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==3.97M visited Region 7==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2015/02/20/397m-visited-region-7-393373
*Friday, February 20,  2015
:By Katlene O. Cacho
TOURISM arrivals in Region 7 surged to almost four million in 2014, exceeding last year’s target of 3.6 million, the latest report from the Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 shows.
The agency said it has exceeded its tourism arrivals target last year with 3.97 million, up by 13.91 percent compared to the arrivals in 2013.
Of the figures, 2.4 million were domestic arrivals in Central Visayas, up by 11.41 percent from 2013’s record of two million. Foreign arrivals, likewise, grew by 17.67 percent or 1.6 million last year, compared to 1.3 million in 2013.
Cebu, which is the region’s major tourism attraction, welcomed 84 percent of the arrivals. The report showed 2.97 million in total arrivals, of whom 1.3 million were foreign tourists.
Negros Oriental came second with total arrivals of 518,571 followed by Bohol with 438,908 and Siquijor with 40,485.
High tourism arrivals in these four provinces were driven by the domestic market, and came on the heels of the natural calamities in late 2013, which some industry players had feared would dampen tourism growth.
South Korea remained the region’s top source market and arrivals from that country grew by 10.97 percent, for a total of 594,985 arrivals. Japan, which came second, sent 243,565 visitors to the region, up by 19.23 percent from the figures in 2013.
Arrivals from the United States also increased by 14.97 percent or 135,973 arrivals last year, while the tourist traffic from China market grew by 13.20 percent or 64,489 arrivals.
:Fastest growth: UK arrivals
Completing the top five travel markets for the region is Australia with 51,975 arrivals, up by 21.16 percent.
Other significant markets include the United Kingdom. The number of arrivals from the UK grew fastest last year at 48.86 percent or 38,462 arrivals. This was followed by Germany, which grew by 17.12 percent or 31,765 arrivals. The region also welcomed some 29,319 Canadian tourists last year, with arrivals going up by 10.76 percent compared to the data from 2013.
France and Singapore also posted growths of 8.97 percent and 21.01 percent, respectively. France logged 23,569 arrivals last year while arrivals from Singapore stood at 20,961.
However, the DOT missed its target of welcoming six million foreign tourists by 2014, citing a number of factors, including the effects of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013, and Beijing’s advisory to its citizens not to travel to the Philippines.
The latest available report shows that the DOT welcomed 4.83 million tourists in 2014, a 3.25-percent increase over the previous year’s 4.68 million arrivals.
Asia was the biggest market for the Philippines during the year, with 2.83 million visitors or 59 percent of the total. The Americas followed with 875,200 for a market share of 18 percent; Europe, 10 percent; Australia and the Pacific, six percent; and overseas Filipinos, four percent.
:Mostly by air
During the year, air arrivals accounted for 98.75 percent of total inbound traffic or 4,773,185 arrivals. Sea arrivals, on the other hand, accounted for 1.25 percent or 60,183 visitors.
By air arrivals, Manila remained the primary port of entry with a share of 72.50 percent or 3,504,123 arrivals. Cebu ranked second with a total of 697,696 inbound visitors or 14.43 percent of the total traffic during the year.
The DOT said that in the last 12 years, visitor arrivals in Cebu grew by 308 percent from 170,982 visitors in 2002. From 2010 to 2014, visitors disembarking in Cebu recorded an annual growth of 10.12 percent.
The DOT also reported that tourism revenues reached P214.8 billion (US$4.84 billion) last year, higher by 10 percent against the previous year’s earnings of US$4.40 billion.
Visitors from Korea contributed the most, with P61.02 billion, accounting for 33 percent of all inbound receipts. USA followed with P41.43 billion (22 percent), followed by Australia (P13.94 billion) and Japan (P10.68 billion).
Canada with P8.48 billion outranked China, which recorded the fifth biggest revenue in 2013.
During the year, Korea kept its position as the leading source market with 1.17 million visitors, up by 0.83 percent from its arrivals of 1.16 million in 2013.
