Balamban

There is no exact date which can be ascertained as the establishment date for the settlement of Balamban.

According to oral history, a polity called Balambang was part of a pre-Hispanic monarchy called Hinulawan located in the present Balamban barangay of Nangka.

A Spanish document attests that the community was recognized as a town during Spanish colonial period. The first administrator of the pueblo was Ciriaco Gutierrez, a Spanish captain who was appointed in 1857. The first native Filipino to hold the position was Macario Montejo which was followed by other natives including Fermin Ricafort.

As per a document dated May 2, 1878 from the Archive Division, Bureau of Records Management, the pueblo (now municipality) of Asturias was created from the pueblos of Balamban and Tuburan.

According to oral history, the construction of the St. Francis of Assisi Parish was initiated by a priest in 1875. He oversaw the parish until 1909.

On March 17, 1957, the Douglas C-47 which carried then-president Ramon Magsaysay crashed in Mount Manunggal. A monument was erected at the site which is now considered historical site ever since.

The Cebu Transcentral Highway was constructed in the 1990s improving the accessibility of Balamban with Cebu City.

Balamban is bordered to the north by the town of Asturias, to the west is the Tañon Strait, to the east is Cebu City, and to the south is the City of Toledo. It is 49 kilometers (30 mi) from Cebu City.

Barangays

Balamban is politically subdivided into 28 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Climate

Poverty incidence of Balamban (%)

10 20 30 40 50 2000
49.45 2003
27.54 2006
41.60 2009
37.56 2012
20.04 2015
25.56 2018
18.90 2021
34.03 2023
24.97

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

Shipbuilding is a major industry of the town of Balamban since the 1990s. Among the prominent firms with shipyards in the town is Austal Philippines, Tsuneishi and Metaphil at the West Cebu Industrial Park.

Farming is another source of livelihood for residents with corn, crops and vegetables among the important crops. The municipality is also the only source of abaca fibers in Cebu produced in a 260-to-300-hectare (640-to-740-acre) plantation in Mount Manunggal in barangay Magsaysay. With the elevation of 500 metres (1,600 ft) above sea level, Magsaysay is ideal for abaca cultivation.

Cannabis has also been illicitly cultivated in Magsaysay and other mountainous barangays of Balamban which is discouraged by the government and has encouraged farmers to grow alternative crops including abaca.

The following were the mayors of Balamban: