What to See in Cebu - Top Sights and Attractions

18th-century Spanish fort, now a museum. Fuerte de San Pedro is a military defense structure in Cebu, built by the Spanish under the command of Miguel López de Legazpi, first governor of the Captaincy General of the Philippines. It is located in the area now called Plaza Independencia, in the pier area of the city. The original fort was made of wood and built after the arrival of Legazpi and his expedition. In the early 17th century a stone fort was built to repel Muslim raiders. Today's structure dates from 1738 and is the oldest triangular bastion fort in the country. It served as the nucleus of the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. During the Philippine Revolution at the end of the 19th century, it was attacked and taken by Filipino revolutionaries, who used it as a stronghold.^[1]

Historic church with a revered statue. The Basílica Menor del Santo Niño de Cebú, commonly known as Santo Niño Basilica, is a basilica in Cebu City in the Philippines that was founded in 1565 by Fray Andrés de Urdaneta and Fray Diego de Herrera. It is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the country, allegedly built on the spot where the image of the Santo Niño de Cebú was found during the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi.

This image of the Child Jesus is the same presented by Ferdinand Magellan to the chief consort of Rajah Humabon on the occasion of their royal Baptism to Roman Catholicism on 14 April 1521. The image was found by a soldier named Juan de Camuz forty years later, preserved in a wooden box, after Legazpi had razed a local village. When Pope Paul VI made the church a basilica in 1965, he declared it to be "the symbol of the birth and growth of Christianity in the Philippines."

The present building was completed from 1739–1740, and was designated by the Holy See as the "Mother and Head of all Churches in the Philippines".^[2]

Taoist temple in Cebu, Philippines. Cebu Taoist Temple is a Taoist temple located in Beverly Hills Subdivision of Cebu City, Philippines. The temple is built by Cebu's substantial Filipino-Chinese community in 1972. With an elevation of 110 metres above sea level, the temple is a towering, multi-tiered, multi-hued attraction accessible by three separate winding routes.

Unlike the neighboring Phu Sian Temple, the Taoist temple is open to the worshipers and non-worshipers alike. A ritual among devotees is where one prays to the gods to grant one's wish. The ritual includes washing of hands, going inside the chapel barefoot and dropping two blocks of wood. If the blocks of wood are both face up then one could make a wish. If not then it is not yet the time for one's wish to be granted and one has to come to the temple some other time.

The temple is the center of worship for Taoism, the religion which follows the teachings of the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Zi. Another ritual among Taoist devotees, which is done during Wednesdays and Sundays, is the climbing of its 81 steps (representing the 81 chapters of Taoism scriptures) to light joss sticks and have their fortune read by the monks.

Some guide books and travel agencies offer trips to the temple or as a side-trip in a tour around Cebu City. But it is more popular with grade school students.

The entrance to the temple was a replica of the Great Wall of China. The temple includes a chapel, a library, a souvenir shop and a wishing well. The spacious balconies offer a scenic view of the downtown Cebu.^[5]

Arena in Cebu, Philippines. The Cebu Coliseum is an indoor arena in Cebu City, Philippines. Its seating capacity is around 5,000. The coliseum hosts various sports events and concerts in Cebu and is the primary venue for CESAFI games. It was also the home of the Cebu Gems of the defunct MBA. On August 4, 1962, one of the first events it hosted was a fight between hometown hero Gabriel "Flash" Elorde and Japanese boxer Terou Kosaka. It was their second of their four fights in a span of 4 years. In March 24, 1979 the first National Arnis Championships. It also become a selected games in the Philippine Basketball Association since 1975 and also host of the 1982 PBA All-Star Series, 1998 PBA All-Star Weekend and 2004 PBA All-Star Weekend.^[6]

Building in Cebu, Philippines. The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, officially known as the Metropolitan Cathedral and Parish of Saint Vitalis and of the Immaculate Conception, is the ecclesiastical seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu in Cebu, Philippines. Cebu was established as a diocese on August 14, 1595. It was elevated as a metropolitan archdiocese on April 28, 1934, with the dioceses of Dumaguete, Maasin, Tagbilaran, and Talibon as suffragans. Before being raised as a primatial church in Cebu, the church was one of the first churches in the Philippines dedicated to St. Vitalis and built near the fort in April 1565 by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, Fray Andrés de Urdaneta and Fray Diego de Herrera.

