Six years after the Philippine Carnival took off in Manila, Cebu had its own regional Cebu Carnival or Cebu Petit Carnival, which ran from 1914 through 1941. 

The Carnival festivities included commercial and industrial exhibits and entertainment such as circus, ferris wheel and other rides, parades, vaudeville shows, balls, performances, and Carnival Queen events.

It was the Carnival Queen element, however, that grabbed people’s imagination and which is still remembered. The Carnival Queens evoked glamour, opulence, and they had a mystique that stayed with them all their lives. These Queens were treated with deference accorded to politicians and other dignitaries. My mother, Concepion Alesna Cuenco, who was Cebu’s Carnival Queen of 1931, had articles written about her carnival days even when she was in her 80s.

The candidates for Carnival Queen were nominated by newspapers, institutions, or districts; judging was done by either ballot system or by judges. They were chosen for their good looks, proper breeding, and accomplishments. Most, if not all, came from influential and wealthy Cebu families.

According to carnival aficionado Alex Castro, the Carnival was not an annual event because of the great expense to put up the extravaganza. The year 1919 did not celebrate the Carnival in Cebu or in Manila, out of deference to World War I in Europe. In Cebu, Carnival festivities were first held at the Fuente Osmeña, but later on they were held at the pier, Magallanes Street, and Plaza Independencia. When my mother became 1931 Carnival Queen, festivities were held at the Plaza Independencia.

The Cebu Carnival did not link its event dates to Ash Wednesday as Manila’s did. Cebu Carnival dates generally occurred in February, March, or April. The duration of the Cebu Carnival, like that of the Manila Carnival, varied from a few days to over two weeks. When my mother became Carnival Queen, the event ran for 15 days.

So much time has passed since Cebu Carnivals were celebrated. It has always been difficult to find photos and memorabilia of Cebu’s Carnival because many were destroyed during World War II, a fact echoed by researchers of the topic. While I was able to find additional information and pictures online, Alex Castro, who has blogs about Carnival Queens, was very helpful in providing quite a number of photos. He actively helped me “discover” some missing Cebu Carnival Queens, notably: 1915 Queen Rosario Chiong Veloso Singson; 1920 Queen Dolores Carratala Veloso; and 1922 Vicenta Chiong Veloso Osmeña.

Also of interest is the additional information about 1941 Queen Florencia Gonzalez, who married Enrique Belo and is the adoptive mother of famous dermatologist Vicki Belo. In 2020, it was discovered that the Unfinished Portrait by Amorsolo displayed at the National Museum was that of Florencia Gonzalez Belo.

Those familiar with the Old Families of Cebu will quickly note that these Carnival Queens were daughters of the province’s wealthiest and most powerful families. They represented an era of elegance and fine breeding that still leaves us in awe.

Here is an updated list of Cebu’s Carnival Queens with write-ups.

Cebu’s Carnival Queens from 1914-1941

1914 - Enriqueta Lasso de Vega Aldanese, daughter of Carlos Owens Aldanese and Carmen Figueroa Lasso de Vega, was a Spanish-English mestiza from Sibonga, Cebu. In 1914, she was also named Dia del Espanol Queen. In 1918 she became queen for both the Manila and Zamboanga carnivals. Orphaned at a young age, she lived with her older brother, Vicente, in Zamboanga. She went to Inmaculada Concepcion in Cebu and to an Italian Convent School in Hong Kong. She married Jose Paris, an electrical engineer who worked for the Luzon Stevedoring Company. They had three children. Her husband died of a heart attack during the War and Enriqueta took care of her children on her own. She lived to be in her 80s.

1915 - Rosario Chiong Veloso Singson, whose parents were Segundo Singson and Eleuteria Rosales Chiong Veloso. The Chiong Veloso wealth allowed Rosario and her sisters, Genoveva and Paz, to go on shopping sprees in New York, Paris, London, Rome, and Hong Kong. Rosario was married to Virgilio Gonzalez and they had seven children. She passed away on May 22, 1984 at the age of 85.

1916 – no record

1917 – Basilisa Abad, a beauty from Barili, married Dr. Atenzo and lived in Mindanao with her children.

1918 – Rosario Llamas was a Spanish mestiza from the Parian.

1919 – no carnival this year out of deference to World War I in Europe.

1920 – Dolores Carratala Veloso was the daughter of Mariano Veloso and Consuelo Carratala (Consuelo was the daughter of Barcelona-born Engineer Enrique Carratala and Feliciana Enriquez). Dolores married her king consort, Simon Ramos Paterno, the brother-in-law of Vicente Lopez Madrigal. She passed away at the age of 68 in 1966.

1921 – Amparo Mellado married the Spanish-Chinese mestizo Juan Royo and they had three children: Mario, Jesus, and Pilar.

1922 – Vicenta Chiong Veloso Osmeña, one of ten children of Estefania Chiong Veloso and President Sergio Osmeña, married Juan Veloso. She had a daughter Estefania O. Veloso Enriquez. Born in 1902, Vicenta died in 1982.

1923 – Angeles Osmeña Climaco, the last queen to be crowned at the Fuente Osmeña Circle, she was the daughter of Cebu’s 7th Governor Arsenio Climaco and Juanita Osmeña. Her escort at her coronation was Nick Osmeña, eldest son of President Sergio Osmeña. She married Dr. Ildefonso Ubud.

