Seal of Cebu

The Seal of Cebu is one of the official symbols of the province of Cebu[1] in the Philippines.

Seal of Cebu
Versions
NHCP-registered variant
Armiger	Cebu
Blazon	Quarterly first and fourth, Chequy gules and argent; quarterly second and third, Azure, on inescutcheon Or, a bolo knife and spear in saltire, on a bend dexter argent six oysters Or.
Motto	Province of Cebu
Earlier version(s)	1950

The seal is composed of a shield divided in quarters enclosed in a circle. The upper left and lower right quarters are composed of 48 small squares colored red and white. The spear and bolo represents the resistance against oppression as symbolized by Lapu-Lapu's victory over Ferdinand Magellan and his forces at the Battle of Mactan. The six oysters represents six generals who led a revolution against Spanish and American colonizers - Generals Maxilom, Echavez, Cabreros, Leon Kilat, Jaca, and Genes.

Coat of arms of Ferdinand Magellan, from the First Voyage Round the World by Antonio Pigafetta

The squares in the chequy pattern represents the total number of local government units in the province.[1] However, the chequy pattern in the arms of the 1950 variant of the seal may possibly alludes to the coat of arms of Ferdinand Magellan, the first European to land in the island province. Recently, the pattern has been changed into a more chessboard-like design just like in the current seal of Cebu City, and the symbolism now represents the constituting municipalities and cities that formed the province.