Liloan, Cebu

Liloan, officially the Municipality of Liloan (; ), is a municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 153,197 people. Making it the most populated municipality in Cebu and the whole Visayas.

History

Along its coastline, there is a spot called Silot, where a whirlpool is created by the ebbs and flows of the waters from the bay. This phenomenon is called ''lilo'' in Cebuano. Because of this, the town was known as Liloan, meaning "a place where there is a lilo".

Sometime in the 1970s, a newspaper article stated that the "pueblo de Liloan" was separated from the municipality of Mandaue (now Mandaue City), and was created a new municipality in 1840. However, in his "''Breve reseña de lo que fue y de lo que es la Diócesis de Cebú en las Islas Filipinas''," states that Lilo a was created as a parish in 1845 (in 1995, Lilo a celebrated its sesquicentennial - 150th – anniversary.)

The creation of the municipality of Liloan could have been at the same time the parish was established, but not earlier than its being a parish. As recorded, the first priest of Lilo served in 1845. The term of the first mayor was from 1845 to 1846.

During the war years (World War II), Liloan had three mayors at one time.

Geography

Liloan is bordered on the north by the town of Compostela, to the west by Cebu City, on the east by the Camotes Sea, and on the south by the town of Consolacion. It is from Cebu City. Liloan lies within Metro Cebu.

Barangays

Liloan is politically subdivided into 14 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Landmarks

Lighthouse

One of the best known landmarks in Liloan is its historic lighthouse at Bagacay Point. The original lighthouse was built in 1857 by the Spanish. The current tower was constructed in 1904 by order of William Howard Taft, the first Governor-General of the Philippines and later the President of the United States. The tower is tall and remains in active use today, using solar energy. The lighthouse was declared a National Historical Landmark in 2004 by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (formerly known as National Historical Institute).

Liloan Church (San Fernando Rey Parish Church)

The designer of the church in Liloan is viewed by some as visionary. Despite Liloan having only 5,000 citizens, when the church was constructed in 1847, this local church was even larger than that of Mandaue, Cebu's second largest city.

Pier 88

Pier 88 is a noteworthy maritime terminal situated in the coastal town of Liloan, in the province of Cebu, Philippines. As a gateway connecting the islands of the Central Visayas region: Camotes, LapuLapu city, Cebu City, it plays a vital role in facilitating transport, commerce, and tourism. The Pier was officially inaugurated and opened to the public on May 27, 2023, by Bongbong Marcos.
3d scan of the site was made by private company Data Ops Philippines on May 28, 2023.

Titay's Rosquillos and Delicacies

The making of these little ringlet cookies dates back to 1907, when 21-year-old Margarita Corazon "Titay" Frasco (single, unmarried) was tinkering in her kitchen with her baking ingredients and made her new culinary creation. Kneading the dough manually and using a wooden eggbeater, some baking tins and a clay oven, she started a product that would put her little town in the national and international map of gastronomic delight. Corazon “Mama Azon” Frasco took over in 1999, succeeded by Gerardo and Panfil Frasco, the third generation.

The market for her unnamed cookie started with her neighbors and passers-by who were offered the snack with a bottle of soda. It was Sergio Osmeña (then Cebu governor, who later became Philippine president), who gave it the name " Rosquillo" after the Spanish word ''rosca''.

The “premium heritage brand” biscuits have been a regular stopover of tourists and locals travelling north of Cebu. The company has withstood the taste of time. It started with just ''rosquillos'' and ''tablea'' making. It later expanded to an array of homemade delicacies including ''torta'', ''mamon'', ''monay'', ''otap'', CPA (chicken pork ''adobo''), ''bao-bao'', ''galletas'' (Bato), ''galletas'' (Carmen) and ''hojaldres''.

In 2012, its two-hectare plant in Liloan produces about 3,000 packs of 180 grams Rosquillos daily by 118 workers.

In 2013, the flagship store which produces 360,000 rosquillos a day was transformed into a café for 45 customers serving penato (peanuts), banana chips and binangkal, among others.

