Cebu Province News May 2014

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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.

Capitol to launch massive campaign against catching endangered species

By Liv G. Campo /LPM (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu provincial government will launch a massive information campaign about the law that prohibits catching and eating endangered species.

“I think everybody is not aware nga dili ra shark but there are other endangered species (out there). Moadto ta sa (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) BFAR mangayo ta’g photos to be displayed in markets and ports para sila ma-aware,” said Loy Madrigal, chief of the Capitol’s Anti-Illegal Fishing Team.

Madrigal said they will also place photos of endangered species on trucks carrying commercial fishes so drivers will have no reason to deny they are transporting illegally-caught marine species.

Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, prohibits the catching of protected animals or those considered endangered or threatened.

This move of the Capitol came after it was reported that there is a regular sale of shark fins and meat in Talisay City and in other areas.

Madrigal said they will also go after restaurants that are reportedly selling endangered animals like sharks.

“Number one nga daghan og endangered species diha sa Pasil (Public Market). Exotic food man, pampagana kuno. Naa man roy bag-o, kanang Viagra. Leave the endangered species alone, just switch to Viagra,” he said.

Retail group brings modern shopping to untapped markets

By Liv G. Campo (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - To further serve customers from the widely untapped markets, the Metro Retail Stores Group recently opened its 43rd Metro Supermarket in Carmen to bring modern shopping experience to the C and D markets.

Metro Retail Stores Group managing director Christian Nervegno said the new presentation of Metro Gaisano's retail stores look like an ordinary grocery store albeit a bigger version, but with the modern twist.

By modern, Nervegno said the Metro supermarkets offer the usual comforts of the high-end grocery stores but the prices of their products are comparable to those in public markets, that is because they want to cater individuals in the C and D classes.

He further said that there will be eight more Metro supermarkets to open before the year ends as the company targets to open 100 Metro stores nationwide towards the end of 2015.

The Metro Supermarket in Carmen is a one-story building that sits on a 1,800-square-meter lot in barangay Cogon West.

For his part, Mayor Gerard Martin Villamor welcomed the addition of investment in their town. He assured that not like other local government units in Cebu wherein they welcome just any shopping center or grocery store just so they can collect more taxes, Carmen, while he still sits as its commander, will only have one shopping mall.

It may mean no additional income, but Villamor said it will ensure that their investors are protected and the town's growth is managed well. Carmen, for this year, is run by an annual income of P75 million, and Villamor said he expects an increase of their real property tax from the new Metro store this year.

Also, Villamor said Metro Gaisano's presence means jobs for his people, as they have an outstanding agreement that the store will hire at least 60 percent of its employees from Carmen, of which majority of its people thrive on farming.

The opening of Metro Supermarket Carmen last May 6 followed that of Super Metro Colon last February 27 and Super Metro Basak, which opened towards the end of 2013.

Megaworld building 5 luxury hotels in Cebu township

(Rappler.com)

The hotels worth P8 billion will cater to the growing number of tourists in the province

MANILA, Philippines – Megaworld Corporation, the property unit of tycoon Andrew Tan, is spending P8 billion to build 5 luxury hotels within its nearly 30-hectare township development called The Mactan Newtown in Cebu.

In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Thursday, May 8, Megaworld said the hotels, which would offer a total of 2,000 rooms, would cater to the growing number of tourists in Cebu.

The first 2 of the hotels – Mactan Belmont Luxury Hotel and Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown – will rise along Newtown Boulevard of the township within 5 years. One of the other hotels would carry an international brand.

“With the influx of more tourists to Mactan Island year after year, we hope to be able to offer more exciting facilities that will help further boost tourism in the region. Aside from local tourists, we hope to cater to foreign guests and visitors to The Mactan Newtown as well,” said Carmen Fernando, managing director of Prestige Hotels and Resorts Inc., the operator of Mactan Belmont Luxury Hotel and Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown.

Aside from the hotels, Megaworld will also construct a 3-level lifestyle mall, Plaza Magellan, which is poised to become a major landmark of The Mactan Newtown.

“Plaza Magellan will be an iconic landmark not just for The Mactan Newtown, but also for the entire Central Visayas region, and the Philippines as a whole. We are already coordinating with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) on how we can integrate this landmark to Mactan Shrine. We are also committed to help the government in the rehabilitation and improvement of the historic national shrine,” said Noli Hernandez, president of Megaworld Cebu Properties Inc.

Data from the Department of Tourism revealed that in 2013, 900,000 tourists visited Cebu, up 75% from the previous year’s level.

“We envision The Mactan Newtown as a major tourism hub of Cebu. The township is designed to be tourist-friendly, and our various offerings will also cater to the needs of the visitors of the island,” noted Hernandez.

