Asturias is a first class municipality in the province of Cebu. It is part of the 3rd district in the northwestern part of Cebu. It is situated approximately 81 kilometers from Cebu City via Naga, Uling.
The town is bounded by the municipalities of Tuburan in the north and Municipality of Balamban in the south. Danao City is at its east side while it faces the Tañon Strait in the west.
It is subdivided into 27 barangays: 7 of it were coastal barangays and the remaining 20 are located inland. These barangays are Agbanga, Agtugop, Bago, Bairan, Banban, Baye, Bog-o, Kaluangan, Lanao, Langub, Looc Norte, Lunas, Magcalape, Manguiao, New Bago, Owak, Poblacion, Saksank, San Isidro, San Roque, Santa Lucia, Santa Rita, Tag-amakan, Tagbubonga, Tubigagmanok, Tubod and Ubogon.
The total land area measures 12,173 hectares and characterized by undulating and flat land areas. Its climate falls under the fourth type which is more or less likely distributed throughout the year.
The townspeople depend basically in fishing and agriculture as the major sources of income. Raw materials that are abundant in the place are bamboo and related products, coco products and limestone.
History:
Before the town was declared an independent political unit, it was divided into two. Part of it belonged to the jurisdiction of Tuburan and the other portion was controlled by the local government of Balamban.
The town was formally known as “Naghalin”, derived from Cebuano language “lalin” which means “coming from far places”. The first settlers were from other municipalities and neighboring islands such as Bohol.
As the time passed by, the settlers of Naghalin increased both in number and population. Eventually, the people appealed to the then Spanish colonial master to have their own local government. In late 1700s, the petition was granted by the King of Spain and became an independent political unit. The town was named “Asturias”, after the principality of Asturias in Spain.
Asturias is synonym to its main tourist attraction, the ”Lake Buswang”. Because of its waters that bounce out from the mountainside, it was named Buswang. It is said to be the biggest body of freshwater in Cebu as it covers an area of more or less 20 hectares.
One can do boating in its calm waters and at the same time, leisurely fishing. During special events, the lake is the best place for boat races or locally termed as “bangka racing”.
Another must-visit tourist spot is the ”San Roque Hot Springs and Caves” in barangay San Roque. For adventure-type of person, spelunking is a good pastime. Or, one can take a dip in its refreshing hot spring.
How To Get There:
From Cebu South Terminal Cebu City, many where public buses and private V-hires (vans) are available for transport. The travel time to Asturias may take two hours via Naga. One can also take the Trans-Central Hi-Way which is one and a half hours to travel.
