Lapu-Lapu City

The island of Mactan was already a thriving settlement before it was colonized by Spain in the 16th century. It was a strong ally of the Lakanate of Lawan, a prosperous kingdom in Samar. Datu Hadi Iberein ruled the Lakanate of Lawan. He was described by historian William Henry Scott as a "Samar datu by the name of Iberein was rowed out to a Spanish vessel anchored in his harbor in 1543 by oarsmen collared in gold; while wearing on his own person earrings and chains." ^[10]

The municipality of Opon was founded by the Augustinian missionaries in 1730. It was ceded to the Jesuits in 1737, and later restored to the Augustinians. When the Philippine Revolution spread to the Visayas in 1898, the people organized themselves into local revolutionary units.

In the 16th century, Mactan Island was colonized by Spain. Augustinian friars re-founded the town of Opon as a Christian town in 1730, and it became a city in 1961.^[11] It was renamed after Datu Lapulapu, the island's chieftain, who led the attack against the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 in the Battle of Mactan,^[11] commemorated at Mactan Shrine in Barangay Mactan, the site where Magellan led a landing party of 49 men to force Lapulapu to submit to the authority of Spain. He and his men were confronted by some 1,500 Mactan warriors, who killed Ferdinand Magellan, along with several other members of his expedition.

During the Filipino-American War, a military government was established. The continued resistance of the people of Cebu prompted the American government to restore military control over the province on July 17, 1901. In 1905, Opon held its first municipal election, and Pascual de la Serna was elected town president. He was a member of the De la Serna family. Following the outbreak of World War II, the presence of bulk oil storage tanks in Opon made the town an object of Japanese raids a week after the outbreak of WWII in December 1941. The enemy aircraft succeeded in blowing up two of about fourteen oil storage tanks in Opon. A unit of the Kawaguchi Detachment of the Japanese Imperial Forces landed on the east coast of Cebu on April 10, 1942. Later, the resistance movement was organized by Colonel James M. Cushing, leader of the southern and central units, and Harry Fenton of the northern unit of the Cebu Resistance Movement.

During the Battle of the Visayas, Victor II operations of the American Division led by Major General William Arnold landed in Cebu on March 26, 1945, and subsequently liberated the province.

Historically, the city includes the site of the Battle of Mactan. On August 1, 1973, by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 2060, President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared the site of the battle a national shrine; the preservation, restoration and/or reconstruction of which shall be under the supervision and control of the National Historical Commission in collaboration with the Department of Tourism. Mactan is also the birthplace of Leonila Dimataga-Garcia, wife of Carlos P. Garcia, the fourth President of the Republic. Leonila Dimataga-Garcia was a relative of the wife of Lapu-Lapu City's former mayor Ernest Weigel Jr. (1992–2001, three terms) who was the richest mayor in Metro Cebu, with a net worth of ₱57 million in the early 2000s. Both Leonila and Ernest were members of the De la Serna family.

Lapu-Lapu is bounded on the north by the main island of Cebu, to the west by Cebu City and Mactan Channel, on the east by the Camotes Sea, and on the south by the town of Cordova.

The city occupies Mactan Island, a few kilometers off the main island of Cebu. It also has some of the barangays under its jurisdiction on the Olango Island Group. The city is linked to Mandaue on mainland Cebu by the Mactan-Mandaue Bridge and Marcelo Fernan Bridges.

Barangays

Lapu-Lapu is politically subdivided into 30 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

More information PSGC, Barangay ...

