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The Osmeña Rotunda, or more popularly known as Fuente or Fuente Osmeña, is the central business district of the old uptown Cebu.

Here, within a radius of 200 meters, you can find modern shopping malls, hotels, hospitals, schools, 24/7 convenience stores, and entertainment centers, some of which are open 24 hours. The focal point of the district is the Fuente Osmeña circle. It is a beautiful park planted to shade trees where everyone can have a leisurely stroll around a fountain encircling a monument in memory of Cebu’s grand old man, Sergio Osmeña Sr., the president of the Philippine commonwealth government during the WWII. Four of the city’s major streets converge here - Osmeña Blvd. from the east and west, Gen. Maxilom Ave. from the north, B. Rodriguez St. from the south and F. Ramos St. from northeast.

Fuente, as we fondly call it, is abuzz with activities round the clock, from dawn to dawn. Long before the Village or the Crossroads and other similar joints came to be known as the entertainment center, Fuente held that distinction for years. However it lose its appeal to younger crowds who prefer a different kind of entertainment that suits them. While a number of the so-called entertainment centers mushroom all over the metropolis, Fuente is able to retain its charm to most city folks of all ages - accessible from any directions, large promenades and strolling spaces, tree-lined streets, and lots of 24/7 shops.

Fuente O doesn’t sleep, literally. A number of shops are open 24/7 who cater mostly to hospital and hotel employees who work in graveyard shifts and to some extent, night-owls. One can have his fill of hot chocolate at Dunkin Donuts or a late (or is it early) dinner at Jollibee or Chowking.

During the Christmas season, trees and virtually all commercial buildings around the circle is festooned with bright lights and Christmas trimmings that turn the place into a fantastic wonderland during the night. A sound system installed inside the park blaring out loud Christmas carols adds a more festive mood. Nightly entertainment and other events such as mini-concert, night bazaar and variety show are dished out to entertain night revellers.

On ordinary days, the park is sparsely populated. The wooden benches under the shade trees serve as temporary sleeping beds to some who want to get a midday nap. But to some the benches function as a perfect outdoor lounge to bide for the time to pass.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 28th, 2005 at 1:13 pm and is filed under General Interest, Leisure, Main. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.