Cebu City and Province - Compiled Threads [Archive] - Page 129

habagatcentral1

July 6th, 2007, 11:38 AM

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/3/photos/27/500x500/74/P1130667.JPG?et=1ZM6jynuJzwkrnRpqQwP8Q
Downtown L.A.Hug (JY Square area)

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/27/500x500/75/P1130761.JPG?et=gvzo24uP5o%2CGWBUs60DQeA
Canter Jeep bound fo Jones and Mandaue

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/3/photos/27/500x500/76/P1130669.JPG?et=ZL2El5UXJdaIBQfr%2Cu2oYw
Proudly Cebuano! Bo's (photo by Arnold_carl)

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/27/500x500/78/P1130763.JPG?et=exZtBJlG%2BTXbMaqpcqmmcg
Somewhat a waiting shed for Rustan's Fresh Supermart

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/27/500x500/79/P1130765.JPG?et=f2P00YrqrJqLyyfMruofag
Lexmark Cebu (Cebu Business Park) u/c

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/27/500x500/80/P1130803.JPG?et=aKT0xAMEq9wAi%2CxomWvtrw
Viewed from Veterans Drive, Nivel Hills

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/27/500x500/81/P1130804.JPG?et=Z3ld2wE2oIJHYYKmSWfEjQ
Ayala Access Road bound (Gorordo Ave to Ayala Center). Having a traffic jam.

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/27/500x500/85/P1130784.JPG?et=uu%2CyvYqyt5lj8i18YuRhOw
Opon's Harbour and the Mandaue half of Mactan Old Bridge

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/2/photos/27/500x500/73/P1130753.JPG?et=bjy6s2oIBcJYXdixXGmewg
Accenture's New home in Cebu

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/3/photos/27/500x500/89.JPG/P1130828.JPG?et=Eb6c5H2ueJxfh%2BR0o68tjg
Mindanao Avenue in Cebu Biz District experiecing heavy traffic volume

habagatcentral1

July 6th, 2007, 11:42 AM

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/4/photos/27/500x500/84/P1130816.JPG?et=rUbVdKR%2COMBQXPL9dT17rQ
Illuminated at night

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/3/photos/27/500x500/86/P1130793.JPG?et=SH1T6NfYWJba2Cog1APVyQ
A Big Balikbayan Box by the day

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/4/photos/27/500x500/83/P1130815.JPG?et=bzuKwn36WKuxWPxyoMW8ww
The lobby by night

http://images.habagatcentral.multiply.com/image/3/photos/27/500x500/82/P1130810.JPG?et=ILc7zxhHJ8QxAA8OmhDUAA
Lining up for the the shuttle service by late afternoon. Morag scene sa Wowowee or rush hour sa MRT. :)

diehardbisdak

July 6th, 2007, 12:04 PM

...hello guys, i'm home! ...let me share some pics of our old but clean airport.... I was coming home via Qatar Airways... nakahilak gyud ko kay fully booked gyud ang flight, as in 100% seat taken.... more than 50% of the passengers are coming from Europe.... known na gyud ang Cebu bisan asa ka...hehheheh! anyway, i will also post this at Airport Thread....sorry for the pics...camphone lang!

... Qatar Airways @ MCIA
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/05-07-07_1053.jpg

....Malaysian Airlines arrived 15 minutes ahead of us which was also fully booked
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/05-07-07_1055.jpg

...good old ramp
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/05-07-07_1051.jpg

...terminal's facade
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/05-07-07_1054.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/05-07-07_1052.jpg

...the tourists
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/05-07-07_1057.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/05-07-07_1104.jpg

...baggage carousel
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/05-07-07_1102.jpg

Sinjin P.

July 6th, 2007, 12:10 PM

^ Welcome home! :banana: Mabuhi (mabuhi), Mabuhi (mabuhi), Mabuhi ka Sugbuanon! (Btw, who has the lyrics of that song? - Mabuhi Ka Sugbuanon - It gives me goosebumps everytime I hear it)

jrevalde

July 6th, 2007, 12:35 PM

swertiha diehard a, kauli na gyud

ashton

July 6th, 2007, 12:40 PM

^ Welcome home... hehe.

Ingun c jrevalde swerte jud d i.. hehe nahimout ko gamay. :)

PINOYmeat

July 6th, 2007, 02:03 PM

More Russians to visit RP in ’08

ASIDE from an increase in the number of Russian tourists, a Russian diplomat expects investors in Russia to be interested in the Philippines’ mining, agriculture and human resources.

Russian Federation Ambassador Vitaly Vorobiev said more Russians will be coming to the country next year to relax and involve in businesses.

Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007 Coverage

View here the list of local winners

“I call it a jam of Russians coming to the Philippines,” he said during a visit in Cebu yesterday.

He said there are six things that make the Philippines attractive to Russians. These are mining, agriculture, fisheries, education, sports and culture.

He said Russian investors would be interested fisheries trading as Russia is a good market for fishery products.

Education facilities, particularly in the field of engineering and liguistics, would also be of interest to Russians.

The country’s rich history and culture would also raise interest among Russians, Vorobiev said during a press conference at the Casino Español.

Quality service

He also said Filipinos are known worldwide to be providers of quality service.

Vorobiev said that Philippines is ready to accommodate a huge number of Russians despite the lack of grandiose infrastructure as many of them would be attracted to traditional things.

“The country has very good facilities,” he said. He added that the country’s major airports are able to meet international standards already and air fares for different destinations are “affordable.”

However, Vorobiev said the country needs to make some improvements. “These (improvements) will be considered as an investment, instead of expenses,” he added.

Vorobiev cited beaches, rich underwater life and historical spots as among the tourism attractions in the Philippines as well as the various leisure and relaxation activities that people can engage in the country.

He said he wants to remove any hindrances in communication between Filipinos and Russians to “help people enrich their knowledge about each other” and “establish good relations” among them.

He said he expects the Philippines’ participation in an exhibit in Moscow in September to be a good marketing strategy to promote the country (Philippines) in Europe and lure Russian tourists.

With the expected increase in Russian tourists in the country, the Russian Federation named Armi Lopez Garcia as honorary consul in Cebu. (TEP)

PINOYmeat

July 6th, 2007, 02:15 PM

ICT HR Survey on Cebu Research Report
by: Janette Toral

Cebu is the country's next hotspot destination after Metro Manila for investment and outsourcing opportunities.

The ICT HR Survey on Cebu Research Report, prepared by CEDFIT (Cebu Educational Development Foundation in Information Technology), highlights the advantages and challenges that Cebu has to deal with and why it has what it takes to be the Philippines' Software & E-Services Hub in five to seven years time.

250 respondents from the academe and 261 from the industry were surveyed to come up with this report.

Some of the report highlights are:

>> Despite the Philippines being packaged as a call center and business process outsourcing destination, Cebu is seen to become the country's premiere software development and e-services hub. Software development is considerd to be the primary core strength.

>> Despite the slump in IT enrollment in most part of the country, as more switch to nursing. Cebu's IT graduates base remains stable and expects around 2200 IT graduates this year.

>> 100 to 300 IT graduates actually get employed in the software development per year. Those who don't qualify end up meeting the manpower needs of the other e-services sector.

>> It is expected that the number of IT graduates needed in Cebu will reach up to 30,000 graduates in the next 5 to 7 years to cope up with growth and demand.

more about the survey here HERE (http://www.digitalfilipino.com/softtech_article.cfm?id=121)

PINOYmeat

July 6th, 2007, 02:37 PM

Summary

iCatchIT had the luxury of choosing any location in the world. After considering common outsourcing sites including India, China and several European sites, we selected Cebu because of its excellent workforce demographics, low turnover, stable competitive pricing, English proficiency, quality of life, and reliable infrastructure.

Location Overview

Cebu, a unique island strategically located in the central region of the Philippines, is a cross between a major tourist destination and a booming metropolis. With a population of 3.5 million, more than half of which is located in its capital city, Cebu provides a dynamic commercial environment that is fueled by good transportation infrastructure, eight major IT universities, major international hotels and world-class beach resorts.

Competitive Advantages - Cebu

-Low employee turnover
-Stable labor and infrastructure pricing
-Highest english literacy in Asia
-28% of population with tertiary education
-Excellent quality of life

Basic Facts - Island of Cebu

Location: South East Asia
Island Area: 5000 sq km
Capital: Cebu City
Population:
Island: 3.5M
Metro Cebu: 1.7M
Climate: Tropical

Quality of Life Equates to Low Turnover

When compared to other common outsourcing locations, the quality of life in Cebu really shines. With cost of living around 75% lower than the US, a wide selection of restaurants, and five star resorts nearby, many foreigners have chosen Cebu as their home for early retirement. The excellent quality of life offered by Cebu translates into better quality of workers and low employee turnover. With turnover related costs amounting to approximately $17,500 per year (source: US Small Business Association), it makes sense to choose a location that will minimize this important dimension of operating cost.

Lower Turnover and Stable Pricing

Employee turnover for iCatchIT remains stable at around five percent and labor price escalation is under control. In contrast to locations in India which currently experience turnover in the range from 30 - 40% per annum with prices escalating at an annual rate of 15% (source: Offshore Outsourcing World).

Favorable Workforce Demographics

With literacy and school enrollment statistics similar to the United States, the Philippines has one of the most favorable workforce profiles in the world. The country has about 100 million people with nearly 75% under the age of 25 (source: US Census Bureau). Currently, tertiary school enrollment is 28% and there is a 99% literacy rate in the ages 15-24 (retrieved last November 20, 2004 from http://www.earthtrends.wri.org) These statistics help ensure organizations of a stable skilled workforce for the foreseeable future.

Strong English Language Skills

English is the official language of the Philippine government. This translates into a number of benefits including the highest English literacy in Asia, road signs that are written in English, and taxi drivers that can understand where you want to go. Major universities teach primarily in English resulting in graduates who are familiar with all of the technical terminology covered during the course of their studies

Other Features

A full listing of all the other factors that contribute favorably to Cebu is beyond the scope of this site. Here are some of the highlights. The Cebu International Airport provides good accessibility. Cebu has an excellent peace and order record. According to the United Nations Crime and Justice Information Network crime rates in Cebu are about 30% lower than San Francisco with Cebu having a much lower proportion of violent crime. Excellent civic and governmental support for local businesses. Through TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) there are many technical programs in place to build skills in the workforce.

more HERE (http://www.icatchit.com/about-us/about_cebu_philippines.html)

flesh_is_weak

July 6th, 2007, 02:37 PM

swertiha diehard a, kauli na gyud

ikaw wa pa kay plano mo-uli?

nag-reunion baya ang mga tawo pag june 1 man tingali to...

Jarenz

July 6th, 2007, 03:18 PM

Hello everyone.... i need a recommendation for a beach resort here in Cebu with pool (including North & South of Cebu & Mactan Island) in a cheaper price & nice amenities

Sinjin P.

July 6th, 2007, 03:19 PM

^ Cebu Beach Club :dunno:

Jarenz

July 6th, 2007, 03:39 PM

Tel # or a possible website with it?!

Jarenz

July 6th, 2007, 04:48 PM

is anyone here
knows the tel # or even a website of Argao Beach Resort or Portofino?!

tj_brewed

July 6th, 2007, 05:45 PM

is anyone here
knows the tel # or even a website of Argao Beach Resort or Portofino?!

I got no num of those...but if you're looking for resorts with pool, here are my recommendations:

Tambuli Beach Resort - 492-1880 to 89

Alegre Beach Resort - 254-9800 or 231-1198

Maribago Blue Waters - 232-5411

Cebu White Sands - 495-9000

Costabella Tropical Beach Resort - 231-3273

^^
but if you simply wanna take a dip in a pool in the middle of the city, why not try Waterfront Hotel Lahug, Montebello, and other hotels in the city. :)

slimer

July 6th, 2007, 05:46 PM

thanks to those very nice article @pinoymeat and the pictures of course.

tj_brewed

July 6th, 2007, 05:49 PM

AgOkOy

July 6th, 2007, 07:47 PM

Saturday, July 07, 2007
Part of mall’s expansion opens, work continues on lagoon area

AFTER its groundbreaking a year ago, the multi-million-peso expansion of Ayala Center Cebu (ACC) finally opened its doors to the public.

Cebu Holdings Inc. (CHI) president Francis Monera said the opening of the expansion is a welcome development for Cebuano shoppers and is seen to drive consumer spending on clothing, fashion accessories and information technology, to name a few.

Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007 Coverage

View here the list of local winners

He is confident it will spur growth in the number of foreign and local visitors who visit the mall to shop, dine or unwind.

The megacomplex, which is how the new building will be known, has five levels with basement parking floors, and adds over 6,000 square meters of gross leasable area, that can hold about 50 tenants.

Complementary

The site is situated where the public utility jeepney terminal used to be. The terminal has been transferred to an adjacent lot.

Some 20 shops have already opened in the expansion building, which is targeted to complement the existing shops in the mall, bringing together local and international brands in fashion, beauty and digital entertainment.

The ground floor hosts imported brands while some renowned local brands can be found on the second level.

The third level, on the other hand, houses shops for computers and related devices as well as digital gadgets.

The new building will also house Rustan’s Fresh Supermarket at the lower ground floor, which is expected to open in the coming weeks.

Monera told reporters that the megaxomplex, which is set for soft opening this Monday, “will give a new dimension in the Cebuanos’ lifestyle shopping.”

Meanwhile, the Ayala-led CHI, owner and operator of ACC, has already begun the construction of the mall’s lagoon area, which will be home to shops catering to a wide range of shoppers and diners.

nab_uang

July 6th, 2007, 09:16 PM

The Freeman

Mayor Tomas Osmeña is planning to use the lots presently occupied by the Citi-Center Commercial Complex in barangay Kamagayan as a public park, and at the same time, a pond that will help minimize flooding in the downtown area during a heavy downpour.

Osmeña announced his plan yesterday after he learned that the owners of the lots and structures at the Citi-Center Commercial Complex have failed to redeem their properties within the given period, after these were subjected to an auction a few years ago for their failure to pay realty taxes.

Former Kamagayan barangay captain Mansueto “Tito” Avilla, the caretaker of the Citi-Center Commercial Complex, confirmed that until yesterday the owners of the property still failed to settle their obligation to the city government.

City treasurer Tessie Camarillo said the unpaid real property taxes of the owners of Citi-Center Commercial Complex as of December 2003 already reached P4.2 million, the very reason why the property was up for auction.

The Local Government Code allows any local government units to sell — through auction — the properties of delinquent taxpayers to satisfy the tax delinquency and the expenses of the sale.

The law provides that if nobody is interested to buy the auctioned properties, the treasurer – on behalf of the local government units – shall be the one to purchase the property. But the delinquent taxpayers have the right to redeem their properties within a period of one year from the date of sale, provided they pay two percent interest out of the overall amount of the property.

The Citi-Center complex in barangay Kamagayan was once a market for meat, fish and vegetable products with some stalls for commercial purposes. But for economic reasons, the vendors and stallholders abandoned the complex after a few years, which prompted squatters to occupy the building and construct their shanties inside the huge open-type structure.

Camarillo has suggested that lots forfeited in favor of the city will be given as relocation sites to squatters affected by demolitions.

jrevalde

July 7th, 2007, 01:20 AM

^^ where exactly is the citi-center complex located, is it along sanciangko?

@pirena: oi nitz, paninguhaon nako next year ko uli, kwarta ra gyud giagad. kita diay kos pics sa inyo reunion oi, nacla chandy sa

Sinjin P.

July 7th, 2007, 03:19 AM

From landmark to ‘sunken park’ (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/07/news/from.landmark.to.sunken.park..html)

A POSSIBLE solution to the flooding in downtown Cebu City would be for City Hall to take over the Citicenter Commercial Complex in Barangay Kamagayan and make it a sunken park, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said.

He added that the complex would serve as a rainwater catchment so the Colon area would not get too flooded when it rains.

Built in 1983, the Citicenter since its closure has served as a home to, among others, squatters, pimps, commercial sex workers, drug addicts, pushers and thieves.

On Dec. 12, 2003, the City auctioned off the property after owners failed to settle their tax obligations, said City Treasurer Tessie Camarillo.

But nobody showed any interest in the property and the redemption period expired last June 6.

This makes the City the new owner of the property, and Camarillo said the City Government is consolidating its ownership.

Osmeña raised the plan for the Citicenter when reporters sought his comment on the flooding problem even in the uptown area.

He said that when there is no rain, the area would serve as park or open space where children could play.

He refused the suggestion to use the space as a relocation site, saying Kamagayan is too congested now.

Turning Citicenter into a park, he said, would also address the peace and order problem in the area, as demolishing the structure would eliminate the illegal activities there.

Last month, the mayor also discussed the idea of a sunken highway that would turn into a river during rainy days.

He plans to build this from the South Road Properties (SRP) to the Alta Vista Golf and Country Club in Barangay Poblacion Pardo.

The mayor wants the road to be an “offer the Aznars could not refuse” because the project will help the family bring in customers to the golf and country club as well as the Sta. Lucia Realty’s high-end residential units.

In exchange for the road, the City will buy a 100-hectare property of the Aznars at the foot of the golf course that the mayor would establish as a “new barangay.”

Poblacion Pardo Barangay Captain Danilo Lim, however, scoffed at Osmeña’s idea. Lim, who ran under the opposition’s council slate but lost, said the City couldn’t even settle its billions of foreign loans, so how could it have money for the so-called new barangay?

“Dako ang utang sa syudad sa SRP, magbuhat na hinoon og laing barangay?” Lim said (The City still has huge debts for the SRP, how could it afford to create a new barangay?).

He called this “lihoy nga plano” (crazy idea).

The new barangay that the mayor plans to make will be populated by squatters from all over the city who will be relocated there, he added.

The plan, though, hinges on the sale of the 30-hectare SRP lot that Osmeña said would cost P2 billion to P4 billion.

Osmeña has said the new barangay will serve as a model for the City’s comprehensive drainage plan and will have a church, school, market, cemetery and bus terminal.

The Freeman

Mayor Tomas Osmeña is planning to use the lots presently occupied by the Citi-Center Commercial Complex in barangay Kamagayan as a public park, and at the same time, a pond that will help minimize flooding in the downtown area during a heavy downpour.

Osmeña announced his plan yesterday after he learned that the owners of the lots and structures at the Citi-Center Commercial Complex have failed to redeem their properties within the given period, after these were subjected to an auction a few years ago for their failure to pay realty taxes.

Former Kamagayan barangay captain Mansueto “Tito” Avilla, the caretaker of the Citi-Center Commercial Complex, confirmed that until yesterday the owners of the property still failed to settle their obligation to the city government.

City treasurer Tessie Camarillo said the unpaid real property taxes of the owners of Citi-Center Commercial Complex as of December 2003 already reached P4.2 million, the very reason why the property was up for auction.

The Local Government Code allows any local government units to sell — through auction — the properties of delinquent taxpayers to satisfy the tax delinquency and the expenses of the sale.

The law provides that if nobody is interested to buy the auctioned properties, the treasurer – on behalf of the local government units – shall be the one to purchase the property. But the delinquent taxpayers have the right to redeem their properties within a period of one year from the date of sale, provided they pay two percent interest out of the overall amount of the property.

The Citi-Center complex in barangay Kamagayan was once a market for meat, fish and vegetable products with some stalls for commercial purposes. But for economic reasons, the vendors and stallholders abandoned the complex after a few years, which prompted squatters to occupy the building and construct their shanties inside the huge open-type structure.

Camarillo has suggested that lots forfeited in favor of the city will be given as relocation sites to squatters affected by demolitions.

Sinjin P.

July 7th, 2007, 03:21 AM

More study set on traffic in Cebu City north (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/07/news/more.study.set.on.traffic.in.cebu.city.north.html)

CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is meeting with homeowners’ associations and business owners to get their take on the temporary moratorium on development projects from the Banilad area up to Barangay Binaliw. :applause:

As a direct consequence, the “careful evaluation and selective approval” of applications will be extended.

Controlling development in the north district, the mayor said, will impact on the city for the next 30 to 40 years, and not acting on development applications while a study is being made for a few months is just “a spot in eternity.”

Without any legislation supporting it, City Hall’s executive department implemented an expanded moratorium while the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) is yet to come up with results of its traffic study on the Talamban cluster.

