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Virgin Beach Resort, Sitio Suba, Barangay Malbago, Daanbantayan 6013 Cebu, Philippines.

Cell/Txt 0915-455-6990

Phn/Fax 032-437-0106

Your Hosts, Ron & Fe Perry

1542 E. Glenwood Ave.

Tulare CA 93274

Cell/Txt 559-736-0401

Phn/Fax 559-688-4835

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Virgin Beach Blog

Greetings from Virgin Beach Resort Cebu.  Please check here daily for a new blog about Virgin Beach Resort, The Philippines, Cebu and any interesting related subjects about our unique place.

Welcome to Daanbantayan (KANDAYA)!  Located at the northernmost tip of the Province of Cebu, the Municipality of Daanbantayan as of December 3, 2008 is now a 1st  class municipality composed of 20 barangays (2 island, 13 coastal and 5 inland) with a total land area of 10,455 hectares.  It has a population of 78,452 as of profile year, whose main source of livelihood is farming and fishing, owing to its mostly agricultural and coastal areas.  It is 128 kilometers from Cebu City, with about 3-4 hours travel time.

According to pre-Hispanic history, Daanbantayan was believed to be once ruled by a local chieftain or Datu called Datu Daya who was known for his good deeds and bravery by driving away invading foreigners and marauding moros.  To help strengthen his defenses, he built strategically placed watchtowers dubbed as “bantayan” which is constantly manned by the natives/residents keeping watch, or in the dialect “daang bantayan”, and so the present name “Daanbantayan” originated.  But before the town took on the name Daanbantayan, it was then called Kang Daya, in brief Kandaya, named after Datu Daya or Datu Daya’s, in his honor.  Not much has been known as to the actual date of the town’s establishment but as was the custom during the Spanish times, the friars or prayles decided to construct the church, now the Sta. Rosa de Lima Parish Church way back in 1886, hence the establishment of the church marked the establishment of the town as well, being at the center of most settlements at that time.

The town was formerly known as Kandaya – from the name of the leader of the first Malayan settler, Datu Daya.   Kandaya was changed to Daanbantayan when the area was recognized as a municipality.

Daanbantayan was originally a visayan term for an old watchtower located in Brgy. Tapilon, which used to serve as a lookout for Moros marauding the coastal towns in the Visayas during the early Spanish times.

There are no definite records to indicate the exact year of the founding of the town of Daanbantayan. However, from the book called “Reseñas Historicas de los Dioceses de Cebu” published in the year 1886 it is mentioned that a certain priest, Rev. Juan Protacio Gallares, had been doing periodic inspection in the parish of Daanbantayan. The parish was inaugurated on August 10, 1858. Due to the fact that during the Spanish regime, the church and the state were more or less one in essence, it is logically assumed by many that the establishment of the town was made to coincide with the date of the inauguration of the parish.

The first municipal building called Tribunal was constructed by the Spanish authorities. Highly knowledgeable residents before the Second World War revealed that the Spanish authorities with the help of the Capitanes Del Pueblo constructed the first Municipal Tribunal or Municipal building to serve as seat of Power of the Local Officials at the side of the present parcel of land owned by the late Severino dela Peña.

The first Municipal building was made of wooden materials and bamboos with cogon grass roofing. The Capitanes ruled the municipality using the Tribunal as office of the previous town executive.

The late Municipal President or Mayor Don Pedro Corro constructed the first concrete Municipal building of Daanbantayan on its present location in 1916 as shown by the engraved markings on the front side of the said building.

Right after the Second World War, the late Mayor Braulio M. Arriola Sr., constructed the two stories wooden buildings annexes, one at the southern side and another in the northern side of the old concrete building to meet the growing demands for expansion due to the increasing number of employees.

Former Mayor Lamberto Te demolished the two story wooden building annexes constructed by the late Mayor Braulio M. Arriola and replaced them with a more durable concrete two story buildings after the wooden materials began to deteriorate.

Not to be outdone, then municipal mayor, now Vice-Mayor Ma. Luisa Loot, ventured to construct the present two story concrete Legislative Building, thus forming now a complete square concrete Municipal Building, where the people could easily go around the various offices, either in the first floor or in the second, without the trouble of going up and down to complete all the papers needed.