Congratulations, guys and please share nya some Sinulog photos, malouy mo. :(

sige bai mike, iclose na balik... sensya na...hehe

Congratulations, guys and please share nya some Sinulog photos, malouy mo. :(

sure, it will be posted here bai http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=287637 ... and if you haven't visited this thread yet, there are some pre Sinulog pictures there :)

^^ thanks... :)

^^

na-unsa diay si sinjin?

Cebu City sets ‘cosmetic’ work
Sunstar

More road repairs, streetlights and repainting of public structures will be done in preparation for the Asean summit next year, amid suspicions of underground efforts to transfer the venue to Manila.

As he announced yesterday his plan to create a “cosmetic team,” Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he will not meddle in the megadome or Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) issue since it will be built in Mandaue City anyway.

“We can’t help them on that because it will be there in Mandaue. Anyway, I thought the problem is the lot but it turns out it isn’t. I offered the SRP but I was misunderstood so I don’t want to have anything to do with it,” he told a news conference.

Cebu City also has no infrastructure that can be used for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in December, Osmeña said.

As for the cosmetic team, the mayor said it will take charge of asphalting roads, street lighting and beautification projects in the city.

The team, though, will not cover eyesores. The mayor said he does not believe in hiding poverty in Cebu.

The City Government will also put up an entertainment center for foreign journalists who will cover the event.[/B]

The mayor told reporters of his plans amid suspicions that some National Government officials are working to transfer the venue of the summit to Manila instead of Cebu.

The national organizing committee reportedly lamented the lack of hotel rooms and facilities in Cebu that will ensure the successful holding of the summit.

Bet


“I’m willing to make a bet that they (committee) are working hard to transfer it to Manila because they are all anti-Cebu.

They’re just here to point out the problems, that there is no venue but they won’t help solve the problem,” Osmeña said.

If the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel or the proposed megadome cannot host the Asean activities, the venue will reportedly be transferred to Manila.

Osmeña still believes Cebu should be the venue for the Asean summit, adding that President Arroyo herself wants the event held here.

Besides, he added, Cebu left a very good impression on the Asean foreign ministers, who enjoyed their retreat here last year.

“We got very good feedback from them and they said they like it here in Cebu. The committee will try to transfer it to Manila but we already have our foot in the door... The foreign ministers even chose Cebu but if we’re sleeping, we would lose it,” he said.

For his part, Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr. said he still finds the need to build an international convention center for the summit, despite the apprehension of the hoteliers’ group.

“Look what Malaysia did. They already have a convention center but they built another convention center for the summit just to show to the world that they can handle big events. We will be showing that we aren’t capable if we hold it in hotels and Cebu would not look good,” Sanchez said.

He also said the convention center will be a good landmark for Cebu and a very fitting venue for a historic event.

“It’s not only Cebu’s name that is at stake here but the name of the whole country,” the vice governor said.

Sanchez is also for the fast tracking of the bidding process to meet the deadline.

Sanchez, a civil engineer, said the bidding should be done immediately since the “curing period” of concrete could not be cut short.

Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Sanchez and officials of the Commission on Audit (COA) had a meeting late afternoon yesterday to discuss the bidding procedure for the CICC or the megadome.

Observer


In the meeting, it was agreed that a COA official will sit as observer in every meeting for the CICC.

Garcia said COA 7 Legal Officer Roy Ursal agreed to be with the task force that she will create for the project to observe the proceedings, and to dispel suspicions that they are going to railroad the project for their own benefit.

“He will be aware of the transactions, and he will also have legal inputs,” said Garcia.

They are also studying the creation of a separate bids and awards committee (BAC), whose function is to take care solely of the undertaking.

BAC members of the Cebu Provincial Government have their hands full of infrastructure projects that Garcia wanted implemented, such as the asphalting of roads, the upgrading of provincial hospitals and the construction of two-classroom buildings, among others.

Ursal will not just sit in the task force meetings, he will also be attending BAC meetings for the CICC to observe the process.

Shortcuts


“We were never talking of shortcuts here, but expediting,” said the governor.

The Office of the Governor is currently readying the executive order for the task force, which will have committees for technical, legal and financial aspects.

The Capitol will work within the P250-million budget for the structure, expected to be completed by November in time for the Asean summit this December.

Back at City Hall, Osmeña said that since the foreign media will play an important role in projecting Cebu in other countries, they too will be pampered.

The City will lease the Sunflower City for three nights so the foreign reporters can unwind there, with overflowing food, drinks and entertainment, which could cost the City Government a few millions, he said.

He added that Japanese and Korean reporters will be given special attention, their countries being the target market of Cebu’s tourism industry.

closed nani na thread? :D :D :D

close na kuno bai ingun si gamhanan sinjin. :D

Kining ika-trese nga hilo sa nag-uswag nga Siyudad og Probinsya sa Sugbu kay niabot na sa kinatapusan. Kinahanglan na ning sirad-an ug ibutang sa mga hipusanan.
Dili man mahimo nga mao na ni'y kinatapusan sa atong mga istorya batok sa Sugbu, mao nang naa na ta'y ika-katorse nga hilo.

Pislita lang nang URL sa ubos ug mosulod na ka sa bag-o na sad nga hilo sa Sugbu.

I hope they can understand. :D

Welcome to CEBU: The Metropolis and Province Thread XIV (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=304342)

:lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock: :lock:

‘Use one brand,’ CVCB urges Cebu industries
By Jessica B. Natad
Sun.Star Staff Reporter

The Cebu Visitors and Conventions Bureau (CVCB) is urging all industries in Cebu that have interest in attracting the foreign market to keep the marketing of their products and services in line with the Cebu brand created by the Department of Tourism (DOT).

The DOT has already determined the appropriate Cebu brand in the international tourism market.

DOT 7 Director Patria Aurora Roa said during CVCB’s general membership meeting at the Teatro Casino in Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino on Friday that DOT Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano has already identified “resort and heritage destination” as the brand that Cebu should portray, as “Cebu is a historical province and it offers premium resort and beach attractions as well.”

In line with this, the DOT 7, in cooperation the Cebu Provincial Government, will launch a book entitled: “Cebu-Philippines: Resort and Heritage Destination” guidebook on Jan. 27.

The book features the province of Cebu and highlights the history, people and different tourist spots.

In an interview, CVCB executive director Mila Espina said they plan to convene all key industry groups in Cebu, especially those that are also mulling on creating a Cebu brand, such as the furniture industry, to discuss ways on how to link their Cebu brand slogans to that of the DOT.

“We suggest that they come up with slogans in support of the DOT’s Cebu brand,” she told Sun.Star Cebu.

The Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. has been using the Cebu X, its annual furniture show, as a way of promoting Cebu as a brand for furniture.

Island of festivals

The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has also been brainstorming how to package Cebu to the international market.

Cebu Business Month 2005 chairman Francis Monera said the CCCI has been conducting meetings and taking initial steps to come up with the Cebu brand but nothing has been finalized yet.

One of the ideas that came up was to brand Cebu as an island of festivals.

During CVCB’s meeting, Cebu Association of Travel Operators president Alice Queblatin said tourism stakeholders should be united in branding Cebu, especially during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in December to effectively gain the attention of the international market.

The Asean Summit gathers together top government leaders of Asean-member countries as well as non-Asean countries, such as the US and Russia.

CVCB chairman Patrick Gregorio said the organization would be coordinating with the CCCI and the local government units to formalize and implement Cebu branding efforts in time for the Asean Summit.

During the administration of Lito Osmeña, the former governor branded Cebu as “an island in the Pacific.”

Meanwhile, the DOT guidebook also features different interests in Cebu such as golf, diving, art galleries, museums and shopping centers.

CVCB is the first private-sector-led tourism marketing organization in Cebu.

[CENTER]
WELCOME TO THE QUEEN CITY OF THE SOUTH

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/BANNERcebucity1.jpg


This one is awesome! I can't wait for the Club Ultima towers to be done, it'll drastically change Cebu's skyline. And hopefully, after it gets builts, more 30+ scrapers will be built in cebu.


14th Thread already? This must be the fastest thread in SSC.

Nganong pansinon paman nang mga suspicions of underground efforts nga natural raman gyud na sa mga Pilipino. Padayon Cebu, Ceboom! :cheers:

@Sinjin: Kalma lang diha dong ayaw padala sa teen angst. Ang kinabuhi daghan kaayong mga trials and tribulations, mga disappointments. Ako pa nimo dili nimo seryosohon tanang mga nadunggan nimong makahiubos kay ana man gyud nang kinabuhi. Kung magpadala ka anang mga negatives ikaw ray alkansi. Brotherly advice lang.

yup mike, you're a good leader that age and you're leading us all here... don't worry you have your own space ;)

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/frontpage_jan10popup.jpg
(http://www.inq7.net/globalnation/sec_cdn/2006/jan/new/jan10_01.htm)

Ecozone firm eyes SRP for expansion
Published: January 10, 2006

by Irene R. Sino Cruz

A company operating in the Mactan Economic Zone plans to put up a facility at the South Road Properties (SRP), according to Joel Mari Yu, managing director of the Cebu Investment Promotion Center (CIPC). MORE (http://www.inq7.net/globalnation/sec_cdn/2006/jan/ent/jan10_01.htm)

Bet


“I’m willing to make a bet that they (committee) are working hard to transfer it to Manila because they are all anti-Cebu.

They’re just here to point out the problems, that there is no venue but they won’t help solve the problem,” Osmeña said.

If the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel or the proposed megadome cannot host the Asean activities, the venue will reportedly be transferred to Manila.

Osmeña still believes Cebu should be the venue for the Asean summit, adding that President Arroyo herself wants the event held here.

Besides, he added, Cebu left a very good impression on the Asean foreign ministers, who enjoyed their retreat here last year.

“We got very good feedback from them and they said they like it here in Cebu. The committee will try to transfer it to Manila but we already have our foot in the door... The foreign ministers even chose Cebu but if we’re sleeping, we would lose it,” he said.

For his part, Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr. said he still finds the need to build an international convention center for the summit, despite the apprehension of the hoteliers’ group.

“Look what Malaysia did. They already have a convention center but they built another convention center for the summit just to show to the world that they can handle big events. We will be showing that we aren’t capable if we hold it in hotels and Cebu would not look good,” Sanchez said.

He also said the convention center will be a good landmark for Cebu and a very fitting venue for a historic event.

“It’s not only Cebu’s name that is at stake here but the name of the whole country,” the vice governor said.

Sanchez is also for the fast tracking of the bidding process to meet the deadline.

Sanchez, a civil engineer, said the bidding should be done immediately since the “curing period” of concrete could not be cut short.

Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Sanchez and officials of the Commission on Audit (COA) had a meeting late afternoon yesterday to discuss the bidding procedure for the CICC or the megadome.


Manila is not the Philippines! :bash: they're so bully... :evil:

The thing is, the President wanted it to be in cebu. the asean foreign ministers whe were here last SEAG wanted it to be in cebu. So wala na sila magagawa. hehee. :D

"uy naa raba ka sa manila bai rust. adtoa si binay ug uban pa nga mga mayor nga anti ug kulataha! hehehe"

^^ i've always wanted to bash that idiot to death! :devil: for now, they should be jealous. very jealous!! haha

^^

hus d idiot?

mayor ng ______! hehehe

Mayor ng MAKATI, period! mao bitaw... kung naa lang na iyang dagway sa akong atubangan, dugay nana nakong gidukol.
mga kalog jd... My only question is, what is their problem? Why they don't give others a chance? Cebu maybe is not as beautiful as Makati or other cities in Metro Manila but still we can showcase our country through our oneness. For sure Cebu would prosper coz the people here are united but the Philippines will never prosper when there are still Mayors of that kind :bash:

:cheers:

^Bitaw makaingon gyud ta nga uncalled for gyud na ila mga pagsinasina kay halos tanan na man siguro mga intl functions tua na sa ila nganong initan pa man gyud ang Cebu.

-EDIT-

Cebu is setting an example of good governance in the country. that's something i can brag about.

Cebu governor tells Arroyo:
No more stiff opposition

CEBU Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia informed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Friday that the opposition group in the province was already dead.

"I told her Madam President, we used to have stiff opposition, but now, the opposition has died down," Garcia recalled.

The governor told the President the province was looking at a "brighter" year in 2006.

President Arroyo visited Cebu last Friday to lead the launching of the Sinulog festivities and attend the 46th charter day of Toledo City.

Garcia said a majority of the Provincial Board members are now "in the same direction" as hers.

"It is not anyone's victory. It is not me or theirs, but it's for the Cebuanos who will witness the new age of Cebu politics, which is good governance," she said.

Cebu Daily News tried to contact opposition board members Jose Maria Gastardo and Victoria Corominas but telephone calls were left unanswered.

Citing as examples the construction of the Cebu International Convention Center and the provincial hospital, Garcia said elected Capitol officials have realized "priorities above personalities."

ang galing sler, elib ako sayo
sinjin, we all love you :)

@rusty18

you're right bai...

