CEBU in GLASS

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/106/299765501_1b169c3011.jpg?v=0



This is your new account Slerz, right?

This is your new account Slerz, right?

does SleMarKen mean Slerz, Markii-boy and Kentaro?
They're the photo boys of SSC Cebu right???
:)

^^

They don't have to demolish Luzon Lumber Co. if ever Go would acquire it. They should preserve, renovate, and perhaps integrate it into the mall itself. It's an all wood structure so it would really become a unique part of the mall. They can put souvenir shops there, or restos, hehehe.. :D

Just like this:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/Hongkong/P1090797.jpg



Luzon Lumber Co.
http://cebuheritage.wordpress.com :okay:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/luzonlumbercompany.jpg



..

maybe they could do the same thing they did with mcwd old bldg, retain/retouch the exterior, but change the interiors... the old wood supports of the luzon lumber bldg might be weak, and wood easily catches fire... (fire hazard)

^^^^ three owner in one account??

does SleMarKen mean Slerz, Markii-boy and Kentaro?
They're the photo boys of SSC Cebu right???
:)



karon pa ko ka-g. hahaha

^^^^ three owner in one account??

I dunno. Just a thought.

I find it a bit coincidental.:lol:

On topic though, any insider's view on the SM-SRP proposals?

Thanks.

^ Yeah, they're using one account since they are our usual photo posters and I think Slerz told me that MarkiiBoi and Kentaro couldn't access SSC for awhile because they'll have no internet access for a period :dunno:

ic...

^^ any personal preference?

which do u prefer na mag invest sa SRP? SM Holdings? or BigFoot?

i'll give you a hint ... we should not make decisions merely on how much they
are offering or how much we can get ... that's important, too, for city hall at
least and for the city residents indirectly because what city hall gets gets into
its budget.

but the more important question is, for the city and its residents at least, is
how many jobs they will generate on a per square meter basis or a per hectare
basis. realistically, and not mere political propaganda like that shouted by
former mayor alvin garcia (that the city stands to lose 10,000-15,000 jobs
because of the moratorium on the CIUDAD project).

you look at it this way ... MEPZ-1 is 119 hectares with 36,000 jobs. let's
round it off to 120 hectares ... that's 300 jobs per hectare. we should try
to make comparisons with that. will the proposed investments create this
number of jobs, that is the question, and that is the criteria.

let me explain a little bit more on the policy against malls at the SRP. malls
are basically beautiful ... that they exude a feeling of progress and pride and
self-fulfillment for all of us. we are very proud of ayala and sm and country
mall. but we have to remind ourselves that malls ARE the product of develop-
ment and NOT the cause thereof! these malls sprouted in cebu simply
of the disposable income generated by the MEPZ in 1988-1992. with all those
employment generated, sm and ayala came in knowing there is disposable
income. that's how it started.

secondly, malls do not create jobs ... or if they do, the job creation are
minimal. malls try to transfer jobs. remember when sm and ayala were built?
businesses in colon and magallanes and even uptown suffered. in fact, people
simply transferred their shopping preferences from the central business dis-
trict (CBD) and uptown cebu to the malls ... also with the workers. mao na
namingaw tawon ang colon. so if we build a mall at the SRP, do we get an
increase in the economy? not so much as we hope. if there are 1,000,000
shoppers on a particular day in cebu (sm, ayala, country mall, etc.), there
will still be 1,000,000 shoppers in cebu after a new mall is built at the SRP ...
ni transfer lang ang uban.

that's why malls are not a priority at the SRP. investments that bring jobs
should be preferred. the mayor does not object to malls ... but only if these
are built in conjunction with other employment-intensive investments.

off-topic: (and please don't consider this political) ... that's why i reacted
strongly to former mayor alvin garcia's statement that the city tends to
lose 10,000-15,000 jobs because of the CIUDAD moratorium. that's only 2.8
hectares! what did he have in mind, it will bring 3,500 jobs per hectare? 10
times MEPZ? he he he ... either he doesn't know anything about investments
and job creation or he's out to fool the cebuanos!

Yup, not only mine... we (Markiiboi, Kentaro and me) decided to merge coz they (markiiboi ang Kentaro) will soon have no access to ssc coz of their new job unlike before nga naa silay broadband and also for their pics nga mapost gihapon through the new account. It's not wise IMO to post their pics through my account. Jan manually approved our request...hehe

^^

Got it. I've noticed in other countries that they really follow this rule.

Anyway, regarding the taking of photos of violators, would it be possible if we install those cameras (used during the ASEAN summit) at the SRP? I've heard in the news yesterday that CITOM is having a hard time fielding enforcers there.
i'll try to discuss that with the mayor. but as of now, i'm not keen on recom-
mending accepting that from DPWH/PNP because these are still in the middle of
the overpricing and sub-standard controversy. mapaso nya ta. but we are
entertaining other offers. i have one right now in my desk ato pa ni evaluaton.

so if we build a mall at the SRP, do we get an
increase in the economy? not so much as we hope. if there are 1,000,000
shoppers on a particular day in cebu (sm, ayala, country mall, etc.), there
will still be 1,000,000 shoppers in cebu after a new mall is built at the SRP ...
ni transfer lang ang uban.

that's why malls are not a priority at the SRP. investments that bring jobs
should be preferred. the mayor does not object to malls ... but only if these
are built in conjunction with other employment-intensive investments.


On the other hand, if Cebu, the number one tourist destination in the country, will open more malls/lifestyle centers, more variety is offered, we are escalated to a higher level when it comes to shopping standards and more people, foreign and domestic, will be attracted and will flock to Cebu, thus, people will spend more and it means more revenues for the city.

Well everything needs to be weighed. The opportunity costs for each investment should be studied very well :)

On the other hand, if Cebu, the number one tourist destination in the country, will open more malls/lifestyle centers, more variety is offered, we are escalated to a higher level when it comes to shopping standards and more people, foreign and domestic, will be attracted and will flock to Cebu, thus, people will spend more and it means more revenues for the city.

Well everything needs to be weighed. The opportunity costs for each investment should be studied very well :)

right. that's why it's not being objected too, only that more preference s put
on job-intensive and employment generating investments. we have to look at
it at a wider perspective of whether we are targetting cebu as a shopping-
center like HK or a exotic vacation and recreation destination like bali or phuket.

acceptance of any proposals for malls shall be evaluated on their individual
basis and on how they contribute to the overall economy of the city. special
attention should also be reserved on how these investments create negative
impacts on other sectors or areas of society.

^ Yes, good luck to the city government on measuring the opportunity costs of each and we'll be hopeful whichever firm(s) get(s) the SRP :yes:

InTheNews

Sykes opens Cebu facility, to double hiring by yearend

Tuesday, February 27 2007 @ 08:32 PM GMT

Cebu News

The formal opening Monday of the Cebu City facility by Sykes Asia Inc. would make available more jobs to Cebuanos, doubling its 1,500 staff by the end of the year, company officials said.

Jim Hobby, senior vice president for Sykes global operations, said the company would continue to look at how they could grow in Cebu and bring jobs to the local economy.

Gerard Locsin, assistant manager for branding and communications, said the Cebu office, which opened in January 2003, now has 1,200 to 1,500 personnel.

They hope to expand their manpower to more than double by the end of the year, Locsin said.

He said their Cebu office is the fourth Sykes call center in the country but it is the first in the Visayas region. Sykes offices are also located in the cities of Makati, Pasig and Quezon, all in Metro Manila.

"I am hoping that this center will be the benchmark of other centers that we hope to put up in the future," said Sykes Asia and Pacific Rim vice president and managing director Mike Henderson.

Henderson said they chose to open a business in Cebu because of the Cebuanos compassion for work. They had only 15 people when they started their operations in a rented office in Mandaue City, he said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led the ribbon cutting and the unveiling of the marker of the new Sykes office.

Emulating the job of a call center agent, the President took a voice call from Sykes chief executive officer and president Chuck Sykes before she toured the call center facility located at the Synergies I.T. Center in barangay Mabolo, Cebu City. The company earned a total of US466.7 million dollars in revenues in 2004.(PNA)

Mandaue to sell, lease lot near CICC

Tuesday, February 27 2007 @ 08:31 PM GMT

Cebu News

The Mandaue City Council has authorized Mayor Thadeo Ouano to negotiate with prospective investors for city-owned parcels of land near the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) at the city's north reclamation area.

The authority granted by the city council opens a 52,868 square meter lot just across the CICC for possible investors.

Lot 1-K-3-B is the adjoining property of the now abandoned Uniwide warehouse, which was used as a security office during the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit last January.

"The development of that parcel of land is expected to compliment the CICC and will enhance further growth of the city as a preferred destination for both local and international conferences, conventions and exhibitions," Ouano said in his letter to the city council.

While Mandaue City is hoping to become a convention hub of the region, not a single five-star hotel was ever constructed in the city.

The mayor said a lot of investors have been inquiring about the availability of the lot for development under a lease contract.

Investors have not been named by the mayor in his letter.

The Mandaue Reclamation area became famous after the construction of the CICC, one of the venues of the 12th ASEAN Summit in January.

Sixteen heads of state and heads of government attended the high-profile meeting.

The CICC is also the site of the 2nd East Asia Summit, a gathering of the ASEAN leaders and its dialogue partners including Japan, Korea, China, Australia, New Zealand and India.(PNA)

Check my record, Tomas to Capitol on his motives

CEBU Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez suggested yesterday a “win-win solution” for the land swap conflict between the City and the Province of Cebu.

Sanchez said the problem in Barangay Luz can be addressed by erecting a building for those residents who have already paid for their lots and using the remaining land for commercial purposes.

Those who failed to pay may be relocated, but the Province can also provide them with housing projects they can acquire under a rent-to-own scheme, Sanchez said.

This way, the City will not have to worry about their constituents and Barangay Luz will no longer be an “eyesore” in the city. Also, both the Province and the City will earn from the development of the lot.

Sanchez, an engineer, admitted he still has to discuss his idea with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.

Meanwhile, Luz Barangay Councilor Nida Cabrera asked for help from the National Government for the beneficiaries of Ordinance 93-1.

That ordinance allowed the Capitol to dispose of its properties starting a decade ago, but many have yet to pay for their lots until now.

The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) decided, in its quarterly meeting, to request the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor to conduct a survey on the beneficiaries and status of the lots covered, based on the ordinance.

While the survey is ongoing, the Capitol can continue to negotiate with the individual lot occupants or the associations, Cabrera explained. Cabrera sits in the NAPC as a sectoral representative for Region 7.

For his part, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said that some Capitol officials’ claim that he is pushing for the lot swap because of commercial interests does not make any sense.

“I don’t want to insult anybody’s intelligence so I’m just going to answer it as best as I can. I’m the longest serving mayor in Cebu City. Please look at my track record. All the properties of the City in Barrio Luz, I sold to the occupants; all the properties almost everywhere I sold, in Lorega San Miguel.

I have the South Road Properties. I have 300 hectares to sell without having to evict anyone,” he said.

He added: “I don’t even know how they came to that conclusion. Isn’t it the governor who wants to commercialize this area? Why am I being the one being accused? Nabali,” Osmeña said.

Osmeña gave President Arroyo a letter informing her that the Banilad friar lands bill approved last week by the Senate includes lots claimed by the Province. (See related story)

However, he said he was not able to take it up with President Arroyo during her visit last Monday.

“I just submitted it. She can have somebody study it because I did not discuss it with her... But you see, it’s my job to inform the President because beyond this 93-1, there are other national line agencies that are being kicked out. A new city jail in Kalunasan, Tesda, the National Food Authority, the drug rehab center, the police and the puericulture center,” the mayor explained.

Under the original proposal, Cebu City offered a four-hectare property in the North Reclamation Area in exchange for some 53 hectares owned by the Province, but occupied by the city’s constituents in 11 barangays.

Sanchez admitted that when Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama commented that swapping the lots with the Province could be disadvantageous to the city, it was an eye-opener.

It made the Capitol officials tap an appraiser so they will know the value of the provincial lots that will be swapped, he explained.

After the appraisal showed that the Capitol’s lots are worth up to P3 billion, compared to some P415 million for Cebu City’s offered property, they decided the properties to be exchanged must be worth the same.

Glo okays use of P3 million to fight crime

PRESIDENT Arroyo has approved the release of P3 million from the Cebu City Government’s intelligence fund.

Arroyo, who was in Cebu Monday for a call center event, the opening of an international furniture exhibit and a thanksgiving reception, read the letter from Mayor Tomas Osmeña that City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem handed herr.

She signed it after noting “OK” at the bottom of Osmeña’s letter dated Feb. 2.

The mayor wrote that the amount will be used for gathering intelligence data on the manufacture, sale and trafficking of illegal drugs; illegal gambling; violent and heinous crimes; prostitution and offenses against decency and graft and corruption.

Citing Commission on Audit Circular 2003-03 dated July 30, 2003, Osmeña said that Arroyo’s authorization was needed for the documentary requirements and the release of the funds.

In separate interviews, Councilors Augustus Pe Jr. and Jakosalem said that the P3-million intelligence fund is already appropriated in the City’s annual budget.

“It is just a standard procedure for us to ask the President’s signature for the funds to be released,” said Pe.

Bigfoot pays $500T as advance lease

THE Cebu City Hall yesterday received a five-year advance payment from Bigfoot Global Solutions, Inc. for its 25-year lease contract on the two-hectare portion of the South Road Properties (SRP).

“We received already a check for over half a million dollars as five years advance payment for the lease. But we have come more or less to agreeing to the sale of at least 16 hectares at P12,000 per square meter and I consider that already discounted,” Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said.

“He (Bigfoot’s Michael Gleissner) is so in a hurry that he cannot wait for this bidding, bidding or COA, COA. The fastest way is a 25-year lease to put up a sound stage,” Osmeña told a news conference yesterday.

Asked how much is the equivalent of the half a million dollars to the current peso-exchange rate, Mayor Osmeña said it’s about P28 million.

He also said Anne Sy of the SM Prime Holdings, Inc. will be coming over to City Hall today to followup on their offer to “make a major development at the SRP.”

The mayor said SM wants the entire 300-hectare SRP. Bigfoot and SM are two of the City’s three “very serious clients to the SRP.”

The other interested client is Filinvest, owned by the Gotianons who, Osmeña said, have “a very strong financial position.” He said the Gotianon couple, who came to look at the site last week, “is already working on the numbers.”

“SM will come tomorrow and they are very serious in acquiring the property, the entire 300 hectares,” the mayor said.

One sale

“I only need one sale. Basically I told them to make their deal now. After that we’ll be choosy so I told them you make your deal kay gutom man mi (because we’re hungry). You can take your deal. After that no more, we will be very picky already,” he added.

He was alluding to the City’s selling a few hectares of the SRP to address the City’s cash flow problem in paying its P6.3 billion loan to the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

The mayor said SM has “gone beyond malls.”

“They are now into major developments. They have so much money and about two or three years ago, they approached me.

They wanted to lease a piece of property for a mall. I said no. If it’s cash maybe. But lease for a mall, no because a mall will competes with those of the local businessmen. I’ve learned my lesson that when they built their mall in the North Reclamation Area everybody said it was very nice, a city within a city. When it opened, patay ang Gaw, patay ang Fairmart,” the mayor said.

“The entire Colon, Rositas, tanan hurot, mga movie houses because their customers are the same as the others.

Nakaginansya ba ang atong ekonomiya? Naa pero gamay ra. Nakaginansya because ang mga taga Bohol anhi na magshopping and the construction job. But aside from that there were a lot of dislocation. You look at Colon today. So when SM told me they want to lease to build a mall I said no not interested. It’s a low, low, low priority,” he added.

But Osmeña said that was about two or three years ago.

“Now they came back. They want to do a major development. They said they want the whole thing. They’re coming back tomorrow. Ann Sy is the one in-charge of the property development,” he added.

Movie studio

Meanwhile, Bigfoot’s Gleissner is already leasing 20,000 square meters of the SRP in the next 25 years effective tomorrow.

At US$.40 per square meter a month, the City stands to earn roughly P400,000 a month or nearly P5 million a year from the lease agreement.

Bigfoot will put up a state-of-the-art movie studio at the SRP, similar to the studios in Hollywood and a soundstage that can compete with those in Los Angeles, California, Romania, Italy and Europe.

