Reaching out to the world
A heritage of hope
Icons of a storied past
12
18
10
sugbonews Usa ka Panaw, Usa ka Panlantaw
vol. 5, no. 1 | JANUARY 16, 2011
www.cebu.gov.ph
OFFICIAL NEWSmagazine OF THE PROVINCE OF CEBU
A HERITAGE OF HOPE The story of the Sto. Ni単o de Cebu and the devotion that makes us one
provincial events
about the cover
Schedule of Activities (Fuente Osmeña, January 2-31, 2011) Dec 01 – Jan 31, 2011 January 13, 2011 (Thursday) 9:00 AM 10 AM – 3:00 PM 7:00 PM 6:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 8:00 PM 9:00 PM January 14, 2011 (Friday) 4:00 AM 7:00 AM 9:00 AM 6:30 PM 7:30 P.M 7:30 P.M 8:00 PM 9:00 PM January 15, 2011 (Saturday) 6:00 AM 8:00 AM
Sinulog Street Fair, Osmeña Blvd. Airport Welcome (Balikbayan Flights) Photo Shoot Sinulog Festival Queen , SM City Entertainment Plaza Sinulog Festival Queen Parade of Costumes @ SM Northwing Lobby Cultural Shows (Fuente Osmeña) Cebu City Division Balik Cebu, Welcome Party @ Ayala Center Cebu Sinulog Idol (Fuente Osmeña Circle) Handumanan @ Ayala Terraces Concert @ the Fuente O , Street Party Bands Walk with Mary (Area) Fuente Osmeña-Sto. Niño Misa de Translacion (Motorcade) Solidarity Meeting (All Competing Contingent / Floats / Higante / Puppteers) @ Cebu City Sports Center Gym Cultural Shows (Fuente Osmeña) (Cebu Normal University, Abellana National High School and Asian College of Technology Cebu Popular Music Festival, Cebu Coliseum Sinulog Festival Queen 2011, Cebu City Sports Center Sinulog Idol (Fuente Osmeña Circle) Concert @ the Fuente O , Street Party Bands
Governor Garcia dances the Sinulog as her yearly tribute to the Christ Child.
staff box Editor Rogelio R. Murcia, Jr. Associate Editors Jude A. Bacalso Roger P. Serna Editorial Consultants Elizabeth C. Francia Minerva B. Gerodias
8:00 PM 8:00 PM
Fluvial Procession of the Miraculous Image of Sto. Niño Vibration and Big Bike Rally by Vmax Owners Group Re-enactment of the Baptism of Queen Juana and Rajah Humabon Basilica del Sto. Niño Solemn Procession of the Miraculous Image of Sto. Niño Sinulog Fireworks Competition @ SM City Cebu Street party @ Fuente Osmeña and Plaza Independencia Gala – Passionata a Cultural Heritage Celebration in Honor of Sto. Niño de Cebu @ SM Cinema I Kasadya Nite Mardi Gras @ Ayala Center Cebu Handumanan Concert, USP-F Theater for the Performing Arts
January 16, 2011 (Sunday) 4:00 AM 6:00 AM 9:00 AM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM
SINULOG GRAND PARADE Mañanita Mass @Basilica del Sto. Niño Pontifical mass with His Eminence Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal Sinulog Grand Parade Carousel Kick Off Grand Fireworks, Cebu City Sports Center Street Party Bands, Fuente Osmeña
Writers Albe Victoria Alimurung Xerxes Alkuino Ramon Gallardo Manita Sanoria-Ramos
January 17, 2011 (Monday) 1:00 PM
Awarding Ceremonies, Cebu City Sports Center
January 19-21 (Wednesday-Friday)
Suroy-Suroy Sugbo’s Northern Exposure
January 21, 2011 (Friday) 4:00 AM
“HUBO” “HUBO Mass” Ritual @ Basilica del Sto. Niño
9:00 AM 2:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM
January 29, 2011 (Saturday) 1:00 P.M
Awarding Ceremonies Photo Contest and Video Documentary Contest / Sinulog Short Film Festival
January 31 – Feb. 10, 2011
Photo Exhibits “Winning Photos Sinulog ‘10 @SM City Cebu
2 Sugbo
News Editor Louela R. Pegarido Assistant Editor Jaclyn Cecille Velasco
Graphic Artist Aren Nayve Jun Velez Photographers Donald Moga Roland Canaya Circulation Supervisors Rey Steve Norwin Resma Rodolfo Alibo Publisher Cebu Provincial Government
contents 12 10
Icons of a Storied Past
Sisterhood Agreements Our global sorority grows as Cebu enters into sister pacts with the most varied of siblings: Nanning, China; Crimea, Ukraine; Brunei; and Ilocos Norte. Now we are family.
22
sense of place Like a light divine, Guerrero de la Cruz shines the way to a different tour around The Cradle of Christianity in Southeast Asia. Explore the faith-side of Cebu.
Twelve stops. A dozen markers of time. Timetravel around Cebu’s 12 visual anchors that tell it’s story best. Tour guide optional in this walking tour.
18
special fea-
A Heritage of Hope
In retelling the origins of the Sto. Nino devotion, Mariano Natividad explains both its phenomenal spread and longevity.
24
historical personage Journalist, playwright and politician, Sen. Vicente Sotto crafted the Press Freedom Law, protecting news sources. Read more about the Father of Cebuano Language and Letters.
SUGBO 3
Editorial
Q
A house united
oheleth, in his wisdom, eloquently expressed in Ecclesiastes that, under the heavens, there is a time for everything – implicitly admitting that events diametrically opposed are bound to happen in the present world as we know it. In recent years, Cebu has experienced rather sadly the forbidding part of this contrary duality; until the middle of last year, Cebu was a house divided, the Province of Cebu and the City of Cebu, for all intents, riven by conflict, hanging separately instead of hanging together, and knowing first-hand the bitter truth of the sage’s words – “there is a time to tear down …; there is a time to wage war.” Over time, Cebu’s ‘civil war’ would become uncivil, and as the battles played out, it would often be forgotten that the Cebuanos, though needing economic prosperity, wanted political peace. While conventional wisdom comforted us with the adage that time heals all wounds, vintage Tolstoy reassured us with his corollary that ‘God knows the truth but waits.’ In His omniscience, the Sto. Niño, Patron of Cebu, knew the situation full well; in His prudence, the Christ Child bided for the perfect time. It could be said, rather safely, that in last year’s elections, the divine will was finally carried out; the Province of Cebu reelected its governor, while the City of Cebu had a new mayor. Dedicated public servants both, Garcia and Rama have complementing personalities,
4 Sugbo
share a common vision, and wish for lasting unity. Gradually, political tensions were eased, general goodwill was exhibited, and as the months wore on, expressions of mutual support were exchanged. By the grace of God, and with the graciousness of the leaders, détente was slowly but steadily being achieved. The old has gone, and the new has come: the time to tear is over, the time to mend has begun; the time to wage war is a thing of the past, the time to wage peace, the thing of the moment. In the spirit of profound gratitude to the Almighty for making Cebu one yet again, the provincial government’s information media – Sugbo News and Sugbo TV – were launched during the runup to the feast of the Sto. Niño de Cebu. Moreover, Sugbo News’ first issue for the year comes out on the Christ Child’s feast itself, with the issue highlighting the City of Cebu, its rich history, its iconic landmarks, and last but most, its beloved Patron. At the onset of what promises to be an annus mirabilis, we give recognition to the Patron that has nurtured Cebu for more than four centuries, He who has led Cebu to what it has now so gloriously become – the premier province of the Philippines, and a model city of the country. They say it takes a village to raise a child; in the case of Cebu, it took a Child to raise a village.