Anyway, let's hope for the Phili. Stock Exchange to make good of transferring at the SRP.. :) Let's see what Binay's next move will be... :)

Branding Cebu... "Island in the Pacific"


We, Cebuanos, like to brand our province with myriad names, usually monickers. Island in the Pacific, Milan of Asia, Festival Island, and the classic Queen City of the South (which only refers to the capital), are just some of the more popular names Cebu is known for.

Recently though, another attempt to brand Cebu is in the offing. The Department of Tourism VII in cooperation with the Cebu provincial government will soon launch a book entitled: Cebu-Philippines: Resort and Heritage Destination.

While it is a good idea to create a brand for Cebu to boost our tourism industry, we should not forget that we also need foreign investments in other sectors such as manufacturing and information technology. If we are to brand Cebu effectively in order to attract not just tourists but investors as well, we should not limit our marketing effort to tourism alone. Revenue from tourism may have contributed to our local economy but it pales in comparison to the export revenue. So an effective branding strategy is essential.


Our promotion should be broad enough to encompass the entire sectors of Cebu’s attraction to both tourists and investors. Branding strategy should be smart enough for the worldwide audience.

Malaysia’s global ad campaign in broadcast and print media is a great example. Truly Asia can mean a lot of things that is Malaysia. It is a smart branding strategy that effectively works for Malaysia’s effort to frogleap to industrialization. It doesn’t only lure tourists but it can also attract investors. Other good branding examples are the global ads of Kerala (in India) and Dubai (UAE). Both are unique in their own ways.

The ‘Resort and Heritage Destination’ brand may be creative but it lacks substantial elements to capture global interest. We may have historic sites but can’t match the grandeur of Paris, Rome, Shanghai, Madrid, Cairo, Bombay, Athens, Casablanca, etc.

We should not create a brand that is half-baked. If we say we are a resort destination, then we should show them not just one or two but an abundance of world-class resorts. We may have some of the centuries-old churches in the country but I think we should know better if that’s enought to tell the world we are a heritage destination. We should not forget that we are a modern city, not an ancient city. Save for Basilica del Sto. Nino, Magellan’s Cross, Fort San Pedro, and Colon Street, Cebu looks every inch a modern city, with most of its structures are less than a hundred years old.

Maybe we should stick to the more global sounding, Cebu: Island in the Pacific. The people would be intrigued as to what awaits them in an island in the Pacific without hinting them for something else. There should be some amount of reservation that would somehow mystifies them about Cebu. We should not tell them things that they obviously see in other destinations.

While it is not bad to promote our province to tourists, we should concentrate more on attracting investors to develop our tourist spots or build tourist attractions rather than attracting tourists themselves. That will come in due time. We can’t tell tourists to come and see our island if we don’t have much to show.

Cebu is a great island to those who want to explore beyond the usual. Come to Cebu and you will discover what lies beneath the island in the Pacific!

hi everyone :wave::wave: new here in the forum

Mayor ng MAKATI, period! mao bitaw... kung naa lang na iyang dagway sa akong atubangan, dugay nana nakong gidukol.
mga kalog jd... My only question is, what is their problem? Why they don't give others a chance? Cebu maybe is not as beautiful as Makati or other cities in Metro Manila but still we can showcase our country through our oneness. For sure Cebu would prosper coz the people here are united but the Philippines will never prosper when there are still Mayors of that kind :bash:


Binay is dragging down MAKATI. Shame on that bitch :bop:

Good news:

Several surveillance cameras (not simply surveillance but they are capable of reading plate numbers, automatic vehicle count, ability to spot vandalisers, criminals, etc.) will be put up in the 2 Mandaue Mactan bridges according to Governor Gwen Garcia. "But this is not just for the ASEAN Summit", she said. "This is for good. For the security of the Cebuanos"

ASEAN summit to be held in Cebu
ABS-CBN news, Cebu

PRO Dr. Milagros Espina said Cebu is a favourite destination if we talk about conventions, she believes that Cebuano abilities are already tried and tested of accepting International fora's... "Cebuanos are dynamic, creative and they are very proud of their heritage". She said this after some suggestions that the ASEAN summit should be held in Manila as Cebu is still doubtful and not yet ready to host the summit. She is also all the way confident that tourism will boast more for Cebu this year. More than 90% of the airline companies are already booked for this Sundays Sinulog festival.
Muslim communitites here in Cebu also volunteered to secure the Sinulog Festivity this coming Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile the Cebu Provincial Government will put surveillance cameras along Mandaue Mactan Bridges 1 and 2 for security measures, traffic vehicle count and also for the preparations of upcoming ASEAN Summit.


_ _ _ _ _ _

Shadow_can2003, welcome to SSC...:)

^Hehe, naminaw kag DYAB slerz?

nop, nitan aw kog DYAB...:D

Good news:

Several surveillance cameras (not simply surveillance but they are capable of reading plate numbers, automatic vehicle count, ability to spot vandalisers, criminals, etc.) will be put up in the 2 Mandaue Mactan bridges according to Governor Gwen Garcia. "But this is not just for the ASEAN Summit", she said. "This is for good. For the security of the Cebuanos"


wow, now there's something common about Cebu and Singapore. hehe. I hope it can detect over speeders, too and hopefully in the near future all major points in the city will have it... :) Cool Cebu, keep it up!

hi everyone :wave::wave: new here in the forum

Hi:wave: shadow_can2003 welcome to SCC:colgate:

Good news:

Several surveillance cameras (not simply surveillance but they are capable of reading plate numbers, automatic vehicle count, ability to spot vandalisers, criminals, etc.) will be put up in the 2 Mandaue Mactan bridges according to Governor Gwen Garcia. "But this is not just for the ASEAN Summit", she said. "This is for good. For the security of the Cebuanos"


talk about hi-tech man! its about time. naks, first in the philippines. at wala na namang ganito sa *toot* :D :D

@shadow_can2003 welocome to SSC.. hope you'll enyoy here



guys, just want to share our video introduction of our report/survey of ACC lagoon area.. this was our project in architecture.. im sure you'll enjoy watching it.. hehehe here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/w/the-Boys-of-Lagoon?v=7r28jRJtzNU&search=boys%20of%20lagoon

CEBU'S HIGHRISES (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/cebu_dec2005_pano2a.jpg)

Completed:

1. 25 Winland Towers A (http://www.islandsproperties.com/properties/condos-townhs/ceb-ceb-cd-801/pics.htm)
2. 24 Golden Peak Hotel & Suites (http://www.asiatraveltips.com/CenturyGoldenPeakHotelinCebu/CenturyGoldenPeakHotelinCebuExterior.jpg)
3. 22 Cebu Marco Polo Hotel (http://www.marcopolohotels.com/cebu.html)
4. 21 Cebu Hilton Resort & Towers 1 (http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CEBHIHI&adId=asiafreenight,pagelinkCEBHIHI,30)
5. 20 Cebu Hilton Resort & Towers 2 (http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CEBHIHI&adId=asiafreenight,pagelinkCEBHIHI,30)
6. 19 Cebu Sheraton Hotel (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/smsheraton3pu.jpg)
7. 17 Cebu Hilton Resort & Towers 3 (http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CEBHIHI&adId=asiafreenight,pagelinkCEBHIHI,30)
8. 17 First Abacus Financial Center [Globe Innove] (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/444545590bm.jpg)
9. 16 East Aurora Tower (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/eastaurora.jpg)
10.16 Trinity Plaza ----> unsa ni cya?
11. 15 Citylights Gardens II (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/)
12. 15 Citylights Gardens I (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/)
13. 15 Park Tower 1 (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/img02503dr.jpg)
14. 15 Keppel Center (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v653/olineil/cebu%20march/Picture049.jpg)
15. 15 Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino (http://us.ext1.yimg.com/leo/imgs/T/T59961/T59961_EXT_01_J.jpg)
16. 14 MetroBank Plaza (http://members.tripod.com/CebuWebsite/cebupics13.html)
17. 14 Ayala Life - FGU Center (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/cbp82uv.jpg)
18. 13 Park Tower Two (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/img02523tj.jpg)
19. 12 Pag-Ibig Fund WT Tower (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/Spaceland/Pag-ibigTower.jpg)
20. 12 Cebu City Marriott Hotel (http://image.pegs.com/images/MC/CEBPH/cebph_b1a.jpg)
21. 12 The Sentinel Condominium (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/senti.jpg)

Under Construction:

1. 40 Crown Regency Hotel & Towers (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/Fuente_towers.jpg)Target:2007
2. 25 Winland Towers B (http://www.islandsproperties.com/properties/condos-townhs/ceb-ceb-cd-801/pics.htm)
3. 24 Club Ultima (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/regency03.jpg) Target: 2006
4. 20 Cebu Park Lane International Hotel (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/parklane.jpg)Target: March 2006

Proposed:

1. 25 Winland Towers C (http://www.islandsproperties.com/properties/condos-townhs/ceb-ceb-cd-801/pics.htm)
2. 19 Citylights Gardens III (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/) Target:2008
3. 19 Citylights Gardens IV (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/)Target:2008
4. 15 Citylights Gardens V (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/)
5. 15Citylights Gardens VII (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/)
6. 15 Citylights Gardens VI (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/)

On Hold:

1. 34 Park City Central Hotel (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/114988.gif)
2. 28 Gold Coast Tower


Source: Newly Updated http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/emporis_highres_white_blue.jpg (http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/sk/li/?id=100394&bt=2&ht=2&sro=1)

NEWS! NEWS! NEWS!

20-story international hotel to open in March (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2006/01/11/bus/20.story.int.l.hotel.to.open.in.march..html)

Cebu ‘can house’ Asean VIPs, participants (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2006/01/11/news/cebu.can.house.asean.vips.participants.html)

Hotels eye ‘facelift’ for Asean VIPs in summit (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2006/01/11/bus/hotels.eye.facelift.for.asean.vips.in.summit.html)

Convention center won’t siphon schools-hospitals fund (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2006/01/11/news/convention.center.won.t.siphon.schools.hospitals.fund.html)

CEBU'S HIGHRISES (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/cebu_dec2005_pano2a.jpg)

Completed:

1. 25 Winland Towers A (http://www.islandsproperties.com/properties/condos-townhs/ceb-ceb-cd-801/pics.htm)
2. 24 Golden Peak Hotel & Suites (http://www.asiatraveltips.com/CenturyGoldenPeakHotelinCebu/CenturyGoldenPeakHotelinCebuExterior.jpg)
3. 22 Cebu Marco Polo Hotel (http://www.marcopolohotels.com/cebu.html)
4. 21 Cebu Hilton Resort & Towers 1 (http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CEBHIHI&adId=asiafreenight,pagelinkCEBHIHI,30)
5. 20 Cebu Hilton Resort & Towers 2 (http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CEBHIHI&adId=asiafreenight,pagelinkCEBHIHI,30)
6. 19 Cebu Sheraton Hotel (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/smsheraton3pu.jpg)
7. 17 Cebu Hilton Resort & Towers 3 (http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CEBHIHI&adId=asiafreenight,pagelinkCEBHIHI,30)
8. 17 First Abacus Financial Center [Globe Innove] (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/444545590bm.jpg)
9. 16 East Aurora Tower (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/eastaurora.jpg)
10.16 Trinity Plaza ----> unsa ni cya?
11. 15 Citylights Gardens II (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/)
12. 15 Citylights Gardens I (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/)
13. 15 Park Tower 1 (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/img02503dr.jpg)
14. 15 Keppel Center (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v653/olineil/cebu%20march/Picture049.jpg)
15. 15 Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino (http://us.ext1.yimg.com/leo/imgs/T/T59961/T59961_EXT_01_J.jpg)
16. 14 MetroBank Plaza (http://members.tripod.com/CebuWebsite/cebupics13.html)
17. 14 Ayala Life - FGU Center (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/cbp82uv.jpg)
18. 13 Park Tower Two (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/img02523tj.jpg)
19. 12 Pag-Ibig Fund WT Tower (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/Spaceland/Pag-ibigTower.jpg)
20. 12 Cebu City Marriott Hotel (http://image.pegs.com/images/MC/CEBPH/cebph_b1a.jpg)
21. 12 The Sentinel Condominium (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/senti.jpg)

Under Construction:

1. 40 Crown Regency Hotel & Towers (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/Fuente_towers.jpg)Target:2007
2. 25 Winland Towers B (http://www.islandsproperties.com/properties/condos-townhs/ceb-ceb-cd-801/pics.htm)
3. 24 Club Ultima (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/regency03.jpg) Target: 2006
4. 20 Cebu Park Lane International Hotel (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/parklane.jpg)Target: March 2006

Proposed:

1. 25 Winland Towers C (http://www.islandsproperties.com/properties/condos-townhs/ceb-ceb-cd-801/pics.htm)
2. 19 Citylights Gardens III (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/) Target:2008
3. 19 Citylights Gardens IV (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/)Target:2008
4. 15 Citylights Gardens V (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/)
5. 15Citylights Gardens VII (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/)
6. 15 Citylights Gardens VI (http://cebu-online.com/realty/citylights/)

On Hold:
1. 34 Park City Central Hotel (http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/114988.gif)
2. 28 Gold Coast Tower


Source: Newly Updated EMPORIS (http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/sk/li/?id=100394&bt=2&ht=2&sro=1)


hay! sa wakas, after more than 5 years inupdate na rin nila...

to add, sa Under Constuction:
16 GV Hotel...


_ _ _ _ _

and Parklane International Hotel is now 20 storeys from its original plan of 14 storeys and 18 storeys... basig mag cg nalang silag puno nya maapsan na nuon ang crown regency...hehe

Welcome shadow!!!

@slerz

Did u notice bai that there's a mistake kung pila ka floors sa buildings ang gi post sa emporis? or ako lang nasayop...

yup kay ang Golden peak 22 ra man gani tingali na and the Waterfront hotel is 18 storeys kay sa button ilang elevator kay upto 18 floors man and I think East Aurora is more than 15 storeys...

where did they get there source? daghn man ug sayop...hehehe

nya ang FGU tower kay 14 ra nya katong pag adto namo naay 16th floor... I dunno wer did they get the source...

Good News: Philippine Airlines is now studying the launching of flights between Cebu and Los Angeles..

nya ang FGU tower kay 14 ra nya katong pag adto namo naay 16th floor... I dunno wer did they get the source...


yeah naka obseve sad ko ana bai. but you can email their local editor bai unya kasab-i. hehehe. i think you can also pass pictures coz the pics are not updated.

^^

And Crown Regency pod is 40 na instead of 36.. :)

^^ bai ako ra gabutang ana 40. hehehe. sa emporis kay 38 ra.

kahibaw ka unsa na TRINITY PLAZA bai?

Trinity is the building along Escario kanang duol sa Golden Peak...kanang green ang color IMO

wa jud lagi ko kabantay ana bai. kinsa man mga tenants?

mao ba? it's a condominium nya ang ast two or three floors niya kay parking...

BIG CEBU HOTELS FULLY BOOKED
Sinulog weekend marks peak
season; Balikbayans spend big
Published: 11 January 2006

by Edith Rollan-Cole

It’s peak season for Cebu hotels with the Sinulog in town, filling high-end resorts and humble pension houses.

“We are expecting a 100 percent occupancy starting Friday,” said Karen F. Mendoza, front office manager of the 561-room Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

The festival reaches fever pitch on the weekend, when bars, malls and nightspots explode with band concerts and other entertainment, leading up to Sunday’s Sinulog Grand Parade, a whole-day street dancing spectacle that ends with a fireworks display at the Cebu City Sports Center.

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Luxury establishments like Shangri-la Mactan Island Resort and the Marriott in Cebu City are fully booked and sometimes forced to turn away those seeking a room.

“Sinulog is considered the peak season of the year so it’s always expected that hotels are fully booked, especially Waterfront, which is just within the city,” Mendoza said. She placed the hotel’s occupancy rate yesterday at 80 percent.

Mendoza said most of the Waterfront’s guests were Balikbayans or returning Filipinos from different countries. Koreans, however, remain the hotel's consistent No. 1 market, spurred by direct flights between Korea to Cebu.

Visitors from Japan, Europe and the United States, as well as local tourists are Waterfront’s other top guests.

Festivals
But while the Sinulog festival is attracting foreign visitors, it has a long way to go to being billed as an international tourist event.

Because of this, Cebu tourism stakeholders continue to promote Cebu as an island of festivals not just in January but throughout the year.

“Our thrust is strengthening the position of Cebu as a festival island,” Alice Queblatin, president of the Cebu Association of Tour Operators (CATO), told Cebu Daily News.

She said the Sinulog is viewed by tourism operators as an opportunity to entice visitors to stay longer in Cebu.

She recalled that many tourists came in 2005 because of the intense promotion of last year's Sinulog, which celebrated its 25th or silver anniversary.

About 400 to 500 returning overseas Filipinos joined the organized travel groups to Cebu last year, she said. This year, however, she said, fewer Balikbayans were expected to come because of the tough economic and political climate.

Queblatin noted that most Balikbayans come home in January “as pilgrims” for the religious celebration of the Sto. Nino fiesta, whose peak events include the Saturday processions on sea and land.

“The level of awareness of the Sinulog is increasing, with more foreign nationals coming to enjoy the festival,” she said.

Patria Aurora Roa, regional director of the Department of Tourism (DOT), said about 300 Balikbayans were joining the organized travel groups arriving in Cebu this year.

She said the DOT could not come up with exact figures of overseas Filipinos returning to Cebu for the Sinulog.

This was partly due to the way they are counted since several Balikbayans are registered under other nationalities, especially Americans.

For this reason, she said, the United States remains the No. 3 tourist market, next to Korea and Japan.

In January last year, DOT records of tourist arrivals showed that 37,082 foreign visitors came to Cebu.

Overseas Filipinos reached only 254, while arrivals from the United States reached over 4,400.


Spending
One definite trend is that overseas Filipinos who come with their families spend a lot, she said. Many stay in hotels and resorts for several days, and during their stay here, meet friends and relatives in restaurants and go shopping, Roa added.

“They really dine out. They like Filipino food. Perhaps they go for Japanese and Italian (food) but they prefer Filipino and lechon, of course,” she said.

Balikbayans also stay up to one month, a much longer period than Korean and Japanese visitors.

Roa said hotels, resorts and restaurants were not the only beneficiaries of Sinulog’s economic potentials.

Tourist arrivals directly benefit taxi drivers and the retail sector, which includes the suppliers of goods and services of tourist-related industries.

Occupancy
Shangri-La's Mactan Island Resort, with 547 rooms, enjoyed 96 percent occupancy as of Tuesday, according to Sharon Saranista, director of communications. Its target was 92 percent over the weekend.

Last week, still enjoying the Sinulog traffic, Shangri-La registered 87 percent occupancy.

Elsewhere in Mactan, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa public relations officer Sarah Spagnolo said the resort expected to hit 91 percent occupancy by January 14, Saturday, up from the current 88 percent. The resort has 224 rooms.

The 300-room Marriott Cebu City Hotel has been overbooked since Monday, public relations manager Dolly Belo said.

“Since last year, it has been like this. It's really full, unless there are last minute cancellations. But right now the hotel is full, and there are a lot of inquiries and bookings but we have to decline,” Belo said.

Marriot's guests are diverse and include Balikbayans, Americans and Europeans, she said.

Cebu Hilton Resort and Spa also expects full occupancy by the end of the week, according to reservations manager Vera Valero.

The Hilton Hotels' worldwide reservations system has contributed to the significant increase in occupancy, Valero said.

Hotels in Cebu City directly benefit from the Sinulog because of proximity, but Mactan's resorts are the next choice once city hotels come fully booked, she said.

Valero attributed the demand for more rooms to the growing popularity of the festival, which is being promoted worldwide.

She said the Cebu Hilton was still expecting more bookings at the end of the week based on many queries from travel agencies and individual bookings.

Even pension houses enjoy the high traffic, some expecting full occupancy during the weekend. May Flower Pension House, said it was 100 percent occupied every year during the Sinulog weekend although the occupancy rate was still at 80 percent as of Tuesday.

A representative said the pension house's guests come from Eastern Visayas and Mindanao.

Thanx for the warm welcome.

Matagal na akong lurker dito,.

‘Megadome can be built
on time’ – Cebu governor
Published: 11 January 2006

by Dale G. Israel

The construction of the megadome that will house the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) can still be completed in time for the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in December.

This was the contention of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia after the Commission on Audit in Central Visayas (COA-7) agreed “in principle” to shorten the period of the entire bidding process.

She said Republic Act 9184, otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act, does not prohibit shortening the period of the bidding process “subject to conditions.”

The governor pointed out that under the law, the usual length of the bidding procedure for infrastructure projects could cover between 16 and 22 weeks.

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“Katung estimated minimum mahimo pa to natung ma shorter. Mao ni atong buhaton (The minimum estimate, we can even make it shorter. This is what we will do),” she said. “We can shorten up to 50 percent subject to certain conditions. These are all provided for (in the law).”

This means that the bidding process can be shortened to eight weeks or about two months.

The CICC task force members and the COA-7 officials will hold a series of meetings to look for other processes that can further trim the period of the procedure to about a month.

“We are targeting the same schedule, targeting the last week of February, at worse in the first week of March,” Garcia said.

When asked if Roy Ursal, COA-7 legal officer, agreed to the shortening of the period of the bidding process, she replied: “In principle, yes.”

Ursal, Garcia and the task force members held a closed-door meeting last week. Another meeting was conducted on Monday.

Garcia described her meeting with Ursal as “very good” since they were able to draw up an initial schedule from advertisement of the project down to the Megadome’s construction.

Ursal has agreed to sit as COA observer in the bidding process to ensure that the provisions of RA 9184 are complied with.

Capitol legal officer Marino Martinquilla was preparing on Tuesday Garcia's executive order “corollary to the creation” of the Bids and Awards Committee for infrastructure to add Ursal as an observer, and Vic Dee, Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) president, who had background in procurement of goods and services, as a non-government representative.

Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez, head of the task force, earlier said the construction of the CICC would be finished in January, or a month after the ASEAN summit, if the bidding process would not be shortened to a month.

The Capitol was eyeing a November deadline for the completion of the 8,000-square meter CICC, which would house conference rooms, a plenary hall, media center, lounge, among others.

Garcia on Tuesday assured that the P250 million set aside for the Megadome would not affect the delivery of basic services such as social and health services because the money would not be taken from the province’s P2-billion budget in 2006.

The money has been appropriated in 2003 when her father, Pablo Garcia, was governor and planned to make the Megadome the centerpiece of his administration.

While its budget was approved, the construction of the project never took off due to opposition board members who would rather have the project realigned to basic and social services.

But Governor Garcia stressed that the 2006 budget has set aside funds for the construction of classrooms. The province, she added, continues to help barangay health workers by giving them insurance, health kits and incentives in terms of medicines.

She pointed out that health services have the biggest allocation in the annual budget “because we are actively pursuing the PhilHealth Indigency Program.”

She added that her administration has also tripled the budget for social services, which included financial assistance to indigents and emergency funds.

“For as long as we can address it (social and health services), we will do so in an equitable and fair manner in the same way that we also need to address this concern to build a convention center to accommodate the activities foreseen in the upcoming 12th ASEAN Summit,” Garcia said.

COA: Law allows province to limit
period for some bid procedures
Published: 11 January 2006

by Doris C. Bongcac

The provincial Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) may shorten the period of completion of the bidding procedure to a maximum of six weeks without having to shortcut the process, according to Roy Ursal, legal officer of the Commission on Audit in Central Visayas (COA-7).

“There will be no shortcuts, but we will have to limit the period for some bid steps because of the rush for time, which is still allowable under the law,” he told Cebu Daily News.

If the timetable is followed, he added the construction of the Megadome project may already be awarded to the winning bidder in the third week of February.

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But Ursal is asking the BAC to be cautious about dissatisfied, losing bidders, who may later question the proceeding and cause a delay in the awarding of the project.

“To prevent dissatisfied bidders, I've suggested to the provincial BAC to be transparent and always explain the entirety of the project so that everything is clear,” he said.

Ursal said the existing BAC in charge of infrastructure in the provincial government may be used to facilitate the bidding of the Megadome project.

But he warned that the bidding of other infrastructure projects may be temporarily put on hold to allow the BAC to focus on and hasten the bidding of the Megadome project.

Ursal met with Capitol officials on Monday afternoon to discuss the bidding process for the Megadome, which would house the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), the proposed venue of the 12th Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) Summit in December.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia wanted to fast-track the bidding project so construction could start in March and the project completed in time for the summit.

During the meeting, Garcia offered Ursal to sit as an “observer” in the bidding process to ensure that provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act, are made “functional.”

“I accepted (the governor’s offer) because they wanted the help of COA 7,” Ursal said.

Bidding process
In the meeting, Ursal said he explained to Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez the five major stages in the bidding processes.

If one is to comply with the maximum number of days provided for in RA 9184, a typical bidding process may be completed in at least two months, said Ursal.

But he added the allowable number of days for specific steps in the bidding process may be shortened without having to violate the law.

“The law says that the evaluation of bids should be done within a maximum of 15 days. But the law does not prohibit if the evaluation is completed earlier,” he said.

The five basic steps in the bidding process are the pre-procurement conference, advertisement or posting, pre-bid conference, evaluation and awarding of the winning bidder.

During the pre-procurement conference, BAC members sit down with the chief executive and some consultants to discuss the project in details.

The project is then advertised in a newspaper of national circulation twice with an interval of six days in between publication.

A pre-bid conference follows, where interested bidders are briefed of the project specifications and the bid details.

Bidders are allowed to submit their bids within the next seven days after the conduct of the pre-bid conference.

The fourth step is the evaluation of bids, where the BAC looks into the legal and financial compliance of the bidders.

The lowest bid is also identified prior to the conduct of a post qualification evaluation, where the winning bidder is already identified.

The last step is the awarding of the project to the winning bidder.

Megadome project
While RA 9184 mandates that the basic steps in the bidding process should be complied with, the law does not prohibit the shortening of the period.

Ursal said the acceptance of bid documents may be shortened to three days instead of seven.

The evaluation of bids may also be shortened to only a week instead of 15 days, depending on the BAC's discretion.

“Dili na kuno madugay ang pag evaluate (The evaluation will not take too long) because BAC plans to already shortlist the qualified contractors to hasten the process,” Ursal said.

Plans underway for Cebu City ‘facelift’
Published: 11 January 2006

by Leah May Lim-Atienza

Plans are underway for “cosmetic” changes in Cebu City for December's hosting of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

In an interview Tuesday, Nagiel Banacia, city information chief, said the city government was still in the planning stage, organizing the working group for cosmetic changes.

“We expect the President (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) to sign the executive order (forming the national organizing committee) within this week,” Banacia said, explaining the delay in effecting the changes.

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Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Francisco Benedicto will lead the local organizing committee, Banacia said.

But the head of Cebu City's “cosmetic team” has yet to be identified, he added.

Banacia said he met with all city department heads on Monday and encouraged them to think of plans and projects relating to preparations for the summit.

“I stressed to the department heads that we have to start thinking in one direction and plan on what can be done in their own respective departments. We are focusing on plans and how to make the project successful,” he said.

As examples, Banacia said the veterinary department could do something about stray dogs roaming the city, while the social welfare services office could outline a unified and wholesome program for street beggars and carolers in time for the December meet.

“We admit, we are poor and may not have the best facilities. But we are at the edge of hosting the summit in terms of hospitality and physical arrangement,” he said.

Banacia said the mayor's revelation of the creation of a cosmetic team was a general statement and that it was up to the departments to translate plans into concrete action.

With the help of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the city government has already identified the roads that needed major rehabilitation for the ASEAN Summit.

But DPWH regional director Juanito Abergas clarified that they were unsure whether the money for road repairs would come from the agency's existing funds or from fresh funds channeled for the effort.

“We are asking if there are new funds because this is a huge undertaking,” Abergas said.

He said the bulk of the funds would go to asphalting of the roads.

In a related development, Representative Antonio Cuenco told local officials and businessmen that Cebu deserves to host the ASEAN meet.

Cuenco, chairman of the House committee on foreign affairs, was reacting to reports that some officials were lobbying for the transfer of the summit venue to Manila.

“It is up to us in Cebu to prove that we are second to none, that we are better than Manila. It's a challenge. I think we will meet the challenge,” he said. /With Reporter Wilfredo Rodolfo III and Correspondent Jhunnex Napallacan

Metro Cebu Hotels Suiting Up For ASEAN Summit


Tourism stake holders are all agog about the incoming 12th ASEAN Summit in December this year.

Hotels and resorts in particular are feeling the pressure to renovate their rooms and other facilities to suit up the needs of the hundreds of VIPs from 10 Asean member sates plus 7 other countries. Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort & Spa has earmarked some US$5 milllion for the renovations of its suites especially presidential suites. Although Shangri-La Mactan has already allocated some amount for the renovation of some of its rooms and facilities even before Cebu was named to host the annual summit.

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino is also embarking on a major renovation for its suites and penthouse after learning that the 12th ASEAN Summit will be held in Cebu City this year. Plantation Bay Resort & Spa meanwhile is still studying the possibility of renovating its suites and a penthouse which the hotel official said already fit for VIP accommodation.


Marriott Cebu City Hotel on the other hand is converting some of its deluxe rooms into a presidential suite for one head of state while his entourage can occupy the other deluxe rooms purposedly refurbished for them.

The Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa is also discussing plans to convert its executive suites into presidential suites that would meet the required standards for VIP accommodations.

Marco Polo Cebu Plaza Hotel is now nearing completion and is also allocating a number of suites for the summit delegates. Parklane International Hotel in Lahug which will open its doors in March is also in the process of building suites to accommodate some of the delegate entourage.

Other hotels due to open in time of this year’s summit are the 38-story Crown Regency Hotel and the mothballed Sheraton Hotel near SM City Cebu.

_ _ _ _ _ _

I'm with them, I'm also very agog about the ASEAN Summit :D

Trinity is the building along Escario kanang duol sa Golden Peak...kanang green ang color IMO

Correct! It is a condo which mostly has Koreans on it.

Metro Cebu Hotels Suiting Up For ASEAN Summit



Other hotels due to open in time of this year’s summit are the 38-story Crown Regency Hotel and the mothballed Sheraton Hotel near SM City Cebu.

_ _ _ _ _ _

I'm with them, I'm also very agog about the ASEAN Summit :D


apil SHERATON???

apil tingali kay gisuwat man :D

with the current rate of construction of the crown regency, i doubt it if they can finish on time. but the sheraton is a good news. former press releases said it'll be furnished by 2007 but at that time they still didnt know that cebu will host the summit. so now they still have enough time to work for its completion.

I heard this a while back, I hope it will push through...

Philippine Airlines to stop
Riyadh, Kuala Lumpur flights
By XFN-Asia






PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) will stop flying to unprofitable routes like Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur this quarter, and instead increase flights to the United States, its president Jaime Bautista said.

The flag carrier also plans to revive flights to India.

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Bautista said PAL would cease serving its last Middle East route in March because of intense competition with Middle East carriers.
Meanwhile, passenger volume to Kuala Lumpur, where PAL flies three times weekly, had fallen with the entry of Malaysia's low-cost carrier Air Asia. PAL will stop servicing that route on February 15.

"We were trying to maintain Riyadh to give our overseas Filipino workers the seats but since the Middle Eastern carriers have been serving the route well, then we can suspend operations," Bautista said.

The US route remains the most profitable overseas destination for PAL, and the carrier plans to beef up its flights to either San Francisco or Los Angeles, said Bautista.

He said the Airbus 340 used in Riyadh flights might be utilized to increase its frequencies to the US. Launching flights between Cebu and Los Angeles is also under study.
PAL may start flying to Mumbai this year or early 2007, Bautista said. It used to service that route until 1954.

I heard this a while back, I hope it will push through...

Philippine Airlines to stop
Riyadh, Kuala Lumpur flights
By XFN-Asia






PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) will stop flying to unprofitable routes like Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur this quarter, and instead increase flights to the United States, its president Jaime Bautista said.

The flag carrier also plans to revive flights to India.

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Bautista said PAL would cease serving its last Middle East route in March because of intense competition with Middle East carriers.
Meanwhile, passenger volume to Kuala Lumpur, where PAL flies three times weekly, had fallen with the entry of Malaysia's low-cost carrier Air Asia. PAL will stop servicing that route on February 15.

"We were trying to maintain Riyadh to give our overseas Filipino workers the seats but since the Middle Eastern carriers have been serving the route well, then we can suspend operations," Bautista said.

The US route remains the most profitable overseas destination for PAL, and the carrier plans to beef up its flights to either San Francisco or Los Angeles, said Bautista.

He said the Airbus 340 used in Riyadh flights might be utilized to increase its frequencies to the US. Launching flights between Cebu and Los Angeles is also under study.
PAL may start flying to Mumbai this year or early 2007, Bautista said. It used to service that route until 1954.


Kailan kaya sa Europe?

I hope before the ASEAN summit..
btw, @ shadow_can, where r u from pala?

Kailan kaya sa Europe?


i cant find the article anymore but ive read before that it is Cebu Pacific thats studying the feasibility of a cebu-europe route. even PAL has no flights to europe.

Hi CEBU thread...hope to meet you there pag nagpush thru ang work assignment ko dyan...I have relatives there...

Hi CEBU thread...hope to meet you there pag nagpush thru ang work assignment ko dyan...I have relatives there...


welcome to the thread van1975. we would love to meet forumers from other places too dude. where are you relatives located here bai? and what's your work assignment, if you dont mind.. hehe :D

Bad Shotta ani oi!!
Rumble at Fuente


Cebuanos are urged to help make Cebu a peaceful city instead of marring its reputation in the eyes of local guests and foreign tourists who are here for the Sinulog celebration.

The request follows Tuesday night?s incident where two groups of young people tried to attack each other with knives during one of the nightly activities held at the Fuente Osmeña oval.

Good thing the police, security guards, and barangay tanods detailed in the area were able to intervene and make arrests.

Tony Dolatre, whom Vice Mayor Michael Rama assigned to handle the overall security of the rotunda and the Plaza Independencia, said the City Government and the Sinulog Foundation are doing their best to promote the city, only to have reckless teenagers going at each other in front of shocked tourists.

He said the skirmish between the groups was caught on camera by Korean tourists who were in the rotunda to watch the activity there.

The Fuente Osmeña police arrested two men?Dominic Codilla, 25, of Talamban, Cebu City and Jonas Tudtud, 20, of Oprra, Cebu City for drunkenness.

The two were allegedly involved in the scuffle following Tuesday night?s affair at the oval.

Vagrants

Several people were involved, but only Codilla and Tudtud were caught following a chase.

The Theft and Robbery Section also arrested six persons from Ormoc City yesterday. They were held for vagrancy, but police suspect they may be thieves out to prey on Sinulog revelers and pilgrims to the religious activities.

Earlier, police officials expressed concern about a breakout of hostilities between rival fraternities during the Sinulog grand parade this Sunday.

Dolatre said that Tuesday night?s incident was not the first time, since youngsters also caused trouble at Fuente Osmeña last Saturday, the second day of the start of the nightly activities.

?We have the police but we also need the cooperation of the civilian populace. Let us show that Cebu City is a peaceful city, that Cebuanos are peace-loving citizens,? he said.

Parking

The Cebu City police earlier warned that they will enforce the ordinance against drunkenness in public and arrest troublemakers.

Also yesterday, the Cebu City Council requested all towing companies within the city to make their trucks available to remove illegally parked vehicles in Sinulog activity areas.

The council anticipated that there will always be people who will try to test the law despite the guidelines that no vehicles will be allowed in the Sinulog grand parade routes.

It also approved City Councilor Edgardo Labella?s resolution asking owners of business establishments, particularly proprietors of fastfood shops restaurants, eateries and others who are into the food business, to refrain from dumping their garbage on the streets and sidewalks during the Sinulog.

He said that aside from being eyesores and health hazards, garbage will clog the city?s drainage system, causing flooding that will ultimately affect business here.

^^NO!!!! not in front of Koreans!

^^ maybe they are just portraying to the tourists the battle between lapu-lapu and magellan! :D

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/freemanpic.jpg

Over 200 tourists to join 'Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo'
The Freeman 01/12/2006

More than 200 local and foreign tourists signified their intention to participate in the "Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo" which was formally launched by the provincial government the other day led by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

Provincial Board member Agnes Magpale, chairman of the committee on tourism, said tour operators already expressed renewal of their active support shown in the previous "Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo".

The Southern Tour is a visit to the 18 municipalities in south Cebu scheduled this coming January 27, 28 and 29.

The trip will take visitors to the municipalities of Naga, Barili, Dumanjug, Ronda, Alcantara, Moalboal, Badian :) , Alegria, Malabuyoc, Ginatilan, Samboan, Santander, Oslob, Boljoon, Alcoy, Argao, Sibonga and Carcar.

Magpale said the visit to these municipalities led by Garcia aims to promote the potential for tourism, business and agriculture of each municipality, as these towns showcase industries and products as well as food items and or delicacies.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano has endorsed the "Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo" as way of promoting Cebu.

bad shot gyud..

Wow! An amazing 80 contingents (http://www.philstar.com/philstar/FREEMAN200601121804.htm) to compete in 26th Sinulog mardi gras!! This has yet to become the biggest Sinulog mardi gras in the history of the city's celebration of the festival!!! :dance2: :dance2: :dance2:

Wow! An amazing 80 contingents (http://www.philstar.com/philstar/FREEMAN200601121804.htm) to compete in 26th Sinulog mardi gras!! This has yet to become the biggest Sinulog mardi gras in the history of the city's celebration of the festival!!! :dance2: :dance2: :dance2:


di nalang ta mngatog ani...hehe

grabe na yan!! hindi na yata ma-accomodate ng route ang mardi gras na yan ha?sana paabutin nila ng Cebu Business Park!

^^ yup, 4 kilometer carousel route of the parade is not enough cguro to fill all of those contingents.

Citizen Patrol Cebu of the news program TV Patrol World will be launched tomorrow in Cebu City with Ted Failon as the news anchor and KOMANDR NENE of Pinoy Big Brother as the segment anchor....

_ _ _ _ _ _

hmmm, @ tigs loooks like Dakoykoy is not included...hehe

^^ ako bai ganahan gani ko ipacitizen patrol ang megadome! mahuman lagi na. hehehe :D

asta mga investors ipa cicizen patrol nga kinahanglan mag invest pa sila og more hotels dri sa Cebu,,,hehe :jk:

Mark, ikaw man jud centro sa banner, wa lain na tunga ikaw ra gyd, hilig tingali kag tunga...:D

EmFIRE strikes back at the back of our house :D

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1401/fire8ik.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

asta mga investors ipa cicizen patrol nga kinahanglan mag invest pa sila og more hotels dri sa Cebu,,,hehe :jk:

Mark, ikaw man jud centro sa banner, wa lain na tunga ikaw ra gyd, hilig tingali kag tunga...:D


i will drink to that :cheers:

sikata uy! centerpice of the banner man gyud!

BTW the 80 contingents includes the other categories dba? like the floats, higantes, puppeteers, arches.

Rush Megadome construction,
national artist advises Capitol
Napoleon Abueva cites rising prices of materials
Published: 12 January 2006

CDN

THE Megadome project should be fast-tracked to avoid its getting mired in the sudden rise in prices of construction materials, national artist Napoleon Abueva said yesterday.

"Cebu should have a prestigious structure. It will give justice to the province. The sooner you build the (Megadome) the better because (the prices) of construction materials are rising," Abueva said.

Abueva, a Boholano, paid a courtesy call to Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday, three years after serving as judge in the Megadome design contest. Garcia was then a consultant of the provincial government under her father, former governor Pablo.

Advertisement
Abueva was the only Visayan in the panel of judges composed of architects Robert Sac, president of the United Architects of the Philippines, Jose Pedro Recio, a member of UAP and the Philippine Institute of Architects, Ramon Victor, dean of the College of Architects of Adamson University, and Rogelio Villarosa, president of PIA Foundation Inc.

Abueva was named a national artist for sculpture in 1976.

The design for the P250-million Megadome, submitted by architect Alexius Medalla in 2003, was modified in December 2005 to include the Cebu International Convention Center.

Although the Provincial Board approved the budget for the Megadome in 2003, Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr. said the cost of the construction may soar to as much as P600 million to P700 million, based on current prices of materials.

The provincial government is rushing the completion of the Megadome in time for Cebu's hosting of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in December.

To fast-track the construction, Garcia said the provincial government, with the help of the Commission on Audit, would shorten the period of some procurement processes.

Construction is expected to start in March after a month-long bidding, awarding, and procurement period. Reporter Dale G. Israel

sikata uy! centerpice of the banner man gyud!

BTW the 80 contingents includes the other categories dba? like the floats, higantes, puppeteers, arches.

Murag dili coz sa radio ganiha they said that 80 contingents ang manayaw an d they said that the route will be filled with dancing contingents with no patches...

Murag dili coz sa radio ganiha they said that 80 contingents ang manayaw an d they said that the route will be filled with dancing contingents with no patches...

i think it includes all those. ahak ng news sa radyo ug tv inconsistent!!! hehehheh. kay diba at least 7 major (provincial) contingents backed-out because of financial constraints.

news from different networks don't coincide and have less consistency which sometimes deceive the readers/listeners.

^^ True!

other instances:
It was first published that Parklane Hotel will be a 12-storey bldg. then it was said to be 16 storeys. 19 storeys then the lastest article regarding the topping off ceremony says 20 storeys!

same with Club Ultima Tower II:
from 36 storeys to 37 then 38. latest article says 40 storeys. i hope when the building tops off, it'll be around 42-45 storeys! hehe :cool:

bitaw, nya that palace hotel is said to be 18 storeys but then maybe when it'll be topped off they will again report that it is only 9 storeys ra diay to... LoL

naa sad katong about sa hilton, that mr manny osmena is going to redo some rooms of his hotel. in the other news, it said that mr osmena can't renovate because his hotel is just new. with regards to the actual number of levels of those buildings, the best way to know is go through all the levels and send us 'electronically' the precise number when your already on top.

bitaw, nya that palace hotel is said to be 18 storeys but then maybe when it'll be topped off they will again report that it is only 9 storeys ra diay to... LoL


the news have more myths than there are facts. the news of today are less newsworthy and are spread even if they didn't occur.

naa sad katong about sa hilton, that mr manny osmena is going to redo some rooms of his hotel. in the other news, it said that mr osmena can't renovate because his hotel is just new. with regards to the actual number of levels of those buildings, the best way to know is go through all the levels and send us 'electronically' the precise number when your already on top.

hmm, I've done that sa Keppel Center building...I've been to almost all levels of Keppel during my OJT...:D


_ _ _ _ _ _ _

This early, the President announced that December 11 - 14 will be a non working Holiday in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu Lapu in time for the ASEAN Summit. And in a local TV news program interview, she's already very excited for Cebu to host the ASEAN Summit... the President btw visited Cebu today

Big Hotels Fully Booked For Sinulog


Large hotels across the metro are now fully booked. According to one deluxe hotel official they had to turn away those seeking a room starting last week.

Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort & Spa and Cebu City Marriott Hotel are the two most sought-after hotels having been fully booked a few days earlier. The Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino is expecting a surge of bookings within the week.

Even the lowly budget accommodations such as pension houses and hostels are already fully booked. No immediate reports yet from hotels and resorts located outside Metro Cebu as to their current occupancy rate.

_ _ _ _ _ _

too bad that tourists are being turned away by hotels as they are fully occupied already :ohno:

cebu really need to boosts there hotels...

too bad that tourists are being tuned away by hotels as they are fully occupied already :ohno:


the effects of room shortage here in cebu has indeed transpired now. thats why there is really a very big need for more hotels. thats why hotel operators should now find their way here in cebu because they are letting the golden oppurtunity pass. thats why we the cebu forumers should start doing a sinking fund so that we can also start our own hotel to help alleviate this shortage. we are the only hope. the future depends on us! wahehehehehe.

@slerz

Kasagaran sad sa mga buildings bai, they skip the 13th floor that's why madugangan ang number of floors....


By the way, knsay mga kuyog ninyo inig Procession? ako ra man gud sa among family ang tig apil sa Procession.... hehehehe...

ako og akong papa ang mokuyog, kami ta to tulo sa ako mama but unsaon man nga mo luhod man siyag kasal ig Sat. How bout ig Mardi gra, asa mo ana?

^^ yup, 4 kilometer carousel route of the parade is not enough cguro to fill all of those contingents.

4 kilometres really isn't enough. So, why not multiply it to 100 so it'll be 400 kilometres. 400 kilometres is enough to have a carousel around the whole island of Cebu. :D

who's gonna perform at Waterfront ballroom this month? i heard it over Y101 its something like boy____?? :) thanks...

Cebu Nightlife

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f397/james-online/Cebu.jpg

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/1318/img0391filtered1al.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

talamban

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/4972/img0392filtered2qy.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

banilad

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/7544/img0393filtered9qp.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

banilad

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/3685/img0394filtered2iw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

banilad

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/9021/img0397filtered8ut.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

banilad

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/1556/img0399filtered8ic.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

banilad

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/4978/img0404filtered6kq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

asiatown i.t. park

^Cebu Business Park or Asiatown? :D

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/4895/img0415filtered0uu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

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asiatown i.t. park

http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/9661/img0423filtered6iv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

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mabolo

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cebu business park

I hope before the ASEAN summit..
btw, @ shadow_can, where r u from pala?

hi there slerz. im from cagayan valley.

Gusto kong pumunta ng CEBU.

ey guys happy SINULOG TO EVERYONE !! :)

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pit senyor ninyo tanan!!!

^^ as always bai ayus kaayu nga mga hulagway.. :applause:

welcome to the thread van1975. we would love to meet forumers from other places too dude. where are you relatives located here bai? and what's your work assignment, if you dont mind.. hehe :D

They are somewhere in Basak Pardo, Ive been there 1997 pa to review for the CE board exam under Besavilla at Pleasant Homes..we actually stayed near a church at Punta Princesa. My work..secret for now...pag nagkita na tau

^^ as always bai ayus kaayu nga mga hulagway.. :applause:

maniniyot gud.. haha


@van1975 welcome sa cebu thread bai..

i cant find the article anymore but ive read before that it is Cebu Pacific thats studying the feasibility of a cebu-europe route. even PAL has no flights to europe.

too bad you can´t find that article, in what newspaper was it, maybe we could find it in their archives ?

too bad you can´t find that article, in what newspaper was it, maybe we could find it in their archives ?

:bash: :bash: :bash: my bad! i cant even remember where i read it. im so dumb!!

too bad you can´t find that article, in what newspaper was it, maybe we could find it in their archives ?

i hope it would be CEBU - VIENNA FLIGHT :)

^^ i bet you will be one of its inaugural passengers in its maiden flight.

if... :D

too bad that tourists are being turned away by hotels as they are fully occupied already :ohno:

a very awesome way to start the new year! turning down tourists because Cebu is FULL! wow. :cool:

@sugbuanon: nice random street shots marvs! the place reminds me well of Alabang :cool: very clean roads, and in perfect shape :okay: i can't wait for the road widening and face-lifts. :D

haha i sure will be :)

the only direct flights to cebu here operating are qatar airways, singapore airlines , cathay pacific :) its time to have our own :)

"hala mata na si resty.. ako nasay matulog.. hehe" bitaw i still have class tomorrow.. goodnight for now mga sugbuanons!!!

try nya nko post more pics tomorrow..

Cebu exports post 32 percent growth


Cebu registered a 32-percent increase in exports in 2005 from the previous year, according to the Bureau of Customs Cebu district. In a statement, Customs said Cebu export receipts rose to US$1.867 billion in 2005 from US$1.412 billion in 2004. Customs records gathered by Cebu export service division chief Jessie S. Llanos showed that Cebu exporters shipped out a total of 5.5 billion kilos of goods in 2005, 35 percent more than that of the other year. With the good export performance in 2005, Cebu Customs collector Lourdes Mangaoang projected a brighter performance by the local economy this year.

“The Cebu export industry's performance and the strengthening of the peso compared to the dollar are positive indicators. This should offset the ill effects of additional consumer taxes on the ordinary people's purchasing power and lead to more local market activities this year,” Mangaoang said. She noted that a more vigorous local market translates into more importations and thus higher customs collection performance this year. Mangaoang also cited several significant developments in Cebu that would increase local importations, stir local economy activity and infuse more dollars into the local economy.

The proposed construction of the multimillion-peso megadome and international convention center in Mandaue City, the general improvement of local tourist facilities in anticipation of the ASEAN summit in December and the construction of the two multimillion-dollar power plants in Naga are expected to help boost Cebu’s economy, she pointed out. The Customs Cebu export office also noted that Cebu's export performance reflected the positive developments at the national level despite the political crisis that the present administration faced last year.

Llanos noted that the country's export sector posted a total income of US$33.764 billion from January to October 2005, an 3.2 percent increase from the previous year.By the end of 2005, the country's export revenues rose to US$4 billion, which also contributed to the strengthening of the peso, he said. The Cebu export sector earlier projected a continued increase this year. On the other hand, Mangaoang said the strengthening of the peso would encourage importers.

The strong peso would stabilize the peso-dollar rate, which is a positive factor in convincing importers to invest again after shying away in 2005, she said. Newly appointed Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales is raising the revenue collection target this year to P192 billion. This year’s target is 30 percent higher than that of last year.

"hala mata na si resty.. ako nasay matulog.. hehe" bitaw i still have class tomorrow.. goodnight for now mga sugbuanons!!!

try nya nko post more pics tomorrow..

it's my fourth day skipping classes coz of bird flu infection! lol... what do we know? it's friday the 13th! :evil:

thanks in advance for the photos marvs, i'm expecting another spanking shots from the professional maniniyot ;)

i hope it would be CEBU - VIENNA FLIGHT :)

when u get here, don't forget Vienna Sausages and Austrian chic aight ;)

haha lol apply to the immigration when u get hired i might aswell bring some austrian chicks:)

News! News! News!


Glo: Southeast Asian summit to be held in Cebu (http://www.inq7.net/globalnation/sec_new/2006/jan/12-01.htm)

Glo: Megadome up by December (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2006/01/13/news/glo.megadome.up.by.december.4.day.holiday.set.html)

Cebuanos to enjoy non-working holidays during Asean meet (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2006/01/13/news/cebuanos.to.enjoy.non.working.holidays.during.asean.meet.html)

haha lol apply to the immigration when u get hired i might aswell bring some austrian chicks:)

asahan ko yan ha. :lol:

haha u have my words hehe lol

daghan man sad hot chicks sa cebu :)

Fil-Hawaiians give PCs to Cebu school
By Craig Gima
The Philippine Star 01/13/2006

CEBU CITY — The computers may be old and used, but that doesn’t matter to students at Arcelo Memorial High School in Lilo-an, a rural community near this city.

The donation from Hawaiian Electric Co. of computers discarded after a hardware upgrade helped give these students their first access to the Internet and high technology.

The computers were shipped to the Philippines by Hawaii cardiologist Dr. Daniel Cañete, who started a foundation named after his mother, a public school teacher in Lilo-an for 29 years before the family immigrated to the United States.

When his mother died, Cañete started the Ambrosio Soledad Cañete Foundation with a small inheritance.

The computers were donated to a local elementary school seven years ago, but since then Cañete has shifted the foundation’s focus to Arcelo Memorial High School.

About 70 percent of the students at Arcelo will skip college and go straight to earning a living at a job or on the farm, said senior teacher Hipolito Pesarido Jr.

"The majority (of families) cannot afford to send their children to college," Pesarido said. Even if they do pass the scholarship examinations, without access to computers in high school, "they will be behind those who are computer literate," he said.

A main focus of the foundation is to try and level the playing field for public school students, said Christopher Roble, Canete’s nephew who also helps administer the foundation.

"We give them a chance to compete with other students," Roble said.

Lovebel Talisic, 15, and Janice Paras, 16, are two of the top students at Arcelo Memorial High School. Paras started working on computers only last year, but she won a province-wide financial preparation contest using Microsoft Excel, beating out private school students who have been working with computers since grade school.

Talisic started on computers in elementary school through the Canete foundation. She is now designing a website for the school.

"I really like computers," Talisic said. "Maybe I was born to be a computer addict."

Both girls have older siblings attending college now, which could be a factor in whether they are able to go to college immediately after they graduate.

Because of the cost, even with a scholarship, they may have to wait until after their older siblings graduate before they can go to school.

Talisic is determined to continue in school after graduation and has started working part-time to pay for some of her own expenses.

"I will go to college," she said. "I will not wait."

In a school where textbooks are scarce, the computers offer a chance for students to do research online.

Genman Goo-Ong and Shiera Mae Butar are working on a project to explain the visual phenomenon known as "dancing sun."

"When you look at the sun, it sometimes appears like it is dancing," Goo-Ong explained. "The sun is dancing because of the particles in the atmosphere."

Without the Internet, research is limited, said Ronald Ababat. "We don’t always have the topics we need on campus."

Some of the encyclopedias at Arcelo date back to 1961.

Maryknoll High School in Honolulu has a sister-school relationship with Arcelo Memorial High School. Maryknoll has donated old textbooks and pocket books to practice reading English.

Computers have made it possible for the two schools to exchange e-mails and for students to talk to each other through web cameras.

But the program is on hold for a while, because the Internet is down on campus. The Canete Foundation is hoping to install a broadband connection soon, Roble said.

High-speed Internet access costs less than $20 (over P1,000) a month. But the school cannot afford it on its own.

"There is no budget for it," Pesarido said. Most teachers here make less than $200 (P10,500) a month.

There are 1,200 students sharing just 29 classrooms. Classes consist of 60 to 70 students per teacher and are sometimes held under a large mango tree.

"When it rains, there’s no class," Pesarido said.

Because the price of computers has dropped so much in the last few years, it is now cheaper for the foundation to buy computers in the Philippines than to ship old computers, Canete said.

His mother’s inheritance has long since run out and Canete pays for the foundation with his own money and with donations from some friends. He estimates the cost of supporting the school at about $5,000 to $7,000 (roughly P25,000 to P35,000) a year.

You can see the difference even two years of computer training has made, Pesarido said.

In the last two years, four students have been accepted and given scholarships to the University of the Philippines in Cebu, the top public university in Central Visayas.

Before the computers, only one student in the last decade attended the University of the Philippines.

When they first start working on the computers, students are hesitant, said computer teacher Ernistina Sabonsolin. "Now, if given a chance, they are going to come here every day, every hour."

the only direct flights to cebu here operating are qatar airways, singapore airlines , cathay pacific :) its time to have our own :)

Direct to Vienna you mean??

oi, ABS CBN Cebu is monitoring this SSC Philippine forum diay coz I heard ganiha about that statement in Iloilo...

unsay statement sa Iloilo bai slerz???

Queen Elizabeth Meets Her Boyfriends?


Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth’s namesake is going to bring the house down as she lets loose her wild side.

Elizabeth Ramsey, a natural clown and the queen of stage antics will give her all during tomorrow night’s show which she will share with the country’s popular boy band of the ’70s, the Boyfriends. Their classic hits Sumayaw Sumunod and Dahil Mahal Kita are among the greatest hits they will dish out to Cebuano audience in their first ever concert in Cebu.


Elizabeth Ramsey, although a sexuagenarian, still possesses a youthful look and projects an aura one would usually find in her 30’s. She is a natural comedian and she never fails to make her audience die laughing at her jokes onstage. Her shows have always been a hit for years. It’s hard not to love this petite lady who knows exactly what entertainment is all about.

Be enthralled by her hilarious and often sell-out performance on January 14 at 8 p.m. at the Pacific Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino in Lahug. Dubbed Boyfriends meets Queen Elizabeth, tickets are sold at P1.000. P800, P500 and P300. For reservations, call 232-6888

_ _ _ _ _ _

nindota itan aw ani oi, mahal lang...hehe

lets just not mention that bai kay basin mubalhin to diri ang away gikan didto sa ilahang hilo. :D

yup, exactly... and I don't want this things to be out of this forum and to scatter...

Anyway, based sa pics of bai Sugbuanon, Ayala Center grounds was alreaedy excavated for their expansions so this means samok samok diay gamay ang Sinulog this sunday sa Ayala and I haven't heard of the Silulog sa Ayala this year, the mini mardigra aroung Ayala business park sponsored by globe...

^^

What do you mean by that ABS-CBN thing slerz??

Mayor: Biz tycoon plans
own convention center
Published: 13 January 2006

by Wilfredo Rodolfo III

AMID the government red tape required to build the Cebu Megadome, which the governor also wants to call the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), a business tycoon is reportedly planning to build a "convention center-like" facility in Cebu City in time for the Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) Summit in December.

According to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo "informally" told him and other Cebuano officials yesterday that Manuel Pangilinan was interested to build a convention center in the city.

"It could be an option for hosting the summit," Osmeña quoted the President, who was here to inaugurate the Vicente Gullas Medical Center owned by the family of Rep. Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, first district).

Advertisement
Osmeña said that he heard Pangilinan owned pieces of property in barangay Talamban, Cebu City. But he added Talamban would be "very far" if the planned convention center would host 17 heads of state attending the 13th ASEAN Summit and the succeeding East Asia Summit.

But he added the talks between the President and local officials, including Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, were not formal but merely "conversational discussions."

The CICC was not taken up, said the mayor, adding that the matter was up to Garcia and the President to discuss.

Pangilinan is the chair of the telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone, which has formed a consortium with Smart Communications. He is also founding chair of Hong Kong-based conglomerate First Pacific Company.

Jane Paredes, Smart Telecommunications public affairs manager for Visayas and Mindanao, said they had not received any advise about such a project by their company or by their boss.

"I do not know of any other PLDT or Smart property in the city," she said. .

Garcia is pushing for the Megadome to rise in Mandaue City in time for the ASEAN Summit in December

Critics questioned the priority of spending almost P1 billion for an edifice that may not be used after the summit.

Efforts to fast-track its construction have forced the Capitol to consider to shorten the bidding process. Local officials are also eyeing the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel, which is equipped with a 1,000-capacity convention center.

Copyright 2006 Cebu Daily News. All rights reserved.

Direct to Vienna you mean??

yep dude :) hope in the future CEBU pacific will be flying here too :)

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guys, pasensya for always posting pics of cbp.. i just love the place.. :D "desperadong maniniyot gud ko".. hehe

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asa ni bai? murag karun pa lagi ko kita ani.

ok rana bai ;)pasalamat pa gali mi :) its nice of u postings pics of CEBU BAI for the sake of the sugbuanon living abroad :) !!!

between siya sa city sports club ug and sa building sa cebu holdings.. atbang marriott..


@pmarl "basin nya napul-an namo" hehe

naa d i na garden didto bai. wala lagi ko kabantay da. nindut oi. mura ikaw pa first naka post ana bai.

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sus mao man jud ni lugara, "remembering the old days of 2004" hehe... salamat bai Marvs...

naa d i na garden didto bai. wala lagi ko kabantay da. nindut oi. mura ikaw pa first naka post ana bai.

wapa diay ka kaadto ana Mark? Nindot man didto labi na mag date kay surrounded but highrises pariha nako nga hilig og building...hehe

@mark if mo-agi lang ka sa dalan dili ka makabantay ky mga kahoy ra gud imo makita..

@slerz walay blema na slerz.. basin sunod maabot nako ug busay para mag picture2.. hehe

@mark if mo-agi lang ka sa dalan dili ka makabantay ky mga kahoy ra gud imo makita..

@slerz walay blema na slerz.. basin sunod maabot nako ug busay para mag picture2.. hehe

bai Marvs, murag delicado ka sa Busay kay basig mabuyagan nya ka kay sige ka tudlo tudlo...hehe

mao ni ako perme paminawn inig buntag kay malingaw man sad ko kay naa sad si papa Leo...hehe
this is a storya storya about about fast food stores and cafes and Sinulog telecasting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=9bxhij-ddr8

Russian tourists flock to RP

First posted 06:42pm (Mla time) Jan 13, 2006
By Jerome Aning
Inquirer

A LARGE group of tourists escaping the fierce Russian winter have arrived in the Philippines, seeking refuge in the country's tropical attractions.

The Department of Tourism said 334 tourists from the Siberian cities of Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk arrived in the first week of this month, the largest batch of visitors so far from Russia.

The Russians arrived in the country aboard Kras Air, which offers chartered flights from the two cities to Cebu to accommodate the growing number of Russian tourists wanting to visit the country.

They will be spending a half-month long vacation in the Philippines, visiting beaches, dive sites, health spas and other natural parks in Cebu, Boracay and Bohol, according to Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano.

DOT statistics that as of October 2005, 8,036 visitors from the Russia-CIS area arrived in the Philippines.

Ayala Center Cebu

January 13, 2006
Grand Fireworks Display 2200hrs

January 12-16, 2006
The Ayala Center Cebu GRAND FIESTA SALE
(^^ Really grand. The shops really give as much as 70% discounts especially the high end shops which go to a maximum of 85% discount! AMAZING!)

Mall Hours:(military time)
1/12 1000-2200 hrs
1/13 1000-2300 hrs
1/14 1000-2300 hrs
1/15 1000-2200 hrs
1/16 1000-1900 hrs

January 13, 2006
Little Big Star and PBB Housemates
Metro Ayala Open Parking

January 13-15, 2006
BANDS! BANDS! at Ayala
>Metro Ayala Open Parking
>Ayala Open Parking (across FGU)
>South Surface Open Parking
>Open Pay Parking across Metro Ayala

January 15, 2006
Grand Fireworks Display! 7pm

^^ 4 events in one mall for 3 days. That really makes me crazy. Infact, 7pm, I was watching Little Big Star at the Metro Open Parking then naglipat-lipat ako. lol

SM City Cebu
January 11-15, 2006
Sinulog Sale. Mall Hours: 1000-2200hrs

January 15, 2006
GMA Sinulog Weekend
SOP Gigters Live!

GAISANO SOUTH Chain of Stores (Gaisano South, Gaisano Fiesta Mall, etc.)
SALE! SALE! January 13-16, 2006

METRO GAISANO Chain of Stores (Metro Colon, Super Metro Mandaue, Metro Ayala)
Sinulog Sale, January 12-16, 2006

GAISANO BROS. Group of Companies (Gaisano Country Mall, Gaisano Main)
Sinulog Sale, January 13-16, 2006

my friends back there are like calling me every minute about the happenings around the city. apparently, they're saying i'm in the verge of missing a half of my life. come on, it's been three years that i wasn't able to witness Sinulog first hand! badtrip! :(

my cousins also mentioned tourists are starting to take over the street scenes. mostly Europeans and yeah my favorite.... KIMCHIs!!! ok, i'll get back to u guys prolly later.. night out me muna. :)

juz like last year sinulog tourist flocks in the streets of cebu :)

daghan kaayo people and mga contingents mag lisug nagod ug saway hehe :)

saway?? as in panaway? haha! back then, i only prefer goin' out at night. as far as i can remember, there are parties and concerts in all hippest spots in the city from Sunday to Sunday (Grand Parade). :D

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/specials/sinulog2006/images%20for%20web/2006%20images/dawn.jpghttp://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2006/01/14/article_159910_jan14.jpghttp://www.sunstar.com.ph/specials/sinulog2006/images%20for%20web/bits3.jpg

Look at the crowd! :eek2:

saway?? as in panaway? haha! back then, i only prefer goin' out at night. as far as i can remember, there are parties and concerts in all hippest spots in the city from Sunday to Sunday (Grand Parade). :D

nah lol i mean sayaw dili panaway hehe lol :) street party sad bai grabeh last year daghan kaayo chicks opps !! ;)

^^How can that float even move? I thought Sunday pa ang Sinulog??

Also, great pics @ Maniniyot Marvin. :okay:

nah lol i mean sayaw dili panaway hehe lol :) street party sad bai grabeh last year daghan kaayo chicks opps !! ;)

haha! of course! ;) pero kutob ra ta storya ani bro kay wala ta didto! :bash:

^^How can that float even move? I thought Sunday pa ang Sinulog??

Jan 13 Friday - Procession (Photos above), Cebu City
Jan 14 Saturday - Fluvial Parade, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu City
Jan 15 Sunday - Grand Parade, Cebu City :cool:

bitaw i hate this time of the year being in vienna :( i wish i am in cebu now !!!

hi guys, just got home.. a little bit tipsy here.. :D

Plantation Bay invests in more rooms


Plantation Bay Resort and Spa has invested into building another four rooms to add to its existing 220 five-star resort accommodation.

Plantation Bay, which is the only Cebuano-owned five-star resort in Cebu, is focusing its expansion plans on additional rooms, and widening the accommodation of its Spa service, said Efren P. Belarmino, the resort's general manager.

The eight-hectare Plantation Bay now has a total of 224 rooms, of which 19 are suites. The resort transformed a roof deck to create the additional room facilities, classified as Lagoon View room each having a balcony that provides generous view of the beach and the saltwater lagoons.

"The hotel's effort to construct the additional number of guestrooms is due to the increasing demand from tourist arrivals in Cebu," Belarmino said in a press conference.

The resort hit a record-breaking occupancy rate in 2005 averaging 84 percent with the Koreans and Japanese dominating huge parts of the pie. But still, the domestic guests top the list with the highest number of arrivals, already including the balikbayans. In the later part of 2005, the hotel observed increasing counts of guests coming from United States, Australia, Canada, Europe, and Russia giving the hotel more confidence to pursue more promotions in these areas, Belarmino said.

"Joining travel fairs, exhibits, and regular sales trips to potential countries are some of the ways we plan to keep at the top of travelers' sought-after destinations," he added.

Significantly, Belarmino stressed that the resort would also continue to support the Department of Tourism (DOT) related programs to help sell not only its property, but Cebu and the Philippines as a whole.

Of the total eight-hectare property, Plantation Bay has only utilized 6 hetares, 3.5-hectare of which is covered by the artificial sea-water lagoon. Belarmino said the company is considering a number of expansion plans to fully develop the entire property.

Meanwhile, the resort's priority investments will go to expansion of room and spa facilities, as well as trainings of its staff to attain internationally-at-par services.

Every year, the resort invests on sending a management team to Cornell University in New York to training, Belarmino said. Also, with the strong demand for wellness services, he added that next in line for investment is the widening of its Mogambo Springs Spa.

Since Plantation is a five-star resort- it is one of the most expensive resorts in Cebu. Its suite accommodation called as Penthouse which accommodates six persons is pegged at US$480 per night during off peak season, and US$580 during peak season.

"But we are selling the experience, not the rates," Belarmino concluded.

^^ Good to know Plantation Bay is expanding!

hi guys, just got home.. a little bit tipsy here.. :D

ehem... adik sa SSC! make sure not to puke on your pc! :lol:

Cebu Yearbook 2006 out now


With balikbayan family members and friends in town for the Sinulog, one challenge for Cebuanos these days is finding new destinations to keep the guests entertained.

The rewards for a sense of adventure and an open mind? ?Snapshots of an inspired past and pasalubongs of insight,? writes Kristin Aldana-Lerin in The Cebu Yearbook 2006.

Lerin paints a seductive portrait of Camotes (?The lake is a shapely figure eight, with a navel of an islet dotting its curvy waist?) that confirms there?s more to Cebu than its postcard-pretty beaches.

Companion articles by Rogelio Murcia and Jeneen Garcia take the reader on a road trip (?by turns pilgrimage and festival?) of the south, with its fortresses and seascapes, followed by the quirks and industry of the north.

The Cebu Visitors? Guide lists numerous choices for sightseeing, dining, shopping and soaking up some local color---an essential insider?s guide to help visitors sample the island?s many attractions.

And if you?re one of those unfortunates, too work-loaded for anything beyond armchair travel, the stories in themselves will make the trip worth your while.

The Cebu Yearbook 2006, produced by Sun.Star Publishing Inc. for its sixth year, will be available starting this month.

You can pick up copies for yourself and your guests from: Sun.Star Fuente and Mandaue; ATJ Travel and Tours; Bigby?s Ayala; Booksale SM and pier area; Brews Point; Café Georg; Cebu Midtown Hotel; Cinderella Tours and Travel; Delmar Travel and Tours; Destinations Specialists SM and E-Mall; Lim?s News and Magazines; Mail and More; National Bookstore Ayala, Mango and SM; Nikkei Garden Hotel; Oh Georg; Rajah Travel Philippines; Rex Bookstore; Roma Mia Ayala, SM and Tojong; RSO Robinsons and SM City; Skyways Travel and Tours; Table 7; Waterfront Lahug; White Gold; and Worldlink Travel and Tours.

Hey! check this out! The best video presentation about Cebu i've ever seen so far! Plus.. know how a New Yorker discovered the Philippine's best kept secret! :okay:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7319148119124553965&q=cebu

ok thanks rusty.. i'll check it out!

puro bigfoot made videos yata ang mga google results about cebu ha?

yah! Google Video apparently is still on Beta version. you can also see video clips uploaded by Koreans :D hehe

nice find..i-promote natin yan.

ang ganda ng music background ng Korean video na yan.:hahaha:

Hey! check this out! The best video presentation about Cebu i've ever seen so far! Plus.. know how a New Yorker discovered the Philippine's best kept secret! :okay:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7319148119124553965&q=cebu



Very nice!
Ipakita nako sa akong mga officemates diri.
Cebu has come a long way. It's really ready for the world.

http://shepmedia.com/Paul'sCorner/the-rainbow.jpg
A RAINBOW appeared in todays fluvial procession of the Sto. Niño de Cebu.

A RAINBOW appeared during this Sinulogs fluvial procession just this morning.
The 1st end was over Mandaue Consolacion area and the 2nd end was over downtown Cebu City.

The Story
At about 7 - 8 am during the fluvial procession, Serge Reymonde said to Governor Gwen Garcia that in several minutes there will be a rainbow that will appear (not in a serious manner). The governor laughed and didn't believe Reymonde. But surprisingly after several minutes, the clear bright seven colors of a rainbow appeared over Mandaue City and Cebu City. The most emotional fluvial procession ever as thousands of eyes went into tears when they saw the rainbow curving over the atmospheres of Metro Cebu as if it is shielded by harms as the Sto. Niño passes along the Mactan Channel.

A sign
The rainbow shows a sign of strength, change, courage and a shift from dark to a bright new day for us Filipinos.

God said to Noah, "Look up in the sky."

Noah looked up. The storm clouds were drifting away, the bright sun was shining against Noah's back. And against the dark grey sky, God made a brilliant rainbow appear. God said to Noah,

“You see, I have set my rainbow in the sky. This will be the sign of the covenant I have made with you and all creatures, never again to destroy the earth by a flood. It will always remind us of the promise between you and me.”

So, the next time you see a rainbow, think of Noah and the flood. Remember that God loves you, and that no matter how bad the storm, there will always come a bright new day.

That is God's promise, and God always keeps his promises.

_ _ _ _

Let's change as the sign of a better days is ahead of us... ;)

my friends back there are like calling me every minute about the happenings around the city. apparently, they're saying i'm in the verge of missing a half of my life. come on, it's been three years that i wasn't able to witness Sinulog first hand! badtrip! :(

my cousins also mentioned tourists are starting to take over the street scenes. mostly Europeans and yeah my favorite.... KIMCHIs!!! ok, i'll get back to u guys prolly later.. night out me muna. :)


good for me, i was able to witness sinulog last year, the 25th anniversary. the sinulog scene has drastically changed over the years and it has become more festive. cebu is so much alive even before a week before the sinulog day. i will not worry for the next sinulog i will be witnessing will definitely better than this year. heheheheh...

[CENTER]http://shepmedia.com/Paul'sCorner/the-rainbow.jpg
A RAINBOW appeared in todays fluvial procession of the Sto. Niño de Cebu.


U wrote this story bai? Its very nice. Hair-raising and tear-jerking. I wish i was there. :angel: :angel:

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/5069/img04214oi.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/4149/img04187dw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/2144/img04190eh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/8393/img04249fm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/4929/img04257wn.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/7310/img04325cc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/9429/img04298my.jpg (http://imageshack.us)




the 15-min fireworks display at cebu business park

^^ nitan-aw sad d i ka gabii bai? didto sad baya ko. samut na karun gabii naa na sad lain fireworks display.. kita ka sa mga stage didto bai? as of 3 pm karun, naa nay 6 stages surrounding the ayala area alone.

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/1775/img04337ms.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/4160/img04372uu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/1060/img04398sw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/9741/img04484en.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

acc lagoon area

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/7851/img04499lp.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

acc jeepney terminal: that's orange ang lemons on the stage

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/3120/img04456gs.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

across fgu building: bands playing were imago (ako idol), 6 cycle mind and some local bands




pasensya lang mo sa quiality sa ako pics bai mao ra jud ni kaya sa ako camera.. :D

^^ nitan-aw sad d i ka gabii bai? didto sad baya ko. samut na karun gabii naa na sad lain fireworks display.. kita ka sa mga stage didto bai? as of 3 pm karun, naa nay 6 stages surrounding the ayala area alone.

mao jud pag-abot namo nagboto-boto dayon.. mao to dali2 ko kuha ako camera.. 6 na ka stages? gahapon 4 paman to ako kit-an.. ingon ako ate inig sunday 9:30 sa cbp ky naa daw 30-min fireworks display..

panan-aw jud mo!!!

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/2841/img04401uy.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/4049/img04436vg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/2909/img04442zf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

ayala entertainment center: faaaaarrrrttttyyyyyy :D

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/5254/img04651ls.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/2415/img04643aj.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

sunflower city: homecourt ng mga koreans

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/9687/img04602ar.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

ako partner sa inom :D

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/959/img04572yo.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

alert!!! chikslog nakabuhi.. :D "maka-ilad sad ang panuway mura sad ug chix".. haha

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/9814/img04532il.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

inside kasadja: lahat ng tao ay masadjang-masadja.. haha

mao jud pag-abot namo nagboto-boto dayon.. mao to dali2 ko kuha ako camera.. 6 na ka stages? gahapon 4 paman to ako kit-an.. ingon ako ate inig sunday 9:30 sa cbp ky naa daw 30-min fireworks display..

panan-aw jud mo!!!


naay bag-o bai tapad sa driving range. unya naa sad lain kato levi's na stage atbang sa metro [pero dili katung sa bas-cbn].

ang fireworks kay sa driving range ibutang.


^^ ayus sad kaayu ang party sa entertainment center bai!

nappay lain mark.. dapit sa inyoha

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/9223/619692434102l7hb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

nappay lain mark.. dapit sa inyoha

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/9223/619692434102l7hb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

for your info, I'm the organizer of this;)

_ _ _ _ _ _

diara sad akong naadtuan, mas lingaw pa cguro ni IMO kaysa Ayala :D, group of whites in every corner are watching us :D
http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/4840/dscn41196cw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

U wrote this story bai? Its very nice. Hair-raising and tear-jerking. I wish i was there. :angel: :angel:

bitaw, ako giunhan ang sunstar...hehe. Cguro ma headline tingali ni ugma. :D

^BTW, it was my first time to pass SRP after many months. I didn't notice that they are developing a Cebu version of Baywalk.

^^ i also passed there 2 weeks ago jin. is that the area near the DOT building jin or another one? did u also see the entrance to the subway? it is really taking shape now..

^^ Yes, I saw the subway works. The baywalk I meant is the one just across the subway entrance, they're working on the flooring.

this is a heartbreaking story because I myself is a devotee....


http://shepmedia.com/Paul'sCorner/the-rainbow.jpg
A RAINBOW appeared in todays fluvial procession of the Sto. Niño de Cebu.

A RAINBOW appeared during this Sinulogs fluvial procession just this morning.
The 1st end was over Mandaue Consolacion area and the 2nd end was over downtown Cebu City.

The Story
At about 7 - 8 am during the fluvial procession, Serge Reymonde said to Governor Gwen Garcia that in several minutes there will be a rainbow that will appear (not in a serious manner). The governor laughed and didn't believe Reymonde. But surprisingly after several minutes, the clear bright seven colors of a rainbow appeared over Mandaue City and Cebu City. The most emotional fluvial procession ever as thousands of eyes went into tears when they saw the rainbow curving over the atmospheres of Metro Cebu as if it is shielded by harms as the Sto. Niño passes along the Mactan Channel.

A sign
The rainbow shows a sign of strength, change, courage and a shift from dark to a bright new day for us Filipinos.

God said to Noah, "Look up in the sky."

Noah looked up. The storm clouds were drifting away, the bright sun was shining against Noah's back. And against the dark grey sky, God made a brilliant rainbow appear. God said to Noah,

“You see, I have set my rainbow in the sky. This will be the sign of the covenant I have made with you and all creatures, never again to destroy the earth by a flood. It will always remind us of the promise between you and me.”

So, the next time you see a rainbow, think of Noah and the flood. Remember that God loves you, and that no matter how bad the storm, there will always come a bright new day.

That is God's promise, and God always keeps his promises.

_ _ _ _

Let's change as the sign of a better days is ahead of us... ;)

yup ashton, nagpasabot lang na nga kung ang 2005 is a bad year for Cebu and the Philippines, siguro this is a sign that this year 2006 (as the rainbow means the light after the darkness) will be a prousperous year for Cebu and I hope for the Philippines. An extra ordinary sign happened mismo sa fluvial procession. So this means we can expect more buildings to rise, more tourists, more jobs, better economy or sa madaling salita "better days ahead for Cebu"... :)

^^ ya, i believe.... :) thanks for the story. :)

Sa pagbabalik ng TVPatrol World, live updates of the Sinulog Festival and highlights from the fluvial procession. Check it out.

pics of the Solemn procession here in the Sinulog thread http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=287637&page=1

bai slerz, ikaw gahimo ani? CEBU banner this coming Jan 20. woohoo!!

