There are many on-site ESL schools in Cebu (Cebu city and other areas within the Cebu region). These language schools are all legitimate or have business permits with many years of experience in the industry.
These 16 ESL academies are owned and managed by foreign nationals: mainly Koreans and Japanese. Most of the Korean students (if not all) are recruited by Philja Tour company—the most reputable travel agency that caters to Koreans and Japanese. (https://www.philja.com/)
Since the pandemic is nearly over and the Philippines is now accepting foreigners back in the country, then it's certain that many non-English-speaking students are busy planning their trips abroad—mainly with the aim of studying English.
While a lot of schools are permanently closed, there are still many of them that exist and even started to reopen. In fact, I personally visited some of these academies, so I saw the current situation of these schools. These ESL companies are quite well-known in Cebu and to foreign students alike.
In no particular order, here are the ESL schools you might want to consider enrolling (if you're a student) or teaching (if you're a teacher):
English Fella
Established in 2006
Student: Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Arab, Mongolian
CIA has two ESL schools in the province of Cebu: one in Cebu City and the newest/biggest school is in Mactan. As of 2022, the latter is the only one open.
Location: M.J. Cuenco Avenue, Cebu City, Philippines
SMEAG Global Education Inc.
Established in 2015
Before the pandemic, SMEAG has three ESL schools in Cebu City. As of now, they only have one school that is operating – SMEAG Capital. For inquiries, please contact them directly.