Views Camotes Sojourn
A
Promdi-wise ni Erlinda K. Alburo
In such a brief but convoluted folktale we see the history of Poro in a capsule, rendered into legend. All mixed together in the historical consciousness of the folk are the Moro raids and the stewardship of the Jesuits during the Spanish period ...
nother year is born, and with it the realization that one is a year older, maybe even a year wiser. But what wisdom can one get from all the conflicting voices in the city? I can leave to others the exploration of the answer to that. The birthing of this column was inspired by the realization that the countryside may have a wealth of resources that the work-weary urbanized citizen of Cebu can dip his cup into. I’ve often wondered what Felisa in the oft-cited book Urbana at Felisa (1864) would have written in defense of her promdi ways that her sister Urbana thought were outdated. Urbana was to teach her forms of etiquette and right conduct so she wouldn’t remain ignorant of the more civilized manners of the city-bred. A probinsyana myself, despite my years of living and working in the city, a weekend respite now and then to Argao is always refreshing (never mind if the church altar is painted gaudy gold, as I have often complained in poetry and essay). Granted that some facilities common in the city are now to be seen on the way from our house to the market there – a small mall, a Kwarta Padala outlet inside a Lhuillier pawnshop, gasoline stations, cellphone shops and video rental stores, a few internet cafés, and finally a children’s playground with painted seesaws and slides (but among the rice fields and strawpeople) – there is still a promdi air especially in the fishing villages along the coast. Although I have never joined the tourism caravan in any of its “legs” that brings one to the different sides of Cebu, I have followed it through media and personal testimonies, and even presented a paper on it once. For armchair travelers like myself, I can do a mental Suroy-Suroy, I told myself. But three weeks ago I had the chance to experience the rough crossing over to the Camotes that had stranded ‘Suroyists’ a few years ago. One can imagine how it was for Magellan and his crew (IF indeed it was at Maktang in Poro that the famous Battle was fought) in their heavy armor seated (or standing) on deck of the galleon that rocked with the waves in amihan season. The Mindanao pirates, well-versed in the tempers of the Visayan seas, would have chosen anywhere from May to September to raid the islands of the Camotes. From a Spanish article on such an early raid on Poro, “La isla de Poro” (1914) by Jaime de Veyra of the Leyte intelligentsia, we learn that the Jesuit priest assigned to the missionary station or visita at Poro, Fr. Cristobal Jimenez, had left for Leyte to see to the conversion of some natives there. On that day, October 22, 1570, eighteen caracoas or war boats came to the Camotes with such brilliant sails that the sea was said to turn red (nagpuwa ang lawod), as the old folk narrated to Bong Wenceslao,
in his history of Tudela. Two of these caracoas were manned by Caribbe natives (how they got to join the raid is not known) who were cannibals. They would salt some of the human flesh and store them in a big tadyaw, their balon for longer trips ahead. (They couldn’t have so processed all of the 160 captives they took, for Fr. Jimenez commented on the stench of the corpses left unburied when he returned. If one is interested in such uncivilized practices, there is also a novel, Sa Batanon pa ang Sugbo by Florentino Suico, describing how to make kasahos of humans, uugghh!) Some beliefs of the Porohanons relate to what is now a developing tourist spot, the cliff of Buhò, where one encounters a seven-kilometer cave that branches out in two directions. In one branch are living beings who the people believe are the Jesuits. The Jesuits guard the people from cholera, smallpox and other dreadful diseases. The people living in this branch of the cave are rich merchants who trade in cacao, gold and silver. They carry on trade with the neighboring towns, Cebu and Manila. At night they go around their boats to protect the people from the Moros and the evil people of Homonhon, who are blamed for the spread of cholera and smallpox in Poro. The people believed (at least those living in the 1950s, when such local beliefs were collected) that when anyone dies of such disease, he is brought to Homonhon where he is resurrected and made a slave. The second branch of the cave is the abode of malicious evil spirits who do harm when provoked. They would go out and capture men, women and children from the town and make them their slaves. It was believed that Buhò is itself a magnificent city comparable only to Manila. In such a brief but convoluted folktale we see the history of Poro in a capsule, rendered into legend. All mixed together in the historical consciousness of the folk are the Moro raids and the stewardship of the Jesuits during the Spanish period, the cholera and smallpox epidemic of the American occupation, and the pre-Spanish practice of Visayan slavery. There are traces of the Maria Cacao tale that is more popular in the south, too. All of the Maria Cacao versions talk of the cacao trade, naturally, but there is one that swears to an underground city for the engkanto. Such claims, like there being a city in Buhò, are compensatory mechanisms for places that seem to have been forgotten by time. Through such narratives do we learn what events of their past have made a mark in the collective memory of the folk. They form part of the intangible heritage that oftentimes are forgotten in favor of the more concrete evidences of conquest, occupation and delivery from other peoples. More important than that, we also learn how they feel about it. SUGBO 5
Views New Year, new challenges
I
Diyandi-Bahandi
Mayen Tan
For the coming months, this column will focus on the beauty and the value that hinge on our culture (ang
atong Diyandi)
so that we can best appreciate its significance as a treasure (ang
atong Sugbuanong Bahandi).
Journey with me as I cull our Diyandi in time ...
6 Sugbo
am starting this New Year right -- doing a new undertaking, taking on new perspectives with a new column, going back to my roots by making this bilingual. New Year’s resolutions I had done in the past, albeit half-heartedly and with a raised eyebrow. Nonetheless, I did my yearend list of things to do for the coming year. I fished out the stapled lists I still keep. In 2006, I scribbled: make 5 Cebuano and 3 English poems (only 1 poem for my granddaughter Meg), enroll in Spanish lessons (I never did!), finish a book (such grandiose aspirations) and travel. Well, the last one I was able to fulfill as I went to Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg), India (New Delhi and Agra – the Taj Mahal) and twice to Thailand (Bangkok and Chiangmai). 2007 was worse, as the list got longer but nothing was done. Then 2008 petered out to just one – enroll in French or Mandarin. (Of course, I never did!) Well, it’s the beginning of a new decade. New beginnings make for cutting-edge challenges! 2010 swooshed by with hardly our full awareness of the passing of the months. Numerous landmark happenings have taken place, foremost has been the election of a new president in PNoy. Much is expected of him as great hopes are heaped on his illustrious name. Time will tell …. Manny Pacquiao’s phenomenal victory in the boxing arena has made us all proud indeed, while individual accomplishments of Filipinos abroad – properly reported or not – somehow mitigate the country’s faux pas in the international scene. For the coming months, this column will focus on the beauty and the value that hinge on our culture (ang atong Diyandi) so that we can best appreciate its significance as a treasure (ang atong Sugbuanong Bahandi). Journey with me as I cull our Diyandi in time – be it a place, a person, a
piece of poetry, a song, rituals and spin-off happenings that contemporarize traditional practices. Slowly, we are seeing results in several aspects of the revival of Cebuano arts and culture through the focused attention of Cebu’s first woman at the helm -- Gov. Gwen Garcia. It is indeed true that it takes a female stance not only to clean up the Provincial Capitol, but the rest of the province. And to take time and expend effort to highlight the beauty and value of what we have, what we do, who we are.
Usa ka lakang padung sa kahayag Usa ka sugyot alang sa kalampusan Usa ka pag-agak ngadto sa padulngan Ginagmayng tipik sa tinubdan. Dili higante ang kinahanglan Dili manulunda nga banggiitan Dili martir o kaha mga babaylan Ka-ikag lang ang kinahanglan. Bag-ong tuig na usab karon. Bag-o ba ang atong paglantaw? Likayi intawon ang mga bung-aw Aron tulin ang atong pagpanaw.
Marking our Heritage
O Kabilin
Jojo Bersales
For the first time in the four centuries of the province’s history, an integrated and unified structure for implementing a province-wide tourism and heritage program had been put in place.
n 22 August 2008, Gov. Gwendolyn F. Garcia beamed with pride as she signed one of her long-held dreams for the province of Cebu: Ordinance 08-08, which provides a mechanism to declare structur es and sites of provincial or national historic and cultural significance in the Province of Cebu. The ordinance, principally authored by Hon. Peter John Calderon with Hon. Agnes A. Magpale and Hon. Victor Maambong as co-authors, is the only one of its kind in the country today where the provincial government has created a mechanism for declaring and then protecting and preserving the tangible architectural and artistic heritage of its constituents. It predates the enactment of Republic Act 10066 otherwise known as the National Cultural Heritage Law of 2009. And while the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 10066 are yet to be drafted and approved, Ordinance 08-08 is now well on the road to full implementation. The secret lies in the singular action of the governor in 2004, when she created the Cebu Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council (PTHC) within her first 100 days in office. At the same time, she also ordered all the 52 component cities and municipalities of the province to also establish their own tourism and heritage councils. For the first time in the four centuries of the province’s history, an integrated and unified structure for implementing a province-wide tourism and heritage program had been put in place. One of the committees under the PTHC, the Committee on Sites, Relics and Structures, then worked with the local tourism and heritage councils to carry out a massive inventory of heritage sites, structures and objects to be later encapsulated in a cultural map of the city/municipality – drafted, designed and developed by the local councils. All told,
this cultural mapping and inventory project sought to train the members of the 52 Municipal/City Tourism and Heritage Councils to carry out the documentation of their heritage resources. Never before has there ever been this large body of heritage workers and advocates than now, just five years after the project began. And today some 10,000 sites, structures and objects have been inventoried and documented, many of them accessible in the website of the province. One of the next steps after the inventory began last January 7, 2011, when the members of the tourism and heritage councils assembled once again to begin the process of nominating the sites and structures that will qualify for a marker of protection and preservation from the provincial government based on the provisions of Ordinance 08-08. In a sense, this act of the provincial government in marking heritage sites and structures is a way of asserting its right of first protection and recognition. As more and more infrastructure developments are expected in the many towns and cities of the province, Capitol is sending notice that progress must not be at the expense of bulldozing or forgetting our past in the achievements of Cebuanos now long gone, from ancient burial places to the lowly vernacular nipa hut up to the grand architecture of coral stone churches and convents. Within the year, therefore, I am confident that we will soon see the governor unveiling a number of heritage markers at specific structures and places across the province – once again, another first in the country and even perhaps in Southeast Asia.
