10 Days in Cebu

Historical Fountainhead of Philippines

Nicknames:

Queen City of the South;

Oldest City in the Philippines;

First Capital of the Philippines; and

Creative Capital of the Philippines

Plaza Independencia plays a significant role in the history of Cebu. The site symbolizes the independence and freedom of the province against its conquerors. Strategically located in downtown Cebu City, this community park is beside Fort San Pedro, near the Magellan’s Cross and the Cebu City Port. My host Eddie Burke showed me many sights in Cebu.

Plaza Independencia has had many names and upgrades since 1600. Today, the century-old site has been refurbished with a modern design aligned to the jovial and care-free spirit of Cebuano’s mirrored in daily gatherings in the park.

Photo taken April 10, 2025–This marker is a testament to the courage of Cebuano martyrs whose lives were sacrificed in the fight against martial law. That those who live will always remember to guard the freedom they fought so hard to reclaim.

Today I Find Philippines to be a Most Amazing Place

This writer didn’t come to Philippines to be a tourist. But I have lived a comfortable life here as a foreigner in Antipolo, and was delighted when my Alaska friend Eddie Burke also moved here. Earlier we had produced this proposed podcast introduction together.

I never previously imagined I would ever live anyplace but Alaska–anywhere else I was just passing through. I can recite several Robert Service poems from memory. I have taught Alaska History in Anchorage high schools. I have lived the Alaska lifestyle 60 consecutive years–since 11 years old.

That all changed December 8, 2022 when this writer arrived in Manila. Then, after nearly one year here, Eddie arrived to also live in Manila. During this time I have resided mostly in nearby Antipolo City-also a very historic area–in Rizal Province.

This painting of National Hero **Jose Rizal** hangs in the Cebu branch of the ***National Museum of the Philippines***.

From that story:
Rizal was trained as a doctor who wrote a lot about the contrast between the natural qualities of Filipino people, and trauma of his time, in what some have described as the Colonial Mentality from Spanish Occupation.

[1] Jose Rizal: PH National Hero for Independence, DONN LISTON, May 26, 2023

Long-Time Alaskans Add Value to Alaska

Quality of Alaska institutions and governance are now at an all-time low. Seniors are not safe in Alaska. The theme of this website (started in 2018) is Decline of Alaska Since Statehood as I have witnessed it over 60 years.

Stories document decline through personal experiences, observations as a journalist, and through voices of many other people whom I have interviewed.

What Brought Me to Alaska (and PH)!

Alaska has long been a last-ditch destination for losers

From this story:
When I was born in the early 1950s, my father was following a family tradition of taking whatever work he could find and making every penny count. But my parents were married too young and by the time they had three babies to care for their marriage was over. Having children was one thing, supporting them in an unfamiliar social contract was quite another.

[2] What Brought Me to Alaska (and PH!), DONN LISTON January 29, 2023

AK Pipeline wealth has exacerbated misfit relocation. Alaska’s Boom and Bust Economy normalizes lack of long-term vision for immediate gratification.

China takes a different view:
We should take the long-term view, Authoritarian Leader of China, Xi Zinping has written: “The long-term is the starting point of policy thinking, the only practical way to approach successful change. Then work backwards, filling in with ever-increasing detail. Focusing principally on immediate problems may only create more and much larger problems later, as China’s scale overwhelms policy lacking long-term thinking…”

[3] Thinking about China; 4,000 Years of Recorded History, DONN LISTON August 6, 2024
https://listondonn.ph/thinking-about-china-4000-years-of-recorded-history/

Meet My New Antipolo Dentist

*Dr. **Raymund Gedang** greeted me at the gate of his home and business to interview for this story, which he approved before posting.*

From the story:
Over 60 years in Alaska I have known the high cost of in-state medical care, particularly dental care, which usually requires separate insurance coverage. I have also heard of Alaskans traveling out of country and paying for a nice vacation for the price of certain Alaska health care procedures. In fact, many medical professionals including nurses and doctors around the world were trained in quality Philippines training centers. Some of these newly trained doctors migrate to USA to practice, as has happened with relatives of Dr. Gedang, whose family has deep ties here in Antipolo.

[4] Dentistry in Philippines – An Economic Option, DONN LISTON, September 19, 2024

People are discovering Philippines

[5] What Trump said About Philippines

Alaska and Philippines have Similar Histories

Transformation of my allegiance from Alaska began when I picked up a discarded book, Philippines; Land of Broken Promises in June of 2020 in Palmer. As a student of history I read and found it very interesting. Additionally. I have known many Filipino people in Alaska and in my experience they have always been humble, hard-working and honorable.

