Garcia: Cebu Province in ‘good’ shape amid COVID-19 rise
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia is not a bit worried that only 10 of the 50 towns and cities in the province can be considered as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) free. The governor said that the Capitol will not be distracted with saturated information on COVID-19 as they are more focused on […] The post Garcia: Cebu Province in ‘good’ shape amid COVID-19 rise appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Teen centers in Cebu City pushed amid rising teen pregnancy cases
CEBU CITY, Philippines — In response to the alarming rise in teenage pregnancy cases across Cebu, a local legislator penned a resolution urging the establishment of local adolescents and teen centers in Cebu. City Councilor Rey Gealon stipulated in the resolution the importance of providing essential support and education to empower young individuals in making.....»»
Cebu topnotcher shares secret to success: Strong support system of family, friends
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A good support system of family and friends is Elijah Cabase’s secret to his placing 5th in the March 2024 Medical Technologists Licensure Examinations (MTLE). This 23-year-old University of Cebu-Banilad alumnus said that he was not even expecting to pass because he described himself as a confessed procrastinator — or one.....»»
Capitol mulls putting ‘integrated south bus’ terminal in Talisay instead of at SRP
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Instead of at the South Road Properties (SRP), the new location of a new south bus terminal in Cebu might be in Talisay City. Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia on Wednesday, Mar. 27, said that they had received an unsolicited proposal of developing a brand new, south bus terminal. READ: Mayor Rama.....»»
Holy Week 2024: A peek into 7 Metro Cebu churches for Visita Iglesia
The Lenten Season is also about reflection and prayer about the passion of Christ. There are days to fast and during the Holy Week on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, the Catholic faithful usually practice the Visita Iglesia or the tradition to visit 7 or 14 churches, where they pray and reflect and do.....»»
Tough love: La Salle captain Coronel takes De Jesus criticism in stride amid steady rise
Often the target of helpful criticism by legendary La Salle coach Ramil de Jesus, Lady Spikers captain setter Julia Coronel bravely absorbs his lessons as she leads their title defense.....»»
Visita Iglesia 2024: Archdiocesan Shrine of San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The tradition of visiting seven to 14 churches during Holy Week is known as the Visita Iglesia. It is one of the religious and cultural practices among Catholics in the Philippines, where every Maundy Thursday to Good Friday, they participate in a pilgrimage to seven churches to dedicate time to prayer.....»»
Cebu Pacific receives fuel-efficient A321 aircraft
Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific continues to ramp up its commitment to advance sustainability and strengthen its operational resiliency amid the rising demand in air travel as it received another Airbus A321neo last Thursday......»»
5-day forecast: Fair weather expected in Cebu
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The weather in Metro Cebu and the rest of the province is forecast to be generally fair and pleasant over the next five days, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said. The Pagasa Visayas Regional Services Division has forecast that the Visayas, including the whole of Cebu, will.....»»
Balamban site is for road project, not Capitol bldg – Gwen
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The cleared site in Barangay Cambuhawe, Balamban, in western Cebu, is not for the new Capitol building, but for nationally funded road projects. Cebu Provincial Governor Gwen Garcia made this clarification after photos of a deforested mountain in Balamban, initially thought to be the site development of the new Capitol building,.....»»
Rama asks Malacañang to suspend Gwen over CBRT dispute
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Preventive Suspension. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is seeking the suspension of Governor Gwen Garcia over issues related to the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT). Rama filed an administrative complaint before the Office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against Garcia after the governor issued a cease and desist order to the.....»»
Rama calls for removal of CBRT manager Imbong amid ‘crisis’
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants the project manager of the Cebu Rapid Bus Transit to be removed from his position, citing mismanagement as the reason for the replacement. “I have enough of Imbong,” said Rama, who was referring to CBRT Project Manager Norvin Imbong and that he was recommending to.....»»
Rama on Garcia as tandem in 2025, CBRT dispute: ‘I’m an independent mayor’
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama “is an independent mayor.” This was Rama’s answer when questioned about his political relationship with Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT). In an interview on Friday, March 1, Rama mentioned that he was still assessing their.....»»
No one to hug on Valentine’s Day? Try hugging trees!
CEBU CITY, Philippines – As Valentine’s Day graces our calendars with its presence, a different kind of love story unfolds—one that blossoms not in the exchange of roses and chocolates, but in the silent rustle of leaves and the sturdy arms of ancient trees. Amid the whirlwind of romantic air, the Department of Environment and.....»»
Sinulog’s origins: Tracing the roots of Cebu’s iconic festival
Amid the debates about which Cebu town or city started the Sinulog, an official said they see the annual celebration not as a competition with other Sinulog festivities but as a sincere tribute to the Holy Child Jesus.....»»
Health and Wellness Products are Booming in Cebu Amid Post-Covid Scenario
The sale of health and wellness-related products is booming in Cebu as the country continues to reel from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic some three years ago. And this is why an exporter couple from Cebu invested in these products diversifying their existing business into a retail market for health equipment. Owners Paul and […].....»»