“You don’t need an ordinance if it’s only temporary... But we might eventually make it permanent, depending on the request...

We don’t really have to implement it, we just sit on the applications,” Osmeña has said.

Majority of the affected barangay captains are in agreement with the move, which came months after the council imposed a moratorium in Banilad because of the worsening traffic problem.

But the move also followed Osmeña’s conflict with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who is pushing for Ciudad, a proposed development on a Capitol-owned lot in Barangay Banilad.

The mayor said yesterday that outputs of a series of dialogues he plans to conduct will be incorporated in the results of the traffic study.

Dialogue

Business owners, meanwhile, have expressed their concerns to City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem on the possible effects of the moratorium on their ventures.

The mayor has said they should remember that in buying properties in the Talamban cluster, they knew of the risks, which include the moratorium. If there’s a gridlock in traffic, property values plummet anyway, he said.

“They should realize that I’m doing this for them,” the mayor said, referring to residents and business owners.

The mayor already asked former Banilad barangay captain Leah Japson, a newly elected city councilor, to set appointments for him in the barangay.

He said he will keep on talking with different homeowners until he gets a common sentiment among them.

“Different places have different reactions from the people. We will play it by ear,” he said.

The mayor said he needed guidance in deciding on the issue, and residents should naturally be consulted as the correct approach in urban planning.

CPDO Chief Nigel Paul Villarete has said his request for the City Council to include Barangays Talamban, San Jose, Budlaan, Pit-os, Pulang-bato and Binaliw in the moratorium, originally imposed in Banilad, is due to the rapid development in these areas.

“While rapid urbanization is a welcome development, unrestrained and uncontrolled growth generally results to runaway development, which more often backfires into urban blight and traffic congestion,” he said in a memorandum dated June 18 that he sent to the council.

His request, though, did not mean that no development will be allowed. It only means applications will be “carefully evaluated” to determine if they will add to the worsening traffic in the Talamban area.

Villarete said several locational permit applications are pending in his office.

ivanc

July 7th, 2007, 06:58 AM

Lexmark
Lexmark R&D - Finding the Philippines as the right location for development work

Lexmark Technology

Lexmark is one of the leading developers and manufacturers of printing solutions in Europe and North America. With headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, Lexmark International, Inc. has positive growth prospects in the Asia-Pacific region. The explosion of color printing in the corporate arena with the impact of the Internet as a vehicle for business has increased the prospects of printing needs in this culturally diverse region.

Although brand recognition has become extremely important and challenging in the region, Lexmark's competitive edge is strongly founded on developing and owning the technology inside its products. This shortens the product development cycle and allows the company to integrate customer inputs into research, product design, and development.

Lexmark Site

As one of America's most admired companies, Lexmark arrived on Philippine shores in 1999 with the establishment of Lexmark International Philippines, Inc., an inkjet cartridge assembly plant, at the Mactan Export Processing Zone II. This 115,500 square-foot facility in Cebu, the newest addition to Lexmark's manufacturing sites in Asia, supplies inkjet cartridges to the growing Asian market, as well as supplementing the U.S. market.

R&D Mission

In 2001, Lexmark Research and Development Corporation (LRDC) was opened at the Cebu Business Park with a mission to design, develop, deliver, and maintain software and firmware for Lexmark consumer printers. The Cebu R&D lab currently specializes in software development for printer drivers and network adapters and in rebranding of Lexmark printers for original equipment manufacturer partners worldwide. LRDC Cebu is the base of Lexmark's R&D operations in the Asia-Pacific region.

"Our strategy was to start with basic software operations," said Stan Combs, President and CEO of LRDC. "And then we worked on steadily increasing the complexity of the products developed for both consumer and business printers distributed not only in Asia, but also worldwide."

Lexmark - Mr. Stan Combs

The current 250-member staff (ivanc: now 500!) of mostly programmers has been doing a lot of studies in printer technologies for wired and wireless connections like Bluetooth, consumer printing from the Internet, and total box designs in the next five years that will incorporate electronic design and mechanisms.

LRDC is the product of an extensive one-year study of potential locations in 10 countries, including Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. There are several reasons why Lexmark chose the Philippines for its R&D operations. One core reason is the Filipino workforce, whom Mr. Combs described as "very skilled, talented, trainable, hardworking, and with a lot of potential due to a good education system and a lot of degree-qualified workers."

The second reason is more of an "accidental geography," as Mr. Combs coined it. The Philippines is centrally located and easy to access from all areas in the Asia-Pacific region. "We have business partners all over the place - China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan - with the Philippines as the convenient place located in the middle of these countries," Mr. Combs added.

Another factor is that English is the second language in the Philippines, making it easy for an American company like Lexmark to communicate with its Filipino workforce.

In addition, he stressed that the Philippine government is open for business investments and encourages open yet fair business practices. "In some countries, doing business is very difficult for a foreign corporation like Lexmark. To operate in the local market, for instance, some governments require a local partner that owns about half or maybe 51 percent of the company. This is not the case in the Philippines. In all of the respective business rules and regulations in Asian countries, the Philippines is the most flexible and straightforward."

Aside from the Philippines having good intellectual property protection laws, LRDC is located near Lexmark's inkjet manufacturing facility in Asia.

Expansion and Challenges

Because of numerous development projects and prospects, Mr. Combs said LRDC is set to expand its office in Cebu in terms of office space and more development tools for its workforce, such as computers, software, and networking equipment. The company also expects to increase its manpower to 300 by the end of the year.

It partnered with Fujitsu Philippines to improve its data network facility and he emphasized that the company is very pleased with FPI's quality of service.

"The biggest challenge is keeping this lab tightly connected and coordinating the operations with our two other labs in Lexington and Colorado," he claimed. "As we are all working on the same kind of product and technology, the Philippine lab is like a satellite, so we have to coordinate our development activities very closely, doing the software designs on the printers. We send a lot of employees from here to the U.S. for about three to six months. I have 25 people there right now."

Mr. Combs also shared his biggest personal challenge -maintaining contact with his two daughters. His wife stays with him in Cebu. "It's difficult to keep the close family ties, particularly with my mother. My wife is quite happy here, and we're both enjoying the assignment. I told my boss recently when I was in the States that this is probably one of the most rewarding assignments the company has ever given me."

"It's been an opportunity to live in another country and meet other people from other cultures since we get to travel a lot to other Asian countries, too. And if you look at the foreign companies operating in the Philippines, a lot of the people working for these companies come from Germany, Italy, U.S., England, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico. It's just a big group of international people in the Philippines, and so we have not found it to be a problem at all for us socially. We have lots of friends here," he candidly shared.

Lessons from the Philippines

Working in the Philippines is such an interesting learning experience for Mr. Combs. "It is hard to quantify. People with a different culture have different expectations about how to make things work. When I ask for something, I interpret it the way a fellow American would interpret it. However, Filipinos may interpret the request quite differently. I don't mean from a language point of view but in view of perceptions. So it's been an interesting challenge for me."

In the final analysis, Mr. Combs quickly stressed the Philippines' very large untapped opportunity for product development. "In the past, people had perhaps thought more of doing low-cost manufacturing in an export processing zone like the one in Mactan. We found we could go well beyond low-cost manufacturing and we've been successful doing development work here. We're quite satisfied in the quality of workmanship that we get in this country."

As a final message to any investor who is thinking of going to other countries to take on new development work, Mr. Combs has this to say, "I would tell them to consider the Philippines. The country certainly offers many business possibilities, providing an environment that is conducive to successful product development."

Indeed, Lexmark Research and Development Corporation in the Philippines is making a strong presence in the Asia-Pacific region and is set to increase Lexmark's leadership in the printer business worldwide, making it a truly global company.

Sinjin P.

July 7th, 2007, 07:23 AM

Re: Pristina North: I've heard about this project a long time ago and would like to ask, is there development/progress with the project? I've seen it being featured on TV years ago and would include a mini-mall among others. Hmm, I hope someone could update us regarding Pristina North :)

jaywalker

July 7th, 2007, 02:52 PM

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1389/681900647_3e5c2dbbd8.jpg?v=0
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1281/681900733_0bd376fa38.jpg?v=0
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1222/681900591_503e10a2a1.jpg?v=0

CEBU's busy Ports

slimer

July 7th, 2007, 03:07 PM

^^awesome pics!

flesh_is_weak

July 7th, 2007, 03:36 PM

http://www.ikiru.ch/tonio/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/Transmilenio.jpg

Bogota, Colombia's Bus Rapid Transit System

maybe the city government should take a look into this one...

nab_uang

July 7th, 2007, 05:14 PM

^^ that system would be useful in talamban area...

ikra

July 7th, 2007, 06:53 PM

http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/images/bus_lane.jpg

i think the above situation would be more feasible rather than completely make a new road for buses only, cheap but effective. Plus bus lanes here in the uk are located at strategic areas where the bus travels, it depends as to how much bus lane length is needed and where its most needed. And we need tp completely organize proper bus stops - i.e. with sheds and time displays as to when the next bus arrives (most usually a frequency of every 10 mins is very reasonable). Notice how they paint the road red for the bus lanes

Also notice the two taxis at the back of the bus that also makes use of the bus lanes???

flesh_is_weak

July 7th, 2007, 07:12 PM

^^considering that the government is almost always lacking in funds, i agree that your suggestion is much more feasible...

although i would still stick with the 'separate road' for buses concept, since when time comes for the transit system to get an upgrade, the 'bus road' could easily be scrapped for the laying of rails...

* * *

btw, i noticed that most jeepneys still traverse the no PUJ lanes...what ever happened to the no fault zone policy which was supposed to be implemented uptown?

diehardbisdak

July 8th, 2007, 02:40 AM

Jollibee - Mandaue City, SRA

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/jollibee-1.jpg

diehardbisdak

July 8th, 2007, 02:43 AM

MCIA - Arrival Area

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/mcia-arrival.jpg

SleMarKen

July 8th, 2007, 03:05 AM

uy welcome back to Cebu bai!

ashton

July 8th, 2007, 06:16 AM

I think Curitiba's BRT in Brazil is the one Tommy O is looking into --like ages ago? :):) ?
But the below is nice too....

http://www.ikiru.ch/tonio/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/Transmilenio.jpg

Bogota, Colombia's Bus Rapid Transit System

maybe the city government should take a look into this one...

Wind Shear

July 8th, 2007, 06:20 AM

ICT HR Survey on Cebu Research Report
by: Janette Toral

>> Despite the slump in IT enrollment in most part of the country, as more switch to nursing. Cebu's IT graduates base remains stable and expects around 2200 IT graduates this year.

Well, they can get the IT graduates from other parts of Visayas and Mindanao, especially the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

garonunez

July 8th, 2007, 08:53 AM

EASY WAY OF PROPAGATING SPANISH IN THE PHILIPPINES

I believe it's easy to learn Spanish mainly because the Filipino is already familiar with most of the words- the derived words found in the local languages like Tagalog,etc. & the Latin-derived words in English itself. If you're adept in Tagalog & English, when you start learning Spanish, you'll find you'll only lack 20% of the vocabulary you need to get by. English has an easy time becoming propagated throughout the world because of its dominance of mass pop culture so it was easily integrated into the consciousness of the people. & in the Philippines, monopolized as it is by American culture, the people really didn't need any other language to get by. Do we even have any inkling of what contemporary Spanish popular culture can offer? That's the failure of the propagators of Spanish language. Spanish generally has an antiquated appeal- di na uso, no longer trendy. & if anything, Filipinos are a very trendy-conscious lot. Because if anything, it is the contemporary Hispanic culture which could help propagate Spanish in the Philippines. Learning it is not hard, just make it cool, make it trendy to remove its reputation of being associated with bad friars & cruel hacenderos (I think this is the main hurdle to making Spanish acceptable).
I VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT
.
A. Books
1. Read Michael Crichton, Agatha Christie,ec. in Spanish or better read the great Spanish novels in Spanish. Here's a link to 500 ebooks:
http://internetmen.wordpress.com/2007/05/23/500-libros-fundamentales-descarga-gratuita/

2. You don't have to bother bringing out that thick dictionary. If you have a Palm or Windows Mobile device, you can install Lingvosoft English-Spanish dictionary so that when you find a word you don't understand, just point & click & presto you have the meaning in seconds.
a. download the file Lingvosoft English-Spanish Dictionary 2007 then install:
http://www.lingvosoft.com/Spanish-items
b. register it by patching the exe file in the download folder:
http://rapidshare.com/files/2280873/Lingvosoft_Dictionary_2007_Unipatcher.rar

3. Most of the ebooks in the link are in PDF. It's hard reading PDFs in mobile devices so you should convert the PDF's into Repligo format by using PDF Mobilizer. Download it at www.cerience.com
Register it with the following serial: FC47-E4H2-1X2Q-CECF

4. Phrasebooks:
A. H&H Spain2Go- www.hnhsoft.com
Register with the following Serial : aSxPDA; EBSA8123 or MVFM4822

B. Lingvosoft Spanish Phrase Book-

download the file Lingvosoft English-Spanish Phrasebook for Pocket PC then patch it with the Unipatcher in 2b.

http://www.lingvosoft.com/Spanish-items

II Familiarize with Spoken Spanish
1. Install SelectRadio in your mobile device & listen to the different Hispanic stations via Wi-Fi

http://rapidshare.com/files/18538038/SelectRadiov3.0.1.CAB.html

2. In your PC, you can use www.shoutcast.com

3. Watch video clips at Youtube, the South Americans are very fond of posting music videos & even telenovela clips. Be aware that they have different accents, so we shouldn't be conscious of how we sound. Me, I try to maintain the Madrileño ceceo but I try to mimic the Italian lilt of Argentinian Spanish. Believe it or not, the Filipinos are more familiar with the Italian accent because of the Italians in the American movies we're fed (see the power of popular culture?)
You can watch at your PC, but if you want to take it with you, download it with www.keepvid.com Then watch it in your Palm or Windows Mobile device using TCPMP with a Youtube plugin.

TCPMP:
http://rapidshare.com/files/17531905/TCPMP_Media_Player_0.81RC1Beta.rar.html

Youtube plugin: http://rapidshare.com/files/36132847/tcpmpflvplugin-v0.3.zip.html

II Incorporate Spanish into local culture, with a goal of producing a Tri-lingual Philippines in time (which the Philippines actually should be)
I repeat, Spanish must be made trendy, to make it palatable to an Anglo-Saxonized Filipino. It can meet head-on with what America can offer- after all, it converted me.
A. Make efforts to maintain TVE in the local cables, it disappeared again at Destiny Cable (why?). In fact, efforts should be made to increase the number of Hispanic channels- Canal 9 of Argentina, Univision, etc.

B. It will be contemporary music which will push Spanish into the mainstream. MTV Latinamerica's prescence here is imperative because this will give it the necessary appeal, it will be the main vehicle that will attract the young. & to promote the notion that a Filipino artist is as Latin as the other Hispanics, they should be included in the line-ups also. Initially, introduce Spanish music video clips in MYX . This will be easy inasmuch as the Lopezes are Hispanistas themselves. I have a strong feeling it will be the likes of Juanes, RBD, Kudai or Axel who will reinvigorate Spanish in the Philippines. Juanes, because his songs & posture are stuffs that Pinoys love. Kudai, their look is reminiscent of current Filipino rebel-types, & their sound is very British pop. Rbd's voice & song in Salvame is almost tailormade for the Philippine masses, semi-Abba, semi-Coors. Axel's love songs are the stuff of Pinoy hits: Tu amor por siempre, Amo, Que estas buscando (almost Christian Bautista/Martin Nievera) & his looks is idol-material, a counterpoint to the Anglo-Saxon idols. Among many others (a good reference is the Top Hits of Chile, they seem to have the same taste as the Filipinos). It's these popular idols who will supplant the friars in the minds of the Filipinos.

C. Sponsor visits/concerts of Spanish & Latinoamerican celebritie
this will bring closer to the Filipinos face-to-face the reality that Spanish doesn't necessarily mean snarling caciques which we read in our history books.
Moreover, this will be commercially viable in the long run. With its growing economy & big population, it will be profitable developing the Philippines market. Besides, with the oncoming Asian Century, they will have a jumping board in the Philippines to the Asian market.

I repeat, when you know Tagalog & English, it’s really easy to learn Spanish. Konting tulog lang. A small price for the great feeling learning a new language brings.

achernar

July 8th, 2007, 11:24 AM

unsa man nang Naga township?

Sinjin P.

July 8th, 2007, 12:02 PM

^ Are you referring to Naga Town in Southern Cebu?

LordCarnal

July 8th, 2007, 12:52 PM

Naga Township, I think, refers to the ecozone itself which is in Naga. It used to be the site of Seagate.

diehardbisdak

July 8th, 2007, 12:56 PM

@slemarken - thanks bai! hope i can meet you guys soon...

********

...let me share some pics of my hometown....

Welcome to TALISAY CITY!

Tabunok Road
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/tabunokhiway.jpg

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

Gaisano Fiesta Mall
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/fiestamall5.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/fiestamall7.jpg

Cebu South Memorial Garden
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/southcebumempark5.jpg

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

Cebu South Road
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/southroad.jpg

xDieselJockx

July 8th, 2007, 02:03 PM

http://www.ikiru.ch/tonio/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/Transmilenio.jpg

Bogota, Colombia's Bus Rapid Transit System

maybe the city government should take a look into this one...

I think this type of transportation system and road planning might be hard to apply in Cebu considering the streets are already narrow within the main metropolis area because of permanent and private establishments around it, now, with the newly built up area with wider roads and avenues, it might be possible. I don't know, it's just an opinion....

technoblaze

July 8th, 2007, 04:51 PM

no more news about SRP, SUBway, Banilad OVERpass, TowePalace, Escario, expansion, and the other proposed projects?? :)

rage@cebu

July 8th, 2007, 05:31 PM

^^ all projects are ongoing bai!

rage@cebu

July 8th, 2007, 05:39 PM

hello guyz! good mrning... im inviting anybody whos interested in scuba diving and snorkeling? we can meet on Sunday and discuss my latest project! im sure we will give Cebuanos a boost in its own tourism growth!

I will tour everyone to the only dedicated Diving Resort in the country! and im sure you will all love what is Cebu's best known secrets to the world!

tj_brewed

July 8th, 2007, 06:08 PM

^^ count me in! Im more interested in Scuba Diving! I need a new hobby!

tj_brewed

July 8th, 2007, 06:10 PM

no more news about SRP, SUBway, Banilad OVERpass, TowePalace, Escario, expansion, and the other proposed projects?? :)

^^ check the construction thread for the latest projects and proposals. As for those mentioned above...they are no longer proposals...they are actually being constructed as we speak. Well except for the other two - Banilad Over pass and Escario Expansion.

PINOYmeat

July 8th, 2007, 07:37 PM

Hotel open to 2nd branch

AS THE Philippines is on its way to becoming a destination of business and leisure travelers in the Asia Pacific, an international hotel chain announced it is open to partnership with the right developers to expand its network of hotels in the country.

Roy Abraham, Cebu City Marriott Hotel general manager, said like Vietnam, the country is fast becoming a magnet for Asian, American and European tourists, which is why the hotel management company is on the lookout for possible partners.

The Cebu City Marriott Hotel, which is managed by Marriott International, is a joint venture of Cebu Holdings Inc. and Ayala Hotels Inc.

“There’s a lot of interest (from Marriott) to open up more hotels in the Philippines and so we are finding the right investors who want to build a hotel and Marriott will manage it,” he told reporters in an interview last Friday.

Another brand

In Cebu for example, the hotel saw a strong potential to expand not only Marriott Hotel but also its Courtyard brand, which is positioned as a business hotel.

Cebu’s fast growing economy, driven by tourism and information technology-related industries, has made the province an emerging venue for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions market in Asia, said Cebu City Marriott Hotel director for sales and marketing Ann Olalo.

Olalo said there is a lot of interest from various corporate entities to hold incentives events, those that companies provide to staff as a form of bonus, in Cebu.

Abraham said that because Cebu is still perceived as a resort destination, Marriott is interested to manage a resort hotel in the future.

Although there are no definite plans for another Marriott in the Philippines yet, Abraham said the hotel management company has been receiving a lot of proposals from investors all over the Philippines and Asia.

He said Marriott International conducts feasibility studies on proposals that it finds interesting.

