List of people from Cebu

The following is a list of notable people who were either born in, lived in, are current residents of, or are closely associated with the province of Cebu, Philippines (including from highly urbanized cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu):

Culture

Literature

  • Antonio Abad - a poet, fictionist, playwright and essayist (Barili)
  • Gémino Abad - an educator, writer, and literary critic. He is a National Artist of the Philippines for Literature (Barili)
  • Martin Abellana – Visayan author (Cebu City)
  • Onofre Abellanosa - writer of short stories and plays (Cebu City)
  • Victorina A. Abellanosa - was a Cebuano dramatist who is specialized in writing plays particularly zarzuelas (Cebu City)
  • Ramón D. Abellanosa - political journalist, minor politician, businessman, and writer. He was best known for his plays (Cebu City)
  • Temistokles Adlawan - a contemporary Cebuano poet and short story writer who often writes with irreverent humor usually associated with Cebuano folk (Cebu City)
  • Ruperto Alaura - is a Cebuano writer. He was a LUDABI prize winner in 1961 (Cebu City)
  • Sinforosa Alcordo - fiction writer during the pre-war era (Cebu City)
  • Jacinto Alcos - is a pre-Second World War Cebuano writer (Cebu City)
  • Epifanio Alfafara - writer in the Cebuano language of political and philosophical articles. He used Isco Anino as a pen name (Carcar City)
  • Sergio Alfafara - was a Filipino Cebuano Visayan writer. A parish priest, he published, authored and translated religious and missal texts in Cebuano. He published a grammar of Cebuano known as Sugboanon nga Gramatika. His pennames included Napoleon Alferez (Carcar City)
  • Estrella Alfon - an author who wrote in English (Cebu City)
  • Potenciano Aliño - a writer, translator, and revolutionary (Talisay City)
  • Cora Almerino - is a Cebuano Visayan writer.[1] Her poems were included in Sinug-ang: A Cebuano trio published by Women in Literary Arts in 1999 (Cebu City)
  • Tomas N. Alonso - is a well-known Cebuano Visayan writer. He published the first complete Cebuano translation of Jose Rizal's El filibusterismo. He also translated the Mi último adiós (Cebu City)
  • Francisco C. Álvarez - was a Cebuano Visayan stage actor and playwright (Cebu City)
  • Uldarico A. Alviola - known as the "Dean of Cebuano Writers", he was a Filipino Visayan civil servant, novelist, and editor (Cebu City)
  • Natalio Bacalso - a writer, newspaperman, radio broadcaster, filmmaker, Constitutional Convention delegate in 1971 representing Cebu's 2nd district, and opposition assemblyman to the Interim Batasang Pambansa in 1978 (Cebu City)
  • Cecilia Manguerra Brainard - an author and editor. She co-founded PAWWA or Philippine American Women Writers and Artists; and also founded Philippine American Literary House (Cebu City)
  • Simeon Dumdum Jr. - writer, poet and former RTC judge (Balamban)
  • Adonis Durado - a poet, visual journalist, and graphic designer of Cebuano descent (Cebu City)
  • Lina Espina-Moore - a Cebuano writer (Toledo City)
  • Vicente Garces - a politician, writer, and poet (Talisay City)
  • Vicente Gullas - was a Filipino writer, lawyer, and educator from Cebu, Philippines (Cebu City)
  • Ernesto Lariosa - a writer, poet, and columnist (San Fernando)
  • Pio Kabahar - a Cebuano composer, playwright, journalist, and director (Cebu City)
  • Resil B. Mojares - a Filipino historian and critic of Philippine literature best known as for his books on Philippine history. He was recognized in 2018 as a National Artist of the Philippines for Literature - a conferment which represents the Philippine state's highest recognition for artists (Cebu City)
  • Hilda Montaire - a writer (Mandaue City)
  • Marcelino Navarra - an editor, poet, and writer. He was regarded as the father of modern Cebuano short story (Carcar City)
  • Gilda Olvidado - a movie and television writer, and melodrama novelist (Cebu City)
  • Amando Osório - a poet, playwright, novelist, and Cebu deputy governor (Dalaguete)
  • Sulpicio Osório - was a Filipino editor, poet, and writer of fiction and essay in Cebuano language (Dalaguete)
  • Gardeopatra Quijano - feminist fiction writer and was awarded the Gawad CCP para sa Sining: Panitikang Rehiyunal from the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1993 (Alcantara)
  • Nicolas Rafols - a legislator, journalist, businessman, lawyer, and agriculturalist (Toledo City)
  • Napoleon Rama - was a Filipino Visayan lawyer, journalist, and writer in English and Spanish. In 2011, he was awarded the Philippine Legion of Honor, the country's highest recognition, with the rank of Grand Commander on the 25th anniversary of the EDSA 1 Revolution by President Benigno S. Aquino III (Cebu City)
  • Vicente Rama - a legislator, publisher, and writer (Cebu City)
  • Buenaventura Rodriguez - was one of the popular playwrights in Cebuano language during the American occupation. Like his contemporaries, his works featured the theme of rising nationalism,[5] combining social criticism and entertainment (Bogo City)
  • Hope Sabanpan-Yu - a short story writer/poet (Cebu City)
  • Adelino Sitoy - was a Filipino politician, lawyer, and Cebuano language advocate from Cebu, Philippines (Cebu City)
  • Vicente Sotto – politician, author (Cebu City)
  • Florentino Suico - a public school teacher and prolific writer, fictionist, poet, and journalist. He was known for his historical fiction written in Cebuano language (Mandaue City)
  • Florentino Tecson - a lawyer, politician, editor, writer, and labor leader (Naga City)
  • Vicente Ranudo - a writer, poet laureate, and Cebu provincial civil servant (Cebu City)
  • Trizer D. Mansueto - an author of several books, he is also involved in museums, translation and teaching. He contributes stories to Cebu Daily News and the Philippine Daily Inquirer (both under the Inquirer Group) (Bantayan)
  • José María del Mar - a writer, orator, playwright, theater actor, politician and authority on the Spanish Language. (Cebu City)

