Cebu Province News May 2013

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Province of Cebu - Archived News

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

  • Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
  • Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  1. The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.
Cebu metro.jpg
Aerial View of Metro Cebu

Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

5,000 jobs up for grabs at Megaworld job fair

By Ehda M. Dagooc /JMD (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - At least 5,000 jobs will be made available by the country’s biggest residential condominium developer and business process outsourcing (BPO) landlord Megaworld during the one-day job fair set on June 1, 2013.

In a press conference held over the weekend, Megaworld first vice president Jericho Go announced that jobs will be available to Cebuanos to fill in the growing number of tenants of Mactan Newtown specifically the BPO companies.

Aside from the requirement of two big BPO companies, the Results Manila and Infra USA, the job fair will also need other skills like in sales, hospitality, administrative and human resources.

“This event is part of our commitment to job generation for Lapu-Lapu City and the entire province of Cebu. Along with our corporate partners, we are excited to get the best talents of Cebu to work here and enjoy the township lifestyle that Megaworld has to offer in the Mactan Newtown,” said Go.

According to Go, the job fair that will be needing at least 5,000 workforce is just the start of the development’s job requirement, as tenants of the P20 billion mixed-use development that promotes live-work-play development formula.

New entrant to BPO sector in Cebu the Results Manila and Infra USA are occupying the four levels of One World Center, the township’s first office tower.

Other big names in the BPO and information technology sector, and existing tenants of Megaworld’s development projects in Manila like Accenture, IBM, WNS, and several others expressed interest to locate at The Mactan Newtown, Go said.

“Since we announced the construction of our second office tower in February, these two first-time locators in Cebu have already expressed their interest in expanding their presence in our development. This is why they are aggressive in hiring new and veteran talents in the BPO industry,” he said.

Mactan Newtown’s second office tower, Two World Center, is set to be completed by first half of 2014. It will offer 7,274 square meters of gross leasable area.

“We have steady pipeline of office space from now to 2015,” he said, emphasizing that while its project in Cebu is planning to expand the land area within the 20-hectare development, Megaworld continues to cement its leadership as the largest BPO landlord in the Philippines.

He said aside from the BPO companies, Megaworld Corporation is also participating in the job fair as it expands its sales and marketing teams in Cebu. Other companies such as Resorts World Manila and Golden Arches Development Corporation, master franchise of McDonald’s Philippines, are also hiring more workers from the province.

“There’s still a big portion of untapped talent here in Lapu-Lapu City which we simply cannot ignore. Their ardor can be harnessed to elevate Mactan’s status as the next business hub in Central Visayas,” said Go.

The Mactan Newtown, with its more than 20-hectare land area, had been declared as the “mixed-use special economic zone for technology, tourism and retirement” by President Benigno S. Aquino III through Proclamation No. 407 last year.

This P20-billion development is inspired by Megaworld’s pioneering “live-work-play” platform, the same successful concept that built Eastwood City, Forbestown Center, McKinley Hill and Newport City.

Aside from The Mactan Newtown, the company is also building a 74-hectare township in Iloilo City, the Iloilo Business Park, which is envisioned to be the biggest business park in Western Visayas.

Aside from BPO and residential condominiums, The Mactan Newtown will also be hosting hotels like the soon opening Richmond Hotel in the area.

PNG students pursue further studies in Cebu

(The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - The world-class education that Cebu offers has once again been recognized as ten students from Papua New Guinea arrived on May 13 to study in the established universities in Cebu.

Among the students who aspire to finish a degree include: Tahala Singham, Lorraine Angham, Hebou Kedea, Jason Lokani, Wayne Joe, Napolean Ilofa, Lloyd Sphinx Simango, Melvin Tonneman, Greg Tonneman, and Eddie Steven Wak.

“I am very much interested to study here in the Philippines, that’s why I have decided to come here and take up Mechanical Engineering at the University of San Carlos. After graduating, I plan to go back to my country and work for the people of PNG,” said Wayne Joe of Yalibu, Southern Highlands, PNG.

The PNG students know about Cebu through the Paradise International Education Consultancy (PIEC). The Filipino education placement agency based in Cebu is actively promoting Cebu education and its entirety to different parts of the world. PIEC provides PNG students the opportunity to take advantage of the world-class education offered by schools in the Philippines. The agency can enroll students in high school or university.

The students have chosen from a variety of university studies in the fields of architecture, arts, sciences, health care professions, business & economics, educations, engineering and information technology, and more.

PIEC has students enrolled at University of San Carlos, University of Cebu, Cebu Doctor's University, University of Southern Philippines Foundation and Indiana Aerospace University.

Through PIEC’s facilitation services, per student all-inclusive annual expenses are K20,000 to K25,000, which includes education placement, orientation, study skills seminars, visa assistance, tutoring and pastoral care, organizing accommodation, and managing students’ finances.

The company has more than 100 students availing of these services and continues to accept applicants.

Pavilion of memories

By Arch’t. Karl A.E.F. Cabilao, UAP

IN architecture, a pavilion could have more than one meaning.

One, it refers to a projecting part of a long building façade, usually emphasized by elaborate decorations or greater height such us in some government buildings.

But most people often conjure the typical image of this building type as “a small, often ornamental building in a garden” (defined by Francis Ching in his book A Visual Dictionary of Architecture). And it is in this second line of definition that the new pavilion inside Oakridge Business Park treads upon.

The second pavilion inside the business park in Mandaue, opened December last year in response to the increasing demand for more venues for different events here in the metro. This is bigger than the first that they had and is geared toward providing an additional space for more social functions to be held within this work and relaxation “haven.”

In the absence of a big and legitimate convention facility here in Cebu (one that could be compared to the likes of the Philippine International Convention Center and the SMX Convention Center in Manila), the Oakridge pavilion can patch the demand for such places.

