Cebu Province News September 2012

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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.

Despite heavy rain, Cebu dancing inmates go 'Gangnam Style'

(LBG, GMA News)

Amid a downpour, the world-famous Cebu dancing inmates on Saturday drew cheers as they danced to the monster worldwide hit "Gangnam Style."

The rain did not appear to affect the enthusiasm of the inmates, whose latest feat was posted on YouTube Saturday night.

"Despite the heavy rain (September 29), at least a thousand inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center entertained guests with their ecstatic adoption of the Guinness World Record holder for the 'Most Liked in YouTube,'" read the description on the video, which lasted nearly four minutes.

Most of the inmates in the video wore their standard orange suits, but some at the center of the dance wore black shirts. The lead dancer was in black.

A separate report on Bombo Radyo said more than 1,000 people witnessed and cheered the inmates, who also danced to other hits like "We Are the Champion," "Do the Hustle," "Jump," "Fire," "Ben," "Billy Jean" and "This Is It" before making "Gangnam Style" their finale.

The Bombo Radyo report also said foreigners such as Rudy Freemont went to watch the inmates, who he said he first saw on YouTube.

Saturday's dance highlighted the comeback of the inmates after Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia suspended the dances due to a near-riot at the rehabilitation center last February.

Last Tuesday (Manila time), "Gangnam Style" overtook "Call Me Maybe" as the most watched video on YouTube.

The hit single by Korean superstar PSY had been perceived by many as poking fun at the lavish lifestyle in South Korea's Gangnamn district.

It has also generated several spoofs.

Cebu province school board okays release of P42-M budget

(PNA), SCS/EB/RE

CEBU CITY, Sept. 29 (PNA) -- The Cebu Provincial School Board (PSB) has approved the release of P42.11 million for the Capitol’s various education programs and projects.

The biggest chunk of the amount will go to the construction of school buildings in 15 cities and municipalities in the province.

Among the programs and projects included in the fund allocations are funding for athletes to be sent to the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association meet in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental and the provincial sports meet in Balamban town.

There will also be funds for the increase of scholars under Cebu Tertiary Education Assistance Program, distribution of armchairs in schools and accommodation of additional PSB-paid teachers.

Department of Education Cebu Province Division Superintendent Arden Monisit said he is grateful to the school board, chaired by Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, for approving the budget, which include the hiring of 20 additional PSB-paid teachers and the construction of additional classrooms.

Co-financed by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.(Rafi), Capitol will build 15 school buildings, a two-story six-classroom building in the cities of Carcar, Toledo and Talisay and in 12 municipalities in the province.

According to the proposed agreement, which is up for signature between the concerned parties, the school board will allocate P31.5 million, while Rafi will shell out P46.5 million for the P78-million school building project.

A Rafi representative reported 10 Gabaldon buildings in six Cebu towns that are set for rehabilitation. A total cost of P17.15 million is earmarked for the rehabilitation.

Gabaldon building is named after former Nueva Ecija Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon who in the 1907 Philippine Assembly authored a law allocating funds for the construction of uniform-designed school buildings all over the country. Some of these buildings still exist.

For its rehabilitation, both the school board and Rafi will allocate P6.86 million for all the 10 buildings, while the local government units (LGUs), where these Gabaldon buildings are located, will have to contribute for the remaining P3.430 million, based on the letter of Rafi chief operating officer Dominca Chua to Garcia.

Gov: Heritage, culture to boost Cebu tourism

Joy C. Quito (Contributor,Cebu Daily News)

Heritage and culture will establish the uniqueness of Cebu and not just its beaches and night spots.

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Gacia gave this statement as she pushed for giving the towns more opportunities to showcase their tourism attractions.

“We must give our towns the opportunities to be noticed, to be showcased, and to blossom,” Garcia told the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board in its 3rd quarter meeting on Wednesday.

“There are new products because our towns now know what are their natural sites, heritage, and cultural attractions,” said Garcia.

She was responding to the presentation of the National Tourism Development Plan or Road Map presented by Cebu Business Club executive director Fernando “Perry” Fajardo during the meeting.

She said that the provincial government succeeded in bringing tourism promotion outside Metro Cebu to the countryside.

“If we are to do a tourism roadmap, let us first find out what has already been done,” said Garcia.

Fajardo said the tourism roadmap includes Cebu within Central Visayas as one of the priority areas in the country .

Fajardo said Cebu’s disadvantages include having no unique culture, an unattractive physical environment, and no integrated planning and proper disposal of garbage.

Fajardo said the strategies to address this weaknesses in the road map include product development, infrastructure development, marketing promotion, public involvement and organization development.

Governor Garcia said the provincial government was already doing the strategies recommended in the roadmap.She the province has already clustered 80 percent of Cebu tourism areas and its products.

The southern cluster with 22 local government units focuses on heritage sites. The mid-western cluster with 7 mucipalities, offer adventure areas and the northern cluster with 90 towns offers heritage, culture and adventure to tourists.

RDC-7 Identifies Cebu Bridge Construction Projects For Spanish Funding

By MARS W. MOSQUEDA JR.

CEBU — The Regional Development Council (RDC) 7 has identified six bridges in the province of Cebu for inclusion in the Department of Public Works and Highways’ Spanish-assisted bridge construction and replacement project.

These are the Matab-ang Bridge I and II; Suba Bridge and Talavera Bridge, all in Toledo City; and the Sumaguan and Dugo-an bridges in Argao town.

The DPWH 7 earlier identified these bridges having deteriorating structural integrity. This means that the bridges may no longer be safe to vehicular traffic.

The DPWH 7 recommended to its central office replacing the bridges by including them in said Spanish-assisted project so as to ensure safe mobility of people, goods and services to and from the western and southern parts of Cebu province and to also expand economic activities in those areas.

The Cebu Provincial Development Council Executive Committee in its meeting last July 16 endorsed the said bridges for inclusion in the program.

Last September 7, the RDC Infrastructure Development Committee recommended the endorsement of the project and RDC-7 in its full council meeting to be held in Dumaguete City is expected to formally endorse the building of the bridges under aforesaid DPWH Spanish-Assisted Bridge Construction/Replacement Project.

Cebu Inmates’ Performance Allowed Again

By MARS W. MOSQUEDA JR.

CEBU CITY, Cebu – The world-famous dancing inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) are getting their grooves back after Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia allowed them to perform again.

The dancing inmates’ monthly performance was suspended since March following a near-riot that occurred while the prisoners were rehearsing.

This Saturday, the inmates will do their version of the hottest Korean dance craze “Oppa Gangnam Style,” for public viewing.

Garcia’s decision to restore the dancing routine of the inmates was made on recommendation by Atty. Jose Ma. Gastardo, the capitol consultant on planning and development and jail matters.

Gastardo said the Garcia advised him and CPDRC management about it and if they could prepare a new dance presentation. The choreographer, Vince Rosales complied and came up with a new dance routine.

Cebu traders urged to explore food exports

By Aileen Garcia-Yap (Cebu Daily News)

Local exporters are encouraged to consider exporting more food and food ingredients.

Fred Escalona, Philexport Cebu executive director, gave this advice after a report from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed a further slow down of the export performance of the electronics sector.

The report said the July book-to-bill ratio of the electronics exports slipped from 1.2 percent in March to 0.87 percent. This figure represents the ratio between the value of orders for export goods and the value of previous deliveries.

Escalona said while other export sectors were still struggling to recover, global demand for the food and food ingredients sector continued to be strong.

He proposed that exporters look into developing the coconut as a food ingredient for export.

He said Philexport was studying how to develop this potental after the organization received fund assistance recently from the Dutch government.

“From coconut you can already get four food ingredients like Virgin Coconut Oil, sugar, flour and coconut water that we can export. And we have a lot of coconuts here,” Escalona said.

He said coconut water was already a popular food product with global demand growing.

Coconut water falls under the naturally healthy category, which accounted for almost 40 percent of total global health and wellness sales of US$223 billion in 2009.

For Virgin Coconut Oil, Escalona said global market analysts were seeing more growth in demand for the tropical juice drink especially in Brazil and other tropical countries like Ecuador, Indonesia, India and Malaysia where the drink was considered a local beverage.