Megaworld is allocating P30 billion to develop The Mactan Newtown in the next 5 to 7 years.

The Mactan Newtown will have 10 luxury condominium towers: 4 towers for 8 Newtown Boulevard, which is expected to be completed by first half of 2015; 3 towers for One Pacific Residence; and 3 towers for One Manchester Place.

All residential towers will offer pre-furnished units with magnificent views of the Hilutungan Channel on the east and the historic Magellan Bay on the north.

The Mactan Newtown already has 2 office towers and will add at least 5 more by 2020, to bring to around 150,000 square meters its total space. The offices can accommodate an estimated 45,000 workers in the information technology-business process outsourcing sector.

By 2016, Megaworld will open the Newtown School of Excellence, a state-of-the-art educational institution that will be supervised by the Lasallian Schools Supervision Office.

Developers to spend P20B more for MCIA

By Gregg M. Rubio /JMO (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Above the P14.4 billion upfront premium it paid to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority, the GMR-Megawide Consortium will be spending around P20 billion to develop the airport.

Andrew Acuaah-Harrison, GMR deputy chief executive officer, said the cost includes the construction of the MCIA Terminal 2 building and the redevelopment of the existing terminal.

“The reason we submitted that high is a demonstration of the confidence we have in the airport and in the economy and its potential to grow,” Harrison said during the 888 News Forum at the Marco Polo Plaza yesterday.

GMR-Megawide emerged as the highest bidder for the airport expansion project after submitting a bid of P14.4 billion.

Department of Transportation and Communications and MCIAA officials signed the Concession Agreement with GMR-Megawide following receipt of the payment last April 4, 2014.

MCIAA is set to turn over airport operations and maintenance to GMR-Megawide in October this year. Construction of the new passenger terminal building is slated in January 2015 and is scheduled to be completed in three years or by January 2018.

Harrison pointed out that even before the start of the project, the terms and conditions are clearly defined, including the regulations of fees to be collected.

“If we invest it means there is growth. If there is growth, that means the economy is prospering. If the economy is prospering, it means there will be a return of our investment,” Harrison said.

“We will invest the necessary amount that is required to ensure that we meet the growth and we provide facilities which ensure that it is among the top performing airports in the world in terms of service standards and amenities,” he added.

Harrison reiterated that their primary objective is to market Cebu to the rest of the world and to ensure that tourism in the region grows with excellent and efficient airport facilities as an economic engine for growth.

The Terminal 2 building is expected to accommodate 28 million passengers by the time it is completed.

“We want to develop an airport that will have the capacity to take international traffic directly into Cebu and distribute the traffic throughout the rest of the region,” Harrison said.

He assured again that operations at the existing airport terminal will not be disrupted during renovation.

The consortium’s proposed design for the new terminal at MCIA is a modern expression of traditional Filipino architecture and imbibes the cultural ethos of Cebu without sacrificing efficiency.

Harrison also stressed they are not bringing foreign workers except a handful of specialists during the transition phase.

He said they are going to develop skills and capability of the Filipino people who have contributed to the improvement of the economy of other countries.

“We will work together to ensure the airport capacity is developed to meet the demand,” said Harrison.

Consortium in Php 17.5-B Mactan airport expansion says good workers can stay

(PNA), FPV/EB

CEBU CITY, May 6 (PNA) -- Officials of GMR-Megawide Consortium, the winning bidder in the Php 17.5-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) expansion project, said good workers have a place under their management.

They also appealed for the support and cooperation of airport officials, employees and stakeholders, saying their main purpose is to help improve services to passengers, especially tourists.

GMR Megawide-Cebu Airport Corp. chief executive advisor Andrew Acquaan Harrison and company president Louie Ferrer attended the Monday morning flag raising ceremony at the MCIA where they made the appeal.

In his short speech, Harrison said they came to help and continue the good services of MCIA.

He said the airport’s present operation is great that it is a big challenge for them to introduce more improvements in the 25 years in handling the management and operations.

He also assured that it is not their policy to bring in foreigners to manage airports.

“Our purpose here is to help Mactan Airport and not to replace whom they believe can help them in the improvement of airport operations that benefits the passengers,” he said.

He said they have a long experience in managing airports in other countries and have served more than 36 million passengers annually.

Ferrer, on the other hand, said that with the support of the people of Cebu and the airport staff, them as the ones managing and handling airport operation of the airport will benefit the Cebuanos.

Ferrer also assured concessioners and those doing business inside the airport whose contracts were to end in 2016 that they will honor them.

He said all stakeholders at the Mactan Airport are their partners for the good of the airport.