SUGBO 7
News province
Garcia intent on resolving 93-1 issue during her term GOVERNOR Gwen Garcia said the 93-1 issue will be resolved before her last term ends in 2013 with or without Cebu City’s cooperation. “I can say this with faith and with confidence because it’s the province that holds all the aces. Kung binisay-on nato ni kami ang naghupot sa alas,” Garcia said in answer to Cebu City South District Representative Tomas Osmeña’s statement that he will settle the issue with the next governor. The governor told reporters in a press conference that she promised during the ceremonial turnover of deeds of absolute sale to some 93-1 beneficiaries last October to settle the matter. Garcia admitted meeting with Cebu City Michael Rama on New Year’s Eve to talk about the issue. She said she is open to working with him. “This governor is willing to work with the mayor of the city, the one and only mayor of the City of Cebu, in order to solve an issue which will affect the lives of 12,000 (including not only the direct 93-1 beneficiaries) or perhaps even more constituents of the city,” she said. “We (the province) really have nothing to lose but they have everything to gain, as far as the city officials are concerned. We can set the conditions, not them,” Garcia further said. The plight of Cebu City residents squatting on provincial land has caused a rift between the province and the city for many years. Rama, however, is taking the first step in resolving the problem by expressing his willingness to cooperate with Capitol. A Technical Working Group (TWG) headed by City 8 Sugbo
lege speech, Vice Mayor Rama called the deal as “dawat lim-
pyo.”
The governor went ahead and gave deeds of absolute sale to those who have fully paid their obligations. Last October, another 244 deeds were distributed. Beneficiaries came from the barangays of Lahug, Luz, Apas, Camputhaw, Capitol Site, Mabolo, Busay, Kalunasan and Lorega. Currently, there are 1,188 beneficiaries who have paid part of their dues and 1,731 who have not paid anything.
LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. With the renewed goodwill between the Province of Cebu and the City of Cebu, it is only a matter of time before the 93-1 issue will finally be put to rest in a win-win outcome.
Administrator Jose Marie Poblete was formed to handle the negotiations. Governor Garcia tasked Atty. Rory Jon Sepulveda, Capitol Consultant on Information and Revenue Generation, to meet with Atty. Poblete to discuss the issue “without distraction and with more single-mindedness and focus” so proceedings can take off and a win-win solution can be achieved. Provincial Ordinance 93-1 was issued by then Governor Vicente de la Cerna in 1993 allow-
ing the selling of Capitol lots to their informal settlers. When Governor Garcia took over in 2004, she wanted to recover the property since majority of the 4,364 beneficiaries from 11 barangays in the city failed to pay their dues. Osmeña, who was then mayor, negotiated in behalf of the urban poor residents. He proposed a land swap deal offering a portion of the South Road Properties in exchange for the province-owned lots. But it failed when, in a privi-
Ciudad project The botched land swap deal also led to the impasse of the Ciudad project, a joint commercial venture of the Capitol and Fifth Avenue Consortium within the city. The provincial government owns a two-hectare property on Governor Cuenco Avenue, Banilad. Garcia wanted to maximize the estate and convert it into a new business and leisure destination. But since 2007, the city has not issued a building permit
to the province. On May 13, 2009, the City Council passed an ordinance banning any government agency from commercially developing its lots in the Banilad-Talamban vicinity. Yet, a few weeks later after the passage of the ordinance, a new subdivision was constructed in the contested area. The Provincial Board, through Committee on Property Chair Alex Binghay, authorized the governor to seek a declaratory relief against the ordinance that was perceived as “anti-Capitol.” Recently, newspaper reports quoted Osmeña as saying that if the traffic in the TalambanBanilad corridor worsens because of non-stop commercial progress in the area, far-flung barangays lose the opportunity to also develop. But the governor derided Osmeña’s claim, saying that to approve or disapprove of Ciudad’s construction is not anymore his call. If the problem is traffic, Garcia said, Osmeña should be blamed for it, being the city mayor for 16 years. “He should have put up enough infrastructures, to meet the growing demand of a growing metropolis,” she said. Garcia was also astonished when the former mayor said Capitol wouldn’t be paying taxes when the project gets completed. She said this was very shortsighted. “Tanang government lands, once you develop them, all the developments will be generating revenues in term of taxes to the host local government unit. In this case, it’s the city of Cebu,” she said. “I am surprised wa na niya
masabti kay na mayor gud siya’g pila ka tuig.”
Garcia promotes hardworking employees GOVERNOR Gwen Garcia told Capitol employees on the first Monday of 2011 that she will continue to reward good work and penalize “sloppy, inefficient behavior.” The governor promoted 18 employees for good performance, and they took oath before the governor last January 6. Noli Valencia, head of the Provincial Human Resource Office, said the oath-taking of promoted employees was a first since only department
South Bus Terminal earned P1.2 M during the holidays THE six-day influx of passengers heading home for the Yuletide season via the Cebu South Bus Terminal has helped Capitol collect earnings amounting to P1.2 million. Earnings totaled P591,656 from December 23 to 25 and P614,164 from December 29 to 31. These were collected from terminal and other fees: P5 per passenger, P10 per bus and other vehicles, and a few pesos for
comfort room use. Provincial Administrator Eduardo Habin said the higher revenues were due to people rushing home to their provinces for the Christmas break. Atty. Jose Ma. Gastardo, Capitol Consultant on Planning, said order was maintained at the terminal despite the huge number of passengers due to the presence of the police and additional security and medical personnel.
heads used to take oaths before the governor. Garcia, Valencia said, wants appointees to take oath from now on. The promoted employees were from the Treasurer’s Office, Veterinarian’s Office, Budget Office, and the Provincial Accounting Office. The promotion, Valencia explained, boosted the morale of the employees. Capitol is willing to promote those who work hard to serve the Cebuano people heartily, Valencia added.
Security personnel manned the boarding gates while janitors maintained cleanliness. Medical personnel also attended to some needs of passengers. The terminal, under the new policy, is no longer using the turnstile where passengers used to insert their P5 terminal fee. Instead, bus operators purchase the tickets from the terminal office and attach these in the fare tickets.
