“A Brief Survey of What was and What is the Diocese of Cebu in the Philippine Islands,” a book written by Fr. Felipe Sendino Redondo in 1887 and translated by Azucena L. Pace in 2014, gives us the most accurate and thorough description on the diocese. In its footnote, the entry is written:
“The City of Cebu is the capital of the Diocese of this name. The title of the diocese is the Most Holy Name of Jesus. This name was also that of the city. In times past, it was called the City of the Most Holy Name of Jesus even when it only had the title of Villa from January 1, 157 which was given by Legaspi, but before May 8, 1565, when it was named Villa de San Miguel.
“It is 303 miles from Manila, and is the capital of the Visayan Islands, residence also of the General Government, created by order of May 27, 1841 under the name Gobierno-Interdencia de Visayas, which was suppressed on March 17, 1850 under the royal decree of July 31, 1860. It was given a new life, creating a Government P.M. under the direction of an official-general of the army, of the brigadier class; the Government of the Visayas covers the Districts of the island of Panay, as follows: Iloilo, Capiz, and Anitque, and contiguous, and Concepcion, and those of the islands of Romblon, Negros, Samar, Leyte, Bojol (spelled as such in the original text), and Cebu and contiguous.
“The City of Cebu is also the residence of the new Real Audencia of the Visayas, created by royal decree of March 26, 1886, whose personnel indicated are: One President, one Chamber President, four Magistrates, one Fiscal, one Lieutenant, and one Fiscal Attorney; their titleholders already took possession, in a solemn ceremony, characterized by pump and rejoicing in the City, on July 1 of the same year. Constituting as the territory of its jurisdiction in accordance with Article 4 of the Royal Decree are: The islands of Cebu, Negros, Panay, Paragua, Calmianes, Masbate, Ticao, Samar, Leyte, Bohol, Mindanao, Basilan, Jolo and Balabac, and contiguous; Article 6 of the same reduces the jurisdictional territory of the Audencia de Manila to cover only the island of Luzon and contiguous, islands of Batanes, the Marianas, Carolinas and Palaos Islands.
In 1767, the Bishop of Cebu then, the Most Illustrious Don Mateo Joaquin Rubio de Arevalo, recognized the extreme scarcity of clergy in his Diocese; he decided therefore to erect a Seminary where young men would be educated for the ecclesiastical life, according to the judicious disposition of the Holy Council of Trent (the construction was begun by Fr. Cristonal de Miralles, a Jesuit).”