Aside from buying 16 more hectares in the future, Gleissner is also reportedly interested to put up an international yacht club in the SRP.

Capitol to bid out P5B highway

IF plans push through, Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr. said the Capitol will publish internationally this June the bidding for the “biggest project in the 400-year history of Cebu” – the P5-billion transaxial highway that will have water, power and agricultural components.

Sanchez, chairman of the Provincial Board committee on infrastructure, said they are just finishing the last details of the “pre-feasibility study” that they are doing to come up with the terms of reference for the bidding.

It will be the winning bidder who will come up with the engineering plans and other project details.

But even before the plans are finished, at least three companies from Malaysia, Singapore and China are already inquiring about the proposed undertaking.

Cost

The United Engineers of Malaysia, a government-owned corporation, already sent its top officials to Cebu to discuss the matter.

The Cebu Provincial Government does not intend to shoulder the cost of the project. An interested private company will take care of the cost, and it has yet to be decided whether a build-operate-transfer or any other scheme will be implemented.

The plan includes some P2 billion worth of road traversing the mountains to add to the existing stretch to connect Santander town in the south to Daanbantayan town in the north.

The highway will be 300 kilometers, but there is already an existing road stretch so what the winning bidder will construct is the remaining 120 kilometers.

Aside from the road, Sanchez said that also included are a system for distribution of potable water (P1 billion), windpower system (P1 billion) and pipelines for water that will be used for “agro-environmental” purposes (P1 billion).

Sanchez, a civil engineer, said it will take three years to finish all components of the project.

When the project is finished, Sanchez believes there will be reverse migration in Cebu and Cebu City will be decongested because the rural areas will be accessible.

Also, he projects that the Province will earn P250 million more each year from real property taxes that will increase because of the expansion in commercial and industrial lands. This is aside from his projected income of P2 billion that the Capitol will have from both the water and power systems.

Investigate projects in Lapu: Patalinjug

OPPOSITION officials in Lapu-Lapu City claimed that the City’s priority projects funded by a loan is riddled with graft and corruption. They asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to check the transactions.

Lapu-Lapu City Auditor Josephine Daclan is withholding comment until they finish their investigation. She will seek help from COA’s regional technical services (RTS), saying the items discussed in the letter were too technical.

City Assistant Engineer Fernando Tagaan also refused to comment on the issue in deference to his superiors.

Mayor Arturo Radaza’s runningmate, Councilor Mario Amores, said they will just wait for the findings of COA.

Vice Mayor Norma Patalinjug wrote about the alleged admission of a private contractor of giving three percent of the city’s project amount in exchange for winning the bid.

Variations

She also talked about variations in the drainage project that cost the city millions; the subcontracting scheme for the drainage project, which is not allowed; and some abandoned portions of the project.

Daclan, who explained that her office only makes post audit studies, said all vouchers issued and signed as well as project plans will be submitted to the RTS for evaluation.

On the issue of subcontracting, Daclan said the names of subcontractors and their identities will not appear in the voucher so there is no way to prove that they exist. Except if accusers have a strong proof, they will verify and recommend for an investigation.

Young Builders Corporation vice president Nelson Yu was recently reported as having admitted giving three percent of the project amount to Radaza, who vehemently denied the allegation.

The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas is now investigating the complaint filed by brothers Richard and Rafael King against Radaza.

On variation cost, Patalinjug said the contractor requested this “under doubtful circumstances.” The drainage project costs P85 million and the change in the program of works costs P39.6 million.

Subcontracting

Patalinjug also raised the issue on subcontracting as almost all equipment seen on the project site indicates ownership by another contractor.

Young Builders is the contractor but equipment on the site in Barangay Basak and the uniform of workers have the print “Virlo Construction.” A contractor’s representative earlier said in a council session that the contractor rented the equipment from another firm.

When TCGI, the city’s hired consultancy firm for the project, made a presentation before the council regarding the variation order, its officer also used an equipment with a “Virlo” mark on it. The officer said they borrowed the equipment from Virlo.

Patalinjug said some portions of the project appear to be unfinished despite the fact that a notice to proceed was served on April 22, 2005 yet.

Basak Carangay Captain Isabelito Darnayla said construction of the project resumed a month ago.

MEPZ roadside tenants and local residents filed complaints against Virlo regarding the roadside diggings, which destroyed water pipes and created big holes that were left uncovered and led to accidents.

^^it's really nice to know that somebody from the government participates with us since it gives us clearer view of the city's plans & insights that are not subjective. thank you sir for sharing your views..

the inputs we got in SSC will surely be shared by our family and friends..;)

Developer foresees growth, launches new subdivision

WITH its bullish outlook of Cebu’s real estate industry, Cebu-based property developer Commonwealth Estate Inc. (CEI) launched its new subdivision in Lapu-Lapu City.

“The market for quality housing is still growing in Cebu,” said Joseph Edward Obando, CEI assistant sales manager, during the launching of Collinwood subdivision last Feb. 21.

The subdivision sits on a 10-hectare property in Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, and will be developed in four phases. All phases, with a total of 500 houses and lots, are slated for completion within the next three years.

Phase one of the project will have 161 houses and lots, each of which will have floor area ranging from 55 square meters (sq. m.) to 190 sq. m.

Prices range from P1.4 million to P2.9 million per unit. The subdivision project is designed for the middle-income market.

Obando said that even before the launch, about 62 units have already been sold when CEI pre-launched the project in December last year.

Investment

Since houses and lots are perceived to be viable investments, he noted an increase among CEI’s “bulk buyers” or “investor buyers.”

“These are buyers who buy a maximum of five units. Some of them are previous buyers from our other real estates,” Obando told reporters.

He added that 40 percent of CEI’s buyers are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), 35 percent are local investors and 25 percent are Filipinos married to foreigners.

The concept of Collin-wood, whose houses are of Spanish architectural design, is patterned after a closely-knit community in the suburbs of the Mississippi area in the United States, said CEI managing director Stephen Charles Liu in a statement.

Subdivision amenities will include a multi-purpose hall, tennis court, basketball court and landscaped play areas, among others.

Commercial center

Obando said the façade of the subdivision will be developed into a commercial center.

Collinwood is CEI’s third development in Mactan Island and the company’s 12th project since it began in 1992. CEI has developed some 2,500 houses and lots, and condominium units, said Obando.

Two of CEI’s real estate projects in Mactan Island includes Villa del Rio and Brookfield subdivisions, which Obando said have already been sold out.

“Collinwood is the innovated version of these two subdivisions,” he added.

Meanwhile, Obando said CEI’s next project will include an upscale townhouse and condominium development dubbed 188 Sunflower Drive, which will have a land area of 3,500 sq. m. He added that it will be a 18-unit complex.

CEI’s other real estate projects are East Aurora Tower in Mabolo, Cebu City; Garden Bloom Acres in Consolacion; Puerto del Sol in Talisay City; and Acacia Place in Banawa, Cebu City. (MMM)

Housing project to rise next year in southern Cebu

ANOTHER middle-to-high end residential development will rise in the southern Cebu town of Minglanilla.

The horizontal development of Fonte Di Versailles, a project of Paramount Property Ventures (Paramount) Inc., is now ongoing, said Ernesto Abunda of Paramount.

Paramount is the developer of the 1.5-hectare Residences of Coral Bay subdivision, located in Tungkop, Minglanilla.
Abunda said the vertical development at Fonte Di Versailles will start next year.

“Fonte Di Versailles is an intimate exclusive waterfront community that provides the perfect setting for neighbors to get to know one another,” said a statement from Paramount.

The development has four model-houses: Alessandra, Delanna, Isabella and Gianina.

Lot sizes at Fonte Di Versailles range from 195 square meters to 290 square meters. Prices range from P5.3 million to P11.4 million.

One can also buy lot at P7,500 per square meter.

Amenities at the project include a resort-styled infinity pool, gated entry with controlled access and monitored intrusion alarms, a lagoon, clubhouse, recreation room and café.

Paramount is now pre-selling the development.

Guadalupe-Oppra bridge seen to decongest traffic at Capitol

The Freeman 02/27/2007

Once construction of a bridge linking barangay Guadalupe and sitio Oppra would be completed by the end of the year, motorists from Guadalupe going to Lahug, and vice versa, may no longer have to pass by the vicinity of the Cebu Provincial Capitol.

The bidding of the bridge construction project placed at P20 million was reportedly conducted yesterday by the Department of Public Works and Highways. But councilor Jose Daluz III, who is the chairman of the council committee on real property management, still has to receive a report on the details of the bidding.

Daluz hopes the construction of the bridge may not be affected by the ban imposed by the Commission on Elections regarding implementation of new projects. And that this should not be suspected of being politically motivated.

"Dugay na man kaayo ni'ng maong proyekto nga giplano; mga 2005 pa ni nga giplanong tukoron, karon naa na g'yuy budget," Daluz told The FREEMAN yesterday.

City accountant Edna Jaca informed Daluz that the P20-million budget from the national government intended for the bridge project still remains intact.

Daluz also said City Hall already spent around P3 million for the purchase of rights-of-way from private individuals whose lots are affected by the project.

The construction of a bridge at Singson Subdivision would link sitio Oppra, crossing the Guadalupe river. The bridge will be connected to Obedience Street which is already part of barangay Kalunasan, down to Lahug, passing Sudlon road.

It is expected that this access road would decongest traffic along M. Velez Street, going to the Capitol site, down to Escario Street and Gorordo Avenue. - Rene U. Borromeo/MEEV

T55: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=446508

Bai, any idea unsay itukod kanang former steve's karaoke bar? kay nacge naman gud og excavate ang duha ka backhoe diha.

Bai, any idea unsay itukod kanang former steve's karaoke bar? kay nacge naman gud og excavate ang duha ka backhoe diha.


hope another highrise sa kay nindot man na nga strip ang mango avenue kung naa tall buildings. IMHO.

hi :wave: betro!! just want to say welcome! karon pa ko kita nimo...:D

before..
http://static.flickr.com/39/75948456_3fe1189ce5_m.jpg

after...:dunno: any idea guys?

^ Yeah. Isn't there a moratorium on buildings along Gen Maxilom Avenue though? :D That area (Gorordo-General Maxilom-Echavez) is a bottleneck especially on peak hours

hello miaka!!! Thanks for welcoming me... bag-o pa pud ko na member diri..

welcome @ betro. hehe =)

thanks kaayo

... after the not-so-good news last week between city hall and capitol, i'm glad we have lots of very goods news today particularly investments pouring in the city..... whoa!

^ Yeah. Isn't there a moratorium on buildings along Gen Maxilom Avenue though? :D That area (Gorordo-General Maxilom-Echavez) is a bottleneck especially on peak hours

magkita ra ta March 2... remember the date (kung dili ko mu.larga)...

naa nko personal invitation... hehehehe! kitakits sinj!

Cebu Port Center: day
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110008.jpg

Cebu Port Center: night
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110069.jpg

ganda ng view s'min! hehehe! Cebu City!
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110070.jpg

nice picture rage.

Huh, what's on March 2nd rage?

Huh, what's on March 2nd rage?

Ms. CIDEC! hehehe! I'm one of the judges diay.... :banana:

^ Oops, I didn't know that. Fyi, I am absent for 2 weeks already because of digestive problems :lol:

@rage, what's CIDEC?invited mi tanan??hehehe..
@sinj, grabe, 2 weeks?didn't u go your doc yet??

^ CIDEC = Cebu International Distance Education College

^ Doc? I've been constantly seeing him and I'm taking medication

mao jud. sakto jud miaka.

asa diay na dapita

^ CIDEC is located at Number 11 Corner Wilson and Pasteur Streets, Barangay Apas, Cebu City (just beside St. Therese Church, Apas)

ic..thanks sinj! :D i suppose you also enroll there, right?:D

Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Developer foresees growth, launches new subdivision

WITH its bullish outlook of Cebu’s real estate industry, Cebu-based property developer Commonwealth Estate Inc. (CEI) launched its new subdivision in Lapu-Lapu City.

“The market for quality housing is still growing in Cebu,” said Joseph Edward Obando, CEI assistant sales manager, during the launching of Collinwood subdivision last Feb. 21.

Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007

The subdivision sits on a 10-hectare property in Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, and will be developed in four phases. All phases, with a total of 500 houses and lots, are slated for completion within the next three years.

Phase one of the project will have 161 houses and lots, each of which will have floor area ranging from 55 square meters (sq. m.) to 190 sq. m.

Prices range from P1.4 million to P2.9 million per unit. The subdivision project is designed for the middle-income market.

Obando said that even before the launch, about 62 units have already been sold when CEI pre-launched the project in December last year.

read more here--> http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/02/28/bus/developer.foresees.growth.launches.new.subdivision.html

^ I am a student there :)

Bigfoot pays $500T as advance lease

“We received already a check for over half a million dollars as five years advance payment for the lease. But we have come more or less to agreeing to the sale of at least 16 hectares at P12,000 per square meter and I consider that already discounted,” Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said.

“He (Bigfoot’s Michael Gleissner) is so in a hurry that he cannot wait for this bidding, bidding or COA, COA. The fastest way is a 25-year lease to put up a sound stage,” Osmeña told a news conference yesterday.

He also said Anne Sy of the SM Prime Holdings, Inc. will be coming over to City Hall today to followup on their offer to “make a major development at the SRP.”

The mayor said SM wants the entire 300-hectare SRP. Bigfoot and SM are two of the City’s three “very serious clients to the SRP.”

“SM will come tomorrow and they are very serious in acquiring the property, the entire 300 hectares,” the mayor said.

:wtf: this is plain BULLISH! :shocked: it's really great to know SRP now has an income generator. could SRP be the next SM district after the bay area in Manila where the Mall of Asia is? hmmm.. imagine SRP with world-class movie studios, hotels and resorts then probably a casino to complement the mega-yacht club, hi-rise condominiums and sillicon valley. i hope SRP standards ka-level at least with Fort Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. :D

Bigfoot pays $500T as advance lease

“We received already a check for over half a million dollars as five years advance payment for the lease. But we have come more or less to agreeing to the sale of at least 16 hectares at P12,000 per square meter and I consider that already discounted,” Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said.

“He (Bigfoot’s Michael Gleissner) is so in a hurry that he cannot wait for this bidding, bidding or COA, COA. The fastest way is a 25-year lease to put up a sound stage,” Osmeña told a news conference yesterday.

He also said Anne Sy of the SM Prime Holdings, Inc. will be coming over to City Hall today to followup on their offer to “make a major development at the SRP.”

The mayor said SM wants the entire 300-hectare SRP. Bigfoot and SM are two of the City’s three “very serious clients to the SRP.”

“SM will come tomorrow and they are very serious in acquiring the property, the entire 300 hectares,” the mayor said.

:wtf: this is plain BULLISH! :shocked: it's really great to know SRP now has an income generator. could SRP be the next SM district after the bay area in Manila where the Mall of Asia is? hmmm.. imagine SRP with world-class movie studios, hotels and resorts then probably a casino to complement the mega-yacht club, hi-rise condominiums and sillicon valley. i hope SRP standards ka-level at least with Fort Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. :D

I've heard that my favorite eat all you can restaurant TRIPLE V(DADS, SAISAKI and KAMAYAN) will be closed tommorrow. Maybe they will stop operation na here in Cebu?:ohno:

Any more info?