Arrivals from China declined by 7.37 percent from 426,352 in 2013 to 394,951 during the year. However, this did not dislodge China as the country’s fourth biggest source market.
==43 LGUs in Cebu recognize for ‘good financial housekeeping’==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2015/02/19/43-lgus-cebu-recognize-good-financial-housekeeping-393232
*Thursday, February 19, 2015
:By Flornisa M. Gitgano
FIVE cities and 38 towns in Cebu Province received the 2014 Seal of Good Local Governance: Good Financial Housekeeping (GFH) from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The Province is also a recipient of the same recognition in Central Visayas.
The GFH is one of three core assessments of the DILG for a local government unit (LGU) to receive the seal of good local governance, formerly known as the seal of good housekeeping.
Medellin Mayor Ricky Ramirez was the first to announce through the social networking site Facebook, that his town is one of the GFH recipients.
For an LGU to receive the seal of good local governance, it should pass all three core assessments—GFH, disaster preparedness and social protection.
The LGU should also pass one of these essential assessments—business friendliness and competitiveness, environmental protection, and law and order and public safety.
Last Feb. 13, the DILG posted on its official website the list of GFH recipients.
Cities
For the category of cities only Mandaue, Carcar, Danao, Lapu-Lapu and Naga passed the GFH assessment.
The cities of Cebu, Bogo, Talisay and Toledo did not make the cut.
DILG 7 Director Ananias Villacorta said that the department can issue a certification for to the LGUs so that they can easily avail of loans in banks.
In an interview, Ramirez said that Medellin instituted the necessary changes lacking before.
“It’s not easy. You really have to work on it. There are a lot of changes in the system,” he said.
The mayor believes that the town's efficient collection of business and real property taxes made the difference last year.
Villacorta said that the findings of the regional assessment team is submitted to the DILG Central Office in Manila for validation.
The other GFH recipients are Alegria, Argao, Asturias, Badian, Balamban, Bantayan, Barili, Boljoon, Borbon, Carmen, Catmon, Compostela, Consolacion, Cordova, Daanbantayan, Dalaguete, Dumanjug and Ginatilan.
Completing the list of recipients are Liloan, Madridejos, Malabuyoc, Minglanilla, Moalboal, Oslob, Pinamungajan, Poro, Ronda, Samboan, San Fernando, San Francisco, San Remigio, Santa Fe, Santander, Sibonga, Tabogon, Tabuelan and Tuburan.
==Cebu Capitol to buy 22 more tourist buses==
*Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=736961
*Wednesday, February 18, 2015
:(PNA), FFC/EB
CEBU CITY, Feb. 18 (PNA) -- The Cebu provincial government will purchase 22 additional tourist buses for local government units (LGUs) in the province which are still without one, Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale said.
Magpale said the purchase of additional tourist buses has been approved by the Cebu Provincial Board's (PB).
She did not mention the cost of the 22 buses.
Magpale said the public bidding for the new buses will start next week and they hope these can be delivered within the year.
She said these will be distributed to the towns for the provincial government’s tourism program called “Suroy-Suroy Sugbo” (Visit Cebu).
The provincial government bought 26 tourist buses worth Php80 million from ConEquip Philippines in 2012.
The buses were given as a reward by former governor and now Rep. Gwen Garcia (Cebu, 3rd district) to the top performing LGUs in the province's environmental projects.
But the buses were paid only last year, a year after the 26 buses were delivered.
==Free tests, services for heart diseases==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2015/02/17/free-tests-services-heart-diseases-392812
*Tuesday, February 17, 2015
:By Linette Ramos Cantalejo
TO PREVENT deaths caused by heart diseases, the Department of Health (DOH) 7 urged those who are at risk of ailments to avail themselves of free medical tests and treatment in health centers.
Screening for blood sugar and cholesterol level, urine test, blood pressure and weight-taking, as well as management and treatment of hypertension and diabetes, are just among the free services in the barangay and rural health centers.
Dr. Jeanette Cortes, head of the non-communicable diseases section of DOH 7, said cardiovascular diseases, coronary artery disease, aeortic disease and stroke can be prevented if one adopts a healthy lifestyle and undergoes regular checkups.
