Across Mandaue: A Better Look at Mandaue

Mandaue City, Cebu

The City of Mandaue is a first class city in the province of Cebu. It is one of the three cities of the Province of Cebu that are highly urbanized and form the core of the Metropolitan Cebu area. It is known as the "Furniture capital of the Philippines" and is favored by many investors and businessmen because of its long history of commerce. Today about 40 percent of Cebu's export companies are found in Mandaue.

History

The City of Mandaue was founded in April 7, 1521, when a “Cove of Cebu”, called Mandawe, was sighted by a Spanish expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan. The “Cove of Cebu”, which is located in the present Barangay Tipolo, became the host to the first

facility in the country. Its establishment marked the origins of the industrialization of the country as it helped in the promotion and sustainability of the Acapulco Trade which took place at that time.

In 1571, Legaspi established the country’s first drydock complex on the shoreline of Tipolo, Mandaue, in order to hasten the colonization of the area. The drydock facilities, which were a few meters away from the existing location of the San Miguel Brewery Complex, reportedly serviced the Galleons of Legaspi.

Historically, Mandaue got its name from a thick, clinging vines known as “mantawi”, which were abundant in the early times, long before the coming of the Spanish conquestadores. During these times, Mandaue, with its eastern and southern boundaries facing the Mactan Strait, was already referred to as the “merchants’ paradise”. The major economic points within the area were already interlinked with several crude transportation network.

The “Cove of Cebu” was formally constituted into a “pueblo” between 1580 to 1700 and was officially known as the town of Mandaue in the year 1899.

From that “Cove of Cebu” emerged the now industrial city of Mandaue. Mandaue became a chartered city on June 21, 1969 through Republic Act 5519. It was considered a highly-urbanized city in the year 1991.

Mandaue is located right at the heart of Cebu Province. It is bounded on the north by the municipality of Consolacion, by the Mactan channel on the east, by Banilad, Cebu City on the southwest portion, by Talamban on the northwest portion, and by the Cebu City North Reclamation on the south. It is politically subdivided into 27 barangays, namely: Alang-alang, Bakilid, Banilad, Basak, Cabancalan, Cambaro, Canduman, Casili, Casungtingan, Centro, Cubacub, Guizo, Ibabao-Estancia, Jagobiao, Labogon, Looc, Maguikay, Mantuyong, Opao, Pakna-an, Pagsabungan, Subangdaku, Tabok, Tawason, Tingub, Tipolo, and Umapad.

Based on the August 2009 census, Mandaue City has a total population of 337,320 people.

Map of Mandaue City showing all the respective Barangays

Barangays and the
history of its

Names

Alang Alang
So named because is not so far nor too close to Poblacion.

Bakilid
Refers to the hilly landscape of the barangay.

Banilad
Named after a local tree specie , "Banilad"

Basak
Comes from the Visayan word which means farm lands "Basakan "

Cabangkalan
Named after a tree called, Bangkal

Aerial photo of Mandaue in the eastern part and Lapu-lapu in the west

Cambaro
A concoction of the phrase "come and borrow". It is said that many families in the community were into lending business.

Canduman
An auditory interpretation of the phrase " Kang do Oman " .Oman as legend says owned a huge portion of the area.

Casili
Named after a fish specie called "kasili".

Casungtingan
Named after a medicinal plant called "sunting".

Centro
As the Poblacion, it was the center of government and trade.

Cubacub
Comes from the visayan term for caves, "cub-cub".

Guizo
Named after "giso" or lime that a man was carrying when he met a Spaniard along the road.

Ibabao-Estancia
Ibabao refers to the upper part of the Poblacion while Estancia is the Spanish word for Ranch, which the place was during the Spanish period.

Jagobiao
Comes from the word "HAGO" (tiresome) because of the steep incline of the landscape. "BIAO" comes from the Cebuano term for river which bounds Mandaue and Consolacion.

Labogon
Named after a local dish "labog" which the dwellers loved to cook.

Looc
This got its name from the word "souk" meaning the end point.

Maguikay
Comes from the word "maghikay".Apparently, the people here were known for their cooking.

Mantuyong
Named after a brave and wise leader of the place who goes by the name of "Mantu".

Opao
It is said that the place used to be so barren, thus the name.

Pagsabungan
As anybody would guess, the place was known for cockfighting.

Paknaan
Named after the "pana" or arrow which the people used as arms against invaders.

Subangdaku
  Is named after the big river that serves as boundary between Mandaue and Mabolo.

Tabok
Comes from the fact that you have to cross the Butuanon River to get there.

Tawason
  "Tawas" used to be so abundant in the area, our so they say.

Tingub
Because some areas are low lying, the water from Butuanon River would accumulate in the area.

Tipolo
This place was once noted for its multiple and gigantic Tipolo trees which were so abundant during the early years of the century.