Abraham said that for the Philippines to become competitive in the global hotel industry, the country needs to further invest on infrastructure, particularly on airport facilities to provide wider access to visitors.

He said attention should also be given to minor details, like road signs in key tourist destinations.

Advantage

“In tourism, every little thing matters,” he said.

He said Cebu’s advantage as a business and leisure destination is strengthened by the Cebuanos’ “warmth and friendly attitude” and English proficiency.

He also said Marriott International is also open to introduce a Ritz Carlton hotel brand in the country.

Marriott International owns the Ritz Carlton hotel brand, an upscale chain of hotels whose branches can be found in major cities worldwide, except the Philippines.

But Abraham said further studies have to be made to determine if the brand can be successful in the Philippines.

“It needs a certain room rate to survive,” he said, adding that Ritz Carlton hotels can be found in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore.

Abraham described the Marriott brand customers as those who like the hotel’s consistency in terms of design while Renaissance customers are those who are “adventurous and hip.”

He said both the Renaissance and Marriott brands offer competitive room rates.

Olalo said 80 percent of the Cebu City Marriott Hotel, which has 301 rooms, are local and foreign business travelers. (MMM)

HERE (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/09/bus/hotel.open.to.2nd.branch.html)

PINOYmeat

July 8th, 2007, 08:10 PM

we have a cebuano as tourism secretary... are we having another cebuano for ICT?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kintanar as CICT chief?

Now that President Arroyo has accepted the resignation of Commission on ICT chair Ramon Sales, the logical issue that would crop up next is: Who would replace him?

Right now, NCC director-general and concurrent CICT commissioner Tim Diaz de Rivera is the officer-in-charge of the agency. When I bumped into him during a recent e-government project launch in Quezon City, I asked if the appointment will be made permanent so he’ll become the third official to occupy the post.

Diaz de Rivera, after all, has been the head honcho of the NCC for a number of years now and has never left the CICT since its inception even if his contemporaries have all transferred to other agencies and companies. This UP-trained engineer certainly knows the problems plaguing the local ICT industry like the back of his hand.

But according to him, there’s talk that Malacañang will be appointing former Cebu congressman Simeon Kintanar as the new CICT chief. If this information proves to be accurate, then it wouldn’t be bad at all.

Kintanar, who has just finished his third as Cebu representative, is known in the local IT circles as a firm believer in ICT as a tool for development. At the House of Representatives, he chaired the Committee on ICT and filed the bill creating the Department of ICT (DICT). Unfortunately, his tenure ended without Congress passing the proposed law.

But even before he became a lawmaker, Kintanar already earned his stripes as the NTC chief who oversaw the opening up of the country’s lethargic telecommunications industry in the 1990s.

With his life as a congressman now grounded to temporary halt, Kintanar can perhaps channel his energies to the IT sector and develop it the way he did to the telecommunications industry years back. — Melvin G. Calimag

HERE (http://www.mb.com.ph/INFO2007070997423.html)

PINOYmeat

July 8th, 2007, 08:25 PM

Cebu: Bacolod’s benchmark in attracting IT investments
By Ehda M. Dagooc
Monday, July 9, 2007

BACOLOD CITY— Impressed by Cebu’s success in positioning itself as an acclaimed Information Communication Technology (ICT) investment hub in the Philippines, Bacolod City is aiming towards the same direction applying Cebu’s strategy in seizing the growing ICT related investments.

The City of Smiles in the Western Visayas, is now focusing on ICT as its emerging economic driver, along with tourism, from purely an agricultural-driven economy in the past.

Re-elected Bacolod City Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia said in a press conference over the weekend that the city will soon be learning more about Cebu in ICT investment promotions, although no official tie-up was made between the two cities yet.

In the last few years, Leonardia sent a team to Cebu to study and observe the programs, and strategies adopted by the Cebu City government, as well as the private sector to strengthen its attractiveness to ICT investments.

Now, Bacolod has attracted big names in the call center industry, such as TeleTech, TelePerformance, and IO Asia, employing about 2,500 workers, excluding the upcoming opening of another big name in the industry, Convergys.

“We learned [so much] from Cebu in attracting call centers here. We did our own campaign putting Cebu as our benchmark. Now, we are a call center capable city,” the Mayor said.

Leonardia said, his city would like to formally ink a partnership deal with Cebu, to complement Cebu’s booming ICT industry, through its newly created ICT Focus Team.

Although ICT is now the primary focus of Bacolod City, Leonadia said his administration will also see to it that it will also give attention to tourism development, to maximize the tourism potential of the city.

He stressed that Bacolod, will not in any way compete with Cebu in terms of attracting ICT related businesses, as Cebu is already considered as its “big brother” and the Mayor said, they will continually benchmark Cebu in this sector.

In a separate interview with Cebu Investment Promotion Center (CIPC) managing director Joel Mari S. Yu, investors inquiring business opportunities in Cebu in the ICT sector also have strong interest to set up facilities in the neighboring cities, such as Bacolod, Dumaguete, among others.

To maximize Bacolod’s strength in attracting big-ticket investments in the call center industry, and other ICT businesses, Leonardia said his government is also crafting a program to encourage the 13 cities in Negros Occidental to provide quality graduates that can complement Bacolod’s strength in raking in call center investments.

The city is also capitalizing on its award recently given by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) as the Most Business-Friendly City in the Philippines.

With the active promotion of Bacolod City as an alternative ICT investment hub in the Philippines, the City is targeting to generate over a billion-peso revenue by 2008, the Mayor said.

HERE (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=52&type=2&sec=71&aid=20070708200)

PINOYmeat

July 8th, 2007, 08:33 PM

Hotel open to 2nd branch

AS THE Philippines is on its way to becoming a destination of business and leisure travelers in the Asia Pacific, an international hotel chain announced it is open to partnership with the right developers to expand its network of hotels in the country.

Marriott keen on managing another hotel, resort in Cebu
By Ehda M. Dagooc
Monday, July 9, 2007

Marriott Hotel International may manage another hotel or resort in Cebu if it finds a right partner and the right site that would meet the international management firm’s standards.

“Cebu has a lot of potential. It is a booming tourism destination, with growing international flights available,” said Cebu City Marriott Hotel general manager Roy Abraham.

Although the primary focus of expansion of Marriott International now is in China and India, the Philippines is also an emerging country for expansion of the company.

In the Philippines, Marriott International has partnered with Ayala Hotels Inc. for its managed properties here, the Cebu City Marriott Hotel and the Renaissance Hotel in Manila.

He said Marriott owners have high interest in managing hotel or resort property in Cebu, provided that it can find a right partner as developer. Next projects may not be with the Ayala Hotels.

He also mentioned that Cebu, being able to host five-star resorts like Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort, and Cebu Hilton Resort and Spa, there is also a possibility that the Group’s luxury brand, Ritz Carlton will soon find its way to Cebu.

Cebu, is trying to position itself as a “high-end” destination, attracting quality tourists, not in quantity. In fact, it started to attract increasing number of wealthy Europeans, Russians, as well as recovering more high-spender Japanese tourists.

Now, that the economy in the Philippines has slowly rebounded from the lingering effects of the 1997 regional economic crash, he said investors are starting to consider investments especially in tourism related projects, specifically in Cebu.

For the last couple of years, Marriott Hotels International had already been approached by several investors wanting to offer partnerships for another resort, or hotel projects in Cebu, but Abraham said the company is cautious in choosing business partners.

The Cebu City Marriott Hotel, positioned as a business hotel is registering an average occupancy rate of 50 percent to 60 percent in the last few days. It is strong with corporate guests, and also getting growing number of leisure travelers from different countries.

He said Marriott Hotels Inc., is now looking at the entire Asia, as its growth area, aside from China, and India.

The company is open for good opportunities for expansion in Cebu, and other areas in the Philippines, he reiterated.

In fact, in 2009 the company will be managing a Marriott Hotel in Manila, in partnership with MegaWorld.

“In the last two years, the Philippines is doing pretty good. Investors are coming in,” Abraham added.

HERE (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=52&type=2&sec=71&aid=20070708204)

PINOYmeat

July 8th, 2007, 08:36 PM

HP teams up with Ng Khai on its Philippine expansion
Monday, July 9, 2007

Giant computer vendor Hewlett Packard teams up with Ng Khai Development Corporation on its recently opened HP solution Center and HP Store in Cebu, which is part of its Philippine expansion.

“In the last 15 years of our operation, we have shared successes with big companies like HP. We became successful because we stood in the shoulder of giants,” says Ng Khai’s President and CEO Wilson Po Ng in the press briefing entitled, “HP Re-defines Cebu” at the Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort and Spa recently.

Ng Khai Development Corporation is a systems integration company that has since then grown to become a key player in the Philippine IT industry especially in Cebu. It started its operations in 1993. In order to provide quality service to its clients, Ng Khai broadened its horizons to meet the advances of Information Technology providing a one stop shop for a complete integrated IT business solution.

Currently, Ng Khai is a Microsoft Certified Partner and the only Microsoft Managed Partner and Large Account Reseller for VisMin, Ng Khai is also a HP Premier Business Partner, HP Designjet and Commercial Business Partner, IBM Corporate Reseller, a Cisco Premier Certified Partner, an Oracle Business Alliance Partner, 3Com Gold Partner, Network Associates Silver Account Reseller, a Molex Certified Installer Company, an Imation Platinum Partner, Diamond Reseller for Lexmark Printers, a Symantec Enterprise Sales Partner, and an APC Business Partner. Ng Khai is also the exclusive Visayas Distributor for 3M Visual Products and a reseller for Keystone Learning Products, Canon Multimedia Projectors, and a Globe Quest Business Partner.

Ng shared why big companies and investors like them are bullish with the market here in the Philippines saying that, “more and more people buy branded PCs nowadays, it’s growing faster in the world market and we see the same trend in many developing countries like here in the Philippines. As people see technology plays the bigger part of their lives they start to look for better technologies.”

Ng Khai Development Corp. hosts and manages the first ever HP Solution Center in the Philippines located at the Ayala Center Cebu.

The HP Solution Center offers various IT solutions and services that cater to the needs of small and medium businesses in the region. — Rhia de Pablo

HERE (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=52&type=2&sec=71&aid=20070708205)

pinoy_boi

July 9th, 2007, 04:27 AM

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/tj_brewed/echoshots/sk.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/tj_brewed/echoshots/sk1.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/tj_brewed/echoshots/sk3.jpg

nice pic

sugbuanon

July 9th, 2007, 05:21 AM

http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/4317/bantayan017jn3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/214/bantayan018kg5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

tower 3 has now topped off

LordCarnal

July 9th, 2007, 08:19 AM

Wow, a Ritz Carlton for Cebu? nice one..

diehardbisdak

July 9th, 2007, 11:58 AM

...sorry, camphone pics lang! ...hadlok ko'g dala sa akong digicam....hheheheheh!

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

SM City Cebu - Large8 Photo Exhibit (like the works of BenCab et al)
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm5.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm3.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm4.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm1.jpg

One of SM Cebu Northwing's Entrances (from the main mall)
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm2.jpg

...and the surrounding skyscraper, The C.I.F.C. Tower
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/cifc.jpg

....next stop, Ayala Center Cebu!...hehehehhehe!

Sinjin P.

July 9th, 2007, 12:38 PM

http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/4317/bantayan017jn3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/214/bantayan018kg5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

tower 3 has now topped off

...and it can now be seen clearly from the bridges too :okay:

SleMarKen

July 9th, 2007, 01:01 PM

We were there for the opening. Jaime Zobel-Ayala wasn't there...

SM City Cebu - Large8 Photo Exhibit (like the works of BenCab et al)
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm5.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm3.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm4.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm1.jpg

SleMarKen

July 9th, 2007, 01:03 PM

@slemarken - thanks bai! hope i can meet you guys soon...

we hope to meet you too bai! kitakits!

h3nry

July 9th, 2007, 03:53 PM

PINOYmeat

July 9th, 2007, 07:23 PM

ePerformax inaugurates 350-seater Cebu facility
Tuesday, July 10, 2007

A new company called ePerformax joins the ranks of Cebu’s call center players as it launched last Sunday its newest facility at the JY Square Mall.

The ePerformax facility holds 350 seats and administrators mapped out plans of increasing it to 2,000 in two years time. For the meantime, an extension building behind JY Mall is being constructed to accommodate the future expansion.

President and CEO Teresa M. Hartsaw said in an interview with The Freeman “we will focus our growth here in Cebu; we’ve not yet decided to expand further in other places but right now we find the market here exciting though smaller compared to Manila because people here are very much excited with the professional careers we offer.”

The ePerformax Philippines is a privately held corporation established through a partnership formed between ePerformax U.S. and Transnational Diversified Group (TDG) of the Philippines, a 30-year old Philippine company which owns 28 companies under its umbrella and employs over 8,000 people in service-oriented positions who are exported to companies such as Disney Cruise Line.

As one of the first contact centers to venture into the Philippines in 2002, its partnership with TDG was integrated to form high-performance contact center providing US-based businesses with offshore outsourcing services. The success of the company’s operation in Manila which already has over 1 800 agents providing Customer Service, Technical Support, Quality Assessment Call Monitoring and Data Collection and Verification for six major U.S. companies has led to the opening of a new facility in Cebu in which ePerformax expands programs with two of their existing clients from the retail and credit card industry.

The company has a reported $1 billion annual remittances and already paid $5 billion in taxes to the Philippine government and have paid $30 billion in wages to its employees.

In terms of their client base, ePerformax have clients ranging from telecommunications, financial, retail, technical support, and internet and claims to oftentimes outperform internal call centers of clients and even competitor.

Hartsaw stressed that “we select clients as much as clients select us. We pick not just any client but those who fit our company’s standard. We have passion for our clients and our people and we deliver better quality.”

For its agents, ePerformax provides a package of benefits that they say as ‘not only financially rewarding but personally fulfilling’ because of their pay-for-performance and pay-for-progress compensation that ensures its employees to earn the highest compensation levels in the contact center industry.

“We put our employees ahead of our clients because they are the ones who deliver. We’re only as good as our people so we invest a lot on them to make sure that everyone of our people even the weakest link will be trained to deliver better performance,” said Hartsaw.

As for competition, Hartsaw is optimistic that their company’s growth will be more on providing quality performance and better customer service. “We will focus on being the best by providing the best customer service and not on being the biggest or the cheapest but being the best,” challenges Hartsaw

HERE (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=52&type=2&sec=71&aid=2007070990)

PINOYmeat

July 9th, 2007, 07:28 PM

PB INAUGURAL SESSION: Sanchez pushes plans to make Cebu a global economic player
Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. yesterday presided the inaugural session of the 11th Provincial Board and pushed for various programs that would make Cebu province a vital player in the world economy.

“Our vision is not only national but global. Cebu will soon become a world player in economy. The breathless wonder of change is seen at the horizon. An economic horizon is about to happen,” declared Sanchez to the PB.

The vice governor outlined various economic, entrepreneur and livelihood programs that he said would make the vision a reality but he rallied the Cebuanos to unite and join the quest.

“If there is no unity, there is no real victory. Let us not be held back by our biases or by our bitterness. Rather let us be pushed and pulled forward by our vision. After progress and comforts of life, our ultimate vision should be peace and unity,” he said.

The goal is not an “impossible dream”, Sanchez said, citing the Cebuano character as “indigenous and risk taker,” which he said are the “rights ingredients for entrepreneur.”

For the past three years as vice governor, Sanchez said he had been working for various livelihood programs. Now he wanted to include micro financing, agro-environment, economic zones, and reclamation site developments.

Sanchez said the Sugbu Micro Business Enterprise is already there to help Cebuanos acquire sufficient knowledge in micro-finance system.

He also mentioned that the proposed Cebu Trans-Axial Development Project would continue in spite of many “disbelievers” or several objections.

Sanchez said the CTDP would also include wind power development, which when harnessed could generate 3,000 megawatts of power for mainland Cebu based on a study by the Philippine Atmospheric Geographical and Astronomical Service Administration.

The project further includes the development of water supply, Sanchez said. “Cebu is fortunate to have 120 river systems…which would yield close to 500,000 cubic per day…If fully tapped and developed,…can serve even four million people,” he said.

He further envisioned the construction of a 300-kilometer Santander-Daanbantayan highway, which he termed as the “backbone highway” that would traverse parallel to the central highlands and reduce travel time by 40 percent.

“Cebu is a small island but its people have big dreams. For all its smallness, the promise is often referred to as the Empire Province,” said Sanchez but added that big things should be done to realize this “empire.”

Governor Gwen Garcia, for her part, readily supported Sanchez’ plan to develop Cebu into a global economic player but she wanted that the benefits derived from it would spread into the countryside and not just the highly urbanized areas of the province.

“I am willing to sit down with the Vice Governor…to talk about specific projects and programs that will take advantage of each of the districts’ comparative advantage, to prepare each business for the future,” Garcia said.

The governor said she would ask for PB support for the delivery of basic services to the people such as roads, bridges, water, electricity, health insurance and social welfare.

All these would make Cebu a “special economic zone,” which would in turn provide the “proper growth” to the province.

“I am talking of the real opportunity for (Cebuanos) to rise to every challenge, to defend its honor and its birthright, and to seize the bright and prosperous future that will bring us to our rightful place before the national and international stage,” Garcia said. — Gerome M. Dalipe/RAE

HERE (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Local%20News&p=52&type=2&sec=70&aid=20070709152)

PINOYmeat

July 9th, 2007, 07:44 PM

NEWS FROM INDIA...

Drishti Gears Up to Capitalize on Filipino Contact Center Market Growth

"We are very excited to see the progress Drishti Philippines has made. Our priority is to make people aware of DACX™ Contact Center Suite and advantages that follow from an IP-based solution." said Grace Tirol, Director, Sales and Marketing at Drishti Philippines Inc. She also mentioned that Drishti is considering setting up a regional office in Cebu. "Cebu has already got serious players and we believe it will play an important role in making Philippines a world class BPO provider."

MORE here (http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/20722/)

PINOYmeat

July 9th, 2007, 07:49 PM

FROM NEWYORKDAILY NEWS....

Rediscovering Cebu
Philippines' second city boasts first-class history & atmosphere

BY MIKE QUANE
Monday, July 9th 2007, 4:00 AM

The voyage of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, whose 16th-century mission for Spain was the first to circumnavigate the globe, took a tragic turn in 1521 when he was killed during a Custerlike attack on the local populace in Cebu, Philippines.

Today's explorers will find a more friendly welcome in Cebu than that received by Magellan, and they can walk in the steps of the great navigator without trepidation.

Cebu, the oldest city in the Philippines and the second in size to Manila, is a thriving metropolis of more than 3 million people. Yet unlike Manila, Cebu - called the Queen City of the South - retains a provincial, less frenetic quality than its northern counterpart.

History buffs will be well-rewarded, with glimpses of what life was like when the Philippines was a Spanish colony. Fans of sunbathing and water sports will find a marine paradise in Cebu's Mactan Island resorts, and gourmets will relish Cebu's delectable dishes - a combination of Spanish, Chinese and Polynesian cuisine, with some of the world's most exotic fruits mixed in.

A little more than an hour's flight from Manila via Philippine Airlines, Cebu's international airport on Mactan Island is close to an array of top beach resorts. These include the Maribago Resort, a stunning property with beautiful beaches and ample opportunities for canoeing, windsurfing, snorkeling and other aquatic pursuits.

MORE here (http://www.nydailynews.com/travel/2007/07/09/2007-07-09_rediscovering_cebu.html)

kots_isko

July 10th, 2007, 06:00 AM

Cebu board to tackle new highway
Cebu Daily News
Last updated 03:47pm (Mla time) 07/09/2007

Cebu, Philippines – The Cebu Provincial Board will tackle during its first session on Monday the proposed P4-billion road project that will connect the island of Cebu from north to south through its central mountains.

Provincial Board Member Victor Maambong said he expects the board to approve the proposal on Monday.

The proposed transaxial highway is a 300-kilometer stretch of road running through the center of the island, from the northernmost tip to the southernmost.

“I hope that the entire board will pass it in mass motion,” said Maambong, who authored the resolution.

Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr., who conceived the project, said the highway would fast track economic growth by reversing migration from urban to the rural areas.