[6] The Philippines; Land of Broken Promises, James B. Goodno, ***

James B. Goodno was an accredited foreign correspondent in Philippines during the crucial years of transition from Dictator Ferdinand Marcos to the administration of 11th President Cory Aquino. This book reviews known history of the Philippines Archipelago and ends with installation of Aquino following a stolen election corrected. Aquino famously called Philippines The Land of Broken Promises.

From the Forward of that book:
During the four and a half years I spent in the Philippines I witnessed the rise of a broad movement for democracy, the fall of a dictatorship and the advent of what many hoped would be a new era. I shared in the euphoria of that unforgettable sultry Manila night of 26 February 1986 when, in the grounds of the presidential palace during the first hours after Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos had fled on a US helicopter, tens of thousands of people ended their long march to freedom. I shared the hopes of so many people at that moment. Not, I believe, because I had faith in Cory Aquino’s ability to get to the root of the nation’s problems, nor because I thought that Juan Ponce Enrile and the dashing young men of the RAM (Reform the Armed Forces Movement) had truly undergone a conversion to democracy, but because I believed that the revolution belonged to the people.

As an Alaskan, I too have had great hopes for the promise of my state, which has shared many experiences and aspirations with Philippines, since optimistic statehood in 1959.

A bust of USA President **Dwight Eisenhower** is displayed along with other Philippine heroes at the **National Museum of the Philippines in Cebu.** Eisenhower is the president credited with winning WWII who allowed Alaska to become a state although he had misgivings about whether the territory was capable of meeting such an obligation.

Overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos took its toll on Filipino People:
Following EDSA, between 1986 and 1991 President Aquino’s Administration struggled to survive physically and politically over a succession of coup attempts, culminating in a large, bloody, and well-financed attempt in December 1989, when upwards of 3,000 troops, including elite Scout Rangers and marines launched a coordinated series of attacks on Camp Crame, Camp Aquinaldo, Fort Bonifacio, Cavite Naval Base, Villamor Air Base, and on Malacañang Palace itself, which was dive-bombed by vintage T-28 aircraft.

The T-28 was actively utilized in the Vietnam War by the U.S. and South Vietnamese Air Force as the T-28D Nomad, which was equipped to carry a variety of weapons ranging from bombs and rockets to napalm for use on counter insurgency missions throughout Southeast Asia. It was especially effective in night operations against targets not protected by radar controlled anti-aircraft batteries, and as armed escorts for A-26 attack aircraft and helicopters. They also operated in hunter/killer teams with observation aircraft equipped with Starlight scopes to locate enemy convoys.

[7] T-28 Trojan. National Naval Aviation Museum

The United States military supported the Aquino government during this coup. Operation Classic Resolve involved use of US airpower from the aircraft carriers USS Midway and USS Enterprise and F-4 Phantom II fighters from Clark Air Base. United States Air Force jets retook the skies for Aquino. The US planes had clearance to “…buzz the rebel planes at their base, fire in front of them if any attempted to take off, and shoot them down if they did”.

[8] 1989 Philippines Coup Attempt, Wikipedia

What have We Been Missing in Alaska?

From the comfort of this tropical paradise I have read more than 20 books about Philippines and am now reading more about Asia—particularly about China. I have written many stories about Philippines as Alaska’s Best Friend in the World, as well as about the Marcos historical period from a contemporary perspective.

Philippine People Power – Remembering EDSA

From that story:
We know now EDSA was born out of a failed military coup d’état attempt at a time when Philippines was a political tinderbox. As poorly as the military had treated the people during the time of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., when The People suddenly galvanized and rose up, scheming generals had to get onto the People Power train or cause a massacre of innocent Filipino people in the impending wreck.

One of those generals, Juan Ponce Enrile was born in 1924, has served honorably in the PH Senate and has been advisor to both Marcos’ Administrations. He is still alive in 2025!

[9] Remembering EDSA DONN LISTON February 21, 2024

A Few Months Ago Eddie Moved from Manila to Cebu!

I visited Eddie Burke in Cebu April 9-19. It was a glorious time with his birthday celebration April 11.

There I met other Passport Bros with Filipina partners, too.

**Eddie Burke** first came to Philippines in the 1980s with the US Navy as the country was going through turmoil from the Marcos dictatorship. He has lived in Alaska since but we are both now admittedly *Passport Bros*— *Western men, primarily from the United States, who seek romantic relationships with women from developing countries–often those perceived as having more traditional values.* His partner is a Registered Nurse and they moved to Cebu for her employment..

Lina and I have a nice life together. She stayed in Antipolo during this excursion to take care of our retail business.

LapuLapu Killed Magellan

The Datu Lapu-Lapu Shrine, also known as the Mactan Shrine, is a memorial park in Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines, dedicated to the native leader who defeated Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his Spanish soldiers in the Battle of Mactan in 1521. The shrine features a bronze statue of Lapu-Lapu and a monument commemorating the Battle.