PSGC	Barangay	Population			±% p.a.		Area		PD 2024
		2024[18]		2010[19]			ha	acre	/km2	/sq mi
072226001	Agus	3.9%	19,525	15,767	▴	1.50%
072226002	Babag	6.2%	30,839	22,756	▴	2.14%	307	759	10,000	26,000
072226003	Bankal	4.6%	22,863	20,872	▴	0.64%	201	497	11,000	29,000
072226004	Baring	0.8%	3,870	3,353	▴	1.00%	91	225	4,300	11,000
072226005	Basak	14.5%	71,990	59,873	▴	1.29%	603	1,490	12,000	31,000
072226006	Buaya	3.8%	19,078	16,072	▴	1.20%	271	670	7,000	18,000
072226007	Calawisan	3.2%	15,740	11,454	▴	2.24%	957	2,365	1,600	4,300
072226008	Canjulao	2.9%	14,451	13,245	▴	0.61%	156	385	9,300	24,000
072226011	Caubian	0.5%	2,429	2,272	▴	0.47%
072226009	Caw‑oy	0.4%	2,226	1,837	▴	1.35%	162,900	402,542	1.4	3.5
072226010	Cawhagan	0.1%	694	638	▴	0.59%	55,900	138,134	1.2	3.2
072226012	Gun‑ob	7.6%	37,989	31,219	▴	1.38%
072226013	Ibo	1.7%	8,318	8,126	▴	0.16%
072226014	Looc	3.1%	15,411	16,016	▾	−0.27%
072226015	Mactan	10.2%	50,964	33,465	▴	2.97%
072226016	Maribago	3.8%	18,954	16,591	▴	0.93%
072226017	Marigondon	5.1%	25,584	19,713	▴	1.83%
072226018	Pajac	4.4%	22,116	17,402	▴	1.68%
072226019	Pajo	5.2%	25,845	20,999	▴	1.46%
072226020	Pangan‑an	0.5%	2,348	2,070	▴	0.88%
072226021	Poblacion[a]	1.3%	6,238	5,581	▴	0.78%
072226022	Punta Engaño	2.3%	11,425	8,753	▴	1.87%
072226024	Pusok	6.6%	32,791	28,810	▴	0.91%
072226025	Sabang	1.4%	6,910	6,091	▴	0.88%
072226031	San Vicente	0.8%	4,209	3,854	▴	0.62%
072226026	Santa Rosa	1.1%	5,388	4,302	▴	1.58%
072226027	Subabasbas	1.6%	7,961	6,288	▴	1.66%
072226028	Talima	1.2%	5,973	5,734	▴	0.28%
072226029	Tingo	0.6%	3,231	3,088	▴	0.32%
072226030	Tungasan	0.5%	2,244	1,871	▴	1.27%
	Total		497,813	350,467	▴	2.47%	5,810	14,357	8,600	14

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Lapu-Lapu's residents mainly speak Cebuano, the local language. English is also widely spoken and understood, due to the influx of foreign nationals in the city. ^[25][26]Due to the large number of resorts and retirement homes in the city, as well as the growing number of ESL schools, the city also hosts a number of Japanese, Korean, and Chinese speakers.

Poverty incidence of Lapu-Lapu

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]}

Lapu-Lapu City is part of Metro Cebu, the second-most important metropolitan area in the Philippines. It has benefited from the economic rise of Cebu in the 1990s and 2000s, also known as Ceboom.

Mactan–Cebu International Airport, the primary airport serving Cebu, is located in the city. The airport has direct routes with international destinations, including East and Southeast Asia. These connections have given way for tourism to emerge as a major part of the city's economy. Several resorts are located in the city, most of which are concentrated along the eastern coast of the island in the barangays of Marigondon, Maribago, Mactan, and Punta Engaño.

The city is home to several industrial zones, such as Mactan Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) and the Cebu Light Industrial Park (CLIP). Other large industries include: General Milling Company, one of the largest food companies in the Philippines; the Cebu Shipyard and Engineering Works, pioneered by Dad Cleland; and several oil companies, such as Royal Dutch Shell.

Mactan Newtown, a 30-hectare (74-acre) integrated township currently being developed by Megaworld Corporation is also located in the city. Currently, it is home to business process outsourcing (BPO) offices, hotels, residential towers, a school, restaurants, retail shops, and a beach.^[36] Future developments include the Mactan Expo Center which is expected to open by the end of 2025, the Mactan World Museum that's expected to open in 2027, and additional residential towers.^[37][38][39]

Mayors of Lapu-Lapu City:

• 1938–1967: Mariano Dimataga
• 1968–1986: Maximo V. Patalinjug
• 1986–1988: Silvestre T. Dignos
• 1988–1991: Maximo V. Patalinjug
• 1992–2001: Ernest H. Weigel
• 2001–2010: Arturo O. Radaza
• 2010–2019: Paz C. Radaza
• 2019–2025: Junard Q. Chan
• 2025-present: Cynthia K. Chan

Mariano Dimataga's term was interrupted during the years 1941–1945. Teodulo Tomakin and later Eugenio Araneta were appointed as town mayors. They later escaped from the Japanese, Jorge Tampus took over. During the Allied liberation by the combined Filipino-American forces, year 1945 Mariano Dimataga resumed his interrupted term.

