Carcar
Component city
City of Carcar
Carcar Old Town Plaza as seen from the bell tower of St. Catherine of Alexandria Church
Seal
Nickname:  Heritage City of the South
Motto(s):  Sidlak Carcar!, Sadya Carcar!
Anthem: Ganghaan sa habagatan English: Southern gate
Map of Cebu with Carcar highlighted
OpenStreetMap OpenStreetMap
Carcar Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 10°07′N 123°38′E / 10.12°N 123.63°E / 10.12; 123.63
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Visayas
Province	Cebu
District	1st district
Founded	1599
Cityhood	July 1, 2007 (Lost cityhood in 2008 and 2010)
Affirmed Cityhood	February 15, 2011
Barangays	15 (see Barangays)
Government   [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Panlungsod
•  Mayor	Mario Patricio P. Barcenas ( 1Cebu)
•  Vice Mayor	Efren A. Quijano ( 1Cebu)
•  Representative	Rhea Mae A. Gullas
•  City Council	Members Jufhel L. Alcuizar Jeson B. Fernandez Vincent Raymund L. Escobido Hervy Alejandro B. de Dios Ma. Bernadith R. Barcenas Harold B. Nacua Roy O. Velez Lorena Mae A. Tabora Michelle Amistad-Zozobrado Victor Ian P. del Rosario
•  Electorate	82,036 voters ( 2022)
Area [2]
• Total	116.78 km2 (45.09 sq mi)
Elevation	97 m (318 ft)
Highest elevation	807 m (2,648 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [3]
• Total	136,453
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
•  Households	32,075
Economy
•  Income class	5th city income class
•  Poverty incidence	13.80 % (2018) [4]
•  Revenue	₱ 726.4 million (2020)
•  Assets	₱ 3,251 million (2020)
•  Expenditure	₱ 428.9 million (2020)
•  Liabilities	₱ 1,096 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Cebu 1 Electric Cooperative (CEBECO 1)
Time zone	UTC+8 ( PST)
ZIP code	6019
PSGC	072214000
IDD :  area code	+63 (0)32
Native languages	Cebuano Tagalog

Carcar, officially the City of Carcar ( Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Carcar; Hiligaynon: Dakbanwa sang Carcar; Filipino: Lungsod ng Carcar), is a 5th class component city in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 136,453 people. ^[3]

Carcar City is bordered to the north by the town of San Fernando, to the west are the towns of Barili and Aloguinsan, to the east is the Cebu Strait, and to the south is the town of Sibonga.

Carcar lies on the southernmost part of Metro Cebu area. ^[5]

History

Carcar was known as "Kabkad" or "Sialo" before Spanish colonization. ^[6] It became a town in 1599. Carcar is considered one of the oldest towns in Cebu, with its Spanish influence lasted more than 300 years ago.

Cityhood

In July 2007, the municipality of Carcar was converted into a component city of the province of Cebu after ratification of Republic Act 9436.

On November 18, 2008, Supreme Court ruled that the cityhood charters of Carcar and 15 other cities as unconstitutional as a result of a petition filed by the League of Cities of the Philippines. A year later, on December 22, Carcar and 15 other municipalities regained their status as cities again after the court reversed its November 18, 2008, ruling. On August 23, 2010, the court reinstated its ruling on November 18, 2008, causing Carcar and 15 cities to revert to municipalities. Finally on February 15, 2011, Carcar and the other 15 municipalities regained their cityhood status.

In 2013, after a six year legal battle, the League of Cities of the Philippines acknowledged and recognized the cityhood of Carcar and 15 other cities on July 19, 2013. ^{[7] [8]}

Geography

Carcar is located 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Cebu City. It has a land area of 116.78 square kilometres (45.09 sq mi).

Topography

The land is generally level with less than 18% slope comprising 78.7% of the total land area. Areas with slopes ranging from 18 to 50% cover 19.3% of the total land area and those over 50% slope comprise approximately 1.9%. The highest recorded elevation is a little over 660 metres (2,170 ft) above sea level, located within the barangay of Napo.

Soil type

The municipality has five dominant soil types namely: Faraon Clay, Steep Phase, the Lugo Clay, the Mandaue clay loam & the Hydrosol type.

Barangays

Carcar is politically subdivided into 15 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Climate

The wet season occurs during the months of May to October and the dry season, from January to May.

Demographics

Economy

Poverty Incidence of Carcar

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority ^{[14] [15]
[16] [17] [18] [19] [20]}

Tourism

• As a Heritage City of Cebu, Carcar contains various Spanish and American period structures. The Carcar plaza alone hosts several heritage structures, the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria dominates the area. Within the complex various structures stand, including quaint houses and their distinctive architectural details.
• Surrounding the Rotunda and in the public market one will find the famous Carcar chicharon, lechon, ampao, bucarillo, gorgorias and puso – just some of the local delicacies.
• Guadalupe Mabugnao Mainit Hot Spring National Park
• Heritage Houses such as the Mercado Mansion
• Tuyom Beach – Beach Houses
• The Kabkaban Festival, which is the town's local festival in honor of St. Catherine of Alexandria. The name of the festival comes from the old name of the town, which was taken from the local term for the Oakleaf Fern ( Aglaomorpha quercifolia) which is abundant in the town, even to this day. Celebrated from the November 23 to 25, it highlights the rich culture, faith, and musical history of Carcar.

Notable personalities

• Teofilo Camomot – founded the Congregation of Blessed Virgin Missionaries
• Sheryn Regis – singer

Gallery

• 
  Rizal Monument at Old Town Plaza
• 
  Carcar City Museum (formerly, Carcar Dispensary)
• 
  St. Catherine of Alexandria Church Interior
• 
  Carcar Former Municipal Complex

References

Sources

External links

Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article about Carcar.

• Media related to Carcar at Wikimedia Commons
• Carcar travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code