Eddie shares my interest in history and was very gracious in tolerating my lollygagging at historical sites and at the National Museum of the Philippines-Cebu.

[10] Alaska (><) Philippines Connection-We have Much in Common to Share, DONN LISTON May 20, 2023

[11] National Museum of the Philippines-Cebu

Very little is known about when the site of current Cebu was first settled prior to colonization, but artifacts have been discovered near the city, if not exactly at the site dating back to at least the 14th to 15th centuries CE. Other geological and archaeological studies revealed that Cebu as a settlement began sometime during the 10th century CE.

[12] Maritime Trade in the Philippines During the 15th Century CE, Orillaneda, Bobby C. June 9, 2016

Though there are artifacts detailing the settlement of the island as early as 2000 BCE, the exact date of when the village was settled and named “Sugbu” is unknown, since prior to colonization most Visayans were illiterate up until the later half of the 16th century.

Donn aqnd Eddie clowned around at LapuLapu park.

This fellow gave us a great tour of the area where Magellan’s ships anchored and the crew was overrun by Filipino defenders of their homeland.

Fort of San Pedro

**Fort San Pedro** (Spanish: ***Fuerte de San Pedro***) is a military defense structure in Cebu, Philippines, built by the Spanish under the command of **Miguel López de Legazpi**, first governor of the Captaincy General of the Philippines.

**Miguel López de Legazpi** (12 June 1502 – 20 August 1572), also known as *El Adelantado* and *El Viejo* (The Elder), was a Spanish conquistador who financed and led an expedition to conquer the Philippine islands in the mid-16th century. He was joined by Guido de Lavezares, relative Martin de Goiti, friar Andrés de Urdaneta, and his grandsons Juan and Felipe de Salcedo, in the expedition. Legazpi established the first Spanish settlement in the East Indies after his expedition crossed the Pacific Ocean, arriving in Cebu in 1565.

Magellan’s Cross Pavilion

Simala Shrine

Philippines has Costco! It has a different name but it is a subsidary of the warehouse buying club in USA and the products are the same. I had not known this before I joined Eddie to purchase everything for a fantastic birthday party!

Temple of Leah

The Temple of Leah stands as a lavish Roman-inspired structure, boasting intricately designed archways, gold-painted lion statues, and a grand hall filled with Greek-style artworks and antique collections. Visitors can explore massive hallways, balconies, and terraces, each offering breathtaking views of Cebu City’s skyline. The temple is also a popular sunset spot, making it an ideal location for romantic visits and sightseeing.

[13] Guide to the Philippines

History of Casa Gorordo

Casa Gorordo is a fine example of a colonial era house known locally as balay nga tisa, or house with tiled roof. Its architecture, which combines native, Spanish, and Chinese influences, is unique to the Philippines. This cultural blending of east and west is referred to as mestizo and is a defining character of Filipino identity.

Eddie calls this E-cart “:the Buggy” and it was a very convenient way to travel within the gated community or to a nearby parking lot to catch a cab to other parts of Cebu.

Two duffers take a rest on the veranda of Casa Gorordo.

This was a great visit and I recommend visiting Cebu to anybody.

General information about cities in Philippines:

References:

[1] Jose Rizal: PH National Hero for Independence, DONN LISTON, May 26, 2023
https://substack.com/home/post/p-123430378

[2] What Brought Me to Alaska (and PH!), DONN LISTON January 29, 2023
https://listondonn.ph/a-refuge-from-calamity-2/

[3] Thinking about China; 4,000 Years of Recorded History, DONN LISTON August 6, 2024
https://listondonn.ph/thinking-about-china-4000-years-of-recorded-history/

[4] Dentistry in Philippines – An Economic Option, DONN LISTON, September 19, 2024
https://listondonn.ph/dentistry-in-philippines/

[5] What Trump said About Philippines

[6] The Philippines; Land of Broken Promises, James B. Goodno, Zed Books Limited, ,Londom UK, 1991

[7] T-28 Trojan. National Naval Aviation Museum
https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nnam/explore/collections/aircraft/t/t-28-trojan.html#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20its%20training,insurgency%20missions%20throughout%20Southeast%20Asia.

[8] 1989 Philippines Coup Attempt, Wikipedia
https://donnliston907.substack.com/p/the-alaska-philippines-connection-ce2

[9] Remembering EDSA DONN LISTON February 21, 2024
https://donnliston907.substack.com/p/the-alaska-philippines-connection-ce2

[10] Alaska (><) Philippines Connection-We have Much in Common to Share, DONN LISTON May 20, 2023
https://donnliston907.substack.com/p/the-alaska-philippines-connection-ce2

[11] National Museum of the Philippines-Cebu
https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/2023/07/31/nmp-inaugurates-component-museum-in-cebu/