Mayor
Ouano’s vision for the
city is premised on the history
of the city itself. Founded
on the 7th of April 1521,
Mandaue was first sighted
as that “Cove
of Cebu” along
the Mandawe Bay.
MANDAWE,
as the city was once called, was the
settlement which Magellan, upon his
entry to the Island Sugbo. Along its
shores grew abundantly an indigenous
vine known as “MANTAWI”.
That “Cove of Cebu”, which
is now Barangay Tipolo, became the
location of the first ever drydocking
facility in the archipelago. The facility
served the Galleon Ships which plied
the Galleon Trade.
The founding of the settlement MANDAWE
pm April 7, 1521 has full
of historical value and significance
in the economic history of the province
of Cebu and of the region. In order
to commemorate the economic significance
of the city’s foundation , a
festival was conceptualized and came
to be known as the MANTAWI
FESTIVAL.
As the intertwined MANTAWI
VINE characterizes the unity
and strength of the Mandauehanons,
the MANTAWI FESTIVAL
is a celebration of life, a peep into
the past to enable the present generation
appreciate the present and to chart
the future, as one people.
The MANTAWI FESTIVAL
complements the two other festivals
of the city’s neighboring and
adjacent cities. The SINULOG
FESTIVAL of the city of Cebu
commemorates the planting of the seeds
of Christianity in the country. The
KADAUGAN SA MACTAN
of the city of Lapulapu commemorates
the planting of the seeds of nationalism,
bravery, and the heroism of the Filipinos.
The MANTAWI FESTIVAL
commemorates the origins of the industrialization
of the country.
The discovery of that “Cove
of Cebu” brought about
the establishment of the first drydocking
facility in the country. The facility
serviced the ships that transported
the cargoes during the Galleon Trade
era. From that humble beginning emerged
the industrial hub of Southern Philippines,
the city of Mandaue.
Just as Mandawe,
during the early period, provided
the sea link for international trade,
through the Acapulco Trade, the city
of Mandaue now provides the link to
the islands and to the world. The
two Mandaue-Mactan Bridges symbolize
the linkage that the city provides
to the country and to the world. Strategically
located, the city of Mandaue is located
at the center of the province of Cebu
and of the region, and of the country.
The MANTAWI FESTIVAL
is a rediscovery of the city’s
history. It acknowledges the city’s
contribution to the economic growth
of the country through the establishment
of the first drydocking facility way
back in 1521. It now acknowledges
the city’s contribution to the
economic growth of the country through
the almost 10,000 commercial and industrial
establishments that are now locating
in the city.
The economic growth of the city of
Mandaue finds its roots to the opening
of the Acapulco Trade. Upon the orders
of King Philip II, Legaspi initiated
the first return grip to Acapulco.
The “VUELTA”
1565 Galleon Trade Trip
from what is now called Barangay Tipolo
to Acapulco was the first transpacific
sea route to Acapulco. This route
was later used by the Manila-Acapulco
Trade a century later.
The MANTAWI FESTIVAL
therefore is a tribute to the MANTAWI
VINE. The vine symbolizes
the city’s growth and prosperity.
It is also the tie that binds the
Mandauehanons. It is the tie that
links the city to the islands and
to the world. It is a celebration
of linking up, of oneness, of strength
in unity which the intertwined vine
characterizes. The MANTAWI
FESTIVAL gives value and
meaning to that unity in purpose by
linking the past to the future. The
MANTAWI FESTIVAL
gives the Mandauehanons a sense of
place, an identity of its own.
The MANTAWI FESTIVAL
is the biggest event of the city.
Held every last Sunday of August,
the MANTAWI FESTIVAL
is a festival of history, a rediscovery
of Mandaue’s rich cultural heritage.