Capitol gears for Suroy-Suroy 2011 THREE days after the Sinulog Festival, the Province will bring guests on a tour of 14 towns and a component city in north Cebu dubbed the SuroySuroy Sugbo 2011 Northern Escapade. Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said the first Suroy-Suroy this year, which will run from January 19-21, will have a lot of participants because a number of tourists and balikbayans who are here for the Sinulog Grand Parade were enticed to join the tour. “Many took advantage of
the packages,” Garcia said. The Suroy-Suroy Sugbo, a tourism project of the governor, showcases the culture and hospitality of Cebuanos and highlights Cebu tourism spots. Resort owners were called to a meeting recently to ensure good accommodations for both local and foreign tourists. Garcia instructed resort owners to make sure that the bedrooms, bathrooms, and other rooms are clean and presentable, the places secure, and the food at par with what
the best hotels offer. She also asked that participating local government units focus on the welcoming party so visitors can see how good it is to live in Cebu. Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Northern Escapade 2011 will kick off at Consolacion. It will proceed to Compostela, Danao City, Carmen, Sogod and Medellin. It will also visit San Remegio, Santa Fe, Madridejos, Bantayan, Bogo, Tabogon, Borbon, and Catmon. It’s final stop will be Liloan. SUGBO 9
Special feature
SISTERHOOD AGREEMENTS Nanning
A
C
all it a sister pact. Cebu is on a mission to spread kinships with provinces on varied points on the world map, each with their distinct stories to tell. Gov. Garcia’s
move to ink the sibling agreements goes beyond shared flights between the sister provinces, they delve deeper into the cultural DNA of a region and country. By unraveling these strands, Nanning in China, Crimea in the Ukraine, Brunei and Ilocos Norte join 11 of Cebu’s other sisters in a shared thread of identity, a new breed of learning provinces. 10 Sugbo
round five months after the signing of their sisterhood agreement, the Province of Cebu and the Autonomous Region of Guangxi Zhuang, China, plan to undertake mutually beneficial programs that could commence very soon. Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia recently visited China and met with Guangxi Zuang’s Chairman Ma Biao. Among the things agreed during their bilateral meeting is the pushing for the plan to establish direct flights between Cebu and the city of Nanning, Guangxi’s capital. The creation of a student exchange program between Cebu and Guangxi was also discussed, and the government of Guangxi offered scholarship for students from Cebu who would be studying in Nanning. Chairman Ma also expressed interest in joint programs in the fields of ocean transport, port construction, sports, science, and technology. Gov. Garcia was upbeat on what they agreed in the meeting. Garcia also revealed that the Cebu Provincial Government is planning to construct an international port soon. She likewise informed Chairman Ma that Cebu is the education capital in the Visayas and Mindanao, having more than
40 universities and even more colleges. Cebu is home to the oldest university in the country, the University of San Carlos. Garcia also thanked Ma for sending exhibitors to the One Cebu Expo last August. Gangxi will also hold an antique exhibit in Cebu next year. After the meeting, Gov. Ma gave Garcia a jar which, he said, he only gives to officials of the national government. “But you are the exception,” he said in Chinese. Garcia went to China to attend the 11th China-Asean Expo (CA-Expo). Among the delegates from the Philippines was DTI Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal, Jr. In an interview, Cristobal praised Garcia for her efforts at promoting Cebu. He even enjoined other governors to follow Garcia’s lead: “We encourage more governors and other provinces to be as progressive as Cebu in seeking to expand its exports and build up its investment relations with other countries in the region.” Among the activities of the expo was the holding of the “Forum on Business Opportunities in the Philippines” wherein Cebu was one of the featured provinces. MBG
Brunei T
Ukraine T O KNOW more about Cebu’s tourism, culture, health, and trade, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in Ukraine invited the Province of Cebu to be one of its “sisters”. Both Cebu and Crimea are interested in deepening cooperation in 14 specific areas four of which are agriculture, engineering, tourism, and education. Cebu and Crimea forged the sisterhood agreement during the Black Sea Economic Forum in the Palmira Palace in Ukraine last November 26 and 27. Cebu Governor Gwen-
Ilocos
dolyn Garcia and First Vice Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers Pavel Burkalov signed the agreement as one of the highlights of the forum. In her speech, Garcia stressed on the importance of a tourism program that goes hand in hand with the conservation of the environment and the preservation of cultural heritage as showcased in “Suroy-Suroy Sugbo” – a community-based tourism (CBT) which is unique to each municipality of the province. The two-day forum, which was attended by more than
200 government representatives, international organizations and business stakeholders, pointed out the need for sustainability through the adaptation of green tourism. Countries from the different regions of the Black Sea including Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Scotland were members of the panel. Provincial Board Members Peter John Calderon, Wilfredo Caminero and Bea Mercede Calderon and businessman Enrison Benedicto, cochairperson of the One Cebu
C
ebu can learn from Ilocos Norte’s wind farm in Pagudpud as a model for the province’s own renewable energy program when the sisterhood plan between the two provinces materializes. Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said part of the 2011 budget is allotted to investing for renewable energy, and that Cebu “can learn a lot from Ilocos Norte.” Governor Imee Marcos, on her visit to the Cebu Capitol last November 22, said they are willing to share information on renewable energy with their wind farm, mini hydro, and solar facility. They in turn would wish to learn from Cebu’s knowledge
HE Royal Brunei Navy headed by Brunei Ambassador, Her Excellency Malai Hajah Halimah Malai Haji Yussof, paid a courtesy call to Cebu Provincial Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. With her were the head delegate of the Royal Brunei Army, Col. Haji Othman bin Haji Suhaili and Brunei Defense Attache to the Philippines, Lt. Col. Haji Alirupendi bin Haji Perudin. The Philippine delegation was headed by Naval Force Central Commander Commodore
Armando L. Guzman, AFP. The 56 officers and men of the Royal Brunei Army are in Cebu for a week-long collaboration with the Philippine Navy to exchange training methods and to enhance camaraderie. The Philippine Navy is participated in by 130 soldiers, divers, and pilots from different regions of the Visayas and Mindanao. Interested to know more of Cebu’s good governance strategies, the Ambassador is looking into a sisterhood agreement with Cebu. (MSR)
Council accompanied Garcia. The g overnor of the Burgas region in Bulgaria, with whom Crimea also signed an agree-
ment with, expressed interest in entering into the same agreement with Cebu. (Manita Sanoria-Ramos)
in trade and commerce. Garcia and Marcos are set to ink a sisterhood agreement. Ilocos Norte will be the second province in the country that Cebu will have sisterhood ties with. The first was with the province of Antique. Both Ilocos Norte and Cebu are interested to have joint projects in trade and tourism, information technology, education, and renewable energy. Marcos came to the office of Garcia to personally hand in the specifics of the sisterhood agreement. She said the two provinces can also work together in promoting each other’s tourism by opening direct flights to and
from Laoag and Cebu. “We have a lot of lessons to learn and lot of technology to transfer,” she said. Garcia and Marcos will also be looking into educational exchanges. “It’s very important that students learn from each other and make friends with each other,” Marcos said. “We need to exchange learning software and other technology for language development,” she added. The province of Cebu also has 11 sisterhood foreign relationships with the provinces of China, Guam, Hawaii, St. Petersburg and Vladimir, Russia, among others. SUGBO 11
Special feature Magellan’s Cross Magallanes St., Cebu City In search of the Moluccas, Portuguese mariner Ferdinand Magellan instead found Cebu. His unintended arrival was a godsend, nonetheless; planting the cross on local soil in April 14, 1521, Magellan sowed the seed of Christianity this side of the world. Here too, the first Christian Filipinos, Rajah Humabon and Queen Juana, and 400 followers or thereabouts were baptized by Fr. Pedro Valderama. The first European to set foot on Cebu, Magellan would leave a mark that, over time, would prove indelible. The cross he planted is enshrined on a street that bears his name. Lapu-Lapu Monument Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City Just across the street from the marker of Magellan is the monument of Lapu-Lapu, the first Filipino hero. Here, the historic battle between the Mactan chieftain and the Portuguese explorer was waged on April 27, 1521. Magellan and his men had better size and better weapons, but Lapu-Lapu and his men had boundless courage. His statue stands tall, calling to mind the heroism that was larger than life. Fort San Pedro Pier Area, Cebu City The oldest fortress in the country, Fort San Pedro was built in 1565, under Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. And while this triangular bastion is also the country’s smallest, it would take nearly two centuries to finish, much of what stands to date owing to a renovation in 1738. Fort San Pedro served different purposes at different periods; initially a military stronghold for the Spanish, it served as a lookout against Muslim pirates in the 1700s, an army barracks when the Americans took over, a school where Cebuanos received formal education, a fortification for the Japanese during World War II, and now houses the National Museum that showcases the San Diego shipwreck & Fort San Pedro diggings. Colon Street Downtown Area, Cebu City Christopher Columbus could have gotten here earlier had his hope of seeing Asia not dashed by another maritime miscalculation. It was a noble gesture that the oldest street in the country should be named after Cristobal Colon, his Spanish name. Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and his men constructed Calle Colon in 1565. At present, it is the hub of Downtown Cebu, a merry mix of moviehouses, restaurants, department stores, and other venues of commerce. University of San Carlos P.del Rosario St., Cebu City P.del Rosario is not the oldest street in the 12 Sugbo
Icons of a C
ebu is two worlds in one city – the new that meets the eye, and the old that the eye must meet. The oldest city in the country, Cebu is as much steeped in the historical as it
is in the hip. Here in the Queen City of the South are sights and sites whose beginnings highlight its timeline, places that are painstaking products of plucky pioneers, and landmarks that are fitting monuments to various heroes who had displayed local valor or foreign goodwill at some point in this city’s storied past.
