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Mandaue

Highly urbanized city in Central Visayas, Philippines

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Zuellig Avenue, Tipolo, Mandaue City, Cebu
Patrickroque01 · CC BY-SA 4.0

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It is geographically located on the central-eastern coastal region of Cebu by Philippine Statistics Authority but administratively independent from the province. Its southeast coast borders Mactan Island where Lapu-Lapu City is located and is connected to the island via two bridges: the Mactan-Mandaue Bridge and Marcelo Fernan Bridge. Mandaue is bounded on the north by the town of Consolacion, to the east by the Camotes Sea, and to the west and south by Cebu City.

It is one of three highly urbanized cities on Cebu island and forms a part of the Cebu Metropolitan area and was part of the sixth district of Cebu joined with the municipalities of Consolacion and Cordova - it was qualified for a lone district since 1991. On April 5, 2019, the city became a lone legislative district. As of June 30, 2022, Mandaue had its first representation in the 19th Congress of the Philippines.

History

A community was established in Mandaue by a flourishing group of Austronesian people. The Venetian chronicler Antonio Pigafetta wrote of a settlement called "Mandaui" which existed in the area with a chieftain named Apanoaan some called him Lambuzzan in other accounts.

Mandaue natives were forced into a town as decreed by the Spanish authorities. This may have started off as a mission village (which included present day Consolacion, Liloan and Poro) serving as a bulwark for the church in the northern Cebu and was managed by the Jesuit in 1638 then a century later by the Recollects. During the year 1818, Mandaue had tributes representing 2,729 native families and 20 Spanish-Filipino families.

The Philippine Revolution of 1898 gave the town a new form of administration in accordance with the organic decree of the Central Revolutionary Government. The short-lived revolution was overthrown by the American troops and a battle nearly destroyed the town in 1901, killing Presidente Benito Ceniza.

Mandaue functioned as a semi-autonomous town under the jurisdiction of Cebu. Although it was developed and organized during the Spanish period and experienced population growth over time, it was not elevated to an independent municipality by Spanish authorities. Following the death of Presidente Ceniza and the establishment of American rule, the town’s long-standing aspiration for independence was realized. In 1901, Mandaue was formally established as an independent municipality.

Mandaue became independent from being an American Commonwealth and a Japanese garrison on July 4, 1946, along with the entire nation.

Cityhood

On August 30, 1969, Mandaue became a chartered city and decades later it was recognized as a highly urbanized city on February 15, 1991. In early-April 2019, Mandaue separated from the sixth district and, since 2022, is represented under its lone district.

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