The plaza prior to the recent rehabilitation. The obelisk has stood at the middle of the plaza for almost a hundred years already.

Lyman J. Carlock was the first American judge of Cebu. Born in 1868 near Bloomington, Illinois, USA, he went to the Philippines as judge of the Court of First Instance. Then Governor-General William Howard Taft urged him to transfer to Manila but he declined and chose to stay in Cebu. He died of cholera in 1903.

To his honor, an obelisk of solid marble was erected at the middle of a small plaza right across the old rectory of the Cebu Cathedral, now the Cathedral Museum of Cebu. The park lay unattended for so many years until it was rehabilitated during the time of Mayor Alvin Garcia. On one side of the park, a statue of Rajah Humabon made of concrete was erected. The park was again neglected until it was rehabilitated recently as part of the city government’s efforts to beautify the city.

The rehabilitation works are laudable. Brick pavers have been laid to serve as the park’s new pavement and decent-looking streetlamps have been installed.

But the question now is, where is the Judge Carlock monument?

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Only the facade remains of Moalboal’s old stone church. The superstructure was condemned a few years ago after it was declared to be structurally unstable.

The recent earthquake that struck the Visayas with a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale proved to be a challenge to the administrators — the parish priests themselves — of the old churches in Cebu. It would be frivolous to expect that none of these churches would collapse anytime since they are durably made of stone. Take note however that no matter how solidly a building is made of, nature can and will always show its might. It is not a question of how but when. Click here for more photos and text »

Fort San Pedro is a small tri-bastion fort located right at the harbor of Cebu. Now a museum and a park where various events (i.e. garden weddings, art exhibitions) can be held, the fort is one of the most visited sites in the city.

A Cebuano artist applies finishing touches to an image being restored. Cebu is home to various artists who have made a mark not just in the local scene but in the international stage as well.

Bishop Filomeno Bactol of Naval, Biliran profoundly bows in solemn prayer before the venerable image of the Santo Niño de Cebu.

The visit of the image marks the 10 years countdown to the 500th anniversary celebration of the Christianization of the Philippines which will be celebrated in 2021.