CEBU’S LANDMARKS (Clockwise): The Magellan Marker, Fort San Pedro, Magellan’s Cross, the University of San Carlos, and the Casa Gorordo Museum. (Left page): (Top) The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, (bottom) the Fuente Osmeña.
of Sto.Niño, the church was built on the site where the image was found in 1565. Destroyed by fire in 1568, the church was rebuilt in 1602 and rehabilitated in 1740. On April 1,1965, Pope Paul VI elevated the Sto.Niño Church into a basilica minore, in time for the fourth centennial celebration of the Christianization of Cebu. Every third Sunday of January, the city and the entire country celebrate the Feast of the Christ Child with the Sinulog, a festival with as much color as spirit.
city, but on one of its sides stands the oldest school in Asia, the University of San Carlos. Blazing trails in the field of education, Jesuit Fathers Antonio Sedeno, Pedro Chirino, and Antonio Pereira founded the school in 1595. Eleven years after, it was named Colegio de San Ildefonso, its first and former name. Provincial Capitol Building Osmena Blvd., Cebu City Visiting Americans could feel déjà vu as they near the west end of Osmeña Boulevard; the imposing Provincial Capitol Building does seem like the White House at first glance. Built in 1937 under the administration of Governor Sotero Cabahug, the beautiful building was, indeed, patterned after the elegant American edifice. It is the seat of the provincial government. Heritage of Cebu Monument Parian District, Cebu City A sculpted tableau in large scale, the Heritage of Cebu Monument features the significant and symbolic events in local history, from the time of Rajah Humabon to the fairly recent beatification of Cebuano martyr Pedro Calungsod. Conceptualized in 1996 by then Mayor Alvin Garcia and national artist Edgardo Castrillo, the commissioned work started in earnest
the following year. Castrillo rested the chisel on December 8, 2000 for its inauguration. The millennial monument is located at the original Plaza Parian. Image of Santo Niño Pres.Osmeña Blvd. The first sacramental christening in the country took place on April 14, 1521, and Magellan gave the Flemish image of the Christ Child to Queen Juana as a baptismal gift. On April 28, 1565, in the next Spanish expedition to the Philippines, Juan Camus, a Spanish soldier, found the same image of the Sto.Niño in a hut spared, by divine design, from a conflagration that consumed 400 other houses. Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, head of the expedition, then ordered that the image be enthroned in the very first church that should be built, and that the church be named after the Christ Child. And so it was that the oldest religious relic in the country was kept in the country’s first monastery, the Sto.Niño de Cebu. On February 27, 1965, his Holiness Pope Paul VI canonically crowned the Miraculous Image of the Sto.Niño. Basilica Minore del Santo Niño Pres.Osmeña Blvd. Upon the orders of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, with the guidance of the Augustinian father Andres Urdaneta, there would stand in El Ciudad de Santissimo Nombre de Jesus – the city of Cebu, as it was called then – the island’s first church. In honor of the Miraculous Image
Magellan Marker Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City Ferdinand Magellan, who had come by accident, lost his life by incident; a local chieftain named Lapu-Lapu killed him in the Battle of Mactan. Before he died, the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean had been instrumental in the Cebuano crossing to the Catholic faith; ultimately, he is also credited with having played a singular role in making Cebu the Cradle of Christianity in the Far East. Erected in 1866, the Magellan Marker stands on the very spot where the great navigator breathed his last. Casa Gorordo Museum Lopez Jaena St., Parian, Cebu City The former residence of the first Filipino bishop of Cebu, Don Juan Gorordo (1862-1934), the Casa Gorordo Museum, restored in its original period setting, offers a privileged peek at the Cebuano lifestyle between 1860 and 1920. It has a notable collection of 18th century historical works, paintings, porcelains, religious items, liturgical vestments, old prints, photographs and contemporary artworks. It is also a choice venue for art exhibits. Fuente Osmeña Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City Named after the late Cebuano President Sergio Osmeña, Sr., this circular park with a central fountain is located in uptown Cebu. The pace in the park is a refreshing contrast to the pace outside it; while motorists are on rush-hour mode, skaters around the fountain take it slow, while others take a walk in the park.
SUGBO 13
classifieds Why advertise with Sugbo News? It is widely and strategically circulated, with 60,000 copies every issue.It is printed on first-rate paper and rendered in full color. It is distributed free, so your ad gets maximum mileage. Best of all, the ads are priced incredibly low. Make a beeline for the Sugbo News marketing office now. And spread the word around.
Sugbo News. In a class by itself.
CATERING
SERVICES
É 4 14 - 4 1 3 0, 4 14 - 4 17 1 , 2 62- 0404 our commitment shows National Product Quality Excellence Awards: Best Caterer (Metro Cebu) 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 National Shoppers’ Choice Annual Awards: No. 1 Caterer 2008 Business Achievement & Recogition Awards Caterer of the Year 2010, 2009 Pride of the Nation Awards: Most Outstanding Caterer (Metro Cebu) 2010, 2009, 2008 Philippine Marketing Excellence Awards: Most Outstanding Caterer 2009, 2006, 2005 Pillar Awards for Marketing Excellence: Best Caterer (Metro Cebu) 2009, 2007
www. marialina.com 14 Sugbo
SUGBO 15
Stride away from the norm and enjoy serenity, peace, privacy and seclusion.
BADIAN ISLAND
RESORT & SPA www.badianhotel.de, www.badianhotel.com 63(32)-4751103 | 63(32) 4751101
16 Sugbo
SUGBO 17
18 Sugbo
Special feature
A Heritage of Hope by Mariano Natividad
W
hen Ferdinand Magellan set sail from the River of Guadalquivir on September 20, 1519, he had no idea what he stood to lose. The Portuguese
mariner had been tasked by the Spanish Emperor, Charles V, to explore a route westward to the East Indies, and all that could have occupied his mind was what he then stood to gain. Patently, the Magellan Expedition was undertaken with a three-fold intent: the quest for spices, the conquest of lands, and the bequest of faith. On account of these, Magellan had to experience both high water and some maritime hell. With his fleet of five ships, Magellan and his men encountered unceasing Antarctic storms which eventually exhausted their provisions. In turn, this state of lack triggered a mutiny headed by three of his captains. But Magellan was as good with the sword as he was with the steering wheel, and they had no sooner put up the rebellion than he quelled it, capturing their three ships and maintaining his command. That sea troubles should also come in bundles, it would soon become apparent. His smallest ship would be destroyed
in yet another storm, while his largest ship would soon desert him in yet another mutiny. Provisions left much to be desired, and the sailors themselves, stricken with illness, somehow felt an earlier return was in order. Magellan believed otherwise. And so, he guided the fleet along the strait which now bears his name, and as they emerged from the strait, the three ships came safely into the open sea. There and then, Magellan and his men knelt as they chanted the Te Deum, in humble homage to the provident God. The priest bestowed a benediction both on the little fleet and on the large ocean. And as they steered into waters where no ship had sailed before, Magellan named it the Mar Pacifico, in the hope that it would always be as peaceful as they first found it.