The 1,200-square-meter air-conditioned permanent tent structure can be further subdivided depending on the volume of people attending a particular event, which ranges from “corporate” like conventions or “social” like weddings. In a theater seating set-up, the whole building could accommodate 1,500 people while around 800 people can be accommodated in functions that would require tables.

In buildings such as this one, a spacious entrance space is a must. An improvement from the first pavilion, this new structure has a more defined drop-off area for guests from their cars. The lobby is also a good place to linger before entering the bigger function hall, while waiting for the event.

The highlight of course is the function hall. Expansive with a nine-meter ceiling height, the interior is made dramatic by dressing up the walls and ceiling with drapes that act as a canvass for the desired feel inside. The lights actually do the work, which is a plus for event organizers who would worry less about bulky backdrops and props for their programs.

But what is a pavilion without its garden setting? Well, there is a landscaped outdoor area at one side of the pavilion that could serve as an extension for larger functions.

The success of buildings intended for big gatherings can be gauged mainly in: its accessibility within the urban area; the capability of its spaces to efficiently cater to the needs of different events and activities; and to provide ease and comfort to its users. The pavilion at Oakridge is testament to this sensitivity to the ever-changing needs in the hosting of events. A successful event creates an almost indelible memory in people who became part of it.

Apart from that, buildings like these, along with convention centers, theaters, arenas and stadiums can be effective reflectors of the community’s identity and culture.

Cebu looks forward to more than just quaint pavilions but bigger venues for memorable events that are not just especially functional, like the one in Oakridge, but also one that would project a strong and lasting Cebuano aura.

Consultancy firm offers management solutions for tourism-related businesses

By Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento /JOB (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Along with the booming tourism industry in Cebu, a consultancy firm introduced its property and hospitality management solutions that could enable local players to deliver more efficient and effective services to their high-value customers.

Push Technologies Int’l, Inc. (PTI), country manager Koh Kuan Sing said that Cebu, which is rich in attractive hotels and resorts, should adopt innovative solutions that could streamline the operations of the industry, thus taking the country’s growing tourism business to the next level.

Considering the hospitality sector as a customer-centric industry, he said that industry-related companies especially those situated in the countryside should ensure loyalty and repeat business from their clients through better services and process-oriented operations.

Sing cited that IFCA Software Hospitality Management System offers a wide range of tools to help businesses organize their operations from front end to back end financial accounting, better control and management of data and easy access to customer data.

IFCA integrated e-business multi-hotel management solution is a product of combined efforts of 200 IFCA software engineers and industry consultants based on more than 20 years of hotel industry experience and close to 300 hotel requirements worldwide.

It is a state-of-the-art fully integrated web-based solution covering hotel operations, enterprise group services and e-commerce portal platforms.

As the sole distributor of IFCA Software, PTI offers services that address the needs of real estate, rental, residential, construction, hotels, resorts and club memberships.

It provides world-class specialized consultancy, industry collaboration and globally-competitive business process automation.

With its continuous efforts of innovating and providing solutions to persistent business demands, the company recently held a free seminar-workshop on product update and software development in Cebu.

Formerly known as IFCA Consulting Group, PTI has gradually grown with its more than 120 local clients on integrated hospitality, property development, construction, loan, financial and customer relationship management industries.

As an IBM Business Partner and HP Solution Partner over the years, PTI is now considered as one of the leading enterprise software providers in Malaysia and Asia.

With new elected leaders, business sector hopes for stronger PPPs

By Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento /JOB (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Local frontrunners of the Cebu business community commended this year’s relatively peaceful elections and lauded the political maturity of citizens and expressed hope for a stronger public-private partnership in the years ahead.

Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) president Philip Tan said that the new set of government officials should involve the private sector with the legislation and implementation of policy directions in the country.

“The time has come for us to work together and come up with a common agenda. The government has to work with us to take full advantage of our Gross Domestic Product. We will not allow any politician to destroy the remarkable economic growth of the country,” he said.

He added that government leaders should be able to understand the economic enterprise system and support the thrusts of the business sector who are composed of regular tax payers.

“Majority of the electorate have decided. They have to set aside the differences of their political parties and focus on the common good of the general welfare especially the business sector,” he continued.

Aside from the electorate becoming more intelligent voters, Tan also lauded the modernization of the election system in the Philippines that resulted to minimal problems, less complains and higher accuracy although not absolute.

He further said that the newly-elected officials should be careful of their performance and see to it they are efficient enough in serving the public or else the latte who may be dissatisfied, might decide not to re-elect the former.

Robert Go, director of the Philippine Retailers Association – Cebu Chapter, commended the improvement of the Philippine elections with the utilization of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines and automated counting that resulted to quick voting results and minimal eradication of cheating contrary to the manual counting during the previous years.

Go is also the owner of the Prince Warehouse retail chain with around 40,000 sari-sari store members.

He said that further growth and development in Cebu will be expected, hoping for a wiser financial budget of public funds and accomplishments of projects of the local government.

He cited in particular the total completion of the river clean-up to prevent floods during rainy season, full repair of roads and infrastructure repairs, resolution of traffic and transportation problems, accomplishment of the proposed Bus Rapid Transit project by 2016, and the reconstruction of the Carbon Market after more than ten years.

He added that government leaders should consider tourism industry as the primary driver of the regional growth and prioritize the livability of Cebu as a competitive edge among other cities in the world.

“In the next three years, we will continue to see unprecedented growth of Gross Domestic Product in the level of seven percent and that would translate to a lot of improvement in the lives of the Filipino people. We just hope to convert that to higher per capita income for the ordinary masses,” he said.

He also applauded the political maturity of Filipinos taking into account the reports of less violence and cheating for this election season.

“The voice of the people has been heard and so is the result of the election. We have more surprises on the local level where we see the underdogs are winning. It seems people wanted change,” Go continued.

