HISTORY OF CARCAR

CARCAR CITYIt is a 3rd class city in the province of Cebu, which is located approximately 40 kilometers away from Cebu City.  This shoe capital of the South became a city on July 7, 2007.  Moreover, it also hosts the favorite delicacy among Filipinos, which is the chicharon and a home of Spanish-American structure.  The city has an area of 116.22 km² with a total of 15 barangays.

Marine LIfe   Explore colorful coral gardens, astounding wrecks and walls and wide array of different species of marine life, here at Carcar, Cebu City.  Your eyes will surely have a feast by this breathtaking view under the sea.  Carcar’s beach resorts and diving sites is now faming its way to some foreign and local tourists, expats and backpackers.  You will surely have fun in the sun here at the shoe capital of Cebu City.  Everything around in here is cool, comforting and stunning, which really gives you a total relaxation.  Stroll along the beautiful scenery of the place and watch the quaint view of the sunrise and sunset.

Old Houses   Aside from scrumptious food delicacies and numerous shoe factories, the peaceful city also hosts Old Houses way back colonial era.  There are close to 50 houses that were built around mid 80’s up to early 90 Among these old houses are: Balay Na Tisa - is a heritage house, which basks in the heart of the city.  Balay Na Tisa is also dubbed as the House of Tiles.  This old house is one of the best and painstakingly refurbished ancestral houses.  Balay na Tisa was built in 1859 by Valencia and Noel families, thus making it as the oldest structure in the city.  The house is of colonial inspired architecture wherein it reflects opulence and regal ambiance. Balay Na Kinulit - it is a house that is made of carved woods.  It never fails to attract foreign or local tourists.  This heritage house is situated in Liburon, Carcar City.  Balay Na Kinulit is one of the famous tourist spots in the city. Dakung Balay - or also known as the Big House.  The house has an impressive wooden flight of stairs, which connects the stonewalled ground floor to the wooden second storey structure. Visiting old houses in Carcar should be included in your itinerary because it is truly one of a kind.  It is one of the things that you should not miss when you visit this metropolis.

Market   As you step in Carcar’s market the first thing you will notice are the busy vendors and marketers.  Thus, making the ambiance festive and vibrant.  There are wide array of fresh vegetables, fruits, seafoods, dried fish and meat.  All are sold in reasonable prices.  Furthermore, you can also buy RTW clothes, rubber slippers, leather sandals and shoes, which are really durable because the locals especially made it.  Like any other typical Philippine market, numerous tricycles are neatly lined up waiting for a passenger.  When you are at Carcar’s public market do not forget to buy the crispy and tasty chicharon or pork skin cracklings.

Churches  The  present church of Carcar has been best admired because of its Moorish influenced architecture, Greco-Roman altar and twin bell towers that is reminiscent of minarets like those of Muslim mosque.  Furthermore, the church was fenced with coral stones and twisted irons and twelve statues of apostles have been added.  The church is popularly known as St. Catherine Church, it was named after the city’s patron saint- St. Catherine of Alexandria.  The architecture inside the church is absolutely breathtaking! Within the vicinity of the church is the sheer beauty of the plaza with cool and green surroundings that is an ideal place to hangout with friends or families.  Moreover, St. Catherine Church in Carcar is one of the most beautiful churches in Cebu.

Monuments   A city’s tourist spot is never complete without monuments.  And Carcar has never been an outcast when it comes to that.  It houses well-sculpted monuments from pristine religious statues to outstanding heroes in the country such Dr. Jose Rizal and Gen. Leon Kilat.  Each monument depicts an impressive work of sculpting and carving.  Furthermore, these monuments were basked in an ideal place, which can be easily seen by passersby.  And it is also a walking distance to Carcar’s commercial and business establishments.  The pallid color of the monuments adds an enchanting aura of this astounding man made creation/s.

Shoes   Carcar is dubbed as the shoe capital of the Queen City of the South.  Shoes have been etched its place in Carcaranon’s (locals of Carcar) soul.  Thus, making its populace and the city famous for making durable and affordable footwear.  Most foreign or local tourists never fail to drop by at Carcar and buy chic footwear that is really sold in reasonable rates.  In addition, as you travel around Carcar you can see a gigantic shoe that is on display.  This lone enormous shoe is one of the widely known tourist attractions of the city.

Foods   One of the trademarks in Carcar City is its well-known delicacies such as the infamous chicharon (pork skin cracklings), ampaw (puffed rice) and bucarillo, which is made of young coconut and coated with sugar.  These are just one of the delectable delicacies in Carcar.  Most expats and backpackers will not leave Carcar without a grab of these yummy treats.  A bite of these goodies will surely let you crave for some more!