The Pacific Ocean would later prove to be anything but peaceful. And in the days that followed, sea conditions went from bad to worse. Experienced navigator that he was, Magellan took the voyage one difficult day at a time. On the 16th of March, 1521, Magellan sighted an island that had high mountains emerging from the horizon. He would later learn that the island went by the name of Zamal, now renamed Samar. The next day, Magellan’s fleet landed on an island named Homonhon. Eight days later, Magellan set sail for Limasawa. There, Magellan would learn of the rich settlement in Cebu. With some of Limasawa’s leaders as guide, he made for Cebu, where, he was told, he could get enough food
for his men. The Malayan village that was Cebu had a powerful chieftain in Rajah Humabon. With eight other chiefs under him, and two thousand warriors in his command, he was considered the king of Cebu. When Magellan and his men finally set foot on Cebuano soil, a Holy Mass was celebrated, and the cross, now known as Magellan’s Cross, was erected. Magellan befriended Rajah Humabon, and his wife, Hara Humamai, and on the 14th of April of the same year, he had them baptized along with some 800 natives. The former was christened Carlos, after the Emperor of Spain, while the latter was named Juana,
SUGBO 19
After its auspicious beginnings, the devotion to the Sto. Niño de Cebu would later spread to the nearby islands of Bohol, Leyte, and Samar. Devotees were also to be found in Negros and Iloilo. Over time, the devotion would be taken up on a national scale, so that the Sto. Niño de Cebu’s image could also be seen in Manila, Pandacan, and Tondo. after the Emperor’s mother. As a gesture of goodwill, Magellan gifted Juana the image of the Sto. Niño, a wooden figure of the Christ Child which he brought from native Spain. Why Magellan felt the urgency to have so many baptized so soon, it is hard to tell. And yet, in hindsight, it was prudent of him to have done so; he had only so much time left on hand. Among the chieftains who welcomed him were the datus of the neighboring kingdoms, such as Datu Apanoaan of Mandawe and Datu Theteu of Liloan. But there were datus who doubted his motives and declined his friendship. Such a one was Datu Lapulapu. He was an enemy of Zula, another Mactan chieftain who had become Magellan’s ally. Zula didn’t waste much time enlisting the services of Magellan’s men to fight against Lapulapu. Magellan didn’t want to let his new ally down and responded by going to Mactan with three boatloads of Spaniards and 20 boatloads of
20 Sugbo
Cebuanos. At dawn of April 27, Magellan attacked; just 13 days after the mass baptism of the natives, Magellan lost his life in the Battle of Mactan. But thanks, in great part, to Magellan, the first seed of Christianity in the Far East had been sown. And four decades later, what had been sown seemed clearly meant to be further nurtured. On April 28, 1565, in the next Spanish expedition to the Philippines, Juan Camus, a Spanish soldier, found the same image of the Sto. Niño in a hut spared, by divine design, from a conflagration that consumed 400 other houses. Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, head of the expedition, considered the finding a manifest expression of divine will as regards the propagation of the faith in these islands. To this end, he ordered that the Flemish image be enthroned in the very first church that should be built, and that the church be named after the Christ Child. Likewise, he entrusted the image to the care of five Augustinian friars who formed
part of the expedition. In the summer of the same year, the devotion to the Sto. Niño de Cebu officially commenced with the enthronement of the image in the first church erected in its honor. On that historic occasion, a solemn procession took place, then, a fluvial parade, and finally, a Holy Mass said by Fr. Andres de Urdaneta, one of the five friars entrusted with the image. On that same day, the Cofradia del Santo Niño was founded, a religious society patterned after that of St. Augustine’s in Mexico. The procession was the first held in El Ciudad de Santissimo Nombre de Jesus – the city of Cebu, as it was called then. It highlighted the transfer of the image from the village hut in Sawang (San Nicolas) where it was found, to a humble but special shrine which would later become the San Agustin Church. The next year saw the first celebration of the feast of the Sto. Niño. For over a century, the feast, as in the 1565 procession, was
traditionally held every 28th of April, as it was on this day that the image was recovered. In 1721, Pope Innocent XIII transferred the feast to the second Sunday of Epiphany (third Sunday of January) in order to move it out of the season of Lent. From 1565 onwards, festivities would be celebrated yearly to commemorate the finding of the Sto. Niño. After its auspicious beginnings, the devotion to the Sto. Niño de Cebu would later spread to the nearby islands of Bohol, Leyte, and Samar. Devotees were also to be found in Negros and Iloilo. Over time, the devotion would be taken up on a national scale, so that the Sto. Niño de Cebu’s image could also be seen in Manila, Pandacan, and Tondo. The devotion would likewise reach Bulacan, Cavite, and Aklan. On February 27, 1965, his Holiness Pope Paul VI canonically crowned the Miraculous Image of the Sto. Niño. Moreover, on April 1, 1965, 400 years after the finding, the same Pope elevated the Sto.
In an age of want and woe, the devotion to the Christ Child offers boundless hope. And though these are, indeed, the worst of times, cares are best cast aside, for the world remains in the palm of His hand.
Niño Church into the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño. These papal gestures enabled the devotion to gather much momentum. Years later, the government declared the Sto. Niño Basilica a national shrine. This all the more increased the devotion’s following. Before long, the annual observance had become too large to handle. In view of this, the Augustinian
Fathers decided to let the City Government manage a celebration in line with, and yet apart from, the spiritual commemoration hitherto handled by the Augustinian Community. In 1981, the Sinulog, as we know it, was born. Meanwhile, the devotion had broken cultural barriers, taking root in the United States and Italy. The Augustinian Missions,
likewise, introduced the devotion to more culturally challenging countries like Korea and Japan. In time, the devotion also came to Spain; there, the devotion finally came full circle. Why the devotion has spread as far as it has is unmistakable proof of its universal appeal. Why the devotion has lasted this long is evidence of its efficacy. Every devotee
of the Sto. Niño has a story to tell – a prayer answered, a wish obliged, a favor granted, a miracle made. In an age of want and woe, the devotion to the Christ Child offers boundless hope. And though these are, indeed, the worst of times, cares are best cast aside, for the world remains in the palm of His hand.
SUGBO 21
Sense of place
Cebu PILGRIM’S PROGRESS by Guerrero de la Cruz
U
nconsciously there is a pilgrim in every tourist; every snapshot he takes of the beauty of a Cebuano place expresses the joy and awe he feels within for the local traces of the unseen divine.
In Cebu, it doesn’t take long for a tourist to get into pilgrim mode. The
city, in particular, and the province, by extension, teems with places of piety, visits to which provide the tourist as much local religious history as personal cinder with which to stoke one’s spiritual fire.
22 Sugbo
Left page: some of the stately churches in Cebu. Above (left) Ferdinand Magellan; (center) Andres de Urdaneta; (right) Sugat of Minglanilla.
Just getting to these places sets the tone somehow for what’s in store; ride a cab any given day, and chances are, there’s a rosary hanging from the middle mirror; over time, the practice has somehow become de rigueur. One can also see small statues of the Lord and Our Lady on the dashboard for good measure. In some cabs, there are even stickers of Bible passages along with seatbelt reminders, an apt, if unwitting, salvific analogy. Before we take a cab though, taking some time travel would be in order. In 1521, the great Portuguese mariner Ferdinand Magellan stopped by Cebu; little did he know it would be his last stop. Magellan may have died coming here, but his was not unlike the dying of the grain of wheat, the better to bear much fruit. Along with the Augustinian clerics who came with him, Magellan sowed the first seeds of Christianity in the Far East. Tourists can still see the historic cross Magellan erected when he and his men finally set foot on Cebuano soil; it is enshrined in a postcard-perfect chapel in downtown Cebu. Just a short walk from the chapel is the Santo Niño de Cebu, the first monastery in the Philippine islands. It was founded by Andres de Urdaneta in April 28, 1565 during the Legazpi-Urdaneta Expedition. One of the soldiers by the name of Juan Camus found the same image of the Christ Child left behind by Magellan 44 years earlier, in a hut spared by divine design from a fire that had consumed 400 other houses. In his capacity as expedition head, Legazpi ordered that the Flemish image be enthroned in the very first church to be built, and that the church be named after the
Christ Child. And so the Santo Niño de Cebu came into being. IN 1965, on the occasion of the fourth centennial of the Christianization of the country, the Santo Niño church became a Basilica Minore and a national shrine. It has always been the sanctuary of the image of the Santo Niño, under Augustinian custody. If the tourist gets here in the first month of the year, he’s in for a special spiritual treat. Every third Sunday of January, people from all walks of life and from nearly all islands of the archipelago, and increasingly, even beyond its borders, gather to honor the Santo Niño through the Sinulog, a creative expression of profound devotion to the Christ Child. It is inarguably the largest attended event in the local calendar and the most colorful. Cabbies know the way to San Jose de la Montaña st. in bustling Mabolo. It is at once a fairly busy street and the road less travelled; along it lie three seminaries and a Carmelite Monastery. One could also call it the straight and narrow; besides the four religious institutions lie three chapels and the Mabolo church. And that’s just one side of the street. On the other, one can also find the Opus Dei Center. The Carmelite Monastery is a historic one; here, the only two women presidents of the country sought refuge in uncertain mome nts leading to their eventual election. One who has entered the gates of Carmel has known peace. Here, the presence of the divine is keenly felt. Drop by at V. Rama St. on Good Friday; if Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” moved you, the Cebuano director Al Evangelio’s “Buhing Kalbaryo” could prove equally stirring. It is a local rendition
of the Passion Play and has for its stage an entire street. Under the lashings of the sun’s rays, the play goes the distance, ever so slowly winding up at the premises of the Guadalupe Church for the excruciating finale. It is one Holy Week highlight that is both free and freeing. Then head to MInglanilla down south for the “Sugat”, where the onset of Easter is met with hoisted angels, spectacular fireworks, tasty food, and last but not least, the much anticipated Easter Mass. While there, the tourist might as well travel along the Southern coastline, town by scenic town, and see the richness of Cebu’s religious heritage. Notable among the churches built under the direction of Augustinian priests are the ones found in Boljoon (built in 1783), Dalaguete (1802), Argao (1783), Naga (1839), Oslob ( 1848), Pardo (18801893), Talisay (1880), and Carcar (1875). There’s a place too in Carcar where the sun not only rises but also dances. At Perrelos, the sun had been seen dancing in the manner of the Fatima spectacle; which is why there’s a special gathering at the place every 13th of each month, when the sun had often been seen to dance to enliven the faith of those who get to see it. A church at Sunday is likewise a great sight. On the Sabbath, the people still outnumber the pews, and their sense of devotion cannot but deepen our own. If a tourist, at the end of his stay, somehow feels having finished a pilgrimage, it would be no big surprise. He had come, after all, to a place once called El Ciudad de Santissimo Nombre de Jesus, a place that can very well be a virtual shrine.