On April 1, 2024, Christina Frasco with members of her family and Margarita “Margo” Domingo Frasco, Chief operating officer led the groundbreaking of its Poblacion, Liloan 1.3-hectare new factory which will employ to 250 workers. We "assure Titay's future without sacrificing livelihood,” said Vincent Franco D. Frasco, Titay's Finance Director.

Tourism

Rosquillos Festival

Celebrated every last week of May in honor of the town's patron saint, St. Ferdinand III. It celebrates the Rosquillos as the delicacy of Liloan and of Cebu. The 12th Rosquillos festival was held in May 26, 2019. The 13th returned from May 20–30, 2023, coinciding with the 176th annual foundation fiesta celebration.

List of heads of local government

* Basilio Bantilan (1845–1846)
* Hipolito Pepito (1846–1847)
* Francisco Cabahug (1847–1848 and 1859–1860)
* Esteban Cañete (1848–1849, 1850–1851 and 1852–1853)
* Juan Delgado (1849–1850)
* Juan Cabatingan (1851–1852 and 1861–1862)
* Cruz Medoza (1853–1855 and 1860–1861)
* Alberto Yungco (1855–1857)
* Victor Pepito (1857–1858, 1863–1865 and 1875–1879)
* Pedro Pepito (1858–1859 and 1862–1863)
* Felix Cabatingan (1865–1867)
* Jacinto Cañete (1867–1869)
* Apolonio Pilapil (1869–1871)
* Custodio Mendoza (1871–1873, 1883–1885 and 1899–1900)
* Guillermo Pepito (1873–1875)
* Ambrosio Pepito (1879–1881)
* Eugenio Pilapil (1881–1883 and 1889–1891)
* Mamerto Cabatingan (1883–1887 and 1891–1893)
* Sotero Cabatingan (1887–1889, 1900–1902 and 1905–1909)
* Antonio Villamor (1893–1896)
* Simeon Pilapil (1896–1898)
* Mariano Pilapil (1898–1899)
* Blas Cabatingan (1902–1904)
* Marcelo Pilapil (1909–1911)
* Francisco Ramas (1911–1912)
* Jose Cabatingan (1912–1916)
* Cirilo Ramas (1916–1919)
* Cipiriano Jumapao (1919–1922)
* Florintino Pilapil (1922–1925)
* Santiago Noval (1925–1928)
* Lazaro Ramas (1928–1937, 1937–1938, 1959–1963 and 1963–1965)
* Catalino Noval (1941–1945, 1945–1946 and 1965–1967)
* Jorge Pitogo (1946–1947 and 1947–1951)
* Fabian Cañete (1951–1955)
* Teofilo Ponce (1967–1971)
* Cesar Bugtai (1971–1986)
* Achilles Cañete (1986–1988 and 1988–1992)
* Panphil Frasco (1992–1995, 1995–1998 and 1998–2001)
* Maria Sevilla (2001–2004 and 2004–2007)
* Duke Frasco (2007–2016)
* Christina Garcia-Frasco (2016–2022)
* Aljew Frasco (2022–present)

Gallery

Liloan, Cebu 20170324 03.jpg, Miniature Lighthouse Sculpture at the Main Crossroad
Liloan, Cebu 20170324 04.jpg, San Fernando Rey Church
Liloan, Cebu 20170324 05.jpg, From Suba Bridge
Liloan, Cebu 20170324 07.jpg, Looking towards Compostela
Liloan,_Cebu_20170324_09.jpg, Bagacay Lighthouse – Plaque
Liloan, Cebu 20170324 10.jpg, Bagacay Lighthouse

Notable people

* Pilar Pilapil - Actress
* Christina Frasco - Former mayor, Department of Tourism Secretary 2022 - Incumbent

See also

* Liloan, Southern Leyte - a municipality in Southern Leyte
* Liloan - a barangay in Santander, Cebu

Notes

References

Sources

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External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Code

{{Authority control

Municipalities of Cebu
Municipalities in Metro Cebu