He said that the gifts, toys, and houseware sector was also a promising sector compared to the furniture sector.

“All these sectors are affected by consumer spending which at present is also affected by the economic turmoil in our two major markets,” he said.

“What we would suggest is to tap new markets like India and study the market with regards to what products are much in demand there,” Escalona said.

In the first quarter this year, the value of coconut water exports rose by 260.55 percent to $1.32 million, said Euclides Forbes of the Philippine Coconut Authority.

Forbes said the Philippines sold 4.49 million liters of coco water in the first quarter which was a 300-percent jump from the 1.12-million liters sold in the same period last year.

The United States, which was the main market for the coco water, bought 3.72 million liters in the first three months of the year.

Escalona said Cebu exporters should now start looking at these new opportunities while looking at new markets to trade with.

Cebu to benefit from PRA promotional activities

By Ehda M. Dagooc (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu’s potential as a retirement haven gets added boost as the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) bares plan to aggressively promote the country as a retirement destination abroad.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-Cebu) provincial director Nelia Navarro said that Cebu will maximize its potential to attract thousands of retirees looking for alternative vacation homes outside of their countries, if investors will start to build facilities that will accommodate this multi-million-dollar market.

Recently, Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) general manager Veredigno Atienza said that the government will aggressively promote the country as a retirement destination for the world’s retirees.

Atienza said that the agency must do more roadshows and conferences which are rifled at distinct focused audiences.

PRA, is now focusing on the country’s leading source countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan.

“PRA is leveraging developments in age-friendliness, tourism, healthcare and Department of Tourism’s ‘Its more fun in the Philippines’ campaign to boost the Philippine position further in the international retirement rankings,” Atienza said.

The PRA general manager added that the best way to get reputable international publicity is to secure good graces of respected international magazine.

He said the Philippines needs to compete with global competitors which are offering more aggressive retirement programs.

Because of this, PRA is expected to launch more product innovations designed to lure more retirees to the country.

He said the Philippines hopes to attract one to ten million foreign retirees in the next six years.

Meanwhile, in Cebu, Navarro said the province still has to provide the right facilities to host the growing retiree market, who already expressed interest to prefer Cebu as their retirement destination.

At present though, while Cebu is still attracting capitalists to invest on building integrated retirement villages or facilities, Cebu is slowly positioning at a “Light Medical Tourism Destination.”

Navarro hopes that the earlier annoucement of businessman Justin Uy to develop a 10-hectare Retirement Village in Consolacion will soon be realized.

For the meantime, while the plan is still raw, Cebu will have to maximize its strength in the huge medical tourism market, which is to focus on providing services for the active retirees, who may not necessarily live in Cebu yet, but experience the place for vacation, leisure and some of their medical needs.

Cebu should be ready before we market it—DOT 7 chief

By Aileen Garcia-Yap (Reporter)

“WE have to make sure that our product is ready before we tap other markets."

Director Rowena Montecillo of the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas gave this advice to the Coalition of Fourteen Business Chambers and CSOs (civil society organizations) on the coalition's suggestion to push for better infrastructure.

The coalition presented last Friday its draft Cebu Tourism Roadmap.

It recommended going beyond traditional markets of South Korea and Japan tourists who make up the top two foreign tourist groups and to start promoting Cebu in China, India and developed countries in the west like the US and European countries whose travellers spend more days and time when the come.

"I agree that most of them are long-staying guests and spend more but we have to make sure that our product is ready before we go and market aggressively," said Montecillo about the proposal.

Recently, Montecillo announced that Australia’s Wild Orchid Airlines will start chartering flights from Darwin, Australia to Cebu this December.

The airline aims to offer 20 chartered flights until next year carrying at least 150 Australians in each flight.

"Australians are mostly adventure seekers so we have to prepare for that. Do we have the right product for them? I believe so with Cebu being a very unique destination that offers just about everything from beaches to the heritage sites to spa and wellness. All we need is a plan that will determine how we can move forward and push for these products," said Montecillo.

Montecillo suggested that Cebu develop further its spa and wellness sector and medical tourism because these industries could be packaged with resorts and cultural tours.

According to Prof. Fernando “Perry” Fajardo, Cebu Business Club executive director, in his presentation, the roadmap's strategic objective is to make "Cebu among Asia's top tourist destinations of choice."

He said stakeholders have to come together and create a Cebu-wide body or council to lead the planning for this growth.

Montecillo said she was open to this suggestion and that the tourism council should be lead by the private sector.

She cited the Bohol Tourism Council as an example. It is led by the private sector but also involves different government agencies and local government units.

According to Jay Aldeguer, president of Is lands Group, in a statement, the draft Cebu Tourism Roadmap is a step towards the goal of making Cebu a world-class destination.

Aldeguer said that experts are needed to guide the process.

“I think all the concerns and suggestions are valid and remarkable. The stakeholders seem to have bought into this which is good. What we need are experts to guide us through the whole process of transforming or enhancing Cebu if we truly want Cebu to be a world-class destination,” Aldeguer said.

Radisson Blu Hotel was also aiming to diversify its market and get more long-staying guests in the hotel, said Ann Olalo, Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu director of sales and marketing, in a recent interview.

“The Australians are a good market because they stay longer and spend more. They are not the typical budget travelers,”she said.

She said she hoped that the China market would recover soon, which was affected by the Scarborough Shoal dispute.

By 2016, Fajardo said that Cebu should already have at least 4 million tourist at a 15 percent annual growth rate and should be at par with Asian neighbors like Bali, Penang and Phuket.

Aside from the creation of a Cebu-wide tourism council, Fajardo listed immediate programs for tourism including a one-stop tourist information and service center, a marketing and promotions plan, a cluster beautification project, the widening of the Mactan circumferential road and Naga-Carcar road, the Marcelo Fernan tri-level flyover, the preparation of Metro Cebu Development Master Plan, the Mactan Island Tourism Master Plan, and an update of the Cebu City circumferential road study.

“These projects should be realized within one to two years,” said Fajardo.

The other short-term projects cited include the Cebu City Bus Rapid Transit, new Mactan Airport terminal, Hernan Cortes road widening, Cebu north coastal road constructions, Talisay-Naga road widening, and Mountain Barangay Tourism Development Project.

The midterm projects or projects to be started within three to five years include ebu Circumferetial road should start construction, Olango Eco-tourism bird sanctuary development, Mactan Aqua-ville tourism development, Cansaga Bay Aqua tourism development, Municipal tourist pier developemnt, widening of Cebu City-Hagnaya Port Road, and widening of Cebu southwest Road.

‘Attract more than Korean, Japan visitors’

By Aileen Garcia-Yap (Business Reporter)

Cebu should look beyond drawing more Korean and Japanese tourists, who are the no. 1 and no. 2 biggest foreign tourist groups for Cebu.

Increasing tourists from China, India and western economies is good because these travelers stay longer and spend more.

This approach was raised by Prof. Fernando Fajardo in his briefing of a Cebu Tourism Roadmap for 2012 to 2016 drafted by a coalition of 14 Cebu business chambers.

Fajardo's main recommendation was to create a Cebu-wide tourism body to lead the planning and steering of Cebu's tourism development, ideally within the year.

Fajardo presented the proposed roadmap to different stakeholders at the Marclo Polo Plaza for feedback.

"The body or council will take responsibility in leading, coordinating and planning the development of tourism in Cebu," said Fajardo, executive director of the Cebu Business Club.

AIRPORT UPGRADE

In response, Jenny Franco, Cebu chapter president of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies in the Philippines, said she agreed with most points of the draft roadmap.

She said the coalition needs to address the downgrading of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to category 2 because it dampens the volume of European and American tourists coming to the country.

Franco agreed that Cebu has to look at other long-haul markets like the United States, Europe, Middle East and Australia aside from Asian neighbors. “We have tourists from Australia who come here for medical tourism and stay longer than the Koreans. On the average they stay for two weeks and even four weeks while most Koreans stay for only four days at the most,” said Franco.

The coalition, under its Partnership for Better Infrastructure, plans to finish the roadmap before the year ends and present it to the governrment for action.

Fajardo said having a Cebu-wide tourism body would help ensure the road map is executed and well coordinated.

