A HISTORIAN and an urban planner will examine Cebu’s flood crisis in a free-admission heritage forum that connects the city’s lost waterways to modern urban challenges.
The event, “Bahâ! Tracing Cebu’s Lost Waterways, Facing the Floods,” will take place on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, at 3 p.m. at Palm Grass The Cebu Heritage Hotel on Junquera St. in downtown Cebu City.
Dr. Michael Cullinane, associate director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will present Spanish-era maps showing Cebu’s historical land and waterways. He will explain how colonization shaped urban design —particularly around the port — and how the disappearance of these waterways has worsened flooding.
Cullinane will also show how these maps can inform current solutions to the city’s drainage and flood problems.
Jhomarie Villaroyo, architect and head of the Planning and Design Division of the Cebu City Planning and Development Office, will provide an overview of Cebu City’s current flooding issues, the primary causes, implemented measures and long-term strategies for prevention and management.
Announcement
The forum will also include the announcement of winners of the Central Visayas-wide hybrid speech contest for Grades 6 to 12. With the theme, “History is Not a Hashtag: Why the Youth Should Know About Leon Kilat,” the contest drew participants from across the region to mark the birthday of Gen. Pantaleon “Leon Kilat” Villegas, a Visayan hero remembered for his courage, pride and patriotism.
The forum is hosted by Palm Grass The Cebu Heritage Hotel in partnership with Tres de Abril Foundation Inc. and Diyandi Heritage Center. It will be streamed live on the Palm Grass Facebook page.
“By understanding how Cebu’s urban landscape evolved and what we’ve lost along the way, we can make more informed decisions for a resilient city,” the organizers said.
Admission is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Registration is available at https://forms.gle/jDYDdG6UNVhQoR7n9.