The Malacañang sa Sugbo, which is also referred to as Malacañang of the South, is the official residence of the President of the Philippines in the whole Visayas and named after the presidential house in Manila, Malacañang Palace. It’s found at Pigafetta St., Cebu City, near Pier 1 and Fort San Pedro. The location of this historical site is also within walking distance only from the Cebu City Hall, the Magellan’s Cross, the Plaza Independencia, and the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño.
Its History
Before it became the official residency of the Philippine president, the building used to be called the Aduana or Customs Building, which was originally built in 1910. The building, which was designed by Williams E. Parsons, housed the office of Cebu City’s Bureau of Customs. It was then in 2004 when ex-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo decided to convert the building into Cebu’s very own Malacañang, resulting to the moving out of the Bureau of Customs office and transferring to their present office near the port.
Now, Cebu City’s mayor, Hon. Michael Rama, strives to make the Malacañang sa Sugbo a vital historical site and tourist attraction. If it would be your first time to go and visit this local attraction, don’t miss taking awesome photos of the sea area. Know also that you are free to roam around outside the building, but its interior is not yet accessible to the public since it was declared unsafe after the 7.2 earthquake in the Visayas last year.
How to Get There
You simply have to look for a jeepney that has Plaza Independencia on their signboards. Some of the jeepneys that you can ride are 01C, 01B, 02B, 12G, 21B, and 22B. See their complete routes here.
