Supplemental slideshow for property hunting in Cebu City

1. Getting to Know
the Philippines’
Oldest City
©kPatrickP/Flickr.com

2. There are two popular accounts on how the city of Cebu got its name.
One story has the city’s name originating from the word sibu or sibo, which was
Cebuano for “trade.” The label was a shortcut for sinibuayang hingpit, or the
place for trading, and was what locals called the harbors of Sugbo.
Sugbo, on the other hand, meant “scorched earth or great fire”, and was the
ancient name of Cebu City.
Another account has Cebu City originating as a fishing village before the
Spanish colonial era. Ruled by Rajah Humabon, the town was called Sebu, which
means “animal fat.”
©Kevin Lao /Flickr.com

3. Being the Philippines’ first and oldest chartered city naturally allows for
Cebu City to be home to other first oldest artifacts and establishments.
The city is the location of the Unibersidad ng San Carlos, which is
considered the oldest university in the Visayas, and second in the
country overall.
Fort San Pedro is also in the city. Built in 1738 to repel Muslim raiders, it
is the smallest, oldest triangular bastion fort in the Philippines.
©X/Flickr.com

4. While Cebu City is widely recognized for being the location of
Magellan’s Cross, the city is home to a number of churches that date as
far back as the Spanish colonial rea.
The most notable of these is the Minor Basilica of the Holy Child, or
Basílica Minore del Santo Niño in Spanish.
It is the oldest Roman Catholic Church established in the Philippines,
and houses oldest religious image in the country as well.
©Steve Abueva/Flickr.com

5. During Japanese occupation, Cebu City and the rest of Cebu Province
became the principal Japanese base due to its strategic location and
substantial population.
It is this strategic location that continues to make Cebu City the ideal
location for most of the country’s domestic shipping companies.
©b0000rdz/Flickr.com