City Government Readies for the 2025 Cebu Heritage Awards

What are the things that have contributed to Cebu’s historical identity? 

Heritage sites, local businesses, and important individuals have promoted many aspects that define the Cebuano lifestyle. To recognize their importance, the Cebu City government launched the Cebu Heritage Awards (CHA). 

First opened in 2023, the CHA recognizes individuals and institutions who have made an effort in preserving Cebu’s culture and history by highlighting important traditions, art forms, and even historical sites.  

Organized by the City Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC), it has recognized a total of 14 names in the past two years, ranging from local artisans to decades-old businesses.  

As reported by The Freeman, the event’s third iteration in 2025 will recognize even more institutions, now including “cultural practices and other forms of tangible and intangible heritage within the city.” (2025) 

Winners are determined by nominations, which the CHAC officially opened through an announcement on their Facebook Page posted on April 7, 2025. 

Nominees are divided into five specific categories used by the Philippine Heritage Awards: 

Heritage Education and Interpretation – publications, performances, events, exhibitions, displays, and tours.

Heritage Programs Support – organizations preserving cultural traditions.

Built Heritage – conservation of constructed sites including bridges, government buildings, and train stations. 

Conservation – Movable Cultural Properties – conservation of movable heritage items such as artifacts, antiques, and artworks. 

Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage – preservation of oral traditions, usages, customs, languages, and other expressions.

Voters may nominate their chosen individual through the Google Form links posted in the announcement on the CHAC Facebook Page. 

Deadline for the submission of nominations is May 2, 2025. 

PREVIOUS WINNERS

The first iteration of the event recognized a total of 11 institutions, namely: 

• 1730 Jesuit House – former Cebu residence of the Jesuits turned museum.
  
• Archdiocesan Museum of Cebu – preserves several religious artifacts.
  
• Casa Gorordo Museum – showcases the life of the first Cebuano bishop and his family.
• Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House – the oldest ancestral house in the city.
• Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu – home of the original image of the Sto. Niño. 
• Magellan’s Cross – marks the exact location for the first baptism in Cebu.
• Shamrock Bakery – preserves notable Cebuano delicacies, especially otap.
• La Fortuna Bakery – one of the oldest bakeries in the city, specializing in Chinese Filipino desserts.
• University of San Carlos – one of Cebu’s oldest universities, with several heritage programs.
• Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. – opened the Kabilin Center to feature Cebuano artwork and started the Gabii sa Kabilin.
• Mr. Richelieu Colina of Lagang Crafts – preserving the dying Cebuano artcraft of transforming nautilus shells into floral arrangements.

A year later, three more were added: 

• Circa 1900 – fusion restaurant in a Filipino ancestral house.
• La Filipina Guitars – a decades-old guitar factory tucked within Cebu City.
• Doce Pares – a school teaching 12 important styles of the Filipino martial art known as Arnis.

POTENTIAL WINNERS

• Chorizo de Cebu 

Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia had already mentioned in February his plans to highlight Chorizo de Cebu for this year’s CHA as a way to introduce a more culinary heritage to the event. 

He said this during the first Chorizo de Cebu festival a few days before Cebu City Charter Day, showing interest in communicating with the original makers of the local recipe.

• Puso-making

Puso or hanging rice is popular in many Cebu eateries as an alternative to traditional white rice. It is a beloved delicacy that started as an offering and has since become a street food staple. 

Puso-weaving continues to thrive in the mountainous barangay of Taptap, where generations of Cebuanos weave piles of rice every day. Recognition from the CHA will highlight both an important culinary offering and an overlooked artform. 

• Sugbo Chinese Heritage Museum

What was formerly the Gotiaoco Building in downtown Cebu City has been converted into a museum preserving important documents and artifacts from the Chinese Filipino community in Cebu. 

Aside from this, remnants of the Gotiaoco Building, the first structure in the city with an elevator and air conditioning, are still present as parts of the exhibit. 

• Jumalon Butterfly Sanctuary

An open garden with a hidden museum inside, this lesser-known art gallery preserves lepido mosaics (paintings made from butterfly wings) that were the original creation of Cebuano artist Julian Jumalon. 

Aside from lepido mosaics, it also preserves many of Julian’s artworks, including movie posters and signs for special social events.