The Cebu City Health Department was created not just by a local legislation but by a national law. Its birth was through Republic Act No. 376, entitled "An Act to amend certain section of Commonwealth Act Numbered Fifty Eight, known as the Charter of the City of Cebu, so as to increase the salaries of certain officials and to create the Department of Health."
The law was approved on June 14, 1949. Under Section 49-A of the law it provides the definition and powers of a city health officer, it says:
"The City Health Officer- His salary, powers and duties.- There shall be a city health officer who shall be under the Department of Health. He shall receive a salary of not exceeding four thousand eight hundred pesos per annum. The city health officer shall have the following general powers and duties:
(a) He shall have general supervision over the health and sanitary conditions of the city.
(b)He shall execute and enforce all laws, ordinances, and regulations relating to public health.
(c) He shall recommend to the Municipal Board the passage of such ordinance as he may deem necessary for the preservation of the public health.
(d)He shall cause to be prosecuted all violations of sanitary laws, ordinances, or regulations.
(e) He shall make sanitary inspections and may be helped therein by such members of the police force of the city or the National Police as shall be designated as a sanitary police by the chief of police or proper National Police officer and such sanitary inspector as may be authored by law.
(f) He shall keep a civil register for the city and record there all births, marriages, and deaths with their respective dates.
(g) He shall perform such other duties, not repugnant to law or ordinance, with reference to the health and sanitation of the city as the Director of Health shall direct.
The City Health Officer shall have an assistant who shall receive a salary of three thousand six hundred pesos per annum."
The Cebu City Health Department Building along Gen. Arcadio Maxilom Avenue was inaugurated on September 17, 1982. It was built during the leadership of Dr. Manuel M. Veloso, the City Health Officer at that time.
The Chief Executive of Cebu City at that time was a Doctor of Medicine, his name was Dr. Florentino S. Solon. The Vice Mayor was Ronald R. Duterte, the City Councilors were: Pablo U. Abella (also a Doctor of Medicine), Emmanuel B. Aznar, Rodolfo Y. Cabrera (a lawyer), Jose V. Cuenco, Jesus B. Garcia Jr. (a lawyer), Clenton F. Gumalo, Emilio Rm. Jaca, Vicente A. Kintanar Jr., Leonardo S. Manlosa, Franklin M. Seno, Bienvenido B. Tudtud and Suga S. Yuvienco (a Doctor of Medicine).
Under the law that created the city health department, it also increased the salaries of the following officials: The Chief of Police shall receive a salary of three thousand six hundred pesos per annum, while the Chief of the Fire Department shall receive a salary of four thousand pesos per annum, while the City Treasurer shall receive a salary of four thousand five hundred pesos per annum.
The salary of the City Assessor was also increased, making it four thousand pesos per annum. The Board of Tax Appeals, except those serving ex-officio and the chairman, shall receive a compensation of ten pesos for each day on which they attend the sessions and serve as members of the board.
The Cebu City Health Officer in 1965 was Dr. Manuel S. Segura, the Fire Chief was Capt. Antonino I. Alo, the City Treasurer was Atty. Jesus E. Zabate (admitted to the Bar on May 16, 1950) and the City Assessor was Atty. Cipriano Trinidad (admitted to the Bar on May 16, 1950).