Construction of the cathedral took many years due to frequent interruptions, brought about by lack of funds and other unexpected events. At one time, funds meant for the building of the cathedral were diverted to the Moro wars. The death of an incumbent bishop who spearheaded the construction/reconstruction and vacancies in the office were also factors.

The architecture of the church is typical of Spanish colonial churches in the country, namely, squat and with thick walls to withstand typhoons and other natural calamities. The facade features a trefoil-shaped pediment, which is decorated with carved relieves of floral motifs, an IHS inscription and a pair of griffins. The Spanish Royal Coat of Arms is emblazoned in low relief above the main entrance, reflecting perhaps the contribution of the Spanish monarch to its construction.

During World War II, much of the cathedral was destroyed by Allied bombings of the city. Only the belfry (built in 1835), the façade, and the walls remained. It was quickly rebuilt in the 1950s under the supervision of architect Jose Ma. Zaragosa, during the incumbency of Archbishop Gabriel Reyes.

In 1982, a mausoleum was built at the back of the sacristy at the initiation of Archbishop Julio Cardinal Rosales. It serves as a final resting place for the remains of Cebu's bishops and clergy. Cardinal Rosales, who died three months after inauguration of the mausoleum, is interred there along with Archbishop Manuel Salvador, a coadjutor archbishop of Cebu, Archbishop Mariano Gaviola, the archbishop of Lipa (1981–1993), and most recently, Cardinal Rosales' successor, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal. The remains of Bishop Juan Bautista Gorordo, the first Filipino and Cebuano bishop of Cebu, are also interred there.

The cathedral was renovated for the 75th anniversary celebration on April 28, 2009, of the elevation of Cebu into an archdiocese. An application is pending at the Vatican for the cathedral's elevation into a minor basilica in honor of St. Vitalis, an early Christian martyr. His feast day coincides with the day the image of the Sto. Niño de Cebu was found almost 450 years ago, as well as the anniversary of the elevation of Cebu into an archdiocese.

The present cathedral rector and moderator of the team of pastors is Reverend Monsignor Ruben C. Labajo, P.C., who was appointed in 2014. He succeeded Msgr. Roberto F. Alesna, P.A. who was named moderator of the team of pastors of the Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of Saint Therese in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.

Endowed with the status of a full-fledged parish, the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral comprises the civil barangays of Tinago, San Roque, Santo Niño, T. Padilla, Day-as, Tejero, and Parian, all located in the southeastern and downtown area of Cebu City.^[8]

The Cebu City Hall is the official seat of government of the City of Cebu, located in Barangay Santo Niño, Cebu City, Philippines. Composed of two buildings namely the Executive Building and the Legislative Building, it is where the Mayor of Cebu City holds office and houses the Cebu City Council. It also hosts several offices under the Cebu City Government.

In 2006, the city government spent ₱120 million to renovate its legislative building, where ₱15 million came from the Philippine Tourism Authority, and was officially inaugurated by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on July 24, 2008 along with the new Plaza Sugbo.

With the aim to decongest traffic in the city's downtown area, then mayor Michael Rama proposed in 2015 the transfer of the Cebu City Hall to the South Road Properties and convert the said building into a museum as it was close to significant historical landmarks of the city such as the Basilica del Santo Niño, Magellan's Cross, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Fort San Pedro, Plaza Independencia, and Cathedral Museum of Cebu, among others. He was taking a page on constructing a government complex from Putrajaya which is Malaysia's seat of government.^[10]