Basilica Minor del Santo Niño
Basilica Minor del Santo Niño houses the statue of Santo Niño, which is considered one of the oldest religious relicts in the Philippines. In 1521, Magellan gave the statue of Santo Niño to the Filipino queen Juana as a baptism gift. 44 years later, Cebu City was ravaged to the ground in a battle. A soldier browsing of what was left of Cebu City, found the completely intact statue of Santo Niño at the site of a burned-down house. The people of Cebu City have been worshipping the statue of Santo Niño as a miraculous religious symbol ever since. Filipino pilgrims from all over the world flock to Cebu City, especially during Sinulog Festival, in order to pay tribute to the statue and ask for good luck.
Magellan's Cross
Magellan's Cross and a chapel are located close to Basilica Minor del Santo Niño. The cross was erected by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and marks the spot where first Filipinos, including Queen Juana, were baptised.
Magellan's cross used to stand in an open chapel, but then the locals started to believe that it has miraculous powers and began cutting off small pieces of the cross and bringing them home. This is the reason why the cross is surrounded by a fence now.
Filipinos still believe in miraculous powers of the cross. They would buy candles from ladies roaming around the cross. The ladies would then perform a ritual dance and light up the candles.
The area around Magellan's Cross gets particularly crowded during Sinulog Festival.
Taoist Temple
Taoist Temple in Cebu City is a classic example of Chinese architecture. In terms of the quality of workmanship, the temple cannot be compared with old Chinese masterpieces that can be found in Beijing, but it is still interesting enough for those travellers who haven't seen any Chinese temples.
The Taoist Temple in Cebu City was built in the 1950s. The temple is always lively, as there are many Chinese living in Cebu City. The Chinese have contributed significantly to the economic development of Cebu City, although some Filipinos do not like it saying that the rich Chinese are taking advantage of the poor Filipinos.
In any case, Cebu City has a great share of rich people (not only Chinese but also Filipinos). You need to cross one of the rich neighbourhoods, so called Beverly Hills, on the way to the Taoist Temple. Access roads to Beverly Hills are heavily guarded by armed security guards, who check all unknown cars and passengers thoroughly. Visitors need to leave their identification with the security in order to be allowed to drive into this area of the city. Filipinos who are rich enough to build a villa and buy a shiny car are always afraid as they can be a target of robbers or kidnappers anytime.
Lapu Lapu statue
The statue of Lapu Lapu, the tribe's chieftain who killed Ferdinand Magellan, is located on Mactan Island, not far from Cebu airport. The statue was erected exactly at the place where Lapu Lapu killed Magellan. The statue of Lapu Lapu is holding a sword in one hand and a shield in another - as the real Lapu Lapu did when he slashed Magellan.