He said Cebu can target bringing in 4 million tourists by 2016 compared with the current 1.6 million visiotrs.

5 STRATEGIES

The draft roadmap has five key strategies: product development; infrastructure development; marketing and promotion; outreach and public involvement; and organization development.

The “product” referred to is Cebu.

"For the first strategy, the idea is to build on Cebu's rich historical heritage and natural attractions but we also need new products and new local destinations," said Fajardo.

Fajardo named six clusters based on what Cebu offers.

Mainland Metro Cebu is for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events), historical events, educational, medical and retirement tourism.

Other clusters are Mactan-Olango island, southern Cebu, north Cebu-Bantayan and Malapascua Islands, midwest Cebu and Camotes-Pilar Islands.

World class infrastructure, like a better international airport, is needed to draw more tourists here as well as improved seaports, roads and bridges.

“This way we can increase the visitor experience through safe, fast and convenient travel, fast communication, quality water, and reliable power supply," said Fajardo.

For marketing and promotion, he said the focus would be on brand recognition of Cebu as a prime tourist destination based on quality and varied offerings of tourism products and local destinations.

He said there was also a need to widen the market and look beyond drawing tourists other than Koreans and Japanese.

Developing a “culture of tourism” means getting people to see the imporatance of tourism to the economy and overall qualty of life in Cebu.

He said this kind of education is needed at the community level and can be achieve by involving citiznes in tourism planning, investment programming, implementation and monitoring.

FACTORY TOURS

Some feedback from business leaders:

  • Mandaue City can develop factory tours because the city has the most number of factory outlets in Cebu, said Philip Tan, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
  • Using social meda to promote Cebu would speed up awareness, said Prduencia Gesta, president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
  • Concrete steps and plans are needed to develop the “culture of tourism” said Phineas Alburo, new chairman of the Cebu City Tourism Commission.
  • Collaboration is key.

"We urge others to sit down with the rest of us like hotels, airlines, restaurants, travel agencies. We can all work together to push for our tourism," saiid Samuel Chioson, former CCCI president.

In 2011, the total number of tourists to Cebu reached 1.9 million of which 833,441 were foreign visitors. The bulk of 1.08 million were domestic travelers.

Koreans were the largest group (376,524) followed by Japanese (157,413) and Americans (71,488), Chinese (24,873) and Australians (22,100).

In a recent interview, Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa director of sales and marketing Dominic Dorol said that the property, which is a Korean brand, will start promoting the resort to Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as Australia, an emerging market.

“As of now, Australians only see Phuket and Bali as a destination. We should start promoting our products so that we can see more Australians coming here,” said Dorol.

DOJ, agencies to conduct out-of-town services in Cebu6

By Amorganda A. Saludar (FCR/AAS-PIA7 Cebu with OPP-PR)

CEBU CITY, Sept 21 (PIA) -- The Department of Justice (DOJ) and other participating agencies is set to extend out-of-town services in the town of Consolacion, in northern Cebu as part of the department’s 115th anniversary on Wednesday, September 26.

Starting September 22, the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor (OPP) of Cebu will initiate an outreach program in SM Consolacion from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.to pave way for the residents in the mid-northern part of Cebu to be given legal services.

The activity will be in coordination with the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu Chapter, the Cebu Lady Lawyers Association (Cella), Southwestern University (SWU) Law School and the interns from the University of San Jose Recoletos (USJR) Political Science Department.

The Department of Health (DOH-7) also committed to extend support to the activity by strengthening its Anti-Rabies Law information campaign.

The municipality of Consolacion pledged to inform their constituents of the different services by the government and other private groups which they can avail of themselves for free.

Among the free services to be provided this weekend include notarial services for certificates of live birth and affidavits, OPP-Cebu clearance, NBI clearance, information campaign on Anti-Rabies Law, inquiries and information campaign on immigration laws, illegal cutting of coconut trees and other new penal laws.

Members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu, Cella and the Young Lawyers Association of Cebu (YLAC) will give services through legal clinic and free legal consultation.

The SWU and the USJR will also conduct legal information drive.

This activity and all the services offered is part of the OPP-Cebu’s “Access to Justice Project” geared toward giving appropriate legal services to the public including those in the rural areas.


6 Cebu students to compete in Robot Olympiad

By Aj De La Torre, Staff Member (MBG/The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - While other kids their age are playing online games and are stuck on social networking sites, elementary and high school students of the Dr. Caridad Labe Education Centrex Inc. in Lapu-Lapu City are busy building and programming robots.

In fact, six of their students will be flying to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November to represent the Philippines in the World Robot Olympiad 2012 under the Regular Category.

The students namely, Nicole Debra Ignacio, Persis Faith Pame and Isaiah James Cervantes, all grade six students, won first place in the 11th Philippine Robotics Olympiad (PRO) held at SM Cyberzone in SM North Edsa Annex last Sept. 5 to 7.

PRO is an annual competition among students from all over the country where they meet to create and program robots, and is geared towards developing students’ critical thinking and creativity.

More than 400 public and private elementary and high school students took part in the competition, which had three categories namely, Robot Soccer, Regular Category and Open Category.

In the regular category, the students were asked to program a robot with Artificial Intelligence in order to perform tasks on a table with various obstacles.

For the winning group of CCL Centrex, they built a robot organizer which is able to identify colors, drop a ball according to the color it corresponds and pick up different materials as well. The team was headed by their coaches, Donald Dungog and Jonathan Cartilla.

Pame, the team leader of the group, said in an interview with The FREEMAN that they built five different programs before they came up with the final one that was their entry in the competition.

“We are very overwhelmed to have won the competition. We feel nervous though for the upcoming world competition because we will be competing with different schools from all over the world,” said the 6th grader who is a first-time competitor.

For Ignacio, who has joined the competition three times, they like the training they get from their school and from joining competitions because they learn in a higher and different level and still have fun.

Cervantes, for his part, shared that he would rather build and program robots than spend his time on computer games, which most kids his age are doing.

The group competed against 64 schools all over the country for the elementary division.

Another group from CCL Centrex bagged the 4th place of the same category and will be flying to Kuala Lumpur as well.

The group members are Michael Wallace Manlosa, John Kairos Abalos and Xerxes Paul Ignacio.

Marie Ernestine School from Cebu also bagged second place while third place went to De La Salle Zobel School. These schools will also be competing in the World Championship.

The two teams from Cebu are members of the Mactan Robotics Club, an organization of students, teachers and robotics enthusiasts in Mactan, Cebu.

Rachel Labe, president of CCL Centrex said that they are encouraging more robotics aficionados to join the club, especially young ones who would like to learn more about programming robots and having fun doing so.

For CCL Centrex, Labe said that they focus the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program training to students from grade four to high school.

She said that through training and competitions like these, the students are able to broaden their knowledge and strengthen their capacity in programming skills as early as elementary.

Salute to the Cebu media

By Yoly Crisanto

(Remarks at the first Globe Cebu Media Excellence Awards at the Casino Español)

Globe Telecom has been celebrating press freedom with Cebu media because we believe in its crucial role in Philippine society. Even during the dark years before 1986, Cebu had been known to practice freedom in the face of danger. We salute your unwavering dedication to press freedom!

Last year, we introduced the media excellence awards as a fitting event to level up Cebu's celebration of press freedom. I would like to point out that excellence includes not only good coverage and writing, but also ethical conduct as journalists go about in the pursuit of their calling.

In the pursuit of excellence, the focus of public attention is on the people at the front lines – the gutsy reporters who hound the sources and ask the difficult questions. But media excellence is only possible if there is synergy between the reporter and the editor. The editor brings out the best in the reporter – both in the treatment of the story and the discipline of the person covering the story. Globe Telecom recognizes your excellent work.

Press freedom and media excellence make the whole media industry better in uplifting our society especially in a world without borders. Our event here today, a partnership between Globe Telecom and you, involves prestigious members of today's Philippine media read all over the globe.

In saying this, we also recognize the new media . The Internet, Facebook and Twitter has changed not only the face of Philippine media but also the way we work and our audience.

Our local audience is now Internet savvy. They are global and bombarded by millions of competing sources of information that include various media outlets here and abroad. What many refer to as "mainstream" media in Cebu is now competing with ordinary citizens and personalities who manage blogs here.

