Glimpses of Old Cebu: Images of the Colonial Era

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"Glimpses of Old Cebu: Images of the Colonial Era" is a 276-page coffee table book of nearly 600 of the best photographs, postcards, stereoviews and lantern glass slides of Cebu and its many towns taken between 1870-1945. More than just a mere showcasing of rare, never-before-seen images, the book also provides a treasure trove of information accompanying nearly every picture.

The author, Lucy Urgello Miller has been collecting vintage Philippine postcards and photographs for over 20 years, the thrust of her collection being Cebu. She acquired 90% of her Cebu collection in the United States where she is living with her husband Richard "Rick" Miller. Most of the collection was bought at antique postcards shows. Lucy has about 1,000 pictures and postcards on Cebu but she selected only the best and most interesting for this book.

Mommy Gingging, Tita Lucy and my wife Grace

A blue-blooded Theresian, Lucy spent her entire education from kindergarten to college at St. Theresa's College here in Cebu. She obtained her Bachelors of Arts degree with minors in English and Mathematics in 1970. During her college days, she contributed poems and articles in the The STAR, the Theresian student publication.

Her grandfather (Harriolfo Rita Osmeña Espina) and my wife's great grandfather (Asterio Rita Osmeña Espina) were siblings.

Don Sergio Osmeña
Don Severino Agaton Osmeña, the patriarch of the Osmeña clan of Cebu,  (d. ca. 1861), survived his first wife Doña Vicenta Rita (d. 1849), and he himself- like many of his wealthy contemporaries- took a second wife, Doña Paula Josefa Suico (d. 1906 at 75) His two children of the second marriage were Don Lazaro and Juana Suico Osmeña, the beloved mother of President Sergio Osmeña.

President Osmeña's father was never known until a recent DNA test commissioned by family members of the Osmeña bloodline headed by Annie Osmeña-Aboitiz revealed the late president Sergio Osmeña Sr.’s biological father was a mestizo Chinese businessman named “Don Antonio Sanson”.

Don Severino Osmena's first marriage with Doña Vicenta Rita is the lineage of my wife.

Don Severino Osmena and Dona Vicenta Rita, who owned the largest trading company in 18th century Cebu, the Osmena-Rita y Compania, had four sons- Tomas, Guillermo, Victoriano and Pedro and four daughters- Eduvigis (a.k.a. Eduviges), Inocenta, Basilia and Claudia³. 
 
The eldest daughter Eduvigis Osmeña (ca. 1832-1903, n-Parian) married Mariano Dolores Espina⁵ and bore three children- Nicolasa (unmarried), Asterio and Harriolfo.

Don Paciano Cui Bondoc and Maria Mercado Espina
 













Asterio Espina married a Mercado. Their only daughter Maria Mercado Espina (1901-1971) married Paciano Cui Bondoc (a.k.a. Bundoc), son of Don Miguel V. Bondoc, who inherited vast estates in what in now Sanciangko, and in Guadalupe and Sibonga. He was the grandson of Don Lucio Bondoc of Tarlac and Pampanga. Miguel had 2 sons, Paciano and Norberto.

Paciano and Maria Bondoc had a daughter Sagrario "Gingging" Espina-Bondoc, who married Nestor Morales Morelos (1932-2026), a cousin of the late Zamboanga Archbishop Carmelo Morelos (1930-2016). He was the son of writer, post-war Republic  Daily and  Freeman columnist, Francisco "Kikoy" Miranda Morelos (1900-1994), nephew of municipal board member, publisher, newspaperman and founder of the first labor union in Cebu- the Katipunan Labor Union, Avelino Morales,  and Don Marcos Miranda Morelos- (M. Morelos St.) former Cebu municipal president (from 1936-1937)². His son Mario married Trinidad "Trining" Alvarez. She was the journalist daughter of Don Jose Alvarez⁶ whose family bought and occupied the Jesuit House of 1730, now a museum owned and managed by the family of Jimmy Sy. 

Nestor and Gingging have a daughter, my wife, Grace Espina-Bondoc Morelos. We have two children: Vincent and Vianna.

Paciano's brother Norberto Bondoc (1881-1945) married Maria del Mar (1888-1971) of Parian. Norberto and Maria had a daughter, Ramona "Moning" del Mar Bondoc (1910-1990), a pâtissière,  church patron and a devoted steward of the faith, who married Arsenio Vivera (1899-1994), a banker from Leyte. When the Archdiocese of Cebu expanded its social action programs under Julio Cardinal Rosales (1906-1983) in the mid-20th century, Ramona Vivera was one of the core matriarchs who stepped forward to fund and organize the local Catholic Women's League (CWL) chapters in Cebu. She was president of the Cebu Maternity Hospital from 1972-1974. The hospital was a creation of Cebu Women’s Club founded by Doña Felicisima Najarro-Jerez (President 1918-1920), Carmen Rallos (wife of Filemon Sotto) and Maria F. Rallos, the first culinarian to write a cookbook entirely in Cebuano. Doña Felicisima Jerez, Doña Carmen Rallos Sotto, Doña Mena Fortich Escaño, Doña Esperanza Paulin Velez, the original owner of the property that became home to the famous "Pink House" in Lahug, a gift to her son, Jose Vélez, and his wife, Juanita Velhagen, and Doña Feliza "Daday" M. Villamor were Inmaculadistas who also organized, funded and donated land to build the Asilo de la Milagrosa.

Following the destruction of Parian, Paciano and Maria relocated to Guadalupe while Norberto and family settled on the property where the Metrobank branch in front of the Cebu Provincial Capitol building stands today.

