Difference between revisions of "Cebu Province News April 2016"

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Revision as of 11:56, 22 April 2016

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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.

DAR 7 celebrates Women’s Month

(Sun.Star Cebu)

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) 7 joined the celebration of National Women’s Month following this year’s theme, “Kaayuhan ni Juana, I-apil sa adyenda.”

This year‘s celebration was opened with a gender and development (GAD) orientation/forum held last March 11, with DAR 7 personnel as participants.

Atty. Josephus A. Baterna, assistant regional director, in a welcome message, said DAR continued to conduct GAD activities that aims to better appreciate and develop deeper understanding of gender issues.

The forum was held at DAR 7 conference room, with guest speakers Atty. Virginia Palanca Santiago, Law Center Inc. president and retired deputy ombudsman for the Visayas; Emma E. Melana of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources 7; and Luchel Senarlo-Taniza, labor communications officer of the Department of Labor and Employment 7.

Dr. Andrea Paciana Labra, regional chief administrative officer and vice chair GAD focal point system of DAR 7, discussed the mission statement of DAR-GAD champions, and the implementation of GAD plans and activities for this year. These include disaster risk reduction program, tree-planting, livelihood-income generating projects, trainings and seminars.

In his message, Regional Agrarian Reform Adjudicator Rosalio T. Kintanar, underscored the importance of agrarian reform as a catalyst for change and to spur socio- economic growth and full-rural development.

DAR 7 Director Alejandro S. Otacanis supported the GAD information and advocacy campaign, and mainstreaming gender in ARB organizations.

Cebu gov urges new farmer-scientists to use skills to achieve inclusive growth

(PNA), LAP/EB/EDS

CEBU CITY (PNA) -- Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III has urged the province’s new farmer-scientists to use their newsly-acquired farming skills to help achieve the government’s long-term goal of inclusive growth.

Davide said he regarded in high value their certificates of completion from farmer-scientist training program (FSTP).

He also reiterated that farmers are heroes of the land.

At least two schools commissioned the FSTP Research Development Extension Training Program in a Corn-based Production System for Sustainable Agricultural Development.

These are the University of the Philippines-Los Baños and Cebu Technological University.

Cebu Provincial Board Member Peter John Calderon said inclusive growth starts with the progress of everyCebuano, including the farmers.

A total of 171 farmers graduated recently under the FSTP program in Alegria town in southern Cebu.

Davide said the province has allotted PHP1 million financial assistance to local government units (LGUs) to support FSTP.

Aside from the financial aid, the Capitol also distributes corn and vegetable seeds and fertilizers and the concreting of farm-to-market roads.

The Cebu Provincial Agriculturist Office also established trading centers and grain drying pavements in the different barangays in the province.

DOLE-7 bats for reforms ensuring inclusive growth

By Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Several reforms to ensure that inclusive growth have to be felt by the ordinary workers were implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment-7, the agency's head said.

Speaking before the First Cebu Employee/Labor Relations Congress yesterday, DOLE-7 director Exequiel Sarcauga said that using the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan 2011-2016 (LEP) as framework supports the Aquino administration's 22-Point Agenda on Labor and Employment.

The LEP, Sarcauga said, frames its priorities using the decent work pillars of rights at work, employment, social protection and social dialogue. It also provides a cross-cutting pillar on sustaining outcomes to cover government strategies complementary to the decent work strategies, he added.

The LEP highlighted that inclusive growth means equalizing access to development opportunities across geographic areas and across different income and social spectra, so that employment creation and expansion will concretely translate into poverty reduction.

Sarcauga said that among the strategies they adopted is concentrated on reforms toward better enjoyment of workers' rights alongside with employment facilitation efforts.

He cited the Labor Law Compliance System in Labor Standards Enforcement, the Two-Tier Wage System in Wage-Setting and Productivity and the Single Entry Approach. Freeman ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch:

"These are deemed first in the history of DOLE in terms of policy and program development in the area of guaranteeing workers' rights and benefits," he said.

Sarcauga added that the Philippines was recognized by the International Labor Organization and by the ASEAN as the first country to have instituted a transparent and unique technology-based system that combines developmental and regulatory approaches to labor laws compliance.

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III in his speech said that managing employer-employee relationship is much more than just setting salaries and scheduling leaves of absences, planning company picnics or choosing uniforms.

Managing develops human resource, he emphasized.

"The challenge for HR managers is how to make employees more dedicated, more honest, more loyal and more productive," Davide said.

20 PWDs join scuba therapy

(Sun.Star Cebu)

WHO wants to fly?