SUGBO 23
History and heritage historical personage
SENATOR VICENTE SOTTO (April 18, 1877-July 16, 1950) The 8th President of the Philippines, Carlos P. Garcia, called him “A Rock of Gibraltar”. Senator Vicente Y. Sotto, marked with the ruggedness of his conviction, was thus named: a person that cannot be overcome and does not fail. Born in Cebu City on April 18, 1877 to Marcelino Sotto and Pascuala Yap, Sen. Sotto finished his secondary education at the University of San Carlos (formerly Colegio de San Carlos). He earned the degree of Bachelor of Laws and Judicial Science, and eventually passed the bar examinations in 1907.
Heritage Site
PLAZA INDEPENDENCIA M.J.CUENCO AVE., CEBU CITY
Formerly called Plaza Libertad, Plaza Independencia is in memory of a man whose trademark was the landmark, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. Located between Fort San Pedro – which he built – and the building that used to house the old Gobierno Provincial, the Plaza has an obelisk of Legazpi, the first Spanish governor-general of the Philippines.
24 Sugbo
At only 22 years old, he put up La Justicia in 1889, the first newspaper in Cebu. It became his platform to defend the issue of Philippine independence until the paper was suspended on orders by the American military governor. True to his moniker, he was not intimidated. He started publishing El Nacional, which was also ordered closed and led to his imprisonment at Fort San Pedro for two months and six days. Sen. Sotto was forced to use the pen name Taga Kotta to hide his true identity. Despite this precaution, he was still
found guilty of treason as a member of a committee of rebels along with those in Manila and Hong Kong. Sotto was freed in 1900, and got a chance to publish Ang Suga on June 16, 1901. In Hong Kong, he organized the EnglishSpanish language publication The Philippine Republic, whose publication was also stopped a year later with the arrest of its editor. Sotto returned to Manila in 1915 and begun working on a weekly journal he named The Independent. Sotto is also regarded as the Father of Cebuano Language and Letters. He
wrote, directed, and produced the first Cebuano play, Elena in 1902 and other plays like “Paghigugma sa Yutang Natawhan,” which established Sotto’s reputation as a playwright. He entered politics in 1902 and ran for the municipal council of Cebu and won. He was elected Mayor despite his absence during the election. In a crafty but futile move, he was implicated in a kidnapping case lodged against him by his political opponent, bringing him to court. The incident forced him to stay in Hong Kong until 1914.
ON THIS DAY January 1 New Year 1571 Miguel Lopez de Legazpi establishes in Cebu the first Spanish city in the Philippines. He appoints the officials of the city and names it Ciudad del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus. 1835 Establishment of the parish of Catmon, Cebu, with Recollect Bernardo Ybañez as its first parish priest 1894 Birth in Cebu of Manuel C. Briones, publisher, judge, Congressman, and Philippine Senator 1902 By virtue of Public Act No. 322, civil government is reestablished in Cebu by the American authorities. 1956 Sergio Osmeña, Jr. assumes the Cebu City mayorship, succeeding Pedro E. Clavano. He remains in this post until September 12, 1957.
as a chartered city under Republic Act No. 2688. January 7 1947 The world-famous Image of the Virgin of Fatima of Portugal arrives in Cebu and is received by a huge crowd at Cebu Airport. Leading the Cebuano faithful is Archbishop Gabriel M. Reyes.
January 2 1912 Madridejos is separated from the town of Bantayan and becomes a separate municipality. Vicente Bacolod is its first municipal president. 1968 Eulogio E. Borres assumes the Cebu City mayorship, succeeding Carlos J. Cuizon.
January 10 1899 The officials of the Provincial Council and Junta Popular of Cebu City, under the Philippine Republic, are elected. Luis Flores and Florentino Rallos are elected heads of the province and city, respectively.
January 3 1942 The Japanese Military Administration is established in the Philippines for the purpose of supervising the political, economic, and cultural affairs of the country. The Visayas (with Cebu) was constituted as a separate district under the Japanese Military Administration. January 4 1641 Volcanoes in Visayas and Mindanao erupt simultaneously causing much damage in the region. 1899 General Elwell S. Otis proclaims U.S. sovereignty over the Philippines in accordance with the Treaty of Paris of December
January 8 1848 A bishop’s decree confirms the erection of Oslob as a parish. 1900 Col. Edward J. McClernand, at the head of six companies of U.S. infantry, attacks insurgent positions in the Sudlon mountain. The Americans scatter the Cebuanos and destroy their entrenchment. January 9 1905 Capt. William E. Jordan, Jr. assumes command of the U.S. garrison in Cebu, succeeding Lt. Col. William Paulding.
January 7, 1947 The world-famous Image of the Virgin of Fatima of Portugal arrives in Cebu and is received by a huge crowd at Cebu Airport. Leading the Cebuano faithful is Archbishop Gabriel M. Reyes.
10, 1898. The first American troops arrived in Cebu in February 1899.
political feud. (Sergio Osmeña, Jr. is president of De la Rama Steamship Co.)
January 5 1950 Pres. Elpidio Quirino writes to Rep. Miguel Cuenco justifying government investment in De la Rama Steamship Co.’s acquisition of three vessels as proper and in conformity with the government program to encourage overseas shipping by the Philippine Merchant Marine. De la Rama’s deal is a major issue in the Osmeña-Cuenco
January 6 1622 A battle between a Spanish expeditionary force and 1,500 rebels in Bohol takes place. The Spanish force consists of 50 Spanish and 1,000 Cebuano troops under Juan de Alcarazo, alcalde mayor of Cebu. The Bohol rebellion is quelled after two weeks. 1961 Toledo is formally inaugurated
January 11 1662 The Royal Audiencia (the Spanish superior court) sustains the claim of Cebuanos in Talisay that their land had been unjustly seized from them by the Augustinians. The court orders that the land be returned to the Cebuanos. On March 8, 1662, however, the Court reversed itself and awarded the land to the Augustinian convent. 1792 The parish of Mabolo is established. 1917 Dionisio Jakosalem becomes the Secretary of Commerce and Communications in the Cabinet organized by Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison.
Gullas (1888-1970), lawyer, writer, and founder of the University of the Visayas. 1900 Col. Simon Snyder assumes command of the American troops occupying Cebu, succeeding Lt. Col. Thomas Hamer. 1937 Felimon Sotto is appointed by Manuel L. Quezon as one of the members of the Institute of National Language, created by Commonwealth Act No.184. January 13 1922 Cebu Portland Cement Company is incorporated under Philippine Laws with an authorized capital stock of five million pesos. January 14 1878 Birth in Carcar, Cebu of Maria A. Kabigon, popular Cebuano writer better remembered as “Manding Karya.” 1893 The first issue of Boletin Ecclesiastico (1893-1898), founded by Bishop Martin Alcover, comes out. This is the second newspaper published in Cebu, after the El Boletin de Cebu (1886-1878). January 15 1900 Revolutionary leader Pantaleon del Rosario writes to guerilla chief Emilio Verdeflor informing him of the American capture of Sudlon and relaying word that Gen. Maxilom has ordered a shift from open battle to guerilla warfare and that the policy is to “harass the enemy without cessation.”
(Entries were culled from the Cebuano Studies Center, of the University of San Carlos.)
January 12 1888 Birth in Cebu of Vicente A.
