When you go on a road trip to the southern part of Cebu, the first place you will visit is the City of Talisay. Talisay was originally an estate established by the Augustinians in 1648 before it became a municipality in 1849. The town also played an important role in the history of Cebu since it was the haven of colonial military forces during the American occupation and World War 2. The beaches of Talisay also served as the landing point of returning American forces in the liberation of Cebu during World War 2.
After Talisay City, you can visit the town of Minglanilla. The old name of the town is “Buat” since the place was where early settlers used to lay out their fresh bounties from the sea to dry (buad or buat). Minglanilla is also known as the Sugat Capital of the South since it holds the Kabanhawan Festival on Easter Sunday of each year. The term Kabanhawan is Cebuano for resurrection.
Naga is the next place on our list of places to visit when you go on a road trip to the south of Cebu. Before the coming of the Spaniards, Naga was already a thriving community. Settlers from different places in the archipelago were attracted to the rich fishing grounds of the place. The discovery of coal deposits in the town laid the foundations of the coal industry of Naga.
Our next stop after Naga City is the town of San Fernando. San Fernando was once a part of Naga before the leaders of four barangays petitioned civil and religious authorities to give them autonomy. A Royal Decree was issued in 1858 that led to the merging of the barangays. The town was initially named San Isidro Labrador before it was changed to San Fernando in honor of Father Fernando Sanchez.
The Heritage City of Carcar is our next stop in our journey to the southern part of Cebu. Carcar City is also called the Heritage City of Cebu due to the presence of numerous houses and structures from the Spanish and American periods. But before it was called Carcar, the place was once called Sialo, which was a thriving community that traded with visiting Chinese merchants. When the Spaniards arrived, the community became a town named Valladolid. But the natives called the place Kabkab, which comes from the name of a sturdy fern that can be found in the area, the kabkaban. The name was later changed to Carcar by a Spanish priest after a town located in Navarra, Spain. Aside from being called the Heritage City of Cebu, Carcar is also known as the Shoe Capital of Cebu due to its thriving shoe industry.