Lapu-Lapu City's history centers on the 16th-century chieftain Datu Lapulapu. The city commemorates his legacy through the annual Kadaugan sa Mactan festival, which features reenactments of the 1521 Battle of Mactan and demonstrations of Arnis, an indigenous stick-fighting martial art associated with the event.^[40]

The local population observes a Roman Catholic devotion to the Virgen de Regla (Our Lady of the Rule). This 18th-century wooden icon is honored every November with a city fiesta, novenas, and fluvial processions along the Mactan Channel.Traditional local industries include the manufacturing of acoustic guitars and ukuleles, centered in Barangay Pajac. Coastal livelihoods include shellcraft manufacturing and panginhas (shoreline shellfish gathering at low tide).^[41]

Designated as the "Historic Resort City" of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu City's tourism sector includes historical heritage sites, coastal resorts, and master-planned commercial zones. ^[47] The city is the aviation gateway to the Central Visayas region via the Mactan–Cebu International Airport.^[48] Heritage tourism centers on the Mactan Shrine, a historical park commemorating the 1521 Battle of Mactan, where native forces led by Lapulapu defeated the Spanish expedition commanded by Ferdinand Magellan. The city also maintains an acoustic guitar manufacturing industry, with artisan workshops and showrooms located in Barangay Pajac.The city's coastal tourism infrastructure is concentrated along the Punta Engaño peninsula and the Maribago coastline. Some luxury Resorts operating in these areas include Shangri-La Mactan-Cebu, Jpark Island Resort, Sheraton, Dusit Thani, Crimson, and Plantation Bay, which support local leisure, hospitality, and marine diving activities. ^{[49] [50]}

Lapu-Lapu City, positioned within the heart of Visayas, has an expansive transportation network. The city is connected to the mainland of Cebu by three major bridges: the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, Mactan-Mandaue Bridge, and the more recent addition of the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway. These connections cross the sea channel separating the island of Mactan, where Lapu-Lapu City is located, from the island of Cebu.

The Mactan–Cebu International Airport (MCIA), located within Lapu-Lapu City, is the chief gateway serving the city of Cebu and the greater region of Central Visayas since its opening for civilian traffic in 1966. It hosts regular flights to numerous international destinations, particularly focusing on key cities in Asia. Some of these destinations include Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. According to statistical reports, MCIA is ranked as the second busiest airport in the Philippines, only surpassed by Ninoy Aquino International Airport located in the capital, Manila. On an annual basis, MCIA handles over 10 million passengers and oversees more than 100,000 flights each year.^[58]

On the 63rd Charter Anniversary celebration at Hoops Dome, on June 17, Mayor Junard Chan announced the economic benefits of the P7.6-B 100-hectare mega land reclamation project creating a new commercial center, business hub, economic zone and recreation park. Aside from the Mactan Circumferential Road, he said, the under-construction, PHP24.8-billion Lapu-Lapu Expressway will connect the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway to Mactan–Cebu International Airport. The Mactan–Mandaue Bridge will connect Barangay Ibo of Lapu-Lapu City to Mandaue City. Other infrastructure include the International Convention Center in Barangay Mactan, the Sudtunggan-Gabi bridge connecting Basak Cordova town.^[59][60]

Lapu-Lapu City has 81 public schools, comprising 44 elementary schools and 37 high schools, along with approximately 70 private schools that primarily offer integrated K–12 programs.^[61]

While most major universities and colleges are located on the Cebu mainland, several smaller institutions also offer course (degree) programs within Lapu-Lapu City. Universities and colleges that are located within the city limits include Indiana Aerospace University (IAU), Rizwoods Colleges, Lapu-Lapu City College (LLCC), Lapulapu-Cebu International College (LCIC), and the University of Cebu – Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) which is situated in nearby Mandaue, adjacent to the (Sergio Osmeña) Mactan-Mandaue Bridge.

Lapu-Lapu city hosts two military bases including the Mactan–Benito Ebuen Air Base of the Philippine Air Force and the Philippines Naval Forces Central - Naval Base Rafael Ramos of the Philippine Navy.^[62]

• Lapulapu - A chieftain of Mactan and the First Philippine National Hero who defeated Magellan.
• Akiko Solon - Finalist of Star Power: Sharon Search For the Next Female Superstar.
• Aiah Arceta - Member of Pinoy pop group Bini.^[63]
• Mariano de la Serna Dimataga – mayor of Lapu-Lapu City during several periods between 1938 and 1967; member of the De la Serna family.

• List of renamed cities and municipalities in the Philippines