It will connect existing roads, including one that links the southernmost town of Santander to Argao in the south, another one linking Balamban in the northwest to Pinamungahan in the southwest; and Tuburan to Compostela in the north.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said the project would provide the “backbone” for proposed water and wind-generated power projects, which have been drawing interest from foreign investors willing to participate in a build-operate-transfer scheme.

Sanchez is scheduled to address the Provincial Board’s inaugural ceremonies on Monday at the Capitol’s legislative building.

Garcia is expected to deliver a message during the session.

Board members will also decide on Maambong’s resolution granting Sanchez full authority to appoint the head of provincial board’s committees.

In a caucus last Thursday, provincial board members agreed on chairmanships of the different committees.

The board also agreed that Provincial Board Member Agnes Magpale would be the board’s president pro-tempore, Maambong as majority floor leader, and Peter John Calderon as assistant floor leader.

Among the newcomers, Wenceslao Gakit will head the committee on budget and appropriations, Ceasar Ian Zambo, the committee on public works, highways and infrastructure, and Wilfredo Caminero, the committee for livelihood and agriculture.

Reporter Nilda Gallo

kots_isko

July 10th, 2007, 06:02 AM

Cebu City heritage building to keep culture, arts alive
By Doris C. Bongcac
Cebu Daily News
Last updated 03:50pm (Mla time) 07/09/2007

Cebu City, Philippines - The three-storey heritage building along Osmeña Boulevard, known to most Cebuanos as the Rizal Memorial Library and Museum, will soon be devoted for arts and culture.

Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama plans to move the public library out of the ground floor so that the whole building can be turned into a museum.

He also said that Sinulog Hall on the third floor can be a perfect place for mini-concerts and cultural presentations.

“Turning the place into a museum will preserve the aesthetic value of the neo-renaissance building which has been around since the 1950s,” said Rama, who chairs the Cebu City’s cultural and historical commission.

Over 100 paintings depicting Cebuano lifestyle and cultural treasures from prominent Cebuano families and artists are housed inside the historical building.

Sculptures of local artists, antique Chinas and furniture, woodcarvings, a few archaeological finds and artifacts are also displayed on its halls.

Rama said the city plans to move the public library to a new building to be constructed at the South Road Properties.

“If funds are available, the new building will also house not only a public library but also an information technology center for public school students,” he said.

But he said the historical building along Osmeña Boulevard will remain a showcase of Cebuano arts and culture.

“It is important to preserve culture and the arts for us to know our humble beginnings,” he said.

Rama heads the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) that started renovating the building at the start of Mayor Tomas Osmeña's term in 2001. Renovation workers had removed the canopy on the second floor which blocked the view of the staircase leading to the upper floors.

“The building was in such a sorry state in 2001,” Rama recalled. “If you go up, all you see were garbage.” He said the canopy was built during the administration of former mayor Alvin Garcia. It only made the place look ugly, he said.

Earlier, CHAC was able to raise P6 million from Sinulog Foundation and private donors to renovate the third floor and turn it into an “elegant ballroom” with white walls, wooden floors and a high ceiling adorned with three brass chandeliers. The ballroom, launched on July 2 as Sinulog Hall, features a stage with built in dressing rooms.

Rama said the city will open Sinulog Hall for bookings to raise revenues for the maintenance of the museum and to fund future cultural projects. Of the P6 million that was raised for its improvement, P5 million came from Sinulog Foundation.

kots_isko

July 10th, 2007, 06:07 AM

Buses, not PUJs for Ban-Tal area?

CONSULTATIONS and studies on replacing public utility jeepneys (PUJs) with buses from the main thoroughfare in the Banilad and Talamban areas are underway.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday said he will start consulting homeowners in these areas on the possibility of replacing PUJs with buses, especially during rush hours.

Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007 Coverage

View here the list of local winners

In his news conference yesterday, Osmeña assured that PUJs will still be allowed to run but will be limited to the back streets and interior routes.

“It’s a clear situation where people are going to be unhappy. It’s something that will be implemented over a period of time because there’s a need to adjust... these are adjustments associated with growth. We will not phase out PUJs, we will just reassign them to other routes,” the mayor said.

Planning and Development Officer Nigel Paul Villarete will ask the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) board tomorrow to commission a study on the plan.

This, he said, will reduce the number of vehicles using the area to 25 percent of the current volume.

A bus is equivalent to three to four PUJs in the streets, Villarete said, adding that the change will have an impact on improving traffic.

Talamban has four jeepney routes, with 410 units plying the 13 C travel line alone.

Told that PUJ operators will likely object and call the plan elitist, the urban planning officer said shifting to buses is a complex process that requires much consultation with stakeholders.

That is why discussions should be done before such radical shift will be implemented, he said.

“Give me a City in the world which developed without shifting to a more efficient mode of transportation? This is something which cannot be reversed and even stopped,” Villarete said.

“As the city develops, it needs to upgrade to a more mass-based transportation,” he added.

He said he could not do anything if the PUJ operators think that way, except to say that what he has in mind is the general welfare of the people.

“This is something that will happen anyway. We might as well talk about it now and discuss the possibility. They (operators) themselves might even be the ones to shift (to operating buses),” he said.

Villarete added that the people should take his proposal “on a positive note” since it is designed to help them in the long run.

Meanwhile, the mayor wants to regulate private vehicles on Gov. Cuenco Ave. and Talamban Road as a way of decongesting the main thoroughfare. That might mean banning private cars altogether during rush hour. Tricycles will also have to be eliminated by then.

“There’s a tendency for government to give higher priority to private cars. But now there should be a reversal, we have to be more restrictive on private vehicles. During rush hour, public vehicles will be given priority. Private vehicles will have to take the side roads,” he said.

He said it is high time that people prefer public transport like buses instead of using private vehicles.

The mayor is also considering lifting the ordinance that bans the construction of new schools in the downtown area, so school owners could transfer downtown instead of building schools in Banilad and Talamban.

Believing that schools started and aggravated traffic problems downtown, he banned the construction of new schools in the area in the ’90s.

Schools and the Carbon market, he said, “killed” downtown Cebu City since investors refrained from starting new businesses there because of traffic congestion.

“We made a special ordinance, no more schools were allowed downtown so we succeeded in dispersing schools to the north and south but it also created a situation where no one wants to invest downtown. Now, do we want Banilad to be another Colon St.?” the mayor asked.

Schools were not the only structures affected by the battle to solve the city’s traffic problem.

City Hall has also implemented a moratorium on projects from Banilad to Binaliw to “slow down” development in the Talamban cluster because of the traffic situation.

Osmeña has asked businessmen to instead invest in the south district to even development.

The mayor had said that if the traffic problem is not solved, property value in the Banilad-Talamban area will likely drop. (LCR/RHM)

jameslab8470

July 10th, 2007, 06:35 AM

cooL! buses! Pero, dapat they should control the franchise sa buses. kc, masmalaki sile, masmalaki din ang problema. Wahehe...

tj_brewed

July 10th, 2007, 06:40 AM

^^ and we need wider roads too!

jameslab8470

July 10th, 2007, 06:48 AM

tj_brewed

July 10th, 2007, 07:23 AM

yup.. wider roads! pero diba, may news article na pinost dito noon, na they consider it too.... pero isang catholic institution, ayaw nilang ibigay/ibenta ang lupa sa government... wa may lain catholic school siguro dire except usc.. ahehehe

Im not sure with laws, but aint there a law that gives the local government the power to take the land (whether the owner is amenable to it or not) for projects such as road widening or road constructions?

Wow..it would be an amazing sight if the current road would be expanded into six or eight lanes (if it is possible). weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

SleMarKen

July 10th, 2007, 07:41 AM

^^ Power of Eminent Domain. Right or power of a sovereign state to appropriate private property to particular uses to promote public welfare.

tj_brewed

July 10th, 2007, 08:01 AM

^^ yup that's it! Thnx slemarken! So basically, if that is indeed USC - then the university has no choice but to give in!

kots_isko

July 10th, 2007, 08:20 AM

that only means one thing... the news that USC is not selling a portion of their front lot is false..

blueguy

July 10th, 2007, 08:49 AM

You are allowed to take photos...basta wag isama ang mga shops

...sorry, camphone pics lang! ...hadlok ko'g dala sa akong digicam....hheheheheh!

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

SM City Cebu - Large8 Photo Exhibit (like the works of BenCab et al)
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm5.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm3.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm4.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm1.jpg

One of SM Cebu Northwing's Entrances (from the main mall)
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/sm2.jpg

...and the surrounding skyscraper, The C.I.F.C. Tower
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/cifc.jpg

....next stop, Ayala Center Cebu!...hehehehhehe!

flesh_is_weak

July 10th, 2007, 09:29 AM

i hope the bus system becomes controlled by the government--or at least semi-private--and that they should have a uniform fare, and maybe they could implement a 'transfer system' where one can take a bus from pardo, pay the standard fare and get a transfer ticket, then take another bus to ayala for free through the use of the transfer ticket...that would encourage people to take public transport, thus decongesting our roads and reducing air pollution in the city...

Positive Aura

July 10th, 2007, 10:00 AM

Toledo City Commercial Village

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1357/766756077_8c66aa76bc_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1252/766757901_7f0b198672_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1119/767621296_22a3c347b9_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1166/766765983_e58c2c7fb5_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1255/766765353_016a5c94fc_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1081/766763595_6c943a85bf_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1087/767627594_b3acb1ecfd_o.jpg

Toledo Port

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1208/767631236_6b3aaf4ccb_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1091/766764497_eeba9b5cf4_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1253/766761875_74ed275c61_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1152/767624536_0fb696fdef_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1172/767620858_872440da0d_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1140/767622776_78a56a4704_o.jpg

Toledo City Public Market

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1420/766759127_043dd1241a_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1135/766756421_4999657181_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1280/767629256_b1d2ac0f7d_o.jpg

garonunez

July 10th, 2007, 11:05 AM

For those who would want to read bestsellers in Spanish (ebooks), these links are still accesssible:

PRIMERA ALTERNATIVA PARA DESCARGAR LOS 500 LIBROS GRATIS
http://rapidshare.com/files/37257962...anzo.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/37257953...anzo.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/37256951...anzo.part3.rar
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

SEGUNDA ALTERNATIVA PARA DESCARGAR LOS 500 LIBROS GRATIS

500_Libros Banzo.part1.rar (95.37 MB)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZDGYJ8H6
500_Libros Banzo.part2.rar (95.37 MB)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2XFU90GJ

500_Libros Banzo.part3.rar (76.78 MB)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2QPFFG69

TERCERA ALTERNATIVA PARA DESCARGAR LOS 500 LIBROS GRATIS
http://rapidshare.com/files/2603040/...part1.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/2609740/...part2.rar.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/2561727/...part3.rar.html

Positive Aura

July 10th, 2007, 11:25 AM

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1124/767627244_191753b4ee_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1289/766762249_621a27e188_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1316/767630984_94ae660d4e_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1307/767628454_39ad3b1adc_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1177/766760603_c13b7a2f33_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1022/767623920_e535b837f6_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1218/767624204_b81563e945_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1195/766765699_986a7961d2_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1023/767625788_aa5c968f39_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1019/767623610_f27464fc86_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1328/767622452_80152427e4_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1426/767621752_d435a37d3e_o.jpg

The Cebuano Exultor

July 10th, 2007, 11:41 AM

I think this idea is brilliant.

Advantages of buses over PUJs:

Capacity
- Buses, obviously, can carry more people at any one time.
- Capacity of buses can be even greater if one takes into account the possibility for some passengers to stand in the aisle which cannot be applied in PUJs.

Easier to Regulate
- Buses or operating bus-lines require more capital outlays in order to own and operate than owning and/or operating a PUJ. Unlike single proprietor ownership and/or operations of PUJs, this business would involve only a few players because not anyone can venture in such a business.
- Given the premise above, having fewer players means that it is easier to regulate price levels.

Disadvantages of buses over PUJs:

Maintenace
- Buses require more maintenance expense.

Frequency
- Buses are big and, therefore can carry a lot of passengers at any one time. But buses can't operate in numbers equal to the number of PUJs plying this route. If this happens then this "all-bus-route" solution would only make things worse. Therefore, buses count on bulk and capacity but they have to be far fewer in number. With the relatively fewer number of such vehicles plying the route, frequency would be compromised. So that, if it were possible to have an average frequency of 2 jeeps per minute from 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. One would have to wait 5-10 minutes before another bus comes.

All-in-all, I think having buses would be a welcome relief...if and only if, the local government will: take an active role in regulating the issuance of bus-line franchises, have a major influence in regulating prices of bus fares, build designated bus stops, widen bottleneck areas of the Banilad-Talamban stretch of Gov. Cuenco Ave.

I hope the buses would look like the Cebu KMK Transit.

diehardbisdak

July 10th, 2007, 11:42 AM

^^ wow, nice pics!

kots_isko

July 10th, 2007, 12:04 PM

i hope one day, we will only see buses in major roads of cebu. this will definitely help the city's traffic problem....

yes, i have to agree that commuters have to wait 10 to 15 minutes for another bus to come.... which is the beauty of having buses in the city... buses don't congest our roads.... one of its advantages over jeepneys.

and, if we use buses in cebu... we have to make sure that "stopping in designated bus stops only" will be strictly implemented.... hindi tulad ng jeepney na anytime and anywhere pwedi tayong sumakay at bumaba...

stopping in designated bus stops is surely not convenient to all commuters especially pag ang bahay mo or office mo ay malayo sa bus stop.... but what the hell.. we will get used to it after years of using bus... bus stops really help the flow of traffic.

as for jeepneys.... we can use them in some roads..... just like what the lapu-lapu and mandaue city did to tricycles... not allowed in highways.. only in smaller roads.

kots_isko

July 10th, 2007, 12:06 PM

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1124/767627244_191753b4ee_o.jpg

bago bago tingnan! nice church .. nice color.. nice interior.. hindi mainit tingnan sa loob!

TagaCebu

July 10th, 2007, 07:49 PM

Coffee

July 10th, 2007, 08:28 PM

You guys are all way too optimistic thinking that buses are gonna instantly decongest traffic. The south road leading out of the city is clogged with buses, especially around the south bus terminal. Yes buses are bigger and can carry more passengers, but that also means they're bulkier and more difficult to maneuver around other vehicles. And there's no guarantee that buses will pick up and drop off passengers only at designated stops-- even most Ceres buses do that.

PINOYmeat

July 10th, 2007, 09:10 PM

^^ i agree, look at edsa!

but cebu could try to be different, there should be close regulation, hindi yung basta lang approve ng franchise, and i dont think they will use buses as big as ceres, pang inter provincial bus na yun, im sure alam naman ng nasa authorities na hindi feasible ang ganun kalalaking buses in cebu's narrow streets, pwede na yung baby bus or yung mga coasters like what shangrila are using for their guests. and mas ok kung in partnership with the city government, para mas affordable and mas mareregulate nila, working in partnership with the city government can even be an assurance na mas disiplinado yung drivers para they will observe the loading and unloading zones kundi lagot sila kay mayor tom.

PINOYmeat

July 10th, 2007, 09:24 PM

Retailer eyes further expansion

CONFIDENT that Cebu’s consumer market will continue to experience robust growth, a Metro Manila-based retailer plans to expand “gradually” its supermarket chain here within the next three years.

This, after Rustan’s Supercenters Inc. (RSI), owner of the Shopwise hypermarket chain, will finalize the consolidation of its Manila outlets in eight to 10 months, said Shopwise president Donnie Tantoco.

“We are busy integrating our Manila stores but after we monitor the developments, we will expand more our presence in Cebu, either (through) malls or hypermarket chains,” said Tantoco.

He said that while the company is in an expansion mood, additional supermarket outlets will be concentrated in the Luzon area and in the Visayas, particularly in Cebu.

Large presence

“Since 1981, we have already seen the potential to grow in Cebu. We want a meaningful and large presence here. Cebu can accommodate more Rustan’s,” he told reporters during the opening of its Rustan’s Fresh Supermarket last Monday evening.

The 2,000-square meter Rustan’s supermarket is an anchor store located in the basement level of Ayala Center Cebu’s megacomplex, the first phase of the mall’s expansion project.

Frances Yu, RSI assistant vice president for marketing, said the opening of another Rustan’s supermarket in Cebu signifies that the province has “excess” growth in the consumer market that spells many opportunities for the company.

Rustan’s Supermarket first branch is in Banawa, Cebu City.

Tantoco also said that under the Shopwise group, the company will beef up Rustan’s organic line, emphasize wellness and beauty, and improve the ready-to-cook section as well as the bakeshop.

Earlier, Rustan Commercial decided to let go of its supermarket division under the RSI to focus on its core department store business, which is the more than 50-year-old Rustan’s Department Store.

The Shopwise group is composed of the ICCP group, the American International Group and the Tantoco’s.

Partners

“We are trying to experiment on how to run the business with other partners so they can teach us what they know of the market,” Tantoco explained.

Tantoco said the consolidation of Rustan’s supermarkets and Shopwise’s network is expected to increase sales revenues to 67 percent and will “professionalize both operations.” “It will eliminate redundant expenses, (allow us to) pool our resources and negotiate better terms with suppliers,” he added.

The Rustan’s supermarket outlets have been catering to the A and B markets for over the past 30 years. They are known to carry high-end and specialty food items. (MMM)

HERE (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/11/bus/retailer.eyes.further.expansion.html)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(cebu already has two rustans supermarket, and they cater to the A and B market, that means there is a bigger A and B market in cebu than anywhere else outside manila :) )

tj_brewed

July 10th, 2007, 09:24 PM

Happy Birthday Bestfriend Arnold!
:banana: :banana: :banana:

diehardbisdak

July 11th, 2007, 02:50 AM

@nold, hapi na...b-day pa!

habagatcentral1

July 11th, 2007, 04:22 AM

Retailer eyes further expansion
(cebu already has two rustans supermarket, and they cater to the A and B market, that means there is a bigger A and B market in cebu than anywhere else outside manila :) )

Although its target is A andd B market, I was surprised that the prices in Fresh are quite affordable. Back then in Banawa, I always have to go either Rustans or Fooda because they almost have the same affordable prices for food.

kots_isko

July 11th, 2007, 05:07 AM

kaya nga sa major roads lang ang buses dahil they are way too big for cebu's narrow streets...

as for jeepneys stopping at designated stops... kahit lahat ng jeepneys ay sa jeepney stops lang mag stop.. still they are considered as the main cause of congestion... sobrang dami kase kase masyado ng jeepneys... i think the franchising has not been properly controlled... feeling ko kung ang isang tao maka-afford bumili ng jeepney.. hayon anytime pwedi syang bumili at kumuha ng franchise...

kots_isko

July 11th, 2007, 05:12 AM

PINOYmeat

July 11th, 2007, 05:44 AM

having two rustans supermarket does not necessarily mean that cebu has bigger A&B market outside manila.... maliliit lang naman ang supermarkets nila and not as busy as other supermarkets...

kaya nga po hindi busy dahil hindi naman pang masa, got the point? if cebu doesnt have a bigger A and B market, then we could only wonder why ayala invested in cebu, along with rustans (known for bringing high-end brands), marks and spencers (obviously hindi pang masa in philippine retail) starbucks (when 3 in 1 instant coffee and the more affordable bo's are present) shangrila, hilton (where the most expensive burger in the philippines can be found), plantation bay, and if cebu doesnt have a bigger class A and B market, matagal na sanang nag flop and investments ni king in their condos and other condo developmnets (we all know na hindi naman nanggagaling sa class C,D and E ang nakaka afford ng units)

if not for the bigger A and B market, ewan ko na lang kung ano...

siguro maraming feeling class A & B kaya naging dalawa ang Rustans supermarket... hehehehehe

dude, i dont know if this is a joke, but rustans is not stupid to invest in cebu if the market cant sustain it, and yung "feeling" "feeling" CANT sustain a market and cant drive a major retailer to invest dahil maraming "feeling" sa place. im sure they studied the market and they will be able to identify if its feasible, kung ganyan pa eh di marami na sanang rustans sa pilipinas, maraming atang "feeling" all over the philippines.

PINOYmeat

July 11th, 2007, 05:54 AM

^^ in relation to that...

Metro corners 2/3 of total bank deposits
By Roderick T. dela Cruz

Metro Manila, an area encompassing 636 square kilometers or just 0.2 percent of the country’s total land area, cornered more than two-thirds of the national wealth deposited in banks last year.

