Western Visayas and Central Visayas — A Practical Guide to Panay, Cebu and Bohol

As of 2026-09-08 · Updated 2026-09-08 · Section: Regions & the Bangsamoro · 日本語版

1. Start here: the Visayas is no longer "three regions" but four

Most Japanese guidebooks and websites still describe the Visayas as three regions — Western Visayas (Region VI), Central Visayas (Region VII) and Eastern Visayas (Region VIII). Since 2024 this is wrong.

In 2024 the Negros Island Region (NIR) was created, taking Negros Occidental (including Bacolod City) out of Western Visayas and Negros Oriental and Siquijor out of Central Visayas. As a result, Western Visayas is now a region of Panay Island plus Guimaras only, and Central Visayas one of Cebu plus Bohol only.

注 Any material that places Negros (Occidental and Oriental) and Siquijor under "Western Visayas / Central Visayas" predates June 2024. Population and GRDP (gross regional domestic product) figures are also discontinuous across this split, so simple time-series comparison is not possible.

2. The 2024 creation of the Negros Island Region — third time lucky

NIR has an unusual history: created once, abolished once, and then rebuilt by statute.

The decisive point is that it became a statute rather than an executive order: no succeeding administration can erase it with a single administrative order.

注 The date of effectivity is written inconsistently. The text of RA 12000 on LawPhil gives the approval date as 11 June 2024, and the law itself provides that it takes effect 15 days after complete publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation — so the approval date, the signing date and the effectivity date all circulate separately (some reports say "signed 13 June 2024"). (Revised in the 2026-08-25 verification / the Wikipedia reference was removed in the 2026-08-26 source-hygiene pass. The first draft said "the English Wikipedia says it was re-established on 13 June 2024," but this question is settled by the statutory text alone — the text of RA 12000 on LawPhil states "Approved: JUN 11 2024", the title is the "Negros Island Region Act," and the composition is Negros Occidental (including Bacolod City), Negros Oriental and Siquijor. The materials "Geography and Administrative Divisions" and "The Visayan Islands" have both already adopted 11 June. This document likewise puts 11 June (the approval date) first and treats "13 June" as a separate, press-derived rendering. Source: lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2024/ra_12000_2024.html (re-checked against the text on 2026-08-26)) Where a single date cannot be settled, it is safest to write no more than "2024."

Section 5 of RA 12000 provides for a technical working group (TWG) of NEDA, DILG, DBM, the provincial governors and the district representatives to draw up a roadmap for the institutional transition. Section 7 requires the implementing rules (IRR) within 60 days of effectivity. 注 In other words, a law being passed does not mean the administrative machinery was complete the same day. As late as January 2026, the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) issued personnel orders swapping the regional directors of Western Visayas and NIR (Panay News, 21 January 2026); the reorganization of departmental regional offices is still under way.

A civil-society group is said to have petitioned the Supreme Court in August 2024 on the ground that the public hearings were inadequate, but the status of that case as of August 2026 is unconfirmed.

【How Western Visayas took it】Inquirer.net reported on 28 April 2025 that "West Visayas 'doing well' after breakup with Negros." Indeed, as set out below, Western Visayas recorded the fastest growth in the country in 2025.

3. The two regions in numbers (2024 census, 2025 GRDP)

Population (2024 census, reference date 1 July 2024, Philippine Statistics Authority)

注Old figures are in wide circulation. "Western Visayas 4.73 million," "Iloilo City 457,000," "Cebu City 964,000" are values from the 2020 census (Iloilo City went from 457,626 in 2020 to 473,728 in 2024; Cebu City from 964,169 in 2020 to 965,332 in 2024 = +0.12% in four years). Many encyclopedia sites and travel-guide regional articles still carry 2020 values in their tables. Always attach the year.

(Settled in the 2026-08-25 verification. The first draft said "Cebu City 964,000–965,000, Lapu-Lapu in the 497,000s, Mandaue in the 364,000s — sources disagree = unconfirmed," but adding the PSA 2024 POPCEN values given in the "Visayan Islands" material (Cebu City 965,332 / Lapu-Lapu 497,813 / Mandaue 364,482 / Cebu province excluding HUCs 3,400,522) gives exactly 5,228,149, which closes perfectly against this document's Cebu total and the Central Visayas total of 6,640,875. Because it closes without moving a single digit, these four values are adopted. Source: PSA 2024 POPCEN-CBMS / "The Visayan Islands," §3)

注 Writing "Cebu province = 3.4 million" drops the three HUCs. Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City are tabulated separately from the province as highly urbanized cities, so when speaking of the island as a whole, use 5,228,149. 注(Noted in the 2026-08-26 source-hygiene pass) "Metro Cebu as a whole (13 LGUs): 2024 population approx. 3.207 million, area 1,062.88 km²" is 注 primary source not reached (as of 2026-08-26). PSA does not publish population for a unit called "Metro Cebu" (it publishes by province, city/municipality and barangay), so this figure is someone's re-aggregation of the constituent LGUs. Do not cite it as a PSA figure. What can be said on the primary series goes only as far as Central Visayas 6,640,875 / Cebu province (including the three HUCs) 5,228,149 / Cebu City 965,332 / Lapu-Lapu City 497,813 / Mandaue City 364,482 (all PSA 2024 POPCEN).

