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Cebu

Charter Day of the City of Talisay

Charter Day of the City of Talisay celebrates the conversion of Talisay from a municipality to a component city. It is observed every January 12 which is a special non-working holiday in Talisay City, Cebu, Philippines and the observance is in accordance to Republic Act No. 9778. The city also celebrates the patronal feast of St. Therese of Avila every October called Halad Inasal Festival.

History of Talisay City, Cebu

Talisay City is a third-class, coastal city located about twelve kilometers to the south of Cebu City. It is here that the first recorded rebellion in the island of Cebu occurred when the natives opposed the Spaniards in 1589, but their struggle was unsuccessful as the colonizers suppressed and ended their resistance. It became a parcel of the vast estate of the Augustinian friars in 1648.

In the 19th century, it became a major player in the sugar industry, an episode of its history that seems lost in the present day. As the port of Cebu was opened to global trading, sugar became one of the lucrative export products and so vast fields in the towns of Cebu were planted with sugarcane particularly in Mandaue, Toledo, Balamban, and Medellin. Talisay may not not the biggest producer of the crop, but it benefited from the industry for its strategic location. Sugarcane coming from other towns were processed in its milling station before being moved to the city and shipped to foreign markets.

Its church ceded from San Nicolas and became a parish in 1834. The colonial-era stone church placed under the patronage of Santa Teresa de Avila was built in 1836 and, after it was damaged from a typhoon in 1877, repaired in 1880. The municipality was also founded in 1849, installing Silverio Fernandez as the first gobernadorcillo and Pedro Labuca as kapitan.

The mill however was razed at the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution, which also spelled the end of the sugar boom. Its townspeople joined the cause against the Spaniards, the most notable of whom were the Cuatro Aliños who were brothers Potenciano, Hilario, Felix, and Suplicio. Despite the discovery of the Spaniards of the planned rebellion and the postponement of the uprising to a later date, the Cuatro Aliños carried out an ambush against the Spanish unit sent to Talisay on April 2, making them the first Katupineros in Cebu who struck the first blow against the Spanish forces.

The brothers would later on engage in the movement against the Americans. The Americans built a sugar mill in the village of Mohon. It succumbed to the decline of the sugar industry when limits on exports from the country to the United States were set and was one of the edifices destroyed during the war.

Moreover, the town figured in prominently in the liberation of the island of Cebu when 132nd and 182nd Infantry Regiments of the US 401st Division landed in its eastern seaboard on March 6, 1945 under Operation Victor II of General Douglas MacArthur.

Talisay became a component city by virtue of Republic Act No. 8979 on January 12, 2001 and Eduardo R. Gullas became its first mayor. Then Republic Act No. 9778 was signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on November 17, 2009 that institutionalized the observance of its Charter Day as a special non-working holiday every January 12.

How to reach Talisay City, Cebu

Talisay City can be reached through the national highway and South Road Properties from the north. One can book a flight to Mactan International Aiport and catch a cab or bus trips from the terminal.

References

Charter Day of the City of Talisay Summary

NameCharter Day of the City of Talisay
CelebrationCharter Day
Contact+6332-272 5100
CountryPhilippines
DateJanuary 12
Duration1 day
EstablishedJanuary 12, 2001
Facebookwww.facebook.com
Historical eventCharter Day of Talisay City
LocationTalisay City, Cebu
OrganizerCity Government of Talisay
Websitetalisaycitycebu.gov.ph