Daanbantayan - highly urbanized city in the province of Cebu. According to the census in 2008 there lived 73 thousand people. In the territory of the city also includes the island of Malapascua. Every year there is a colorful festival Khaladov after the legendary founder of the town of Datu Daya. The very name of the city comes from the words "daan", which in local dialect means "old" and "Bantayan" - the so-called guard post, from which the locals were observing the approaching Moro pirates.

Today, this small town is a real tourist paradise of northern Cebu. He is known for its beaches with fine white sand, is particularly good on the island of Malapascua. The dive sites teeming with marine life, attract hundreds of fans of diving. Only here you can see a huge manta ray and fox sharks.

The city itself also has several attractions such as the city hall, called the Tribunal and was erected by the Spaniards. The first city hall was a wooden bamboo patches, and in 1916 the building was constructed of reinforced concrete. Immediately after World War II, it was attached to two wooden wings - one facing south, the other north. Later they were replaced by the two-storey stone outbuildings.

Another landmark is the church of Santa Rosa de Lima, built in the mid 19th century with the help of local residents. The church was built of brick blocks and is still in good condition, although the inside has carried out restoration work, the original design was changed. However, the facade of the church remains intact and retains its original shape.

Historic Site is Tapilon Cape, which was the very watchtower Datu Daya, who gave the city its name. From this observation were the approach of militant Moro pirates, who often drove into slavery subjects Datu Daya. Unfortunately, up to now we have not reached any residue of the tower. Today on the site is private property.

It is impossible to escape the island of Malapascua, open one Spaniard, whose ship got stranded here on Christmas Day 1520. Due to the fact that he had to carry out such an important holiday away from family and friends on a desert island, the captain called it "Mala Pascua," which means "bad Christmas". Since then, over the island and the name stuck even though the locals still insist that the present name of the island - Logone. Here in 1890, a miracle happened - was found the image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of wood. They say that the image still continues to grow in size. Believers from all over the Philippines and even from abroad come here to worship the Virgin Mary, whose image is now stored in a specially built chapel.

In the coastal waters of Malapascua Island is a popular dive site of Monad Shoal - seemingly unremarkable shallow shoal, which is not much coral. However, thousands of tourists ready to fly halfway around the world to dive with scuba diving here, because only here every day you can see the amazing fox shark at a depth of 20 meters. Typically, fox sharks are found at a depth of 350 meters, and it is unclear why the island of Malapascua, they rise so close to the surface. In addition to the sharks in the waters of monads Shoala meet manta rays, sea eagles and hammerhead shark.

The 50-minute boat ride from Malapascua is a small island Gato - rock, which grows right in the middle of nowhere Visayas Sea. On Gato nest many species of birds, and in the forest covering the steep cliffs, inhabited by flying foxes, fruit bats. In the coastal waters of the island you can see a myriad of rare nudibranchs, and in underwater caves live reef sharks.