Land area

(注2026-08-26 source-hygiene pass: 注 primary source not reached (as of 2026-08-26). Both areas are said to be post-NIR-split figures, but the published tables of PSA and NAMRIA could not be consulted. The primary sources for regional land area in the Philippines are NAMRIA (National Mapping and Resource Information Authority) and "Land Area by Region" in PSA's Philippine Statistical Yearbook, and those are the correct places to check. The figures are left in place for now, but do not cite them without stating the source)

The regional economy in 2025 (published by PSA in April 2026)

Sources: Philippine News Agency, "W. Visayas posts 6.4% economic growth in 2025; fastest in the country"; Manila Bulletin, "Western Visayas logs P683.44 B GRDP"; SunStar, "CV growth slows to 3.7% in 2025" (all 24 April 2026, reporting the PSA release).

This contrast is the key to understanding the two regions in 2025–2026. Western Visayas accelerated from 4.3% growth in 2024 (PNA, 22 April 2025) to the top of the national table, while Central Visayas was knocked back by the Cebu earthquake at the end of September 2025. 注 "Western Visayas is number one in the country" refers to the indicator GRDP growth rate (2025, among all 18 regions); the size of the economy itself is larger in Central Visayas (in real 2025 GRDP, Central Visayas approx. ₱1.32 trillion vs. Western Visayas ₱683.44 billion).

注(Noted in the 2026-08-25 cross-check) Do not mix dollar-denominated and peso-denominated figures. (In the 2026-08-26 source-hygiene pass the dollar figures were withdrawn and replaced with PSA's peso figures.) This document once carried the figures "2024 nominal GRDP: Central Visayas US$26.1 billion, Western Visayas US$13.9 billion," but the source was the regional articles on the English Wikipedia, and neither figure exists in PSA's published series. They are withdrawn.

PSA's primary series (2024) is as follows:

Sources: PSA Regional Statistical Services Office VII, "Central Visayas is the Country's Fastest-growing Regional Economy with 7.3 Percent GDP Growth in 2024" (rsso07.psa.gov.ph) / PSA Western Visayas, "Western Visayas Posts 4.3% Economic Growth in 2024" (reproduced in full on the Guimaras provincial government site, guimaras.gov.ph) / Philippine News Agency, "W. Visayas economy grows 4.3% in 2024," April 2025. 注The main PSA site could not be retrieved directly because of a human-verification screen.

注Do not cite regional GRDP in dollars. PSA publishes GRDP only in pesos; every dollar figure is someone's secondary conversion. ₱1.28 trillion at ₱58 to the dollar is about US$22 billion, which does not match the withdrawn "US$26.1 billion."

(Confirmed in the 2026-08-25 cross-check. Central Visayas was the top of all 18 regions in 2024 with 7.3% growth. "Central Visayas is the fastest in the country" is a statement about 2024; the fastest in 2025 was Western Visayas at 6.4%. Source: "The Visayan Islands," §2)

4. Western Visayas (Region VI) — Panay Island and Guimaras

4-1. Iloilo City — the center of Panay

Iloilo City is the regional center of Western Visayas and the only highly urbanized city (HUC) on Panay. The urban area comprises seven districts: City Proper, Jaro, Molo, Mandurriao, La Paz, Arevalo and Lapuz. Iloilo City's population is 473,728 and Iloilo province's is 2,082,616 (both PSA 2024 POPCEN). The metropolitan population (Metro Iloilo–Guimaras) is 1,039,935 (2024 census; area 1,105.53 km²; 1,007,945 in 2020), making it the second-largest metropolitan area in the Visayas after Metro Cebu (confirmed against the PSA 2024 POPCEN series on 2026-08-26. 注"Metro Iloilo–Guimaras" is not a PSA publication unit but an aggregation of constituent LGUs, so do not cite it as a PSA figure = 注 primary source not reached) (2024).