As a matter of fact, the business community and even government recognize the growing community of bloggers and their growing power in reaching out to the public. They are now part of what we can call "the merry media mix."

Today, both ordinary folks and policy makers read and are in turn, influenced, by blogs. This is the reason we included an award for the best in the Cebu blogging community.

Giving awards for media excellence was a great idea. But making it a reality through the months entailed hard work. All entries are excellent. But sifting through all 86 entries and deciding on the 14 awardees was not a tea party. We realized that we could not have done this without the painstaking work of Cebu media stakeholders like the academe and business community.

We commend the distinguished men and women who sifted through all the entries to identify the best media works fit to be extolled as excellent.

US firm taps local IT talents to develop apps

By Ehda M. Dagooc (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Realizing the rich supply of information technology talents in Cebu, American-Korean venture capitalist John Kim has formed a pool of Cebuano software developers and is encouraging them to make their own online innovation and carve a name in both local and foreign online market space.

Kim’s US-registered company Now Media Group has established its headquarter in Cebu, and is now operating its first project, the iTrabaho.com online job portal that attracts thousands of companies and job seekers around the country.

Aside from the online job portal, Kim’s group, with the help of young programmers mostly graduates from the University of the Philippines (UP Cebu), is developing several breakthrough innovations, including the newly introduced “Food Pick”, online and SMS applications designed for customers who may want an immediate guide for good restaurants in the Cebu city.

According to Kim, there is a huge opportunity for young and talented programmers in Cebu to “own” their inventions through a partnership with a venture capitalist like himself.

Food Pick, which is available in Android and iOS applications, and soon to partner with Yahoo, is the first SMS, internet, and smartphone phone application that offers complete guide and visual images of food offered by food establishments.

Even without intense physical promotional glitz, the portal has already attracted several establishment subscribers such as Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, Choi City, Gustavian, Willows, among others, while hitting the over 300 and more restaurants and food destinations in Cebu.

In the next few months, the group will introduce this cutting-edge technology in the Manila market, Kim said.

“Many restaurants here in Cebu don’t have online presence. It’s best to create a platform for them,” Kim said.

Aside from the location guide, Food Pick is an image driven restaurant guide which offers seamless experience for customers “who are hungry but do not know where and what to eat.”

The Food Pick platform is developed by a group of young Cebuano programmers led by Jeffrey Simon Lo.

According to Kim, Now Media Company is up to introduce more innovations using the SMS protocol, smartphone phone applications and online innovations, utilizing the Cebuano talents that ultimately bring them to be enterprenuers, rather than a mere employee.

Although, Kim said that a real “venture capital” concept is still a farfetch idea that could be achieved by Cebu in the short term, he said he is applying his success in Silicon Valley through a diversed Venture Capital strategy to fit the lifestyle and Filipino culture.

Kim said he is impressed by the capability of Cebuano talents in developing programs, and software, and even innovative web applications, and this should be given utmost attention, via providing a facility that would encourage the talents to pursue technology-entreprenuership.

Kim established the iTrabaho.com early last year as the first job listing platform which take advantage of SMS, and social networking.

Performing arts center in UP to be renamed Cultural Center of Cebu

By Carmel Loise Matus (Correspondent)

A PROPOSED ordinance seeks to rename the Cebu Performing Arts Center in the University of the Philippines Cebu campus into the Cultural Center of Cebu.

The ordinance authored by Provincial Boardmember Arleigh Sitoy already passed second reading. The measure outlines the administration of the center.

Sitoy’s proposed ordinance outlined a governing body to do such duties, through a board of trustees, which will then be chaired by the governor.

The board of trustees will appoint a director, who will be in charge of the over-all operations of the center, including the promulgation and execution of policies and programs, subject to the approval of the board of trustees.

According to the draft ordinance which passed second reading last Sept. 10, the board of trustees will include a board member, who heads the committee on arts and culture, as the vice chair.

The members will be composed of the chair of the committee on education of the Provincial Board (PB); one representative from the University of the Philippines (UP) Visayas College Campus; one distinguished Cebuano artist, endorsed by the Committee on Arts and Culture; one distinguished Cebuano historian, endorsed by at least two academic institutions; and four private sector representatives to be appointed by the governor, with a term co-terminus with that of the appointing authority; and the director of the Museo Sugbo, as ex-officio member.

In the accompanying resolution, Sitoy pointed out that “there is no existing legal mechanism- which would serve as the basis and guide for the Cebu provincial government to fund, operate, administer and manage directly and solely the above said culture and arts center.”

The proposed ordinance also stated that the provincial government will annually appropriate funds for the CCC for the first three years. In the succeeding years, the board of trustees is given the option to stop or continue allocating funds.

The CCC was officially inaugurated and launched last Nov. 25, 2011 after about 18 years of construction.

Sibonga receives financial assistance from governor

By Garry B. Lao (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - The Sibonga municipal government and the town’s League of Barangays recently received financial assistance from Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

Garcia personally handed the P1.364 million worth of financial assistance to Mayor Lionel Bacaltos and P300,000 to League of Barangays president Retchie Fiel.

Bacaltos and Fiel expressed their gratitude to Garcia.

According to Bacaltos, the P1.364 million will go to a reclamation project and for the enhancement of the senior citizen’s building.

Also, 23 other barangays of the town received financial assistance, which Governor Gwen Garcia distributed.

These include checks for socio-cultural programs and some infrastructure projects such as road repairs, road concreting, construction of day care centers, and purchase of vehicles for emergency purposes.

Meanwhile, even in this age of modern technology, barangay captain Lydia Briones chooses to use typewriters instead of high-tech computers.

Without hesitation, Briones’s request for a typewriter was granted by the office of Provincial Board Member Julian ‘Teban’ Daan, which gave her the money last September 13 at the Sibonga Multi-Purpose Hall.

“Dako kaayo mi og pasalamat kay gihatagan gyud dayon mi,” said Briones, who added that she is more comfortable in using typewriters than computers.

Third district Rep. Pablo John ‘PJ’ Garcia and One Cebu’s vice gubernatorial candidate Boboy Durano attended the event.

Also present were Sam-Sam Gullas and provincial board members Serie Restuaro and Teban Daan.

Cebu designers gaining niche from local and foreign markets

By Ehda M. Dagooc (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu’s edge in the creative sector has paved the way for a lucrative fashion design trade as Cebuano designers are now gaining client base from both domestic and foreign markets.

For this reason, popular fashion designer Wendell Quisido invested P7 million for the establishment of a three-story “Wendell Quisido Design Studio” that primarily specializes on bridal and party dresses, located at the Mabolo area.

“The market for designer clothes has increased significantly, most designers now in Cebu are not only making designs for the local customers, but also we constantly get orders [bulk] from other areas in the Philippines, including Manila, and other countries,” said Quisido who made his name in the fashion design industry in Cebu at an early age.

Quisido, who is also a vice president for the “Clothes for Life,” an organization of fashion designers in Cebu, said that this potential could be maximized if the fashion designing industry here will get strong support from the government.

While, Cebu has gained popularity in fashion design, which is now closely competing with the well-known designers from Manila, he said those that have good talents should be honed to strengthen the industry’s potential.

According to Quisido, as competition in the business is normal, standardization of the players should also be started, and the government is called to initiate on this bid.

“The market is expanding, there is room of opportunities for everybody. Competition is tough, but good designers have made their not only because they have good capital for promotion, but they are able to prove their [world-class] craft,” he said.

Aside from making elegant designs for gowns, bridal and party dresses, Quisido has also ventured into rentals, wherein clients reach as far as the provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao, and also in Luzon.

Quisido said that the market has changed now. Unlike in the past, when their clients are composed largely of the affluent market , today, customers from across the social segments are part of the fashion designers’ market.

“The market has changed now. Everyone wants to have their dresses for special occasion be tailor made and skillfully designed,” he said adding that fashion designers who have made their names in the market has benefited from this, and this development could also offer opportunities for the talented and start-up fashion designers in Cebu.

Campaign to reduce power usage and power rates underway in Cebu

(PNA), GHG/EB/BH

CEBU CITY, Sept. 14 (PNA) -- The Departments of Energy (DOE), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Unido) are campaigning for industrial energy efficiency (IEE)to reduce power consumption and power rates in the country.