In the latest Philippine Countryside in Figures released recently, the National Statistical Coordination Board said total deposits in Metro Manila banks amounted to P2.025 trillion, or 68.2 percent of the P2.971 trillion total bank deposits in 2005.

Data showed that as of December 2005, the Philippines had 7,621 banks, of which 4,269 were commercial banks; 1,293 thrift banks; and 2,059 rural and cooperative banks.

Of the total number of banks, 2,645 or 34.7 percent were based in Metro Manila, including 2,051 universal and commercial banks.

Cebu was a far second with 383 banks, of which 219 were universal and commercial banks. Total number of banks in Cebu went up by 6 or 1.6 percent from 377 in 2004.

Other provinces with large number of banks were Laguna with 335; Cavite, 286; Bulacan, 241; Batangas, 229; Pangasinan, 213; Pampanga, 203; Rizal, 177; Davao del Sur, 169; and Iloilo, 156.

Among the 79 provinces, Apayao had the least number of banks of two—a commercial bank and a rural bank.

Of the P2.971 trillion bank deposits nationwide last year, P2.628 trillion were deposited in universal and commercial banks, P260.987 billion in thrift banks, and P81.065 billion in rural and cooperative banks.

The 2,645 universal and commercial banks in Metro Manila held P1.845 trillion or 62 percent of total assets of the banking system.

Outside Metro Manila, Cebu recorded the largest bank deposits of P134.225 billion or 4.5 percent of the total.

Laguna followed with P63.953 billion; Cavite, P49.142 billion; Pampanga, P49.016 billion; Davao del Sur, P48.928 billion; Negros Occidental, P37.991 billion; Batangas, P36.462 billion; Iloilo, P34.999 billion; Bulacan, P33.170 billion, Pangasinan, P31.296 billion; and Rizal, P31.127 billion.

HERE (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business03_july18_2006)

hindi naman siguro feeling lang nila na may deposit sila sa bank.... feeling lang yung P134.225 Billion?

jaywalker

July 11th, 2007, 06:54 AM

Arroyo, Visayas guvs set to tackle super region infra
WITH CABINET IN SILAY FRIDAY BY CARLA GOMEZ

Central Philippines governors are joining President Gloria Arroyo in a Cabinet cluster meeting on super region infrastructure projects at the new Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City Friday.

The governors of the Central Philippines will meet with the President after her site inspection of the new airport, Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela said yesterday.

Expected to be discussed are infrastructure priorities for tourism and development in the Visayan provinces of the central part of the country, he said. The congressmen and city mayors of Negros Occidental have also been invited to the Cabinet cluster meeting, he said.

Last year, Arroyo unveiled the mega-region economic development strategy that she said was geared toward propelling the Philippines to First World status.

For Central Philippines, which has the competitive edge in tourism with its natural wonders and the extraordinary hospitality of its people, the President said the priority is tourism investments.

While in Negros Friday, the President is also set to attend the Go Negosyo Caravan and the launching of electronic jeepneys in Bacolod City.*CPG

hoopster21

July 11th, 2007, 07:53 AM

the lot beside PLDT-Jones is being fenced and cleared, any infos?

kots_isko

July 11th, 2007, 07:58 AM

kaya nga po hindi busy dahil hindi naman pang masa, got the point? if cebu doesnt have a bigger A and B market, then we could only wonder why ayala invested in cebu, along with rustans (known for bringing high-end brands), marks and spencers (obviously hindi pang masa in philippine retail) starbucks (when 3 in 1 instant coffee and the more affordable bo's are present) shangrila, hilton (where the most expensive burger in the philippines can be found), plantation bay, and if cebu doesnt have a bigger class A and B market, matagal na sanang nag flop and investments ni king in their condos and other condo developmnets (we all know na hindi naman nanggagaling sa class C,D and E ang nakaka afford ng units)

if not for the bigger A and B market, ewan ko na lang kung ano...

dude, i dont know if this is a joke, but rustans is not stupid to invest in cebu if the market cant sustain it, and yung "feeling" "feeling" CANT sustain a market and cant drive a major retailer to invest dahil maraming "feeling" sa place. im sure they studied the market and they will be able to identify if its feasible, kung ganyan pa eh di marami na sanang rustans sa pilipinas, maraming atang "feeling" all over the philippines.

hindi sya pang masa- kaya hindi dinadagsa... but as small as rustans supermarket, tapos wala gaanong tao.. that means something.. konte lang ang class A & B market. if you try to observe (i don't know if my observation is right), i think half of the people who go to rustans are mostly foreigners...

high-end brand is now pouring to cebu because cebu has now become the tourism capital of philippines.. if im not mistaken, cebu registers more than half of the tourist arrivals, if you sum the total tourist arrivals in the Philippines... that's why you will see these high end brands because these are the brands most tourist are familiar with.

as for shangrila, hilton, etc... these hotels' market are not the class A & B market of Cebu.. or they just comprise of a very little percentage of their market. their big market are the tourists and out of town businessmen who come to cebu.

as for condos, houses, etc... bigger market of these high end infra are overseas foreign workers...

as for "feeling class A & B".. yup.. i have to admit that we have plenty of these all over the Philippines.. that's why they also play a significant role in the high end market... the more "feeling" we have.. the more chance to profit... kahit isang feeling class A & B bibili ng isang something sa isang high end na store in a year... i-multiply mo yan sa thousands of feeling class ... that's huge amount of profit.

well i could be wrong with my opinion though...

kots_isko

July 11th, 2007, 08:03 AM

^^ in relation to that...

hindi naman siguro feeling lang nila na may deposit sila sa bank.... feeling lang yung P134.225 Billion?

hehehehe.... this figure does not clearly tell us how big the class A & B market in each city/place/region.

this figure clearly tells us the investment volume in each region.....

Sinjin P.

July 11th, 2007, 01:31 PM

^ Rustan's Supermarket is TARGETTED towards the A & B markets but it ATTRACTS even the C & D markets because the prices are reasonable and affordable, the merchandise is FRESH, true to the supermarket's name. They even sell FRESHLY BAKED croissants, freshly steamed JAPANESE CORN and PEANUTS in the supermarket.

And another thing, I went to the opening of the Rustan's Fresh Supermarket yesterday at 9:00am and it was so crowded that you can't almost move.

I thought it was just another case of "uziceros" or curious people intending to check out what's inside so I checked it out again today at 9am, surprisingly it was still crowded, but not as bad as yesterday's.

So, please Mr Kots., stop it with your pugnacities. ;)

And another insider info, the contract for Slimmers' World (which sits beside Rustan's Fresh Supermarket) has expired and Ayala did not renew the contract with Slimmers' World because they want to reserve the slot for the supermarket's EXPANSION POSSIBILITIES

And please, consolidate all your replies in one post. We have the multi-quote function for your information :)

PINOYmeat

July 11th, 2007, 01:35 PM

that means something.. konte lang ang class A & B market. if you try to observe (i don't know if my observation is right), i think half of the people who go to rustans are mostly foreigners...

i dont know where or when you had this observation but maganda sana kung totoo, but i have been there personally, and foreigners are not even near 20% of the crowd, your observation is an acute exagerration po.

high-end brand is now pouring to cebu because cebu has now become the tourism capital of philippines.. if im not mistaken, cebu registers more than half of the tourist arrivals, if
you sum the total tourist arrivals in the Philippines... that's why you will see these high end brands because these are the brands most tourist are familiar with.

as for shangrila, hilton, etc... these hotels' market are not the class A & B market of Cebu.. or they just comprise of a very little percentage of their market. their big market are the tourists and out of town businessmen who come to cebu.

so youre saying that cebu has a bigger market of class A and B nga, you just stated where cebu gets its market, foreign tourists and businessmen, so wala nang dapat pag usapan pa.

as for condos, houses, etc... bigger market of these high end infra are overseas foreign workers...

still... eh di may bigger share of the market of the A and B nga, it doesnt matter kung local or foreign yan, nasa cebu ang market kaya ang investments nasa cebu din

which leads us to your post here...

hehehehe.... this figure does not clearly tell us how big the class A & B market in each city/place/region.

this figure clearly tells us the investment volume in each region.....

investments are not locked up in bank deposits po. they are the total amount na ginastos ng investor sa isang locality. the value of the structure is already an investment... you dont see it in bank deposits. meanwhile, bank deposits figures covers everything.... from the savings ng simpleng tindera ng isda sa palengke to the savings of an ultra millionaire.

if you dont believe my view that OUTSIDE manila, cebu has the biggest class A and B market, you might as well divulge your opinion kung anong place ang may bigger A and B market than cebu (except of course manila).

as for "feeling class A & B".. yup.. i have to admit that we have plenty of these all over the Philippines.. that's why they also play a significant role in the high end market... the more "feeling" we have.. the more chance to profit... kahit isang feeling class A & B bibili ng isang something sa isang high end na store in a year... i-multiply mo yan sa thousands of feeling class ... that's huge amount of profit.

do you think the "feeling feeling" market (which by the ways sounds too stupid, lol!) can sustain an investment? it could be true for the first few months pero its not a long term market. and that kind of market is not enough for an investor to consider expansion.

rustans has been in cebu since 1981

SleMarKen

July 11th, 2007, 01:58 PM

Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño Inner Garden
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s155/lorensgibb/ssc/StoNioInnerGarden01.jpg

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s155/lorensgibb/ssc/StoNioInnerGarden02.jpg

Old World, Modern Convenience: The Men's Room
Comparable to Cebu's Malls and Hotels
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s155/lorensgibb/ssc/StoNioInnerGarden14.jpg

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s155/lorensgibb/ssc/StoNioInnerGarden15.jpg

Current Restoration Works
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s155/lorensgibb/ssc/StoNioInnerGarden17.jpg

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s155/lorensgibb/ssc/StoNioInnerGarden19.jpg

More Pics at the Cebu Heritage Walk (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=14213171#post14213171) Thread.

flesh_is_weak

July 11th, 2007, 02:07 PM

the weather today was great...i walked the entire stretch of colon street while hunting for ukay2 without breaking a sweat...

* * *
speaking of Class A and B markets, i went to purchase some groceries at the new rustans with my lola...seems like everyone was dressed to impress :lol:

the air-conditioning was kind of bad though, and the supermarket was a bit claustrophobic compared to metro...

* * *
i'm still optimistic that the city government would tie-up with a private company and run a bus transit system for the city

PINOYmeat

July 11th, 2007, 02:27 PM

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/sme-ip1.gif
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/sme-ip3.gif

Plantersbank pioneers country's first SME industrial park

Plantersbank sets the pace once more in SME promotion with the establishment of the first SME Industrial Park in the Philippines.

Situated in Cebu, the country's fastest growing and most economically active province, the Plantersbank SME Industrial Park brings forth opportunities for SMEs to utilize property investment to further boost productivity, ensure efficient transactions and meet the growing demands of both local and foreign markets while enjoying special economic zone incentives like tax and duty-free privileges.

"The SME Industrial Park in Naga, Cebu is another pioneering initiative by Plantersbank to provide Filipino SMEs with a platform to consolidate operations, widen exporting potentials, and most importantly, benefit from the fiscal benefits extended to locators in an export processing zone area," states Plantersbank chairman Ambassador Jesus P. Tambunting.

Unlike other industrial parks that only lease the land to locators, the Plantersbank SME Industrial Park offers ownership of industrial lots ranging from 1,000 square meters to 2 hectares, making it easier for SMEs to better plan construction and expansion of their manufacturing plant.

As a Special Economic Zone, this project offers incentives to SMEs including exemption on taxes and duties on importation of capital equipment, tax credits for locally sourced capital equipment, exemption on export tax and import fees, a four to eight year holiday on income taxes, and 5% income tax on gross income following the tax holiday.

Beyond SME banking, it is part of the Plantersbank mission to provide Filipino SMEs with novel ways and means to grow and expand their businesses and enable them to profit from unfolding opportunities in the global economy. Prior to this, Plantersbank made internet-based business solutions available to Filipino SMEs, helping them enter new markets through SME.com.ph, a joint venture with the World Bank's International Finance Corporation.

"With the rise of the first ever SME Industrial Park in Cebu, we hope to spur economic, industrial and social development in the area," adds Ambassador Tambunting. "In helping SMEs succeed, we are able to spark economic activities leading to more jobs, higher incomes and a better quality of life, especially in the countryside."

The Plantersbank SME Industrial Park aims to become Cebu's melting pot of the finest and innovative ideas for businesses that will propel the country's overall SME excellence for global recognition.

For more information about lot purchase, you may call (632) 892-0559 or email info@plantersbank.com.ph.

HERE (http://www.plantersbank.com.ph/sme-news-07062007-01.html)

g0Rs

July 11th, 2007, 02:31 PM

Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño Inner Garden

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s155/lorensgibb/ssc/StoNioInnerGarden02.jpg

Is this open to the public?

PINOYmeat

July 11th, 2007, 02:34 PM

its very much open to the public po

Ang_Bantayanon

July 11th, 2007, 02:41 PM

Cebu is obviously the fastest growing region in the country but for those who are not in Cebu or who have not been to Cebu of late will find it difficult to believe that the city and province is developing by leaps and bounds.

Anyway, as other people say, many Cebuanos are unassuming.. They may look like ordinary people but they sure have fat bank accounts.. Ikalalis pa ba diay na?

Peace!

Alingatong

July 11th, 2007, 03:29 PM

^^I agree. Cebuanos are unassuming. Hindi nagbubuhat ng sariling bangko. Kaya ang daming blessings.

The Cebuano Exultor

July 11th, 2007, 03:38 PM

If Cebu is to become to the Philippines' VisMin Regions what Singapore or Hong Kong is to South-east and East Asia it obviously needs an investment arm or holding company as in Temasek Holdings of Singapore or the Swire Group of Hong Kong. Whadyathink guys???

PINOYmeat

July 11th, 2007, 05:41 PM

in my ignorance i dont know how an investment arm works, but i know cebu has CIPC, they actually assist investors in cebu from logistics to some paperworks that needs to be processed.

sugbuanon

July 11th, 2007, 06:37 PM

^^ and theyre grabbing our pics here in ssc for their website.. :D

PINOYmeat

July 11th, 2007, 07:25 PM

oh yeah! importante tayo sa buhay nila, boinks!

anyway, here's a poorly edited video i made, pagpasenyahan niyo na

5uLK6pZwUrw

Jarenz

July 11th, 2007, 07:32 PM

Thanks for the effort...actually its nice!

PINOYmeat

July 11th, 2007, 07:35 PM

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC01441.jpg

ACC annex

PINOYmeat

July 11th, 2007, 07:39 PM

cebu's 5th starbucks???

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC01440.jpg

PINOYmeat

July 11th, 2007, 07:49 PM

cebu's 2nd rustans supermarket

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC01437.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC01438.jpg

PINOYmeat

July 11th, 2007, 07:57 PM

PSE mulls Cebu office

IN its business plan for 2008, the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) plans to commission a group that will conduct a feasibility study on the establishment of a PSE satellite office in Cebu.

“I’m thinking of submitting it as part of the 2008 business plan due to the interest shown by the Cebu community,” PSE president Francis Lim said.

He said the idea of a PSE office in Cebu has gained the support of local businessmen as well as the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) as the move would create a broader investor base.

“The idea of a having a local office in Cebu is a welcome initiative,” said Jose Ng, PCCI vice president for Visayas. “As they (local investors) learn the pros and cons of investing in the stock market, they can also raise funds. Doing an IPO (initial public offering) is a cost-effective way to raise funds for expansion.”

Issues

An IPO is when a company first issues (sells) shares to the investment public through the stock exchange.

But Lim said in an interview with Sun.Star Cebu that a lot of issues concerning establishing a PSE network in Cebu need to be fully ironed out.

“Issues like logistics, where to situate the office, etc., need to be considered first. We would be happy if somebody will donate a site,” said Lim.

He said the establishment of a local office in Cebu will also eliminate the idea that the stock market is only for Manila-based investors.

“The Cebu market is largely untapped. It is the second fastest growing economy in the country known for its furniture, handicraft and mangoes exports. With a large pool of entrepreneurs in Cebu, there will be more funds that will benefit the exchange,” he said.

Lim said listing in the stock market, or going public, will help small and medium enterprises increase their capital infusion.

“It’s one way to attract investors and raise capitalization,” he earlier said.

Service-oriented companies, such as power and property developments, are potential investors in the stock market.

Listing in the stock market also allows companies to get value from merger as well as access to debt financing, said Melchor Guerrero, PSE capital markets development division vice president.

more of the article HERE (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/12/bus/pse.mulls.cebu.office.html)

Jarenz

July 11th, 2007, 08:44 PM

^^ just rumors... but defiitely not true! :)

Correct!!!

LordCarnal

July 11th, 2007, 09:52 PM

Ive readed before in the SSC that this "puddle" is actually land sinking. Is it true? Has there been any remedy made?

I think it's the land settling down since it's a reclaimed area. It reminds me of those ponds in North Reclamation Area before.

sugbuanon

July 11th, 2007, 11:36 PM

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC01441.jpg

ACC annex

looks cozy.. thanx for the pics pau

ikra

July 12th, 2007, 01:25 AM

diehardbisdak

July 12th, 2007, 01:32 AM

NEWS!!!!

...nasunog ang Olympic Village sa Ayala Center! ..glad to know that firemen were able to put off the fire quickly....but the mall is all wet and slippery (seen this news at Maayong Buntag Kapamilya)

Sinjin P.

July 12th, 2007, 10:31 AM

cebu's 5th starbucks???

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC01440.jpg

Is this Ayala Center's second outlet or the original one closed down to make way for the lagoon redv't?

NEWS!!!!

...nasunog ang Olympic Village sa Ayala Center! ..glad to know that firemen were able to put off the fire quickly....but the mall is all wet and slippery (seen this news at Maayong Buntag Kapamilya)

Yeah, I heard this over the radio. Is Ayala Center open today? Kasi, I remember a store in Glorietta which was on fire years ago, that they had to interrupt mall operations for a few hours.

kots_isko

July 12th, 2007, 11:14 AM

i dont know where or when you had this observation but maganda sana kung totoo, but i have been there personally, and foreigners are not even near 20% of the crowd, your observation is an acute exagerration po.

got your point! cebu has the second biggest class A&B market (nationwide)... local, out of provice visitors, and foreign visitors combined.... but i'm still in doubt if cebu has the second biggest class A & B market if we talk about local people.. perhaps i was just too focused on the number of class A&B cebuanos presently living in cebu...

as for the bank deposits... investment volume generally speaks of the number of foreign and local investors/locators in a place... investing in certain place does not only mean spending part of your capital investments for fixed assets... investing in certain places also mean depositing part of yoru capital (your cash flow) in the local banks! these big companies do not deposit their cash in their safety box in their finance office.. these companies deposit their cash in banks.. and we are not just talking about 1 million cash.. millions ito.... kaya when you look at the ranking.. you will see Manila, then Cebu, then Laguna, then Cavite... these are the top 4 cities in the Philippines where foreign and local manufacturing companies are located... kaya ganyan na lang kalaki ang bank deposits sa mga areas na ito...

as for feeling clas A&B.. well.. it was just my opinion... i rest my case on this one... looks like tama ka!

to jhalness... i was not being pugnacious... i was just airing my thoughts, because that's the essence of having a forum; make it a venue for healthy discussions.... and as a moderator you should know this...! you can't just assume that all people have the same views in everything... much more expect all people to just immediately say YES and AY TAMA KA to other people's view without being convinced that their views and opinions are indeed correct.... and mine is wrong.... oh well.. don't worry.. you are still too young anyway to understand things.... and still has a lot of things to learn!

lastly.. thanks for the great pics pinoymeat (re. rustans pics)... maganda nga ang place.. hope to be there soon!

nasaan na pala si SLEMARKEN???? it's been a while since i saw them posting pics? medyo mingaw na kaayo diri da!

Sinjin P.