With less red tape and the continued fight against graft and corruption, he said that the enabling business environment in the Philippines shall attract more local and foreign investments that will eventually provide employment opportunities to the countryside.

“We hope that the public-private partnership shall continue and will be strengthened. We are on our way and Cebu's business has always been as bullish as before. Our next three years will be exciting. I think Cebu province, as a whole, will be in good hands,” he told The FREEMAN.

Filipino-Cebuano Business Club Inc. (FCBI) president Rey Calooy considered the results of last Monday’s polls as a good start for reform to entice more investors into the country.

“It was a fairly peaceful election, people casted their own choices. Little by little, we can foresee political reforms. As we observe, many political kingpins lost and have been replaced with new names even some of them did not have enough resources,” he stated.

He advised that those who have lost should willingly accept defeat and prepare for the next round of elections instead while engaging themselves in running their own businesses.

He also cited that for those who have achieved victory should try being an “entrepreneurial” politician who is focused on creating more businesses to generate more job, increase the spending capacity and improve the lives of Filipinos.

Calooy who is also known as the “Iron Man of Cebu” won as the vice mayor in his town in Libagon, Southern Leyte under the Liberal Party.

FCBI serves as a business organization of micro, small and medium enterprises in Cebu and other neighboring provinces such as Bohol and Leyte.

15 defective CF cards delay proclamation

By AJ de la Torre and Mylen P. Manto/JPM (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - The Provincial Board of Canvassers (PBOC) is hoping to proclaim all winners by this afternoon after taking a recess from the transmission and canvassing yesterday.

This was after learning that 15 municipalities and cities would not be able to transmit results due to defective Compact Flash (CF) cards.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Provincial Supervisor Eddie Aba decided to take the advice of the whole board to take a recess since the malfunctioning CF cards needed to be replaced with new ones that had to be shipped from Manila.

Aba said yesterday the CF cards that are expected to arrive today are for the towns of Tuburan, Sibonga, San Remigio, Ronda, Naga, Dalaguete, San Francisco, Alcoy, Badian, Balamban, Catmon, Compostela and Carmen as well as for the cities of Mandaue and Danao.

Reconfigured CF cards were initially shipped for three other cities and towns, namely; Bogo, Sta. Fe and Carcar.

Prior the decision of the PBOC to call a recess, the canvassing was at 62 percent.

With the defective CF cards, the Comelec was delayed in their proclamation for more than a day. Comelec-7 Regional Director Temie Lambino said that in his timeframe, proclamation for local candidates could have been done by evening of May 13.

Aba explained though that with Comelec Resolution 9700 that was released yesterday, municipal and city board of canvassers can proclaim winning candidates even if there are still clustered precincts that have not been transmitted yet as long as they can determine that the remaining votes will not affect the results.

According to the resolution, the Boards of Canvassers may proclaim the winning candidates based on the Grouped Canvass Report generated from the Consolidation and Canvassing System even if all the results are not received provided that the votes that have not yet been transmitted would not surpass the lead of the winning candidate.

In Bogo city for example, Election Officer Michael Angelo Sarno explained to The Freeman that they could not transmit yet since they had two defective CF cards. But he said that since one mayoral candidate was leading with sufficient votes, then they may have to proclaim today.

At 3:30 a.m. yesterday, the Cebu Provincial Canvassing Center received the first transmitted result coming from the municipality of Aloguinsan. It was almost nine hours since the voting was closed. In the 2010 National Election, the Consolidation and Canvassing System (CCS) received the first transmitted result at around 1:00 a.m.

The delay was reportedly due to the problems in the transmission of votes.

Aloguinsan has 18,327 registered voters and 14,888 numbers of actual voters. This was followed by the municipality of Argao at 4:09 a.m. with 42,438 registered voters and 35,992 numbers of actual voters.

Next, was the municipality of Liloan at 4:45 a.m. with 53,585 registered voters and 44,332 numbers of actual voters. At 4:47 a.m., the municipality of Samboan with 12,165 registered voters and 10,530 numbers of actual voters.

Then results from Madridejos came at 4:50 a.m. with 23,583 registered voters and 16,306 numbers of actual voters.

As of May 13 up to yesterday, the board of canvassers had a recess four times.

Also yesterday, acting governor Agnes Magpale together with her counsel and her family visited the Social Hall of the Cebu Provincial Capitol at 5:00 a.m. to check whether the canvassing had started. But the board was on recess so they immediately left.

Davide overtakes Garcia in Cebu gubernatorial race

By Rouchelle R. Dinglasan/BM (GMA News)

Gubernatorial candidate Hilario Davide III, son of former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., has taken the lead in the Cebu gubernatorial race, outpacing the Garcia clan’s Pablo John, who is currently Cebu’s Third District Representative.

With 63.99 percent of the election returns in, Davide garnered 565,008 votes, 152,008 more than the Cebu congressman’s 413,000 votes, according to GMA’s Eleksyon 2013 partial unofficial tally of votes as of 4:46 p.m. Tuesday.

Other gubernatorial bets Klasmit Boyet Cortes and Lito Bulala were scrambling at the tail end having 22,238 and 7,014 votes, respectively.

Meanwhile, suspended Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia has a slim lead in the race for her younger brother’s congressional seat, having 89,749 votes in the Third District race against Geraldine Yapha’s 85,596 votes.

Last December 19, the Department of Interior and Local Government imposed a six-month suspension order on the elder Garcia over an alleged case of abuse of power.

Of five members of the Garcia political clan running in Cebu, only two – Gwendolyn and her son Nelson, running as Dumajug, Cebu mayor—could possibly assume or remain in power, a television report aired at GMA News Tv’s “Balita Pilipinas” noted.