DOE Visayas Director Antonio Labios said the campaign will raise public awareness on the importance of reducing power consumption.

Richard T. Saing, IEE national project coordinator, said the project would also enhance energy efficiency and reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions with the introduction of the energy management standards (ISO 50001) system optimization and the expansion of financing opportunities for energy efficiency investments.

”We are targeting energy (power) savings of 2.057 million megawatts and total estimated green house gas reductions of 1.5 million tons of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) in 10 years,” Saing said.

"If consumers can reduce power demand by using only the needed electricity, the power producers will be forced to compete and “we can control the power rates,” he explained.

"Improving energy efficiency in industry is one of the most cost-effective measures to help developing and emerging countries meet their increasing energy demands," Saing explained.

"And it will loosen the link between economic growth and environmental degradation such as climate change,"he stressed.

Saing added that Unido pursues projects that are aimed to deliver comprehensive capacity building at the institutional level, in the market and within enterprises on energy management and energy system optimization.

Unido also provides technical assistance to strengthen existing institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks through the development of policy programs, legislation and instruments that promote and support permanent integration of energy management, and efficiency practices in industry corporate culture.

DOT Secretary says fewer fees, checklists better for tourism

By Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - The Mines and Geosciences Bureau-7 has declared the slopes within the five-kilometer ongoing widening road project that extends from barangay Camp 4 hall up to barangay Camp 6, Talisay City, Cebu as a “critical zone.”

A team of senior geologists, composed of Maria Elena S. Lupo and Josephine T. Aleta, who conducted a field investigation last September 11, found out the slope which is 60 degrees to almost vertical, is highly fractured with noted seepages.

Lupo said the area is highly susceptible to landslides and rock falls due to the highly fractured plus jointed and highly weathered characteristics of the rocks which is further aggravated by an ongoing slope cutting by a road expansion project.

MGB 7 recommended the immediate evacuation of houses alongside the road network; conduct regular clearing and monitoring of landslides-affected slopes; observe proper easement from weak slopes; and develop an early warning system.

“Unless and until the appropriate slope protection measures are implemented such as riprap or retaining walls which will render the slope stable, all families should go to safer grounds,” said Lupo in a statement.

She said continuous rains would make slopes weaken and saturate thus landslides or rock falls may occur anytime.

The geo-hazards threat advisories indicating the significant findings and recommendations were received by barangays Camp 4 and Manipis last March 6, 2012.

It may be recalled that based on the results of the 1:10,000-scale geo-hazards assessment conducted early this year, 77 percent of the 22 barangays in Talisay City are high risks to either landslides or flooding.

Cambang, Proper Camp 4, Bogo in barangay Camp 4, Camp 5, Camp 7, and Proper Manipis in barangay Manipis are highly susceptible to landslides.

More foreigners to study in Cebu: consul

By Bernadette A. Parco

AFFORDABLE tuition, competent mentors and institutions that follow high standards are among the reasons foreign students choose to enroll in Cebu schools.

Foreign students from the University of San Carlos – Talamban Campus (USC-TC) said they find Cebuanos, especially their teachers and classmates, friendly.

But they said they will have to be more vigilant now following the mauling by police of Bennidict Penini, a student from Papua New Guinea, last Monday.

Lawyer Augusto Go, University of Cebu (UC) president, said he is negotiating with the Nigerian Government to send students to Cebu to take up naval architecture and marine engineering courses in Cebu.

“They are bullish on coming to Cebu because it is more affordable here,” he told Sun.Star Cebu in a phone interview.

Go said he met three weeks ago the father of the student from Papua New Guinea who was involved in a scuffle with policemen.

He said they discussed the situation in their country and that more students will enroll in Cebu.

“(The incident involving Penini) is a very isolated incident. It is the first time I heard about (something like that),” said Go. He said behaving properly is expected of all students, whether foreigner or Filipino.

He said UC has foreign students, ten of whom are Bangladeshi and some are Koreans.

In the USC-TC College of Architecture and Fine Arts (Cafa), Kenyans Elias Ductas Owiti Njiri and Clyde Wende, and Korean Jin Su Ha have no complaints about living and studying in Cebu.

They said they have friendly classmates and professors.

“My stay is very safe. I feel at home in school,” Njiri told Sun.Star Cebu.

But he said he also had to deal with some neighbors who would offer him drinks.

Although he does not drink alcohol, he sometimes obliges to avoid misunderstandings.

The 22-year-old and the youngest of six siblings plays football for the school’s team.

Another architecture student, 22-year-old Jin Su Ha, has been staying in Cebu for eight years. He studied in Bethany Christian School before enrolling at the USC-TC.

The fifth year student says he is comfortable with his Cebuano friends and professors in a university that has a “friendly and very open environment.”

The three students raised their concern about security after learning about the alleged mauling incident.

“I think it was a bit hostile. There was police brutality. Something like that might happen to you as well. It just means I have to be more vigilant. I know not everybody is bad and bad things happen everywhere. But we have to be vigilant,” said Wende.

Njiri said, “we should feel secure.”

UC has a program on “supervised fun” for their students, said Go.

“I don’t know with other schools, but our local students who are interred study and have supervised fun and are involved in swimming, basketball,” he said.

With the Nigerians, he said the students will have an orientation and will be given a handbook.

‘Cebu’s IT talents can be technopreneurs’ Pinoy founder of MorphLabs to mentor others

By Aileen Garcia-Yap (Cebu Daily News)

Cebuano software developers are ready to become ‘technopreneurs’ and build their own companies to seize opportunities offered in the information technology industry.

Winston Damarillo,a globally known example of this kind of self-made growth who struck out on his own and founded MorphLabs and Exist Software Labs, said his role was to show others how.

Damarillo was in Cebu last week to promote the Hack2Hatch mentorship event coming up on October 5 to 7 at the Radisson Blu Hotel.

The event is his and other organizers’ way to encourage software developers to start looking at prospects for a startup business.

Damarillo made millions at the age of 30 when he sold his start-up company Gluecode Software to IBM at Silicon Valley.

“Cebu has a great potential to follow the success of Silicon Valley. What needs to be done is to encourage our developers to grow from being just an employee to become their own company,” said Damarillo.

The increase in the number of global companies here in Cebu offering software solutions to clients around the world is proof that Cebu has the capability.

“The talent is here, but the problem is how to convert them to become entrepreneurs growing their own companies,” said Damarillo.

Damarillo said it has become their advocacy to inspire and help local developers achieve what he has done.

“Through the Hack2Hatch event we hope to do that. We are inviting developers and even students who have ideas for business. They will receive one-on-one mentorship from me and other technopreneurs like me,” he said.

They are also willing to provide seed money to at least three participants with a good business proposal and help them turn these ideas into real products.

“We can provide seed capital of P100,000 for them to start it up and we will be guiding them every step of the way,” said Damarillo.

Damarillo said they are focusing on business ideas in digital gaming, software solutions, outsourcing services, medical services and content.

A lot of software applications have yet to be developed here and Damarillo aid he believed Filipino developers were brilliant and creative enough to compete with other software development hubs in the world like India.

“While we are thankful for companies like HP, Lexmark, Intel and IBM who are here and providing many employment opportunities for our people, I think it is also time for our developers to start building their own HP, Lexmark, Intel and IBM. In that way, we can help our economy more,” said Damarillo.

He recalled his days as an employee of a multinational technology company earning a monthly pay check.

But when he decided to start his own business, he found that he was able to earn more as well as help create jobs contribute to the economy.

“I invested US$5 million to US$15 million to start MorphLabs, which is money I also got from my first company which I sold to IBM. The company now reaps a return of investments at US$100 million to US$400 million,” he said.

Ayala, Aboitiz team up for P10B Mactan airport project

By Doris C. Dumlao (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

The Ayala and Aboitiz groups—two of the country’s biggest and oldest conglomerates both led by Hispanic families—have teamed up to bid for a P10-billion project to redevelop the Mactan International Airport in Cebu.

Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. signed a memorandum of agreement on Friday to create a 50-50 joint venture that would serve as their vehicle to build a new terminal for the country’s second-largest international gateway under the public-private partnership (PPP) framework.