:Lifestyle change
Those with risk factors like high-fat diet, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, chronic stress, tobacco use and alcohol intake, or those with a family history of heart ailments, have higher chances of getting the disease and should undergo tests, she said.
“”Infectious diseases are no longer the epidemic. It’s the heart diseases that are the new epidemic in the new millennium,” Cortes said, noting that heart diseases have been affecting younger individuals in recent years.
She attributed this to the change in lifestyle.
“Those who suffer from heart ailments are getting younger because of the change of lifestyle brought about by modernization and urbanization, including environmental factors and technology,” she said during the Association of Government Information Officers forum yesterday.
For example, Cortes said, constant use of gadgets for social networking and online gaming has reduced the physical activities of a person, which contributes to poor health.
Some also prefer to eat junk food in fast-food restaurants due to their busy schedule, rather than prepare home-cooked vegetables and meals that are less fatty and salty.
“It’s easy to prevent heart diseases by exercising and having a healthy diet consisting of fruits and vegetables… the bottom line is to have a change of lifestyle, a healthy lifestyle,” said Cortes.
The call for a healthy lifestyle came as DOH 7 reported an increase in the number of deaths due to diseases of the heart and circulatory system, from 5,092 in 2012 to 5,788 in 2013.
:Health screening
More people were also reported to have suffered from hypertension in 2013, with 32,778 cases, compared to 30,656 cases in the previous year.
But Cortes said the number may be higher since not all those with heart diseases have gone to the health centers or hospitals for a checkup.
Malyn Fernandez, Health and Lifestyle Program coordinator of DOH 7, said those who suspect they may be suffering from any heart disease can go to their health center for an assessment, which involves taking of blood pressure, weight and body mass index and their family’s health history.
“If the physician sees that you have the risk factors, then you can be screened for blood sugar and cholesterol level, which is free of charge in the health centers. The government also provides free management and treatment of hypertension and diabetes,” she said.
==Art festival for kids with disabilities set==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2015/02/16/art-festival-kids-disabilities-set-392597
*Monday, February 16, 2015
:By Flornisa M. Gitgano
THE Korean-Philippines Educational and Cultural Exchange Center (Kopec) in partnership with the Provincial Government will hold the Cebu Art Festival and Competition that will showcase the creativity and talents of children with disabilities.
The event is in line with the “9th Special Day for Children with Disabilities” initiated by Kopec.
At least 19 schools from different towns will participate.
The exhibit will be from Feb. 18 to March 5 at the second floor of the Capitol Legislative Building.
The art competition includes painting, cartooning, poem and essay writing and crafting art out of recycled materials.
A total of 160 pupils, teachers and parents are joining the event.
The schools that will participate are special education (SPED) centers from Lipata of Minglanilla, Balamban, Bantayan, Barili, San Francisco, Borbon, Carmen, Dumanjug, Liloan, Pinamungajan, San Fernando and Consolacion.
Other participants include Lipata National High School, Cordova Central School, Tuburan Central School, Badian Central School, Ginatilan Central School, Oslob Central School and Mandaue Integrated SPED School.
Provincial Information Officer Ethel Natera said the Provincial Government donated P100,000 to make this event possible.
Choi Hun Young, president of Kopec, said they want to show that handicapped children can improve their lives by being “inspired and developed to get their potential talent in music and art.”
Young said Korean and Filipino professors are coming to help the pupils.
Lee Chae In, chief-of-staff of Kopec, said that through the use of recycled items to be used in art, it can help protect the Earth.
“We want them that their dreams will come true and maybe also change their life,” she said.
==DSWD-7 sets special validation for 4Ps in CV==
*Source: http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2015/02/15/1423978/dswd-7-sets-special-validation-4ps-cv
*Sunday, February 15, 2015 12:00 am
:By Jessa J. Agua / ATO (The Freeman)
CEBU, Philippines - In order to include more families in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the agency’s Region 7 office will conduct a special validation through its Listahanan or the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR).
