Its first issue appeared on August 15, 1930, as part of the magazines published by Liwayway Publishing, Inc. During the Second World War, the combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth ground troops including the local Visayan guerrilla resistance fighters was fought against the Japanese Imperial forces led by General Sosaku Suzuki during the Battle for the Liberation of Visayas in 1945.
In June 1948, Bisaya started a monthly sister publication, Saloma, a literary pamphlet which carried a complete novel in every issue.
Many Cebuano literary stalwarts made their names in the pages of Bisaya: Natalio Bacalso, Severino Retuya, Marcel Navarra, Piux Kabahar, Sulpicio Osorio, Estrella Alfon, Lina Espina-Moore, and President Carlos P. Garcia.
Ver Quimco's legal column to Prof. Amelia Bojo's opinion pieces, and a host of others, Bisaya offers a variety of reading fare.
Ang Gugma Walay Pag-abot means "Love Can't Wait" One of the latest accolades Bisaya received together with its sister regional publications Bannawag, Liwayway and Hiligaynon is the Diamond Cultural Award presented by Publishers Association of the Philippines on December 12, 2008, in Baguio, Philippines.