Based on a PPP Center briefing paper, the Mactan project will involve the construction of a world-class passenger terminal building with a capacity of eight million passengers a year as well as the operation and maintenance of the old and new facilities.

Ayala president and chief operating officer Fernando Zobel de Ayala said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Friday that the Ayala group was excited about this partnership. “We cannot think of a better partner for this project than the Aboitiz group, [which] has not only built a long history and heritage in Cebu but also has a successful track record in undertaking significant size projects in multiple industries,” Zobel said.

“Both groups strongly believe in the potential of the Mactan Airport to be a compelling gateway to the country for international passengers and to the Visayas for the growing domestic travelers. We share the vision of creating an airport that provides passengers an efficient and pleasant travel experience,” he added.

AEV president and chief executive Erramon Aboitiz said his group was equally excited about the partnership with Ayala, noting it would give AEV the opportunity to enter into a strategic new segment crucial to developing both the country’s transportation infrastructure and tourism potential.

“It also allows us to harness the Aboitiz group’s competencies in construction, logistics, utilities and real estate development and management. In our over a century of doing business, AEV has always been keen to play a key role in nation building and, consequently, we are therefore keen today to support the government’s thrust to develop the nation’s infrastructure gaps,” Aboitiz said.

“Combined with the Ayala group’s strengths and competencies that have also been honed over more than 100 years of doing business, we are very optimistic about the success potential of this project. Moreover, the fact that the project is in Cebu, which is home to the Aboitiz group, gives it more special meaning to us,” Aboitiz said.

Zobel said both groups were looking forward to leveraging each other’s strengths “in developing and running a modern airport facility that Cebu and [the] country can be proud of.”

Lapu-Lapu uses trash for garden and hollow blocks

By Jucell Marie P. Cuyos (Correspondent)

Every week, 43-year-old Boyet Ellena and his co-workers harvest vegetables and fruits from a garden in barangay Bangkal, Lapu-Lapu city, part of a 2.5 hectare materials recovery facility (MRF).

Ellena, a resident of barangay Mactan, used to work in the city’s dumpsite before he became a gardener in a nursery that measures 5,000 square meters and grows eggplants, squash, chili, tomatoes, papaya, watermelon, ginger, Chinese kangkong and okra.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza said the fresh produce would be given for free to different barangays to motivate them to clean their surroundings “para makita nila ba ang mga produkto sa mga organic fertilizer ug ila matilawan (so they can see and taste the product of using organic

fertilizer).”

Biodegradable trash is mixed and turned into compost that looks like blackish soil.

Lapu-Lapu city is one of the few local governments in Cebu with a fully functioning MRF.

Ninety workers operate three large mechanical conveyor belt units.

Jennifer Alaan, assistant MRF head, said they sort out garbage to set aside biodegradable waste - food scraps, paper, tree branches, plants, etc. to be decomposed into compost.

Non-biodegradable waste like plastic are shredded to be added in the mixture to make hollow blocks or concrete footpaths or plant boxes.

Recyclables like plastic bottles and tin cans will be sold.

Garbage trucks are weighed before and after they arrive at the MRF to determine the load they bring to the facility.

Alaan said the facility receives an average 60 tons of garbage a day.

Barangays bring their trash there from 5 p.m. to dawn.

Trash collected by the city government is dumped there at daytime.

Alaan said that the MRF had been operating 24 hours daily since it opened last Feb. 1, 2009.

The MRF has 273 employees which includes city garbage collectors, city task force members and truck drivers.

In the MRF’s garden, Ellena said they use a mixture of compost and a commercial fertilizer in the soil to produce healthier plants.

The vegetables and fruits, he said, were of better quality than those sold commercially but said the compost is for government use only – in Lapu-Lapu’s beautification and building projects.

For a barangay to get compost, local officials only need a permit from the mayor's office.

She said the hollow block making machine at the MRF could produce 50 hollow blocks .

The ingredients are a bag of cement mixed with sand and shredded plastic.

Residual waste – left-over materials that can’t be recycled or composted – are brought to the closed dumpsite in barangay Mactan for transport to a private facility in Naga City that would process them, said Marvin Francisco, Lapu-Lapu City MRF head.

Francisco said the FDRCON Resource Recovery Management Division in Naga would pick up the remaining residual waste in the dumpsite.

Four trucks a day are sent to remove all residual waste.

Alaan said the Lapu-Lapu City government strictly implements its no-segregation-no-collection policy and that Oponganons know this.

“It's their problem if they get caught because it's the law of the city and the city has a letter from the DENR to implement it,” said Alaan.

MRF personnel also help by organizing clean-up drives in barangays.

Maria Mariza Maglangit, Abuno Elementary School principal, said the school placed bins for segregated trash in their 24 classrooms.

She said teaching students to clean their surroundings and segregate trash was part of the school subject of Good Morals and Right Conduct.

Last March, the school received a citation ticket because it lacked a garbage holding area, an offense that carries a P3,000 fine.

Fortunately the school was allowed to skip the fine and was given a chance to comply with the city ordinance requirement.

Today it has a garbage holding area in a 10 square meter space fenced with galvanized iron sheets.

Marker for Bacaltos unveiled in Talisay

By Garry B. Lao (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - A new historic marker in Talisay City, which stands at the corner of the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR), was put up to honor former Constitutional Convention delegate and congressman Antonio Bacaltos Sr. was unveiled yesterday.

The unveiling of marker was also the first time for both Cebu first district Rep. Eduardo “Eddiegul” Gullas and former mayor Delhia Tiu, daughter of former congressman Bacaltos, to face each other in public.

City officials headed by Mayor Socrates Fernandez, Vice Mayor Alan Bucao, and members of the city council attended the unveiling.

Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas, who is eyed to replace Eddiegul, was noticed beaming to see his grandfather and Tiu being together in public after several years of no communication because of politics.

Rep. Gullas and former Talisay mayor Delia Tiu who were previously friends before going their separate ways in 1992, have become allies again and both have announced their plans for Talisay in 2013.

Gullas became a political foe when Tiu’s father, former congressman Antonio Bacaltos Sr., who was a member of the 8th Congress (1987-1992), lost in the 1992 election against the incumbent congressman.

“This is the start of something new. Papa Eddie is trying to unite everyone, not only in Talisay City but also in the entire first district of Cebu,” Samsam told The Freeman.

Samsam said Eddiegul is reaching out even to his political opponents and for the growth and development of the city and the first district.

Last month, the Talisay City council approved the proposed ordinance authored by Councilor Eduardo Gullas III which acknowledges Bacaltos as someone “who left a legacy of noble public service” and “ought to be remembered and honored.”

The main 1,700-meter street of barangays Lawaan 1 and II, Mohon, and Pooc will now be called “Congressman Antonio Bacaltos Sr. Street.”

Cebu guv to agencies: Monitor whale sharks

(FMG of Sun.Star Cebu)

CEBU CITY -- Governor Gwendolyn Garcia directed three agencies and the local government of Oslob to monitor within three months whether the feeding of whale sharks affects their behavior.

The governor gave the directive during a meeting with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bureau of Fisheries, Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Tourism, Oslob Mayor Ronald Guaren and several fishermen on Thursday at the Provincial Capitol.

The meeting was held to take action on the letter sent by DENR-Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau Director Theresa Mundita Lim to the DENR Central Visayas to stop whale shark feeding since this goes against the protocol of whale shark watching.

“Why do more whale sharks appear in Tan-awan?” said Garcia, who instructed BFAR to monitor the waters and find out the reason behind this, so they can come up with a procedure on how to deal with the marine creatures.

The governor, though, believes there are many whale sharks in the area because of their basic survival instinct, as they feel protected in Barangay Tan-awan.

“First of all, I believe it’s the survival instinct of the whale sharks. They feel that they are now in a safe and secure environment. Second, ang ilang pagkaon naa gyud diha (the whale sharks’ food is there),” Garcia said.

No empirical data

Garcia said even Dr. Al Orolfo, Protected Area, Wildlife Conservation Zone and Management Services (PAWCZMS) Central Visayas technical director, also believes that the feeding of whale sharks should not be stopped immediately since there is no empirical data that would prove that the behavioral pattern of the whale sharks has changed.