I hope Zidlakan will also post in this thread.. Anyway, here's a quote from him:


i'll give you a hint ... we should not make decisions merely on how much they
are offering or how much we can get ... that's important, too, for city hall at
least and for the city residents indirectly because what city hall gets gets into
its budget.

but the more important question is, for the city and its residents at least, is
how many jobs they will generate on a per square meter basis or a per hectare
basis. realistically, and not mere political propaganda like that shouted by
former mayor alvin garcia (that the city stands to lose 10,000-15,000 jobs
because of the moratorium on the CIUDAD project).

you look at it this way ... MEPZ-1 is 119 hectares with 36,000 jobs. let's
round it off to 120 hectares ... that's 300 jobs per hectare. we should try
to make comparisons with that. will the proposed investments create this
number of jobs, that is the question, and that is the criteria.

let me explain a little bit more on the policy against malls at the SRP. malls
are basically beautiful ... that they exude a feeling of progress and pride and
self-fulfillment for all of us. we are very proud of ayala and sm and country
mall. but we have to remind ourselves that malls ARE the product of develop-
ment and NOT the cause thereof! these malls sprouted in cebu simply
of the disposable income generated by the MEPZ in 1988-1992. with all those
employment generated, sm and ayala came in knowing there is disposable
income. that's how it started.

secondly, malls do not create jobs ... or if they do, the job creation are
minimal. malls try to transfer jobs. remember when sm and ayala were built?
businesses in colon and magallanes and even uptown suffered. in fact, people
simply transferred their shopping preferences from the central business dis-
trict (CBD) and uptown cebu to the malls ... also with the workers. mao na
namingaw tawon ang colon. so if we build a mall at the SRP, do we get an
increase in the economy? not so much as we hope. if there are 1,000,000
shoppers on a particular day in cebu (sm, ayala, country mall, etc.), there
will still be 1,000,000 shoppers in cebu after a new mall is built at the SRP ...
ni transfer lang ang uban.

that's why malls are not a priority at the SRP. investments that bring jobs
should be preferred. the mayor does not object to malls ... but only if these
are built in conjunction with other employment-intensive investments.

ok, thanks jhaelnis

I've heard that my favorite eat all you can restaurant TRIPLE V(DADS, SAISAKI and KAMAYAN) will be closed tommorrow. Maybe they will stop operation na here in Cebu?:ohno:

Any more info?

sa SM? unsa may puli sa ilang units?

I hope Zidlakan will also post in this thread.. Anyway, here's a quote from him:


thanks for the repost...

maayo pagka explain..

^^ Triple V .....they've been operating in Cebu for 13 years already.... i hope they're not closing down but only relocation to the SM Northwing...

Since this is our mother thread, I opted to post this here to share the other side of the Cebuanos, our religiosity! The reason why Cebu is so blessed!


SINULOG indeed is one of the Cebuanos' very rich heritage. An expression of our profound faith to our Creator in the form of a child! This is what we can truly claim our very own unique Piety and Pride!

I found this very touching and impressive video documentary prepared by a fellow Cebuano.

Watch and be awed...


qwBIaauNFjk

25-storey Insular Life Building
Cebu Business Park

flickr pics by @coachcashmoney


Hong Kong?......nah, Cebu ni oy!

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/cebu1.jpg



http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/cebu2.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/cebupics3/Cebu%20Business%20Park/insular-life-cebu.jpg

i hope this building will start this year.

Is this for real??? :)

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/cebupics3/Cebu%20Business%20Park/insular-life-cebu.jpg

yup, 25-storey Insular Life Building
Cebu Business Park.

^^ Goodness... Can they build it asap? :)

San to itatayo? san banda sa CBP?

Any of the adjacent lots around the Ayala Life FGU Building

Triple-V Express can't close...they just can't! I mean, I'm 100% sure that they're doing good business here in Cebu. They're always packed every noontime, especially the Kamayan portion.

I think they'll just renovate the place since it already is quite antiquated. I doubt they'll be moving to the Northwing since their current location is very strategic.

Any of the adjacent lots around the Ayala Life FGU Building

probably they will build this building here... the area shaded with red.

http://xs412.xs.to/xs412/07093/InsularAyala.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/cebupics3/Cebu%20Business%20Park/insular-life-cebu.jpg

Wow! superb :applause: another glassy edifice in Cebu :banana:

^^ this is the source of Insular Life's proposal...(from U/C thread)

http://www.gw-architects.com/gwarchitects-projects01.html

^^ WOW! that glassy baby should be constructed now!. i guess it was discussed long ago that Insular Life is going to transfer to CBP.. so this must be it. :)

edit

Osmeña: No malls in SRP

By Doris C. Bongcac, Chris Ligan
Cebu Daily News
Last updated 11:46am (Mla time) 02/28/2007

He has no master plan to show investors how he wants to develop the 300-hectare South Road Properties (SRP), but Mayor Tomas Osmeña is firm about not building a mall there.

He said that while a mall generates jobs, it could also kill retail competition elsewhere.

Osmeña will be meeting with SM executives and technical representatives on Wednesday to continue negotiations on the firm's interest in the SRP.

SM reportedly plans to buy land in the SRP for a major development project.

"SM is one of the finest in the business. They have gone beyond constructing malls. They are now into major development. They have so much money," Osmeña said.

SM approached him two to three months ago to lease property in SRP for construction of another mall, but Osmeña said he rejected it outright.

However, Osmeña said he may reconsider a mall if the investor buys the land and pays for the property in cash, along with other conditions he did not elaborate.

Osmeña said he learned his lesson when SM City rose in the North Reclamation Area, only to find out later that many establishments in downtown Colon closed shop as a result.

"When they built a mall in the North Reclamation, we thought it was great. Millions were earned and 700 employees were hired. When it opened, Gaw (Trading), Fairmart, Rositas and the whole of Colon were displaced," Osmeña said.

Osmeña said SM representatives approached him two to three months ago and proposed to lease a property in the SRP for another mall to be built there, similar to the Mall of Asia in Pasay City, Metro Manila.

He rejected the proposal outright because that was not his priority for the SRP.

What the mayor wants in the SRP is industry-related business that could generate jobs and not kill businesses in the city, a scenario he said that is happening in the Mactan Export Processing Zone.

Last week, the mayor singed a 25-year contract with Bigfoot Entertainment Phils. Inc., for the lease of a 2.8-hectare property at $0.40 per square meter.

Osmeña said he had also been meeting with Filinvest representatives for the past two months and a Japanese company is also interested in putting up a medical facility for their retirees at the SRP.

Bigfoot, he said, also intends to buy 16 hectares in SRP property at a discounted price of P12,000 per square meter. The sale is expected to bring at least P2 billion into government coffers. But the proposal is still being studied.

Osmeña said now was a good time for the city government to welcome SRP investments.

"The market condition is very good and real estate is moving. The timing is good. This is what's best for the economy of Cebu. Profit (for the city government) is only a secondary consideration," he said.

Aside from the need to pay off the city's debts for the land reclamation, Osmeña said, he has no problems marketing the SRP.

"We can continue to pay our debts but we are having a hard time. I need one sale. After that I'll close the door and I'm going to make pakipot (hard-to-get) to other investors," he said.

The city government took P236 million from its coffers last week as partial payment for its SRP loan.

Osmeña admitted that some basic services like road asphalting were sacrificed because of the city's debt servicing.

The city government is leasing heavy equipment for its road improvement projects because it can't buy brand new equipment.

"We just need to close one deal for the sales of a portion of the SRP (to address our financial needs)," he sa

Sanchez suggests clustering of homes for 93-1 beneficiaries

Cebu Daily News
Last updated 11:47am (Mla time) 02/28/2007

Cebu Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez is proposing a "win-win" solution to end the dispute between the Capitol and Cebu City Hall over what to do with 46 hectares of provincial lots occupied by the urban poor in Cebu City.

Sanchez, a civil engineer, recommended clustering homes for beneficiaries covered by Ordinance 93-1 so they can live "peacefully."

The clustering of urban poor dwellings will also allow the province to recover a portion of the land and dispose it for commercial use, he said.

But only beneficiaries who have fully paid their amortization for the lots to the Capitol under Ordinance 93-1 could be included, he said.

Those who violated the conditions of their sale contracts and who had not fully paid their obligations will have to be relocated somewhere else, said Sanchez.

The proposal may not get the support of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña who earlier vowed to block the eviction of any of the residents.

After Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said she would deal directly with almost 5,000 occupants and temporarily suspend evictions, the mayor said he would not interfere with the ongoing negotiations.

On Tuesday, the mayor said he would remain watchful.

"I still maintain my apprehensions and my curiosity is not fully satisfied on how they (province) plan to deal with it," he said.

Sanchez said the province would take care of the beneficiaries but the province had to recover a portion of the 46 hectares of scattered lots.

He cited the case of the nine-hectare property in Barangay Luz. The beneficiaries who had fully paid for their lots would be clustered and occupy a portion of the property or equivalent to about four hectares of the province-owned lot.

This would allow the province to recover ownership of the remaining five hectares of "prime land" which could be later sold to make it a part of the Cebu Business Park of the Ayalas.

Clustering, he said, will also prevent the thickly populated urban poor area from becoming an "eyesore" especially since it is located beside a fast-growing commercial district.

Sanchez said the Capitol is willing to spend P500 million to P1 billion to improve the living condition of the clustered families.

The province, he added, can also earn P4 billion to P5 billion from the sale of the five hectares that it plans to recover.

The city government can also benefit from the taxes it will earn from commercial establishments.

"If we are going to develop how much would the city of Cebu get in terms of real taxes and income taxes?" Sanchez asked.

"Ang iyang mga anak mas maayo usab nga pagkahimutang (The mayor's children would also be in a better situation)," he added.

Osmeña, for his part, said he does not intend to benefit at the expense of the affected families. He also denied having any "hidden agenda" in questioning the province's ownership of these properties.

With the South Road Properties, the mayor said he has more than 300 hectares of reclaimed lot to dispose of for commercial use.

Osmeña said his concern is only to provide the affected families a permanent home.

He agreed with the observation of Capitol consultant Pablo John Garcia who said the mayor showed he was "desperate" when he submitted to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo a memo urging her to veto the Friar Lands Act that will finalize ownership of the provincial government.

"Of course I'm desperate. That's the way I am, but this is not my only choice. Until then I will take even the smallest risk. I will continue to monitor the developments of their negotiations with the affected families unless I know that they are safe," he said.

"People expect me to defend them. I will accept the blame whatever happens to them. I will not pass the blame," Osmeña added. /Reporter Doris C. Bongcac and Correspondent Nilda Gallo with reports from Correspondent Jhunnex Napallacan and Chris Ligan

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/cebupics3/Cebu%20Business%20Park/insular-life-cebu.jpg

now that's definitely something to look out for...glassy and 'curvy' building design in Cebu is entering a new age, IMO...

re: malls at SRP: the mayor does have a point, putting malls on SRP would definitely kill business downtown, besides, IMO, i think SM and Ayala--both currently ongoing expansion--would suffice for the next few years...

now that's definitely something to look out for...glassy and 'curvy' building design in Cebu is entering a new age, IMO...

re: malls at SRP: the mayor does have a point, putting malls on SRP would definitely kill business downtown, besides, IMO, i think SM and Ayala--both currently ongoing expansion--would suffice for the next few years...

definitely, i think the two malls' full potential haven't been developed yet.

^^ WOW! that glassy baby should be constructed now!. i guess it was discussed long ago that Insular Life is going to transfer to CBP.. so this must be it. :)

the guys from Prudential Life should see this and reconsider their design for their proposed building beside Pioneer House...

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/cebupics3/Cebu%20Business%20Park/insular-life-cebu.jpg

WOW! grabeh! ang ganda ng rendering... Definitely for Cebu!:banana:

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110090.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110089.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110085.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110084.jpg

pikas side...
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110087.jpg

status of 10storey midget nga dorm along banilad road...
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110083.jpg

3 hectare lot in Brgy. Apas Cebu City, near IT park is being demolished...

8 apartment buildings of Centcom are vacated... ingun ang mga tawo did2 nga i.sumpay daw sa ITpark... knang naay sign nga (welcome to Camp Lapu2x)... Naka.daog ang previous owner sa lot against the camp... daghan na au private security guards sa vicinity...

nag.expand nsad diay sa yuta ang ITpark... grabeh ang expansion... Booming Real-estate...

^^ bai @rage, is that lot owned by Capitol? ...I hope the city gov't will not be a hindrance in the development of that area....

^^ bai @rage, is that lot owned by Capitol? ...I hope the city gov't will not be a hindrance in the development of that area....

private property bai... cyempre vacate gyud ang mga military personnel daun... dakoa na jud diay xad sa ITpark...

private security guards are everywhere pra lng ma.secure ang lot...

lot owned by a certain mR. Lim... iya daw g.baligya sa mga Ayala's...

Sun.Star
Thursday, March 01, 2007
SM wants takeover of city's P6.3B SRP debt
By Gingging A. Campaña

CEBU CITY -- Top executives of SM Prime Holdings Inc. submitted Wednesday their financial proposal to the marketing arm of the South Road Properties (SRP) on their plan to take full control over the entire 295-hectare facility.

Among other things, SM's multi-billion-peso offer includes "taking over the full obligation of paying" for the balance of Cebu City Hall's P6.3-billion loan with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), said Joel Mari Yu, managing director of the Cebu Investment Promotions Center (CIPC).

If the agreement pushes through, City Hall need not wait for 20 years to settle the 12.292 billion yen it borrowed from JBIC to build the SRP.

"Wa na tay utang kon mahinayon na (That deal will wipe out our debt)," Yu told Sun.Star Cebu Wednesday.

Yu, who met with top executives of SM Wednesday morning at the CIPC office in the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel, was on his way to the office of Mayor Tomas Osmeña to report what transpired when Sun.Star called up.

Yu said that the mayor opted not to be at the meeting as he tasked CIPC to take up technical matters with prospective SRP investors.

"I am just the technical guy. My job is to evaluate and make recommendations to the mayor. It will be the mayor and the City Council that will decide on the proposals. I will report to him what we have discussed and we will discuss our counter-conditions to SM's proposal. I'm trying to get this moving as fast as possible," Yu said.

Yu begged off from revealing the details of the offer, as it will be the mayor who will discuss it in public.

He hinted, though, that SM initially offered to enter into a joint venture with the City Government, like the one between the Cebu Provincial Government and the Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corp. (CPVDC).

CPVDC, a subsidiary of Ayala Land Holdings Inc., developed a Province-owned lot into the information technology park now known as the Asia Town IT Park in Barangay Apas, Cebu City.

Yu said that with SM's plan to develop the entire SRP, the company will have to ask the City Government to abort negotiations with Bigfoot Global Solutions, Inc., who plans to buy the 16-hectare Pond F of the SRP.

Pond F is the 1.4-kilometer beachfront of the SRP, which Bigfoot wants to develop into a yacht club.

SM, however, reportedly told Yu that they will honor the City's existing lease agreement with Bigfoot on a two-hectare portion of the SRP, which is now being developed into a studio and soundstage.

Bigfoot will occupy the two-hectare site in the next 25 years at a lease of P5 million a year.

It already paid the City Government over half a million dollars as a five-year advance.

"But since SM wants to buy the SRP altogether, ilang gusto nga apil pod ang Pond F. Lisod man kung wala ang kinanin-dotan nga lugar (They're also interested in Pond F. They can hardly ignore the best part of the property)," he said. (Sun.Star Cebu)

Thursday, March 01, 2007
Shipbuilding firm mulls expansion in Balamban
By Malou M. Mozo
Sun.Star Staff Reporter

IN its thrust to put the Philippines on the map as a world-class builder of sea vessels, the construction and shipbuilding arms of the Aboitiz Group of Companies are planning to expand the capacity of the company’s shipbuilding facility in Balamban, Cebu.

Roberto Aboitiz, Metaphil Inc. chairman and chief executive officer, said Metaphil and Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Cebu Inc. (THICI) will sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the expansion of the THICI shipyard, to enable it to build ships with 180,000 deadweight tons (DWT).

THICI, a partnership of Tsuneishi Group of Japan and Aboitiz Group, has the capability of building ships of up to 80,000 DWT.

It has built more than 46 bulk carriers in Balamban. Bulk carriers are ships that carry heavy materials such as copper, gold, coal, iron and cement.

Aboitiz said by increasing the capability of THICI to build 180,000 DWT ships, it would be more competitive in the international market, and “put Cebu and the Philippines on the map.”

According to Aboitiz, a total of $200 million will be spent for the shipyard’s expansion, which he said will begin after the MOA is signed.

The expansion is expected to create more employment in the western part of Cebu, where Aboitiz said an estimated 3,000 individuals —such as welders, fitters and bosun, among others — will be hired.

He said THICI currently employs about 4,000 Filipinos.

Earlier, Balamban Mayor Alex Binghay said developments made by THICI have made the town “one of the booming municipalities in the province.”

Binghay said some residents in Balamban who have migrated to other industrial centers, such as Cebu, for employment, have gone back to their hometown because of employment opportunities created by the shipbuilding industry there.

The local government has required large companies, such as FBMA Marine Inc. and THICI, to allot 70 percent of their employment requirements to Balamban residents.

Aboitiz wholly-owned FBMA, a fastcraft manufacturing company, is one of the heavy industries operating at the West Cebu Industrial Park (WCIP) in Balamban.

