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Cebu Province News February 2015 (view source)

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==Starting this year: Cebu province to give financial aid to seniors==
*Source: http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2015/02/28/1428542/starting-year-cebu-province-give-financial-aid-seniors
*Saturday, February 28, 2015 12:00 am
:By  Michael Vencynth H. Braga / NSA (The Freeman)
CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu provincial government will start extending financial assistance to the elderly in its component cities and municipalities this year, the Provincial Senior Citizens’ Council announced yesterday.
Board Member Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba, chairman of the PB Committee on Senior Citizens Affairs, urged citizens aging 60 years and above to register at their local government units for the issuance of a senior citizen identification card in order to avail of the benefits from the province’s program for elderly, including cash assistance that will be given annually.
He stressed that those who turn 60 years old before the month of March ends can still register. The province will be finalizing the list of the senior citizens in the province by the end of March for budgeting.
“Katong wa pa marehistro, adto na sa munisipyo aron maka-avail sa benefits. Pwede ra pod sa atong mga barangay kay maka-issue na man sila og senior citizen cards,” Alcoseba said during the Provincial Information Office-organized Kapistorya forum.
He added that senior citizens who have yet to register would have to present their birth certificates upon application.
The application and any documents attached with will undergo verification process before the senior citizen’s card could be issued.
The province’s program to dole out financial assistance to senior citizens will be implemented through a counter-parting scheme with the municipalities and cities.
The Provincial Senior Citizen Council has initially set aside P5 million for 2015, half of which is intended for persons with disabilities.
Once the list of senior citizens is finalized, Alcoseba said the financial assistance will be sourced out from the 2015 allocation and supplemental budget.
Currently, the assistance given out by the province to the senior citizens is in-kind through the “Halad Alang Kang Lolo ug Lola” program.
Further, Alcoseba said should there be any concerns and problems during the registration process, such as disapproval of application, senior citizens are urged to report to the province’s Senior Citizen Council.
“Kung di sila (senior citizens) malista kay tungod politika ba ‘ron o kay wa ba miboto, ari diri sa province. Di sila angay mahadlok,” he said.
In a report of The FREEMAN last year, Alcoseba disclosed that there were some chief executives who refused to submit a list of senior citizens for fear that it would be used for political ends, which he denied.
Alcoseba authored the ordinance creating the Cebu Provincial Senior Citizens’ Council, which was passed last year.
The CPSCC ordinance goes after the welfare of the elderly and provides a comprehensive healthcare and rehabilitation system for disabled senior citizens to foster their capacity to attain a more meaningful and productive aging.
==APEC Summit 2015 national organizing committee inspects 5 venues in Cebu==
*Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=739685
*Friday, February 27, 2015
:(PNA), FFC/EB
CEBU CITY, Feb. 27 (PNA) -- Members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit 2015 national organizing committee (NOC) have inspected five venues for the ministerial meetings in Cebu to be held some six months from now.
These venues are the Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu in Cebu City, Cebu City Marriott Hotel, Grand Convention Center of Cebu in Cebu City, Shangri-la’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City and Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.
Patrick Hilado, assistant to the deputy director general for conference management services of the APEC-NOC, said four ministerial meetings are set to be held in Cebu on finance, structural reform, energy and transportation.
At least 3,000 delegates are expected to come for the meetings, which will be held in August, September and October.
But before the ministerial meetings, a senior officials’ meeting (SOM) will be held from Aug. 24 to Sept. 6 in Cebu.
Hilado said the first SOM was held in Subic, Pampanga. The second SOM is set in Boracay Island, Aklan.
The local government units (LGUs) that will be mainly involved in the APEC Summit 2015 ministerial meetings’ preparation are the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue and the Province of Cebu.
“We are now busy. This is now the groundwork. Initially, we had some scoping. Now we are trying to scope the different areas, the possible areas where we will hold the meetings. More or less some of the ministerial meetings will surely be held in Cebu,” Hilado said.
Hilado thanked Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III and the LGUs for their support to the national organizing committee.
“Cebu already has some experience in hosting. Remember, we hosted the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit here. We are very confident that Cebu will have the capacity and also the beauty to showcase Visayas and the Philippines. That’s why I think that’s one of the reasons Cebu was chosen to host a big meeting, such as this because Cebu can do it,” he said.