SUGBO 25
Cebuano section Tunob 1
A
Unang Tunob
Ernesto Lariosa
Ang pinulongan nagagikan sa katawhan. Aduna kini kinaiya nga mag-usabusab. Usahay mahanaw kon di na gamiton.
26 Sugbo
ng unang lakang sa tunob timaan sa sinugdanan. Sa hataas nga panaw subay sa bisan unsa nga dalan nagsugod sa usa ka pagbikang. Kini ang gisubay ning atong lindog nga nagpakatawo dinhi ning maong mantalaan. Sa pagsugod, atong ipatin-aw ang kahulogan sa ulohan ning atong lindog, “Tunob sa Dila.” Ang tunob nagpasabot og lakra o timaan, samtang ang dila wa sa hilwas (direct) niyang kahulogan kondi ang mitapora nga nagpasabot sa pinulongan (language). Kay maghisgot ta dinhi sa giswid, idiyom, gigikanan, kasaysayan, batadila labi na ang katahuman sa atong pinulongan nga ikaamgid sa ubang mga sinultihan sa kalibutan. Ang pinulongang Sugbuanon o Cebuano sa atong mga ginikanan maoy kabahin sa higanteng pamilya nga unom ka gatos nga sinultihan nga Austronesian gikan sa Madagascar ngadto na sa Africa ug South America. Ang ubang mga dagkong pinulongan sa Pilipinas, Austronesian gihapon ang matang ug uban sa Cebuano mas una pa sa mga pinulongan sa Malay Peninsula ug sa mga isla sa Pacifico. Ang pinulongan nagagikan sa katawhan. Aduna kini kinaiya nga mag-usab-usab. Usahay mahanaw kon di na gamiton. Apan kanunay kining nagatubo, nagadawat og bag-ong mga pulong nga gigamit sa katawhan sa usa ka katilingban. Way makatingal og pulong ngadto sa katawhan. Sila ang magbuot paghangop og pulong nga angay nilang isulti. Ang lexicographer igo lang pagtala sa mga pulong nga gilitok sa katawhan. Mao na nga sa atong nasayran dunay mga pulong sa karaan nga di masabtan karon kay wa na magamit. Dinhi atong mabahin ang matang sa atong pinulongan sibo sa panahon. Ang karaang Sugbuanon (old), Tunga-Tunga (middle) ug Bag-o (modern), sama sa pinulongang Ingles. Ang Karaan nga Sugbuanon di na masabot. Ang Tunga-Tunga naa pay diyutay kaayo nga masabtan. Ang Bag-o halos tanan gipangsabtan kay mao may gilitok sa kadaghanan sa usa ka dapit. Kuyog na dinhi ang espeling.
Balak Unsay pulos Unsay pulos sa dag-om kung di kauwan Unsay pulos sa uwan kung di kabaha Unsay pulos sa baha kung di kagun-ob sa pangpang Unsay pulos sa karaang kahoy kung way landing Unsay pulos sa ningpasilong kung way giagbayang uyab Unsay pulos sa manag-uyab kung isig usa way gisaad Unsay pulos sa saad kung di katarog og panganod Unsay pulos sa panganod kung di kini kadag-om
ni Adonis Durado Ang mambabalak nakadawat sa Emmanuel Lacaba Prize, ug nakasuwat nag duha ka poetry collections, ang “Dili Tanang Matagak Mahagbong” ug ang “Minugbo Alang sa Mugbo og Kalipay” (2009).Sa 2001, natagaan si Durado sa “Best New Writer Award” gikan sa Cebuano Studies Center ug Fiagao Foundation. Ang balak nga “Unsay Pulos” gikuha sa librong “Pasumbingay, Antolohiya sa Sugbuanong Balak.”
Tukmang Lakang
Ceb101
T
hi/hello – kumusta good morning – maayong buntag good afternoon – maayong hapon good evening – maayong gabii How are you doing? – Kumusta na man ka? How’s work? – Kumusta’ng imong trabaho? I’ll go ahead. – Una lang ko nimo. See you later. – Kita nya ta. See you tomorrow. – Kita nya ta ugma.
Word for the Week kalinaw, n. English: peace Used in context: Dili makab-ot ang kauswagan kung way kalinaw. Progress can’t be achieved without peace.
Aninaw
ni Sam Costanilla
APAN bisan unsa pay buhaton sa iyang mga kaaway, sila dili gayod molampos paggun-ob sa agi ni Gob. Garcia sukad pa sa 2004.
UKMA kaayo ang lakang ni Gobernador Gwen Garcia sa iyang pagpakighinabi uban kang Mayor Mike Rama sa Dakbayan sa Sugbo bahin sa Ordinansa 93-1. Gilantaw sa kadaghanan nga kini ang unang lakang aron ang suliran nga naglimin sa kontrobersyal nga ordinansa masulbad na. Dili ikalimod nga isip inahan sa Lalawigan sa Sugbo, si Gob. Garcia kanunay gayod nga naglantaw sa kabulahanan sa tanang Sugboanon. TUKMA usab ang lakang ni Gob. Garcia nga ipadayon gayod ang Ciudad Project nga anaa sa Banilad ning dakbayan. Wala kini mapadayon tungod sa pagbabag kaniadto sa kanhi mayor ning dakbayan sa hinungdan nga hilabihang taphawa. Kon sugdan na ang Ciudad Project, daghang Sugboanon ang mabulahan. Tiunay ang tuyo sa gobernador. Ang kaayohan sa tanan mao lamay anaa sa iyang hunahuna kanunay - apan adunay usa ka tawo nga tungod sa kasuya kanunayng mobabag sa maayong katuyoan sa gobernador. Demalas lang kay ang maong tawo gipung-olan na sa iyang mga kuyamoy kay dili na man siya ang mayor ning dakbayan. TUKMA usab ang hukom ni Gob. Garcia nga ipadayon gayod ang Suroy-Suroy Sugbo. Kini namatud-an nga maoy labing epektibong paagi aron pagpalam bo sa lokal nga turismo. Panahon sa kampanya sa milabayng piniliay, ang iyang kaatbang mibahad nga iyang undangon ang Suroy-Suroy Sugbo. Mirisi nga siya napukan. Wala man ugod siya makatugkad unsa kamahinungdanon ang lokal nga turismo. Kon dili pa tungod sa paningkamot ni Gob. Garcia, dili gayod kita makaamgo unsa diay katahom ang atong kalungsoran ug mga dakbayan isip dugokanan sa mga turista. HAIN na man ang pasiatab sa usa ka opisyal sa Kapitolyo nga ang mga kawani sa iyang buhatan mangataktak? Wala diay siya masayod nga si Gob. Garcia hagbay ra man nga mipasalig sa mga kawani nga magpabilin sila sa tagsatagsa nila nga katungdanan? Ang gobernador usa ka inahan nga manggiloy-on ug dili maginukdanon. Kadtong opisyal nga kusog kaayong mipasiatab wala na magkatumong sa iyang gipangyawyaw. Angay na siyang mohilom. BITAW, angay na siyang mohilom ug maniid na lang unsay dugang pang gibuhat ni Gob. Garcia alang sa kabulahanan sa Sugbo ug sa tanang Sugboanon. Ang nakaapan niining tawhana mao nga siya adunay magtatambag nga mas labaw pang nagkatuiris ug nagkayuring ang pamahayag. Ang maayo nilang buhaton mao ang pagtamod sa prinsipyo sa pag-alagad ni Gob. Garcia nga mao ang “Dili sulti ang pabuhaton, buhat maoy pasultion.” APAN bisan unsa pay buhaton sa iyang mga kaaway, sila dili gayod molampos paggun-ob sa agi ni Gob. Garcia sukad pa sa 2004. Ang iyang tanang nabuhat makita ug mahikap sa tanan ug walay bisan usa ka tawo nga makasalindot sa kamatuoran nga ang lalawigan milipang pag-ayo tungod sa talagsaong liderato sa labing unang babayeng gobernador niini. Tukma ang hukom ni Gob. Garcia nga mopadayon lang gayod sa iyang buluhaton ug pasagdan kadtong mga nanaway kaniya, total ang mabuot nga mga lungsoranan makakita, makahikap ug makabatyag man sa bisan unsay iyang himoon. (Ang maglilindog mao ang Consultant on Media Affairs sa Lalawigan sa Sugbo. Mahimo siyang bawsan sa samcost@yahoo.com o matexan sa 09053540000.)
SUGBO 27
Final frame
father and child PHOTOGRAPHY Aldo Banaynal
28 Sugbo