For the article on the Province of Cebu, see Cebu. For its capital independent chartered city, see Cebu City. For other uses, see Cebu (disambiguation).
Metropolitan Cebu, or simply Metro Cebu, (Cebuano: Kaulohang Sugbo; Filipino: Kalakhang Cebu), is the main urban center of the province of Cebu in the Philippines. Metro Cebu is located along the central eastern portion of the island including the nearby island of Mactan. It accounts for 19.9 percent of the land area and 61.5 percent of the population (2020 census) of the entire province of Cebu.
Metro Cebu is a metropolitan area that consists of Cebu City (the capital of Cebu and the regional center of Central Visayas) along with twelve surrounding cities and municipalities.
The Metropolitan Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB) is a body mandated to formulate development plans for the Metro Cebu area and coordinate their implementation. Unlike the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the MCDCB does not have legal and institutional powers. However, MMDA's powers are limited by jurisdiction to only the core of the agglomeration.
As of the 2020 census, Metro Cebu is the largest metropolitan area in the Visayas and the third-largest metropolitan area by urban population in the Philippines, after Metro Manila (in Luzon) and Metro Davao (in Mindanao).
Cities and municipalities
Metro Cebu comprises seven cities (Carcar, Cebu City, Danao, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Naga, Talisay) and six municipalities (Compostela, Consolacion, Cordova, Liloan, Minglanilla, San Fernando), with Cebu City serving as the metropolitan area's central core. The provincial capitol, the central business district, major educational institutions and the international port are all located in Cebu City while major industrial companies and factories are located in Mandaue. The international airport and the export processing zone are located in Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island. Danao is primarily a mining city while Talisay is a residential city with its income generated by small- and medium-sized businesses.
The metropolitan core (dark cyan) is the most densely populated area and the most conurbated. The brightest area on the map is the other cities.
Cebu City was a fishing village and farming settlement governed by Visayan native kings who traded with the neighboring islands of Malaysia and Indonesia. Cebu was the location of the Rajahnate of Cebu, an Indianized kingdom founded by the half Indian and half Malay, Sri Lumay, from Sumatra.
On 7 April 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in Cebu. Magellan failed to successfully claim the Philippines for the crown of Spain as he was killed on Mactan island on 27 April 1521, by its leader, Datu Lapu-lapu.
On 27 April 1565, Spanish explorers led by Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in Cebu from Mexico. The Spaniards renamed the city on 1 January 1571, from San Miguel (Saint Michael) to Villa del Santissimo Nombre de Jesús (Town of the Most Holy Name of Jesus). The island were a former capital city of the Spanish East Indies before the capital city was moved to Manila in 1571.
Mandaue then was known as Mandani ruled by their lord Aponoan. It was formally constituted into a "pueblo" (people) between 1580 and 1700 and was officially known as the Población de Mandaue (Town of Mandaue) in 1899. It emerged into the industrial city of Mandaue. Mandaue became a chartered city on 21 June 1969 through Republic Act 5519. It was considered a highly urbanized city in the year 1991.
Talisay was a former Augustinian orderhacienda (estate) in 1648 and became a municipality in 1849. On 30 December 2000, Talisay became a component city by virtue of Republic Act 8979.
Lapu-Lapu city was originally referred to as "Mactan." It later became the town of Opon in 1730, the 7th town founded by the Augustinian Friars in Cebu. The town of Opon became a city on 17 June 1961. Its largest district, Lapu-Lapu, was named after Datu Lapu-Lapu.
Metropolitan Cebu was conceptualized by government planners in the 1970s and was based on the experiences of urban planning in Metro Manila. Metro Cebu represented the province's thriving urban centers that are physically proximate to Cebu City, which is the leading commercial and financial hub in the Visayas and northern Mindanao areas with a population largely dependent on the economic opportunities prevailing in the area.
Metro Cebu is the seat of more than a dozen educational institutions, the oldest of which is the University of San Carlos. Some of these institutions include, in alphabetical order:
A large number of students from neighboring provinces in the Visayas, as well as northern Mindanao, prefer to go to Metro Cebu to take up tertiary-level education.
There is also a sizable number of South Korean, Iranian, Sub-Saharan African, and South Indian students who take up tertiary-level courses in Metro Cebu, taking advantage of Metro Cebu's, and the Philippines', lower cost of education relative to their home countries.
Metro Cebu also has several hospitals and clinics, there are two types of hospitals in Metro Cebu: the public hospitals which is owned by the government. Some public hospitals in Metro Cebu are the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Cebu City Medical Center and there are also few public district hospitals which are also managed by the provincial government of Cebu.