Iloilo Business Park

(Sources (substituted 2026-08-26): Megaworld's own development page (megaworldinternational.com/properties/iloilo-business-park/) and the property page of its REIT MREIT (mreit.com.ph/townships/iloilo-business-park/) = 72 ha, Mandurriao district, the site of the former Mandurriao Airport. The old airport ceased operations in June 2007 and Megaworld acquired the land (the control tower survived until 2021). 注On the investment figure, Megaworld describes it as its "largest single investment outside Luzon at ₱35 billion," which conflicts with this table's "₱25 billion planned in total", so neither can be used except with a date attached = 注 primary source not reached (as of 2026-08-26). The original Megaworld disclosures on PSE EDGE could not be reached. The Iloilo Convention Center (ICON) broke ground in 2013 and was completed in 2015, at a cost of ₱747 million, with 11,832 m² of floor area and 4,200 seats)

The pattern of a former airport site becoming the new city center resembles Bonifacio Global City in Manila, and symbolizes Iloilo City's rapid growth. The current airport is Iloilo International Airport in the municipality of Santa Barbara. 注The international routes served (Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok) are 注 primary source not reached (as of 2026-08-26) — routes change quickly, so always check the airlines' timetables or announcements by CAAP or the airport operator before citing them.

BPO, education, healthcare - IT-BPO: Iloilo City is a leading hub outside Metro Manila. 注The ranking "third in the country" is 注 primary source not reached (as of 2026-08-26) — the official rankings of IBPAP (IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines) and the DICT could not be consulted. The "third" position varies by outlet (depending on what is being counted — headcount, number of establishments, or floor area), so if you state a rank, always attach what it is a rank of, and the source. - In January 2026 President Marcos proclaimed a new ecozone in Iloilo City, reported as expected to create jobs in manufacturing and IT (BusinessWorld Online and others, 14–18 January 2026). - Real estate: with BPO demand and an influx of investors, it is described as "the premier property hub in the Visayas" (Panay News, 8 May 2026). - Education: Central Philippine University (the first Baptist university in the Philippines), West Visayas State University, University of San Agustin and others cluster here, drawing students from across Panay. - Healthcare: Iloilo Mission Hospital (founded 1901) is said to be "the first American and Protestant hospital in the Philippines." 注注 Primary source not reached (as of 2026-08-26) — neither the hospital's own history, the records of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, nor academic papers could be consulted. Together with Central Philippine University (1905, American Baptist) of the same lineage, this is a claim told in the context that "missionary bodies of the American colonial period brought medicine and higher education to Panay." - Ports: in 2024 the Iloilo Commercial Port Complex was turned over to ICTSI and is being modernized as the "Visayas Container Terminal." - MICE: in March 2026 Iloilo City was reported as the top MICE destination in Western Visayas (PNA, 7 March 2026).

The Dinagyang Festival

Held every year on the fourth Sunday of January in honor of the Santo Niño (the Holy Child). Its origins have two layers (organized in the 2026-08-26 source-hygiene pass) — ①the religious layer: in November 1967 Fr. Ambrosio Galindez introduced devotion to the Santo Niño to the local parish, and after Fr. Sulpicio Enderez presented a replica of Cebu's Santo Niño image to the San Jose parish in 1968, the Iloilo chapter of the Confradia del Santo Niño de Cebu held a procession from the airport — this is the origin. It was modeled on the Ati-Atihan of Ibajay, Aklan. It was formally launched as "Dinagyang" in 1969 and expanded under the Marcos administration's 1977 tourism-promotion policy (which directed each region to create a festival). ②the legendary layer: it is said to derive from the 13th-century legend of the "Maragtas" / the barter of Panay, in which ten datus from Borneo bought Panay from the indigenous Ati with gold. 注② is oral tradition and later documents with no documentary support, and must not be written as historical fact. "Dagyang" means "merriment, festivity" in Hiligaynon. (Sources (substituted 2026-08-26): the official Department of Tourism site, philippines.travel/events/dinagyang-festival/ / Philippine Daily Inquirer, "Iloilo's Dinagyang: Binding community through faith." 注The official account of the NCCA (National Commission for Culture and the Arts) could not be reached) In January 2026, together with Cebu's Sinulog and Aklan's Ati-Atihan, more than 12,500 police officers and law enforcers were deployed nationwide, and Western Visayas was placed on "blue alert" (Inquirer.net, GMA Network, both 12–13 January 2026). In the third and fourth weeks of January, accommodation rates on Panay and Cebu spike and air tickets become hard to get. It is best to avoid scheduling business trips then.

International recognition (replaced with primary sources in the 2026-08-26 source-hygiene pass) - 31 October 2023 (World Cities Day): designated in the Gastronomy field of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) — the first from the Philippines in that field. Director-General Azoulay announced it; 55 cities joined that day, bringing the total to 350. The Philippines' earlier members are Baguio (Crafts and Folk Art, 2017) and Cebu (Design, 2019), so Iloilo is the first in the Gastronomy field. UNESCO cites "culinary traditions rooted in fiesta culture" and notes that some 4,600 people work in the food sector across more than 300 restaurants in the city. Sources: the official UNESCO page unesco.org/en/creative-cities/iloilo-city / Philstar and Rappler (November 2023) - 2024: the Calle Real historic district entered UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List, and the epic "Hinilawod" was inscribed in UNESCO's "Memory of the World." 注Both of these are 注 primary source not reached (as of 2026-08-26) — the corresponding entries in the UNESCO Tentative List and the MoW Register could not be consulted. Check the Tentative Lists at whc.unesco.org and the MoW Register before citing.