Mayor Guaren said he does not subscribe to the thought that the whale sharks behavior was altered.

He said the whale sharks have been there for more than 30 years, and fishermen in the area see them all the time.

“From two whale sharks a day, nidaghan gani sila. Kana nagpasabot, sa atong mga whale sharks komportable sa maong area, unya daghang pagkaon kay naproteksyonan man ilang safety (Their numbers have increased. That means the whale sharks are comfortable and safe in the area, and there is the abundance of food),” Guaren said.

Limbet Susada, Tan-awan Oslob Sea Wardens and Fishermen’s Association president, welcomes the study in their barangay.

Driven away

Susada said fishermen before drove away the whale sharks, which would appear on the surface while they’re fishing.

But after seeing the livelihood potential of having whale sharks around, they no longer drove them away.

They also follow the ordinance imposed by the Municipality of Oslob in protecting the marine animals, he said.

The area began attracting more tourists when the fishermen started feeding the whale sharks to lure them to the surface.

Garcia said it creates a very positive economic impact in the community.

“But the point I’m making here is that when people see the protection of the environment as their livelihood, they will protect the whale sharks with their lives,” the governor said.

Johann Tejada, fisheries specialist of BFAR, said they will verify reports earlier circulated in the media and monitor the animals first before they can give any statements.

Cebu Buildings Inspected After Quake

By MARS W. MOSQUEDA JR.

CEBU – The Cebu provincial government is conducting thorough inspection of province-owned buildings following the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that rocked Cebu and the Visayas last Friday.

The Provincial Engineer's Office is thoroughly checking government buildings to determine if there were damages incurred as a result of the latest earthquake.

Provincial Planning and Development Officer Engr. Adolfo Quiroga, who also sits as chief of the Provincial Engineer's Office, said Capitol personnel are inspecting buildings for signs of cracks and other damages.

First checked was the Museo Sugbo, which used to be the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center after Quiroga received reports that there were cracks on some parts of the edifice.

Also checked was the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City, the Cebu Cultural Center in Lahug, and the Legislative Building.

Quiroga clarified that he has not received any reports of major damages in province-owned buildings in Cebu so far.

DENR-7 joins the 112th Anniversary celebration of Civil Service

By Hazel F. Gloria(HFG/PIA-7/DENR-7)

CEBU CITY, Sept. 5 (PIA) -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 has lined up a series of activities and programs for the whole month of September in line with the celebration of 112th Anniversary of the Philippine Civil Service,

With the theme “Kawani, Ikaw ay Isang Lingkod Bayan!”, the month-long celebration will highlight the value of civil servants commitment to public service as servant heroes of the people.

The activity kicked off last September 3 with a Holy Mass and an opening program of the Civil Service Month at Park Mall, Mandaue City.

Highlights include the National Crime Prevention Week, Association of Regional Executives in National Agencies (ARENA) Sportsfest, and Service Fair of government services.

The DENR 7 will take part in the service fair of government agencies to offer front line services like information, education and communication (IEC) on the issuance of free patents to residential lands, public land titling, and distribute free seedlings to interested participants.

DENR-7 regional executive director Dr. Isabelo Montejo urged the public to take part in the activity to promote, showcase and celebrate the value of public service in the country.

“We must inform the public on the processes and procedures involved in public land titling so that they would know the required fees and at the same time transact only to qualified DENR personnel and not to someone else,” he said.

Montejo explained the necessity of providing accurate and timely information to the public so as to deter other people to exploit their ignorance and we want to help and assist our clients on their concern.

Aside from the Service Fair, the event will also highlight the 18th National Crime Prevention Week on September 1-7, 2012 with the theme, “Sa Crime Prevention, May Magagawa Ako” and the annual Sportsfest of ARENA-7.

Cebuanos slowly embracing stock market investing - PSE

By Ehda M. Dagooc (The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - While about 70 percent of the local investors that currently participate in the stock market are from Luzon, the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) is hoping to increase its penetration in the regional market, starting off with the establishment of a satellite office in Cebu.

In an interview with PSE division head for capital market development division Leo Quinito, he said that since the opening of the PSE Cebu office late last year, more and more Cebuanos are now starting to appreciate in investing in the capital market.

PSE is also looking at establishing similar satellite offices in Mindanao in the next couple of months.

Since, the establishment of the PSE Satellite Office at the Insular Building on Cebu Business Park late last year, Quinito said it has attracted 250 new accounts.

Of the 505 thousand investors in the stock exchange, only about 2,500 accounts are coming from the Cebuano investors.

He hopes that in the next few months, more Cebuanos from across market segment, including the young generation, will see the benefits in putting their investments in the capital market.

Due to the good capital market environment in the Philippines, volumes of investors playing in the stock market in the Philippines grew by 32 percent, although he said PSE has yet to achieve its targeted level which is to convince the six million potential Filipinos who are earning above P30 thousand a month.

Of the 99 million Filipinos, only six million earn at least P30,000 a month. This group is one of the targets of the PSE to participate in the equity market, in order to build their wealth.

Currently, there are a total of 505 thousand investors in the stock market, about 95 percent of which are Filipinos, while five percent are foreign investors.

According to Quinito, the country’s good economic standing, should not be downplayed by Filipinos, as this development is grounded by the low interest rate regime, record inflation, improving governance, good performance of listed companies, and the influx of foreign investors to the country.

PSE is reiterating its call to all investors, across the market segments, that investing in the stock market is not only for the affluent and those who have money, but the more that the ordinary earners should take advantage of this high yielding investment instrument.

He said there is a need for Cebuanos to be further educated on the opportunities of investing into stocks. While the affluent market has already taken advantage of this wealth-building opportunity, Quinito said PSE is now looking at the mainstream market to get attracted into putting their hard-earned money in the equity market.

“Cebuanos are very conservative. They want to see something that is tangible. They [Cebuanos] still fearful in taking risks,” Quinito said. However, he added that with the agressive stance of PSE to promote equity market as a safe and high yielding investment channel, he expressed confidence that equity investments in Cebu will grow in a remarkable performance in the next few months.

The Philippine stock market is regarded as number three in the world, and top performer in Asia. This is because of its healthy growth path over the years, despite the threat of economic global economic fragility.

In 2011, average daily value turn-over at the exchange reached to an average of P4 billion a day. This year, average valued reached to P8 billion per day, and it could reach even as high as P16 billion. (FREEMAN)

Calungsod Canonization Drawing 3,000 Filipinos

By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO (With a report from Nel B. Andrade)

Around 3,000 people have requested for visa endorsements from Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma to be able to witness the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod in Vatican next month.

Palma, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said he kept signing requests for endorsements that the Italian Embassy already wrote him a letter on the matter.

“In fact, I must have signed 3,000 applicants for visa that the Italian Embassy wrote me about it. They said: Archbishop, you are signing too many endorsements. I said to them it’s my duty to sign, it’s your duty to screen,” he said during the closing of the National Convention of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) in Pasay City, Friday.

Palma said he was no longer surprised why many are interested in joining the canonization rites in Rome, saying a candidate for sainthood usually draws a lot of people claiming to be their relatives.

“Over in Cebu we usually say sainthood is relative. If you become a saint you discover that you have many relatives,” he said.

Archbishop Palma cited an 85-year-old man as an example.

“An old man who is 85 said I have to go to Rome, but his children said he is too weak.

He said no, he is my relative I should go. His children were forced to accompany him,” said the Cebu prelate.

Historical records never mentioned the exact place of origin of Calungsod, who was merely identified as “Bisaya.” But historical research identifies Ginatilan in Cebu; Hinunangan and Hinundayan in Southern Leyte; Molo district in Iloilo; and Loboc in Bohol as probable places of origin.

But even if one is not able to go to Vatican, Palma urged the faithful to just join the national celebration in Cebu in November.

“If you could come please be with us in Rome, but if because of your very important work you could not be in Rome, please be with us in Cebu on November 30, for the Thanksgiving Mass,” he said.

“That day as a nation we will thank the Lord for this new saint,” added Palma.

Born in Visayas in 1654, Calungsod, a Filipino Catholic martyr, was doing missionary work in Guam in 1672 when he was killed at age 17.