Binghay said the town could still accommodate medium to heavy industries inside the WCIP, a special economic zone that grants incentives to new locators and pioneering ventures, such as metal fabrication for industrial purposes, production of construction materials, cement manufacturing, agro-processing, assembly of machinery or consumer products and power generation, among others.

THICI, which started operations in 1994, aims to be among the world’s top three shipbuilding companies by the year 2010.

Metaphil, on the other hand, was established in 1978. It is involved in steel fabrication, construction, engineering, design and procurement services.

The company’s plant located in Tipolo, Mandaue City has close to 3,000 workers. (MMM)

^^ grabe na talaga ang SM Prime.....good news for cebu city... if push through, Cebu City will be debt free.... wow!

^^ actually mga bai, that was my expectation / guess that SM Prime will take over the city's debt on the SRP...

^^ grabe na talaga ang SM Prime.....good news for cebu city... if push through, Cebu City will be debt free.... wow!

debt free but without SRP. :)

I'm starting to become a big fan of the developments around Cebu. It seems to me that most of the good side of the developments/decisions come from the mayor. It's good that a developing large city like Cebu is run by someone with a good head. Can't wait to see what sort of new developments pop up in Cebu, especially in the SRP.

it would be sad if cebu will lose the ownership of the srp. but i guess it's a trade-off for a debt-free cebu. either way is fine with me just as long as our leaders weigh the consequences and benefits of both options.

see next post

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF9240.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF8682.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF9342.jpg

Sir Paul...

About sa SRP road near the Malacañang sa Sugbo. The new access road that exits @MC Briones along Carbon area, is it only for the vehicles going to Talisay City from Cebu City? How about the vehicles from Talisay City going to Cebu City? Will they still pass in the road beside the Malacañan sa Sugbo? Di ba maka hamper of the digging of the underground tunnel?

@Benji Ouano, welcome. How are you related to the Ouanos of Mandaue ???

see next post

welcome bai!

Good morning! :D

welcome @benji.enjoy your stay! ;)

RE sm takes over: if they will allow this, then there'll be no bigfoot di ba?i think they still need to weigh things properly 'coz imo, if we think "long-term", i guess, it's better the city won't take it..

Hi Benji, welcome to SSC! :wave:

Hey guys, have you seen the area just beneath the Old Mandaue-Mactan Bridge? Sinunog na ang mga bushes, the area has been cleared. So what could probably be put up there? A subdivision?

SM taking over SRP?

Damn fine with me, but with an exception and condition though.

The exceptions and conditions:

1.) Just allow Bigfoot to freely pursue their plans in SRP.

2.) SM Prime Holdings will just consider Bigfoot as their first client.

3.) No changes will be made in the signed contract between Cebu City
and Bigfoot.

^^yeah, i agree hans, but i guess they won't allow it 'coz they love the space which is allocated for bigfoot..:)

I'm with hans idea...sana ndi nila e kick out ang Bigfoot sa SRP..sayang naman..

yep. nindot baya gyud ang pwesto nga napili sa bigfoot... so, daghan gyud mag-gukod anang pond F. Pero, gibang-an sad diay mo sa Bigfoot? Ngilngig lagi ang SM pero do you think musugot ra sad dali2x ang BigFoot nga nibayad na man kaha sila. hehehe...

Mao sad...

mura ug dili man ganahan c tito tom ninyo nga mag-open/expand ang sm sa srp tungod kay natagam sya atong nahitabo sa colon pag-open sa sm sa north reclamation..(katong previous post)..anyways mas pabor ko sa bigfoot...

As far as I know Tomas, since his first day at the city hall as a mayor. He's a man that honors his words.

First come first serve! Bigfoot came and invested first! Mayor Tom will honor the agreement between the city and Bigfoot as he always honors his words.

It's not only SM that is running and planning to invest in SRP. With that, SM can't pressure Mayor Tom thru their proposal. If SM is really interested and serious about SRP, then they're willing to meet Mayor Tom terms half way.

SM wants takeover of P6.3 Billion Debt
By Gingging A. Campaña Of Sun.Star Cebu

TOP executives of SM Prime Holdings Inc. yesterday submitted their financial proposal to the marketing arm of the South Road Properties (SRP) on their plan to take full control over the entire 295-hectare facility.

Among other things, SM’s multi-billion-peso offer includes “taking over the full obligation of paying” for the balance of Cebu City Hall’s P6.3-billion loan with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), said Joel Mari Yu, managing director of the Cebu Investment Promotions Center (CIPC).

If the agreement pushes through, City Hall need not wait for 20 years to settle the 12.292 billion yen it borrowed from JBIC to build the SRP.

“Wa na tay utang kon mahinayon na (That deal will wipe out our debt),” Yu told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.

Yu, who met with top executives of SM yesterday morning at the CIPC office in the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel, was on his way to the office of Mayor Tomas Osmeña to report what transpired when Sun.Star called up.

Yu said that the mayor opted not to be at the meeting as he tasked CIPC to take up technical matters with prospective SRP investors.

“I am just the technical guy. My job is to evaluate and make recommendations to the mayor. It will be the mayor and the City Council that will decide on the proposals. I will report to him what we have discussed and we will discuss our counter-conditions to SM’s proposal. I’m trying to get this moving as fast as possible,” Yu said.

Yu begged off from revealing the details of the offer, as it will be the mayor who will discuss it in public.

He hinted, though, that SM initially offered to enter into a joint venture with the City Government, like the one between the Cebu Provincial Government and the Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corp. (CPVDC).

CPVDC, a subsidiary of Ayala Land Holdings Inc., developed a Province-owned lot into the information technology park now known as the Asia Town IT Park in Barangay Apas, Cebu City.

Yu said that with SM’s plan to develop the entire SRP, the company will have to ask the City Government to abort negotiations with Bigfoot Global Solutions, Inc., who plans to buy the 16-hectare Pond F of the SRP.

Lease

Pond F is the 1.4-kilometer beachfront of the SRP, which Bigfoot wants to develop into a yacht club.

SM, however, reportedly told Yu that they will honor the City’s existing lease agreement with Bigfoot on a two-hectare portion of the SRP, which is now being developed into a studio and soundstage.

Bigfoot will occupy the two-hectare site in the next 25 years at a lease of P5 million a year.

It already paid the City Government over half a million dollars as a five-year advance.

“But since SM wants to buy the SRP altogether, ilang gusto nga apil pod ang Pond F. Lisod man kung wala ang kinanin-dotan nga lugar (They’re also interested in Pond F. They can hardly ignore the best part of the property),” he said.

I'm having second thoughts if SM will take over the entire SRP. Here they are:

1.) Will the masterplan for the SRP still be pursued?? or will SM just resell the lots to "anyone" for any kind of business (warehouses, junkshops, speculators, etc.) once it gets hold of the entire property.??

2.) Will SM develop the entire property immediately once it gets hold of it or would it just wait for the price of the property to go up before disposing it again to other investors.??

I hope that a contract will be signed between SM and the City Government if ever this will be pursued.

It should be stipulated in the contract that the SRP shall not become a wasteland once SM takes over it; that every hectare of it should generate a certain number of jobs; that only certain types of businesses shall be allowed to be built there (no warehouses, no motels, no junkshops/autoshops/display centers/showrooms, no bus/jeepney terminals, etc.); that SM should still follow the zoning (industrial area shall be for businesses similar to those in MEPZ only), etc.


:okay:

^^

dili kaha negative outcome lang ang resulta ana, if the SMPH will take full control over the entire SRP... basig dili nila ma-maintain ang property... But if we look at the positive side, ma-wipe-out jud ang utang sa Cebu City... They should discuss it properly whether they can gain the proposal or it would be losing in the end...

^^

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking bai..

Asiatown IT Park
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/769/99funinthestreets6vt.jpg

Tell the office of Mayor Tomas Osmeña that it is not good for the City.
It is an old business stategy to own a property with no money down.

Think about this... you own a house and you have a mortgage or loan.
I come in and tell you that I will assume your loan.
Now I own your house?
What if I failed to pay the mortgage both of us lost the house.
But you lost more. In fact I had nothing to lose in the first place.
I will also run away with lots of money.

Does SM have cash flow problems?
SM Development Corp. (SMDC.PH) Tuesday said its board has approved the sale of 54.96 million treasury shares to raise funds for projects the Philippine property concern plans to pursue.
http://www.smprime.com/News.php?BlurbID=419

debt free but without SRP. :)

... exactly bai.... eventually that is the main target, to sell lots at SRP to the right investors... the city hall is after the jobs it can generate from the companies investing in the SRP and most importantly to collect taxes from these companies....

3 hectare lot in Brgy. Apas Cebu City, near IT park is being demolished...

8 apartment buildings of Centcom are vacated... ingun ang mga tawo did2 nga i.sumpay daw sa ITpark... knang naay sign nga (welcome to Camp Lapu2x)... Naka.daog ang previous owner sa lot against the camp... daghan na au private security guards sa vicinity...

nag.expand nsad diay sa yuta ang ITpark... grabeh ang expansion... Booming Real-estate...

dili diay 3 hectares.... almost 10 hectares ang ka.dako sa area pag.agi nko...

bisan pa ang tibuok SM-Cebu ibutang nimu did2...

Tell the office of Mayor Tomas Osmeña that it is not good for the City.
It is an old business stategy to own a property with no money down.

Think about this... you own a house and you have a mortgage or loan.
I come in and tell you that I will assume your loan.
Now I own your house?
What if I failed to pay the mortgage both of us lost the house.
But you lost more. In fact I had nothing to lose in the first place.
I will also run away with lots of money.

Does SM have cash flow problems?
SM Development Corp. (SMDC.PH) Tuesday said its board has approved the sale of 54.96 million treasury shares to raise funds for projects the Philippine property concern plans to pursue.
http://www.smprime.com/News.php?BlurbID=419

mao jud bai... mas.maau ug i.rent nlng sa City ang SRP sa mga investors...

dili nlng ibaligya... hope nga mabasa ni Zidlakan...

we should know how SM plans to use the area...

if the city decides to sell the property... they will not have any say on what SM wants to build there... 6.5 billion is a big debt... but thats manageable... our city can pay that... they just need to develop the property...

locators in SRP should be diverse... and they should complement each other... they should be owned by different people... diversity increases creativity...

the city should not sell the whole property to SM alone... its tempting... but for me... its not good... just fast track the development... and SRP will succeed...

... exactly bai.... eventually that is the main target, to sell lots at SRP to the right investors... the city hall is after the jobs it can generate from the companies investing in the SRP and most importantly to collect taxes from these companies....

I don't think Mayor Tom and the City Council will agree to sell the property on the basis of job creation and taxes only without getting billions of financial gain from the deal. Swapping the whole of SRP’s around 293 hectares (net of Bigfoot 2 has.) with the equivalent of City’s debt is as good as nothing happens on the intent of the reclamation at all that is the full control on how SRP should be developed. If the deal will push through and SM plans to develop the entire SRP, then negotiations with Bigfoot to buy the 16-hectare Pond F for yacht club will be aborted. SM may still sell the lot to Bigfoot but on their terms.

Mandaue City’s reclamation is far better because Mandaue City share lots with FF Cruz in the reclamation such as: CICC, Uniwide and lots surrounding it without spending a cent as Mayor Ouano said. Anyhow, let’s see how much SM is offering and the counter offer by the city council.

..bai @kentaro, this is your pic from flickr....hehehhe!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/161/406268216_d247d6c9bb_o.jpg

^^ i think the news article indicated that SM Prime is willing to accept Osmena's deal with Bigfoot...

Yu said that with SM's plan to develop the entire SRP, the company will have to ask the City Government to abort negotiations with Bigfoot Global Solutions, Inc., who plans to buy the 16-hectare Pond F of the SRP.

Pond F is the 1.4-kilometer beachfront of the SRP, which Bigfoot wants to develop into a yacht club.

SM, however, reportedly told Yu that they will honor the City's existing lease agreement with Bigfoot on a two-hectare portion of the SRP, which is now being developed into a studio and soundstage.

Bigfoot will occupy the two-hectare site in the next 25 years at a lease of P5 million a year.

still, they don't want them to have the 16-hectare Pond F..:ohno:

Sir Paul...

About sa SRP road near the Malacañang sa Sugbo. The new access road that exits @MC Briones along Carbon area, is it only for the vehicles going to Talisay City from Cebu City? How about the vehicles from Talisay City going to Cebu City? Will they still pass in the road beside the Malacañan sa Sugbo? Di ba maka hamper of the digging of the underground tunnel?

@Benji Ouano, welcome. How are you related to the Ouanos of Mandaue ???
that's right, traffic going to talisay will pass through MC Briones, those coming
from Talisay will continue to pass besides malacanang. and yes, it will not only
hamper the construction of the underground tunnel, it will congest MC Briones-
Carbon area doubling the number of traffic conflicts from the existing 3 to 6.

don't ask me becuase i am not in favor of this i just have to go along because
there seems to be no other way. when i discussed this with dpwh in 2004,
we agreed that the road is not officially opened under the law and that we
open it for the meantime and close it when necessary because WE KNOW that
it needs to be closed because of the tunnel later. other people might think
its because of the trouble w talisay but the real reason for the closure was
technical and engineering in nature, one which i have already discussed with
dpwh and the contractor in 2004 before opening it partially to traffic. however
some very bright lawyers sued us and the judge issued an order, both of them
believing they are far better that an engineer as to the need to open or close
a road under construction, so now, we can't do anything but divert the traffic
even if it cuases chaos and congestion in the area. if not for the lawsuit, the
best thing to do is close the road and work as fast as we can!

anyways, let's hope for the best.

mao jud bai... mas.maau ug i.rent nlng sa City ang SRP sa mga investors...

dili nlng ibaligya... hope nga mabasa ni Zidlakan...
when it comes to marketing, i'm not in the picture ... joel yu/cipc takes care of
that... we have our respective roles - currently i take care of the titling of the
remaining 4 has, (gamay na lang pero hastang labara!) and of loan manage
ment as city planning and head of the local finance.

but with policy decisions like this, of course i have to offer my opinion to
the mayor. don't know the exact details yet but in principle, i'm not in favor of
a total take-over... for both property and loan. in effect, mura ra ta'g gihimo'g
contractor ana. secondly, we have to go back to the basic premise that the
SRP was designed NOT to be SOLD... the 2003 development design of the SRP
which i evaluated when i was still working in NEDA was patterned after MEPZ
which rents out spaces to investors. the 1993 proposal which was approved
only speaks of possible selling JUST IN CASE the project runs into cash flow
problems which is what is happening now, and selling small parts at a time
just to meet ammortization requirements. time and the investment climate
did change since 1993 but the basic development principle of the SRP remains
the same and that is to generate employment for the city, not cash for city
hall. if the offer of SM will look tempting, i would really stress some conditions
which will ensure that those development concepts remain in place even if the
operator will be a private entity.

^^ thank you for the info sir!

Yu said that with SM's plan to develop the entire SRP, the company will have to ask the City Government to abort negotiations with Bigfoot Global Solutions, Inc., who plans to buy the 16-hectare Pond F of the SRP.

Pond F is the 1.4-kilometer beachfront of the SRP, which Bigfoot wants to develop into a yacht club.

SM, however, reportedly told Yu that they will honor the City's existing lease agreement with Bigfoot on a two-hectare portion of the SRP, which is now being developed into a studio and soundstage.

Bigfoot will occupy the two-hectare site in the next 25 years at a lease of P5 million a year.

still, they don't want them to have the 16-hectare Pond F..:ohno:


For me, i'm in favor of Bigfoot proposal. :cheers:

Hi Benji, welcome to SSC! :wave:

Hey guys, have you seen the area just beneath the Old Mandaue-Mactan Bridge? Sinunog na ang mga bushes, the area has been cleared. So what could probably be put up there? A subdivision?

basin madayon na to ang development sa hotel na pwerting dugaya na gyud gi-propose...

[QUOTE=marxman;11957022]locators in SRP should be diverse... and they should complement each other... they should be owned by different people... diversity increases creativity...
QUOTE]

^^ I like what u said:) :) :) :) :) :) :banana:

whre i cud find the Cebu T54

^ Thread Archives :)

DEDON CEBU
http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/Jarenz_038/dedoncebu.jpg

dnt know the place yet...

does anyone know this project???

An article as of Sept 2006

Furniture maker bares Cebu expansion plans

A German-owned furniture manufacturing company based in Cebu will put in additional investments in the province that would generate about 300 jobs within the year.