Arroyo taking her Oath of Office in Cebu City on 30 June 2004
On 30 June 2004, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was the first Philippine President to be inaugurated in Metro Cebu. The inauguration was done in front of Cebu Provincial Capitol in Cebu City. This was done in gratitude for the support given to her by the people of Cebu during the election. In a break with tradition, she delivered her inaugural address in Manila before departing for Cebu for her inauguration.
2005 Southeast Asian Games
Metro Cebu and other key Philippine cities hosted the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. The event was held from 27 November to 5 December 2005. Venues for this event includes the Cebu City Sports Complex, Cebu Coliseum, Mandaue Coliseum, University of San Carlos and parts of Danao.
The Philippine SEA Games Committee wanted to decentralize the games from Manila, so that other cities of the country could experience the SEA Games.
The 12th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), originally scheduled for 10–14 December 2006 was postponed to January 2007 due to Typhoon Utor and the consideration of the safety and welfare of the participants.
The Cebu International Convention Center is a structure built by the Cebu provincial government in time for the 12th ASEAN Summit and 2nd East Asia Summit at a cost of around US$10-million dollars, US$5-million dollars more than expected. It is a three-storey structure with a total floor area of 25,000 square metres (270,000sqft) and situated on 3.8 hectares (9.4 acres) of land at the Mandaue Reclamation Area.
51st International Eucharistic Congress
The 2016 International Eucharistic Congress, held on 24–31 January 2016, was a gathering of Roman Catholic priests, bishops, lay people, nuns and representatives from different parts of the world. The 8-day congress was observed with religious activities like cathechisis, processions and seminars, It was ended with a Statio Orbis or Closing Mass held at South Road Properties on 31 January 2016, it was attended by the Papal Legate, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo.
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) is the major phone carrier in the metropolis and the entire province. Globelines Innove and Islacom, both subsidiaries of Globe Telecom came in after the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1995.
There are three wireless telecommunication companies serving Metro Cebu as well as the rest of the Philippines. These are:
Smart Communications/Pilipino Telecommunications Corp., a PLDT subsidiary – using the brands: Smart, Talk 'n' Text, Sun Cellular, and Addict Mobile
Metro Cebu's electricity is mostly supplied from Leyte Geothermal Power Plants operated by PNOC-EDC which is interconnected across Cebu through electrical submarine cables operated by TransCo. It is transmitted by the state-owned National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) through several high tension wires. It is stored and distributed by the Visayan Electric Company (VECO), except in the island of Mactan (Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova) which is served by the Mactan Electric Company, the city of Carcar, which is served by Cebu I Electric Cooperative (CEBECO I), and the city of Danao and the municipality of Compostela, which are served by Cebu II Electric Cooperative (CEBECO II). They put out 220VAC 50Hz.
Water
In 1974 the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) took over in distributing potable water to the whole metropolis after the Osmena Waterworks System suffered financial losses. MCWD supplies potable water to the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-lapu and Talisay and the municipalities of Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela and Cordova from their reservoirs in Lake Plumbero, Minglanilla; Buhisan Reservoir in Cebu City; Casili in Consolacion and Mananga in Talisay.
Water shortage has always been a problem in Metro Cebu due to deforestation and seawater intrusion of the underground water supply.[3] There was a proposal to acquire water from nearby Bohol island because of the water crisis in the metropolis.[4]
In 1998, the Mananga Phase I Project located in Maghuway, Talisay was completed producing an additional 33,000 cubic metres (33,000,000L; 8,700,000USgal) of potable water per day. And the other area through a series of 5HP submersible pumps powered by Solar Electric Energy (note: Operates only during daytime) in Minglanilla near Lake Plumbero.
Metro Cebu's roadways are among the country's busiest and most congested. The south highway, Osmeña Boulevard, Colon Street, and V. Rama are Metro Cebu's major roads. A new highway called the South Coastal Road or the Cebu Coastal Road was completed in 2010. The 12 kilometer, 4-lane highway was created to improve traffic in Metro Cebu. It connects Cebu City, Talisay and other southern municipalities. In conjunction with the development of the Cebu South Coastal Road, a roadway underpass nearly a kilometer long is currently under construction to connect the South Coastal Road with the Sergio Osmeña Avenue in the North Reclamation Area. Other planned projects include a series of flyovers in the north district, the Cebu North Coastal Road and Cloverleaf interlink road project.
It has two terminals. Terminal 1 is used solely for domestic flights, while Terminal 2, which was opened on July 1, 2018, serves international flights. Together the two terminals have a total capacity of 12.5 million.