4-2. Aklan and Boracay

The six-month closure of 2018

(Source replaced with the statutory text (2026-08-26): Proclamation No. 475, s. 2018, "Declaring a State of Calamity in the Barangays of Balabag, Manoc-Manoc and Yapak (Island of Boracay) in the Municipality of Malay, Aklan, and Temporary Closure of the Island as a Tourist Destination," signed 26 April 2018 = Official Gazette officialgazette.gov.ph/2018/04/26/proclamation-no-475-s-2018/ / LawPhil lawphil.net/executive/proc/proc2018/proc_475_2018.html. The proclamation states the closure period as "for six (6) months starting 26 April 2018, or until 25 October 2018," so 注the previously stated "26 April – 26 October" is off by one day (correctly until 25 October; tourists were received again from 26 October). The grounds cited in the proclamation are: waste generation of 90–115 tons a day against a collection capacity of 30 tons; only four of nine wetlands surviving; a more than 160% increase in daily tourists from 2012 to 2017; and 937 illegal structures on forest and wetland areas plus 102 on the statutory easement. The proclamation's constitutionality was challenged in the Supreme Court in G.R. No. 238467 (Zabal v. Duterte). The proclamation itself provides that the "state of calamity" continues beyond six months until lifted by the President)

Carrying-capacity management today

The figure set out by then DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) Secretary Cimatu in September 2018 is a ceiling of 19,215 people a day (Philippine News Agency, 13 September 2018, "Boracay's carrying capacity for tourists limited to 19K a day: Cimatu"). That figure of 19,215 was still being cited as the official standard in 2022 reporting.

注The definition of this number is unstable. Some reports treat it as a ceiling on daily arrivals and others as a ceiling on people on the island (tourists plus residents plus workers); a separate figure of 6,405 (said to correspond to overnight capacity) also circulates, but this study could not confirm the original and it is unconfirmed. When citing the number, always attach the year and the agency: "19,215 a day, set by the DENR in 2018."

The reality in 2025–2026: the ceiling is not being observed

In other words, even in 2026 Boracay in peak season is routinely over its institutional ceiling. Japanese-language material saying the 2018 closure "solved" the problem does not match reality.

The 2026 fee dispute

In March 2026 the municipality of Malay (which has jurisdiction over Boracay) refused, in defiance of an order from DILG Secretary Remulla, to lower various fees for the summer season. There were even reports of possible criminal liability for Malay officials (BusinessMirror, 16 March 2026 / EsquireMag.ph, 24 March 2026). 注In 2026 the amounts of Boracay's environmental fee and terminal fee are in dispute between the national government and the LGU, so the fees charged on arrival may differ from what is printed in guides.

Arrivals

注Boracay's arrival figures of "2,077,977 in 2024 / 2,155,217 in 2025" are 注 primary source not reached (as of 2026-08-26). The former source (the English Wikipedia) was withdrawn in the 2026-08-26 source-hygiene pass. Because the original releases of DOT Regional Office VI or the BIATF (Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force) could not be reached, these two figures should be treated as of unidentified provenance and not cited on their own. Region-wide, Western Visayas' 2024 tourist arrivals rose 10.25% year on year, with tourism receipts of ₱74 billion (PNA, 7 March 2025). Nationally, 2025 saw "6.5 million tourists and balikbayan combined, with receipts of ₱694 billion" (Panay News, 23 January 2026).

Aklan's capital is Kalibo, and the Ati-Atihan Festival held every January is regarded as the prototype of Philippine festivals. In January 2026, 2,980 police officers were deployed (Manila Bulletin, 13 January 2026).

4-3. Antique and Capiz

Antique — a long, narrow province running north–south along the west coast of Panay, with its capital at San Jose de Buenavista. Long regarded as the least accessible province in Western Visayas, it saw President Marcos inaugurate the ₱1.57 billion expansion of Antique Airport in January 2026. The terminal grew from 181 m² to 2,224 m², and passenger capacity from 64 to 360 (Philippine News Agency / Philippine Information Agency, 19–20 January 2026). Twelve times the floor area though it is, the scale of a 360-passenger capacity should be kept in mind.

In July 2026 the municipality of Libertad opened the first whale-shark watching site in Western Visayas (Daily Tribune / Panay News, 5 and 19–21 July 2026).

Capiz — in the northeast of Panay, with its capital at Roxas City. It calls itself the "Seafood Capital of the Philippines," but 注this is a tourism slogan, and statistical backing that its catch is the largest in the country is unconfirmed.

注 Capiz is sometimes mentioned in Japan as "the land of the aswang legend," but this is folklore and is handled delicately locally, even as tourism material. Take care when reporting or writing about it.