Nelson Garcia is running against Cesar Baricuatro in the Dumajug mayoralty race. Garcia is currently leading, with 8,725 votes compared to Baricuatro’s 7,197 votes, according to GMA’s Eleksyon 2013 partial unofficial count representing 64.7 percent of votes.

DENR-7 gives out close to 5T titles

By Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/FPL (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7, through the Land Management Services, has distributed a total of 4,765 land titles in Central Visayas as of last month.

In a report released by LMS, Cebu received 648 agricultural patents and 132 residential patents; Bohol had 3,277 and 326, respectively. Negros Oriental had 113 and 125, while Siquijor got 140 agricultural land titles with four residential patents.

Of the total number of land titles awarded, 4,178 were mainly agricultural lands handed in to farmers in the four provinces while the remaining 587 were all residential free patents.

Isabelo R. Montejo, DENR-7 executive director, said that patent issuance and distribution is a priority program of the agency.

Montejo has directed the provincial and community environment and natural resources officers in the four provinces to strictly observe the required time frame in accepting, processing and releasing of documents to expedite the process.

He added that applications should be acted very promptly in accordance with the existing policies and should not be kept in a drawer and applications with incomplete requirements should be returned immediately with appropriate notifications for the applicant to comply with.

Meanwhile, Montejo reiterated his call to the public to transact only with the authorized personnel and to report immediately any abuses or illegal transactions committed by its personnel particularly on land titling fixing like soliciting a certain amount outside of the required or legal fees

For 2013, the DENR 7 intends to distribute around 22,550 land titles with 19,950 agricultural patents and 2,600 residential patents in the Central Visayas.

Young fiddlers grand recital slated May 19

By Antoinette Gorgonio (Contributor, The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - There is a reason to be more fun in Cebu indeed as hundreds of young fiddlers will hit the stage of SM Northwing on May 19, Sunday, at 5 p.m.

This grand recital entitled, A String of Fiddlers, will be the first grand young violinists’ event in Cebu and perhaps in the whole Philippines as nine different music schools come together to create this historical phenomenon. The head teachers of this event are members of the Cebu Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) in coordination with the Salvador and Pilar Sala Foundation Incorporated (SPSFI) and its chairman, a world-renowned pianist, Dr. Ingrid Sala Santamaria. Previously, Dr. Ingrid spearheaded Sala Foundation’s Ten-Year Music Orchestra Development Program (1991-2000). The results of this Training and Performance Program were the launching of the Cebu Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO) in 1995, and its evolvement into the Peace Philharmonic Philippines (PPP) in 2000.

From the SPSFI Development Program, hundreds of musicians propelled the purpose of educating the Filipinos with classical music as well as developing the youth in their musical skills. Presently, the alumni of CYSO and PPP have now become professionals in their individual careers yet they are still continuing their passion in teaching music. They have spread across the country and across the globe to share the same purpose and have now gathered back to feature the fruits of their labor in this grand recital.

The participating schools are Music & Me Studio headed by Mr. Rodelio Glodove, Norwena Belocura, Dr. Wayneth Abaiz, Maricel Sevilla and Marie Antoinette Gorgonio; Bella Musica & Violin Discovery headed by Mr. Marc Hamlet Mercado, Francis Balo Violin Studio headed by Mr. Francis Balo; Classic Orchestra Music Studio headed by Mr. Reynaldo Abellana, Duyan Child Center Cebu Incorporated headed by Mrs. Imee Alcantara Cruz; Cebu Music Learning Center headed by Dr. Melissa Cipres; Sacred Heart School Ateneo de Cebu headed by Krizmagnum Ibaos; Bridge Music Academy headed by Juliet Jung and 7 Spirit headed by Akihide Noguchi.

Replacement PCOS delivered Friday

By Peter L. Romanillos (Correspondent )

CONTINGENCY units of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines were delivered yesterday to various polling precincts of town and cities in Cebu province.

The extra machines will serve as replacements of any units that malfunctioned during the PCOS Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) last Wednesday.

Initally, the Comelec found six PCOS machines that totally malfunctioned during the final testing. .

But to make sure all PCOS machines function well for Monday's vote, the Comelec decided to replace even those with minor glitches.

“Some of these have very minor malfunctions but I want to see to it it that these will be replaced so that we have peace of mind during the elections,” said Eddie Aba, Cebu election supervisor.

He said some of the recalled units were not able to print the election returns while others had defective compact flash (CF) cards.


Gotianuy appointed Norwegian Honorary Consul for Cebu, NegOr

By John M. Destacamento (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - With the appointment of a Cebuano as Norway’s newest honorary consul, the Philippines expects to further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries citing the academe and business as focus sectors.

On last Wednesday’s formal rites at the Marco Polo Plaza, Norway’s ambassador to the Philippines His Excellency Knut Solem represented the Royal Norwegian Consulate in Cebu in appointing Yvette Candice G. Gotianuy, the incumbent chancellor of the University of Cebu (UC).

Gotianuy, who concurrently holds an executive function at the Cebu Technical School, also heads UC’s medical arm consisting of the St. Vincent General Hospital in Barangay Sambag 2, Cebu City and the would-be UC Medical Center at the North Reclamation Area in Mandaue City.

Solem revealed that it did not take long before the Norwegian government approved the appointment of Gotianuy, who is also the daughter of UC President Augusto Go.

The ambassador said that the installation will further expand the scope of foreign service to areas other than key provinces since aside from Cebu, Gotianuy will also serve as the consul for the province of Negros Oriental.

Solem also highlighted his support on a values-oriented type of service aside from one which promotes business and diplomatic ties, saying the values of honorary consuls constitute an essential part of the Norwegian foreign service.

The political title consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the people of the two countries.

As an honorary consul, Gotianuy will be closely working with the Norwegian government in extending assistance to its nationals here in the country, particularly those residing in the Visayas.

