Rev. John W. Dunlop, Cebu City's adopted son

Rev. John Wallace Dunlop is an adopted son of the Cebu City Counci by virtue of Resolution No. 1913 approved on October 17, 1974 by the Cebu City Council.

Rev. Dunlop lived in Cebu for almost half a century. He came to Cebu in 1918. He was pastor of the Bradford United Church of Christ Inc. in the early 1900's, then known as the "First Evangelical Church of Cebu." It was where the Protestant Movement in Cebu started.

Rev. Dunlop, with his wife Antonia Forni, joined the staff in Cebu. Rev. Dunlop did missionary works from Southern Cebu to Bantayan Island. Rev. Dunlop studied the Cebuano Language and later translated the Bible into Cebuano. Dunlop was part of the "American Presbyterian Mission." The mission established a Christian School called the Student Christian Center along Pelaez St. It is now what is known as the "Philippine Christian Gospel School. The school was dedicated in 1927.

Rev. Dunlop worked with a Filipino pastor whose name was Rev. Jorge B. Patalinghug, who was ordained in 1916. Patalinghug became the first Filipino pastor of Bradford Memorial Church until 1936. A church building was built by Dunlop's predecessors on a three-hectare land along Jones Avenue (now President Sergio Osmeña Boulevard in 1912 and became fully operational in 1913.

The first American Presbyterian Missionaries in Cebu were Mr. and Mrs. Paul Frederick Jansen, Rev. and Mrs. AA Pieters, Rev. and Mrs. James B. Rodgers, Dr. and Mrs. James A. Graham, Dr. and Mrs. George Dunlap.

After the War, another Filipino became pastor of Bradford Church and introduced evangelization via the radio (the radio ministry was made over radio station DYBU). The pastor was Rev. Ramon Cenit.

Other Filipinos who led the Bradford Church were Rev. Patricio B. Ezra, who became administrative pastor and was assisted by Rev. Napoleon Lumapguid. On December 14, 1979, Bradford United Church of Christ Inc. was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

His eldest child (Rev. Dunlop had 7 children), John Thomas Dunlop who was born on July 5, 1914 in Placerville, California was reared in Cebu. Professor John Thomas was only 4 years old when Rev. Dunlop brought him in Cebu.

His son, John Thomas, became a full professor at Harvard University. President Harry Truman appointed John Thomas to the Atomic Energy Labor Panel and Chairman of the National Joint Board for Settlement of Jurisdictional Disputes in the Building and Construction Industry. He wrote the book, "Industrial Relations System" in 1958. President Jimmy Carter also appointed John Thomas as Chairman of the Pay Advisory Committee. John Thomas also served under the Presidency of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton. He served a total of eleven Presidents.

The Cebu City Council explained that the adoption of Rev. Dunlop was due to his contributions in the field of education and religion. Rev. Dunlop enriched and enhanced the life of the youth earning him the love and respect of not only the people of Cebu City but also the Province of Cebu.

The tradition of declaring personalities as adopted sons of Cebu City started in 1952, usually given to government officials and private citizens who have contributed to the growth of the city.