Furniture export firm Dedon Manufacturing Inc. has informed the Philippine Trade and Investment Center office in Berlin, Germany that the firm plans to expand its production facilities in the Philippines with an additional investment of $5 million within three years.

According to an article on the Department of Trade and Industry’s Tradeline News and Market Development website, Dedon plans to increase its workforce in Cebu to 3,000 within this year.

Dedon has a workforce of 2,730 in its plants in Mandaue City at present.

Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF) president Michael Basubas told Sun.Star Cebu that Dedon will be putting up a third plant in Mandaue City this year.

Basubas said he welcomes the expansion as an indicator that the local furniture exporting industry is growing.

“This is a very good development and an opportunity for employment in Cebu,” he added.

He said Dedon’s expansion plans show it has confidence in local craftsmanship, which he considers as the country’s edge over other furniture exporting countries.

Contribute

Dedon contributed $23 million in export revenues to the Philippines’ total furniture exports of $303.86 million in 2005.

Dedon recently introduced to the international market its new signature collection dubbed, Yin Yang.

The company’s website stated that the idea for the collection “came to designer Nicolas Thomkins” on a beach in Olango Island.

The article on Trade-line’s website read that Dedon prides itself for products that show the fusion of Philippine ethnic designs and German technology, a combination that appeals to the international market.

Basubas, in a talk last Monday, said the local furniture industry will employ new strategies that will encourage manufacturers to produce globally competitive products.

He said because of the growing trend for designer-type furniture, CFIF will be tapping expert furniture designers in Europe to train local manufacturers.

He said the move aims to bring more quality export produce, not just to Europe, but to the US and Middle East as well, which are the industry’s top markets.

Dedon, which is known for all-weather furniture pieces, is one of the country’s leading furniture makers.

The company maintains showrooms in Austria, Spain and Germany. (MMM)

^ Could that be it?

I think ur right shinj,,, wow!

Tomas still undecided on SM bid in South Road Properties

The Freeman 03/02/2007

Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday clarified that he has not decided yet on the proposal of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. to assume the city government's debts in exchange of its full control of the entire South Road Properties.

If SM wants to take over the whole property, it has to come up with a better project proposal, the mayor said.

Osmeña said earlier that he would not allow another mall to be constructed at the SRP because it would only raise competition that would eventually kill smaller department stores in the city.

He said that two to three years ago SM offered to put up a mall at the SRP but he turned this down because a "mall is a low priority" in the 295-hectare property.

He agreed however that SM is one of the brightest in business and it has even gone beyond the business of malls already. He added that it would be up to SM and Fil-Invest now if they want to go on a joint venture at the SRP.

On the other hand, Osmeña said he would not drop the negotiations between the city and Bigfoot Global Solutions about the latter's plan to buy the 16-hectare Pond F of the SRP. "Under circumstances, I'm not going to kick out Bigfoot," he said.

The city government and Bigfoot, which plans to build a studio and soundstage in the two-hectare portion of the lot it will buy, have already signed a memorandum of agreement, and the company had even paid the city over $500,000 as a five-year advance payment.

"We have to meet the problem on liquidity in the next two to three years, that's why I'm hungry to sell part of the SRP," Osmeña said.

The mayor said the city government now needs only one complete sale, after which it would be more discriminating in choosing who to take in as investors at SRP. "Make a deal now because after that we will be picky."

Officials of SM recently met with Joel Mari Yu, managing director of the Cebu Investment Promotions Center, the marketing arm of the SRP, to discuss their interest in taking full control of SRP while the company assumes the debts of the city government.

Osmeña refused to give details over this matter saying only that this is presently being under negotiation. He gave assurance however that anything that might come out from this would be for the best of the people of Cebu.

He said the city is also making sure that the projects that would be put up at the SRP must provide employment opportunities for the Cebuanos.

Osmeña said the city is open to sincere investors, and not just mere speculators, adding that, with its fallback option in place, he is optimistic the city could sell between five to 10 hectares there to be able to pay its debts.

The city has an outstanding balance of P6.3 billion on its loan with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. Should the SM proposal push through, however, the city would not go through 20 years to settle its debts anymore. - Wenna A. Berondo/RAE

Cebu "fresh alternative" in country's development

The Freeman 03/02/2007

Cebu is part of the country's economic development because it provides "a fresh alternative", according to Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

Garcia was invited by the Consular Corps of the Philippines to their monthly meeting last Wednesday in Mandarin Hotel in Manila to speak on how Cebu, under her leadership, has become a strategic ingredient in the economic development of the Philippines.

She specifically stated economic opportunities that the province has opened to the private sector in partnership with the Province of Cebu.

"As your partners in the Chambers of Commerce will tell you, the Province of Cebu has tried hard to provide the right environment for business to grow and to flourish," she added.

Garcia said that Cebu proved it can rise to every challenge and achieve great things against seemingly insurmountable odds with the hosting of the 12th ASEAN Summit.

"What we lacked for in infrastructure, we more than made up for in warmth," she said.

With billions of pesos in assets, a healthy, considerable surplus, and the highest income amongst all provinces, Garcia said Cebu has moved forward and is further embarking upon economic enterprises for the provincial government, to generate more revenue to finance public infrastructure projects and social services.

The province is set to bid out projects and private sector the development of the Farmer's Market, an 80-hectare lot in Camp Lapu-Lapu, the Cebu International Convention Center, the 300-kilometer Transaxial Highway and solid waste management. - Gregg M. Rubio/BRP

naa gud dakong sunog ngari dapit amo.....

ni-login lang ko kay daghan kaau taw ngari...

Friday, March 02, 2007
SM to get only big chunk, not entire SRP
By Linette C. Ramos
Sun.Star Staff Reporter

WITH two other possible investors at the South Road Properties (SRP), Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is not inclined to sell the entire 295-hectare facility to SM Prime Holdings Inc. at this time.

The mayor plans to sell “a big chunk” of the SRP to SM, with some parcels left for Bigfoot Global Solutions Inc. and other industries, said Joel Mari Yu of the Cebu Investments Promotion Center (CIPC), the marketing arm of the SRP.

Yu presented SM’s proposal to the mayor yesterday, but they have yet to see the details of the financial package of SM Prime Holdings, the company behind SM malls.

“The mayor is not inclined to give the whole SRP to SM. What he can consider at this time is they can get a big chunk but dili tanan. But he wants to see first the financial package they will give the City Government and it will depend on that,” Yu told Sun.Star Cebu.

He would not disclose yet how much SM is offering for the entire facility since its representatives have yet to submit a detailed financial package.

SM is offering to undertake a joint venture with the City Government in developing the entire SRP.

In their proposal, SM’s multi-billion-peso offer includes taking over the full obligation of paying for the balance of Cebu City Hall’s P6.3-billion loan with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

Yu explained that if the proposal pushes through, it will take the form of an incorporated joint venture, where both parties will be part of a corporation.

Equity

The City’s equity will be the value of all the land it will put in to the development, while SM’s equity will be the cash value of all buildings and facilities that will rise on the property.

Based on the proposal it presented to the CIPC, SM wants to build a mall, information technology buildings and residential condominiums and hotels at the SRP.

But for the deal to push through, Osmeña said yesterday that SM has to propose more than what it wants to build, since there are also investors that can generate more employment than what a commercial development can bring.

Osmeña said he also will not drive away Bigfoot Global Solutions from the SRP after it had signed the lease of a two-hectare property there.

Filinvest

He is also evaluating the proposal of Filinvest, which also plans to build a commercial center at the SRP.

“If they want to take over the whole area, they better come up with something more than what they’re offering now because I’m not going to kick out Bigfoot because (their business) is new to Cebu and it will create jobs,” he told reporters.

With SM’s proposal, Osmeña said it will be either SM or Filinvest that can undertake development projects there since their plans are similar.

It’s now a choice between SM and Filinvest, he said, and one of them will be given a place at SRP “because more or less the development plan is the same.”

Yu could not give details of the negotiations with Filinvest since the mayor is the one personally handling the matter.

Bigfoot president Michael Gleissner and Osmeña signed the lease agreement last month for the two-hectare parcel it will lease for the next 25 years at P5 million a year.

A film studio and soundstage will rise on the site soon.

Aside from the lease, Bigfoot is also negotiating to buy the 16.8-hectare Pond F at P12,000 per square meter, or a total of P1.94 billion.

The mayor is also planning to bring in Japanese investors to the SRP for the retirement facilities there.

Benefits

Councilor Jose Daluz III, chairman of the City Council committee on real property management, said the City’s decision on whether or not it will accept SM’s offer should depend not only on the financial package but also on the benefits it will give Cebuanos in terms of employment and revenues.

He said SM should present its detailed financial package soon so the City can study its options.

“There’s no question on whether the SRP should go to only one developer. More importantly, what should be considered is if the development will benefit the entire city. Will it generate more jobs for the people? And these should not be limited to jobs like salesclerks,” Daluz said in a phone interview.

Daluz added that the SRP was envisioned to be an employment generation project and whatever will rise there should serve its purpose.

Please correct my SRP math:

WITH two other possible investors at the South Road Properties (SRP), Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is not inclined to sell the entire 295-hectare facility to SM Prime Holdings Inc. at this time.
==================================
Sun.Star
Thursday, March 01, 2007
SM wants takeover of city's P6.3B SRP debt
By Gingging A. Campaña
===============================
Bigfoot president Michael Gleissner and Osmeña signed the lease agreement last month for the two-hectare parcel it will lease for the next 25 years at P5 million a year.
Aside from the lease, Bigfoot is also negotiating to buy the 16.8-hectare Pond F at P12,000 per square meter, or a total of P1.94 billion.
===============================
Calculation:
295-hectare/16.8=17.559523809523809523809523809524

17.559523809523809523809523809524 x 1.94=34.07 billion
===============================================
SM wants takeover of city's = P6.3B SRP debt and no money to Cebu City

For all SRP at Bigfoot president Michael Gleissner price = 34.07 billion
and Cebu gets money equivalent in Dollars!!!!
Maybe in advance too... no promises or assets on an imaginary future improvements!

Again..Does SM have cash flow problems? 2/28/2007 on thier website.
SM Development Corp. (SMDC.PH) Tuesday said its board has approved the sale of 54.96 million treasury shares to raise funds for projects the Philippine property concern plans to pursue.
http://www.smprime.com/News.php?BlurbID=419

btw, we are from the naga ouano clan, this is our cousins and uncle's place
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF9738.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF8473.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF9106-1.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF9024.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF9222.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF9258.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF8676.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF8835.jpg

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Manilla%202006-2007/DSCF0140.jpg

[QUOTE=Benji_Ouano;11966908]
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF9258.jpg


Saan 'to located?

Please correct my SRP math:

===============================
Calculation:
295-hectare/16.8=17.559523809523809523809523809524

17.559523809523809523809523809524 x 1.94=34.07 billion
===============================================




ngano divide man??? subtract cguro ng 295 og 16.8.

[QUOTE=Benji_Ouano;11966908]
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF9258.jpg


Saan 'to located?

Naga, Cebu

From Flickr.com

Shangrila

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/6029/shangif6.jpg

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/5425/shang1sa6.jpg

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/273/shang2ke2.jpg

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/9707/shang3sx8.jpg

from flickr.com

More...

Sails
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/3381/sailsug4.jpg

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/2576/shangrlg7.jpg

tree house
http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/9664/treehouseum2.jpg

PACIFIC CEBU SUNSET
from Flickr.com-by rpeg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/369672512_4db1da4acc.jpg?v=0

CEBU COASTLINE-Mactan
by scuba_dooba
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/389144660_0470c19bbe.jpg?v=0

STA FE, BANTAYAN, CEBU
by sheren
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/211695496_b4d2904b41.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/87/211695495_1b48b01f7e.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/65/218923039_117b81900f.jpg?v=0

^^nice pics..

Please correct my SRP math:

WITH two other possible investors at the South Road Properties (SRP), Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is not inclined to sell the entire 295-hectare facility to SM Prime Holdings Inc. at this time.
==================================
Sun.Star
Thursday, March 01, 2007
SM wants takeover of city's P6.3B SRP debt
By Gingging A. Campaña
===============================
Bigfoot president Michael Gleissner and Osmeña signed the lease agreement last month for the two-hectare parcel it will lease for the next 25 years at P5 million a year.
Aside from the lease, Bigfoot is also negotiating to buy the 16.8-hectare Pond F at P12,000 per square meter, or a total of P1.94 billion.
===============================
Calculation:
295-hectare/16.8=17.559523809523809523809523809524

17.559523809523809523809523809524 x 1.94=34.07 billion
===============================================
SM wants takeover of city's = P6.3B SRP debt and no money to Cebu City

For all SRP at Bigfoot president Michael Gleissner price = 34.07 billion
and Cebu gets money equivalent in Dollars!!!!
Maybe in advance too... no promises or assets on an imaginary future improvements!

Again..Does SM have cash flow problems? 2/28/2007 on thier website.
SM Development Corp. (SMDC.PH) Tuesday said its board has approved the sale of 54.96 million treasury shares to raise funds for projects the Philippine property concern plans to pursue.
http://www.smprime.com/News.php?BlurbID=419

now, you're getting the picture. lets refine that math to a more realistic one.

entire area = 296 has.

minus ...

pond a = 60 has. (under water/untitled but can be filled up later)
SCR = 21 has (owned by national govt.)
untitled postion = 5 has. (the ones im still working on)

net free area = 210 has., say 200 has. na lang

less 25% (standard/ for roads, open spaces, parks, utilities, etc.)

total salable area = 150 has.

now depending on the land prices, it will get varying total value. in general,
CIPC is setting the prices at 10,000 to 15,000 per square, depending on the
area. discounts maybe considered for certain considerations, like if one buys
big chunks, certainly there's a discount. the mayor will even give the land
for free if the development clearly is so advantageous to the cebuanos, like
creating huge job opportunities or bringing in new investments. the 10,000-
15,000/sq. m. is an indicative price, but we must always not forget that we
have the SRP not to make money but for economic development and for the
well-being of the cebuanos.

personally, i am seeing land prices in the SRP to reach 20,000-25,000/sq. m.
in 3-5 years time. that is valuable property.

however, even if we just assume a P10,000/sq. m. value. the SRP right now
has a minimum value of P15B!!!!!!!!! with a loan of P5B (nakuhaan naman kay
nana may nabayran). i really believe its more that P15B but for the sake of
presentation, lets make it P15B. now you see why the mayor says we are not
bankrupt! naa la'y gamay'ng problema sa cash flow ... but finance wise, we
are extremely healthy ...

all incoming deals should deal with this fact. we can be choosy. we don't
need to rush deals. we only need 250-500M each year for the amortization.
what is important is that the SRP be developed.

good morning to all.