Umapad
Originally known as Pilapil, the barangay folks decided to change the name to
UMAPAD short for "umahan nga lapad" or wide fields.

Landmarks
Mandaue known as an industrial center has its own historical ascend breathtaking landmarks. Some of these are the Mandaue Presidencia City Hall, National Shrine of St. Joseph, Cebu International Convention Center, the Luis Cabrera Ancestral House and Museum, the City Plaza, Mandaue Eco Park and the Pahara Park under the Marcelo Fernan bridge. It is also boasts of its natural beauty sites like the Monkey Caves, Cansaga Bay, Butuanon River and the Casili Hills.

Culture

Mandaue is also proud of its creative festivals and celebrations which includes the Mantawi Festival, Kabayo Festival, Sugat sa Sagrada Pamilya, Mandaue Fiesta and the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo.

Fiestas

Mantawi Festival

It shows unique and exotic dance steps, is accompanied butt a different beat, and

is played by a brass instead of the usual drum or bugle. This makes up a one-of-a kind festivity that entices and seduces the crowd to gather and witness one of the most anticipated celebration in the city of Mandaue, the Mantawi Festival.

Sugat sa Sagrada Pamilya or the Gathering of the Holy Family which coincides with the patrons of the three major cities: Cebu's the Santo Niño, Lapu-lapu with image of Birhen sa Regla, and Mandaue's St.Joseph, Señor San Jose.

Mandaue Fiesta

celebrated every May in honor of the patron St.Joseph showcases Mandaue's rich culture, inter-barangay sports competitions showcases Mandaue's skills in basketball, boxing, badminton, volleyball, chess, and tennis. The Miss Mandaue one of the most prestigious beauty pageants, and the Mantawi Festival which coincides with the city fiesta in May.

Kabayo Festival

The Kabayo festival is held to remember Mandaue's past setting, with rodeos held annually in the second week of February ( "Kabayo" meaning horse in Cebuano ). Later changed to the Governor's Cup, games are similar to the American rodeo but a Filipino twist.

Pasigarbo sa Sugbo

It is a provincial event that held annually in Mandaue City. Showcases all of Cebu's festivals through street dancing and cultural shows. The main event is held at the CICC where they will find Cebu's Festival Queen and Festival Champion.

Tourism -Mandaue's point of interest destinations and attractions include:

Natural Areas

Monkey Caves
Cansaga Bay
Butuanon River
Casili Hills
Jagobiao Spring
Cabancalan-Banilad sinkholes
Mahiga River

Museums

856 G Gallery
Luis Cabrera Ancestral House & Museum
Mandaue City Public Library
Quijano Museum

Parks

City Plaza
Bridge Park
Garden Centre
Pahara Park
Mandaue Eco Park

Historical Locations

Bantayan sa Hari
National Shrine of Saint Joseph
Mandaue Presidencia, City Hall
Ouano Wharf
Mandaue Salt Beds
Eversely Child Sanitarium
Rizal-Bonifacio Memorial Library
Bathan Press
San Miguel Brewery
Rainbow Lane
Cebu International Convention Centre

Sports

Wireless Plaza & Sports Complex
Greenlux Golf Range
Mandaue City Sports & Cultural Complex
Mandaue Tennis Complex
Portside Badminton Plaza
Quick Points Badminton Club
Aboitiz Sports Field
San Roque Football Club
Sacred Heart - Ateneo de Cebu Sports Complex
Cebu Golf Academy
AA Barbeque Restaurant & Golf Driving Range

Being highly industrialized city, Mandaue City boasts its growing economy and mainstream infrastructures that distinguishes itself from the rest of Metropolitan Cebu.Some of these are:

The Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) is a 3- story structure Boyle by the Cebu Provincial Government for the 12th Asean Summit and 2nd East Asia Summit at a cost of about US$ ten million dollars. It has a gross flour area of 28,000 square metres and is situated on 3.8 hectares of land at the Mandaue City Reclamation Area in Metro Cebu.

National Shrine of Saint Joseph Mandaue

The National Shrine of Saint Joseph is a Roman Catholic church located in Mandaue in Cebu, Philippines. The church has been greatly renovated. Removed were four large pillars that supported the cupola. These pillars appear in old photographs of the church interior. A statue of St. Joseph and the Child Jesus beside him is in the style of 18th century ivories and may be from Jesuit times.

History

The Jesuits established Mandaue in 1600 as a mission after they had acquired lands in the area for the Colegio de San Ildefonso. They exchanged Mandaue for the Parianin Cebu and assigned a lay brother as administrator of the Mandaue estate. The mission did not seem to have a priest permanently assigned to it, because it is not around 1724, the Jesuit catalogues specify that a Jesuit was posted at Mandaue and that his responsibility extended to Talibon and Inabanga in Bohol. Thus, for more than a century, Mandaue may have been served by Jesuits of the Colegio who took turns in attending to the spiritual needs of the people. Although the Jesuits did build a church in Mandaue in honor of the Fatherhood and protection of St. Joseph, a 1789 report describes the church as “sufficiently deteriorated.”