1924 – no record

1925 – Cecilia Michael: Her king consort was Francisco Racaza. She was Miss Cebu in the 1926 Manila Carnival pageant. She was married to Rafael Ramos.

1926 – no record

1927 - Encarnacion Livioko: The daughter of Cebu’s provincial treasurer, Encarnacion or Encarnita, grew up in Manila. Her king consort was Victorino O. Climaco, pharmacist and younger brother of 1923’s Queen Angeles.

1928 – no carnival this year

1929 – no record

1930 - Maria Consuelo Cabasa, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Juan Cabasa from the Pasil District, was chosen after an extensive and competitive search for a queen by Jose Nolasco. Her damas (maids of honor) were Maria del Mar (Miss Parian) and Remedios Manlunas (Miss Sambag); her king consort was Paciano Reyes. She married Captain Gallardo from Bohol.

1931 - Concepcion Alesna Cuenco was the daughter of the politician Governor/Senator Mariano Jesus Cuenco and Filomena Alesna from Carcar. Her king consort was Dr. Protacio V. Solon. Concepcion was also selected Miss Free Press Cebu for 1931 and 1932. She married Engineer Mariano Flores Manguerra; they had four children. She died at the age of 90 on December 1, 2002.

1932 - Evangelina Macaraeg was the daughter of a district engineer from Pangasinan who was assigned to Cebu. She was a pre-med student and cadet sponsor at the Cebu Junior College branch of the University of the Philippines. She married Diosdado Macapagal who was the 9th president of the Philippines. She was the mother of the 14th Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. She died at the age of 83 on May 16, 1999.

1933 – Rosita Veloso came from Malitbog, Leyte. Her king consort was Bernardo Torres. She married Dr. Leonardo S. Villa.

1934 - Maria Ong y Lagrimas, a Chinese mestiza, attended Southern College. She won all the beauty queen contests held in six Cebu districts. Her Court of honor included Julia Mac Vean (Miss Luzon), Julita Veloso Abad (Miss Visayas), and Daisy P. Hontiveros (Miss Mindanao).

1935 - Angeles Noel came from the Noel family of Carcar. Angeles studied in Cebu High School. Her king consort was Eddie Molina, a Philippine Military Academy graduate. Another beautiful Noel from Carcar, Amparo, had been Queen of the Visayas in 1912.

1936 - Carmen Regis Roa was the daughter of Governor Jose Roa and Apolonia Regis from Carcar. Her king consort was Senator Sergio Osmeña, Jr. She died in the December 1941 wartime sinking of the passenger ship S.S. Corregidor in Manila Bay.

1937 - Milagros Valenzuela, oldest child of Ramiro Valenzuela and Josefina Dela Victoria, Milagros was selected Free Press Cebu queen for 1937 and 1938. She married her king consort Manuel Urgello. They had five children. She passed away in 1950.

1938 - Corazon Echavez was the daughter of Vicente Echavez of Aloguinsan, Cebu. She attended the Little Flower of Jesus Academy. Her escort was her older brother Vicente Jr. She married a lawyer who became a judge.

1939 - Mary Gullas was the only daughter of Representative of the 2nd District of Cebu Paulino Gullas. She married her king consort, Mike Jayme, a lawyer.

1940 - Cristina Aberasturi and Carmen Gonzales: There were two Carnival Queens in Cebu in 1940.

Cristina Aberasturi was a Spanish mestiza who attended St. Catherine’s College in Carcar. Her court included Milagros Lebumfacil (Miss Luzon, who married Imelda Marcos’ elder brother), Amelia Tan Villanueva (Miss Visayas), and Soledad Misa (Miss Mindanao).

The second 1940 queen, Carmen Gonzales, was a Spanish mestiza who attended St. Theresa’s College. She was nicknamed after the popular Canadian actress of the time, Deanna Durbin. She reigned from February 24 to March 10, 1940. Her court included Bernardita Tabada (Miss Luzon), Elena Borromeo Herrera (Miss Visayas), and Dolores Dineros (Miss Mindanao).

1941 – Florencia “Nena” Singson Gonzalez and Flordeliza Mancao. Despite the signs of an impending war, Cebu had two Carnival Queens in 1941.

The first 1941 queen was Florencia Singson Gonzalez from Lahug. Known as Nena, she was the daughter of Virgilio Gonzalez and Rosario Singson Gonzalez. She married Enrique Belo and was the adoptive mother of noted dermatologist Vicki Belo. Nena was the subject of an unfinished portrait by Fernando Amorsolo, his famous last work that hangs in the National Museum. She died at the age of 88 on May 11, 2016.

Fernando Amorsolo’s portrait of Nena Gonzalez

The second queen for 1941 was Flordeliza Panuncialman Mancao, who as Miss Labor Day, was chosen to reign over the Labor Day celebration. She was the daughter of Pedro Mancao and Sofia Panuncialman of Carcar. Her escort was Engineer Cesar Dakay. Leon Guinto who was the Mayor of Manila and Secretary of Labor crowned her. She married Dr. Rafael Ong of Capiz. She taught Home Economics at the Carcar Central School.

I invite readers to contact me at palh@aol.com if they have additional photos or information about Cebu’s Carnival and queens.

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is a writer and editor of over 20 books. Her recent books are The Newspaper Widow and Selected Short Stories by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard. She is the youngest daughter of Mariano Flores Manguerra and Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra of Cebu. Her website is ceciliabrainard.com.

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