Canduman, four others top Panagtagbo dance fest

By Anie M. Paujana and Rosemarie R. Cananea (CNU Communication Interns)

The contingent composed of barangays Casili, Cubacub, Tingub, Canduman and Tawason emerged as the grand champion of the dance showdown in the Panagtagbo sa Mandaue Festival last Saturday evening.

Clad in aquamarine Spanish period costumes, the dancers carried rosaries during their performance to signify the constant devotion of the Cebuanos to Mother Mary.

“I am overwhelmed as we did not expect to win. All our efforts paid off. It’s worth it,” Rhonikko Kirong, one of the choreographers, said.

He said it took them only a month to prepare for the competition. The contingent also won Best Costume and Best Choreography.

“I’m happy that their efforts paid off,” Tawason barangay chairman Jun Arcilla said.

The closing program for the festival was attended by thousands of Mandaue City residents and visitors at the Mandaue City Sports Complex.

The contingents performed their pieces and added the reenactment of the “Panagtagbo” or meeting of the Holy Family.

Taga-Mandaue Inc., one of the organizers, also gave recognition to Niño Matillano of the Mandaue School for the Arts, for instructing the audience on the basic dance movements of the Panagtagbo.

Matillano showed the basic movements to the crowd and was joined by Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes and Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede.

The program closed with all contingents together with the Mandaue School for the Arts Core Group dancing the Panagtagbo.

PANAGTAGBO SA MANDAUE 2014 WINNERS:

BEST IN ANDAS OF ST. JOSEPH Barangays Subangdaku, Guizo, Tipolo

BEST IN ANDAS OF SR. STO. NIÑO Barangay Paknaan

BEST IN ANDAS OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE Barangays Subangdaku, Guizo, Tipolo BEST IN COSTUME Barangays Casili, Cubacub, Tingub, Canduman, Tawason

BEST IN CHOREOGRAPHY Barangays Casili, Cubacub, Tingub, Canduman, Tawason

BEST IN STREET DANCING Barangay Paknaan

DANCE SHOWDOWN:

GRAND CHAMPION Barangays Casili, Cubacub, Tingub, Canduman, Tawason Cash Prize: P150,000 with trophy

1ST RUNNER- UP Barangay Paknaan Cash Prize: P100,000 with trophy

2ND RUNNER- UP Barangays Alang-Alang, Cambaro, Opao, Looc and Umapad Cash Prize: P75,000 with trophy

Cortes said he was thankful that the city residents showed their support by attending the event.

Business group receives P3M aid from the Capitol

By Michael H. Braga /RHM (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Government will release P3 million in financial assistance to the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (CCCI) for its activities and programs, particularly the Cebu Business Month (CBM) celebration next month.

In an approved resolution, authored by Provincial Board Member Grecilda Sanchez, the PB authorized Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III to enter a memorandum of agreement with CCCI for the donation.

However, the amount would only be given after CCCI submit its program concept for the activity and a detailed breakdown of expenditures.

To justify the financial assistance, Sanchez mentioned the Local Government Code, which allows local government units to promote the establishment, as well as the operation, of non-governmental organizations in becoming active partners in local autonomy development.

“CCCI has been an active partner with the Province of Cebu, and the latter has given financial and institutional support for the past successful CCCI’s undertakings, its (Capitol’s) policy being to engage and stimulate strong Public-private Partnership to aggressively promote Cebu as an investment and Tourism hub in the Asia-Pacific Region,” read a part of her resolution.

Last year, the province earmarked P5 million as financial aid for CCCI activities, particularly the 27th Confederation of Asia Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry Conference.

However, then Acting Governor Agnes Magpale had the amount lowered due to financial constraints.

The CBM is an institutionalized month-long jubilee of the business community with a series of events to highlight, celebrate and inspire more success in the Cebu business community.

Mandaue Mayor Cortes says: Today's Panagtagbo shows city's identity

By Flor Z. Perolina (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - In today's Panagtagbo Festival, all 27 barangays of Mandaue City will be clustered into six competing contingents for a ritual performance showdown.

Street dancing will start from 3 p.m. at S.B Cabahug Street towards the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Center, the venue of the showdown which will start 8 p.m.

Winners of the showdown will win P100,000 for the first prize, P75,000 for the second prize and P50,000 for the third prize. The best in street dancing will win P30,000.

Mayor Jonas Cortes, who just arrived from a vacation from the United States, will witness the event because this is the first time the Panagtagbo Festival was made part of the fiesta activity.

"The Panagtabo is not only a cultural event but it gives us a sense of religious direction by emulating the religious value being practiced by the Holy Family, which is obedience to God," Cortes said.

He also said it gives people a sense of identity and "promotes unity of our purpose of making Mandaue city truly our home, our pride and our future."

Traffic near the vicinity of the Mandaue City Hall will be closed from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. today in view of the Panagtagbo Festival, a cultural event on the re-enactment of the religious Traslacion celebrating the meeting of the members of the Holy Family.

