Sibonga, officially the Municipality of Sibonga (; ), is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,424 people.

Geography

Sibonga is bordered to the north by the city of

Carcar Carcar, officially the City of Carcar (; ), is a component city in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 136,453 people. History Before Spanish colonization,Carcar was known as "Kabkad" and ...

, to the west are the towns of Barili and Dumanjug, to the east is the

Cebu Strait Cebu Strait (Tagalog language, Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Cebú''; also Bohol Strait) is a strait in the Central Visayas region in the Philippines. Geography The Cebu Strait (and its 3 channels, the Mactan Channel, Mactan, the Olango Island Group, Ol ...

, and to the south is the town of

Argao Argao, officially the Municipality of Argao (; ), is a municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,187 people. Geography The municipality of Argao is located in the southeast of the ...

. It is from

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...

Barangays

Sibonga is politically subdivided into 25 barangays. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Sibonga has begun developing the town to become more industrial while still preserving its natural bounty. Sibonga is abundant in root crops, corn, rice, coconuts among others. The public market is held every Saturday in Poblacion. Each barangay has its own ''agora'' or marketplace with its own specific days of function. For example, in Barangay Papan, people from neighboring barangays convene in every Thursday for trade.

Education

Sibonga is also home to the Sibonga Community College.

Culture

''Pastores de Sibonga''

''Pastores de Sibonga'' is a short Christmas

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

that narrates the nativity as performed in Magcagong. The play depicts the shepherds' adoration of the child Jesus. ''Pastores de Sibonga'' dates back to the 1920s. ''Pastores de Sibonga'' is performed by at least four dancers. The female dancer wears a red blouse or shirt paired with a long white skirt. The male dancer wears a red shirt paired with black pants. Accessories include a round hat decorated with cut-outs of the sun, moon and stars in yellow, red, green, and other brightly colored papers together with a yellow sash placed across the body. It is performed using red fans and white handkerchiefs. An oval-shaped native fan is used and held by the right hand during the performance. The white square handkerchief is held by the left hand folded into a triangular shape. The accompaniment music is a rondalla: an ensemble of stringed instruments (guitar,

bandurria The bandurria is a plucked chordophone from Spain, similar to the mandolin and bandola, primarily used in Spanish folk music, but also found in former Spanish colonies. Instrument development Prior to the 18th century, the bandurria had a ro ...

, and banjo), played with the

plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...

. The lyrics tell of the pre-nativity, nativity, and post-nativity settings. It expresses happiness, joy, and worship, and offers praises and gifts for Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Education

The public schools in the town of Sibonga are administered by one school district under th
Schools Division of Cebu Province
Elementary schools: * Abugon Elementary School — Abugon * Bae Elementary School — Bae * Bahay-Bagacay Elementary School — Bahay * Banlot Elementary School — Banlot * Basak Elementary School — Basak * Cagay Elementary School — Cagay * Can-aga Elementary School — Can-aga * Candaguit Elementary School — Candaguit * Cantolaroy Elementary School — Cantolaroy * Cansantic Elementary School — Sitio Cansantic, Bato * Guimbangcoan Elementary School — Guimbangco-an * Lamacan Elementary School — Lamacan * Libo Elementary School — Libo * Lindogon Elementary School — Lindogon * Magcagong Elementary School — Magcagong * Manatad Elementary School — Manatad * Mangyan Elementary School — Mangyan * Papan Elementary School — Papan * Sabang Elementary School — Sabang * Sayao Elementary School — Sayao * Sibonga Central Elementary School — R. Bacaltos Street, Poblacion * Simala Elementary School — Simala * Tubod Elementary School — Tubod High schools: * Julian Enad Memorial National High School — Lamacan * Manatad National High School — Manatad * Mangyan National High School — Mangyan * Sibonga National High School — N. Bacalso Avenue, Poblacion * Teodoro dela Vega Memorial National High School — Papan

Notable personalities

Amapola Cabase Maria Amapola Cabase, better known by her stage name Amapola, is a Filipino people, Filipina singer, actress, musician, television and radio host. She is widely known in the Philippines as the original artist for the song "Kapantay ay Langit", ...

– singer, musician, actress * Elena Jurado - Hollywood movie actress *

Gloria Sevilla Gloria Sevilla (January 31, 1932 – April 16, 2022) was a Filipino film actress. Career Sevilla was heralded as the "Queen of Visayan Movies" for her screen portrayal legacy in Visayan-made movies in the Philippines during the 1950s and 1960s ...

– actress

References

Sources

* * *

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Code {{Authority control Municipalities of Cebu Cebuano culture Culture of Cebu