2019, December 16. Province of Cebu, 450th Anniversary
Litho Offset, Amstar Printing Company, Inc., Perf 14
Singles, Sheets of 40
12p Cebu Provincial Capitol Building - Singles (60,000)
Graphic Artist: Irma Jane C. Junio
Photos Provided by: Provincial Government of Cebu
First Day Covers: Manila & Cebu City
PROVINCE OF CEBU (1569 – 2019) – 450th ANNIVERSARY
Cebu Province celebrates its founding anniversary every August 6th, recalling the order of King Philip II dated August 6, 1569 conferring upon the Spanish conquistador, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the title Governor of the Island of Cebu. On 16 January 1571, Legazpi declared the city of Cab, (then called the Gudro' do! SantJsimo Nomdre de Jesus) as the capital (cabecera) of the province.
In the decades that followed, the province began to take shape through the apportionment of native settlements into encomiendes or land grants to loyal Spanish military officers while pioneering Augustinian missionaries endeavored to spread Christianity. The mission stations they established in turn gave birth to the first towns of Cebu.
The Cebu Capitol was declared by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines as a National Historical Landmark in 2009. Today the first woman Governor of Cebu, Gov. Gwendolyn F. Garcia, now on her fourth and unprecedented gubernatorial term, holds office at this same venerable edifice as the province marks its 450" year not only as the country's oldest but also its premier province.
Cebu grows coconut, sugercane, abaca, bananas, tobacco and rootcrops, but the main agricultural product grown is corn. The province is also popular for its grapes, mangoes, and cut flowers.
The island is rich in mineral resources. One of the biggest copper mines in Asia is in Toledo City. Other deposits include gold, silver, iron and coal.
Industries include the production of cement, fertilizer, paper, coconut oil and beer. The MEPZ (Mactan Economic Processing Zone) industrial park is the site of big foreign as well as local companies. Handicrafts made of bamboo, wood, and shells can also be found.
Outside Metro Manila, Metro Cebu is considered as the largest and most progressive urban center in the country.
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Historical Event