Pride of Place
New books show colorful Cebu lifestyle
By Augusto Villalon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:28:00 03/31/2008
MANILA, Philippines – Cebu, that long, narrow island situated practically at dead center of the Philippine archipelago, is again in the spotlight these days with two recently published books that extol the Cebuano island lifestyle.
Geography and Cebuano industry have built up the city into a major regional and business center, ranking in influence next to Manila, the nation’s capital. Certainly it is a busy city, but life in Cebu is not all work.
The sea around Cebu is aquatint-clear. Pristine, blindingly white beaches surround the island. It is probably the country’s major holiday destination, a virtual tropical paradise complete with the lure of the sea.
It is where local traditions are practically intact, heritage towns and structures surprisingly well maintained. It is the source of outstanding traditional and modern craft. It is also, of course, where down-home Cebuano cuisine is served in staggering portions all day long.
In Cebu exists that rare quality of life where a busy business environment of international magnitude coexists day to day with the laid-back vacation lifestyle of a resort town.
A great beach is no more than half an hour from the city center. What could be better than that?
Check out each of the two new books to find the answer.
Beauty and bounty
Lavishly illustrated, “Cebu: Pride of Place,” published by the Cebu Arts Council, journeys into the unique geography, heritage and traditions that give the province a lifestyle all its own.
The hefty, sumptuously illustrated picturebook is a luxurious “celebration of the beauty and bounty of one of the Philippines’ richly endowed islands ... a visual and inspirational journey through the length and breadth of the Cebu main island and its outlying islands,” shown in a stunning range of images photographed by Billy Mondoñedo.
Mondoñedo trains his lens on the sea, beaches, beach resorts. He shoots fabulous traditional handicraft and cutting-edge contemporary industrial design for export products that have established the province as a prime innovator on the international design circuit—in furniture, jewelry, home accessories.
Large format photographs of landscapes, Spanish colonial churches, 19th-century houses, American colonial government buildings, private mansions, city and townscapes are eye-catching.
The book takes an insider’s look at Cebu. Stunning photography elevates images of everyday objects that locals consider part of their lives and what makes them Cebuanos. The images stir up pride of place.
The book certainly made me proud to be Cebuano.
However, the non-Cebuanos in Manila to whom I showed the book related differently to the images. Tagalogs asked for explanations beyond the one-line captions to help them understand what made those images so Cebu.
Although conceived as a photo essay and totally successful as a picture album, maybe a bit of explanatory text would have delivered the message home to non-Cebuanos of how good it really can get in our home province.
By the sea
“Beach House,” published by Eva C. Gullas of Zee Publications and produced by Jacinto Ramos, celebrates Cebu architecture by the sea. What it actually celebrates is the traditional Cebuano affinity for the sea.
The sea, central to the Cebuano lifestyle, is the life source that not only isolates Cebu from other islands but is also the link to neighboring islands so close that they are only a short sail away.
Houses featured are private weekend hideaways of prominent Cebuano families. “The image brought to mind by a beachhouse,” writes Ramos, “is one of getting away, resting, participating in something other than the normal business of life. Dwellings that exist for this kind of leisure are a different kind of house, different from houses built as primary residences.
“Materials used in these beach homes should be teeming with the snap and vitality of the natural. In fact, details should create a sense of awareness and adventure, and, as a result, the treatment in the construction of porches, decks and trellises must all take advantage of the extensive outdoor living that comes with the territory.”
Despite different architectural approaches ranging from ultra-contemporary to Cebuano traditional, all houses in the book have sweeping views of the sea; wide openings for maximum ventilation; large overhangs to shade the house from the tropical sun; expanses of covered terraces furnished with the most comfortable of lounging furniture.
Another commonality among the houses is the exquisite craftsmanship that Cebu is known for.
Amazing is the way each house intimately relates to its existing topography, effortlessly blending instead of arrogantly imposing itself upon its surrounding landscape.
It might be suggested that many of the houses published in “Beach House” may even have improved on nature with their sympathetic presence, establishing a truly sensitive interaction between man and his environment.
The ritual of spending each weekend in the beach is a tonic to city life, where “the initial effect on most of the homeowners is that they typically experience a tremendous sense of peace and calm. Since second-home lifestyles stress sociability, leisure interests, or quiet relaxation.”
Both books should be available at leading bookstores nationwide. For “Cebu: Pride of Place,” contact the Arts Council of Cebu at www.artscouncilcebu.com. For Beach Houses, e-mail info@zeelifestylecebu.com.
Heritage watch
YouthTrip (or YTrip), an NGO that encourages Philippine youth to travel as a means of experiencing national culture, is holding “Yayain si Yaya Day” on April 5 at 1:30 p.m. For this very innovative cultural activity, YTrip invites yayas and their alagas for a tour and storytelling session at Museo Pambata in Manila. Moms and their kids are also invited.
Pre-registration required. E-mail youthtrip@gmail.com or text 0918-5211087.
Feedback is welcome at pride.place@gmail.com.
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