This was the one question posed by Diveheart founder Jim Elliott that had most persons with disabilities in Area Vocational Rehabilitation Center DSWD 7, all excited to gear up and dive.

More than 20 persons—blind, deaf/mute,orthopedic and neurologic disorders—have the opportunity to participate in the Diveheart Scuba experience program giving them their first taste of zero gravity with the Diveheart trained adaptive instructors and dive buddies last March 18 at the Cebu City Sports Complex swimming pool.

The event was organized by Diveheart, a non-profit organization based in suburban Chicago that offers adaptive scuba diving instruction and opportunities to children, adults and veterans with special needs.

Diveheart works with individuals with virtually any type of disability, including developmental disabilities, vision and hearing impairment, paraplegia, quadriplegia, amputations, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Diveheart has been working with individuals and organizations throughout the United States and other countries including Mexico, the Caribbean, Australia, China, Israel and England. The Philippines, specifically Cebu, was chosen as the first training site for Diveheart instructors and buddies in Southeast Asia due to the efforts of Cebuano dive instructors who volunteered with organization in Chicago area.

To establish the foundation of Diveheart’s message and its vision, the first batch of Cebuano dive instructors and buddies trained off the Mactan shores in the second weekend of March. The rigorous three-day training taught empathy and patience as well as building new skill sets to the instructors and dive buddies so that they are prepared to work with persons with special needs.

Diveheart was founded Elliott, an avid scuba diver and dive instructor trainer. He was inspired by his own blind daughter’s experience to establish her independence and later on volunteering as an instructor for blind downhill skiers.

He recognized the therapeutic value that the sport had on the skiers’ emotional and physical well-being.

“It is the can-do spirit that Diveheart hopes to instill in our participants, providing them not only with physical benefits, but also with self confidence and independence,” said Elliott.

Adaptive scuba diving is designed to help participants with disabilities escape gravity, mostly in swimming pools, where a PWD can be introduced to scuba therapy in a controlled and safe environment.

The benefits range from pain relief for those with chronic pain, the reduction of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for veterans and others with PTSD. Because pressure is a therapy for those with autism spectrum disorder, the ambient pressure underwater provides a calming environment that has lasting benefits for those with autism.

What Diveheart is finding out though, through joint research with US-based university medical centers, is that the first pool session is the most powerful, creating a paradigm shift for the participants.

Elliott and Tina Marie Hernandez, executive director of Diveheart, continued to send the message out by going on the radio talks and by holding an informational program about adaptive scuba training, research and business to the local medical, tourism and diving community, as well as with the Rotary Club of Port Center.

DILG okays release of PHP35.5-M road upgrade for Cebu Province

(PNA), LAP/EB/EDS

CEBU CITY, April 6 (PNA) -- The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release to Cebu province the PHP35.5 million intended for road improvements under the Kalsada program.

The DILG informed DBM Secretary Butch Abad that the Cebu Provincial Government has already complied with the requirements set in the special provisions of the 2016 General Appropriations Act along with the Province of Batanes.

Dubbed “Konkreto at Ayos na Lansangan at Daan Tungo saPangkalahatang Kaunlaran” (Kalsada), the program is aimed atinstitutionalizing good governance by enabling and shepherding local government units on local road management.

Cebu was among the 73 out of 81 provinces selected by DBM under the PHP6.5-billion road rehabilitation in the 2016 P3-trillion national budget.

The provinces were selected based on their compliance with the DILG’s Seal of Good Financial Housekeeping and submission of their Local Public Financial Management Assessment Report to the DBM.

Cebu province won the Seal of Good Governance of the DILG for two consecutive years starting in 2014.

In the same years, the province also topped the list of richest provinces of the country in the Annual Financial Report of the Commission on Audit.

The Cebu Provincial Engineering and Planning and Development offices identified the 3.7-kilometer portion of Barangay Dakit, Bogo City to Barangay, Nipa Cayaan Tabogon road in northern Cebu as the project beneficiary.

Under the program, the province is required to provide a counter fund of more than P15 million, raising the total amount to at least P50 million.

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III said the province is expected to get some PHP338.5 million for road improvements stretching to 17 kilometers in next year’s Kalsada program.

Capitol to start earning from BOT with Filinvest

By Elias O. Baquero

FILINVEST Land Inc. (FLI) yesterday turned over to the Provincial Government one of the four buildings at the I.T. Park as part of their build-operate-transfer agreement.

FLI will be the one to operate Tower 1, paying Capitol land rental and sharing its income, said Gov. Hilario Davide III.

