Talisay is known as the Aqua city of the south today and was once known as the vacation capital of Cebu as many prominent families once had beach houses here from the Jeresa to the Osmena and even until now the famous Maroca swimming pool. Barangay Poblacion, the site of the first Spanish settlements in Talisay and home of its colonial church is mostly built upon water reservoirs leading to almost every household having a ‘Tabay” or well or “Bomba” meaning Hand Pump and also Barangay Poblacion had many small rivers and creeks running through it neccessitating the need to build bridges to cross them. he Spanish-American period bridge in Barangay Poblacion originally built in the 1880s to connect south and north Poblacion which was then renovated into a Concrete balustraded bridge following standard American architecture. The original bridge was most likely a arched bridge made of part coral stone, part brick this structure was then replaced by the concrete bridge, the left side was built in 1911 and the right built in 1919. If you look below the bridge you can see its Coral stone and brick foundations, if you look closely at the photos there are rectangular bricks.
The structure serviced the needs of residents of Poblacion going to other Barangays in Talisay like Tabunok and Dumlog. As it was the main thoroughfare of civilians to and from other Barangays it was strategic position which would later lead to its destruction during World War 2. To be clear the bridge was not totally obliterated only the front portion of the bridge facing north towards Barangay Dumlog was destroyed but most of the bridge stayed intact. In World War 2 footage of the American Liberation landing in Talisay troops can be seen crossing the bridge which was piled over with dirt and sand to cross. Local elders tell stories of the bridge as a gathering place when typhoons hit as it was one of the strongest points aside from the church. Elders speak of stories of fishing from its sides and during World War 2 an 87 year old resident recounts “Pag abot namo balik diri sa Talisay kami nanga-ot sa mga bas gi butang sa taas sa bridge” Translation “When we came back to Talisay we were the ones who dug up the sand and dirt put above the bridge”. Today the bridge stands where it once fell 70 years ago and it is still sturdy and would probably last 100 more years.