4-4. The mangoes of Guimaras

Guimaras is an island province facing Iloilo City, with a population of 192,874 (2024 census) — one of the least populous provinces in the Philippines. It is known as the source of the sweetest mangoes in the country.

The "first export to Europe" in 2026 is worth noting as the latest case in which obtaining GI certification led to actual market development.

4-5. The Panay–Guimaras–Negros (PGN) Bridge

One of the largest infrastructure projects in the Philippines, linking Panay, Guimaras and Negros by bridge. If completed, it will also change the meaning of "the separation of Western Visayas and NIR."

注The project cost has swollen roughly 1.8-fold in under two years, from ₱187.5 billion to ₱331 billion. Whenever you see "scheduled to open in year X," check the date of the announcement.

5. Central Visayas (Region VII) — Cebu and Bohol

5-1. Metro Cebu

Metro Cebu comprises 13 local government units.

注"2024 population approx. 3.207 million, area 1,062.88 km², density 3,017/km²" is 注 primary source not reached (as of 2026-08-26). PSA does not publish "Metro Cebu" as a statistical unit (it publishes by province, city/municipality and barangay), so this is an aggregation of the 13 constituent LGUs and must not be cited as a PSA figure. What can be said on the primary series goes only as far as Cebu City 965,332 / Lapu-Lapu City 497,813 / Mandaue City 364,482 (PSA 2024 POPCEN). 注"Shares of Central Visayas GRDP: Cebu City 22.2%, Lapu-Lapu 11.3%, Mandaue 8.3%" is likewise 注 primary source not reached — PSA does not routinely publish GRDP by city or municipality, and the provenance could not be identified.

注Mactan's location is easy to get wrong. Mactan Island, where Mactan-Cebu International Airport and the beach resorts are, is in Lapu-Lapu City, not Cebu City. Cebu City and Mactan are linked by three bridges (the Mactan–Mandaue Bridge, the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, and the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway / CCLEX, opened in 2022). CCLEX is the third route, connecting to the municipality of Cordova, and its opening dispersed access to the airport and the resorts.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA)

The Port of Cebu is described as "the busiest domestic (inter-island) port in the Philippines." The basis and the governance structure (organized in the 2026-08-26 source-hygiene pass): the Port of Cebu is under not the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) but the "Cebu Port Authority" (CPA), created by Republic Act No. 7621 (enacted 26 June 1992, operational from 1 January 1996), which has jurisdiction over all ports and inland waters within Cebu province. The important point is that it forms a statistical series separate from the PPA: in 2023, port calls were tabulated separately as 562,888 for the PPA against 136,879 for the CPA. The CPA operates the Cebu International Port for containers and the Cebu Domestic Port for inter-island passengers and cargo (21 ha, three piers with 3,838 m of total berth length, three passenger terminals). 注 Calling it "the largest port in the Philippines" is wrong. In container throughput the Port of Manila is overwhelmingly larger; Cebu is the hub for domestic routes. 注Passenger figures vary widely by source, from 15.6 million (2011) to 18 million, so always attach the year and the source (January–September 2025: 15.456 million, +2.7% year on year). 注 Primary source not reached (as of 2026-08-26): the CPA's own annual reports and statistical tables could not be consulted (cpa.gov.ph is the right place to check).

IT and BPM — Cebu IT Park

Cebu remains "the largest IT hub outside Metro Manila" (Cebu Daily News, 22 January 2026). The property services firm Colliers positioned Cebu IT Park in January 2026 as the "epicenter of growth" outside Metro Manila (Colliers, 7 January 2026 / Outsource Accelerator, 12 January 2026). The Philippine IT-BPM industry as a whole recorded above-global-average growth in 2025 (Inquirer.net, 1 January 2026). In 2026, AI-oriented reskilling has become the industry's main theme (The Business Manual, 1 May 2026).

Furniture and shipbuilding

• Furniture: Cebu has a long history as an exporter of rattan and wooden furniture. 注 The description "a world furniture center" is in circulation, but statistics for 2025–2026 supporting a ranking by export value are unconfirmed in this study.
• Shipbuilding: Japan's Tsuneishi has a shipyard at Balamban on Cebu's west coast. Timed to President Marcos's visit to Japan in May 2026, Tsuneishi announced an expansion of its Cebu shipbuilding facilities (GMA Network, 29 May 2026). Philippine shipbuilding is said to rank high globally, but the ranking moves from year to year, so if you write "number X," check annual data on a tonnage-built basis (unconfirmed in this document).

5-2. The Cebu earthquake of 30 September 2025 — recovery still under way

This is unavoidable in any account of Cebu in 2026.