Metro Cebu's MCIA is the international gateway to the economic hub of the Central and Southern Philippines. There are numerous daily flights between Cebu and most Philippine cities. Air freight to and from Cebu is reliable and efficient with major international couriers like FedEx, Fastpak Global Express, and 2GO operating here.
Seaport
Metro Cebu's Port of Cebu is the busiest domestic seaport in the Philippines. Along with the ports areas of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, Cebu's "seaport complex" is considered as the busiest port in the Philippines in terms of number of annual passengers. It is also the main port of entry in the province of Cebu and Central Visayas Region. It plays a vital role in the Philippine's shipping industry with about 80 percent of the country's shipping companies that are based here. The port is located at the center of the province's east coast. It is nestled in a natural harbor in the narrow strait between Cebu City and Mactan, the latter providing a natural cover and breakwater, making the port one of the safest and operational the whole year round.
Cebu International Port and Cebu Domestic Port serves container vessels and passenger ships with destinations around the country and the world. Cebu International Port is a multipurpose terminal covering an area of 10 hectares with 690 meters of berthing space and a controlling draught of minus 8.5 meters at MLLW. The Cebu Baseport – Domestic Zone is the area for the domestic transactions of different business coming from and going to the different island of the archipelago. It is dedicated to coastwise shipping with 3.5 kilometers of berthing space, 3 finger piers and 3 passenger terminals.
Economy
Metro Cebu, as the second most important metropolitan area of the Philippines, has established itself as a major economic hub, attracting several multinational companies in various industries ranging from business process outsourcing, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and tourism, among other industries. Metro Cebu, and Cebu province as a whole, has experienced rapid economic growth since the early 1990s, a phenomenon also known as Ceboom, a portmanteau of "Cebu" and "boom".[5]Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue, also collectively known as the "tri-cities", the three largest and highly urbanized cities of Metro Cebu, account for 22.2%, 11.3%, and 8.3% of Central Visayas' gross regional domestic product respectively as of 2020[update].[6]
Cebu City is the primary economic center of Metro Cebu. Historically, Colon Street and its surrounding areas collectively known as "Downtown Cebu", was the major economic center of Cebu, but development has since spread to other parts of Metro Cebu with the opening of newer and more modern developments such as Cebu Business Park and Cebu IT Park (collectively known as the Cebu Park District), which is the home of many business processing outsourcing companies, among other industries. The South Road Properties, a 300-hectare reclamation project in the city's South district is poised to become a major economic hub for Metro Cebu.[7]
Major industrial factories are found in Mandaue, but the city's North Reclamation Area (also known as New Mandaue City) has seen various mixed-use developments since the 2010s, including the Mandani Bay project.[8]
Lapu-Lapu City, where the Mactan Airport is located, is a major tourism hub, being the home to several resorts and hotels. Lapu-Lapu City is also the home to the Mactan Export Processing Zone and the Cebu Light Industrial Park, where factories of several multinational firms are located.[9]
The other cities and municipalities of Metro Cebu remain primarily residential with several subdivisions (or suburbs), with residents commuting to the "tri-cities" for work, but are also poised for more opportunities, with developments such as the Minglanilla Techno-Business Park in Minglanilla and the New Cebu International Container Port in Consolacion seen to accommodate industries for businesses to set up shop outside of Metro Cebu's traditional core of Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue.
Metropolitan Cebu Development and Coordinating Board
The Metropolitan Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB) is the successor of the Metropolitan Cebu Development Council (MCDC) which was created by the RDC through Resolution No.117 (1997) and was subsequently replaced by the former in June 2011. Like its predecessor, it was mainly patterned after the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority with the inclusion of regional offices of the National Government agencies, regional services and utility agencies, and private institutions. It is mandated to formulate development plans, prepare programs and projects, and coordinate/monitor the implementation of programs and projects that address problems and concerns affecting Metro Cebu.
MCDCB does not have legal and institutional powers and resources like the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). The MCDCB defines the coverage of Metro Cebu for planning purposes only. The Province of Cebu has proposed a bill to create a permanent Metropolitan Cebu Development Authority (MCDA). This bill is still pending in both the House of Representatives and Senate in the Congress of the Philippines.[10]
Cebu, officially the Province of Cebu, is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas (Region VII) region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral Triangle.
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making it the sixth-most populated city in the nation and the most populous in the Visayas and in Central Visayas Region.
Lapu-Lapu City, officially the City of Lapu-Lapu, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 497,604.
Mandaue, officially the City of Mandaue, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 364,116 people.