Cebu Needs More Power Plants Amid Thinning Reserves, Says NGCP
Power demands in the Visayas specifically Cebu are drastically increasing and new power plants are needed now even more, officials from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) told reporters in an interview. Although Cebu has enough power supply, the reserves are getting thin and the demand is rising as more industries and business […].....»»
CAAP intensifies airport security amid bomb threats
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines on Thursday said that it has heightened the security of all its 42 commercial airports after the Air Traffic Service received a warning via email that planes leaving Manila for Puerto Princesa, Mactan-Cebu, Bicol, and Davao International Airports are about to be detonated by a bomb. Following the information, all airports were immediately ordered to intensify security measures while verification process is under way. CAAP Security and Intelligence Service assistant director general II retired MGen. Ricardo Banayat and all CAAP airports and area centers should augment appropriate security personnel to meet the anticipated high volume of passenger and vehicle traffic. Stringent access control procedures for both personnel and vehicles will be implemented, accompanied by thorough inspections of passengers and cargo. CAAP-CSIS personnel are also collaborating closely with the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group and military authorities, intensifying intelligence and monitoring operations with other security units. Continuous foot and mobile patrols are also being conducted within both the airside and landside areas of the airport complex. Meantime, Airport Security Coordination meetings will also be convened with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the strict implementation of security measures aimed at preventing any unlawful interference with civil aviation. In order to avoid any difficulty, they also advise international travelers to get to the airport at least three hours prior to their departure as CAAP also urged the general public to comply fully with security agents and to exercise caution when visiting the airport. “Our primary priority continues to be safety and security, and these steps are being taken to protect everyone who uses our airports,” CAAP said. Meantime, the Manila International Airport Authority assured the traveling public that it had instituted measures to ensure the safety of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport passengers, flights and facilities. Foot and mobile patrols are in place, and K9 units are doing the rounds of the terminals as added measures to their already established day-to-day protocols. The MIAA is also in close coordination with the PNP-AVSEU and pertinent government law enforcement units tasked with validating any threat to national security. The post CAAP intensifies airport security amid bomb threats appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Famed environmental warrior graces RC Manila assembly
The Rotary Club of Manila had a brilliant, unique guest speaker at its last weekly members’ meeting at the Manila Polo Club — the famed, internationally acclaimed author, lawyer, environmental activist, and recipient, in 2009, of what is regarded as the Nobel Prize of Asia, the Ramon Magsaysay Award (non-category), Antonio Oposa Jr. For about an hour and a half last Thursday, 21 September 2023, RC Manila members, officers and guests at the MPC’s Turf Room alternately stood up to sing along and listen to Oposa’s telling of “good stories,” his way, he said, of promoting and creating awareness for his advocacies and his passion for the environment. Oposa earned a law degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law. For a short time, he worked in a law firm, until he realized that his heart was not in the practice of law but rather with nature and the environment. He traveled to Norway and enrolled in a course on energy and the environment at the University of Oslo’s summer program and afterwards, to Boston, where he pursued and later obtained his LLM at the Harvard Law School in 1997. [caption id="attachment_188497" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Valiant environmental warrior Antonio Oposa: ‘My biggest achievement is that I have turned some of my adversaries into co-advocates. And what could be more inspiring now than to see their own children out there, protecting the sea?’[/caption] In 1993, Oposa made global headlines for the landmark case, Minors Oposa v Factoran where the Supreme Court ruled that the 43 children counseled by Oposa, who filed legal action against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, seeking cancellation by the agency of existing timber license agreements and stopping the issuance of new ones, ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. “The case was brought to court amid the government’s then granting over 90 logging companies permits to cut down nearly four million hectares of old-growth forest when only 850,000 hectares remained. And forests were being logged at a rate of some 200,000 hectares per year! I told the Court how my son, only three at that time, would no longer see these forests by the time he was 10. I couldn’t help thinking, that if this wasn’t stopped not a single old-growth forest would remain for him and future generations to enjoy,” Oposa said. The case had initially been dismissed in trial court on the ground that there was no legal personality to sue. Oposa elevated the case to the Supreme Court, and in a much-hailed case of intergenerational responsibility, the Supreme Court upheld the legal standing and right of the children to initiate action on their behalf and on behalf of generations yet unborn. What was so remarkable about the case is that Oposa sued on behalf of generations yet unborn and today that milestone case is known in Philippine and global jurisprudence as the “Oposa Doctrine.” For its part, the Philippine Supreme Court, too, carved a permanent niche for itself in environmental law with its promulgation of Oposa v Factoran. It secured its place in history, earning praises from the international environmental community and a reputation as a champion of the right to a healthy environment. Oposa also recounted at this talk at the RC Manila meeting last Thursday another epic landmark case involving the legal tussle he waged against 11 government agencies for the cleaning up of severely polluted Manila Bay. In December 2008, a decade after he filed that case, the Supreme Court issued a decision in his favor. In a continuing mandamus ruling, the Supreme Court ordered all defendant agencies to implement a time-bound action plan that