The present Mandaue church is attributed to the initiative of a secular priest, named Don Ambrosio; Redondo (1886:157) describes the church as planned as a Greek cross with two octagonal chapels, 55 by 18 metres (60 yd × 20 yd) for the principal nave and 18.3 by 7.3 metres (20 yd × 8 yd) for the transept. In the 19th century, Mandaue was under the seculars, although it seems that the Recollects took charge of the parish for a while. The Mandaue church site together with the market was donated by the late Capitan Felix Ceniza whose grave now lies beneath the altar of St. Joseph Church.

Mandaue Presidencia

The Mandaue Presidencia was inaugurated on 12 September 1937 during the incumbency of Cebu Governor Sotero B. Cabahug. Its construction begun two years earlier with an estimated cost at that time of Php 28,000.00. During the second world war, the presidencia was used as a garrison by the Japanese Imperial forces. On March 19, 1975, the new city hall was inaugurated. A second and third wing was added to the left side and the right side of the main building. An additional floor was also added from the main building connecting to the two new wings. From the original L shape of the old municipal hall floor plan, the new city hall format has now become an E-formed floor plan.

Bantayan sa Hari

The Bantayan sa Hari (translated to “King’s watchtower”) in Mandaue City sits rather awkwardly at its location overlooking the Mactan Channel in Brgy. Looc surrounded by unrelated structures and almost choked out of existence. In the early 19th century, when it was probably built, it was

forlorn yet majestic, guarding the mouth of a key crossing between Cebu and the island of Mactan and whose presence alerted the inhabitants of the coming moro slave raiders and thus had time to head for the safety of the church.

Today, the entire surface had been cemented, the surrounding base, shown in an archival image from 1912, is gone. It’s presence almost indeterminate unless one goes up the Cebu-Mactan Bridge. It’s almost lost in a see of houses and other structures.

In wanting to preserve the historic structure, well meaning but misguided authorities cemented over the relics thus its totally modern look.

Cuisine

Mandaue has many restaurants which cater to gourmets and international cuisines like Italian, Japanese, Indian, Mediterranean, Lebanese, Arabic, Russian, Korean, Mexican, and Western cuisines. A variety of restaurants also serves meals of local cuisine.

Many famous Cebuano meals like the lechon^[20] or inasal, eaten with achara or pickled vegetables. The sugba or barbecue of either isda (fish), baboy (pork), manok (chicken) or baka (beef) is found all over Mandaue eaten with the puso a diamond-shaped hanged rice covered in coco leaves. Kinilaw^[21] is raw meat usually pork or fish drenched in vinegar and salt. The buwad or dried seafood either fish or squid can be pungent with a crunchy and chewy texture. There are some exotic meals you can find like the dinugoan or pig's blood which is eaten like a soup. Barbecued chicken feet are liked by many locals. Original cuisine in Mandaue includes the bibingka which is steamed rice cakes mixed with coconut and sometimes egg. Binangos paired with rice is made of ground up corn with Bolinao fish. This dish is found only in Mandaue; other delicacies includes the tagaktak, the seasonal buriring fish (stewed with iba) and the famous masareal.

Delicacies of Mandaue

Bibingka sa Mandaue

BUDBOD

Pilit

Kabog

Masareal

Tagaktak

Mantawi Festival

The Mantawi Festival is a yearly eventcelebrated every May 7 in Mandaue City, Cebu. The festival is a celebration of Mandaue’s rich cultural and historical heritage and its importance today as a commercial and industrial center in Cebu.

Local historians say that the name Mantawi is a species of indigenous vine or tree that abundantly grew in a cove in the shores of Cebu when the explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in 1521. The Spaniards eventually built a settlement on the site of the cove that later became the village of Tipolo, which today is one of the barangays in Mandaue.

Tipolo is the location of the first dry-docking facility in the country that serviced the galleons that carried the Philippines’ trade with other countries during the Galleon Trade from the 16th century to the early 19th century.

The local government of Mandaue conceptualized the Mantawi festival in 2002 to commemorate the historical value and economic significance of the founding of Mandaue in the history of the province of Cebu.

The activities of the festival include a grand parade of street dancers in colorful costumes and diorama floats, showing the culture and history of Mandaue. The street dancers come from different elementary and high schools, barangays, and other organizations based in Mandaue and from other places in Cebu. A parade of giants made of paper, cardboard and carton, showing the people who influenced the founding and growth of Mandaue, is part of the parade.

The culmination of the festival is the awarding of prizes to the winners of the competition for street dancing and float display. After the awarding ceremonies at night, hundreds of people would go to the Mandaue Plaza to witness the annual grand fireworks display

Interesting Sites in Mandaue City

COLLEGES and UNIVERSITIES