VISUAL ARTS

  • Martino Abellana "Noy Tinong" - a renowned Cebuano and dubbed as "The Dean of Cebuano Painters" (Carcar City)
  • Ramon Abellana - a Cebuano sculptor and composer (Carcar City)
  • Paulina Constancia - a Filipino-Canadian artist known for her work on canvas, textiles, and found materials, sometimes incorporating stitching (Cebu City)
  • Manuel Rodriguez Sr. "Mang Maning" - a Filipino printmaker. He was one of the pioneers of printmaking in the Philippines and was dubbed as the "Father of Philippine Printmaking" (Cebu City)
  • Romulo Galicano - a Filipino painter whose works are technically academic and philosophical in approach (Carcar City)
  • Sofronio Mendoza - a painter and teacher who mentored young artists in the Philippines and in Canada (Cebu)
  • Leinil Francis Yu - a comic book artist (Cebu)
  • David Medalla - an international artist and political activist. His work ranged from sculpture and kinetic art to painting, installation, and performance art. (Cebu)
  • Adonis Durado - Graphic designer and visual journalist. His poetry collection "Who Steps Upon is Stepped Upon" was awarded the 2023 Philippine National Book Awards. (Cebu City)

MUSIC

FILM

  • R.D. Alba - a film and television director (Cebu)
  • Isabel Sandoval - filmmaker, actress and director (Cebu City)
  • Julian Daan - a character he played in a radio drama, was a Filipino Cebuano film, local TV, stage, and radio writer, director, actor, comedian, and politician (Talisay City)
  • Julius Roden - producer and director, Hailed as "The Father of Modern Cebuano Movies"
  • Lyle Sacris - a cinematographer and director, known for Exodus: Tales from the Enchanted Kingdom (2005), Yanggaw (2008) and Transit (2013). (Cebu City)
  • Natalio Bacalso - a Filipino writer, newspaperman, radio broadcaster, filmmaker, Constitutional Convention delegate in 1971 representing Cebu's 2nd district, and opposition assemblyman to the Interim Batasang Pambansa in 1978 (Cebu City)
  • Pio Kabahar - Playwright, Writer, Journalist, Director and Composer (Cebu City)
  • Ruel Antipuesto - film director and cinematographer considered as "The Godfather of Cebuano Filmmaking". (Cebu City)