PACIFIC CEBU SUNSET
from Flickr.com-by rpeg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/369672512_4db1da4acc.jpg?v=0

STA FE, BANTAYAN, CEBU
by sheren
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/211695496_b4d2904b41.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/87/211695495_1b48b01f7e.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/65/218923039_117b81900f.jpg?v=0

wow! Sta. Fe really has a very nice beach, white and fine sands

now, you're getting the picture. lets refine that math to a more realistic one.

entire area = 296 has.

minus ...

pond a = 60 has. (under water/untitled but can be filled up later)
SCR = 21 has (owned by national govt.)
untitled postion = 5 has. (the ones im still working on)

net free area = 210 has., say 200 has. na lang

less 25% (standard/ for roads, open spaces, parks, utilities, etc.)

total salable area = 150 has.

now depending on the land prices, it will get varying total value. in general,
CIPC is setting the prices at 10,000 to 15,000 per square, depending on the
area. discounts maybe considered for certain considerations, like if one buys
big chunks, certainly there's a discount. the mayor will even give the land
for free if the development clearly is so advantageous to the cebuanos, like
creating huge job opportunities or bringing in new investments. the 10,000-
15,000/sq. m. is an indicative price, but we must always not forget that we
have the SRP not to make money but for economic development and for the
well-being of the cebuanos.

personally, i am seeing land prices in the SRP to reach 20,000-25,000/sq. m.
in 3-5 years time. that is valuable property.

however, even if we just assume a P10,000/sq. m. value. the SRP right now
has a minimum value of P15B!!!!!!!!! with a loan of P5B (nakuhaan naman kay
nana may nabayran). i really believe its more that P15B but for the sake of
presentation, lets make it P15B. now you see why the mayor says we are not
bankrupt! naa la'y gamay'ng problema sa cash flow ... but finance wise, we
are extremely healthy ...

all incoming deals should deal with this fact. we can be choosy. we don't
need to rush deals. we only need 250-500M each year for the amortization.
what is important is that the SRP be developed.

good morning to all.

wow.. salamat sir!

now, you're getting the picture. lets refine that math to a more realistic one.

entire area = 296 has.

minus ...

pond a = 60 has. (under water/untitled but can be filled up later)
SCR = 21 has (owned by national govt.)
untitled postion = 5 has. (the ones im still working on)

net free area = 210 has., say 200 has. na lang

less 25% (standard/ for roads, open spaces, parks, utilities, etc.)

total salable area = 150 has.

now depending on the land prices, it will get varying total value. in general,
CIPC is setting the prices at 10,000 to 15,000 per square, depending on the
area. discounts maybe considered for certain considerations, like if one buys
big chunks, certainly there's a discount. the mayor will even give the land
for free if the development clearly is so advantageous to the cebuanos, like
creating huge job opportunities or bringing in new investments. the 10,000-
15,000/sq. m. is an indicative price, but we must always not forget that we
have the SRP not to make money but for economic development and for the
well-being of the cebuanos.

personally, i am seeing land prices in the SRP to reach 20,000-25,000/sq. m.
in 3-5 years time. that is valuable property.

however, even if we just assume a P10,000/sq. m. value. the SRP right now
has a minimum value of P15B!!!!!!!!! with a loan of P5B (nakuhaan naman kay
nana may nabayran). i really believe its more that P15B but for the sake of
presentation, lets make it P15B. now you see why the mayor says we are not
bankrupt! naa la'y gamay'ng problema sa cash flow ... but finance wise, we
are extremely healthy ...

all incoming deals should deal with this fact. we can be choosy. we don't
need to rush deals. we only need 250-500M each year for the amortization.
what is important is that the SRP be developed.

good morning to all.

Dia naman diay. Sir thanks, this is a realistic one.

now, you're getting the picture. lets refine that math to a more realistic one.

entire area = 296 has.

minus ...

pond a = 60 has. (under water/untitled but can be filled up later)
SCR = 21 has (owned by national govt.)
untitled postion = 5 has. (the ones im still working on)

net free area = 210 has., say 200 has. na lang

less 25% (standard/ for roads, open spaces, parks, utilities, etc.)

total salable area = 150 has.

now depending on the land prices, it will get varying total value. in general,
CIPC is setting the prices at 10,000 to 15,000 per square, depending on the
area. discounts maybe considered for certain considerations, like if one buys
big chunks, certainly there's a discount. the mayor will even give the land
for free if the development clearly is so advantageous to the cebuanos, like
creating huge job opportunities or bringing in new investments. the 10,000-
15,000/sq. m. is an indicative price, but we must always not forget that we
have the SRP not to make money but for economic development and for the
well-being of the cebuanos.

personally, i am seeing land prices in the SRP to reach 20,000-25,000/sq. m.
in 3-5 years time. that is valuable property.

however, even if we just assume a P10,000/sq. m. value. the SRP right now
has a minimum value of P15B!!!!!!!!! with a loan of P5B (nakuhaan naman kay
nana may nabayran). i really believe its more that P15B but for the sake of
presentation, lets make it P15B. now you see why the mayor says we are not
bankrupt! naa la'y gamay'ng problema sa cash flow ... but finance wise, we
are extremely healthy ...

all incoming deals should deal with this fact. we can be choosy. we don't
need to rush deals. we only need 250-500M each year for the amortization.
what is important is that the SRP be developed.

good morning to all.

yuta gud na... the price of the land only goes up!!!! hehehehe... paka.uwaw man lng tong tigulang ni.ingun nga bankrupt na ang city... :banana:

Benji_Ouano,

Just a request. Can you resize the width of your picture you posted to 500 pixels or smaller (width)? It's rather too large.

Is the survey on the competitiveness of Cities already out?

I remember last year it was released on a February.. or is this an annual survey?


..

huwowwwwwww...!

Still plenty of space to build a TERMINAL II in the future...

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r286/bengilsing5787/Naga%202006/DSCF8473.jpg

:okay: :okay: :okay:

..

Regarding the SRP,

I hope that Talisay City will act on the TRISIKADS and MULTICABS that are parked on the shoulder of the road/highway and the KIDS that are playing and crossing on the road, or whose responsibility is it ba???

It's a highway my goodness and these are very much a hazard..

It's so ironic that they're claiming a part of the SRP and yet they can't clear off those obstructions in the highway.........



..

^^bitaw, and murag hugaw pud tan-awon nang talisay side dapit bai ba after sa bridge... nakasulay kog tambay kadyot diha sa seawall ba, perting bahua kay daghan t*e.

makalagot kaayo.

In Talisay side after the bridge, squatters are beginning sprout. Another barangay Luz in the making.

Vice governor’s proposal ‘unacceptable’

Cebu Daily News
Last updated 01:23pm (Mla time) 03/02/2007

THE “win-win” solution proposed by Vice Gov. Greg Sanchez Jr. is “unacceptable,” said Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

The vice governor proposed to cluster all the 1,467 families that had paid in full their amortization for the lots under ordinance 93-1. The remaining 2,681 families who still have unpaid amortizations and those who have violated their contracts with the provincial government will have to be relocated somewhere else, Sanchez said.

Osmeña said he would allow the 4,148 families who occupy province-owned lots covered by the provincial ordinance 93-1 to decide on the vice governor’s proposal.

“You tell that to the tenants. If they don't like it, I will support them,” said Osmeña.

“I know that the vice governor is sincere (in coming up with a proposal) but he’s moving on the wrong track,” the mayor added.

Last Monday, Sanchez proposed what he called a “win-win” solution to end the conflict involving Mayor Osmeña and Gov. Gwen Garcia.

Sanchez said clustering would allow the provincial government to recover part of the lots that they now occupy and use these for commercial and other purposes.

The provincial government may earn at least P4 billion from the sale of the recovered properties, he said.

But Osmeña said Sanchez’s proposal would have difficulty in getting support, especially from the more than 2,000 families with unpaid amortization.

“If the people will oppose (Sanchez’s proposal), which I know they will, I will have to oppose the proposal as well. That’s their home. That’s their community. It will be like uprooting them from the system,” he said.

Osmeña said he would continue to take care of his constituents even if they occupy properties located near commercial establishments.

“I’m not afraid to show the poor. They’re not an eyesore. You (only) become an eyesore when you’re dirty,” he said.

Barangay Luz, he said, was one of the well-decorated barangays during the Pasko sa Sugbu celebration. Residents managed to keep their area clean during the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, he added.

“Poverty to me is not synonymous to being an eyesore. There are some rich people pero hugaw sad sila (but they are also dirty),” said Osmeña.

Fuente Fruit Stand




http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_3870.jpg?t=1172825543

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_3869.jpg?t=1172825567

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_3867.jpg?t=1172825692

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_3866.jpg?t=1172825702

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_3865.jpg?t=1172825714

Random Cebu Pics


http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/s4020967-1.jpg?t=1172825953

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_1232-1.jpg?t=1172825982

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_1230-1.jpg?t=1172825993

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/100_0941.jpg?t=1172826028

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_1409.jpg?t=1172826120

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_1406.jpg?t=1172826149

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_1405.jpg?t=1172826173

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_1388.jpg?t=1172826222

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_0968-1.jpg?t=1172826290

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_1185.jpg?t=1172826401

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/leylan/102_1151.jpg?t=1172826467

Fresh News!

10 storey Skyrise 2 will start its construction this summer. It will be build beside The Loft. We don't have any perspective here, but we do have an AutoCAD drawing plans and construction details. I'll just post the perspective of it once we have it here at the office. But Summer 2007 is a month away, so it's better to just wait and see Skyrise 2 rise from the ground of Asiatown IT Park.

FYI!

Skyrise 1 and 2 are own by a Cebuano family who owns Golden Peak and Oro China.

That's all folks!

^^ bloody good news. :D

Fresh News!

10 storey Skyrise 2 will start its construction this summer. It will be build beside The Loft. We don't have any perspective here, but we do have an AutoCAD drawing plans and construction details. I'll just post the perspective of it once we have it here at the office. But Summer 2007 is a month away, so it's better to just wait and see Skyrise 2 rise from the ground of Asiatown IT Park.

FYI!

Skyrise 1 and 2 are own by a Cebuano family who owns Golden Peak and Oro China.

That's all folks!


wow. maguwang rag 3 storeys sa skyrise 1. hehehe...

pics nya bai ha. =)

^^ hmmm...another blessings :applause:

after quite some time, we've seen "my" company's (the company where i work for) perspective of its new cebu edifice but im afraid that the number of storeys (as seen in this pic below) is much more than what was originally planned at 15 to 18 storeys... but if realized nga 25, much better!!! :)

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/cebupics3/Cebu%20Business%20Park/insular-life-cebu.jpg

^^ insular life sure has a lot of money to build such a beautiful building as that, IMO it looks even better than globe innove which up to now is my favorite building in cebu

The arrival of the WORLD YOUTH DAY CROSS yesterday (March 1) at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral from the vatican. This is the 1st time that this World Youth Day CROSS visited the Pilippines after the 1995 World Youth Day in Manila. World Youth Day will be held in Australia this year.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/WYDC7.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/WYDC8.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/WYDC9.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/WYDC12.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/WYDC13.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/WYDC15.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/WYDC5.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/WYDC4.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/WYDC3.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/WYDC2.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/WYDC1.jpg

Is this the AIM Survey? Maybe let us not expect Cebu to be in there you know na ... :)

Is the survey on the competitiveness of Cities already out?

I remember last year it was released on a February.. or is this an annual survey?


..

Malaysian firm eyes PBWRC joint venture
By Ehda M. Dagooc
The Freeman 03/03/2007

Newly formed Pilipinas Bulk Water Resources Corporation (PBWRC) is currently negotiating with Malaysia-based Ranhill Engineers and Constructors Sdn. Bhd., for a possible business partnership.

PBWRC, led by businessman Michel Lhuillier initially announced to embark on a P3 billion bulk water supply project in Metro Cebu, as the company's flagship project.

Top officials of Ranhill Engineers and Constructors led by its chief executive officer (CEO) Ron Metcalf were here in Cebu recently and paid a courtesy call to Cebu provincial governor Gwen Garcia, said PBWRC legal counsel Judge Romulo Senining

According to Senining, Ranhill expressed interest to take part of the proposed P5 billion Trans-axial Highway in Cebu, in a probable partnership with PBWRC.

Ranhill is a global construction company based in Malaysia, a subsidiary of a Malaysia Public Listed company on the Main Board of the KLSE. The group has over 28 years experience and expertise in the infrastructure, oil gas, and utilities sectors.

The Cebu government has announced its plan to seriously pursue the proposed "trans-axial highway" that would connect the province's northernmost town of Daanbantayan to Santander in the South.

The highway will bisect the cigar-shaped island of Cebu, and all its 47 towns and six cities to be connected to it via feeder roads.

Although, the negotiation is still underway, Senining said the potential partnership of PBWRC and Ranhill would increase PBWRC's capability to venture into bigger projects.

PBWRC is a partnership between the M. Lhuillier Group of Companies and Mactan Rock Industries Inc.

Senining said Ranhill officials are scheduled to be back in Cebu in the coming months to finalize works pertaining to its investment interest in Cebu.

Meanwhile, PBWRC will continue the development of its seven projects that will supply about 260,000 cubic meters a day of water to Cebu.

The company will take advantage of its existing Barangayan Project, which already has in-place infrastructure for using surface water process, that have already earned permits from the respective local government units (LGUs).

It will also establish a medium size DAM in Mananga and Cot-Cot areas that will generate at least 120,000 cubic meters a day.

an idea just occured to me...a solution to the big squatter problem...

since fire prevention month gyud karon...why not evict the illegal settlers with fire? :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil:

:jk: peace loving baya ko...

^^ dba barrio luz has had a number of big fires in the past? guess they just come back afterwards and rebuild their shanties, and who wouldnt, living in that area is very convenient since your close to everything; ayala, country mall, sm etc.

Scary News

I've heard in the news that there are some parts of Guadalupe (forgot the name of the baragay) that is under fire, not an ordinary fire but fire coming from the ground. Experts are already studying the area for a possibility that there is a growing volcano underneath. -DYAB-

Scary News

I've heard in the news that there are some parts of Guadalupe (forgot the name of the baragay) that is under fire, not an ordinary fire but fire coming from the ground. Experts are already studying the area for a possibility that there is a growing volcano underneath. -DYAB-

Nah...I think that's farfetched. Cebu is very far from any subduction zones or hotspots. Cebu is mainly made out of coral (limestone) and other rocks although the indication of copper in Atlas may have suggested that there's stress on the rocks due to uplifting of below-ground rocks or due to pre-historic earthquakes that raised Cebu from the waters of the Pacific.

Cebu has several faultlines in its Central area (in particular at CebuCity-Balamban area) but not as active as those in eastern and western Philippines but take note that DENR declared Cebu as part of the top10 most landslide prone areas in the country.

wat's new CEBU? mingaw man. hehe

mingaw kay naay outing..

mao lagi... pero hapon pa man unta ang trip diba? di diay ka kuyog bai?

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/pldt.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/Fuente.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/Winland.jpg

B Rodriguez
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/Brod1.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/consupdt1.jpg

anha man ko mag-agian everyday.. sa b.rod. hehehe

80 families lose homes in blaze

A DAY after sirens blared to signify the start of Fire Prevention Month, 40 structures were razed while four persons were injured in Barangay Tinago, Cebu City yesterday dawn.

The narrow roads leading to Sitio Potat made it hard for firefighters to immediately get to the area while the winds fanned the flames, which spread to the neighboring homes.

more here (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/03/03/news/80.families.lose.homes.in.blaze..html).

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/pldt.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/Fuente.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/Winland.jpg

B Rodriguez
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/Brod1.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/Slerz/consupdt1.jpg

^^ Wow....the streets are so clean. Cebu City should keep these streets well-maintained all the time.

xxxx all incoming deals should deal with this fact. we can be choosy. we don't
need to rush deals. we only need 250-500M each year for the amortization.
what is important is that the SRP be developed.



^^ Is it possible if Cebu City would just create a regulating body or a property administrator for SRP to manage the leasing of properties instead of selling them? It should be a private firm like the proposal of Cebu Province in operating the CICC. That way, the property administrator will have full control of the entire operation of the common areas of SRP. I don't think SM's proposal is beneficial at all to Cebu City because developing the entire SRP at their disposal would imply that Cebu City and its SRP project will be at the mercy of SM Prime Holdings.

I guess SM Prime is planning to lease the SRP to would-be investors once they get full control of the entire SRP project under their own terms & conditions.

The point is Cebu City wants to make sure that companies relocating in SRP would create jobs, not simply low-paying jobs but high-paying jobs as well to sustain the future economy of the metropolis. It is not about the money that Cebu City is after because the city can impose huge taxes to subsidize the high interest rate of the loan. The city is thinking of long-term gains here for Cebu and its people.

The progress & success of entire SRP project depends on the extensive planning of its intended use. Failure to plan the expected outcome of the entire project would be like another north reclamation area. Planning of SRP is the most crucial task if the project would succeed or not and how it will affect Cebu's economy in general.

how 'bout if SM overtakes the whole north Mandaue reclamation (not yet constructed though)? they could put up their mall at that area since the market of Mandaue, including Consolacion, is not that saturated yet compared to Cebu City's and so that they could have a counterpart to our own AYala-managed business park. just a thought though. :)

The new diversion road of SRP near the tunnel entrance and exits @ MC Briones st. along Carbon area near the cebu city Hall annex bulding.

traffic going to talisay will pass through MC Briones, those coming
from Talisay will continue to pass besides malacanang. it will not only
hamper the construction of the underground tunnel, it will congest MC Briones-
Carbon area doubling the number of traffic conflicts from the existing 3 to 6.

i am not in favor of this i just have to go along because
there seems to be no other way. when i discussed this with dpwh in 2004,
we agreed that the road is not officially opened under the law and that we
open it for the meantime and close it when necessary because WE KNOW that
it needs to be closed because of the tunnel later. other people might think
its because of the trouble w talisay but the real reason for the closure was
technical and engineering in nature, one which i have already discussed with
dpwh and the contractor in 2004 before opening it partially to traffic. however
some very bright lawyers sued us and the judge issued an order, both of them
believing they are far better that an engineer as to the need to open or close
a road under construction, so now, we can't do anything but divert the traffic
even if it cuases chaos and congestion in the area. if not for the lawsuit, the
best thing to do is close the road and work as fast as we can!

anyways, let's hope for the best.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/slemarken/Srpar.jpg

Think about our number of universities and the human resources Cebu City produce. We are exporting these skills.
SRP should have new business ventures (other than call centers, assemblies): Such as Offer incentives to research departments of Global Corporations on Medical research centers such as vaccines, life survival medical sciences etc..
Manufacture of generic drugs. Rehabilitation centers catering Global HMO's.

