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VISAYAS |
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THE ISLAND OF
VISAYAS
The Festival
Islands
The Visayas:
The Visayas is a
group of islands between Luzon and Mindanao. The main
islands are Samar, Panay, Negros, Cebu and Leyte, the
latter famous as the island first sighted by the Spanish
explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the 16th century and as
the landing point for the American liberation forces in
1944. Samar and Leyte are linked by the San Juanico
Bridge, the longest in the country.
Cebu
City:
is the main resort of the Visayas. Cebu is
the most densely populated island, a commercial centre
with an international harbour, and the Philippines'
second city. Sights include Magellan's Cross, a wooden
cross planted by Magellan himself over 450 years ago to
commemorate the baptism into the Christian faith of
Rajah Humabon and his wife Juana with 800 followers, and
Fort San Pedro, the oldest and smallest Spanish fort in
the country, which was built on the orders of Spanish
conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1565.
Carcar:
town, south of Cebu City, has
many preserved Castillian houses, gardens and churches.
The Chapel of the Last Supper in Mandaue City features
hand-carved life-size statues of Christ and his apostles
dating back to Spanish times. The Magellan Monument on
Mactan Island was raised in 1886 to mark the spot where
Magellan died, felled by the fierce chieftain, Datu
Lapu-Lapu, who refused to submit to the Spanish
conquerors. There is also a monument to Datu Lapu-Lapu
honouring him as the first Filipino patriot. Maribago is
the centre of the region's guitar-making industry. As
well as many historical sites there are popular hotels,
beach clubs and resorts.
Iloilo:
on
Panay is an agricultural province producing root crops,
vegetables, cocoa, coffee and numerous tropical fruits.
The attractions include beach resorts and, in Iloilo
City (reached by air), the 18th-century Miagao Church, a
unique piece of Baroque colonial architecture with a
facade decorated with impressions of coconut and papaya
trees. Sicogon Island is a haven for scuba divers, and
has mountains and virgin forests to explore. Boracay
Island is another such island paradise, accessible by
air via Kalibo, followed by a bus or jeepney ride to
Malay, and finally by ferry or pumpboat to Cataclan. A
survey considered its powdery-fine white-sand beach to
be amongst the best in the world.
Bohol
Island:
, just across the straits from Cebu in
Central Visayas, is the site of some of the country's
most fascinating natural wonders; hundreds of limestone
hills, some 30m (100ft) high, that in summer look like
oversized chocolate drops, earning them the name
'Chocolate Hills'. Covered by thin grass that dries and
turns brown in the summer sun, they are a strange
spectacle with mounds rising up from the flatlands, and
are situated about 55km (34 miles) northeast of
Tagbilaran City, the island's capital. Bohol also offers
handsome white sand beaches and pretty secluded coves,
accessible via good roads. The island is a
coconut-growing area and its local handicrafts are
mostly of woven materials: grass mats, hats and baskets.
Baclayon Church merits a visit, as it is probably the
oldest stone church in the Philippines, dating back to
1595. The island can be reached by plane or ferry. The
air journey from Cebu to Tagbilaran takes 40 minutes.
Ferries go from Cebu to Tagbilaran or Tubigon, another
port north of the capital
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