(Sources substituted (2026-08-26): the earthquake parameters are from PHIVOLCS (30 September 2025, 21:59; initially M6.7, revised to M6.9; depth 5 km; epicenter 21 km northeast of Bogo City, Cebu. USGS initially gave M7.0 and revised downward. PHIVOLCS later announced that the onshore extension of the "Bogo Bay Fault" was the causative fault), and the human toll from NDRRMC (79 dead, 559 injured, all in Central Visayas. Philippine News Agency, "Cebu quake fatalities climb to 79 – NDRRMC," 17 October 2025). The breakdown is Bogo City 30, San Remigio 22, Medellin 12, Tabogon 5 and others. Those affected numbered 216,947 families / 747,979 people across 260 barangays (as of mid-October 2025). 注Immediately after the event the figures of the Cebu provincial PDRRMO (61) and the NDRRMC (26) differed sharply, so always write "which agency's figure, as of when." The official sites of the NDRRMC and PHIVOLCS were blocking bots as of 2026-08-26, so the original situation-report PDFs could not be reached)

注There are three damage figures, not two, and the first draft dropped the middle one (corrected in the 2026-08-25 cross-check).

The first draft set only "₱733.34 million (infrastructure)" and "₱47 billion (economic loss)" side by side, omitting the NDRRMC total of about ₱16.23 billion in between. That ₱16.23 billion is the value adopted, after cross-checking, by the three existing materials "Geography and Administrative Divisions," "Major Cities and Business Districts" and "The Visayan Islands" (the verification record of "Geography and Administrative Divisions" notes that it re-rounded the ₱16.3 billion it had been using to ₱16.23 billion), and this material alone had failed to connect to it. 注 Seen only as "₱0.7 billion to ₱47 billion," the figures look two orders of magnitude apart, but in fact they form a three-layer structure: infrastructure only ₱0.73 billion < NDRRMC total damage ₱16.23 billion (of which schools ₱12.69 billion) < broad economic loss ₱47 billion. Whichever you cite, always state what the figure measures.

Progress of recovery (October 2025 – August 2026)

This earthquake is the single largest reason Central Visayas' 2025 GRDP growth slowed to 3.7%. Tourism, on the other hand, held firm: Central Visayas received 6.9 million tourists in 2025, up 8.6% year on year (Cebu Daily News, 13 April 2026 / SunStar, 8 April 2026), and it is the region with the most foreign visitors (Cebu Daily News, 19 February 2026). By country, Korea leads, with Japan growing rapidly.

5-3. Cebu in 2026 — a chain reaction of water and power shortages

As of August 2026 this is the problem with the greatest effect on daily life and business in Cebu — and water and power are linked.

Water

注 As of 25 August 2026, whether Cebu City itself formally declared a state of calamity is unconfirmed (reporting could be confirmed only as far as "under consideration").

Power — the Visayas grid crisis of August 2026

The causes are unplanned outages at power plants, ageing coal-fired capacity, the limits of transfers from Luzon and Mindanao, and stubbornly high peak demand.

Anyone considering a business trip to or relocation to Cebu in the second half of 2026 must build "water" and "power" into their risk assessment. For BPO, data centers and manufacturing these are direct operational risks; in January 2026 CERA (a Cebu business group) noted that "a stable power supply also helps solve the water problem" (Cebu Daily News, 20 January 2026).

5-4. Bohol

Population 1,412,726 (2024 census), area 4,821 km², capital Tagbilaran (2024 population 128,950). Tourists in 2025 numbered 1.4 million (Cebu Daily News, 10 February 2026).

UNESCO Global Geopark, 2023

On 24 May 2023, at the 216th session of the UNESCO Executive Board at its Paris headquarters, Bohol Island was designated the Philippines' first UNESCO Global Geopark. UNESCO approved 18 new geoparks at that session, with the Philippines and New Zealand joining for the first time (bringing the total to 195 sites in 48 countries). The designated area covers 8,808 km² of land plus surrounding marine protected areas, with a population of 1.4 million. The citation praises geology formed by 150 million years of crustal movement and more than 400 years of history and cultural tradition living in harmony with it. The principal geosites are the Chocolate Hills (conical karst), the Danajon Double Barrier Reef — the only double barrier reef in Southeast Asia — and the island's oldest basement rock, the Alicia Schist. (Sources substituted (2026-08-26): the official UNESCO page unesco.org/en/iggp/geoparks/bohol-island / DFA, "UNESCO Designates Bohol Island as PH's First Global Geopark" / the Bohol provincial government, geopark.bohol.gov.ph) This is a relatively recent development and is often not yet reflected in Japanese-language material.

The Chocolate Hills

More than 1,200 conical limestone hills. The name comes from the grass turning brown in the dry season.

The major controversy since 2024 must be understood: resorts had been built inside the protected area.

Development restrictions inside the protected area (the Chocolate Hills Natural Monument) have been tightened since 2024, and the operating status of tourism facilities keeps changing.