July 12th, 2007, 11:22 AM

^ Ofcourse I know that and all discussions are welcomed (except for those that violate the forum rules). I just called your posts pugnacious because it seems that you had some intentions/agenda or you wanted to prove something by posting multiple replies consecutive to each other or perhaps you just don't know that we have a multi-quote function, then now I'm telling you that we have such a function and it is highly encouraged for everyone to use such when replying to multiple posts. Then there's no problem with that. You don't have to be too defensive when or anyone else calls your attention. ;) And I know that I have really a lot to learn, I want to learn more, and I suggest that you mind your own business because I know that you also want to fill some gaps in your brain too. ;)

Now, I don't know if I am allowed to say this but slerz is currently away from the country.

kots_isko

July 12th, 2007, 11:41 AM

PUJ phaseout in Talamban sought
By Wilfredo Rodolfo III, Dale G. Israel
Cebu Daily News
Last updated 04:07pm (Mla time) 07/12/2007

CEBU, Philippines—Cebu City is pushing for the phase out of jeepneys along the Talamban route.

The City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) Board yesterday ordered its technical staff to look for possible routes in the city that can absorb the 900 Talamban jeepneys expected to be displaced by the phase out. Citom also wanted an estimate on the number of buses that can accommodate the volume of commuters along the Talamban downtown route.

The traffic board, which passed the resolution yesterday, believe that replacing these jeepneys with buses will ease the worsening traffic congestion in the area.

“We want to get the data so that we can make the right decision,” said Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem, acting Citom board presiding officer. “Once we have the data, we can start the discussions.”

Citom tasked its technical staff to do both studies.

City planning officer Nigel Paul Villarete, said the data will be on hand in just a matter of two months. “But whether the buses will start plying the route after that, will depend on the city government's 'political will,'” Villarete said.

Jakosalem also asked the city councilors in the Citom board to initiate discussions in the City Council and start consultations with jeepney operators and the commuting public.

But he said the resolution does not mean the traffic body is already endorsing the bus system.

Villarete said the biggest challenge the city will face on the proposed jeepney phase out will be on how to address its “social impact.” “Many people will be affected,” he said.

He also said the city will have to identify the number of bus stops required in the entire route and the time interval between the buses. “Jeepney operators and drivers who are making a living from the route might resist displacement and the riding public may also dislike having to walk an extra distance to the next designated bus stop,” he said.

But Villarete said the increasing interest on the bus system may facilitate possible funds from the World Bank.

The Bank had earlier expressed interest in financing a pilot bus system in Cebu city. “It might force them to adjust their time frame and expedite the release of possible financial help that can be used to build infrastructure along the route and for the purchase the buses,” he said.

The city is also studying the option of offering the bus system to private operators or for the city to adopt the system used by the Brazilian city of Curritiba. Curritiba runs a complex bus system through a government-private sector partnership, where a private operator runs and manages the bus network while the government pays the operator based on the distance traveled by the bus.

The government also collects fares from passengers.

According to Villarete, the Curritiba system assures fixed and constant revenues for the private operator and reasonable fare for the passengers.

“It's the government who will absorb the costs if ever oil prices go up,” he said. Under the system, buses will leave the terminal at specific intervals and will only stop at designated loading areas. Passengers will have to walk to the nearest bus stop to get a ride.

But as Cebu city seriously considers phasing out the Talamban jeepneys in favor of the buses, jeepneys are still giving headaches to traffic enforcers in the nearby city of Mandaue.

“They stop anywhere,” a traffic enforcer echoed the complaints of commuters and motorists on jeepney drivers' rampant violations of traffic rules along the Mandaue national highway.

Mandaue city Mayor Jonas Cortes had set up the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) to replace the old Tedman of former mayor Thadeo Oano.

But just a few days after its creation, the TEAM, which absorbed 55 of the 170 Tedman traffic enforcers, is faced with the tremendous traffic in Mandaue city.

Rey Puno, TEAM deputy director for operations, said jeepney drivers violating traffic rules cause traffic problems in the city.

Most of those handling traffic in Mandaue city are “volunteers” who are not yet authorized to issue tickets to traffic violations.

Appointment papers for TEAM personnel are still being processed. “That's why, we can't issue traffic violation tickets yet,” Puno said. “All we can do is reprimand violators.”

--------------------------------

to jhaelnis... pugnacious means inclined to fight with someone.... trying to prove ones point is not being pugnacious.. it's what you call having a stand of what you believe in.... if you based your "me, being pugnacious" analysis with my multiple replies.. that was not a good judgement.. as a moderator, you should be better than that!

but in fairness to you, that "pugnacious" post was a bit subtle compared to your previous posts when we had our first bad encounter. i can see that you have grown a bit... keep on workin' on it child...

Sinjin P.

July 12th, 2007, 11:50 AM

^ Then I used the word incorrectly, I'm sorry and thank you for adding a new word to my vocabulary ;)

SleMarKen

July 12th, 2007, 12:39 PM

Is this open to the public?

it is, you can go there anytime of the day.

jogavilz

July 12th, 2007, 01:40 PM

kanus-a moabre ang sm northwing?

dabert

July 12th, 2007, 01:46 PM

^^ around september this year..

Jarenz

July 12th, 2007, 04:12 PM

kanus-a moabre ang sm northwing?

early September or October probably....

Jarenz

July 12th, 2007, 04:40 PM

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/8152/635684012226a9493ceoiw1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
From Flickr.com by ANAKIN

i could imagine 4-5years from now some part ofthis area will have highrise and mix with midrise, restaurant strips, & Yacht Clubs...all in one place

gonzahr22

July 12th, 2007, 04:51 PM

Pls post more pictures of USC-TC and its vicinity. :)

jameslab8470

July 13th, 2007, 01:24 AM

Ehem.. almost 6 years nako nagpuyo dire cebu, duol jud sa USC TC.... wala pa man diay ko ka picture sa vicinity.. heh.. wa ko ka huna2x ana... hehe

Sinjin P.

July 13th, 2007, 04:28 AM

Rustan's eyes full expansion in Cebu (http://cebuholdings.com/ViewNewsItem.do?newsID=434)

The Tantoco-led Rustan's Supercenters Inc. will soon focus its expansion venture in Cebu in the next three years prompted by Cebu's fast growing sophisticated market for grocery items.

Now under the management of Rustan's Supercenters Inc., (Shopwise), the pioneer in the hypermarket operations in the Philippines, Rustan's Supermarket Inc. President Donnie Tantoco said the company will consider it full range presence in the Cebu market few years from now.

Rustan's Supercenters has soft-opened its second supermarket store in Cebu at the newly-opened Ayala Center Cebu expansion building.

In an interview with Tantoco, he said that while Cebu is a growing market, a possibility of full-line expansion is expected, as the province is ready to host a Hypermart concept supermarket as large as 3,000 square meters to 5,000 square meters floor are. Even as big as 10,000 square-meter-size store, he added.

But at present, the company is still concentrating on Shopwise's consolidation process with over 22 supermarket stores in the next eight to 12 months. Once fully consolidated and if by that time Cebu still offers a promising growth, Tantoco said the company might consider a full range expansion in Cebu.

While the company is partnering with Ayala Malls, he said there is also a possibility of building a stand-alone Shopwise hypermart. -- A Shopwise Supercenter! :banana:

From purely family-owned company, Rustan's Supermarkets has invited foreign investors for its supermarket chain, to learn Shopwise expertise in professional management, Tantoco said.

Headed by the third-generation Tantoco, Rustan's Supermarket-Shopwise is majority-owned by institutionalized investors led by the AIG group and the ICCP Ventures of the investment bank investment and Capital Corporation in the Philippines.

The second Rustan's Fresh Supermarket in Cebu will be introducing a new dimension in grocery shopping style, which includes fresh grocery shopping, said Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco, St., Rustan's Group chairman.

Although Rustan's expansion has been mostly concentrated in the Luzon and Metro Manila areas, the third generation Tantoco has recognized the potential of Cebu as another growth area for Rustan's group, not only for its Shopwise supermarket chain, but for the entire Rustan's group business.

Rustan's has made its presence in Cebu some 26 years ago, in it first Rustan's department store and supermarket store along Mango Avenue. It is the first modern-retailer to enter the then laid-back Cebu market in the early 80???s.

After which the department the department store was transferred to Ayala Center shopping mall, and its supermarket in Banawa area in this city.

Rustan Commercial Corp., chaired by the patriarch Ambassador Beinvenido R. Tantoco, Sr., is also operating a Duty Free Shop in Morocco in North Africa. The company also operates the master franchise business of Starbucks Coffee in the Philippines through Rustan Coffee Corporation (RCOC), among other subsidiaries.

Sinjin P.

July 13th, 2007, 04:29 AM

Cebu sees P100-M monthly take from port (http://businessmirror.com.ph/0713&142007/economy01.html)
By Dennis D. Estopace
Reporter

TWO years from now, the local government of the first-class municipality of Naga in Cebu province expects to rake in an estimated P100 million in revenues upon completion of a planned port.

This was what Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong told reporters here on the sidelines of the launch Wednesday of the country’s first special economic zone for small and medium entrepreneurs.

Chiong said while the municipal government still has no master plan for the port, it will support companies locating inside the 250-hectare mixed-use highland SME Industrial Park owned by Planters Development Bank.

Chiong explained that the initial plan is to expand the existing port at the back of the municipal hall from three hectares to six hectares.

“Currently, the port can only accommodate two cargo vessels and there’s a long turnaround time for these vessels because of the lack of space,” Chiong said, adding that the local government rakes in P100,000 a month from the use of the ramp alone on the port by these vessels. He told reporters that Planters Bank flew in from Manila that he expects revenues from the expanded port to be 10 times that. The vessels are mostly loading cement for export manufactured by Apo Cement Inc.

Chiong said municipal officials are “projecting for the future,” referring to the expected operations of the Korean coal firm Korea Electric Power Corp. (KepCo) of its plants by 2010.

Near Chiong’s planned port expansion is one of 44 domestic ports in this southern Philippine province.

Cebu serves 85 percent of the Philippines’ shipping lines that work out of these domestic ports and the Cebu International Port.

A government statement two years ago announced that Salcon Power Corp. and Korean Electric Power Co. will invest $270 million to construct two 100-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plants to augment power supply in the province of Cebu by 2008.

Kepco executives on Monday were quoted by local newspapers as saying the two coal-fired power plants with a capacity of 100 megawatts each in Naga town would be operational in 2010.

“That’s what we are waiting for,” Chiong said.

In a separate interview, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn F. Garcia confirmed the plans to put up the port.

“We will focus on key projects to provide the necessary infrastructure. The port in Naga…is an urgent need,” Garcia said. She explained that the planned port would form a “fundamental part in the chain of operations of exporters operating in the industrial park.”

Garcia estimates the capital outlay for the port construction to reach more than P15 million, which she said would be taken from the provincial coffers.

“We have the [financial] capacity to do it,” she said, citing that the province has allocated the same amount for the construction of a port in the northern tip of the province, Bantayan, with a depth of six meters to accommodate passenger ships.

Chiong said the municipality’s port would be a meter deeper. However, while a nine-meter depth is required for ocean-going cargo vessels, Chiong said he envisions the port to hold Roll on-Roll off (Ro-Ro) type of ships.

The port expansion is one of several infrastructure development plans that both officials said would support Planters Bank’s SME Industrial Park. These projects are expected to stir more business activities in Naga, which is 23 kilometers south of the provincial capital Cebu City.

Garcia said she is also thinking of including the industrial park in the ongoing planning for the details of a Cebu-Hainan-Szechuan sister provinces agreement that the governor signed in June on the sidelines of President Arroyo’s tour of China.

Sinjin P.

July 13th, 2007, 04:35 AM

P5.5M in properties destroyed in dawn fire inside mall (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/13/news/p5.5m.in.properties.destroyed.in.dawn.fire.inside.mall.html)

AN estimated P5.5 million worth of properties ranging from footwear to cellular phone accessories were burned and damaged when a fire hit two shops inside the Ayala Center Cebu at dawn yesterday.

The Cebu City Fire Department identified the Olympic Village and Audionet Access Telecom as those that were burned when the fire hit the mall’s second floor.

Ver dela Cerna, head of corporate communications and customer affairs division of Cebu Holdings Inc., said “the incident was confined within a small portion of one of the mall’s outlets, Olympic Village, and was put under control by Ayala Center Cebu’s fire brigade with the assistance of the Mabolo Fire Department.”

Ayala Center Cebu will be open today on regular mall hours, he said in a press statement.

Initial investigation conducted by SFO1 Alikasem Espinola showed that the fire started at the Olympic Village, which sells outdoor and athletic gear.

The fire spread to the adjacent shop, Audionet, and partially damaged the cellular phone outlet.

Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire.

The fire department received the call for assistance from mall security guard Ian Colinares at 3:42 a.m.

It only took five minutes for the firefighters to put out the fire, which was placed under first alarm.

FO2 Romeo Birao Jr. suffered a cut on his right thumb while controlling the fire.

Sinjin P.

July 13th, 2007, 04:36 AM

Banilad taxpayers suggest skyway, not flyover (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/13/news/banilad.taxpayers.suggest.skyway.not.flyover.html)

WHY not build a skyway instead of a flyover at the Gov. Mariano Cuenco Ave. and A.S. Fortuna St. junction?

That’s the proposal of Banilad business owners that Cebu City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem said will address the traffic problem and at the same time assuage these owners’ fears that a flyover will be bad for business.

Jakosalem said he will propose a resolution asking the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 to make a cost estimate for a skyway from the intersection to another one near the Gaisano Country Mall.

Building a flyover at the A.S. Fortuna junction will only worsen the gridlock across Country Mall, the councilor added.
“A single-corner flyover (at Foodland) would just transfer and worsen congestion to the Country Mall corner,” the council committee on transportation chairman said.

Jakosalem said coming up with a cost estimate is the first step toward addressing both traffic and business concerns in the Banilad-Talamban area.

Bunny Pages, owner of Bright Academy and Thirsty Juices and Shakes, also told Sun.Star last night that business owners from the Foodland area up to Country Mall have volunteered to sell their properties even at below-market prices just so the government could expand the road.

But judging from the outcome of last night’s meeting, it seemed Cebu City Rep. Raul del Mar and Mayor Tomas Osmeña are both set on building the flyover, he said.

Pages said the flyover is just “a Band-aid solution” since vehicles would still end up in a bottleneck at the Country Mall area if the road is not expanded.

He urged residents and the riding public to let their sentiments be known by the City Government’s officials.

Financed by Congressman del Mar’s Priority Development Assistance Fund, a P126.5-million flyover is being planned over the Gov. Cuenco-A.S. Fortuna junction.

The City Council and the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) have not officially come up with a position on the flyover, Jakosalem said.

He said the City Council could authorize him to make representations with President Arroyo for the National Government to appropriate an additional amount.

Sinjin P.

July 13th, 2007, 04:41 AM

RP’s first SME Industrial Park opens in Naga, Cebu (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/13/life/rp.s.first.sme.industrial.park.opens.in.naga.cebu.html)

PLANTERS Development Bank (Plantersbank), the leading bank for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in the Philippines inaugurated the country’s first SME Industrial Park at the Naga Township Special Eco Zone in Naga, Cebu last July 11.

Another milestone for the SME sector, the initiative was started with the thought of providing Filipino entrepreneurs with ways and means to grow and expand their business and enable them to compete globally.

The inauguration took place in the SME Industrial Park’s administration building in Naga, Cebu where a model scale of the special ecozone will be presented for viewing.

“The SME Industrial Park will enable Cebu’s SMEs to utilize property investment to further boost business productivity, ensure efficient transactions and meet the growing demands of both local and foreign markets while enjoying special economic zone incentives like tax and duty-free privileges previously extended only to large corporations,” Plantersbank national chairman and chief executive officer Ambassador Jesus P. Tambunting said.

The Plantersbank SME Industrial Park aims to become Cebu’s melting pot of the finest and innovative ideas for businesses that will propel the country’s overall SME excellence for global recognition.

Sinjin P.

July 13th, 2007, 04:41 AM

Service agency to open in Cebu (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/13/bus/service.agency.to.open.in.cebu.html)

COLLIERS International, a major property services company, will open a full service office in Cebu.

This will be Colliers’ second office in the Philippines and its 54th in the Asia Pacific region.

Colliers’ decision to establish a presence in Cebu is client-driven.

“Our clients have always had requirements for brokerage services and valuation advice in the Visayas region and, previously, we have serviced these from our Manila head office” said David Young, Colliers managing director. “However, in the past year, our business in the region has accelerated to the extent that a presence in Cebu is a must if we are to ensure superior customer service.”

The new office will be headed by general manager Rudolfo Lafradez, who formerly operated Grandmetric Appraisal, based in Cebu.

Apart from offering brokerage, valuation and consulting services, Colliers will be extending its property and facilities management platform into the Visayas, building on an infrastructure that currently has operations centers in Manila, Batangas, Pampanga, Pangasinan and Vigan.

Sinjin P.

July 13th, 2007, 04:42 AM

Rape cases in Cebu City up 1,500%
(http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/13/news/rape.cases.in.cebu.city.up.1.500..html)
RAPE cases in Cebu City increased by 32 cases or 1,600 percent compared to last year’s figures, but fewer crimes against persons were reported.

From January to June last year, only two cases of rape were recorded. But in the same period this year, 34 cases have been reported to the Family Juvenile Gender Sensitivity Section (FJGSS) desk of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).

Overall figures on crimes against persons, though, dropped by 27 cases this year compared to the same period last year.
Crimes against persons include murder, homicide, physical injuries and rape.

Surprised by the increase in the number of rape cases, Acting CCPO Director Patrocinio Comendador called Senior Insp. Norma Corbo, FJGSS chief, to inquire about the factors that contributed to the sharp hike.

After his telephone conversation with Corbo, Comendador said it could be attributed to the “growing confidence” of victims to report their ordeal to the police.

Not aware

“They are now also more aware of their rights,” Comendador said.

He also believes that the FJGSS’ information dissemination on the rights of women and children and details on who to approach when abused has proven effective.

The highest number of rape cases was recorded in April, when 10 victims reported to the police. Eight cases were recorded in February and March, five in January and three last May.

Crimes against persons for the last two quarters of this year dropped by 27 cases, from last year’s 482 cases to this year’s 455.

Physical injuries was listed as the most common crime against persons with 300 cases recorded, followed by murder with 90 cases and homicide with 31 cases.

Fewer robbery incidents were also recorded, from 338 in the first two quarters of 2006 to only 178 cases in the same period this year.

Theft has decreased significantly by 509 cases, or 56 percent lower than last year’s 913 cases. Only 404 theft cases were recorded in the first two quarters of this year.

Index crimes or those committed against persons and property reached 1,037 cases, or a decrease of 696 cases compared to last year’s 1,733.

Of the 1,037 cases, a total of 707 were solved, indicating a crime solution efficiency of 69 percent. This is higher by 22 percent compared to last year’s crime solution efficiency.

Non-index crimes have also decreased from 709 in 2006 to 558 for the last two quarters of this year.

PINOYmeat

July 13th, 2007, 05:07 AM

‘Make Cebu investment-friendly’
Nilda Gallo
Cebu Daily News

Cebu, Philippines - Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on Monday challenged the members of the 11th Provincial Board to channel its legislative powers into making the six districts of Cebu investment-friendly.

Garcia put up the challenge as she sought the board’s support in her bid to make Cebu a special economic zone.

“I ask that even now, as we prepare this package of incentives for investment, you channel your legislative agenda towards making each of your districts and localities conducive to investment, business-friendly and forward-looking,” the governor said in her message to the Provincial Board during its inaugural session on Monday.

Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr., in his own inaugural speech, identified nine areas in the province where “eco-zones” would be established: Sibonga and Dumanjug, Carcar and Aloguinsan, Catmon, Danao, Malabuyoc and Alegria, Bogo, San Remegio, Medellen, and Daanbantayan.

Garcia offered to sit down with Sanchez and each member of the provincial board to talk about specific projects and programs “to prepare for the future of each district.”

“If we are able to do this, then we shall have succeeded in making the rest of the island, beyond the metropolis, as an alternative for investors seeking new horizons for growth.

Garcia also asked for the board’s support for the proposed Transaxial Highway, which she also called the “Unity Highway” – a 300-kilometer road running through the center of the island, from the northernmost tip to the southernmost.

As a sign of support, the Provincial Board on Monday passed a resolution approving the highway project, an idea first brought up by Vice Governor Sanchez.

Sanchez, in his speech, said the Transaxial Development Project is no longer a dream and would soon be implemented.

Once complete, the highway would cut down inter-town travel by as much as 40 percent, he said.