School   Another thing to see in Carcar is the St.Catherine School, one of the most prestigious schools in the city.  What makes it a place to see is the huge azure rosary that hovers atop the school’s arch.  Furthermore, the façade of the school resembles like of Spanish colonial inspired architecture.  The school was founded on June 15, 1923 by Fr. Anastacio del Corro with the assistance of the four Belgian sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Geography Carcar is located approximately 40 km south of Cebu City. It is bounded on the north by San Fernando; on the south by Sibonga; on the west by Bariliand Aloguinsan; and on the east by the Bohol Strait. It has a land area of approximately 116.78 km². The land is generally level with less than 18% slope composing of 78.7% of the total land area. Areas with slopes ranging from 18 to 50% cover 19.3% of the total land area and those over 50% slope comprise approximately 1.9%. The highest recorded elevation is a little over 660 meters above sea level, located within the barangay of Napo. The wet season occurs during the months of May to October and the dry season, from January to May. Tourist Trail The Heritage City of Cebu, Carcar is home to various Spanish to American period structures. The Carcar plaza alone hosts several Heritage structures, the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria dominates the area. Within the complex various structures stand. Walking towards Sta. Catalina street one will surely be astonished with the quaint houses and their distinctive architectural details. A visit to Carcar wouldn't be complete without sampling its mouth-watering delights. Surrounding the Rotunda and in the public market one will find the famous Carcar chicharon, lechon, ampao, bucarillo, gogorias and puso are just some delectable delicacies worth tasting. Carcar Delicacy: Bucarillo Cityhood Carcar became a city on July 7, 2007. On November 19, 2008, The City of Carcar was demoted along with 2 other cities in Cebu and 13 other cities in the Philippines. The Supreme Court ruled that the 16 cities did not pass the requirements for cityhood.[2] On December 10, 2008, Carcar and the other 15 cities affected filed a motion for reconsideration with the Supreme Court. More than a year later, on December 22, 2009, acting on said appeal, the Court reversed its earlier ruling as it ruled that "at the end of the day, the passage of the amendatory law (regarding the criteria for cityhood as set by Congress) is no different from the enactment of a law, i.e., the cityhood laws specifically exempting a particular political subdivision from the criteria earlier mentioned. Congress, in enacting the exempting law/s, effectively decreased the already codified indicators."[3] As such, the cityhood status of Carcar is effectively restored. On August 27, 2010, Carcar City in Cebu is now plain old Carcar again. It shares the fate of 15 other cities, after the Supreme Court reinstated a 2008 decision declaring as “unconstitutional" the cityhood laws converting 16 municipalities into cities.[4] A previous law required towns aspiring to become cities to earn at least P100 million annually, which none of the 16 did. Voting 7-6, with two justices not taking part, the SC reinstated its Nov. 18, 2008 decision declaring as unconstitutional the Republic Acts (RAs) converting 16 municipalities into cities. On February 17, 2011, the supreme court upheld for the 3rd time the cityhood of Naga and 15 other towns in the Philippines. [5] Barangays A monument at the center of the Carcar rotunda, on the main highway. Carcar is administratively subdivided into 15 barangays. Bolinawan Buenavista Calidngan Can-asujan Guadalupe Liburon Napo Ocaña Perrelos Poblacion I Poblacion II Poblacion III Tuyom Valencia Valladolid Maxipit Notable People of Carcar Origin Professor Brigido Lakandazon A popular composer-arranger-conductor is a Carcaranon by blood. He’s the composer of the nationally famous overture of “Juan de la Cruz.” Juan de la Cruz was performed by the Philippine Constabulary Band at a concert in Luneta. Vicente M. Florido Composer of “Inahan Kong Yuta”, “Drifted” and “Babaeng Pilipinhon” ( is a Carcaranon.) Other Carcaranon composers were: Placido Bargayo, Ruter de la Cerna, Diosdado Alferez and Antonio Abellana who was also a violinist. Fr. Rodolfo Villanueva Known as one of the Philippine’s best English fictitionists, composer-arranger-conductor. Villanueva got his master in music composition and arrangement at Mankato University in Minnesota, U.S.A. He also finished his M.A. in literature in this university. Romulo Galicano One of Martino Abellana’s student; one of the outstanding impressionist painters in Manila. Romulo, also known as “mulong” was also under the direction of Sofronio Y. Mendoza ( a popular Sugboanon painter). Abellana’s, Galicano’s and Mendoza’s works were placed on critical reviews in the “Orientation Magazine” in Hongkong. Their pencil sketches were also included in Alfredo Rocec’s “Filipino Nudes.” Bishop Teofilo Camomot Carcar fiesta to feature Kabkaban festival A fiesta procession called the Kabkaban Festival of Carcar 2007 will highlight the fiesta celebration of Carcar, Cebu on Nov. 24. The procession will feature the life and martyrdom of the town's patron saint, St. Catherine of Alexandria. Four carrozas carrying life-size religious statues will respectively depict the Emperor's marriage proposal to Catherine, the Broken Wheel, Catherine's beheading and the transport of her body by angels to Mt. Sinai in Egypt. More than 100 dancers from the St. Catherine College of Carcar wearing colorful costumes and specially designed lantern headgear and carrying hand lights will illuminate the procession route. They will accompany the four carrozas along with the main fiesta carroza carrying the image of St. Catherine. A grand finale fireworks display will end the Kabkaban Festival 2007, The Festival of Lights at the church plaza. The Carcar Heritage Conservation Society (CHCS), a local non-government organization, the Carro and Icon Caretakers’ Organization of the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Catherine's College and the school’s alumni association are pooling in their talents and resources to produce this year's Kabkaban Festival of Lights. “We invite all our fellow Carcaranons and visitors to join us as we pay homage to our beloved patron, St. Catherine of Alexandria. This year, we are starting a new fiesta tradition by depicting her martyrdom in our solemn evening procession with three organizations that are pillars of Carcar's heritage. For the first time, we are using religious santos and carrozas to propagate the devotion to St. Catherine and make her story known to more people,” said Val Sandiego, CHCS president and Kabkaban Festival director. Carcar's cultural heritage festival gets its name from the Kabkaban, an abundant and hardy tree climbing fern mostly seen on the branches of sprawling rows of old acacia trees lining the national highway in barangay Perrelos, Carcar.