Roaming Cebu - A Capitol, A Parish and Carbon Market

One of the joys of visiting Cebu is its relatively laidback demeanor. It doesn't have the frenetic pace of Manila, and the people take their time to smile. At one point, when I felt I needed someone to point me to the right direction, three different persons who overheard my query came over for help. One of them even crossed the street with me and hailed the correct number of the jeepney I was to take (Cebu's jeepneys are number-coded, each one is assigned a specific destination). The funny thing was, I just needed confirmation for the direction.

The Provincial Capitol is the seat of the provincial government of Cebu located at the northern tip of Osmena Boulevard. It is locally renowned for its similarity to the United State's White House. It was designed by the Filipino architect responsible for the stately Manila Metropolitan Theater (1935), the National Museum of the Philippines (1926) and the grandiose Manila Central Post Office (1926) - Juan Arellano. Construction started in 1937 under the administration of Governor Sotero Cabahug (with approval from President Manuel L. Quezon), and completed after a year. However, it was badly damaged during World War II. It was eventually rehabilitated under the Tydings War Damage Act of 1946.

Presently. two statues flank the facade. To its left is Lapu Lapu, the hero of the Battle of Mactan who fought against Ferdinand Magellan's fleet. To its right is Sergio Osmena Sr. who served as the 4th President of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He succeeded President Manuel L. Quezon.




Sergio Osmena Sr. - 4th President of the Philippines, and the first Cebuano President.


Lapu Lapu




"Our Lady of Mount Carmel" is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were hermits living in Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. This parish was founded in June of 1621 in the heart of the old city, right across Carbon Market, along Magallanes Street. To get inside this huge church, you have to take the stairs at the left side of the entrance. Spacious and breezy, the green windows impart the interiors a dramatic atmosphere. It's one of my favorite discoveries. Since 2006, this has been under the care of Father Urbano Galanido. It can accommodate 1,200 people.



Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish - Recoletos














University of San Jose - Recoletos is a private Catholic university founded in 1947 by the Order of Augustinian Recollects. The Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is located beside the University. Right across this is Carbon Market.

Carbon Market is the biggest and oldest farmer's market in Cebu City. As of 2009, it was over 100 years old. It got its name from the depot where coal was unloaded from the Cebu Railroad which has been decommissioned long time ago. Check out this site for reference: http://lagunarailways.rihspi.org/2008/01/cebu-train.html

Carbon Market is easily reached on foot from the Santo Nino Basilica and Magellan's Cross.











Ambulant vendor peddling his jackfruit.


A truck full of fresh produce at the Carbon Market.


Street food


Sleeping on the job.

A respite after a couple of hour's walk, I chanced upon a Dunkin Donuts' shop. With Iced Coffee, a bavarian donut feeds the hungry and tired.





A busy corner at the Cebu Midtown Hotel, facing Osmena Circle. Apurado Restaurant sells lechon and barbecue, and other gastronomic items Cebu is known for, with mid-range prices.

Heritage of Cebu Monument at the Parian Park Cebu

The Heritage of Cebu Monument rises on a gated triangular patch of land called Parian Park bordered by three narrow streets in Barangay Parian, a few hops from the northern tip of Colon. It’s an eye-popping showcase of artistry that mostly depicts the start of colonial rule in the country. In it elaborate artistry, the struggle for freedom isn’t lost on us. This pastiche of handpicked events are an amalgam of what transpired in a historical past peppered by hundreds of years of colonial invasions – from the Spaniards to the Americans and the Japanese, though the spine tingling, albeit horrific invasion of Japan has been stricken out from this collection.

Commissioned during the time of Mayor Alvin Garcia, the monument was an original idea of the artist Eduardo Castrillo and the mayor. Conceptualized in 1996, construction of the monument began in 1997 and took 3 years to complete (December 8, 2000). According to The Freeman, during the excavation for its foundation, artifacts of pre-Spanish Cebuanos were dug out, which unearthed skeletons and several stonewares, plates and jars. There was indeed evidence that local civilization flourished way before the arrival of Ferdinand Magelllan, the iconic “discoverer” of the Philippines – as though the country only started to matter once he set foot on our soils. This one coming from men who wore tights and, on occasion, skirts. Such conceit, indeed.

On cursory glance, we can enumerate some of its detail: the arrival of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his Spanish crew of 150 in huge galleon ships; the introduction of Christianity, and the country’s first mass; a Santo Nino procession; the fierce Battle of Mactan with chieftain Lapu Lapu leading the pack; the revolution of 1896, and, curiously, a statue of the imposing Manuel Quezon, the first President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines (as sanctioned by the United States of America) who envisioned the possible annexation of the country into U.S. statehood.

The park's surrounding area is residential, but just across the entrance, you will find the Pari-an Fire Station, circa 1954, one of the oldest existing fire stations in the country. Just beside it is a small Chapel of San Juan Bautista (John the Baptist). Crossing the street will get you to the Yap-San Diego House, known to be the oldest preserved residential dwelling in the country which has been turned into a museum.

The past continually guides us so that we don’t commit the same mistakes, nor allow intrusions into our sovereignty.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Ferdinand Magellan























Chieftain Lapu Lapu





Manuel L. Quezon


The first mass held in the Philippines happened on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1531. It transpired in an island named Mazaua, as witnessed by Antonio Pigafetta, Gines de Mafra, Frnacisco Albo, and Martin de Ayamonte in Limasawa, a town at the tip of southern Leyte, now Butuan City.


Parian Fire Station circa 1954


San Juan Bautista Chapel


Some European tourists checking out the monument.