The tarsier (Philippine tarsier)

(Sources substituted (2026-08-26): the taxonomy and conservation status are from the IUCN Red List entry for Carlito syrichta (Red List ID T21492A17978520) = "Near Threatened," with a decreasing population trend (iucnredlist.org/species/21492/17978520). 注The assessment year is not the "2008" in this table — the Red List assessment in question is said to have been made in November 2015 and published in 2020, so "assessed 2008" is very likely wrong (注 primary source not reached (as of 2026-08-26) = the IUCN site returned 403 and the text could not be reached, so the assessment year could not be settled. If you state the year, check it against the IUCN original). The taxonomy follows Groves & Shekelle (2010), who moved the species from Tarsius to the genus Carlito. The subspecies are C. s. fraterculus (Bohol), C. s. syrichta (Samar and Leyte) and C. s. carbonarius (Mindanao). As a measured example of population density, a 2017 survey at Subayon, Bilar, Bohol gives 75 individuals/km², and there is a peer-reviewed paper finding that Typhoon Haiyan (2013) had a significant effect on Bohol's population density ("Impact of Typhoon Haiyan on a Philippine Tarsier Population," PubMed 29017170))

注"The world's smallest primate" is inaccurate. Correctly, "one of the world's smallest primates." Smaller primates exist, such as the mouse lemurs. 注 Tarsiers are also extremely vulnerable to stress and survive poorly in captivity. The bans on flash photography and on touching them must be observed.

The 2013 Bohol earthquake and recovery

At 08:12:31 (PHT) on 15 October 2013, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck about 6 km south of Sagbayan at a depth of 12 km, damaging many historic churches (Spanish-era buildings of the 16th to 18th centuries).

(Settled in the 2026-08-26 source-hygiene pass. The dual presentation was dropped in favor of a single set of definitive figures.)

The content of the correction: the first draft said "57 dead and 104 injured in Bohol"; the 2026-08-25 verification, relying on the English Wikipedia article on the earthquake, rewrote this to "Bohol 209, total 222." On consulting the primary source (WHO) on 2026-08-26, the correct reading is "of the 222 total, 195 were in Bohol." 注"209" is wrong and must not be used. The 57 was a provisional count immediately after the event.

Sources: WHO, "Bohol Earthquake: One year on" (who.int/philippines/news/feature-stories/detail/bohol-earthquake-one-year-on) = "The earthquake affected over 1.2 million people, 222 people died (195 in Bohol), 976 were injured and eight people missing." / NDRRMC Update: SitRep No. 35 re Effects of Magnitude 7.2 Sagbayan, Bohol Earthquake (3 November 2013) (carried on ReliefWeb. 注That report gives injuries as 796, conflicting with the 976 of WHO and the peer-reviewed literature — apparently a transposition (796↔976), but which is correct could not be settled = 注 primary source not reached). Infrastructure damage in the same SitRep is over ₱2 billion. Some buildings, such as Loboc Church and Baclayon Church, took more than ten years to restore. Whether a site you plan to visit has completed restoration needs checking in advance.

Panglao Airport (Bohol-Panglao International Airport)

(Sources substituted (2026-08-26): Philippine News Agency, "PH to launch first green int'l airport in Panglao Nov. 27" (CAAP announcement: the inauguration was on 27 November 2018 and commercial operations began the following day, 28 November; project cost ₱8.9 billion; the Philippines' first "eco-airport," designed to cover a third of its electricity with natural ventilation and solar, plus rainwater harvesting and motion-sensor lighting) / the JICA yen loan for the "New Bohol Airport Construction and Sustainable Environment Protection Project" = loan agreement 27 March 2013, groundbreaking 22 June 2015, Phase 1 ¥10.782 billion (about 79% of total project cost). In November 2018 an additional Phase 2 loan of ¥4.376 billion (about ₱2.1 billion, 40-year repayment) was signed by Finance Secretary Dominguez and JICA Chief Representative Wada (Inquirer Business). The site is 220 ha with capacity for 2 million passengers a year (the old Tagbilaran airport handled at most 800,000). The main contractors were a Japanese consortium of Chiyoda Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation, with civil works by EEI. In 2024 Aboitiz InfraCapital took over operations under a 30-year concession. 注The project cost is split between "initially ₱4.8 billion → ₱7.14 billion" and "₱8.9 billion," and together with the passenger time series is 注 primary source not reached (as of 2026-08-26) = the original project evaluation reports of CAAP and JICA could not be consulted)

Developments in 2026 - In April–May 2026, the first international charter flights from Narita were operated. On 2 May, 164 Japanese tourists arrived, and scheduled service is being explored (Philippine Information Agency, 30 April 2026 / Inquirer.net, 2 and 12 May 2026 / BusinessWorld, 11 May 2026). - In the first quarter of 2026, the Bohol and Laguindingan airports operated by Aboitiz together handled more than one million domestic passengers (PNA, 11 June 2026). - On 27 July 2026, Petron obtained exclusive rights to build and operate an aviation fuel depot. - In May 2026 Robinsons Land planned a beachfront hotel, "Grand Summit," on Panglao (Inquirer.net, 6 May 2026).