The project would also help in the governor’s plan to develop the economies of the six districts by shortening travel time and providing access to 7,000 hectares of land that make up the nine proposed eco-zones, Sanchez said.

“We can safely say that in the near future, Cebu will be dotted with industrial areas from north to south, east to west,” Sanchez said.

He estimated that with the implementation of the highway project and the eco-zones, the province could then earn P4 billion per year from real estate taxes, while generating at least 500,000 jobs for people in various industries, including small and medium enterprises.

“Our vision is not only national but global. The breathless wonder of change is seen at the horizon. An economic miracle is about to happen. Watch us!” Sanchez said.

PINOYmeat

July 13th, 2007, 06:24 AM

UNKNOWN TO MANY, according to a JETRO (japan external trade organization) study, cebu got high rankings in FOUR areas with rankings not lower than no.5 in SIXTEEN criterias based on investment related cost.

AREAS included in the survey are MAJOR ASIAN cities... (not just philippine cities)

Philippine-Japan Economic Linkages: A Case Study of Cebu (http://www3.pids.gov.ph/ris/dps/pidsdps0433.pdf)

diehardbisdak

July 13th, 2007, 12:09 PM

....took these pics today! (sorry, camphone lang...)

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

Ayala Center Cebu
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc8.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc7.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc3.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc4.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc2.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc1.jpg

...this was the affected areas when fire broke out the other day....looks like nothing happened...heheheh!
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc6.jpg

...the Metro
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc5.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc10.jpg

....Golden Peak on the background
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc9.jpg

diehardbisdak

July 13th, 2007, 12:19 PM

...more pics which I took today!

RUSTAN'S FRESH (sorry for the blurry pics...I was disappointed to see Rustan's Fresh...maybe, because I was expecting a big-size supermarket...also, I find the ceiling too low.... IMHO, the Metro is way better than Rustan's Fresh......)

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/rustansfresh2.jpg

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

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/rustansfresh3.jpg

diehardbisdak

July 13th, 2007, 12:28 PM

here's more.....

Around CBP and Uptown

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/grandcenia3.jpg

...Pioneer Insurance Building
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/pioneer.jpg

... Lexmark RDC
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/Lexmark.jpg

...Commercial Tower
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/comltower2.jpg

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

...i think they are now starting to clear the area for Grand Cenia... the sign reads: Demolition Work Permit No. ???? (forgot to take note of the number...heheheh)
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/grandcenia.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/grandcenia2.jpg

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

....Metrobank and Crown Regency
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/crownregency.jpg

tj_brewed

July 13th, 2007, 01:25 PM

talking about SMEs...there are a number of small to midrise constructions from E-mall to Pardo area..weeee lalang! just sharing! ehehehhehe

flesh_is_weak

July 13th, 2007, 02:09 PM

if you've gone around the city using public transport, you'll know that commuting, especially at rush hour could be a pain in the neck...there is the always the option of hiring a cab, but for middle class citizens like me--and a student at that--taxi fares are simply astronomical (it's 100Php to get to Ayala from our home in Pardo, a mere 5 kilometers or so...).

and so, you take a jeep--it would be lovely to take a bus, but considering the limited number of buses traversing the lone city route, you know that it's simply impractical--the vestige of american colonialism turned by the filipino's ingenius mind into a form of public transport...blah, blah...

but then again, being cramped into a vehicle that could comfortably seat 8 people with 15 other souls isnt a very pleasant experience...not counting the fumes, there is the annoying mantra "isuwagi pa, kuwang pa"--when in fact you could hardly feel the cushion that keeps your butt from falling down the dirty floor...

what could be done then? simple...

whenever you're in a jeepney terminal--either Ayala or SM--find a dispatcher, and give him--or in some cases, her--a 5 or 10 peso coin, that ought to do the trick...ask the dispatcher to reserve the front seat of the next departing jeepney for you...and when you do get into the jeep, tell the driver that you'd be paying for your 'luggage'; that would mean having to pay double, but simple math would tell you that among your other options, it's the most financially sound...

having paid for the entire front seat 'row' of the jeepney, the driver would happily lock the door for you, and fend off other commuters who'd like to ride along in the front seat...now that is what i would call first class accomodation in a jeepney...

and yes, with a little luck, this approach could also be viable in areas without jeepney terminals, in fact, i always practice it whenever i commute (sans the 'pay the dispatcher' part), and i manage to reach my destination in time, at twice the comfort :)

gonzahr22

July 13th, 2007, 03:44 PM

@jameslab: nindot man jud makit-an usab ang mga developments sa USC-TC and its vicinity. The then and now. That area up to CBP is truly Cebu's growth showcase.:)

tj_brewed

July 13th, 2007, 03:55 PM

-edit-

leylander

July 14th, 2007, 02:00 AM

here's more.....

Around CBP and Uptown

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

....Metrobank and Crown Regency
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/crownregency.jpg

nice pics bai.

nana diay ka cebu?

Ex!lE

July 14th, 2007, 04:12 AM

OWING to the attractiveness of Cebu as a business and leisure destination in the Asia Pacific, a multinational company in Dubai is “excited” about the scenario of establishing their presence in the province.

“We are very excited about prospects of (our) visit in the Philippines, especially in Cebu. We want to do something in this beautiful island,” said Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of Dubai Ports World Inc (DP World).

Sulayem was in Cebu yesterday for an “exploratory visit” to see viable areas for DP World to invest in, said Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.

In a press interview, Garcia said Sultan Sulayem did not reveal what kind of industry the Dubai government is willing to tap and he only emphasized that he was in Cebu to explore possible business ventures.

Plans

“I also want to look at the plans,” she said, adding that she is hopeful for a future trade partnership between Dubai and Cebu.

DP World is a subsidiary of Dubai World Inc. (DWI), a government-led public-private sector partnership of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the holding company that manages and supervises the portfolio of businesses and projects of the Dubai Government.

DP World, one of the largest port operator in the world, is also involve in logistics and real estate such as the Palm.

Sulayem, in a speech during a forum initiated by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), said DWI is involved in several businesses, including the operation of 50 ports and terminals in 24 countries, real estate, hotel and resorts, commodity trading and management of customs, among others.

Garcia said DWI may consider future business ventures in Cebu that are related to industries the company is involved in.

Jun Palafox, urban planner and principal architect for Palafox Associates, said earlier that Cebu can learn from Dubai’s successes in business and tourism.

While Dubai’s economy was initially driven by its oil reserves which accounted for 96 percent of its income in the past, tourism and trade now account for 90 percent of its growth, said Palafox.

Cebu, on the other hand, can use its history and culture as well as architectural tourism to attract more investments, he said.

According to a report by Newsweek, Dubai World became a global business conglomerate when Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum known to his people as “the boss,” assumed practical control of Dubai in 1995.

Sultan Sulayem, on the other hand, looks after the three Palm islands, The World Islands project, Dubai Maritime City, the Nakheel real estate company, Dubai Metals and Commodities Centre and the Jebel Ali Free Zone.

Dubai is part of the UAE, a federation of seven tiny Arab sheikdoms founded in the early 1970s. (MMM)

PINOYmeat

July 14th, 2007, 04:12 AM

Did You Know That?

Central Visayas is the country's second smallest region in term of land area?
Yet in 2005 except for NCR, it was the third largest contributor to the national economy.
--Source: 2005 Philippine Statistical Yearbook, NSCB

jrevalde

July 14th, 2007, 04:29 AM

^^great news, cla cguro finance sa bag-o na international port sa cordova.

OT: mga bai, kinsay kabaw sa status sa proposed building sa insular life? i was looking through real estate properties for sale sa cebu and i found on a website the old insular life building beside Immaculada is on sale for 140million php. kanusa kaha nla sugdan ila bago building sa.

LordCarnal

July 14th, 2007, 05:00 AM

^^

Wow.. Maybe it will start once the old building is disposed of.

habagatcentral1

July 14th, 2007, 11:08 AM

5uLK6pZwUrw
CebuPano by Pinoymeat

achernar

July 14th, 2007, 12:50 PM

naa na diay D' Rough Riders na bus sa south????

jogavilz

July 14th, 2007, 12:58 PM

kada adto nako ug cebu naa jud bag-o.......renovation sa sm, hi-rise building, marco polo......

cebu has a lot of surprises every time i visit.

Jarenz

July 14th, 2007, 01:40 PM

Urgent Meeting today in Bo's Coffee for the Beach escapade 2morrw,,, apas lang kung kinsa maka-apas sa Bo's...or txt this # 09205551761(mike/rage@cebu)

kindly tell to anybody you know...i mean ssc peeps

Sinjin P.

July 14th, 2007, 02:14 PM

Building u/c across the Old White Gold Club
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/4141/p1040019ri5.jpg

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/3155/p1040020wx5.jpg

Cebu Towers Commercial Building
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7513/p1040042en6.jpg

Shell Station u/c at Mandaue Reclamation Area
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2011/p1040043sb5.jpg

What happened to the cladding of CDU?
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/6227/p1040044yk1.jpg

Quest Homes u/c
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/2702/p1040045uy5.jpg

Petron Station u/c at Mandaue Reclamation Area
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/3417/p1040046la0.jpg

New Mandaue City Public Market u/c
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/4397/p1040047ju5.jpg

dive-cebu

July 14th, 2007, 02:25 PM

re your question about insular life bldg bai, there are no updates yet but as far as i know, we're only gonna build one if considered sold na ang old bldg

^^great news, cla cguro finance sa bag-o na international port sa cordova.

OT: mga bai, kinsay kabaw sa status sa proposed building sa insular life? i was looking through real estate properties for sale sa cebu and i found on a website the old insular life building beside Immaculada is on sale for 140million php. kanusa kaha nla sugdan ila bago building sa.

jrevalde

July 15th, 2007, 01:55 AM

^^ah ok. amot tang tanan paliton natong insular life aron masugdan nana:rock:

So, if they sell it for 140 mil, pla kahay worth sa new building nla

PINOYmeat

July 15th, 2007, 05:22 AM

tree lined avenue in the heart of the city

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC00001.jpg

and of course... it comes with a tree lined sidewalk, with a cute, blue waiting shed :nuts:

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC00002.jpg

PINOYmeat

July 15th, 2007, 05:23 AM

the museum of cebu

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC00004.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC00005.jpg

PINOYmeat

July 15th, 2007, 05:25 AM

this structure can fit well in any european city... but of course, we know its in cebu :lol:

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC00003.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC00006.jpg

PINOYmeat

July 15th, 2007, 05:28 AM

the structure in front of the museum... a far contrast (the old and new)

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC00007.jpg

PINOYmeat

July 15th, 2007, 05:30 AM

time and again it has been said, road markings really make a difference :lol: :lol: :lol:

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC00008.jpg

PINOYmeat

July 15th, 2007, 05:31 AM

St. Theresas College

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC01481.jpg

PINOYmeat

July 15th, 2007, 05:36 AM

favorite hangout of SSC-Cebu (actually its in the back, :lol: )

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC01478.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC01479.jpg

like eiffel tower in paris, the crown regency seems to be visible in almost any corners in and around metro cebu... its not surprising, its already the tallest man-made structure/building outside manila :cheers:

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC01482.jpg

PINOYmeat

July 15th, 2007, 05:40 AM

one of the many parts in the city that never sleeps, sorrounded by 24-hour convenience stores, restaurants and hotels, the area around fuente osmeña

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC01484.jpg

PINOYmeat

July 15th, 2007, 05:41 AM

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC01485.jpg

botika (and convenience store) yun lang! :lol:

Sinjin P.

July 15th, 2007, 08:09 AM

I just wanted to post this because I feel hurt everytime I pass by the Mactan-Mandaue bridges. Most of the time, one can't fail to appreciate the beauty of Cebu, the growing skyline with the mountain backdrop. But if you're keen about looking at something else, its really sad to see the carved mountains (you'll see one very obvious at the back of Waterfront when you're viewing from Marcelo-Fernan Bridge) and also, when you look at the seas, you'll feel more hurt when you see all those trash floating on the Mactan Channel. I wont feel like this if I just saw some few objects floating, but no, there's a lot of them already, they're very obvious and if they were to talk, I'd think they'd be shouting right now: "Hey, pick me up dude!" :cry:

-----
A question: How many mosques do we have in Cebu? I was so amazed to see one along Basak road in Lapu-Lapu City. Too bad I failed to take a photograph :D

Ady001

July 15th, 2007, 12:23 PM

Youtube Find. I don't know if someone posted this...

ul79WFIV6xE

@berniemack... familiar?

Sinjin P.

July 15th, 2007, 12:34 PM

I always love that laughing sound effect of DYAB :lol:

Ady001

July 15th, 2007, 12:39 PM

^^ Sinj, I've been listening it all over again... Very beautiful and well-balanced opinions about urbanism.

diehardbisdak

July 15th, 2007, 12:40 PM

the structure in front of the museum... a far contrast (the old and new)

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC00007.jpg

...if i'm not mistaken, this is the (previous) CITIBANK Building..

LordCarnal

July 15th, 2007, 12:45 PM

I've learned lately that a much, much bigger and better museum is being proposed at the Compania Maritima building, the building near Malacañan sa Sugbo.. :okay:

http://cebuheritage.files.wordpress.com/2007/01/compania_maritima.jpg

this structure can fit well in any european city... but of course, we know its in cebu :lol:

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC00003.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC00006.jpg

midwestguy1

July 15th, 2007, 12:51 PM

Looking good Cebu !!!!

LordCarnal

July 15th, 2007, 12:51 PM

Nice.. One particular weakness that I have observed in the city bai is the limited number of major roads.

Take for example Osmeña Boulevard. It's the only major thoroughfare in that area. There isn't any major boulevard or avenue parallel to it. Same with other major roads like Gorordo, Escario, V.Rama..

If only our officials before foresaw the need to have wide grid-like avenues and boulevards then perhaps the development of the city would be even and not just concentrated on one area like along the existing major roads. There would be less traffic too because vehicles would be dispersed.

For me, Escario street should go straight all the way to V.Rama Avenue. This would mean relocating NBI, removing all the structures there, and building the road itself.

tree lined avenue in the heart of the city

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pinakamaldito/DSC00001.jpg

and of course... it comes with a tree lined sidewalk, with a cute, blue waiting shed :nuts:

tj_brewed

July 15th, 2007, 01:33 PM

Breaking News!

The conversion of THE VILLAGE @ Asiatown IT park into a Shopping Mall has just commenced. As of tonight, posts have already been erected. :banana: :) :banana:

rustyboi

July 15th, 2007, 02:47 PM

Cebu Emerging as Strong, Tier-Two BPO Site (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/06/prweb533980.htm)

Cebu is fast emerging as a strong tier-two center for information and communications technology (ICT) and business process outsourcing (BPO) services, which are experiencing "tremendous growth momentum" in the Philippines, reported senior trade department officials.

On today's Manila Bulletin special supplement, I can't seem to find the electronic version of this particular article so I needed to type this excerpt manually. :)

From City Center to Provincial Periphery
How Outsourcing Can Spread to Philippine Provinces
by Paul Catiang

In many ways, Metro Manila is still the center of outsourcing potential in the Philippines. First of all, the country's top universities are found in the metro: DLSU, UP, ADMU, UST, FEU, Mapua etc. Second, Metro Manila already plays host to several outsourcing operations, and the capital has already adapted to this new development. Third, outsourcing in Metro Manila has pervaded Filipino society enough to the point that a subculture of outsourcing professionals has sprung up nearly overnight.

Most recent study conducted by John Clements, Inc. with Tully Moss
Several Philippine cities were assessed and ranked according to the following:

- Human resources which includes language, managerial talent, scalability, and the competitiveness of the environment
- Infrastructure, assessing the telecommunications, electricity, availability of A-level commercial space, the ease and speed of access to hotels and airports
- Potential location with regard to its exposure to natural catastrophes such as seasonal monsoons
- Local government support

1. Cebu
2. NCR (Metro Manila)
3. Clark Freeport Zone
4. Baguio
5. CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon Province)
6. Davao
7. Cagayan de Oro
8. Bacolod
9. San Fernando, La Union
10. Iloilo
11. Tarlac
12. Subic
13. Naga
14. Cabanatuan
15. Dumaguete
16. Dagupan
17. Malolos

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h102/cebupics3/BPOranking.jpg

slimer

July 15th, 2007, 03:02 PM

@tj
how about the area near globe? did you see any activity there already? i've heard that another IT bldg will start it construction this month there.

tj_brewed

July 15th, 2007, 04:12 PM

@tj
how about the area near globe? did you see any activity there already? i've heard that another IT bldg will start it construction this month there.

^^ as of 7pm tonight, on my way to the office - nope.

habagatcentral1

July 15th, 2007, 04:15 PM

Youtube Find. I don't know if someone posted this...

ul79WFIV6xE

@berniemack... familiar?

Topic sa mga estudyante ko sa Anthro11. Regionalism. :D

slimer

July 15th, 2007, 05:00 PM

check this out. parkmall168 already has a website.
http://www.parkmall168.com/

Jimbu

July 15th, 2007, 06:30 PM

Osmeña nixes Citicenter’s plan for high-rise building (http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Local%20News&p=52&type=2&sec=70&aid=20070715193)
The Freeman
Monday, July 16, 2007

Mayor Tomas Osmeña will not allow the owners of Citicenter Commercial Complex in barangay Kamagayan to build a 40-storey building there, saying that the city already decided to foreclose the property for non-payment of close to P6 million in taxes.

Osmeña rejected the appeal of Bal Falcone, reportedly one of the owners of the one-hectare lot where the commercial complex is situated, to allow him to construct a world-class condominium project in the property.

The Citicenter Commercial Complex, built in the 80s and located on Sanciangko and Junquera Streets, has two structures that were once used as wet market and had commercial stalls.

Gabriel Abear, a consultant of Sto. Niño de Cebu Developers Inc. that owns the complex, said the company failed to pay its tax obligation to the city because the tenants have failed to pay the rentals also.

Abear said there are two or three lots in Kamagayan that the company owns and the area on Sanciangko Street where the wet market section is located has no pending tax obligation.

In representing Falcone, Abear asked the mayor to give them two or three months more to look for funds to pay for the tax dues on the other properties of the company.

Osmeña however said the owners of the complex had ignored the demand letters of the city treasurer’s office and this prompted the city to auction the property a few years ago.

City treasurer Tessie Camarillo said the unpaid real property taxes of the complex, as of December 2003, already reached P4.2 million. She said that, under the law, the city could sell the properties of the delinquent taxpayer to cover the tax dues and the costs of the sale.

Should the auctioned property is not sold, then the city government through its treasurer could buy it instead. A delinquent taxpayer has the right to redeem the property, within a year from the date of sale, but he or she must pay two per cent interest on top of the amount of the property.

Osmeña said that since the redemption period had already lapsed, the city government would now move to forfeit the rights of the complex owners.

Abear however contended that the company could file a case against the mayor and the city treasurer if they would not allow the owner to redeem its properties.

“P200 million ang kantidad anang maong property unya ila rang imbargohon tungod sa gamay kaayong buhis nga wala kabayri?” he said.

Abear said that if Osmeña would grant the request, the company would enter into a joint venture with a foreign funding firm for the construction of the high-rise building.

There are other plans of the mayor however and he said the city would convert the place into a sunken park and pond, which would be designed to minimize floods in the downtown area during downpour. — Rene U. Borromeo/RAE

diehardbisdak

July 16th, 2007, 01:54 AM

...more of ACC pics (camphone lang!)

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc3-1.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc2-.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acc1-1.jpg

....long queues for Potter movie
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/acccinema.jpg

diehardbisdak

July 16th, 2007, 02:46 AM

Portofino

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/diehardbisdako/portofino-1.jpg

Sinjin P.

July 16th, 2007, 04:00 AM

check this out. parkmall168 already has a website.
http://www.parkmall168.com/

Last updated: April 2007 :D They say that the mall will open on 4th Quarter 2007, how can this be possible? There is barely any activity going on at the site. :)

@40 storey condominium: Sayang. I hope they consider other prime locations in the city :D

@diehardbisdak: Macjoy Ayala is under renovation or is transferring to another location?

Sinjin P.

July 16th, 2007, 04:05 AM

New mall set to rise at Mandaue Reclamation Area (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/16/life/new.mall.set.to.rise.at.mandaue.reclamation.area.html)

CEBUANOS will soon be treated to a malling experience that address their love for value shopping, fun and relaxation all at the same time.