Please contribute other ideas. Hungry global capital venturists might be reading these threads.

Mingaw man?

Soon.....

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/Liloan_Lighthouse/liloan01.jpg




..

Scary News

I've heard in the news that there are some parts of Guadalupe (forgot the name of the baragay) that is under fire, not an ordinary fire but fire coming from the ground. Experts are already studying the area for a possibility that there is a growing volcano underneath. -DYAB-

bitaw?

kuyawa gud...murag Sim City...:ohno:

basin ako ra nang powers ni manifest...:lol:

The Oldest
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g124/slerz3/colon-1.jpg

Think about our number of universities and the human resources Cebu City produce. We are exporting these skills.
SRP should have new business ventures (other than call centers, assemblies): Such as Offer incentives to research departments of Global Corporations on Medical research centers such as vaccines, life survival medical sciences etc..
Manufacture of generic drugs. Rehabilitation centers catering Global HMO's.

Please contribute other ideas. Hungry global capital venturists might be reading these threads.

^^ I've read an article in The Freeman before that Cebu has plenty of talents, according to a foreign observer, but in order to remain competitive globally, these pool of talents must continue to grow in terms of skills development and enhancement.

One problem our country particularly in education lacks is the initiative of big universities to risk in offering highly-specialized curriculum like medical research if people don't know is a lucrative job. Our schools are hesitant to come up with such a program because of limited enrollees similar to mining engineering which is only offered in U.P. It has only 8 students. Universities aren't funded by big private companies unlike in Harvard University which handsomely receive donations from big corporations.

If we have these global companies in SRP, then we should equipped our workforce with great knowledge & experties to be able to work with these multinational companies. As Mayor Tomas said, he is not after the money but creation of jobs, not only low-paying but high-paying jobs as well, vis-a-vis the plan of selling lots in SRP to investors.

Research centers would certainly create high-paying specialized jobs and that fits exactly the vision of the city mayor of Cebu.

I guess SM Prime is planning to lease the SRP to would-be investors once they get full control of the entire SRP project under their own terms & conditions.


Yeah, SM maybe planning for it but I dont' think Mayor Tom will allow a situation for SM to have a full control of the entire SRP. The best offer that SM could get would be a 50/50% joint venture where SM should invest at least 15 billion pesos worth of buildings (Mall, IT buildings, Condos & Hotels) which is equivalent to the current estimated value of SRP presented by Zidlakan. I think Mayor Tom will stick to his plan of selling only portion of SRP for debt payments.

Friday, March 02, 2007
SM to get only big chunk, not entire SRP
By Linette C. Ramos
Sun.Star Staff Reporter

WITH two other possible investors at the South Road Properties (SRP), Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is not inclined to sell the entire 295-hectare facility to SM Prime Holdings Inc. at this time.

The mayor plans to sell “a big chunk” of the SRP to SM, with some parcels left for Bigfoot Global Solutions Inc. and other industries, said Joel Mari Yu of the Cebu Investments Promotion Center (CIPC), the marketing arm of the SRP.

More photos at the SAMAHAN (Magkita 'ta Bai Thread)


Tallest skyscraper in Lilo-an
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/Liloan_Lighthouse/liloan08.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/Liloan_Lighthouse/liloan41.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/Liloan_Lighthouse/liloan13.jpg



View of Hilton and Shangri-la from Bagacay Point, Liloan
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/Liloan_Lighthouse/liloan39.jpg

On the set of Bigfoot's maiden film offering
By Marigold P. Lebumfacil
The Freeman 03/03/2007

Bigfoot Entertainment's (BFE) newest division-New Cebu Films-has tapped Filipino actors and crew for its maiden big screen offering, the action-thriller Deep Gold.

After having commenced principal photography last December, Deep Gold will be that first film that BFE will shoot entirely in Cebu. The shooting of the film is scheduled to wrap up this late March.

The Freeman had the chance to witness the filming of the movie and exclusively interviewed the assistant director, Han Salazar, and the Vietnamese lead actress, Bebe Pham who is playing the role of Amy Sanchez.

According to Salazar, Deep Gold was entitled as such because its story starts with a bunch of gold bars belonging to the Philippine Central Bank that were recovered and were about to be surrendered to the military. But the plane that carried the gold bars mysteriously crashed, with the gold bars plunging into the deep sea. However, when an extensive search was launched, no gold was found.

Amy's boyfriend, as the pilot of the plane, was accused of stealing the gold. Amy didn't buy the story, so she kick-started her own investigation, which would bring her to the "real" culprit.

The filming cost of Deep Gold has been pegged at about two million dollars. The executive producer and director, Michael Gleissner, loves Cebu very much and envisions that Cebu will be the next Hollywood and destination for world-class filmmaking.

"The whole story revolved in Cebu, in an island which they named Talipanan, an island somewhere in Lilo-an," said assistant director Salazar. "The first film from Bigfoot na ginawa dito sa Cebu and we are hoping that we will finish this by the end of March."

The shooting was divided into units A and B, covering the drama part and the fight scenes, respectively. "As for the equipment used, pang-Hollywood talaga ang lahat," said Salazar.

Vietnamese supermodel-turned-actress, Bebe Pham, leads the cast in this movie. She has been here in Cebu for more than eight months already. She said she learned a lot while shooting for Deep Gold, especially all the training required in executing action scenes.

From August to September of last year, she learned how to drive, dive and even on how to "run suitably for the action films". Although for the latter, she didn't find it hard to do, as she was into athletics back in high school.

She added that since it was her first time to be part of the lead cast, everything was so new to her, "I am not so good but I am so thankful for having a good director… I am very lucky 'cause they helped me a lot."

Pham stands 5'7 and at the age of 23, has had a lot of exposure in the field of fashion. She is considered one of Vietnam's top models, after winning in the Vietnam Supermodel pageant in 2005. She has had appeared on Fashion TV, print ads and commercials for such brands as Land Rover, Remy Martin, Reebok, Caravan Hotel, and has been a cover model for fashion glossies in Vietnam, as well as in the Philippines like Metro Mag. She's also part of the 2007 Nautical Angels Underwater Calendar by Gleissner.

On her seemingly lengthy stay here in Cebu, she mused: "I feel at home here… I live in south of Vietnam and it is just like Cebu. We also share the same culture like the extended family or close family ties."

The fifth child among a brood of six, Pham returns to her hometown in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, in Vietnam once in every two months.

After Deep Gold, she will proceed to work on another movie-an action thriller wherein she will play a policewoman.

Deep Gold features Filipino actors, led by the multi-awarded Joel Torre as Ranulfo Sanchez, who plays father to Amy and Jess, who is portrayed by Singaporean actress Jaymee Ong. And the crew boasts of an impressive line-up of Filipino filmmakers that include first assistant director, Darwin Bolsico ("Muro Ami" and "Jose Rizal"), production manager Marinette Lusanta; and art department coordinator, Lili Esquillon. Lusanta and Esquillon formed part of the team behind the critically-acclaimed movie, "Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros."

This pool of Filipino talents is complemented by a multi-national cast and crew as well, headed by executive producer and director Michael Gleissner. Also on hand with their expertise are Hong Kong-based producer Elliot Tong ("Kiroshiya 1-Ichi the Killer," "Mr. Magoo," Jackie Chan's "First Strike"), technical director Ken Sui ("Fearless," "In the Mood for Love," "Rush Hour") and stunt director Ailen Sit ("Tokyo Raiders 2," "Shaolin Soccer").

Rounding up the cast are Ken Arden as the freelance journalist Benny Simpson; British actress Amelia Jackson-Gray as Simpson's wife Claire; American model Laury Prudent as the wacky island DJ Lulu; and the Australian model Rebecca Piket as the antagonist Francesca. What a multi-racial cast, indeed! And all of them are Bigfoot Entertainment's prized talents.

hello everyone! i am sort of new here. i have been lurking in cebu-related threads here in ssc for almost 1/2 a year now. and finally decided to come out. i congratulate you all for the very informative updates about our beloved cebu :master: :bow:

i miss everything that is cebu.. from the bugal-bugalong silingan nga tambay to sitting sa extension sa jeep from school
it's true.

you keep me close to home..
thanks a lot to everyone :cheer:

Good morning H2o chick, welcome to SSC... and welcome to CEBU :)

***********

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/slemarken/plaza.jpg

welcome h20 chick! or water chick? hehe. same situation here... i'm also away from home. hehe. wer r u from?

i am now here in ny. but cebu is what i call home.
thanks slemarken and j-pol for the warm welcome. you guys are the unsung heroes of cebu!!!!

New Enrollee... Welcome h2o_chick.. :)

i am now here in ny. but cebu is what i call home.
thanks slemarken and j-pol for the warm welcome. you guys are the unsung heroes of cebu!!!!

Thanks a lot... just relax and we'll tour you here in Cebu for the rest of your stay here in this forum :)


**************

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/slemarken/Cebu/srp1.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/slemarken/Cebu/srp2.jpg

Scary News

I've heard in the news that there are some parts of Guadalupe (forgot the name of the baragay) that is under fire, not an ordinary fire but fire coming from the ground. Experts are already studying the area for a possibility that there is a growing volcano underneath. -DYAB-

when i heard the news over the radio, i remembered the movie volcano staring tommy lee jones...

^^ can anyone explain the details regarding this? maybe its just gas from a sceptic tank trying to get out.

^^

Don't believe it especially if it comes from the radio.. There's no such thing as a volcano in Guadalupe. Aliens maybe or Yamashita treasure.. Or perhaps Ferdinand Marcos himself (there were rumors before that Ferdie is still alive and lives in a secret house in Guadalupe) :wallbash:

Remember that "roof-of-CICC-collapsed-a-while-ago" item before?




..

^^besides, a thing like that should have been accompanied by at least some earthquake activity...

but then a again, a volcano in cebu...that would be interesting...considering that the closest that i've been to a volcano was when i was at san carlos city, and the volcano was about a hundred miles away...:lol:

Is there already a public sewer system in cebu city?? maybe some methane gas are escaping out of the sewer system.

But EXPERTS (not the radio commentator) said in an INTERVIEW that there is a possibility. Well, only a possibility, maybe true or NOT. We should not say that we should't believe such possible phenomenons right away coz anything can happen anytime today in this planet. We should not be close minded all the time with regards to impossibilities. But I'm not saying it's true, I only relied on the expert's point of view when he was INTERVIEWED IN THE RADIO.

And that CICC roof collapsed thing, it's a different story coz it's a breaking news with no exact details coz of that false text message that anyone should not rely on but then there is a fact in that coz the media found out that a portion of a ceiling really collapsed @ that time. So that text message attested (eventhough not accurate) that there was really something that collapsed inside CICC.

Is there already a public sewer system in cebu city?? maybe some methane gas are escaping out of the septic system.

I don't think there's any Butch especially if it's in Guadalupe but PLDT has underground cables there I guess, hehe.. Well, methane is also possible but the thing is it wasn't specified as to where really in Guadalupe it happened. In the main avenue? In a residential area? In a restaurant? In a septic tank? Hehehe..

There are countless explanations as to how fire can come out from the ground and I guess from all the more worthy explanations, those interviewed shouldn't narrow down to a far more impossible one which is a volcano. These radios always have the tendency to sensationalize certain issues perhaps to draw attention from a public hungry for a spectacle.

near daw sa singson road, the "hot" ground is as big as a halfcourt basketball field

That is why I said, only a possibility, maybe true or NOT...
That is why I said we should't be closeminded all the time, it's in your own point of view whether you believe if it's true or not coz we cannot deny that radios also give facts that sometimes we can only rely specially with that expert whom I believe that his statements are not scripted...

^^cool lang mo uy...murag nagka-init na man inyong dicussion, lupigan pa ang bulkan...

^^ mingawa ngari ui... pag post sab mo ug pics mga bai... naunsa naman tong steve's ktv oi.

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2339/avatartc4.jpg

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/7279/ehotelnight1ago5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

proposed ZITC tower


rendering by: arvin victor bersonda

^^mao na ang toblerone bai?

Hilton Towers

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6994/imgp4091ji4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6356/imgp4092sy7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

taken today, Mar. 4
Sayaw Beach - Barili, Cebu

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/6748/imgp6812jt2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/7279/ehotelnight1ago5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

proposed ZITC tower


rendering by: arvin victor bersonda

@sugbuanon
where could this possibly be build? Aisatown, CBP, somewhere else?

btw
i saw some construction workers on that under construction strip mall in Naga today. to think that it's Sunday, they must be eager to finish it already!

wowow!.. that proposed ZITC tower is goldish-looking.. i hope it'll be put up in CBP,. more tall glassy buildings please.. ahehehe ;P..

@sugbuanon
where could this possibly be build? Aisatown, CBP, somewhere else?

IMO, it will be built in Asiatown IT park...

70th CEBU CITY CHARTER DAY CELEBRATION

held last Saturday @ the Cebu City Sports Complex.

Celebrating Cebu City's unprecedented PROGRESS.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/slemarken/Cebu/crtr1.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/slemarken/Cebu/crtr2.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/slemarken/Cebu/crtr3.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t140/slemarken/Cebu/crtr4.jpg


* * ****** ** *****


re: Scary News

Long before, that area was a storage site of charcoal. Phivolcs found out that there are charcoals that was deposited underneath the ground that ignited coz of todays very hot temperature.

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2339/avatartc4.jpg

wow... kasali pala ako jan... ehehe...

pero ala pa rin makakatalo kay slerz xe dalawa pic nya jan...
idol talga si kuya slerz... ^_^

^^idol gyud!

CBM roadshow kicks off on 21st
By Ehda M. Dagooc
The Freeman 03/05/2007

The Cebu Business Month (CBM 2007) international marketing roadshow will officially kick off on March 21 and is set to visit Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Beijing, Hong Kong, Saipan and Honolulu, Hawaii.

The CBM 2007 led by chairman Samuel Chioson has set aside at least P1.5 million for its international marketing campaign to highlight Cebu's winning industries - tourism and information communication technology (ICT).

Key players in the business sector will be part of the ambitious campaign to drum up more international participation during the two-month business event this May and June.

CCCI tourism committee chairperson Mila Espina will co-lead the team of key players to market Cebu as a tourism destination, while CBM 2007 ICT chairman Bonifacio Belen will head the ICT delegation.

"The aim of the roadshow is to seek opportunities with Cebu's Tourism and ICT counterparts in Asia to be able to strengthen Cebu's place in the global market," Espina said.

This year's CBM, Espina added, earmarks CCCI's efforts in partnering with players in enticing visitors and investors to come to Cebu.

This is the first time that CCCI's CBM event has launched an ambitious international marketing show. Hence the upcoming event is seen to be the largest business event to ever happen in Cebu.

According to Espina, the international campaign committee has also partnered with several institutions from the government and private sector to support this endeavor.

The Philippine Commercial and Tourism Attachés in cooperation with the Department of Tourism and Department of Foreign Affairs are coordinating the various agenda for the visit.

The official carrier for Hong Kong and Singapore roadshow is Cebu Pacific Airways. Other airlines as event sponsors are being tapped as partners of the roadshows in Malaysia, Thailand, Saipan and Honolulu, likewise for speakers coming from Korea, Indonesia and Japan.

In 1991, the chamber began celebrating an annual business festival known as the CBM. This is one of the major activities of the chamber, which has been a big boost to the region's economy.

Like the world-renowned Sinulog Festival, CBM is envisioned to an effective crowd-drawer, for both domestic and international visitors.