The actual Traslacion in Mandaue is done a day before the Sinulog Grand Mardi Gras in Cebu City wherein the images of the Holy Family - blessed Sr. Sto Niño, the Virgin de Guadalupe and St. Joseph - meet.

However, Mandaue City wants the "panagtagbo" of the Holy Family to be part of its fiesta activity, thus a festival to this effect was crafted.

Assembly will be along A.C. Cortes Avenue.

At exactly 3 pm, the following thoroughfares will be closed to traffic: S.B. Cabahug Street corner A.C. Cortes Avenue, A. Del Rosario Street corner B. Ceniza Street, Gomez Street corner A. Soriano Avenue,

C. Ouano Street corner Plaridel Street, Gomez Street corner P. Burgos Street, Zamora Street corner P. Burgos Street, U.M. Seno Street corner Burgos Street, P. Burgos Street corner M. Sanchez Street and S.B. Cabahug Street corner M. Sanchez Street.

Hospitals get big slice of P302.5M dev’t fund

By Peter L. Romanillos

The Cebu provincial government has allocated a large chunk of the P302.5 million unused development fund from last year for the improvement of health services in 16 district and provincial hospitals.

The construction and rehabilitation of hospitals and birthing centers was allocated P60.5 million, the biggest among the eight priority areas chosen by Gov. Hilario Davide III.

At Monday’s regular session, the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) unanimously approved the proposed budget realignment and gave the go signal for the implementation of several projects.

Davide said the 2013 development fund, which was supposed to be used for projects of then governor Gwendolyn Garcia, was largely left unused since it “took some time to review the projects.”

“We were still in transition last year. I assumed office in July, at the middle of the year. So I had to check and review all the projects,” he told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview.

Only around P60 million was used from the development fund for 2013.

For this year, the Capitol has set aside P407 million for its projects.

The fund, also known as the Annual Investment Plan (AIP) is 25 percent of the Capitol’s Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) for the year.

For its 2014 development fund, the Capitol has allocated another P73 million for health projects. Bulk of the allocation will be used for the purchase of new hospital equipment in line with Davide’s thrust to upgrade all the provincial and district hospitals and get a level 1 accreditation from the Department of Health (DOH).

Recently, eight Capitol-run hospitals in the cities of Bogo, Danao and Carcar and the district hospitals in Tuburan, Argao, Barili, Badian and San Francisco in Camotes Island were granted Level 1 accreditation by DOH 7 .

With the accreditation, the hospitals may now perform surgery, Caesarian operations and appendectomy, among others, as well as laboratory examinations like ultrasound and ECG.

Davide said he also signed 20 consultancy contracts of medical specialists, including medical technicians and nurses.

Earlier, the PB approved a resolution allowing Davide to sign consultancy contracts of specialists in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, internal medicine and general surgeons.

The upgraded district hospitals have X-ray machines and other equipment, while all eight hospitals already have operating rooms.

Meanwhile, P50 million of the unused development fund was earmarked for financial assistance to local government units (LGU), civil society organizations (CSO) and other institutions.

Davide said the fund will be made available to LGUs after a thorough review and evaluation of their request.

Province wants to spend surplus for health facilities

By Michael H. Braga/JMO (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Capitol is eyeing at spending its 2013 surplus of P566 million to improve health facilities in the province.

One way of doing so would be to purchase equipment for government-run hospitals that the Department of Health upgraded to Level 1. These hospitals can now perform surgical operations and laboratory examinations like ultrasound and electrocardiogram (ECG) tests.

“I’m glad. That’s good news para nako. We must be doing right here diri sa Capitol,” Governor Hilario Davide III told reporters.

Davide said health and hospitals are on top of the list as far as priority is concerned.

“Kana nga savings dako pa ta og gamitan ana sa basic services. We go to our 6-point agenda. Health, hospitals ang number one. We are going to purchase heavy equipment hopefully by June,” he said.

The P566 million surplus for 2013 serves as beginning cash balance for this fiscal year. Records of the Provincial Accounting office showed that Capitol’s total expenses last year was P1.913 billion while its total income was P2.479 billion.

The 2013 surplus is higher by P40 million than the 2012 surplus during the time of former governor Gwendolyn Garcia, something that Vice Governor Agnes Magpale said can be attributed to Capitol’s “prudent” spending when Davide assumed office.

Magpale said the province only had P90 million funds when she was still acting governor.

Capitol’s Internal Revenue Allotment at that time reached to P150 a month.

Magpale explained that the province has set aside P7.5 million in the succeeding months, which were deposited in the calamity fund.

“Ako gyud nang gibalik-balik ang ‘prudent’ spending,” she added.

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