The start of direct charter flights from Japan to Bohol in 2026 is recent information that scarcely appears in Japanese-language material. As of August 2026, however, scheduled service has not materialized, and in practice the route remains via Cebu (fast ferry from Mactan airport to Tagbilaran, or a domestic flight).

6. Languages

(Sources substituted (2026-08-26): speaker and household statistics are from the PSA press release "Tagalog is the Most Widely Spoken Language at Home (2020 Census of Population and Housing)," 3 March 2023 (signed by Mapa) and "Ethnicity in the Philippines (2020 CPH)," 3 July 2023. In PSA's home-language table, 61.4% of residents of Central Visayas speak Cebuano. Dialect divisions and genealogy follow Zorc, R. D. P. (1977), The Bisayan Dialects of the Philippines: Subgrouping and Reconstruction, Pacific Linguistics C-44, ANU, and vocabulary Wolff, J. U. (1972), A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan, Cornell SEAP & LSP. For detail see §2 and §3.3 of the in-field material "Cebuano and the Major Languages")

注The most important practical point: Iloilo and Cebu cannot understand each other. Hiligaynon and Cebuano have low mutual intelligibility, and speakers of the two communicate in English or Filipino (Tagalog). Writing as though there were a single language called "Visayan" is wrong. Even within Panay, Iloilo (Hiligaynon) and Antique (Kinaray-a) are separate languages.

注 Hiligaynon began to be formally taught in schools only in 2012. Source (substituted 2026-08-26): the Department of Education's mother-tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) was institutionalized by DepEd Order No. 74, s. 2009, and began in 2012 with 12 languages (Tagalog, Kapampangan, Pangasinense, Iloko, Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Tausug, Maguindanaoan, Maranao, Chabacano), with seven more — Ibanag/Ybanag, Ivatan, Sambal, Aklanon, Kinaray-a, Yakan and Surigaonon — added in July 2013, bringing it to 19 (Official Gazette, "DepEd adds 7 more languages in mother tongue-based education," 12 July 2013 / DepEd Order No. 28, s. 2013). 注Kinaray-a (Antique) and Aklanon (Aklan) were in the 2013 batch, so even within Panay the year of introduction differs by one. Generations before that never learned the orthography of their own mother tongue at school. 注Note also that MTB-MLE was abolished by Republic Act No. 12027 (10 October 2024) (see the field material "Cebuano and the Major Languages"), so it was a system that lasted only the twelve years from 2012 to 2024.

7. How the 2026 Middle East conflict affects the two regions

The Middle East conflict that began on 28 February 2026 has reached the whole Philippine economy. Western and Central Visayas feel it through three channels: tourism, remittances, and power and fuel.

The national outlook (government and international-organization statements)

Transmission channels to Western and Central Visayas

1. Tourism: Central Visayas (Cebu and Bohol) depends on arrivals from Korea and Japan. Higher fuel surcharges hit it directly. The same applies to Boracay (Aklan).
2. Remittances: Western Visayas has traditionally sent many OFWs. Returns and job losses in the Middle East feed straight through to household consumption and property purchases.
3. Power and fuel: this materialized in Cebu in August 2026. The Visayas grid depends on ageing coal plants running on imported fuel, and when high fuel prices coincided with outages, ten red alerts were issued in August. The chain of Middle East conflict → high fuel prices → unstable power → outages → water shortages is actually happening in Cebu (SunStar, 15 August 2026, "Power cuts trigger water shortages").

注The figures of 6.4% growth for Western Visayas and 3.7% for Central Visayas in 2025 are both actuals for 2025, before the conflict began. Figures for 2026 will not appear until April 2027. It is risky to write in the present tense in 2026 that "Western Visayas is booming."

8. Points you get wrong if you don't know them (summary)

[Related] The Negros Island Region (NIR) / Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) / Philippine regional divisions and administrative machinery / The investment climate of Cebu / Practical guidance on Boracay and Bohol tourism.

On the verification record: the results of the 2026-08-25 verification of the six-material regional cluster that includes this document (Metro Manila in Detail / Central Luzon / CALABARZON and MIMAROPA / The Bicol Region / Western and Central Visayas / Eastern Visayas and the Yolanda Recovery) are collected as a single list in the "Verification record (2026-08-25)" section at the end of the representative file "メトロマニラ詳論." See there for the grounds of corrections, the reasons for dual presentations, and unresolved items.

日本語の詳細版: 分野「地理・地方」「西ビサヤと中部ビサヤ ― パナイ島・セブ島・ボホール島の実務ガイド」（本サイト日本語版）。関連＝「ネグロス島地方（NIR）」「東ビサヤ（Region VIII）」「フィリピンの地方区分と行政機構」「セブ島の投資環境」「ボラカイ・ボホールの観光実務」。