==Cebu gears up for APEC Summit==
*Source: http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2015/02/26/1427789/cebu-gears-apec-summit
*Thursday, February 26, 2015 12:00 am
:By Michael Vencynth H. Braga/NSA (The Freeman)
CEBU, Philippines - Cebu and the organizing committee of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit are now “firming up” their preparations and arrangements for the province’s hosting of the series of APEC ministerial meetings to be held less than six months from now.
Patrick Hilado, assistant to the Deputy Director General for Conference management services of the APEC National Organizing Committee, said they are now reaching out to the different stakeholders in Cebu to ensure the successful hosting of APEC meetings.
“We are now busy. Talagang groundwork na siya kasi… More or less tuloy na tayo for Cebu. We need to coordinate with different sectors,” he told reporters during the APEC preparation meeting yesterday at the Capitol.
He said they have not encountered any major problems so far while doing the preparations and coordination with the involved local government units and other sectors.
“The hospitality that has been shown to our National Organizing Council here by private sector and the government has been excellent. We are confident that Cebu will do a great job. Cebu has lot of experience in hosting international conventions,” he added.
The organizing committee set August 24 to September 6 this year for the transportation, finance, energy, and structural reforms ministerial meetings in Cebu.
The series of meetings will be followed finally by the meeting of the heads of state towards the end of the year in Manila.
Philippines has been a member of APEC for the past 25 years. It first hosted the summit in 1996.
Provincial Tourism Officer Grace Paulino, in a separate interview, reported that the local and national organizing committees have identified the hotels where the delegates will be billeted and the venues of the ministerial meetings.
She added that Governor Hilario Davide III will have to call for a meeting for the members of the local committee, including the Department of Public Works and Highways, Philippine National Police, and the involved city governments of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, and Cebu.
==PB backs dropping terminal fees for OFWs==
*Source: http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2015/02/25/1427433/pb-backs-dropping-terminal-fees-ofws
*Wednesday, February 25, 2015 12:00 am
: By Michael Vencynth H. Braga / JMD (The Freeman)
CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Board is backing the call for Manila International Airport Authority to recall or "hold in abeyance" the memorandum circular that imposes a terminal fee of P550 on Overseas Filipino Workers.
The province's legislative body approved a resolution during its regular session on Monday expressing its support to the call made by the senators.
The Senate passed a resolution last week to recall Memorandum Circular No. 8 Series of 2014, which integrates the international passenger service charge (IPSC) into the airline tickets at the point of sale.
The memorandum was implemented starting February 1 this year.
In a resolution sponsored by board member Jude Sybico, the PB said the memorandum is not in adherence to Republic Act 8042 (Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995), as amended by RA 10022, which exempts OFWs from paying the travel tax, airport terminal fee "upon proper showing of Overseas Employment Certificate issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
"All accolades and praises said in honor of our OFWs as modern heroes of our country would sound like a hollow and cunning slogan if we continue to burden them with a financial charge from which they are clearly and positively made exempt," part of the PB resolution read.
Copy of the resolution will be furnished to MIAA general manager Jose Angel Honrado.
Senators Cynthia Villar, Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, Nancy Binay and Senate majority leader Alan Cayetano initiated the resolution calling for the recall of the memorandum. The resolution was also signed by 16 more senators.
The senators, as quoted in the press statement posted on the Senate official website, suggested recalling the memorandum "until after the appropriate computer system that will automatically exempt OFWs as well as other locally-recognized exempt passengers from paying the IPSC or airport terminal fee" has been established.
MIAA had explained that the memorandum was made "to address the congestion in all Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals with the increasing volume of passengers."
But Villar contended "if the change would affect the rights of a vulnerable and valuable sector such as our OFWs or migrant workers, then we have to exhaust all efforts to further look into these and find ways on how to remedy it or improve the mechanism of its implementation so as not to unnecessarily inconvenience our OFWs."
The Senate also pointed out in its resolution that "the memorandum circular does not distinguish between exempt and non-exempt passengers when airline tickets are bought online or abroad, thereby requiring even exempt passengers, especially OFWs, to pay the IPSC."
In a hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Services Subcommittee E presided by Villar, John Dennis Poyotas of Microsoft Philippines testified that it is possible to adopt a computer program that will allow recognition of the exemption of OFWs or the online verification of documents showing exemption of OFWs.
The Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority, on the other hand, made an assurance during a public hearing last year that no terminal fee will be collected from OFWs.