In addition, her office will also provide information to Filipinos wishing to travel to Norway, access to Philippine-Norwegian business opportunities and support in the processing of consular requirements such as passports, visas and maritime certificates.

Aside from helping expedite visa applications to Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Estonia and Finland, the consulate will also facilitate the processing of Norwegian passports, “legal capacity to marry” and other related services.

Free web-based network Wikipedia says that a consul is distinguished from an ambassador, the latter being a representative from one head of state to another.

There can be only one ambassador from one country to another, representing the first country's head of state to that of the second, and his or her duties revolve around diplomatic relations between the two countries.

However, there may be several consuls, one in each of several main cities, providing assistance with bureaucratic issues to both the citizens of the consul's own country travelling or living abroad and to the citizens of the country the consul resides in who wish to travel to or trade with the consul's country.

Currently, Norwegian shipping principals are actively involved in financing the education of 1,000 Maritime students in UC. This unique exchange program includes sending the students for apprenticeship on their third year on-board shipping vessels owned by Norwegian companies.

The Royal Norwegian Consulate in Cebu is located at the 2nd Floor of UC – Banilad Campus Building along Gov. Cuenco Avenue, Barangay Banilad, Cebu City.

Cebu’s PCOS machines ready for Monday's vote

By Peter L. Romanillos with Gabriel C. Bonjoc (Correspondents) and CNU Intern Allet Mary Teves

“Almost 100 percent successful.”

This was the assessment of Cebu Provincial Election Supervisor Eddie Aba of yesterday's final testing and sealing (FTS) of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines in the province of Cebu and Cebu City.

It was not perfect though as six out of the 3,169 PCOS machines tested in Cebu province malfunctioned and would have to be replaced.

Bogo and Compostela each had a defective PCOS unit while the towns of Bantayan and San Fernando had each had two apiece.

Aba said the Comelec will immediately send replacements for the defective PCOS machines.

He said that despite the setbacks, the operations were still fairly successful as Alcoy, Aloguinsan, Asturias, Balamban, Barili, Boljoon, Carcar, Carmen, Catmon, Ginatilan, Lapu-Lapu, Medellin, Oslob, Moalboal, Pinamungahan, Poro, Ronda, Samboan, San Remigion , Santa Fe, Santander, Tabogon and Tabuelan already finished the FTS.

The other cities and municipalities are expected to complete their respective FTS tomorrow, Aba said.

In Talisay City, Efren Arnejo Jr., assistant election officer said that they encountered some minor mechanical problems on the PCOS machines, but these were fixed immediately.

In one of Cebu City's biggest polling centers, the Guadalupe Elementary School where 22, 238 voters are set to cast their votes, the final testing and sealing started late due to the insufficient number of PCOS technicians for each polling precinct.

School principal Nestor Arandia said they instead had to alternate testing in every room.

He said the PCOS machines arrived around 9 a.m. However, it took them sometime to set up and distribute the units to the precincts.

Closed circuit television cameras that can rotate 360 degrees and can zoom up to 200 meters were installed around the school vicinity.

Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) chairman of GES precinct 336 Olivia Empales said the exercise yesterday was like a “refresher course” for BEIs who already served in the first nationwide automated polls in 2010.

She said they will set up an express lane for senior citizens, pregnant women and persons with disabilities.

Members of the media were also able to try the voting process using the PCOS machines.

At the Abellana National High School, Cebu Normal University and City Central School, final testing and sealing started around 11 a.m. as the Comelec prioritized the rural polling centers in the delivery of the PCOS machines.

Interest in Cebu culture thrives

By Raffy Cabristante (BANAT NEWS, The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Despite today’s technological advancements, the executive director for culture and heritage of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. does not believe that Cebuano traditional art and culture is dying.

In a press conference at the Casa Gorordo Museum yesterday, Dr. Jocelyn Gerra said that the yearly “Gabii Sa Kabilin” event has seen “a lot of youth participation,” citing big attendance turnout from the youth of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente.

She also pointed out that this year’s “Gabii Sa Kabilin” has partnerships with architecture students from the University of the Visayas.

“I think at some point in time, our traditional culture seemed like dying, because [the youth] didn’t really know what they had,” said Gerra, adding that with the help of elder members in the community, young people are getting more interested in learning about their heritage.

Since its conception in 2007, “Gabii Sa Kabilin” has featured different cultural sites from all over Metro Cebu. This year, 33 museums, cultural centers, and heritage sites will be open to the public on May 31 from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight, surpassing last year’s 22.

Participants also get to watch cultural shows and taste local cuisine at very affordable prices.

Gerra added that although they have printed about 7,000 tickets at P150, they expect more people to come to the event.

City Traffic Operations Management head Rafael Christopher Yap said that motorists should expect changes in the flow of traffic during the Gabii Sa Kabilin as they will implement road closures that evening.

Major roads such as Colon St. and Osmeña Boulevard will be closed on the night of May 31, Yap said.

“In Colon, roads will be closed from Jakosalem St. to Mabini St., and in Osmeña, from Jakosalem St. to M.J. Cuenco Avenue,” Yap said.

He added that car owners who wish to join Gabii Sa Kabilin can park their vehicles in gateway areas such as Plaza Independencia.

Shuttle buses and horse-drawn carriages or tartanillas will be available to participants for free as they travel from one museum to another.

Gabii Sa Kabilin is organized by RAFI and is inspired by Germany’s Lange Nacht der Museen, or Long Night of Museums. It is the only event of its kind in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific.

DTI-Cebu: Prices of school supplies stable

By John M. Destacamento /JOB (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Early shoppers might want to take advantage of the so far stable prices of school supplies in Cebu about three weeks leading to the opening of classes on June 3, a trade official noted in an interview.

