Colon Street is a crowded street in the downtown Cebu City. It has become a center for bargain and commercial activities and one of the busiest places in Cebu confirmed by the increasing number of establishments and stalls in the sidewalks.
Known as the oldest street in Cebu, it is actually the oldest street in the entire Philippines. The street was built during the Spanish regime under the dominion of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. Being the heart of downtown Cebu, it is named among one of the most significant persons in Spain, the navigator “Cristoforo Colombo” or “Cristobal Colon” in Spanish and “Christopher Columbus” in English.
Colon is brilliant by night with its sparkling lights of the movie houses, restaurants, department stores, fashion shops and many other business establishments that lined along the street.
From the Basilica, only few minutes strolling and you’ll reach Colon Street, passing on the life side the Cebu Metropolitan Church, the second largest church in the city. Walking along this less-than-kilometer stretch of road, one will perceive the total contradiction of this once glorious avenue.
Though in broad daylight, the road is dangerous and filthy as it became an abode of many pickpocketers, a home for beggars and a hide-out of the flesh traders. Due to these modern-day reputations, who would think that this was once an illustrious residence of some prominent residents of Cebu such as the Garces, the Chiong Velosos, the Gandiongcos, the Valles, the Vaños, the Gaisanos, the Singsons, the Cuencos, the Osmeñas and many others. These families contributed a lot to Cebu’s economy, religion, arts and culture.
Formerly, Colon was once a residential area with houses built in a row, facing each other on both sides. On ordinary days, the district is much quieter as early as 8 p.m. with only the sound of few tartanillas bringing home latecomers.
Colon was part of the Parian District where Chinese merchants and trades had their base in 1590. Parian derived its name from “paripari” which literally means “to sell or barter”. Basically, Parian is a marketplace.
Parian is also referred to as the “Press Row” at the height of American occupation. It is in Colon where most versatile writers wrote their materials and the most influential magazines and newspapers were being published. It was also termed “Calle Teatro” in early 1800’s because of several theatres operated in the area.
Since the arrival of the Jesuits in 1600, they opened a free primary school and eventually became Colegio de San Ildefonso and currently named University of San Carlos which is one of the influential colleges in the entire Visayas Region. Among the schools that built their campuses near the Colon Street are the University of Cebu, The University of the Visayas and the University of San Jose-Recolletos.
Through the years, Colon is until now the lifeline of trade and commerce in Cebu. It was in Colon where the first business establishments flourished and a site for numerous social and cultural events.
Slowly, big establishments dominated the area and public transportations evolved as well. Tartanillas are being replaced by much faster jeepneys, taxis and busses. In 1990’s, the influence of malling culture of America stirred the peaceful district of Parian. Malls of various sizes sprouted almost concurrently, leaving small business at risk and some ended up closing. The sudden decline of the customers and shoppers in Colon was very evident. They prefer to shop in an air-conditioned and more relaxing ambiance of the malls.
However, it was noticed that the influx of shoppers in Colon had increased. Because of its cheap prices of merchandises in many bargain stores compared to malls, it encourages the people in every profession to visit the place in search for discounted items as it is being considered the “easy on the pocket” shopping zone. It is the number 1 choice among the shoppers in Cebu.
In most occasions, especially Christmas, Colon is the best place to shop for goods that gives you the best value for your money. It is a one-stop shopping area where you can find everything you’re looking for from fashion jewelry, ready-to-wear goods, bags, shoes, cameras to old and vintage stuffs. For those who are looking for pastime, movie houses are found along the street. Restaurants and fast-foods can be seen everywhere satisfying your famishment. The avenue is busy with taxis and jeepneys making it an easy access for transportation. Shopping in Colon is made more exciting and pleasurable.
Despite of its positive response from the people, Colon now is dirty, dark, dangerous and filthy. The government is trying to revitalize and bring back the former glory of Colon for it represents the historic Cebu. Aside from its historical value, the landmarks are still present and the obelisk in the middle of the road at the northern end was constructed, detailing the historical significance of the place.
It was proposed to close part of Colon Street and convert it into a tourism zone. Sad to say, many businessmen and motorists opposed to such plan regarding to security and parking spaces. Hope to get rid of these inconveniences as early as possible.
So, if you visit the Queen City of the South, don’t forget to pamper yourself with souvenirs at reasonable prices in Colon Street. Though it’s a rough place but patience is always a virtue.
