The City of Talisay used to be an
Agustinian estate in 1648 but only became a municipality in 1849 with Silverio
Fernandez as its first gobernadorcillo and Pedro Labuca as capitan. Some
accounts trace the origin of its name from Magtalisay trees abounding in areas
while others claim origin of the name from a town in Spain. In both the
American and Japanese occupations, Talisay served as haven of colonial forces.
During World War II, the city served as the center of guerilla intelligence
operations for the Philippine residence movement in Cebu. The returning
American forces made their historic landing in the beach of Talisay on March
26, 1945 - an event that marked the eventual surrender of the Japanese forces
in Cebu. The event is now annually commemorated by the provincial government of
Cebu. On December 30 2000, Talisay became a component city by virtue of
Republic Act 8979.