Media

Entertainment

Politics and government

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Sports

BOXING

  • Christian Araneta - a Filipino professional boxer. He has won five consecutive fights, with four coming inside the distance, since his loss to Nontshinga in April 2021. (Cebu City)
  • Mark Anthony Barriga - a professional boxer who challenged for the IBF mini-flyweight title in 2018. He represented Philippines at the 2012 Summer Olympics, reaching the round of 16 of the light-flyweight bracket. (Danao City)
  • Bert Batawang - a professional boxer. Throughout his career, Batawang achieved notable success in both local and international boxing, winning several titles including the Philippines Boxing Federation (PBF) Light Flyweight title. He also fought for the IBF Light Flyweight World Championship but fell short in his attempt against Mexican boxer Ulises Solis in 2007. (Cebu City)
  • Dominador Calumarde - a professional boxer who competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics and 1968 Summer Olympics. (Cebu City)
  • Kevin Jake Cataraja - a professional boxer. He is the current Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) Super Flyweight champion. (Cebu City)
  • Frank Cedeno - is a British-Filipino former professional boxer in the Flyweight division. (Talisay City)
  • Arlo Chavez - a boxer who competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He is a gold medalist in the Asian Amateur Boxing Championships and is the most successful Filipino boxer in the Southeast Asian Games with four gold medals. (Bantayan)
  • Eric Chavez - former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1998. He held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) mini-flyweight title from 1989 to 1990. (Talisay City)
  • Ronald Chavez - former professional boxer who competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics and is currently one of the coaches of the Philippine national boxing team. (Bantayan)
  • Gabriel "Flash" Elorde - a professional boxer considered one of the best Filipino boxers of all time. He won the lineal super featherweight title in 1960 and he won the inaugural WBC and WBA super featherweight titles in 1963. (Bogo City)
  • Rocky Fuentes - professional boxer. Throughout his career, he held several regional titles, including the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) flyweight title and the Philippines Games and Amusement Board (GAB) flyweight title. (Cebu City)
  • Mercito Gesta - a professional boxer who challenged for the IBF lightweight title in 2012 and the WBA lightweight title in 2018. At regional level he held the WBO-NABO lightweight title in 2018. (Mandaue City)
  • Rodel Mayol - a former professional boxer and the former WBC Light Flyweight World Champion. (Mandaue City)
  • Joe Noynay - a Filipino professional boxer, who held the WBO Asia Pacific super featherweight title between 2019 and 2022. (Bogo City)
  • Felipe Nunag - also known as Boy Nunag, a Filipino boxer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics at Berlin. (Balamban)
  • Rolando Pascua - a former professional boxer. He held the WBC light-flyweight title from 1990 to 1991 and challenged for the IBF super-flyweight title in 1993. (Cebu City)
  • Jhack Tepora - is a professional boxer who is the former interim World Boxing Association Featherweight champion. (Cebu City)
  • Malcolm Tuñacao - a professional southpaw boxer in the flyweight division. He is a former WBC and lineal flyweight champion. (Mandaue City)
  • Bernabe Villacampo - was a Philippine boxer who took the WBA World Flyweight Championship in a fifteen round Unanimous Decision on 1969 against Hiroyuki Ebihara. (Toledo City)

BASKETBALL

VOLLEYBALL

FOOTBALL

MARTIAL ARTS

CHESS

TRIATHLON

WEIGHTLIFTING

BASEBALL

SOFTBALL

BILLIARD

SKATEBOARDING

SHOOTING SPORT

GYMNASTICS

ATHLETICS

BOWLING

GOLF

Fashion and designs

Business

Science

Military service

Pageant titleholders

Religious

Heroes, revolutionaries and historical figures

  • Lapu-Lapu - First Hero in the Philippines
  • Leon Kilat - Hero in the Philippine Revolution
  • Arcadio Maxílom - a Filipino teacher and hero of the Philippine Revolution (Tuburan)
  • Potenciano Aliño - Revolutionary, together with his brothers Felix, Hilario and Sulpicio fought as revolutionaries against the Spanish colonial rule. (Talisay City)

Education

Notable people with roots from Cebu

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