Carcar City is a municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. It is situated at approximately 40 km south from the regional capital of the Central Visayas, the Cebu City.
The city is bounded by San Fernando on the north, by Sibonga on the south, by Barili and Aloguinsan on the west, and by the Bohol Strait on the east. It’s has a total land area of approximately 116.22 km².
Carcar is politically subdivided into 15 barangays, namely: Bolinawan, Buenavista, Calidngan, Can-asujan, Guadalupe, Liburon, Napo, Ocana, Perrelos, Poblacion I, Poblacion II, Poblacion III, Tuyom, Valencia, and Valladolid.
The land is generally level with less than 18% slope composing of 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% slopes comprise approximately 1.9%. The highest recorded elevation is a little over 660 meters above sea level, located within the barangay of Napo.
The wet season occurs during the months of May to October and the dry season from the months of January to May.
Based on the 2007 census, the city has a population of 100,632 people.
The city’s inhabitants’ major industries includes farming, blacksmithing, and shoe making. Their principal products are coconuts, footwear, and their famous native delicacies.
Carcar became a city on July 7, 2007 but on November 19, 2008, the city was demoted along with 2 other cities in Cebu and 13 other cities in the Philippines. The Supreme Court ruled that the 16 cities did not pass the requirements for cityhood.
Places of Interest
Carcar, the Heritage city of Cebu, is the home to different structures from the Spanish to the American period. The Carcar plaza alone hosts several Heritage structures with the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria dominating the area. Walking towards Sta. Catalina Street, one will surely be astonished with the quaint houses and their distinctive architectural details.
Aside from the historic 17th century church, Carcar is also the home to must-see places. Old houses that are being restored are among the several.. One such house is those belonging to the Sanchez family, which is ten years older than the church in Carcar. The Balay na Tisa of the Sarmiento family, older by 17 years than the Sanchez’s house, is one of the best and painstakingly restored ancestral houses.
Another interesting place to go are the three caves in Barangay Mainit - four kilometers from the town proper going uphill through the Carcar-Barili road. Upon reaching the cave sites, one can see broken statues of Christ, of saints and of crosses dispersed all over the area. The presence of these statues was due to Imelda Marcos’ plan of transforming these caves into a shrine. The statues were brought by helicopters, but in the process of transporting, some of the icons fell, breaking some of its parts, while the others remained intact. These caves are said to be explored by local mananambals and mystics on the Holy Week.
Another interesting aspect of Carcar is the native delicacies. A visit to Carcar wouldn't be complete without sampling its mouth-watering delights. The city is known for its ampao (sweetened rice crispy), bucarillo (colored coconut candy), chicharon (pork skin cracklings), pastillas, and other tasty delicacies.
Travelling to Carcar may take an hour or so if by car, but if one decides to take the bus from the New Southern Bus Terminal, it may take longer.