Filinvest President Joseph Yap said they will pay Capitol P600,000 for the 1.2-hectare lot where the project is located, plus two percent of the income or P500,000 a month, whichever is higher.

This means the Capitol will have an assured income of P1.1 million a month and the amount will increase when all the other three buildings--Towers 2, 3 and 4--will be completed and operational.

“We are happy to turn over this first building of the Cebu Cyberzone Project to the Province of Cebu. So, this is the first one and we are happy to turn it over today,” Yap said.

“We are also happy to announce that there are already locators (occupants) in the building. As a result of this turnover, we will also start paying the share of the Province of Cebu from the income derived from this project,” Yap said.

Yap said Tower 2 will be finished and operational next year, while Towers 3 and 4 will be completed either by 2019 or 2020.

According to Yap, with the Tower 1 alone, Filinvest has already spent P1.5 billion for the first building alone.

“When everything is done, we will probably have at least P5 billion to P6 billion in investments for all the buildings,” Yap said.

He said it is not only income that the Capitol can generate but jobs will also be created by the cyberzone project.

“There are already hundreds of people employed in Tower 1 and eventually, when all the four towers will be built, we will be creating 20,000 to 25,000 jobs for the people of Cebu,” Yap said.

He said that most of the locators in Tower 1 are Business Process Outsourcing companies, but there are also mix-use areas for retail, commercial, restaurants, bars and coffee shops.

Sixth grader fulfills dream to become farmer-scientist

(PNA), LAP/EB/PR/EBP

CEBU CITY (PNA) -- Domenciana Adolfo of Barangay Tabla, Liloan, Cebu, said her daughter Joan would cry if barred to attend the lectures of Farmer-Scientist Training Program (FSTP) every Wednesday.

“Every Wednesday, she would always miss her class so she can join the scheduled FSTP lecture,” Adolfo said.

FSTP phase one runs for 18 weeks.

Adolfo said her youngest is the only child in the family who likes farming.

Joan said she joined the FSTP because she is interested in farming.

She said when she grows up she wants to become a teacher.

Joan, along with her first cousin Angel Mae Adolfo who is also a sixth grader, and Charls Tundag, an 8th grader, were among the new FSTP graduates in Barangay Tabla, Liloan last March 29.

Like the Adolfo cousins, Tundag also skipped classes once a week to join FSTP.

He said joining the program does not only make him afarmer-scientist, it also taught him values of hard work and respect of elders.

Cebu Capitol Agriculture Consultant Dr. Romulo Davide, FSTP program leader, welcomed the new generation of farmers.

He said it is important that not all in the family leaves farming for a different job elsewhere.

In Barangay Tabla, Liloan, 36 farmers graduated from the program, with 23 farmers graduated in phase 1 and 13 in phase 2.

In the municipality of Consolacion, 80 farmers successfully completed their training in respective phases, with 52 in phase 1 and 28 in phase 2.

Cebu still a ‘strong market’ for outsourcing companies

By Vanessa Claire Lucero

Cebu continues to be a strong market for the IT-BPO industry, said Wipro regional head for Asia Pacific and Japan Jibin Arjunan.

But the local information technology-business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry should improve on the infrastructure facilities and quality of the talent pool.

He also cited the need for consistent branding for Cebu as a BPO hub.

“The IT-BPO industry is entering an age with significant disruption, but it can only be unlocked if Cebu can get regular branding in terms of being a BPO hub, and can provide better jobs for people,” he said during the Asia CEO Forum last week.

Based on the Tholons list of top outsourcing destinations for 2016, Cebu climbed a notch higher to seventh from eighth in 2015.

Cebu has consistently made it to the Tholons top 10, the second Philippine city to do so after Manila which maintained its ranking at second place.

“Cebu has several economic drivers. Central Visayas has been growing at around 8.0 percent per year with tourism and IT being primary economic drivers. Cebu outpaces other cities,” the Wipro official said.

Despite having two major cities in the top 10 outsourcing destinations, the Philippines still has a very small share in the global IT industry, said Jonathan de Luzuriaga, president of the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA) and trustee of the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (ITBPAP).

“Our global IT services market share in 2015 was only 2 percent. India has a far bigger share with 65 percent. The rest of the world comprises 33 percent,” De Luzuriaga said in the same forum.

The need to improve infrastructure and develop talent were among the challenges identified in the industry, he said.

Other challenges that the Philippine IT-BPO Industry Roadmap 2022 intends to address include legislative and regulatory compliance requirements for companies in the industry, and talent acquisition.