would clean up Manila Bay and to give the Court a progress report on the matter every three months. Oposa talked about the Island Sea Camp he organized in 2001 in Bantayan Island where he gave children lessons on coral reefs, snorkeling and sustainable practices. In 2003, 2004, while holding weekend training camps for children in the Sea Camp “we noticed the rampant illegal fishing going on. Dynamite fishing and commercial fishing intrusions into prohibited coastal zones went unchecked. Something had to be done,” related Oposa. Thus, was born the Visayan Sea Squadron. “I organized a strike team with crack enforcers from the National Bureau of Investigation, Navy, fishermen, sea watch volunteers, lawyers, law students and even a few foreigners. The target was not small fishermen but crime syndicates and operators behind the sale of blasting caps and dynamite powder. Seizures and raids followed,” he said. Operations were so effective that word went out that his friend Jojo de la Victoria, the fearless Cebu City Bantay Dagat (Sea Watch) chief, and Oposa were targets of assassination. A local newspaper interviewed De la Victoria, revealing an intelligence report about illegal fishing operators putting up a P1-million bounty for him and Oposa. In 12 April 2006, 48 hours after he was interviewed, De la Victoria was felled by a hired gunman outside his house in Cebu City. “Jojo’s life was not in vain. After his funeral, a core team met for dinner to regroup. The tide of illegal fishing started to turn. Exploits of the Visayan Sea Squadron — and the courage and synergy of the men and women who made it happen — became known far and wide,” Oposa said. He continued, “Four years after Jojo died, Visayan Sea Squadron co-founder Alfredo Marañon was elected governor of Negros Occidental province. He gathered the other governors in the region to begin a restorative plan for the Visayan Sea which encompasses an area of over a million hectares. The governors passed a landmark joint resolution declaring the entire Visayan Sea a marine reserve.” For his valiant work as an environmental warrior, Oposa has been the recipient of many award in recognition of his valiant work as an environmental warrior. Aside from receiving the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2009, he was given the equally prestigious Center for International Environmental Law Award in 2008. Earlier, in 1997, he was conferred the United Nations Environment Programme Global 500 Roll of Honor, the highest UN honor in the field of the environment. Asked if there was anything about his attainments that gives him the most satisfaction, Oposa said, “My biggest achievement is not that I caught this violator and that violator when we were busy with our Visayan Sea Squadron operations; it is that I have turned my adversaries into co-advocates. Some of those who had opposed me are now supporting me in my advocacies. And what could be more inspiring than to see their own children helping us out there, protecting the sea?” The post Famed environmental warrior graces RC Manila assembly appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
AFP reaffirms support for BRP Sierra Madre amid tensions
MANILA, Philippines—The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) vowed that the August 5 water cannon incident will not deter its commitment to ensuring the well-being of personnel aboard the BRP Sierra Madre. During a Saturday news forum, AFP spokesperson Colonel Medel Aguilar stated the military’s unwavering support for its personnel on the ship, anchored permanently The post AFP reaffirms support for BRP Sierra Madre amid tensions appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Infra drives more tourists, tech firms
Cebu is expected to attract visitors and technology firms with the planned construction of 65 flagship infrastructure in the Visayas region under the Marcos administration, local officials and the business community leaders there said last Friday. “That’s what we’ve been waiting for. An increase in government spending means a high multiplier effect that is felt in the economy,” Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Central Visayas regional governor Melanie Ng said in an economic briefing by several government agencies in Cebu City on Friday. In the event, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the Visayas-based projects are estimated to cost P1.7 trillion out of the total P9 trillion for 194 flagship projects nationwide. Socioeconomic Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the projects will be partly funded through public-private partnerships while the government raises annual infrastructure spending to 5 percent to 6 percent of the gross domestic product. United stand “The private sector and the government are in one mind on how to go about fostering the kind of development that we want in the Visayas region. We can create not only more jobs but also high-quality employment in the region,” National Economic and Development Authority Undersecretary Joseph J. Capuno said. Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco said the new infrastructure projects would bring more tourists to Cebu and its neighboring provinces in Central Visayas. “Cebu is now the number one most preferred traveler’s destination in the country, outranking its last year’s tourism performance. The shining star of tourism, especially post-pandemic, has really been Central Visayas,” she said. Tourism data showed Cebu attracted over 2.7 million tourist arrivals last year, with 81 percent of them coming from domestic visitors amid the reopening of the global economy. Apart from the tourism industry, PCCI officer Ng said the technology sector will likely see more workers in Cebu and the rest of Visayas as more infrastructure eases mobility from homes to business districts. “Tourism, information technology and business process management, and creative industries are the key growth sectors in Visayas that the Philippine government should invest in,” she said. Property consultancy Colliers Philippines said 31 percent of the country’s IT-BPM workers were found in the provinces last year, with Cebu residents seizing some of the 70,000 jobs in that industry during this period. Colliers Philippines expect 91,300 square meters of office space will open In Cebu City in the next two years, with 51 percent of them located in Cebu Business Park and Cebu IT Park. Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said 42 infrastructure projects in Visayas are already being built, including the P9.2-billion New Cebu International Container Port and the P16.9-billion Cebu Bus Rapid Transit. The post Infra drives more tourists, tech firms appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»