The Mactan airport is also the country's main air gateway apart from NAIA.
==180 hectares of mangroves, beach forest planted to Yolanda-battered north Cebu==
*Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=738562
*Tuesday, February 24, 2015
: (PNA), CTB/EB/
CEBU CITY, Feb. 24 (PNA) -- Super typhoon Yolanda survivors have planted more than 180 hectares of mangroves and beach forest plantations in northern Cebu, less than two years after the strongest typhoon made landfall that hit central Philippines.
Dr. Isabelo Montejo, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 director, said the mangroves were planted by Yolanda survivors in northern Cebu through the agency’s “work for food” program.
Montejo said the department hired at least 400 affected individuals to put up nurseries for the mangroves while 14 people's organizations were identified to restore 180-hectare plantations.
Last year, over a million mangrove propagules were produced to cover the 85-hectare mangrove plantation and 50,000 seedlings to revitalize 100 hectares of beach forest in identified towns in northern Cebu.
The towns covered are Borbon, Carmen, Catmon, Daanbantayan, Medellin, San Remigio, Sogod, Tabogon, and the towns in Bantayan and Camotes Islands.
Yolanda survivors from Bogo City also participated in the “work for food” program.
Montejo said the DENR 7 initially allocated P10 million as relief assistance for Yolanda-affected communities including restoration and establishment of mangrove and beach forest plantations.
Montejo said that the work-for-food program will not only support families affected by Yolanda but it will also help in providing safer and better coastal communities against storm surges and coastal flooding.
==CVIRAA delegates gear up for February 25 event==
*Source: http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2015/02/23/1426749/cviraa-delegates-gear-february-25-event
*Monday, February 23, 2015 12:00 am
:By May B. Miasco / ATO (The Freeman)
CEBU, Philippines - Delegates of the Central Visayas Regional Athle-tics Association (CVIRAA) 2015 have started to arrive in Cebu for the start of the event two days from now.
Department of Education-7 regional director Juliet Jeruta said the start of competition would be on February 25 while the day after would be its formal opening.
The regional meet, which gathers numerous delegates from the provin-ces of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, is expected to end on March 2.
She said this year’s host is the province of Cebu, specifically the municipality of Balamban, while supporting hosts are the towns of Asturias and Toledo.
“This would be the venue to choose the most outstanding athletes for Central Visayas,” said Jeruta in a phone interview.
She explained that at least 19 divisions are set to join the event and the winners would then represent the region for the 2015 Palarong Pambansa in Tagum City, Davao del Norte in May.
“We are all in this (event) so that our efforts will be forged together to choose the best. Let us put our forces together, both our prayers and moral support for the athletes,” said Jeruta as a message to the delegates, which include athletes, coaches, trainers, supporters and also the local government units.
“For the athletes, we are giving you the opportunity to develop your innate characteristics and potentials and manifest the trainings for your cultivation, use this in the best way. May you take victory with humility and accept challenges and defeat graciously,” she added.
Over 700 delegates from Bohol province already arrived in Cebu last Saturday.
The delegates arrived on board two passenger shipping lines and gathered near Plaza Independencia where at least ten buses were waiting to transport them to Balamban.
The Bohol delegation would be staying at the Buanoy National High School in Buanoy, Balamban.
Out of the 700 delegates from Bohol, 407 are athletes from private and public schools from both elementary and secondary division.
One of the athletes is nine-year-old female taekwondo athlete Rashni Aguhar, who shared on her eagerness on her second time to participate in the CVIRAA. She admitted that she didn’t win the first time she joined the event.
Aguhar is a grade four student of Talibon Central Elementary School and one of the 12 taekwondo athletes for the elementary category.
Aguhar’s father, Romeo, who is travelling with her and is one of the taekwondo trainers for the team, stressed that winning is not important.
“Dili kinahanglan modaug, ang important nga naa silay makuha sa ilang pagduwa, mao ang self-discipline ug perseverance nga sa ilang mga giagian nga training nga dili jud sila mo-surrender.”
Cirilo Calatrava, head for Physical Education on School Sports from the Bohol delegation, said they started training on February 4.
“Though dili continuous among training, and considering dili enough among facilities but we see to it that we are able to gather them, maglisod man gud mi og tapok nila labi na kun lagyo kaayo ang uban,” he said.
“Though Cebu City (Niños) remains unbeaten, I am hoping that they (athletes) will do their best,” he added.