“Since the start of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, we have been receiving requests from various stakeholders asking to be included in the said program. However, we need to validate them through a household assessment,” said DSWD-7 regional director Mercedita Jabagat.
Requests for the assessment were coursed through the Grievance Redress System (GRS) of the 4Ps.
“Through the GRS, we were able to institutionalize a process by which complaints and queries are captured and resolved,” Jabagat said.
The GRS provides various avenues for the filing of queries and complaints.
For one, grievances may be reported through the text hotline number 0918-9122813 or through a written report addressed to the nearest DSWD Field Office.
“After the assessment, the data gathered are subjected to a Proxy Means Test (PMT) before we could identify if the household is poor or non-poor,” Jabagat emphasized.
The PMT estimates the income of the households based on the proxy variables included in the family assessment form (FAF).
A total of 10,966 households will be assessed in Central Visayas with 6,238 from Bohol, 2,799 from Cebu and 1,929 from Negros Oriental.
DSWD-7 hired 12 area supervisors and 80 enumerators to conduct the special validation.
The hired field staff underwent a rigorous training on the conduct of the special validation which includes the filling-out of the FAF.
==Mactan-Cebu airport upgraded with P49M navigational system==
*Source: http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/171-aviation-tourism/83845-mactan-cebu-airport-navigational-system
*Friday, February 13, 2015 3:41 pm
:(Rappler.com)
The country’s second busiest airport will be installed with a DVOR/DME equipment to aid pilots during bad weather and low visibility situations
MANILA, Philippines – The Mactan-Cebu International Airport will be installed with a new navigational guidance system that will help pilots locate and land on the runway during bad weather and low visibility situations.
The navigational system the airport has had dates to 1993 and is set to be replaced this year with the Doppler VHF Omni-Directional Radio Range and Distance Measuring Equipment (DVOR/DME), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director-General William K. Hotchkiss lll said.
DVOR/DME is a short-range radio navigation system for aircraft. With the receiver unit using radio frequencies in the very high frequency (VHF) band, the navigation system enables aircraft to determine its position and stay on course by receiving radio signals transmitted by a network of fixed ground radio beacons.
DEAL SIGNED. CAAP's Director-General William K. Hotchkiss lll and Philcox (Phils) Inc./Indra Australia Pty. Ltd.'s (RET.) B/GEN Generoso Maligat sign the deal for the P49M installation of a new navigational system at Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Photo from CAAP
DEAL SIGNED. CAAP's Director-General William K. Hotchkiss lll and Philcox (Phils) Inc./Indra Australia Pty. Ltd.'s (RET.) B/GEN Generoso Maligat sign the deal for the P49M installation of a new navigational system at Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Photo from CAAP
The procurement contract was awarded through competitive public bidding to Indra Australia Property Limited, in a joint venture with Philcox Philippines Incorporated.
The contract amounting to P48,727,112.85 ($1,101,360.78) covers the supply, delivery, and commission with flight check of the DVOR/DME system.
Apart from this, the project involves the removal of existing DVOR/DME system, underground power, and data cables, as well as the installation of new underground power and fiber optic cables.
The project also includes miscellaneous grounding, electrical, and mechanical work, as detailed in the drawings, as well as the rehabilitation of existing Doppler VOR counterpoise and shelter system, among others.
In January, CAAP completed a P160-million ($3.62 million) project, upgrading the obsolete air traffic management system at the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The project that upgraded the Eurocat air traffic management system and put in place in 1996, would pave the way for the P13-billion next-generation, satellite-based Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) project. The project was undertaken in partnership with Thales Australia and Pacific Hemisphere Development.
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) awarded the P17.5 billion ($395.52 million) expansion of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport to the tandem of Filipino-owned Megawide Construction Corporation and Bangalore-based GMR Infrastructure.
The project has been delayed due to the failure of the government to relocate the Philippine Air Force base.
==Mandaue City village to hold 'Silhig Festival' on Feb. 15==
*Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=12&rid=735201
*Thursday, February 12, 2015
:(PNA), LAP/EB/
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu, Feb. 12 (PNA) -- Barangay Paknaan in Mandaue City, the country’s center for making buri fiber brooms, will hold the third “Silhig (Broom) Festival” on Sunday, February 15.
