Colon Street Cebu City

Colon Street was built by the conquering kastilas lead by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. Considered the oldest street in the entire country, Colon Street was built in 1565 – more than 40 years after Magellan’s defeat in Mactan. Colon Street is a very important part of Cebuano life, culture, and history. It is also an important force which pushed our small but thriving country towards progress and the modern age. The street has witnessed not only Cebu’s victories and defeats but also the country’s struggles in its quest for freedom, recognition, and acceptance. At present, people have succeeded in trivializing the value of Colon Street by associating it with fear and annoyance. When people talk of Colon, the words ’pickpocket,’ ‘criminal,’ and ‘beware’ almost always come up. In fact, some people even believe that Colon has become synonymous to its dirty sidestreets and dilapidated buildings. Luckily, the city government has great big plans for downtown Cebu, specifically Colon Street. A massive rehabilitation program will soon be commenced (hopefully very very soon) to reestablish and revitalize the priceless treasure that only the island of Cebu can ever claim. Colon Street is a crowded street in downtown Cebu City that is often called the oldest street in the Philippines. It is named after Christopher Columbus. It traces its origins to the town plan by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the Spanish conquistador who arrived in the Philippines to establish a colony in 1565. Colon, a bit run-down now, was the site of fashionable shops, offices and movie houses. It was once the heart of Cebu City's shopping and business activity, but in recent years much of this activity has shifted inland to uptown areas.[1] In 2006, the Cebu City Council proposed a plan to close parts of Colon street from vehicular traffic and convert it to a tourism zone. [2] However, this was met with much opposition from businessmen and motorists due to concerns regarding security and parking spaces.