On the last quarter of this year, Parkmall will open at 168 Ouano Ave., Mandaue Reclamation Road, Mandaue City. It will rise right beside Cebu’s newest landmark, the Cebu International Convention Center.

Parkmall will house boutiques and shops that offer quality services at better-than-usual prices because it is sensitive to the Cebuanos’ penchant for quality goods at affordable prices.

Occupying a sprawling six-hectare area, Parkmall will have more than 700 parking slots. Access to the mall is not a problem. Jeepney routes to and from the area are now being worked out.

The mall will consist of a wide park, a building for the indoor stores and a piazza. The park will provide shoppers a venue for leisurely walks. It is also an alternative place for joggers who have grown tired of the usual parks and sports gyms. Any outdoor activity the fun-loving Cebuanos can think of will be accommodated in the park.

The piazza, for its part, will be a venue for main mall activities, while the main building where all the shopping stores will be found.

The entire mall, therefore, is designed like a little village where everything is made available to all kinds of shoppers.

The Parkmall team puts high value to the family and makes sure everyone in the household feels at home. The mall will have a Kids’ Village, a tiangge zone, a hypermart, a pasalubong center and an outdoor niche for people who love the night life.

And conscious of the Cebuanos’ entrepreneurial spirit, Parkmall will provide a venue where Cebuano businessmen can display what they have to offer. The mall will prioritize business ideas born and bred in Cebu, and will definitely recognize Cebu’s best entrepreneurs in awaiting surprises.

To discover more about Parkmall, one can visit www.parkmall168.com or email discover@parkmall.com.

Sinjin P.

July 16th, 2007, 04:08 AM

Coffee firm to expand more
(http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/16/bus/coffee.firm.to.expand.more.html)
A CEBU-GROWN coffee chain has temporarily shelved plans to penetrate the international market as it directs attention to strengthening its logistical base and market expansion in the Philippines.

While Bo’s Coffee Club (Bo’s), owned and operated by Coffee Centrale-the Bean Co., has received several inquiries from interested investors, the company’s direction in the short run is geared towards increasing its coffee chain with greater concentration in the Luzon area, said president and chief executive officer Steve Benitez.

“We want to be strong locally first and international expansion will follow,” he said, adding that the company’s long term goal, though, is to open an international outlet in the next two to three years.

Earlier, Benitez said the company was planning to open a branch in Dubai.

“When we talked about Dubai, we didn’t have any Manila office yet. We don’t want to go to Dubai half-baked,” said Bo’s Coffee Club business development manager Rene Bacolod.

Luzon stores

Foreseeing the potential to grow their market in Luzon, particularly in Metro Manila, Benitez said about five additional stores and an office will open in the area by the end of the year.

Bacolod said negotiations to set up presence in Tagaytay, Subic and Legaspi are in the process.

Benitez said Bo’s has already built a roasting plant in Manila to provide fresh roasted beans to its customers.

Another roasting plant and commissary will open in Cebu within the year, he added.

Benitez said newly roasted beans have to be shipped to the outlets within three days and must be consumed in two to three weeks to ensure the freshness of the beans, otherwise non-consumed items are immediately disposed.

As proof, he said the roasted date is displayed in every Bo’s coffee bag.

Bo’s coffee beans are 90 percent sourced locally from coffee plantations in Bukidnon, Cordillera, Benguet, Sultan Kudarat and the Mountain Provinces, among others.

Filipino brew

The beans’ freshness and the need to set up a commissary were one of the main issues considered in the company’s plan to expand overseas, said Bacolod.

“We want our coffee to taste 100 percent Filipino. That’s our edge,” he said.

Educating the Filipino market about purchasing fresh coffee beans is Bo’s advocacy, Benitez told reporters during a coffee appreciation discussion to mark the opening of its newly franchised outlet located at the Sykes Asia building in Cebu City.

He said Bo’s has gained 75 to 80 percent share of the market in Visayas and Mindanao.

The opening of three more coffee outlets—two in Mandaue City and one in the southern part of Cebu Province—this year will increase the market share, he added.

He also said most of Bo’s coffee shops in Cebu will undergo renovations.

Bo’s has 33 branches nationwide, 16 of which are company-owned while 17 are franchised.

In Cebu, two stores are franchised, including the Sykes Asia branch and in i1 building Asiatown IT Park, while nine outlets are managed by the company.

Benitez said Bo’s aims to hit 50 branches by 2008.

Bo’s, which is a pioneer in the local coffee shop industry in the last 12 years, has complementary ventures, including Triangle Fort Distribution Inc., the warehouse and delivery provider; Triangle Food Central Corp., the commissary unit; Coffee System Franchise Corp., its franchise arm; and Omni Triangle Resources Corp., its new business venture group. (

Sinjin P.

July 16th, 2007, 04:39 AM

---

Dubai World eyes Philippines projects (http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093159546)
by Safura Rahimi on Sunday, 15 July 2007

Dubai-based holding company Dubai World is looking at investment opportunities in the Philippines after a recent visit to the South Asian nation.

Talks between Dubai World chairman HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem and president of the Philippines, HE Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, covered the Dubai company's interest potential projects in the Philippines.

The company expressed interest in exploring infrastructure development programmes and investment in areas of ports, free zones, property development and the hospitality sector.

"Dubai World sees immense potential for growth in this country and we will actively explore the investment opportunities that are emerging here. The Philippines market will be considered an important part of our growth strategy for Asia," HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said.

"We are very excited about the prospects of our visit to the Philippines, especially to Cebu. We want to do something in this beautiful island, and strengthen the bonds between the UAE and the Philippines. During our talks we identified several potential areas for investment and we will be studying them in depth to develop viable investment options," he added.

The government-owned company has been planning for major investments in Asia to increase its already extensive presence in the region.

The firm said Thursday it is looking to tap into the rapitdly growing economies of China and India by purchasing or expansding port facilities in the two booming nations.

---

Sultan Bin Sulayem Meets President Arroyo of the Philippines (press release) (http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Cyprus/215067)

The President of the Philippines, HE Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, received the Chairman of Dubai World, HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, at her palace and expressed her support for any investment opportunities that the Dubai-based holding company could create in her country.

The talks covered Dubai World's interest in exploring investment in the Philippines in areas of Ports, Free Zones, property development and the hospitality sector.

The visit was arranged by the Governor of Cebu Province, Gwendolyn Garcia, following her visit to Dubai in June, when she discussed investment opportunities with senior Dubai World Executives.

Mr Bin Sulayem, who led a high-level delegation on the courtesy visit to the Malacanang Palace on Friday (July 13), said:

“We had a very successful meeting with Her Excellency, President Gloria Arroyo and we welcome the support she has promised to Dubai World’s involvement in infrastructure development programs in the Philippines. Dubai World sees immense potential for growth in this country and we will actively explore the investment opportunities that are emerging here. The Philippines market will be considered an important part of our growth strategy for Asia.”

Mr Bin Sulayem was accompanied on the palace visit by the UAE’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Mohammed Ibrahim Al Juwaid, Mohammed Sharaf, CEO, DP World, Peter Wong, DP World’s Asia Pacific Director, and Suhail Al Banna, Executive Vice President of DP World’s Asian Terminals.

Following meeting with the President in Manila, the Dubai World Chairman and other senior executives of DP World traveled to Cebu, where they attended a series of official functions.

Their discussions with Governor Garcia and her aides focused on building business relationships between the two sides.

Mr Bin Sulayem said:

“We are very excited about the prospects of our visit to the Philippines, especially to Cebu. We want to do something in this beautiful island, and strengthen the bonds between the UAE and the Philippines. During our talks we identified several potential areas for investment and we will be studying them in depth to develop viable investment options.”

During his visit Mr Bin Sulayem also addressed a business gathering organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Sinjin P.

July 16th, 2007, 05:36 AM

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1363/824314976_4876d1bdfc_b.jpg
by Tagigi (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tagigi/) Alegria Road

Sinjin P.

July 16th, 2007, 05:41 AM

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1141/809708867_44e552211f_o.jpg

Barangay Pulangbato, Sitio Dao, Talamban Cebu Philippines

by Paolo Manalac (http://www.flickr.com/photos/big-pao/)

Sinjin P.

July 16th, 2007, 05:43 AM

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Cebu City, Philippines

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1201/809846822_01f70be5df_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1325/809846744_f41e5c47e2_b.jpg

by shutter888 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/janice-shutter/)

LordCarnal

July 16th, 2007, 11:26 AM

^^

wow a 40-storey building in dowtown

habagatcentral1

July 16th, 2007, 12:20 PM

Traffic karon sa Mabolo. Carmelite procession

flesh_is_weak

July 16th, 2007, 01:26 PM

wow here's some dilemna...a 40-storey building to accentuate Cebu's growing skyline...or a sunken park to answer the city's need for open spaces...

although i feel more gravitated towards the thought of having a new high-rise...though there really is dire need for more greenery in the city, a park right in the heart of hooker-ville might not seem to be good idea after all...

LordCarnal

July 16th, 2007, 01:33 PM

^^

Better if Tomas will prioritize the relocation of Carbon Market so that Freedom Park will be rehabilitated back into what it really was before -- Plaza Washington.

habagatcentral1

July 16th, 2007, 02:55 PM

Pictures of the past meets with D'Transporter will be posted tomorrow at Magkita Ta Bai thread.

slimer

July 16th, 2007, 03:19 PM

Last updated: April 2007 :D They say that the mall will open on 4th Quarter 2007, how can this be possible? There is barely any activity going on at the site. :)

That is what i thought too. but if you pass by the area now, you can see a pile of soil higher than the fence already. maybe they are working on the landscaping now.

also, the area where grand cenia will rise is being demolished. it says: "No Entry, Demolition in Progress"

sugbuanon

July 16th, 2007, 05:03 PM

finally we're done making the scale model..

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/others/law_day2.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/others/IMG_59341.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/others/IMG_59501.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/others/IMG_5960.jpg

usc law & business school [now working on the 2nd floor]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/others/hotel_night2.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/others/IMG_5923.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/others/IMG_5965.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/martiano/others/IMG_59471.jpg

proposed 13-storey usc school hotel

diehardbisdak

July 17th, 2007, 01:41 AM

Last updated: April 2007 :D They say that the mall will open on 4th Quarter 2007, how can this be possible? There is barely any activity going on at the site. :)

@40 storey condominium: Sayang. I hope they consider other prime locations in the city :D

@diehardbisdak: Macjoy Ayala is under renovation or is transferring to another location?

...the sign still showing their name... so, i think they are only undergoing renovation....

elantonio

July 17th, 2007, 01:55 AM

diehardbisdak

July 17th, 2007, 02:00 AM

^^ as previously posted by @sugbuanon, these 2 new projects of USC will be built at the main campus....

slimer

July 17th, 2007, 02:58 AM

btw, i've read on sunstar yesterday about the supposed facility of seagate in naga, that there are companies interested to acquire it, and one of which is Lexmark.

The Cebuano Exultor

July 17th, 2007, 03:54 AM

PINOYmeat

July 17th, 2007, 04:43 AM

Cebu seen as Mice destination
By Malou M. Mozo
Sun.Star Staff Reporter

AN INTERNATIONAL hotel chain plans to increase corporate bookings this year as it foresees the strong potential of Cebu to become an emerging destination for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice).

Cebu City Marriott Hotel (CCMH) general manager Roy Abraham said Cebu’s successful hosting of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in January has become a magnet for both foreign travelers since the province “has a little of everything” in terms of business and leisure activities.

“I think now we are getting to reap the benefits of the Asean summit. Cebu is going to be in the map for Mice,” added Ann Olalo, CCMH director for sales and marketing.

In January, CCMH hosted 150 delegates from India, one of the dialogue partners of the Asean member-countries.

According to Abraham, since then, CCMH has been getting inquiries for incentives from different multinational companies engaged in off-shore selling.

Two years ago, the hotel was able to capitalize on the spill-over guests from the Asia Pacific convention.

“This is what Cebu can nurture on, growing the Mice market where many of the hotels and resorts can benefit,” he said.

International corporate bookings, which the hotel most commonly receives, hail from the information technology (IT) industry, owing to the province’s and, in general, the Philippines’ strong potential of becoming the premier destination for the global business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, he said.

Among the countries the local hotel industry can capitalize on are China and India—two of the giant markets in Asia and composed of more than one billion in population.

In India, for example, Abraham said the increase of the middle-income market has allowed most of its citizens to travel and seek opportunities abroad, among which is the Philippines.

“There is now an emergence of Indian businessmen in the Philippines and in Cebu,” he said.

Efforts

The increase of the interest of Indian nationals to the country is attributed to the efforts of the Department of Tourism, which set up a tourism office in New Delhi, India, he told reporters.

However he has identified Thailand as the country’s main competitor in the Mice market, brought about by its attractive incentives for business travelers, among others.

Meanwhile, to help market the province as a destination for business and leisure, Olalo said Marriott has been conducting global sales missions to different countries.

This is in addition to CCMH’s planned “multi-million” renovation beginning next year.

The improvement of its rooms and existing amenities will position the hotel as a “true business hotel,” in terms of Internet connectivity and in-room entertainment, said Abraham.

CCMH has 301 rooms and draws Europeans, Chinese, Japanese, Americans and domestic tourists annually.

HERE (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/17/bus/cebu.seen.as.mice.destination.html)

PINOYmeat

July 17th, 2007, 04:45 AM

BPO firm launches ‘career cafe’

A US-based contact center has found a way to lure workers in the call center industry and to meet its target of getting 100 hirees per month.

ePerformax Philippines, which officially opened its full-blown operations in Cebu last July 8, has introduced Xpresso Career Café, which is described to be a “one-of-a-kind” career café, said ePerformax president and chief executive officer Teresa Hartsaw.

She said the center is designed similarly to a high-end Internet café with a coffee shop.

“The café allows applicants to browse through the company’s numerous employment opportunities while enjoying a free cup of coffee at the same time,” she said.

Hartsaw said before it formally launched its contact center facility, the company has relied on its career café as a recruitment center, which she considers as the “hippest way” of attracting potential Cebuano workers to the now burgeoning call center industry.

Confident

Riding the waves of the “call center phenomenon” in Cebu, Hartsaw is confident the company will be able to fill its 400-seater facility before the year ends.

Once filled up, ePerformax will continue to expand its operations in the Philippines, which the company believes “is the premiere country for providing top value and top quality contact center services for English-speaking customers,” read a press statement furnished to Sun.Star Cebu.

Hartsaw added the company has not even mulled plans to expand in India since she believes the Philippines provides the “best venue” for its offshore operations.

Contribution

The company, she said, prides in its Performance Maximization Model, which is to develop every employee’s passion to maximize performance in order to capitalize on the team’s contribution to the company’s business objectives.

“We don’t hire for the sake of hiring,” she said in an earlier interview.

In its website, ePerformax requires that applicants hold a college degree or an equivalent technical degree and pass a series of American English proficiency tests, comprehension and listening tests, plus applicable partner-specific tests.

ePerformax, which began its Philippine operations in Manila last 2002, has 1,800 employees.

It has provided solutions for companies in information solutions, telecommunications, transportation, technology, travel, hospitality and retail.

Earlier, the Contact Center Association of the Philippines said it expects the increase in the country’s contact center business to reach $5 billion by 2010.

The Philippine Institute for Development Studies also predicted that the Philippines can grow its market for call center agents to 50 percent. (MMM)

HERE (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/17/bus/bpo.firm.launches.career.cafe..html)

PINOYmeat

July 17th, 2007, 04:48 AM

Resort builds Japanese spa, to offer ‘unique’ services

SEEING the need to cope with the demand for spa services, a hotel firm is putting up a half-hectare traditional Japanese-inspired village to cater to more clients.

Plantation Bay Resort and Spa will invest on a 6,500-square-meter lot within their area in order to open a new and “unique” spa in the next two to three months.

“We have a limited spa and limited services to offer. (So) we want to add more,” Efren Belarmino, Plantation Bay general manager, told Sun.Sar Cebu.

Apart from putting up additional facilities, Dianne Gandionco, the resort’s public relations associate, said they will also train masseuses to give “hilot” or the traditional Filipino massage and massage for pregnant women.

Gandionco added that they’re also giving trainings on Thai massage, as well as the signature sensual massage.

Greater

The hotel management decided to invest on a spa rather than a gym or a sports center because of a “great business demand.”

“Most clients no longer prefer sports facilities,” Gandionco said.

Moreover, since Plantation Bay is the first resort spa, the company should at least focus on enhancing what the company is best known for.

September

Plantation Bay, which is a five-star resort in the country that is locally owned, is finishing the Tokogawa-patterned spa, as the company aims to officially open it to the public this September.

Tokogawa is a Japanese village built in 1783.

The company’s spa services will be patterned from the concept to create a more relaxing and peaceful environment for the customers to unwind in a traditional Japanese atmosphere, as well as to make spa services different.

Pattern

The development of the Tokogawa-patterned spa resulted from an extensive research, as Maria Lourdes Joy Martinez Onozawa, the project architect, traveled to Japan and studied each spa in the place.

“The client loves the (Tokogawa) concept, (because) its environment-friendly, (with) carefully chosen recycled resources, it will easily calm you down,” Onozawa said. (TEP)

HERE (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/07/17/bus/resort.builds.japanese.spa.to.offer.unique.services.html)

Jarenz

July 17th, 2007, 05:50 AM

what is the 40-storey high rise project in downtown...????

sugbuanon

July 17th, 2007, 06:23 AM

So is this thing gonna be built this year? :?

the law & business school is currently u/c and will be finished by november of this year.. as for the school hotel, it still has to wait in line as the university is currently constructing a stadium and the new engineering bldg..

jameslab8470

July 17th, 2007, 08:25 AM

cool projects of USC! yeah! sana maka abot ko sa new Engg bldg. hehe

PINOYmeat

July 17th, 2007, 11:04 AM

P200-M beach villa to rise in Tuburan town
By Cris Evert Lato
Cebu Daily News
Last updated 04:21pm (Mla time) 07/17/2007

Cebu, Philippines - The construction of a new beach villa in Tuburan, Cebu is viewed as a “job generator” for the town's residents, a public official said Monday.

Vice Mayor Rose Marie Suezo said the presence of the Apalan Beach Villas will enable jobless locals to find another way of providing for the needs of their families.

“Although there were no specific conversations with the developers on the terms of giving jobs to the locals, I am hopeful that they (developers) will help us,” Suezo told Cebu Daily News.

Answering Suezo's request, project architect Tessie Javier said they would be willing to hire people from Tuburan to improve their socio-economic status.

“The development of the beach villa is dictated by the consciousness of the social workers and environmentalists,” she said in a welcome statement during the groundbreaking ceremonies.

Suezo said that the beach villa is a welcome development in their “laidback and underdeveloped town.”

“Its presence will boost tourism in our place especially with the Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbu scheduled to visit us this September,” she said.

Suezo said the serenity of their town should give tourists the reason to visit or even stay in their place.

The Apalan Beach Villas is a joint venture of A. Tuburan Development Corporation and Solid Construction, Inc.

With almost three hectares of land area, the beach villa is envisioned to be a vacation spot and a residential area for foreigners, retirees and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Allen Arvin Tan, vice president for marketing of Solid Construction (Cebu) Inc. said that preliminary development which includes putting up the 800-square-meter swimming pool, club house, tennis court, gymnasium and roads among others, will run for a year. Construction will start August.

Tan added that thirty two-storey villas will rise in the location arranged in a pueblo-style architecture to give the place a “town feel.”

One villa has an average floor area of 218 square meters which includes the car port.

Asked why the developers chose Tuburan, Javier said “the place is relatively close to the city via Trancentral Highway and is only three minutes away from the town proper.”

“The place is also a thirty-minute drive from three golf courses in San Remigio and Danao,” Javier added.

The P200 million beach villa project also boasts of a gated community with 24-hour security facilities and direct access to each villa unit, a two-kilometer white sand beach and two condominium buildings with lobby, gymnasium, clubhouse and a multi-purpose tennis court.

“To date, we already have four reservations and we are looking to attract people especially those who want to live in a place like this,” Javier said.

HERE (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/enterprise/view_article.php?article_id=77133)