Heritage of Cebu Monument: A Tableau of Cebu’s History

By Genie Marie D. Togono

(photo credit rightfully belongs to the owner)

Cebu is one of the most visited places by locals and foreigners in the country

every year. It has everything a tropical country has—white beaches, diving spots,

pristine waterfalls, sunny weather, variety of fresh fruits, and a lot of picture-perfect

sceneries. Cebu City was even nominated for the first ever “Seven Wonder Cities of the

World” as announced in the New Seven Wonders website. The Queen City of the

South, having a heavy historical baggage, attracts tourists not only for the natural

wonders but also for the historical authenticity of the metropolis. Cebu City, known to be

the oldest city in the Philippines, has always been transparently featured in the early

history of the country. An abundant figure of historical landmarks, antique sculptures

and old-fashioned architectures can be seen within the premise of the municipality. And

one of the most talked about and most visited landmarks in the city, is the Heritage of

Cebu Monument.

A few meters away from the Colon Street Marker and just across the street

where the famed Yap-San Diego house is located, is a historical landmark

conceptualized by Eduardo Castrillo, a renowned Filipino national artist. This landmark,

the Heritage of Cebu monument, has been showcasing the different events that

happened in the island of Cebu from the time of the early Filipinos up to the end of the

Spanish invasion since the year 2000 up to the present.

The Heritage of Cebu monument is a towering dramatic tableau of the various

significant events in the past that happened to Cebu. From the arrival of the Spaniards

through that ship called the galleon, to that fateful fight on April 1521 in the island of

Mactan where the native datu or the chieftain, Lapu-Lapu killed the Portuguese explorer

Ferdinand Magellan, to the 1896 revolution, to the devotion of the natives to the Blessed

Senior Sto. Nino, and up to the beatification of the blessed martyr Pedro Calungsod, the

structure undoubtedly displays the antiquity of the island of Cebu. However, since the

monument was commissioned by the Catholic Church, it is quite suitable that the

structure depicts more on the events that happened during the Spanish period.

One of the images shown in the colossal shrine is the baptism of Rajah

Humabon, the Rajah of Cebu at that time, who was recognized as the first ever

indigenous Cebuano to convert his religion into Roman Catholicism. After him, his wife,

and some 800 of his men were baptized by the accompanying priest of Magellan’s

expedition by the name of Padre Pedro Valderama. Humabon was christened as Carlos

in honor of Charles I of Spain while his wife was named Juana.

Another image shown in the monument is the symbolic Magellan’s Cross. Being

located at the top of the galleon, this large replica of the Magellan’s Cross represents

the Roman Catholicism brought by the colonizers, which are being symbolized by the

galleon. Having the cross placed at the topmost portion at the center of the monument,

seems to have a deeper meaning as well. The cross, being at the top, implies the

massive expansion and spread of Catholicism in Cebu and even in the most of the

country. Therefore, the cross essentially embodies the Spaniards’ possession over

Cebu and consequently, the whole Philippines.

In connection, as part of Spain’s heritage in Cebu, the intense devotion of the

innate Filipinos to the Senior Santo Nino was shown in the monument as well. The

Santo Nino, documented to be the oldest religious image of the Philippines, is a Roman

Catholic figure of faith that was given as a baptismal gift of Ferdinand Magellan to the

newly converted Reyna Juana through Antonio Pigafetta who physically handed it to the

lady. Believing it to be miraculous, it was recorded that the natives have shown a

powerful veneration to the Blessed Child Nino. Even until these days, Cebuanos’

patronage to the Blessed Sto. Nino still hasn’t faded; it seems to have gotten even

stronger. Accordingly, at the left side of the shrine, there can be seen a group of men

carrying the statue of the Blessed Saint and a group of women holding a bunch of

flowers. This picture can be determined to be religious procession of today. Behind this

image of devotion, is a sculpture of three cathedrals.

A triad of parish churches was included in the shrine and these churches are the

Basilica Minore del Sto Nino, the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and the San Juan De

Bautista Church. The three mentioned antique churches are located just meters away

from the monumental shrine and just meters away from each other. These places hold

great parts of Cebu’s history during the Spanish period. The Basilica Minore del Sto

Nino is considered to be the oldest Roman Catholic Church established in the whole

country which was strategically built on the exact area where the statue of the Santo

Nino was found by Juan de Camus. The second of the three churches featured in the

monument is the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral which is just a walking distance from the

Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino. The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is a Roman Catholic

Church built in 1909 but was rebuilt on 1950 due to the damages incurred during the

World War II. Today, the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is the apostolic seat of the

metropolitan archdiocese of Cebu. The third of the three churches displayed in the

monument is the San Juan Bautista Church situated right at the back of the monument.

According to Fe Susan Go in her “Ang Sugbo sa Karaang Panahon: An Annotated

Translation of the 1935 History of Cebu”, the San Juan Bautista Parish Church had

been described as the most magnificent church in the whole Cebu. She also stated that

there has no any other church that has been built in Cebu topped its splendor. The

original opulent church, however, was torn down by authorities in the late 1870s to end

the eras of struggle between the local mestizo community and the Spanish friars who

were battling over the control of the lavish religious structure. The only thing left after

the destruction of the original church is the San Juan de Bautista Chapel which serves

as a faint reminder of a glorious past.