Mactan is a densely populated island located a few kilometers east of Cebu Island in the Philippines. The island is part of Cebu province and it is divided into the city of Lapu-Lapu and the municipality of Cordova.
Talisay, officially the City of Talisay, is a 3rd class component city in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 263,048 people, making it the most populous component city in Visayas.. The city is applying for a Highly Urbanized City (HUC) status.
Consolacion, officially the Municipality of Consolacion, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 148,012 people.
Cordova, officially the Municipality of Cordova, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 70,595 people.
The Marcelo Fernan Bridge, also known as the Second Cebu–Mactan Bridge and locally as the Second Bridge, is an extradosed cable-stayed bridge located in Metro Cebu in the Philippines. It crosses the Mactan Channel, connecting Mandaue in mainland Cebu to Lapu-Lapu City in Mactan Island. It is currently the second-longest cable-stayed bridge in the Philippines after the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway, which also crosses the Mactan Channel. Before it was named the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, it was called the Consolacion Bridge, owing to its proximity to the municipality of Consolacion, which is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from its north end. It is one of three bridges crossing the Mactan Channel, the others being the Mactan–Mandaue Bridge and the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway.
The Mactan–Mandaue Bridge, officially known as Serging Veloso Osmeña Jr. Bridge, also known as the First Cebu–Mactan Bridge and First Bridge locally, is a truss bridge that crosses the Mactan Channel and connects the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu City in Metro Cebu, Philippines. It is one of three bridges that span across the Mactan Channel, the other being the Marcelo Fernan Bridge and the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway, and connects the islands of Cebu and Mactan.
Metro Bacolod is the 8th-most populous and the 6th-most densely populated metropolitan area out of the 12 metropolitan areas in the Philippines. This metropolitan area as defined by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has an estimated population of 840,170 inhabitants as of the 2020 official census by the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The Cebu Bus Rapid Transit System is a mass transit system under construction in Cebu City, Philippines. It is expected to become the first operational bus rapid transit project in the Philippines. Only one line has been planned in detail so far, but scheme developers note the potential to develop a larger network comprising the adjacent cities of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, and Talisay, all of which, together with Cebu City, form part of the Cebu metropolitan area.
The Mactan Channel, also known as Opon Channel, is a channel in Cebu, Philippines. It runs between mainland Cebu island and the smaller island of Mactan. The body of water is located within Metro Cebu, separating the localities of Mandaue and Cebu City in mainland Cebu and Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan. It is one of the three channels that connect the Cebu Strait to the Camotes Sea — the other two being the Hilutangan Channel and the Olango Channel.
Visayan Electric Company, Inc., also known as Visayan Electric, is the second largest electric utility in the Philippines and serves the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay and Naga and four municipalities of the greater part of Metro Cebu - Liloan, Consolacion, Minglanilla and San Fernando. Its franchise service covers an area of about 672 square kilometers with an estimated population of 1.73 million.
Central Visayas is an administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VII. With only two provinces: Cebu and Bohol, as well as three highly urbanized cities: Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu, and Mandaue, it has the fewest number of provinces out of any region in the country. Despite this, it is the most populous region in the Visayas, with a population of 6,545,603.
The Cebu Monorail Transit System, simply known as the Cebu Monorail, is a proposed monorail rapid transit system to be built in Metro Cebu, Philippines. Originally proposed by the Japanese in 2015 as the Cebu MRT System, it was revised to a light rail line in the late 2010s, dubbed the Cebu Light Rail Transit System or Cebu LRT. It was then again revised to its present form in late 2019.
Transportation within Cebu City is mainly land-based with most parts of the city accessible by road. There is no existing mass transit but construction is currently being undertaken on the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit System as well as an existing proposal for a Cebu Monorail, both of which will be crucial in solving the city's worsening traffic congestion, as existing transportation modes will soon become insufficient to move residents around the city if the local government fails to urgently implement infrastructure projects and measures to address the issue.
The Cebu North Bus Terminal (CNBT) is a bus station in Cebu City, Philippines operated by the Cebu Provincial Government which serves as a hub for buses servicing northern Cebu. CNBT was previously located in a lot owned by the Mandaue city government in Barangay Subangdaku which was under a lease agreement with Cebu City government, which in turn granted the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Multi-purpose Cooperative, Inc. (CPBOMCI) the management of the terminal.
References
↑ "Province: Cebu". Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC). Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
(Administratively independent from the province but grouped under Cebu by the Philippine Statistics Authority. However, qualified voters in Mandaue are allowed to vote in elections for Cebu provincial officials by virtue of Republic Act No. 6641, in accordance with Section 452-c of the Local Government Code of 1991.)
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