Cebu "Craft Beer" City

My second visit to the Queen City of the South, better known as Cebu City, was longer and more memorable than the first. I had craft beers in a converted shipping container, lectured at a university and visited the digital newsroom of a national newspaper.

In the process, I learned that Cebu City is not Davao City. Some say Davao is becoming Cebu, in terms of traffic congestion and construction. And according to popular opinion, that’s not a good thing. The language spoken is similar, although in Davao the Visayan is commonly mixed with the national language, Tagalog.

Amazon family

I found the contrast between rich and poor even more stark in Cebu than in Davao. More shanty towns, but also more flashy high-rise office buildings. And then that Ayala mall in the business district. Holy cow, that has to be the most lavish shopping village on steroids I’ve seen in my entire life. It took Sophie and me almost half an hour to pick a restaurant among dozens of dining options available in the mall.

It was a great honor (and a lot of fun) to give a guest lecture about corporate communications at University of San Carlos – Cebu for students of the School of Arts and Sciences (Department of Communications, Linguistics and Literature).

I wander if the young Filipinos working there actually feel part of the gigantic Amazon family. Perhaps they’re allowed a monthly team lunch, all modest expenses paid.

Pretty much next to Ayala there’s a big office complex owned by Amazon. It’s all virtual assistants and call center operators in there. It’s basically a shell of a company. I wander if the young Filipinos working there actually feel part of the gigantic Amazon family. Perhaps they’re allowed a monthly team lunch, all modest expenses paid.

But all sarcasm aside, I kind of liked the “easiness” of Cebu. There are more foreigners there, which makes you feel less of a “Joe.” Also, did I mention they have craft breweries? But getting around town is no picnic. It took us close to an hour and a half from downtown to get to the University of San Carlos where I lectured. On the way there we stopped for a big cardboard box container of fresh coffee from Starbucks to surprise the students with. I’d never seen anything like it. It took forever, but we arrived at the university in time for class, the brew safely stored in the back.

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