The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral houses in its century-old belfry what is believed to be the second or third oldest bell in the Philippines. Engraved on the bell are the initials A and M (for Ave Maria) topped by a tiara and the year 1608. A 2009 restoration for the Diamond Jubilee of the Cebu Archdiocese resulted in the installation of a big clock at the belfry and modern digital bell carillon that incorporated the church’s three old bells. A Spanish-era coat of arms of the Philippines is carved beneath the balusters of the Cathedral’s bell tower.