In line with talent development, De Luzuriaga said the industry could have “easily doubled talent” if graduates had the skill sets needed by the industry.

As it is, companies have to invest in five to six months of retraining, he said in the same forum.

The IBPAP targets to finalize the roadmap by September this year, De Luzuriaga said.

“Unlike the previous roadmaps, that were top-bottom, 2022 will be from ground–up. The sub-sectors will take center stage,” he said.

Sub-sectors include contact sectors, healthcare management, IT, and animation and game development.

The roadmap, which is being undertaken by international consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, aims to boost the Philippines’ share in the global IT industry.

CCCI to form ‘angel group’ to support tech startups

By Jeandie O. Galolo

TAKING a concrete step in helping local startups thrive, industry players and regulators in the ICT sector will meet this month to start discussing the creation of a Cebu “angels group,” said Melanie Ng, president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI).

The meeting will be participated in by CCCI, the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (Cedfit), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Go Negosyo, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The official name of the organization is yet to be decided but Ng said the CCCI-led initiative will be providing “big brother” mentorship to local tech startups.

“A product or an app is created because of a need and CCCI will be there to link startups to the right people,” Ng said during a press conference for the Cebu Business Month at the Bayfront Hotel yesterday.

For Cedfit managing director Wilfredo “Jun” Sa-a Jr., seed funding would become the direction for the Cebu angels group. “Eventually, that would be one of the objectives, give funding to our startups. But what is also really important is the mentorship,” Sa-a said.

“We are pushing for this soon,” Ng added, acknowledging the growth potential of local startups once given the right attention and resources.

In another development, Cebu can expect more IT-BPM companies to join the rest of the existing players this year.

Although Sa-a chose not to disclose the names of these companies, some of them have already laid out plans for Cebu operations. “They wanted to be here (since) last year,” he said.

The Cedfit official declined to provide causes and details to the delay, saying he is not privy to the matter. He maintained, however, that Cebu continues to be a sweet spot for ICT-BPM investors.

“There’s a lot of interest to come to Cebu during the 10th International ICT Awards in Manila. There were several companies in Cebu awarded and they saw that it’s working in Cebu,” Ng said who was one of the event’s attendees.

If all these plans from investors would push through, Sa-a said this would inject more money to the local economy. Presently, it is estimated that the BPO-ICT sector in Cebu is putting in P4.2 billion to the economy a month generated from the salaries of 120,000 BPO workers.

Metro Cebu has long been identified as a centers of excellence by the Informations and Communications Office of DOST together with Metro Manila, Metro Clark, and Bacolod City.

On its 20th celebration this year, the Cebu Business Month 2016 headed by RC Goldline owner Christian Paro-an is pushing for the use of digital technologies among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to become globally competitive.

Formerly referred to as the ICT-BPM Conference, one of the event highlights every June has been renamed to the Cebu Digital Transformation Summit, which will be held on June 1 and 2 at the Radisson Hotel.

Department of Science and Technolocy Secretary Mario Montejo is being eyed to be the keynote speaker. Topics to be discussed include analytics for SMEs, social media for social transformation, Bitcoin as the future currency, and the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, which will be discussed by journalist Jessica Soho.

Cebu resorts, hotels ready for more guests with 4 new foreign direct flights

(PNA), FFC/EB/EBP

CEBU CITY, April 1 (PNA) -- Resort and hotels in Cebu are prepared to receive more guests following the launching of four new direct flights to Cebu in March, a top official of the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) said.

“Cebu as a destination will have more rooms available with new players coming in. Obviously, the hotel business is booming, just like what we are seeing in the residential sector,” HRRAC president Julie Najar said.

The entry of four new hotel properties with over 1,000 rooms are expected to help meet the demand of room accommodation in Cebu, with the anticipated tourist boom in the coming months as a result of improved connections between Cebu and Los Angeles, Taiwan, China and the Middle East.

The 180-room condotel Citadines Cebu City by Ascott Limited and the 295-room Dusit Princess are expected to open by 2019.

The 250-room Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort, on the other hand, will open by 2020 while construction of the 638-room Bai Hotel and Casino is underway.

At present, there are about 7,000 rooms in Cebu in the four-to five-star category.

Najar, who is the general manager of Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, said the accommodation sector has been posting a healthy occupancy level since 2014.

This further increased last year when Cebu hosted big international events like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) senior ministerial meetings and the 51st International Eucharistic Congress.

The industry, she said, is expecting more bookings this year, not only limited to the leisure market but also in meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice).

She said majority of the bookings in Cebu hotels are Mice-driven.

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