Location and Accessibility

Dalaguete lies at the southeastern side of Cebu Province and is bounded on the north by Argao, on the south by Alcoy, on the east by Bohol Strait, and on the west by Badian and Alegria.  With the town’s center that is 84 kilometers from Cebu City, Dalaguete is part of the second congressional district of the province.

From outside the country, Dalaguete can be reached by plane through Cebu’s Mactan International Airport, the country’s second busiest port of entry and is directly and indirectly linked to many cities in Asia, US and Europe.  From Manila, it takes only one hour to reach Mactan International Airport by plane.  Dalaguete can be reached by car from the airport in two hours, passing through the reclamation roads on Mandaue City and Cebu City and the South Coastal Road in Talisay connects to the newly-widened and paved highway to the south and Dalaguete.

Physical Features and Climate

Dalaguete has a very limited and flat lands that are mostly found along its 10 coastal barangays.  Lands 500 meters and above in elevation cover the western side of the municipality.  One of the highest points in the province is the Osmeña Peak in Mantalongon, which rises to about one thousand seventy two meters above sea level.

The local climate is typically tropical.  The temperature is high and varies little with a difference of about 3 degrees centigrade between the coldest month that occurs around January and the hottest month around May.  The mountainous barangays are cold and Mantalongon is considered as the “Little Baguio of Cebu”.  Average daytime temperature except in the mountainous region ranges from 22.2  to 32.1 degrees centigrade.  Humidity is 77%.  Average rainful recorded is 1,808 millimeters per year.

People and Culture

Dalaguete registered a total population of 21.4 thousand during the census made by the occupying forces in 1903.  This increased to 61.4 thousand by the time the last census was conducted in 2007, representing a little over 1.0 percent increase annually. Ninety eight percent of the Dalaguetnons are Roman Catholic and 99% percent have the Cebuano dialect for their mother tongue.  Many can speak and write Filipino and English. 

Friendliness, warmth, and natural sense of hospitality are find traits that endeared the Dalaguetnons to many people here and abroad.  Shaped by Chinese, Spanish and American influences, the Dalaguitnons display a diverse but unique Filipino culture and tradition.  Strong family ties and belief in God are two dominant traits that mark the people of Dalaguete.

The Economy

The economy of Dalaguete is predominantly agricultural.  Many of the people depend on crop production and fishing for livelihood.  Industry is only a minor activity which is mainly in coal mining and cottage level production of handicrafts and Dalaguete delicacy food products.  Agricultural utilizes more than 4,000 hectares of land, divided into more than six thousand farms units or less than a hectare per farm in average that produces 70,000 to 80,000 kilos of high value crops and other variety of vegetables has been delivered daily to Cebu and other neighboring towns. 

            In the highlands, people plant vegetables because of good soil and cool climate.  Mantalongon, the trading center of the highland barangays, is called as the “Vegetable Basket of Cebu”.  Its Baguio-like climate also earned for itself the name “Summer Capital of Cebu”.