Winning English Academy shared a dinner with Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival to discuss the vision of Cebu evolving from an English-learning destination into an International Education City. The conversation explored combining language education, STEAM learning, cultural exchange, and local resources, building on Cebu's English-speaking environment and international community. Having grown in Cebu for over ten years, the academy hopes to partner with local educators and schools to connect Cebu with the world.
Some of the best ideas don’t start in a boardroom. They start around a dinner table, over good food and honest conversation. Recently, our team at Winning English Academy had the privilege of sharing an evening with Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival and his team, and it turned out to be far more than a pleasant meal.
As the photo shows, it was a warm, informal gathering in a private dining room, with the whole table sharing dishes, raising a toast, and simply enjoying each other’s company. There was no stiff, official distance to the evening. It felt more like a group of educators sitting down together to exchange ideas.
Mayor Archival brings many years of experience in education and teaching, and it showed. Throughout dinner he shared stories about education, life, and the development of Cebu. His stories were inspiring, full of humour, and genuinely thought-provoking. He also offered us valuable advice on how we can put down deeper roots and become more meaningfully connected with the Cebu community.
In return, we shared some of Winning’s future educational projects and our longer-term vision. It was encouraging to discover so many shared ideas, and to receive such positive feedback and support.
One topic from the evening stayed with us long after the plates were cleared. It began with a simple but ambitious question:
Cebu is already well known as a destination for learning English. But could it become something bigger? Could Cebu grow into a true International Education City?
When you look at what Cebu already has, the potential is clear:
Imagine connecting all of this together — language education, STEAM learning, cultural exchange, international schools, and local city resources. If those pieces come together, Cebu has enormous room to grow as an important hub for international education, not just English study.
Winning English Academy has been growing in Cebu for more than ten years. Over that time, we’ve welcomed students from around the world to study English in a supportive, non-Spartan environment, with hotel-style dormitories and dedicated coaching for intensive ESL, IELTS, TOEIC, Business English, and our junior and family camps.
As we look toward our next ten years, our hope is to do more than simply bring international students here to learn English. We want them to truly experience Cebu, to understand it, and to feel genuinely connected to this city and its people.
To get there, we know we can’t do it alone. We want to work alongside more local educators, schools, and community partners so that education becomes a bridge — one that connects Cebu with the rest of the world, and the world with Cebu.
Evenings like this one remind us why that matters. When educators and city leaders sit down together and find common ground, good things tend to follow. A wonderful dinner may well be the beginning of a new journey.
We’re deeply grateful to Mayor Archival and his team for their time, their stories, and their generosity of spirit. Conversations like these give us fresh energy and a clearer sense of what’s possible.
From Cebu to the world. From English education to global education. That’s the direction we’re excited to keep moving in.
If you’re a student, parent, or partner curious about studying English in Cebu — or about what the future of international education here could look like — we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with Winning English Academy to learn more about our programs and how you can become part of this growing community.
We have a team of highly professional instructors ready to guide you. Please feel free to contact us anytime so we can design a course tailored just for you.