Zaide Bation, chief of consumer welfare and business regulation division of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Cebu Province, told The FREEMAN that they continue to monitor the prices of basic school items in the province and are so far seeing no prominent price increase or decrease.

She said as the new school year draws near, DTI-Cebu is keeping a close watch on the prices of school supplies among business establishments specifically within the months of May and June.

Agency officials visit malls, public markets and educational supply stores to inquire on the prices and then make a report showing the prevailing market price of pad papers, notebooks, ballpens, pencils and crayons, she said.

Bation, however, clarified that their price watch does not include high-end commodities.

“Sa pagkakaron, stable man ang mga presyo kay wa may gi-ingon nga naay shortage sa supply (As of yet, the prices remain stable since there are no reports saying there is any shortage of supply),” she said.

In their first weekly report on the prevailing prices of basic necessities and prime commodities for May, a grade one pad paper with 80 leaves still has a prevailing market price of P9, the same price that the report showed one year ago.

An 80-leaf composition notebook so far costs P13.75 to P15.50 in supermarkets and grocery stores while an 80-leaf spiral notebook is selling at P10.00 to P14.75 depending on the brand.

The prices of other common school items have not also moved to this point with the cheapest pencils pegged at P9.50, ballpens at P5.75 and eight-piece box of crayons at P11.

Traders are not prevented from increasing their prices, however, the DTI official said they will determine the reasonableness of the price hike citing traders to present papers to support their bids.

Bation also said that establishments would normally announce first that they intend to make price hikes prior to their effectivity.

“I doubt pud if naay mupataas pag-maayo sa presyo kay daghan pud raba kaayo’g manindahay (If there would be price increase, I don’t think it will be that much since competition is very alive),” she said.

The DTI in Manila will be issuing suggested retail prices (SRPs) for school supplies ahead of the opening of classes, which DTI-Cebu expects to receive in a few days.

Earlier, trade undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya said they will monitor whether the SRPs are reflected in school supplies being sold in the market, adding that retailers have committed not to raise prices until the end of June.

“Anyone found selling above SRP will get a show cause letter to explain why they can’t sell within SRP levels,” she added. “If found to have no justifiable reason, (they) may be charged for overpricing with fine up to maximum of P150,000.”

Consumers are also encouraged to compare the quality of the products by checking the label of school supplies before purchase.

The DTI said labels of school supplies should have the brand name as well as the name and address of the manufacturer.

Labels for pencils should indicate the hardness symbol, while labels of ballpens should identify the tip classification.

Cebu needs to strengthen culture of tourism

By Ehda M. Dagooc /JMD (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - While Cebu is gaining attention as a tourist destination in the Philippines from both domestic and foreign travelers, it has to trail blaze in implementing developments to accommodate the growth and expectations of the tourists.

Tourism advocate Bobby Lim Joseph said that Cebu’s culture of tourism still has to be strengthened, making residents be part of Cebu’s tourism promotion, saying “to make every Cebuano an ambassador for tourism.”

Joseph, who put his strong confidence on Cebu’s success to seize the multi-million-peso tourism industry, said that aside from strengthening the culture of tourism in Cebu, stakeholders, including the local government units (LGUs) should strive harder in developing more attractions to sustain Cebu’s “magnet” as a vacation haven.

What Cebu is offering now, he said, is not enough, considering that tourists from all over the world, including the domestic travelers, expect so much from Cebu.

Bringing the “culture of tourism” program to the barangay level is very important, Joseph said. Although Cebu has improved a bit in terms of the development of tourism culture, the orientation should go farther to the grassroots.

This is why Cebu needs a long term tourism roadmap to identify the priorities and concerns of the industry. No doubt, he said, Cebu has arrived as a tourist destination; however, if it would to be complacent, its potential will be corrupted due to lack of planning and development programs.

When culture of tourism is already established, Joseph said Cebu should also work in expanding the choices of its night-life and shopping options and strengthen the promotion of food culture while creating big events aside from Sinulog.

Likewise, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) chairperson for tourism committee Milagros Espina emphasized Cebu’s need to strengthen the tourism support services, such as infrastructure.

“We should increase budget for services and infrastructure and human resources by cultivating further the culture of tourism in Cebu,” Espina said.

On the other hand, Department of Tourism (DOT-7) regional director Rowena Montecillo said that more than beaches, cultural heritage, shopping and night life, Cebu is now moving to intensify its niche in adventure tourism and other outdoor and nature activities.

Montecillo announced that the tourism office is now adding up more activities to offer to the growing tourists and respond to the demand for outdoor events.

According to Montecillo, there are a lot of municipalities in Cebu that offer adventure tourism related activities like trekking, biking and zipline, among others.

In United States alone, adventure tourism is a US$450 million industry. The Philippines, which has ample of sites that can be developed for this type of activity can generate good tourism revenue, while providing local residents, especially rural people, livelihood.

While Bohol is known for its attractive eco-tourism, agri-tourism and adventure tourism advantage, Cebu is seen to also leverage on these as there are growing investors who want to build adventure tourism facilities within the province.

3 poor families are Gawad beneficiaries

By Flor Z. Perolina (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Another three poor and deserving families in Mandaue City have become beneficiaries of the Gawad Kalinga project, which is in partnership with a donor company and the city government.

Last Friday morning, Mayor Jonas Cortes and representatives of the Gawad Kalinga, Fluor Corp, the donor company and the people’s organization broke ground for the three additional houses intended for the Balaon, Barino, and Aldea families.

Fluor Corp., one of the world’s leading engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and project management company offered to construct three houses. Last year they built two houses.

During the program preceeding the groundbreaking ceremony, Cortes lauded the employees of the company for their spirit of volunteerism.

The mayor emphasized the value of giving especially to the less fortunate.

“This is part of our social corporate responsibility,” said German Camigla, general manager of Fluor Corp.

The beneficiaries said they have realized their dreams to have their own houses.