CCCI president Francis O. Monera said the roadshow, will take advantage of the contacts the chamber had been able to create during the ASEAN Investment and Business Summit held in December last year.

CBM 2007 will be spending about P10 million to as much as P20 million, said Chioson.

The international roadshow will also include a program called "ASEAN International Circuit," wherein a series of conferences regarding Cebu's ICT to establish a good ICT branding of Cebu in some ASEAN member countries.

The same concept for tourism promotion will also be initiated by the Chamber.

The overseas roadshow will culminate in May with Honolulu as its last stop.

^^ mingawa ngari ui... pag post sab mo ug pics mga bai... naunsa naman tong steve's ktv oi.

that i'm wondering too..when i passed by there last saturday, the whole place is fenced, and the bar's gone..i think they've already started digging up for??i don't know..hehe...;)

@narjz, artistas jud??:nuts:

^^yup, naa nay makeshift living quarters for cworkers.. nana pud steel bars... i wonder unsa na nga building... maayo unta taas.

ICT industry in Cebu City expands by 300 percent

CEBU CITY — The number of software developers in Cebu today has more than tripled since 2001, which demonstrates Cebu’s massive growth in the area of information and communication technology (ICT).


Bonifacio Belen, chairman of the ICT-Link Asia that will host the Cebu ICT 2007 International Conference and Exhibition in June, said that there are now 3,500 software developers in the province, compared to only 850 six years ago.

Workers in the ICT services such as call centers and data encoding have reached 18 thousand compared to only 7 thousand a few years back largely due to the presence of the top six call center firms that have branched here, according to Belen.

"We’ve got something to say when it comes to ICT," Belen said during the recent Cebu media launching of the Cebu Business Month (CBM).

The ICT conference and exhibition is one of the highlights of the CBM, a yearly celebration in June spearheaded by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) to promote the province as an ideal investment haven.

India considers the Philippines as a close competitor specially in the global outsourcing market with 266 thousand Filipinos employed in the business, Belen said.

Currently, the Philippines has only one to three percent world market share of the global outsourcing trade with India leading with more than 50 percent of the global market share of the ICT field, Belen said.

Belen said the country hopes to capture around 20 to 30 percent of BPO world market. The ICT conference and exhibition aims to initially pave the way for this, he said.

The ICT conference will bring together 150 information technology leaders from 11 Asian countries with a minimum of 15 delegates per nation.

About 40 IT experts have already confirmed attendance to the conference. The experts will come from India, Beijng in China and the US. Participants will focus Asian collaboration in the ICT field, it was learned. (PIA)

Source: Manila Bulletin

@narjz, artistas jud??:nuts:

:D

slerz:
wow... kasali pala ako jan... ehehe...

pero ala pa rin makakatalo kay slerz xe dalawa pic nya jan...
idol talga si kuya slerz... ^_^

Idol? Maytag matinuod gyud Ron...hehe


***** ** * ** ***

btw, I noticed that Cebu City streets are becoming more organized everyday... more beautiful :okay::okay:

update!

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k176/miaka_cham/ACT.jpg
ACT tower..(taken on March 4)

Rage@Cebu in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur... heritage tour...

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110228.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110205.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110216.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110218.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110219.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110241.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110243.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110253.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110263.jpg

the largest pawnshop in Vigan...
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110171.jpg

eto yung snakyan namin...
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110113.jpg

dra diay... C-130 hercules...
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110115.jpg

cebu aerial... hugaw man un viewing glass ang C-130...
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110119.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110118.jpg

CEBU!
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110106.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110101.jpg

i guess the u/c in/front of fooda at mango is really yellow-cab... they are doing the wall finishing on the 2nd floor, and its similar to the interior design of yellow-cab banilad

see you... hehehe! ill be home this week in Cebu...
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110222.jpg

^^

@Mike

:bash: :bash: :bash: hehehehhehehehe.. :okay:

Pasalubong Mike.. Hans is asking as to when you're coming back.. Also, CebPac is offline, :(




Fooda Saversmart
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/fooda.jpg



..

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110113.jpg


Bai are these brand new? I always see these every night here in Guadalupe (for around 1-2 hours) as if they're having some test flights or what.

We saw these too when we went to Liloan.



http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110228.jpg

Nice one bai... I hope that we can develop something like this here in Cebu. I think mao ra ni kulang nato dinhi...




.:.

nope those arent new... chinooks are vietnam era utility helicopters... the US are already using the black hawk "down"... hehe...

^^

@Mike

:bash: :bash: :bash: hehehehhehehehe.. :okay:

Pasalubong Mike.. Hans is asking as to when you're coming back.. Also, CebPac is offline, :(




Fooda Saversmart
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/fooda.jpg



..

This is Fooda Guadalupe Branch right? I've never been inside. Which is actually better, this one or the one along Maxilom?

@Marxman

Thanks bro.. Anyway, I've heard that it's unsafe?


@Jhaelnis

Yup in Guadalupe.

The one in Gen.Maxilom sucks.... The one in Guadalupe is better although I guess the one in Consolacion would be far more better :okay: It looks like a mall already when we went to Liloan two days ago. :okay:

Balitang Bisdak News:

Mayor Tomas Osmeña chooses Bigfoot over SM and Filinvest. "They (SM, Filinvest) are willing to pay for the SRP debt but that is not my main concern. Our main concern is how will they benefit the constituents of Cebu and I believe that the Bigfoot project will ignite the development of the SRP. Despite this, talks between the city and SM are still going though"

Rage@Cebu in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur... heritage tour...


http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j93/ragandacmichael/P1110253.jpg



nice pic...bell tower ni sa nabungkag na simbahan?

Development to be expected in Asiatown IT park

*TGU Tower
*ZITC Tower
*Skyrise 2

Chinooks chopper

Taken yesterday

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/4416/imgp6839cm6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

They (US Servicemen) already left for Okinawa today and the Chinooks chopper were carried inside C17 cargo planes. another batch will be coming over to Cebu though perhaps this week.

flickr pics by @doctian

Marco Polo Plaza Hotel - Nivel Hills, Cebu City

..the grand staircase at the lobby area leading to the grand ballroom
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/411285284_2ecb0f2c71.jpg



the lobby
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/411284816_2fe72294de.jpg



http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/411284283_8447a6d97b.jpg

flickr pics by @doctian

Marco Polo Plaza Hotel - Nivel Hills, Cebu City

..the grand staircase at the lobby area leading to the grand ballroom
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/411285284_2ecb0f2c71.jpg



the lobby
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/411284816_2fe72294de.jpg



http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/411284283_8447a6d97b.jpg

nice pics!!!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/411443997_9a75d1c5c5.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/411444512_a9e3135b59.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/411445222_ce29d9250d.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/411445430_3eafce0a46.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/411445607_2d2225be2e.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/411445852_86eefbbfa5.jpg?v=0

IT firm to expand Cebu force
Sun-Star (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/03/05/bus/it.firm.to.expand.cebu.force.html)
5 March 2007

A GLOBAL software development company is planning to expand its operations in Cebu within the year by hiring 50 to 70 software engineers.

Together with this planned expansion, Exist Global, which develops open source software solutions to various companies in the United States and Europe, is also moving its Cebu operations to a bigger office in the i2 Building at Asiatown IT Park.

Exist Global founder and chairman Winston Damarillo said in a press conference last Friday that the company has secured venture financing to accelerate its growth plans.

Damarillo said one of Exist Global’s expansion plans is to increase its pool of software engineers in Cebu and Manila.

Exist general manager Jerry Rapes said the company considers Cebu’s vision to be an information technology (IT) hub favorable to its expansion plans.

The company, whose Philippine subsidiaries are Exist Quest Inc. in Cebu and Exist Software Labs Inc. in Manila (Ortigas), is also preparing for its initial public offering at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Damarillo said that as Exist Global continues to grow, it will venture into “partnerships or buy smaller companies.”

But he said the first step towards implementing the company’s expansion plans is to strengthen its senior management.

“We got Steve Nathan, a proven leader with a great track record of inspiring and scaling technical organizations, to deliver world class services and products,” he said. He added that Nathan, who is the company’s president and chief executive officer, will “drive Exist Global’s vision for global software development optimization.”

Nathan, in the same press conference, said that once the company goes public, it will offer its employees stock options.

He said this is one way to give employees a chance to share ownership of the company. It is also another way to provide competitive compensation to employees, he added.

Damarillo admitted that it is difficult to prevent IT professionals, particularly software engineers, from working overseas.

“But we can show that it is better to export the product of engineering work in the Philippines than export Filipino engineers,” he said.

He said Exist chose to be “silent” until now, although it has been operating in Cebu for one year, to first gain “strength and recognition” as a software development company.

Exist was included last year in the top 100 companies list of Red Herring Inc., which described the company as a “rising star” among start-ups. Exist also bagged the ZDNet Asia Top 10 TechnoVisionaries Award last year.

To ensure a sufficient pool of competent engineers, Exist has partnered with academic institutions like De La Salle, University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University to implement software development training courses for teachers and students.

Damarillo said Exist is “likely” to conduct the Exist Code Camp in Cebu to provide training for selected teachers. (LAP)

...a 10-storey IT Building to rise within the vicinity of Mactan Marina Mall


*************


Real estate, info tech companies plan to provide Wi-Fi in Mactan
Sun-Star (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/03/05/bus/real.estate.info.tech.companies.plan.to.provide.wi.fi.in.mactan.html)
Monday, March 05, 2007

A LOCAL businessman is initiating moves to help prepare Mactan Island as an information and communication technology (ICT) destination in the province.

CoralPoint Development Corp. (CPDC) president Efrain Pelaez said CPDC subsidiary Mactan South Bend Technologies Inc. (MSBTI) has entered into a joint venture with Ray Networks Inc. (RNI) to provide wireless Internet connectivity and networking and administration solutions to business establishments in the island.

“This will provide Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) connection and other ICT-related services in Mactan Marina Mall and in remote areas like Punta Engaño,” Pelaez said during the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signing between MSBTI and RNI in Mactan Marina Mall, Lapu-Lapu City last Friday.

CPDC operates Mactan Marina Mall, CoralPoint Resort Village and Mactan Southgate Plaza Inc., to name a few.

According to the MOA, MSBTI, which serves as the sales and marketing arm, together with RNI, which will focus on the systems integration, will offer ICT-related services to clients in Mactan Economic Zones 1 and 2, resort owners, and other business establishments.

“We don’t intend to compete with telecom (telecommunication) companies,” said RNI managing director Juner Yaneza, adding that businesses that need specific network solutions, such as a billing system, will be the company’s niche market.

Yaneza said RNI delivers “pro-active” service to clients.

“Once we receive the call, we should be able to respond in less than an hour,” he said.

Yaneza also said proponents of the project are hoping to extend the coverage to the entire province.

Karen Pajarillaga, MSBTI vice president for operations, said the ICT-related services, which costs about P5 million to 6 million, will cater to small and medium enterprises that “are in need of faster and better services.”

The project’s theme is dubbed “MInDS@WORK.” MInDS stands for Management of Integrated Doable Solutions.

In line with the agreement, Pelaez told Sun.Star Cebu that a 10-story IT facility will be constructed this year within the vicinity of Mactan Marina Mall.

He said the new facility will house not only an IT office on the upper floors but will also include a commercial space, parking lot and an IT school.

He added that the company is currently looking for tenants, like call centers.

According to Pelaez, Mactan Marina Mall is working on its plan to acquire an IT park status within the year once the ICT-related services will be rolled out.

“It will promote the mall as an ideal IT park complex,” he said, since the 1.8 hectare Mactan Marina Mall has banks, food establishments, and spas, among others as occupants. (MMM)

^^ nice pics bai @leylander.... wow, nice road in Dalaguete!

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/7279/ehotelnight1ago5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

proposed ZITC tower


rendering by: arvin victor bersonda

well.. dis building is somewhat hayag kung tig adlaw. ambot lanbg igka gabie. hopefully mo siga maau ang sugbo. kay sa fuente dapit. ngit2

Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Tomas sees competition over SRP lots
By Linette C. Ramos
Sun.Star Staff Reporter

A SEEMING “HEATED” tug of war over the South Road Properties (SRP) by at least four prospective investors may escalate its value, but Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has his eyes on Bigfoot Global Solutions at this time.

Unlike Filinvest and SM Prime Holdings Inc., which wants to take over the 295-hectare facility, Bigfoot only wants to buy the 16-hectare Pond F at P12,000 per square meter, or a total of P1.94 billion.

The Ayala group is also interested to match the offer whatever SM will propose, the mayor said.

Osmeña said he prefers Bigfoot at this point because its nature of business will cater to the international market and will create a ripple effect where employment is concerned.

Bigfoot is planning to put up an international mega-yacht club and a state-of-the-art movie soundstage.

Once these facilities are in place, Osmeña is optimistic the value of the remaining 280 hectares will increase tremendously.

Best offer

“Right now, the best offer as I see it is Bigfoot because it only wants 16 hectares and for all intents and purposes, it will already solve our financial problems,” he told a news conference yesterday.

Bigfoot president Michael Gleissner, an adopted son of Cebu City, is leasing a two-hectare lot at the SRP at P5 million a year for 25 years.

“I like Bigfoot because he (Gleissner) is the first one to take a chance with us while everyone is waiting for us to go bankrupt,” the mayor said.

The City Government got a yen loan package equivalent to about P6.3 billion to build the SRP. It is paying about P1 million a day in interest alone.

In bringing investors to the SRP, Osmeña will consider their respective industry’s impact on Cebu City in terms of competing with Manila, employment and securing its finances in the future.

This, he said, is the reason he will take his time in studying the proposals of Filinvest, SM Prime Holdings Inc. and Bigfoot.

“As I told you before, the competition is quite heated among the three…. SM wants to make the SRP the SM Island, which sounds very exciting, but they’re not buying it in cash, it’s a joint venture. And recently, Ayala is also willing to offer what SM will propose,” Osmeña announced.

Both Filinvest and SM will use as model the IT Park in Lahug for their development plan at the SRP, which will require a corporation for a joint venture.

The City’s equity will be the total value of the land, which will be converted as the City’s share in stocks.

But aside from assuring that they will assume the loan payments for the SRP, Osmeña said both Filinvest and SM have not made it clear what exactly they are going to build and how soon it will start.

No financial package as payment for the City’s development of the reclaimed properties has also been presented.

He is also apprehensive about the offer of SM and Filinvest to take full control over the entire 295-hectare SRP since Bigfoot will have to be shut out if it pushes through, which he said he won’t do.

Osmeña is also considering putting off the sale of the SRP until the tunnel there is completed in two years, as it is expected to shoot up the market value of the lots there.

The mayor is expecting Bigfoot executives and their specialized architects this week to assess Pond F and see what developments they can undertake there.

Although the City already has a master plan for the SRP, he wants it to be as flexible as possible to cater to the needs of the developers.

Osmeña said he also wants to know first what exactly Bigfoot and other investors will put up at the SRP so it does not end up like the north reclamation area in Mandaue City, “which has become a junkyard for heavy equipment for sale.”

Included in the master plan of the SRP is the fire station, sewerage treatment plant, police precinct, hospital, an administration building and its extensive road networks.

^^

nice if Ayala.. :banana:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/411443997_9a75d1c5c5.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/411444512_a9e3135b59.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/411445222_ce29d9250d.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/411445430_3eafce0a46.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/411445607_2d2225be2e.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/411445852_86eefbbfa5.jpg?v=0
WOW!! My Ma's hometown! Last time I was back in Dalaguete was in 2001! I hear from relatives that there had been alot of developments going on there. Thanks for the pics leylander!!

vigan is just awesome.. i wish we can have streets like that in our big cities... i MUST go there lol!

why don't just mayor tom divide the remaining unleased or unsold SRP lots among the bullish investors wanting to take over the whole prime lot? that way, there's gonna be a very healthy & 'nutritious' competition, thus, making the SRP more than a world-class environment if ever that will happen.. imagine having an SM business park just adjacent to Filinvest BP, and just right across it is the second Ayala business park.. wow.. can't just freakin imagine it.. ;p

Photos by fundraiser


Escario street
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/IMG_2281.jpg


Banilad traffic is getting worser with only a narrow 4 lane avenue
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/IMG_2309.jpg


UC Banilad Campus
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/IMG_2317.jpg


Cebu Business Park
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/IMG_2470.jpg


Traffic lights
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/IMG_2496.jpg