The Central Visayas, which includes the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, is the country's  heartland in more ways than just geographical.

Lapu-Lapu Monument, Cebu

Magellan Monument, Cebu

It was in the port settlement of Cebu that the Spaniards established their first base for the conquest and conversion  of the Philippines.  Early exposure to the ways of the West has made the Central Visayas a heavily acculturated region.

The region is home to the Visayans (or Bisayans, as the people of the region were called in pre-Spanish times).  The term bisayan has a vague origin: it may mean "slave", as the region was often plundered by pirates and the captured villagers sold as slaves, or it may be the word derived from Malay or Sanskrit for "victorious people".  Still others relate it to the Sri Vijaya, the ancient kingdom based in Sumatra, or to the local word sadya, meaning "happy".

The language in the region is Cebuano, also known as Bisaya or Binisaya.  Massive migration has spread the language to other parts of the Philippines, notably Mindanao. Today, about a quarter of the Philippine population consider Cebuano as their native language.   Besides Cebuano, Tagalog and English are widely spoken in the region while Spanish remains the language of an older elite sector of the community.

Fishers' dance

Kuradang, a native Cebuano dance

The cultural hub of the region is the city of Cebu.   Often called the "queen city of the South", Cebu is a bustling capital, second in the country only to Manila in commercial activity. Deep harbors make Cebu a popular berthing place for inter-island and ocean-going ships.  Flanked by easily accessible white-sand beaches and coral reefs, and home to one of the country's international airports, Cebu is a favorite tourist as well as business destination.

To Filipinos, Cebu is synonymous with mangoes, the sweet fleshy tropical fruit, widely grown in the region.  Cebuanos and natives of the Central Visayas are also popularly known as corn-eaters, their staple food being milled corn.

 

 

 

 

 

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The Fookien Times Philippines Yearbook
1998 Edition