The Cebuano missionary will be proclaimed a saint on October 21, 2012 in Vatican.

His canonization will take place more than a decade after he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

In Rizal province, the Diocese of Antipolo has lined up activities for the upcoming canonization of the country’s second saint, Blessed Pedro Calungsod.

Antipolo Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes said that some of the diocese clergy and the lay people may attend activities for next month’s canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod.

Bishop Reyes, who is himself a Visayan as he hails from Kalibo, Aklan, said individuals or small groups may go to Vatican City for the canonization rites or may go to Cebu to join in the local celebration for the canonization of their fellow Visayan Pedro Calungsod.

Between Carcar city and Aloguinsan Oil exploration in south to start

By Gregg M. Rubio (JPM, The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines - The Australia-based oil and gas company, Gas2Grid (G2G) Ltd., is set to start its drilling operation within in this month at the covered area of 75,000 hectares between Aloguinsan and Carcar City in southern Cebu.

Energy Undersecretary Jose Layug Jr. and G2G Ltd. Chairman David Munns led yesterday the blessing and public presentation of Oil Drilling Rig-2 assembled in its maintenance yard located in Panadtaran, San Fernando, Cebu.

Rig-2 will then be disassembled and moved to the Jacob-1 location in Carcar City side to commence the drilling operations by the end of the second week of this month.

The company owned Rig-2 is a Gardner Denver 500, 800 horsepower (HP) machine with capacity to drill down to 2,750 meters with 114-millimeter drill pipe or 3,660 meters with 89-mm drill pipe.

Rig-1 which is a Brewster N2 workover rig is currently on the Malolos-1 location in Aloguinsan side undergoing an upgrade before conducting the workover and testing program.

The company employs around 30 local rig crew to assist Filipino and foreign drilling engineers who have experience in Libya.

The Department of Energy awarded Service Contract No. 44 on January 28, 2004 to G2G Ltd.

It has completed various exploration activities, including seismic data acquisition, processing and interpretation that led to the identification and maturation of drillable prospects.

The three wells that will test these drilling prospects are Jacob-1, Gumamela-1 in Carcar City and Ilang-1 in Aloguinsan to depths of 1,000 to 1,300 meters.

The company said the three prospects vary in size and hold resource potential of millions of barrels.

The Jacob-1 site is said to have a potential of 4 million to 50 million barrels recoverable oil.

“We are hoping that with this 50 million (entire resource potential) we can meet some of the demand on the daily basis,” Layug said.

Layug said that daily oil consumption in the country is 300,000 barrels per day with only 6,000 barrels of oils produced daily and the rest are imported.

Layug congratulated G2G for having the first well to be drilled this year using the skills of the Filipinos.

More contracts for oil and gas exploration to be signed this year, said Layug.

He emphasized that the government has not spent any amount for this exploration and the investors themselves gambled their millions of dollars not knowing for sure whether they can get oil and gas.

Munns expressed confidence that they will yield positive results after various exploration activities were completed.

Once successful, the government will get 60 percent while 40 percent of the total revenues will go to the company. Aloguinsan Mayor Augustus Caesar Moreno said that a lot of attempts to drill in their place since 1960s have failed.

“Maybe this is the time Aloguinsan will be fortunate,” Moreno said. Since the exploration has started, Moreno said that it already has created economic activities among the locals in the area.

G2G Ltd is engaged in the activity of exploration of oil and gas in the Philippines. The company focuses its operations in oil and gas discovery in Cebu.

Cebu farmer-scientist Davide wins Magsaysay award

By Carmel Loise Matus (Correspondent) with Inquirer

To make the Philippines prosper, the farmers must be made rich.

This conviction of Dr. Romulo Davide, Cebuano agriculturist and the Philippine's 2012 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, may get fresh support after he received the international award last night in Pasay City.

President Benigno Aquino III handed out the award, the Asian equivalent to the Nobel peace prize, to Davide and five other achievers from Indonesia, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, and Cambodia.

“If the farmers are rich, the town becomes rich, [and] the Philippines becomes rich,” Davide said during a lecture last Thursday.

He explained the Farmer-Scientist Training Program which he pioneered in his hometown of Argao, south Cebu in 1994.

By learning from scientists about high-yielding crops and modern agriculture techniques, local farmers suffering in poverty were able to make at least P125,000 a year compared to almost zero before the program, he said in a lecture paper.

The neglected role of agriculture development is something for which Davide's award may be able to generate new momentum.

In 2008, Executive Order 710 was issued by former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2008 adopting the FSTP program nationwide, but it was still lacking in implementation, he said.

Davide said the program needs to be accelerated and expanded with the help of government agencies as well as local governments.

“[The farmers] have no right to be poor. And we have no right to keep them poor. [But] that’s what’s happening,” Davide said.

For six years he served a as a P1-a-year consultant of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to lead the program in the province. This changed after the 2010 election, when his nephew Hilario “Junjun” Davide III, ran for governor against Garcia and the program was suddenly replaced by another one.

About 15 Davide family members attended last night's Magsaysay awards, inlcuding his younger brother, former chief justice Hilario Davide Jr. with wife Virginia, elder sister Paz, and nephew Junjun.

Junjun Davide, Liberal Party chairman for Cebu province and a gubernatorial candidate, told Cebu Daily News that if he's elected to the Capitol in 2013, “I will retap my uncle and continue his FSTP which will be expanded and given adequate support by the provincial government. Agriculture is the backbone of the economy. “

He was asked how important farming was in a Cebu economy driven by services, Business Process Outsourcing, tourism and the remittances of Overseas Foreign Workers.

“Without it (agriculture), who's going to feed the people involved in these industries?” he said.

Davide, 78, is well known in the academe and science circles as the “Father of Plant Nematology” for his groundbreaking research on nematode pests that infest and destroy agricultural crops.

He aquired his BS Agriculture degree from the University of Los Banos (1957), masters degree from the Oklahoma State University (1962), and his PhD from the North Carolina State University (1966).

In the Farmer-Scientist Training Program (FSTP), a scientist would partner with farmers to teach them science-based agricultural skills to help increase their crop production.

In communities where Davide experimented this partnership, farmers increased production by more than 100 percent. They used to produce half a ton of corn per hectare but now are able to produce four to six tons per hectare, he said in the Thursday lecture.

Farmers also learned about organic fertilizers such as chicken manure and vermi-compost, which are more eco-friendly, effective and cheaper than chemcial-based fertilizers which allowed them to save more than 50 percent in production costs.

Farmers were also taught to become volunteer technicians so they can teach other farmers. They also established cooperatives and associations, with some farmers going on to become local government leaders who actively worked for community development.

Because of the increased capabilities, production, and income of the farmers in Argao, the municipality rose from being a 5th class municipality to a 1st class municipality in 2006.

Davide has since expanded the FSTP program to 37 towns in Cebu and trained more than 30,000 farmers nationwide.

He said in his lecture paper that the program “successfully demonstrated that poor farmers can be technically empowered through direct contact with agricultural scientists/experts to improve their living conditions beyond the poverty level.”

“It has shown that farmer-scientists can also freely share their expertise to untrained fellow farmers as volunteer technicians in their respective barangays,” Davide said.

“Moreover, FSTP-trained farmers also have developed the sense of leadership in their community development projects or became barangay officials themselves.”

According to the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, Davide was cited for “his steadfast passion in placing the power and discipline of science in the hands of Filipino farmers, who have consequently multiplied their yields, created productive farming communities, and rediscovered the dignity of their labor.”

Davide received prestigious awards in the past, including the Gregorio Y. Zara Award for Applied Science by the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science, Inc. (1986), Jose Rizal Pro Patria Gold Medal Award by the Philippine government (1994), and the Outstanding Agricultural Scientist by the Department of Agriculture (1994).

For 2012, six individuals received the Magsaysay award for their contributions in various fields.

Other 2012 awardees are Chen Shu-Chu from Taiwan, Kulandei Francis from India, Syeda Rizwana Hasan from Bangladesh, Yang Saing Koma from Cambodia, and Ambrosius Ruwindrijarto from Indonesia.

They each received a certificate, Magsaysay medallion, and $50,000 cash prize.

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