Ernesto Gamboa, coordinator of Gawad Kalinga in Mandaue said some 54 houses were completed so far since the start of the project in 2007, adding there are 13 others under construction.

Gamboa, the founding president of San Miguel Urban Dwellers Homeowners Association said the donors included alumni of Ateneo de Cebu, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, among others while volunteer workers included some foreigners.

“This is a product of bayanihan and cooperation,” he said.

The site in Sudlon, Maguikay, Mandaue City, built in 2007 by the local government unit, a people’s organization, and a non-government organization, is one of the 16 Gawad Kalinga community housing sites in Cebu.

World Fair Trade Day events slated this month

By Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento /JOB (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - With its continued thrust to promote fair trade and campaign for the Social Enterprise Bill, the Southern Partners and Fair Trade Center (SPFTC) will organize two major events in celebration of the World Fair Trade Day this month of May.

These activities will be conducted in partnership with the Foundation for a Sustainable Society (FSSI) and St. Theresa’s College (STC) and Cebu Fair Trade Network (CFTN).

With the theme ”Strengthening Fair Trade Standards”, this year’s celebration of the World Fair Trade Day aims to encourage the public in supporting and buying goods from fair trade producers and social enterprises.

The month-long celebration urges Cebuanos to support the institutionalization of the fair trade community in Cebu and the establishment of socially-responsible enterprises by small producers and grassroots organizations.

The local events are designed to inform, expand and strengthen people-to-people relationship that is necessary to bring about change for a sustainable community in the society.

It shall also promote fair trade awareness and information on the Social Enterprise Bill to the public, supporting the signature campaign and demonstrating concern for the marginalized communities, farmers and women.

During the global celebration of the World Fair Trade Day which falls on May 11, event organizers shall hold “Tianggehan sa Fair Trade and Social Enterprise” at the Fair Trade Shop Cebu.

It will serve as a marketing and advocacy event featuring food products and crafts, natural and organic goods of SPFTC, various social enterprises in Cebu and Central Visayas, members of CFTN and World Fair Trade Organization - Philippines and organic practitioners in the Region 7.

Apart from the engagement on the Social Enterprise Bill, the Friends of Fair Trade Card will also be launched to provide incentives and freebies for loyal customers of the Fair Trade Shop Cebu.

A solidarity dinner will serve as a culminating event on May 25 at Lakwatsa Resto Lounge that is intended to gather representatives and members of development organizations, church, academe, government, private sector, women, youth, and civil society communities.

It will provide an avenue for the presentation of the Social Enterprise Bill, a sharing on Fair Trade, and a treat of Filipino culture offering with a delicious treat of fair trade goodies.

It will also serve as a fund-raising event for the benefit of the Fair Trade Country Network, development programs of SPFTC and community partners.

Aloguinsan profits from rich ecotourism

By Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento /JMD (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Along with their thrust to preserve the abundant natural resources present in their locality, the townspeople of the municipality of Aloguinsan felt fortunate to have found an additional source of income from the rich ecotourism in the midwest part of Cebu province.

Bojo Aloguinsan Ecotourism Association (BAETAS) vice president Jomelyn Manigos said that the local community aims to promote ecotourism and conserve the environment in Bojo.

She shared that residents have recognized the beauty of the town’s ecological pride, decided to promote it as a tourist destination and eventually gained added livelihood means for the community particularly for fishermen and their families.

Founded on June 14, 2009, BAETAS is responsible for overseeing and protecting the Bojo River Nature Reserve that covers the 1.4-kilometer Bojo river and its riparian zone which is home to about 60 bird species and native flora.

Bojo is a river village that is situated two kilometers from the central point of Aloguinsan.

Aloguinsan town, with a population of about 27,000 residents, is located on the western seaboard of Cebu, facing the island of Negros.

According to Manigos, the local organization that is mostly composed of fishermen was appointed by their local government unit to run the operations and maintenance of the Bojo River project.

With the cooperation of the government sector, the Department of Trade and Industry and the local community, Bojo River has been renowned as a developed ecotourism destination in the region.

To date, BAETAS has a total number of 44 members of which 13 work as river tour guides.

These tour guides have undergone a four-month training on tour guiding and ecotourism with biologists from the University of San Carlos.

Other members are responsible for housekeeping and accommodation of guests.

Manigos said that the local community of Bojo regularly entertains customers with more than five to 10 persons in weekdays.

For peak seasons like weekends and summer, she cited that they cater to more than 20 to 60 tourists daily.

Majority of the guests is comprised of locals, particularly students, who come to visit Bojo for educational tours and field trips while 15 percent of the tourists are foreign nationals.

She emphasized that the ecotourism project has served as the main source of livelihood for locals.

She said that a tour guide could earn P150 to P400 everyday depending on the tourist traffic during lean and peak seasons.

Jamaila Alvarado, 29, who has worked as a tour guide for three years pointed out that even if the public sector provides 100 percent funding for the project, BAETAS members claim the Bojo River project as their own taking into account their commitment and efforts to maintain it.

Earnings during the tour sessions will help fund environmental projects, income for the families, subsidy for their children’s education and funding for basic services in the community.

Alvarado explained that local guides tour the guests through a river cruise by riding a boat while the former narrates the river’s natural and cultural heritage, and orients them on the rich mangrove and wildlife ecosystem.

It will also feature a mat-weaving demonstration, special cultural performance upon request and a buffet lunch.

Tour packages are either priced at P300 for every walk-in guest with river cruise, swimming and boardwalk or P600 per head for a minimum of five persons that is inclusive of lunch, river cruise, boardwalk and bird watching.

To sustain the project, Alvarado said that BAETAS has tapped the younger generation of Aloguinsan to take active participation in the preservation of the ecotourist destination.

The local organization also conducts tree planting and river clean-up every month.