They had three children- Ramona "Nena" V. Abad, a double topnother (underaged upon graduation, she took a second course and topped in both) in B.S. Pharmacy and Chemistry from the University of San Carlos in 1957 who married Reymundo V. Abad, a Shell executive, now lives in the west coast. Dr. Arsenio Jr. "Dodong" (1931-2021), a graduate of the University of the Philippines who practiced allergology in New York City and Narcisa "Inday" V. Munasque (1929-2020), A Cornell University graduate distinguished by her advocacy for cultural and artistic initiatives. Like her mother and most of the Bondoc family, she passionately supported the Catholic Church through both financial contributions and educational efforts. Narcisa married Coronado "Stim" Perez Munasque of Medellin, Cebu. Their only child is a son named Marc.

Following the passing of his first wife, Asterio Espina later took a second wife, Balbina A. Villamor, who clung to her maiden name after marriage. They had five children- Jose, married Doña Feliza "Daday" Masecampo-Villamor, co-founder of the Asilo de la Milagrosa. Their children were Rosario "Charing" m. Claudio "Dic" Liao Lamco, son of Don Tomas Liao Lamco, Manuel m. Paulina Borromeo whose sister Dr. Lourdes "Lily" Borromeo m. Dr. Victor York Cui, grandson of Don Gil Cui, the brother of Don Pedro and Benigna Cui, founders of the Hospicio de San Jose de Barili. Victor's younger sister Rosalind "Baby" Cui m. Leo Liao Lamco, son of Claudio. The rest of the children were Amparo Villamor-Cotton, Miguel "Mike" m. Ida Garcia and Carmencita (unmarried). Raymund Borromeo Cui, the eldest son of Lourdes and Victor is the current (2026) administrator of the Hospicio de San Jose de Barili. The rest of the siblings of Jose were Mariano who married twice, first to Casilda Aguilar, then to Petrona Rayla, Jacinta "Nena" (unmarried), Maria "Inday" (unmarried) and Manuel.


Harriolfo Osmeña Espina and Vicenta Faller Veloso (1900).  The baby is Dr. Luis Veloso Espina- Cebu City mayor (1947) and founder of Espina Village 
 
Harriolfo Espina, the brother of Asterio Espina married Vicenta Faller Veloso. Their marriage produced nine children- Visitation E. Urgello, Remedios E. Noel, Dr. Salud Espina (unmarried), Soledad E. Ybanez, Mercedes E. Madarang, Asuncion E. Peralta, Jose Espina (m. Aurora Ocampo), Antonio Espina and Dr. Luis Espina (m. Concepcion Mejia). Dr. Luis and Concepcion Mejia had three children: Vicenta m. Jose Espeleta, Victor m. Virginia Pongos, and Luis Jr.
 
Dr. Luis Veloso Espina
 
One of Harriolfo's daughter, Visitacion Veloso Espina married former Cebu Congressman Vicente Sarmiento Urgello. They had seven children - Manuel Urgello, Corazon U. Tagorda, Lourdes U. Teves, Pilar U. Arcenas, Milagros Urgello (unmarried), Angeles U. Tongoy and Jesus Urgello.  One of their son, Manuel Urgello married Milagros Valenzuela, a Cebu carnival queen in 1937. They had five children and Lucy Urgello is the fourth child.

Don Miguel V. Bondoc
Lucy's mother passed away when she was two years old and she was adopted and raised by her fathers unmarried sister, Milagros Espina Urgello. She also grew up with her three older siblings who were raised by Vicente and Visitacion much to the disappointment of her maternal grandparents who wanted to raise their deceased daughters children.
 
The youngest, Roberto "Bob" Urgello, who was a week shy of six months was raised by the two unmarried sisters of Visitacion, Dra. Salud Espina and Soledad Espina. Her father had promised the baby to them if they could make him live. they kept a 24/7 watch over him and saved him several times because of their vigilance⁴. Roberto Urgello married Susan Parilla. They have two children, Robert Phillip "Bee" and Roseanne Gayle.

Lucy was formerly married to Senator John Henry Renner Osmena and had a son John Gregory who was a former Cebu vice-governor and provincial board member.

Francisco "Kikoy" Morelos with brother Marcos, Cebu municipal mayor 1937 and Berong, (1938)
 
  
Grace Espina-Bondoc Morelos Avanzado is currently (2026) the Cebu City Tourism Officer, Cebu Sister Cities Commission Executive Director and Cebu City LGU Focal Person, UNESCO City of Design, Creative Cities Network with Gil Butch Carungay as the focal person for the private sector.


Don Tomas Liao Lamco

He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination. 
 
I have observed that the prosperity or misery of each people is in direct proportion to its liberties or its prejudices and accordingly, to the sacrifices or the selfishness of its  forefathers
 
I enter the future, carrying the memory of the past. Dr. Jose Rizal
      
                                                                      
The young Sagrario "Gingging" Espina-Bondoc Morelos

    
                             
We must know history, find connections, so that the future will not read like the past.

                                                                                                          Ambeth  R. Ocampo, Rizal historian


Remember the days of old, Consider the years of all generations. Ask your father, and he will inform you, Your elders, and they will tell you. 

                                                                                                         Deuteronomy 32:7


[1] Life in Old Parian by Concepcion G. Briones page 21

Picture above- the author with my wife and her mom during the book signing at SM City Cebu in 2010.

Originally published May 2010, Updated November 2026 as told to me by my mother-in-law and family historian Sagrario "Gingging" Espina-Bondoc Morelos.

Photos courtesy of the descendants of the Osmeña-Espina, Espina-Bondoc, Veloso-Espina-Urgello, Miranda-Morelos and Cui-Liao Lamco families.

Special thanks to Tita Lucy Urgello Miller for the inspiration.


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