Oslob,Cebu

Oslob is located 117km south of Cebu City

Oslob is a 4th class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines.

Long time ago, there was a popular place in town called “Bolocboloc”. The place was called Bolocbol because of its existing spring located beneath the shoreline at the foot of the barangay. The flow of the water was so strong as if the water was boiling which can still be seen at this present time. At present, the place is now known as Nigad (a name of a tree). The place is named Nigad because of the existing tree that grew in the place which is seldom seen to grow in the shoreline. From the name Nigad the word “Oslob” was born due to the misunderstandings between the native couple and the two guardia civil (civil guards) in the year 1785. While the said couple were taking a rest under the tree and were eating their brought boiled bananas soaking it with vinegar and salt, the two guardia civil suddenly appeared with the words, as if they were asking: “Como se llama esto pueblo?” – which if translated in English would mean:”What is the name of this town?”. The couple were astonished for they were not able to comprehend what the civil guards were saying. Since, the couple, at that time, were then soaking bananas with the vinegar and salt, they thought that the civil guards were asking them as to what they were doing, and thus, the couple answered in unison saying ”Toslob”, which means “soaking”. After hearing the word “Toslob”, the civil guards kept on repeating the word “Toslob” in the thought that the said word was the name of the town. This has been the start of the word “Toslob” which was later changed to “Oslob” due to the passes of time. Until now, the flowing of the water at Nigad was still there quenching the thirst of the many people of the place including the nearby inhabitants specially when there is a shortage of water.

The Heritage of Oslob

Out of extreme excitement to discover the heritage trail of southern Cebu which usually begins in the farthest of the five heritage towns, we missed out doing a research about the town of Oslob.  Calle del Aragones Heritage structures in Oslob are easy to identify. For one thing, the focal point of Aragones Street (the town’s oldest) from the national highway is the unfinished Spanish cuartel. The street was constructed readable  -1879. The street was named after the first parish priest of Oslob –Fray Juan Jose Aragones.   The Unfinished Spanish Cuartel We continued walking towards the cuartel. No historical marker has been installed yet and no document has been retrieved about its history but this is what we’ve found out –it was built by El Gran Maestro Don Marcus Sabandal to serve as barracks for the Spanish armies. Local historians also believed that it served as the first line of defense for the naval infantry due to the town’s strategic location. However, its construction was put on hold when the Americans arrived in 1899. The Spanish cuartel with its double rows of arches and its 91 centimeter-thick walls of coral stones were left to stand unfinished for more than a century. It is said that the stones used for its construction came from the remnants of the collapsed floor of the once five-level bell tower of the nearby church of Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepcion . Church of Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepcion Fronting the coast of Oslob is the massive church of Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepcion. Constructed in1830, the plan for the church was designed by Bishop Santos Gomez Marañon. He is the same prelate who had built the kiosk of Magellan’s Cross in Cebu City. However, the construction of the current structure is attributed to Fray Julian Bermejo, the warrior-priest who organized a military defense system composed of bantay sa hari or watchtowers and fortress churches in the southern coastal region of Cebu. Unfortunately, the church together with its centuries-old rectory is undergoing major reconstruction after both structures were razed by an 8-hour fire in 2008. Nothing was left of the old rectory except for the ruins of what seems to be an oversized bahay na bato. Flanking on the left side of the main church is its four-storey massive belfry. It is said that the Oslob belfry used to be five-levels high however the topmost floor was destroyed by a typhoon and was never rebuilt. Another account describes the belfry to be a seven-storey high with 10 bells which have collapsed in 1871. The walls and gates surrounding the church, called the paril were constructed in 1875 to act as defense frontline of the complex against the moors that enjoyed invading the pueblos along the coast. The thick antique coral stonewalls are topped by a series of inverted cone shaped stones. This unique feature completes the medieval fortress. In front of the church is a prayer room. Built in 1847, it is also known as the waiting chapel during the Spanish period since it has been used as an isolation chamber for those inflicted with leprosy. The panteon is the focal point of the cemetery complex. According to tradition, it was in this site where the Spanish priests have their penitential rituals every 8 in the evening over a platform that once stood at the center. The Oslob Watchtower Ruins From Calle Eternidad, we slipped through a street leading to the beach to view one of the seven watchtowers built along the coastline of Oslob. Constructed in 1788 by Fray Bermejo, one can only imagine how it looked like from the ruins which can still be traced based from the hexagonal plan, the rear portion of the massive wall, gun-slits and the small entrance.                          Oslob Town Plaza Once the site of the Ayutamiento, the town plaza has played host to political rallies that were attended by Philippine presidents like Ramon Magsaysay, Diosdado Macapagal and Carlos Garcia along with famous political figures.