Apart from Bojo River, the town of Aloguinsan boasts of its green culinary adventure at the Farmhouse and the Hermit’s Cove which are also both run by local organizations in the area.

JCI Mandaue supports Startup Weekend Cebu

By Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento /JMD (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - With its thrust to strongly promote business development among the youth, the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Mandaue Chapter will support the 3rd Startup Weekend Cebu (SWC) for the first time and will initiate to endorse the global event to the national level.

JCI Mandaue is an organization of young entrepreneurs and business executives with the aim to create positive change in their communities. To date, the local chapter has 46 members.

It provides its members with the necessary contact, leadership and personal business growth through fora and programs that help develop their skills as entrepreneurs.

SWC, on the other hand, is intended to enhance the Cebuano startup community, develop local technical talent and promote technopreneurship.

Paul Winston Villacorta, executive vice president for external affairs of JCI Mandaue, expressed that their national office will consider their proposal to organize the same in their different chapters across the country to establish more synergy among young entrepreneurs and support the startup community in the Philippines.

“I am optimistic, given the impact of SW to the community. It is just a matter of convincing them with the value and benefits of the event. It won’t be hard since we are supporting business opportunities here and this is part of the thrust of the organization,” he said.

He added that JCI Mandaue shall submit the proposal of endorsement on the third week of September this year.

Once approved, he noted, they would be able to organize SW events four times a year.

For now, he encouraged members of the 11 local chapters of JCI in Cebu province to participate in the third leg of SWC to increase their awareness on startups and technopreneurship.

Since most of the JCI members are business-oriented people, Villacorta said that they would be able to share their ideas and experiences on how would-be entrepreneurs could develop a startup and support pitches during the event at the same time.

He also cited that event organizers of SWC could expect further support from JCI Mandaue in the years ahead.

Villacorta, who served as a mentor during the 2nd leg of SWC last year, is also a member of TechTalks.ph.

TechTalks.ph serves as the lead organizer of SWC 3 that is expected to gather 150 attendees on June 7 to 9 at the University of San Carlos Main Campus.

The three-day event is also part of the celebration of Cebu Business Month 2013 which is hosted by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

TechTalks.ph founder Tina Amper described the activity as an avenue for a “participatory, experiential learning workshop to start a business”.

“SWC will serve as a platform for skilled and successful players in the business community to share their knowledge and expertise to the next generation. It will also show them how they can start a business using the Internet and other mobile technologies,” she stated during the press conference last Tuesday.

Apart from having new mentors and past winners to take active involvement in SWC 3, she said that the continued support from the government and business community could be highly observed this time.

Through the Department of Science and Technology - Information and Communications Technology Office, the public sector pledged to offer financial support for this leg.

The second leg of the global event was conducted last November 16 to 18 of last year at the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center, following the success of the inaugural SWC on May 11 to 13, 2012 at the University of the Philippines – Visayas Cebu College.

Cebu looks at a bright rice-sufficient future

By Ferliza C. Contratista (rmn/FCC/PIA7)

Stronger ties forged between DA and Capitol

CEBU CITY, May 1 (PIA7) --- Cebu is not far from being rice sufficient this time with the Cebu Provincial Capitol behind.

This was the statement of Angel Enriquez, Department of Agriculture 7 Officer in Charge Regional Director, in the recent launching of the International Rice Year in Cebu.

In her speech, Enriquez thanked the Provincial Government including the mayors of the local government units for a good performance in rice production which eventually contributed to Central Visayas’ ranking among the Top 5 Rice Producing Regions in the country.

Enriquez said the Region had an increase of 1.32 percent growth in rice production from 2011 to 2012 from the 2,470 rice lands in the four provinces in the region.

Covering the same year, Cebu produced an average of 3.21 MT of palay per hectare.

There are 5,280 rice producing areas in the province.

Cebu, for now, is 2.65 percent sufficient.

“I know we can do more specially now that we had renewed our ties, coordination with Cebu Province. I just hope that soon they can appropriate enough budget for agriculture,” Enriquez said.

Cebu Acting Governor Agnes Magpale, for her part, said she was amazed with the performance of rice farmers in the province.

“I never thought that Cebu was a rice-producing province and so now I stand corrected. As a legislator, I do hope and I will work hard for the appropriation of a bigger budget for agriculture because this is actually good news,” Magpale said.

Magpale said the International Year of Rice advocacy is timely as it does not only promote optimization but also in the control or minimizing consumption.

She recalled former DA Secretary and then Congressman Sonny Escudero who told her and her husband that if only Filipinos will lessen two to three tablespoons their consumption of rice, it will already be a big help to attaining rice sufficiency.

“And now I see the same figures, that Filipinos waste 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooked rice daily, so my pledge is to maintain just 3 cups of rice daily,” Magpale said.

In a presentation made by Tomasita Cadungog, regional technical director for Operations in DA-7, it was learned that rice losses also take up a large part in the rice sufficiency problem.

Rice losses on the table means the wastage of an average of 2 to 3 table spoons of cooked rice daily.

Cadungog said Filipinos usually consume four and a half cups of rice instead of the recommended three cups of rice.

In terms of post harvest wastage, around 15 to 20 percent of the total production is lost. Considering that there are 16,935,000 kilograms of palay produced, around 3,300,000 kilos are lost during post harvest.

But because of the application of post harvest technologies, DA had managed to reduce losses by 5 percent or by 846,750 kilos of palay or rice equivalent to 550,387.5 kilos.

Considering that an average Cebuano consumes 83.98 kilos annually, there are about 6,000 more Cebuanos that can be fed with the savings.

In the said event, the different local government units signed their pledge in achieving rice sufficiency as well as hoist their respective banners for support.

The International Year of Rice logo was also unveiled and it will be displayed at the Cebu Provincial Capitol Social Hall.

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