==Capitol sets up investment center==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2015/02/22/capitol-sets-investment-center-393715
*Sunday, February 22, 2015
:By Mia A. Aznar
WITH a budget of P5 million from the Office of the Governor, the newly-created Cebu Province Investment and Incentive Center aims to create its own database and facilitate an investment process within the year to make the province more attractive to foreign and local investors.
Provincial Investment and Promotions Officer Benjamin Joseph Yap admitted that data gathering has been their biggest challenge, saying most of what is available is at the regional level and what they can gather is sometimes outdated.
He said they want to have an updated factbook on Cebu Province that they can use to when promoting areas as locations for investment. The data will be used in creating an investment and promotions website that caters specially to investors.
Yap and his team of three also want to establish a one-stop shop for foreign and domestic investors, who may be interested but unaware about the investment climate of Cebu.
:Identifying sites
Currently, they are working on identifying the economic sites in the province and knowing the characteristics of these sites.
They are now working with government agencies such as the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, Board of Investments, other regulatory agencies and private organizations like the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry to complete their database and establish their one-stop shop.
He admitted that since staff from government agencies are limited, they might not be physically present at the one-stop shop. But having established connections with the concerned government agencies, Yap said the process could still be easier for investors, as they could help facilitate the necessary paperwork.
With a little over a year to establish these within Gov. Hilario Davide III’s term, a concern was raised about what happens to the center after elections. Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino assured that efforts will not be wasted, should another administration take over in 2016, as the center’s creation is covered by an ordinance passed in 2013, which means it has been institutionalized. He added that the creation of the office is “a necessary action” for Cebu Province, as it has been created in response to the request of the local business community, from sentiments of potential foreign investors.
While they are eyeing different sectors for Cebu, Yap said they are starting on tourism investments. He believes efforts to promote tourism in the countryside is not enough and that Cebu can get more out of the tourists who visit with what it has to offer.
“Cebu is mainly tourism. We are under-utilizing our tourism agencies. Compared to other places, we have a lot (to offer) but we are not marketing it correctly or not marketing it enough,” Yap said.
:Tourism circuits
The Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development, a project funded by the Canadian Government and implemented in coordination with the DILG, intends to create three tourism circuits in Northern Cebu to spur economic development in areas badly affected by super typhoon Yolanda.
One circuit is for Bogo, Medellin and San Remigio while the second one is for Daanbantayan and Malapascua Island. The third is for the three towns comprising Bantayan Island. The project aims to create 200 new jobs by 2016, P223.6 million in hotel, resort, restaurant and infrastructure investments and an additional 178,385 annual tourist arrivals.
Yap said that if they are successful, they will replicate the program the southern part of Cebu and integrate it into their tourism plans for the province.
He said one only has to look at the town of Balamban to see how investors have made an impact on the local economy. He is hopeful they can do the same in other parts of the province.
==Cebu water firm to implement P679M data system for efficient water distribution==
*Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=737685
*Saturday, February 21, 2015
:(PNA), LAM/EB/
CEBU CITY, Feb. 21 (PNA) -- The Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) is set to start implementing its P679-million Japanese government-funded Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (Scada) system to respond to consumer complaints faster, an official said.
MCWD General Manager Ernie Delco said the Scada system will be operational one year from now.
The system was introduced during a press conference Friday.
Through the Scada system, MCWD said it will be able to easily identify which areas have low water pressure and act on it promptly.
In a press statement, the MCWD said its Scada system project is funded by a P679-million grant (about 1.6 billion yen) from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).
Officials signed the contract with the winning bidder, Hitachi-Yokogawa Joint Venture, in Japan.
The project was developed after a twinning program of the MCWD with the Yokohama Water Corp. Ltd.
“Like a well-managed traffic system that ensures efficient traffic flow, MCWD will also get real-time data on water pressure and reservoir supply, as well as remotely switch on or off pumps and close or open valves,” the press statement read.
The Scada system will also help MCWD manage its “non-revenue water” because once a sudden drop in water pressure is observed, the district can right away send a team to check for leaks.
Delco said the system will be implemented at no additional cost to MCWD consumers.
“Scada is not intended to increase water production but to improve the distribution of water,” Delco said.
==3.97M visited Region 7==
==3.97M visited Region 7==
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2015/02/20/397m-visited-region-7-393373
*Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2015/02/20/397m-visited-region-7-393373
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