The City of Mandaue was founded in April 7, 1521, when a “Cove of Cebu”, called Mandawe, was sighted by a Spanish expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan. The “Cove of Cebu”, which is located in the present Barangay Tipolo, became the host to the first

facility in the country. Its establishment marked the origins of the industrialization of the country as it helped in the promotion and sustainability of the Acapulco Trade which took place at that time.

In 1571, Legaspi established the country’s first drydock complex on the shoreline of Tipolo, Mandaue, in order to hasten the colonization of the area.

The drydock facilities, which were a few meters away from the existing location of the San Miguel Brewery Complex, reportedly serviced the Galleons of Legaspi. Historically, Mandaue got its name from a thick, clinging vines known as “mantawi”, which were abundant in the early times, long before the coming of the Spanish conquestadores. During these times, Mandaue, with its eastern and southern boundaries facing the Mactan Strait, was already referred to as the “merchants’ paradise”. The major economic points within the area were already interlinked with several crude transportation network.