The pre-war Cebu commerce - Part 2

Cebu’s commercial climate has changed from producer/manufacturer to consumerism and dependent on imports. The “Golden Book of Cebu 1937” illustrates how thriving Cebu was as producer/exporter and in its initiative/adaptability:

“If Binan has its famed puto-binang, Pangasinan its well-advertised bocayo, and Bohol its nut-shelled calamay, Cebu has also its mellow majareal, an extremely delicious delicatessen among local sweetmeats. Majareal is an old, old delicatessen in Cebu. It’s guaranteed clean. It doesn’t hurt the stomach. And it is indeed pleasant and appetizing to eat this sweetmeat of native peanuts and white sugar. Because of its unusual savor and lusciousness which, nevertheless, do not oppress the nerves of taste with too much sweetness, majareal has survived in Cebu in spite of imported elaborately labelled delicatessens. It is still the favorite confection among rich and poor alike. For it sells very cheaply: a centavo will buy four lovely, delicious pieces. Majareal is exclusively manufactures in the little town of Mandawe (Mandaue), seven kilometers of first class highway from the city of Cebu.”

“Rizal, in his immortal Noli Me Tanger novel, commended lavishly on the “delicious cakes of Cebu” referring to the famous hojaldres for which Cebu is proud of. The hojaldres come in different kinds - the Especiales, the Superiores, and the Excelentes - depending upon the price per can. They are exquisitely delicious and appetizing. There are three hojaldre makers in Cebu: Mrs. Jacinta Palacio de Solon, the pioneer manufacturers and recipient of the first prize award in the 1925 Manila carnival, Mrs. Soledad T. de Fadullon, and Mrs. Ramona Riviera.”

“Cebu also abounds in coal. Coal in the Philippines was first discovered in Cebu in 1827. The coal-bearing area extends from Sogod and Asturias on the north to Boljoon and Malabuyoc on the south. The most important districts however, are Cajumay-jumayan which lies north of Sili peak and Lantac bridge; the Compostela-Danao, lying just to the south of Cajumay-jumayan, consists of Masaba and the area west of Mount Licos; Uling, Naga, which extends from a point on a river known as Guila-Guila west to Toledo and southwest to Alpaco, with Mount Uling in the center of the district. The Cebu coal area is the biggest in the Visayan Islands, and the richest districts are within radius of 30 kilometers from the city of Cebu.” (End of series)