities are of international standard. Fresh foods arrive daily thanks to the multiple shipping and air links between Cebu and the rest of the world.

The variety of goods available ensures international standard shopping with competitive prices. The cosmopolitan nature of the population is reflected in the restaurants and clubs in the city, offering an exciting choice of dining and entertainment.

Public transport is plentiful but crowded and many residentts prefer to drive their own vehicles. A new computerized traffic control system speeds traffic through the city, even in peak hour periods.

Advantages of Cebu
It is not just a promise or potential. Cebu is demonstrated capability with an excellent economic track record.

It is the second largest city and the fastest growing economy in the Philippines.

It leads the country in export items such as furniture, fashion accessories, carrageenan and gifts, toys and housewares.

It is the most accessible place in the Philippines, with more domestic air and sea linkages than Manila.

Cebu is the tourism gateway for the Central and Southern Philippines.

It is not in an earthquake zone or typhoon belt, nor are there volcanoes in the island.

Cebu has one of the best records for peace and order in the country.

Its labor force is oriented towards non-agricultural lines and is one of the most productive in the country.

Cebu is the educational center for the central and southern Philippines and many graduates remain to seek employment locally.

The development of its infrastructure is balanced; it has all the ingredients necessary to be competitive and to sustain investments.

It is a cosmopolitan area with all the support facilities and amenities needed for an ideal lifestyle.

History
Of the 7,100 islands comprising the Philippines, Cebu has the most historical significance. At the time of the global scramble for exotic spices in the East,a Portuguese navigator sailing for Spain, Fernando Magallanes, came upon Zubu (Cebu) on April 7, 1921.

The island then was already a flourishing village with "many sailing vessels from Siam (Thailand), China and Arabia docked at the port" as described by Antonio Pigafetta, Magallanes' chronicler. Then begun the Spanish era in the Philippines.

However, it deteriorated upon the death of Magallanes in the hands of the brave local warrior, Lapulapu, only to resurrect with the arrival 44 years later, in 1565, of Miguel Lopez di Legazpi. Its rich and colorful metamorphosis can be traced from 1521 as Zubu, the fishing village and busy trading port, to Villa San Miguel, later to Villa del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus in 1575, then as the municipality of Cebu in 1905 up to its being a chartered city on February 24, 1937.

In the 19th century, Cebu started to exercise a dominant role in Southern Philippines' economic limelight. Agriculture, especially sugar cane cultivation and sugar manufacturing, pushed Cebu into playing an important role in this part of the country.

But even more crucial than the agricultural products was her participation in trade and commerce. Proudly, Cebu has been given the honor as having many 'firsts' in the nation's history. Established by Legazpi in 1571, it became the first city in the Philippines, ante-dating Manila by 7 years.

In point of fact, it is the oldest city in the country, having the oldest and smallest fort (Fort San Pedro), with the oldest church (Basilica of Sto. Niño), the oldest school (San Carlos) and the oldest street (Colon).

Referred to as the Queen City of the South and the seat of early Filipino Christianization, Cebu is also famous for its musical stringed instruments like banduria, guitar and piccolo.

Today, Cebu boasts of being the only city in the Philippines with the perfect blend of a business center and an entertainment hub.

Cebu today has the fastest growing economy in the Philippines. All indicators show this trend will continue.