Paknaan, Mandaue barangay captain Meloquias Soco said they are expecting more spectators this year, especially after choreographers have assured him more improvements in the dance showdown competition.
Unlike last year wherein only seven contingents joined the festival, there will be eight contingents vying for the top spot on Sunday.
The eighth contingent will be composed of residents from the 6.5-hectare relocation site in their barangay.
Soco said the barangay has allotted a P418,000 in budget for the festival.
The city government gave P200,000 to the barangay while it still awaits donation coming from the Cebu provincial government.
Prizes at stake for the dance showdown this year include P25,000 for the first prize, P20,000 for the second prize and P15,000 for the third prize.
Non-winning contingents will each receive P10,000.
The Silhig Festival is part of the fiesta celebration of the barangay which honors the blessed Sr. Sto. Niño. The barangay already celebrated their fiesta last Sunday.
The Silhig Festival was conceptualized three years ago in a bid to attract more investors and showcase the barangay's main source of livelihood, "silhig lanot" or broom made of buri fiber.
Soco said Barangay Paknaan is the biggest supplier of silhig lanot in the country.
The Paknaanon Multi-Purpose Cooperative buys all the brooms made by its constituents and distributes these nationwide.
==14 Cebu brgys get new centers, playgrounds==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2015/02/11/14-cebu-brgys-get-new-centers-playgrounds-391601
*Wednesday, February 11, 2015
:By Elias O. Baquero
DAY care centers and playground facilities will be constructed in 14 barangays in four local government units in Cebu Province as part of efforts to make high-quality early childhood education and care accessible.
A memorandum of agreement (MOA) for this undertaking was signed yesterday between the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi) and the local government units (LGUs) of Talisay City and the municipalities of Aloguinsan, Argao and Asturias.
In the agreement, Rafi will build the centers to be able to implement its program on Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) through the Dolores S. Aboitiz Children’s Fund (DACF), which was represented by executive committee chairperson Maria Cristina C. Aboitiz.
Of the four LGUs, only Mayor Alan Adlawan of Asturias showed up to personally sign the MOA; the other three LGUs were represented by barangay captains.
The 14 barangays are Zaragosa, Punas, Saksak and Tampaan in Aloguinsan; Usmad, Talaga, Tulang and Bulasa in Argao; Tag-amakan, Owak, Lunas, Manguiao and San Isidro in Asturias; and Cansojong in Talisay City.
Partner
All 14 day care centers and 10 playground facilities will be constructed by Rafi, while the four remaining playground facilities will be financed by Renoir Consulting, a group of change management specialists present in 23 countries in the world and represented yesterday by Executive Director Veronica Angeles.
During the signing, all parties agreed that young children and their families in the barangays deserve access to high-quality early childhood education and care, and that they are working to improve early learning opportunities, which are crucial to the growth and development of young children, and to building better futures for citizens.
DACF Executive Director Maria Iris Andrino said investing in ECCD is “one way to end poverty and make our world a better place than it used to be.”
:Study shows
Andrino also cited studies stating that investing in ECCD has a long-term effect and that intensive, high-quality ECCD has “direct and persistent effects on cognitive, social and emotional of an individual,” making them productive citizens.
“It is estimated that half of all intellectual development potential is established by age four. Because of the importance of the early years, interventions even in kindergarten might be too late to help develop young children’s capacities,” Andrino said.
Andrino said that this is why DACF decided to invest in young children, the human capital in the future.
“Our goal is to see younger children provided with quality care and education ensuring their holistic growth and development,” Andrino said.
“Our mission is to complement LGUs and non-government institutions in promoting quality early ECCD in the grassroots, hence, this affair,” Andrino said.
==Tsunami drill eyed in Olango==
==Tsunami drill eyed in Olango==
*Source: http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2015/02/09/1421798/comprehensive-development-mulled-kinatarcan-island
*Source: http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2015/02/09/1421798/comprehensive-development-mulled-kinatarcan-island
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