Aside from various religious sculptures and Hispanic era images featured in the

sculptural monument, a sculpture of a remarkable Cebuano politician by the name of

Sergio Osmena Sr. is also fixed in the shrine. Osmena, the patriarch of one of today’s

most prominent families in Cebu, served as the fourth president of the Philippines dated

from 1944 to 1946 after the taking the throne of Manuel L. Quezon who died on 1944.

He was 65 years old then when he took the seat of Quezon, making him the oldest

Philippine president to hold office. The most remarkable part of it is that he was the first

ever Visayan—most especially a Cebuano—to become president in the country. A true

pride of Cebu, indeed!

A mixture of combined brass, concrete, bronze, steel and skillful artistry of the

famous sculptor Eduardo Castrillo was the perfect ingredient to a fruitful sculptural-

monument, the Heritage of Cebu. Conceptualization, planning, organization and

designing were thought in 1996 which was spearheaded by the artist himself, Eduardo

Castrillo together with then Honorable Mayor Alvin Garcia. The actual construction and

production of sculptures of the monument started in 1997 and had its total completion in

the year 2000. On the 8th day of December 2000, the inauguration of the Heritage of

Cebu Monument took place. The successful construction of the Heritage of Cebu

monument wouldn’t have been possible if it not for the vital contributions of some

private organizations, the City Council of Cebu, the Archdiocese of Cebu, the late

Honorable Marcelo B. Fernan, Architect Heradio Espanol, Architect Ildefonso Santos,

the Honorable Mayor Alvin Garcia and of course, the artist Eduardo Castrillo.

According to the official website of the local artist Eduardo Castrillo, it stated that

he was known as the country’s forerunner in-all metal sculpture which is described to be

the use of brass and bronze. Due to his competence and style in sculpture, different

progressive foreign countries like United States, Australia, Germany and Japan have

been commissioning him to do various artworks in their respective countries.

Regardless of the countless offers of the United States, Castrillo decided to strengthen

the roots of his nationality through art. Castrillo’s objective is to delight the beauty of his

race and reflect the sense of pride and nationality through working on monuments of the

country’s heroes and history. As part of his intention, he has this Cultural Heritage

series wherein he works on different monuments in almost every provinces of the

archipelago. It is but of great honor of Cebu to have him as the artist of the Heritage of

Cebu Monument.

The monument is located at the center of the equally historic Parian District.

According to a historian, Resil Mojares, Parian’s name was derived from the word pari-

pari which means to barter or trade. Mojares added that during the Spanish colonial

regime, the Parian District was the most high-status area of the city and was the home

to the most prominent families. Thus, there is no question why numerous ancestral

houses are situated in the district. The Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House and the Casa

Gorordo are just two of the many antique houses near the area.

During my interview to one of the current Barangay Parian’s councilor, Honorable

Alan Dilao, he said that Parian was also the residence of the “padre” or friars during the

Spanish period. During that time and up to the time when the Heritage monument was

still not built, the center of the Parian district was a triangular-shaped park. Dilao whose

family is “lumad” or indigenous in the barangay explained that the exact area where the

shrine is raised was the former plaza of the barangay. Apparently, he detailed, that the

former Parian plaza was similar to the Fuente Osmena Circle and to the Plaza

Independencia but with a different shape and size.

Juana Ejido, a resident of Barangay Parian for 15 years now, said that the

creation of the Heritage monument meant a great change for their district. She voiced

that during the years that the monument was still not there, all she could see is a simple

plaza where teenagers hang out, families enjoy and bond and where couples spend

their time together. She points out that the building of the sculptural-monument made a

substantial improvement to the community.

The Heritage of Cebu Monument is now considered a tourist spot attraction

known internally. The mammoth monument is open to all daily and there is no entrance

fee collection. Transportation will never be a problem since it can be easily accessed

because of its strategic location at the center of an intersection in the Parian District

where numerous public utility vehicles from different areas of the city pass by. It is also

near to Cebu City’s landmarks like the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino, the Cebu

Metropolitan Cathedral, the Colon Street Marker, and the Yap-San Diego Ancestral

House.

According to Elmer Solon, a Barangay Peace and Security Officer (BPSO) of

Parian District, indicated that the shrine has visitors—may it be local or foreign—every

day. He said that interested tourists should never worry about their security since they

are monitoring the safety of the place every now and then. If bad things come to worse,

don’t worry, he said because there’s a police station beside the barangay hall which is

just a few steps away from the monument.

Along with the security, the maintenance of the appearance of the monument is

also closely monitored. Councilor Dilao pointed out that the maintenance funds and

personnel come from the city government. Although, he said that the barangay also

take its part on maintaining the shrine. They constantly check on the structure if there

are vandalisms, replace the lights when needed, tend the ornamental plants

surrounding the structure and observe the sanitation in the area. He explained that the

barangay is trying its best to preserve and restore the ancient feel and presence of the

district. Thus, the lights used in the monument are designed to create an antique aura

when lit. The barangay hall’s windows are styled like old capiz windows as well.

Ancestral houses located in the area are highly promoted.

The Heritage of Cebu Monument Foundation’s vision was to propagate

pride, unity and cultural prosperity through a person’s sense of self and history. The

building of the monument was also meant to honor those people who greatly

contributed to our history through a long-term aesthetic way. To showcase the talents

and skills of the Filipinos was one of the goals of the foundation as well. having the

monument visible to every individual in the community gives people a glimpse of Cebu

during the bygone era. Indeed, the Heritage of Cebu Monument served its purpose. It

served as an aesthetic way of summarizing the broad history of Cebu.