Ka Bino with some students from the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Walk past the narrow streets of downtown Cebu City and chances are you might bump into someone who gives a walking tour of Cebu history. It’s even a bit surprising that this guy did not grow up in Cebu nor did he acquire his degree from a local institution enough to get a full grasp of local heritage and yet he’s one of the most conversant when it comes to touring guests. Click here for more photos and text »

The six senses.

There’s an ongoing exhibit of artworks rendered by the late Msgr. Virgilio Yap at the Cathedral Museum of Cebu. The various display of masterpieces pay tribute to a great artist and priest who died of leukemia at exactly 15 years ago. The exhibit Retrospective, A Collection of Artworks features a collection of abstract works of art including some news and magazine clippings about the artist during his lifetime. Some of his achievements are also highlighted like his unusual rendering of the crucified Christ at the altar of the Gethsemane Parish in Mandaue City, Cebu and his founding of an ecclesiastical museum which is now the Cathedral Museum of Cebu.

The Cathedral Museum of Cebu is located beside the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9 AM to 12 NN and 1 PM to 5 PM. Click here for more photos and text »

CEBU CITY (August 8, 2010 5:30 PM) — Museo Sugbo opened two new galleries just this afternoon — one featuring the colorful history of Cebu media and the other one, an art gallery. The National Museum also unveiled two traveling exhibitions featuring Philippine flora (photo above) and a photo gallery of bridges in the Philippines built during the Spanish colonial-era. The museum’s souvenir and coffee shops were also opened during the event. Click here for more photos and text »

A circa-1950s aerial view of Osmeña Boulevard and the Fuente rotunda (Photo Credits: Tomas Ch.Osmeña)

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama’s call for the rehabilitation of the entire stretch of Osmeña Boulevard reminds us of an earlier movement that shaped some of the cities of the USA and became one of the tools that the Americans used in manifesting her power as a colonial ruler to the Philippines.

The City Beautiful Movement shaped Chicago and so did its influence in the cities of Manila, Cebu, Baguio and Zamboanga. In Cebu City for example, Willam E. Parsons was tasked to draw up a plan for the development of a new city center away from the old Spanish-era center which we now loosely refer today as downtown. Click here for more photos and text »

This is the fourth of several posts that will feature Richard E. Ahlborn’s photographs of historical churches in Cebu.

Photo courtesy of The Latin American Library, Tulane University, Richard E. Ahlborn Collection. Published in this blog in agreement with The Latin American Library. All photos in this post may not be used without first obtaining the written permission of The Latin American Library.

Bishop Sebastian de Foronda (1723-1728) once described the Cebu Cathedral as nothing but a barn overrun by plants and grasses. He may have been right after all since the cathedral looked nothing more than an oversized warehouse if not for the belfry and the facade which gave it the distinct look of a church. Vintage photos show it with plants growing at certain parts of the structure aside from the roofing that badly needed repair and the broken windows that had to be replaced. It was not until the 1930s when the cathedral was improved for it to be worthy of the status as the seat of the diocese that gave birth to Christianity in the Far East. Click here for more photos and text »