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/banner14.jpg

http://shepmedia.com/Paul'sCorner/the-rainbow.jpg
A RAINBOW appeared in todays fluvial procession of the Sto. Niño de Cebu.

A RAINBOW appeared during this Sinulogs fluvial procession just this morning.
The 1st end was over Mandaue Consolacion area and the 2nd end was over downtown Cebu City.

The Story
At about 7 - 8 am during the fluvial procession, Serge Reymonde said to Governor Gwen Garcia that in several minutes there will be a rainbow that will appear (not in a serious manner). The governor laughed and didn't believe Reymonde. But surprisingly after several minutes, the clear bright seven colors of a rainbow appeared over Mandaue City and Cebu City. The most emotional fluvial procession ever as thousands of eyes went into tears when they saw the rainbow curving over the atmospheres of Metro Cebu as if it is shielded by harms as the Sto. Niño passes along the Mactan Channel.

A sign
The rainbow shows a sign of strength, change, courage and a shift from dark to a bright new day for us Filipinos.

God said to Noah, "Look up in the sky."

Noah looked up. The storm clouds were drifting away, the bright sun was shining against Noah's back. And against the dark grey sky, God made a brilliant rainbow appear. God said to Noah,

“You see, I have set my rainbow in the sky. This will be the sign of the covenant I have made with you and all creatures, never again to destroy the earth by a flood. It will always remind us of the promise between you and me.”

So, the next time you see a rainbow, think of Noah and the flood. Remember that God loves you, and that no matter how bad the storm, there will always come a bright new day.

That is God's promise, and God always keeps his promises.

_ _ _ _

Let's change as the sign of a better days is ahead of us... ;)


it rained ba during or before the fluvial procession??/!! .... o ni appear lng jud iyaha??!!! miraculously..

i was really goosebumpd when i first read this...

^^ no, no rain here in cebu in the past few days. it was some sorta miracle indeed.

wow!!! talagang wala??!! VIva Sto. Nino talaga.. i would really tell this to my mum ryt away.. devotee sad to .... siguro sobrang touched ni Sto. Nino...seems the procession's so solemn kasi,,, not really just after sa Sto nino statue/image ( i reaally 4got the term sory/) .. na may resort to paganism na....

how i wish naa sad ko didto... the Sinulog's coverage is live here pro just really got to wake up 2 am to catch it up... pro oks lng.. i really miss it na...

Hey! check this out! The best video presentation about Cebu i've ever seen so far! Plus.. know how a New Yorker discovered the Philippine's best kept secret! :okay:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7319148119124553965&q=cebu
Very nice!
Ipakita nako sa akong mga officemates diri.
Cebu has come a long way. It's really ready for the world.

Yeah, something that we never hesitate to share with others! :okay: this video is very encouraging. :cool: i showed this to my relatives abroad, and they're super shocked! haha.. they can't believe how progressive the Philippines is! :)

TWO GRAND EVENTS WERE held one day after another at the ballroom of the Waterfront Hotel. Lea Salonga featured in one, with the corresponding hype. It was a sold-out show.

But we have to say she was overshadowed by the Arts Council Goes Broadway the night before.

The show raised funds for the council’s annual program of free performances by international artists and for its ambitious scholarship program.

Waterfront lent the ballroom for free, and Guam-based Cebuano director Benjie Diola slashed his fee for the dear old Arts Council.

Everyone performed for free. They were all featured in the opening number “Everything’s Coming up Roses,” which was very apt indeed.

Applause, applause, for Benedick Leyson, Joy Tenerife, Monette Aliño, Rhina Echivarre, Henry de Loyola, Manny Noval, Marissa Fernan, Dr. Randy Libres, Dr. Emerson Donaldo, Cebu City Vice Mayor Mike Rama, Lorraine Dytian, Francis Onglatco, Rafaelita Golez, Fr. Jun Agravante, Ma. Celeste Celeste, Bing Lim, Candice Grace Cabras, and Crystal Esmero, the council’s scholar for voice.

The “Big Spender” number from “Sweet Charity” had a lot of oomph. It starred Cebu City First Lady Margot Osmeña, Arts Council president Petite Garcia, Dominique Riegel, Lotlot Neri, Mariter Klepp, Alicia Plaza, Sonia Yuvallos and Elvira Lu Ym.

Benedick and Joy did the duet “Sun and Moon” from “Miss Saigon,” followed by a snappy “Surrey with a Fringe in Top” from “Oklahoma.” Arts Council vice president Maxwell Espina played Will Parker. Dancing along in cowboy gear were Marget Villarica, Joan Tiu, Marielou Pitor, Alice Queblatin, Cookie Chan, Sheila Colmenares, Connie Cimafranca, and Cherry Lynn Callelero.

Chorus line

I never thought I’d do a Charleston in public but I’ll do anything for the Arts Council, of which I was once president. And so there I was, Herod in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” bouncing in a fringed satin robe, diamond tiara and all. What a chorus line I had, too: Arts Council VP Vivina Yrastorza, Petite, Margot, Dominique, Sonia, Alicia, Elvira, Mariter, Lotlot, Marissa Fernan, and Dr. Lydia Alfonso. My son videotaped it and we’d been laughing no end at home.

Manny Noval’s dramatic medley from “Pippin” led to another rousing number, “It’s A Hard-Knocked Life” from “Annie.” Vivina, Dominique, Elena Young, Margot, Joan, Marielou, Alice, Cookie, Sheila, Connie, Cherry Lynn and Mariter were the most impish orphans ever, pillow-fighting and having a romp. Entered Annie. It was hilarious with Karl Hudson, GM of the Marriott Hotel, in a skimpy red skirt, showing tight bloomers beneath. The song: “Tomorrow,” what else?

Marissa and Dr. Donaldo stole the show with their rendition of “Till There Was You” from “The Music Man.”

The audience swooned and hummed, and some even followed the lyrics of “Hello Dolly.” Teresin M. glided about in red gossamer specially made by Arcy Gayatin, a plumed hat daintily perched on her golden hair. Completing the show-stopper were tuxedo-clad Marco, Winglip Chang, Clint Escaño, JP Mendoza, Jaime Chua, Manny N, Dr. Donaldo, Fr. Agravante, and Omar Espina.

Architect Tessie Javier, Margot O., Petite and Joan formed the girl quartet for “Greased Lightning” that brought the house down. The jeans-clad guys: Rogelio Alayre, Jace Magallanes, Marlon Flores, Allan Nalla, Arnel Gamboa and Mark Lester Loroño.

Showcased

Rhina Echivarre’s soprano was showcased in “Think of Me” from “Phantom of the Opera.” She also did a beautiful duet with Vice Mayor Mike R.—“Fallin’” from “They’re Playing Our Song.”

A revelation was Monette Aliño, in shimmering red, doing aria-style, “What Kind of Fool Am I?” from “Stop the World, I Want to Get Off.”

Another soprano, Candice, scored well with her solo, “With One Look” from “Sunset Boulevard.”

Then it was time for a high-powered scene from South Pacific. Elena, Mariter, Vivina, Dominique, Petite, Elvira, Sonia, Marissa and Margot donned white ducks and caps as sailors in “There Is Nothing Like a Dame.” They seemed to be having loads of fun.

A series of love duets followed: Lorraine and Francis, as Tup Tim and Lun Tha from “King and I”; Oche Golez and Fr. Jun, as Queen Guinevere and Lancelot from “Camelot”; Ma. Celeste and Randy, as Maria and Tony from “West Side Story”; Bing and Crystal in scenes from “Jekyll and Hyde.”

Well applauded

A powerful anti-climax was “What a Circus” from “Evita,” with Mariquita Yeung as Che Guevara and the show director Benjie doing Eva Peron to perfection. Many did not recognize him. Tessie Javier and Eric Berdon were applauded for their wild tango. The Sandiego Dancers completed the cast.

Everyone appeared on stage for the finale—“Ease on Down the Road” from “The Wiz,” dressed in jeans painted like the yellow brick road and shining under the lights.

Margot O. was impish as Dorothy, Vice Mayor Mike was the most handsome Lion, Marco was the Tin Man, and Randy, the Scarecrow, which he definitely isn’t with his good looks and sunny disposition.

After curtain call, the cast, still in costume and makeup, mingled with the audience to receive hugs, kisses and general congratulations.

How much did we make? Secret, someone said. Enough, winked another.

http://news.inq7.net/lifestyle/index.php?index=2&story_id=62950&col=25

bai slerz, ikaw gahimo ani? CEBU banner this coming Jan 20. woohoo!!

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/MarkiiBoi2/banner14.jpg

oh thanks for the info Mark :okay:

Papal blessing

Devotees who will attend today’s pontifical mass for the Sinulog will receive a special blessing from Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, as endorsed by Pope Benedict XVI.

Msgr. Cris Garcia told Sto. Niño devotees yesterday that the Pope allowed the archbishop of Cebu to perform the postulate blessing in honor of the jubilee year of the cardinal.

This year, Vidal will mark his 75th birthday, his ordination as a priest 50 years ago, his episcopacy 35 years ago and his 25th year in Cebu.

“Usually, the Pope only allows a postulate blessing every Christmas and during Easter Sunday,” Garcia said.

He advised those who cannot attend the pontifical mass at 6 a.m. today to listen to the radio or watch a broadcast of the postulate blessing and “they will be consecrated just the same.”

Another means of receiving the blessing, said Garcia, is to pray in front of the Sto. Niño.

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia also had a special petition when she joined for the first time the fluvial procession yesterday.

She asked the Sto. Niño to bless the preparations for the success of the Asean Ministers’ Summit this December in Cebu.

Challenge

Garcia considers the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) gathering, which Cebu will host for the first time, “the biggest challenge of our lives.”

Another challenge for the Garcia administration is finishing the Cebu International Convention Center in time for the summit.

Capitol is targeting to start the construction next month or early March.

The governor was among the thousands of faithful who joined the religious celebration of the feast of the Sto. Niño, highlighted by the solemn procession yesterday.

Cardinal Vidal carried the replica of the Holy Child and placed it inside the glass case atop the carroza at the entrance of the Basilica del Sto. Niño to start the procession.

Confetti from commercial buildings adjacent the church began falling as soon as the carroza moved out of the church gate to Osmeña Blvd. at 2:45 p.m.

Msgr. Garcia led the procession that lasted nearly five hours.

Crowd control

Police and church officials estimated that about 800,000 people joined the procession and the crowds along the route from Osmeña Blvd. to the streets of Arlington Pond, F. Ramos, D. Jakosalem and back to the basilica.

At least 12 people fainted and were rushed to different private hospitals by paramedics from the Cebu Police Auxiliary Group and the Bureau of Fire Protection from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. They were in the basilica to hear mass and join the procession.

Crowd control was difficult, particularly along the narrow Arlington Pond and D. Jakosalem Sts., forcing the carroza’s three-layer security of more than 100 private security guards, police recruits and students to stop several times.

People tried to push their way to get a closer look at the Sto. Niño.

High school students of Cebu Normal University drew some attention as the carroza passed their school, by playing their violins.

People waiting in the grounds of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral released hundreds of balloons as the carroza passed along P. Burgos St.

The carroza returned to the basilica at 7:35 p.m.

Holy year

Fr. Andro Batayola took the replica and handed it to Cardinal Vidal.

A 20-second fireworks display signaled the end of the procession.

A high mass celebrated by Bishop John Du followed.

For those who want to get the special blessing from the cardinal, Msgr. Garcia encouraged devotees to also visit the Holy Door of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral every day until Nov. 30.

“Pray to the Pope and the Archbishop while visiting the Holy Door and you will be blessed,” he said.

Vidal declared the year 2006 as a Holy Year of Grace last Nov. 30 with the opening of the Holy Door, five years after it was first opened to the public during the Great Jubilee Year 2000 celebration.

The Holy Door was designed similar to that in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City to symbolize “Jesus Christ as the Way, Truth and Life.” (AIV/JGA/MBG)




it rained ba during or before the fluvial procession??/!! .... o ni appear lng jud iyaha??!!! miraculously..

i was really goosebumpd when i first read this...

I woke up early and it's a clear sunny day... the sun's rays was very sharp... maybe there's a small dot of a cloud that sprinkled rain particles in that area. I saw the rainbow sa TV Patrol world and it's so breathtaking. :cheer:

^^ my aunties and uncle called it 'Santo Nino' weather, i observe it every 3rd Sunday of January of every year that the morning is a bit cloudy as if it will rain but its not. In the afternoon, the weather is going to be very fine.... :)

guys, i saw this morning an episode of Esmol Tym of RCTV 36.. they featured the shoemakers of carcar.. the shoes "daw" used by the jedi knights in starwars were made "daw" in carcar, cebu..

test

I know why the Cebuano forumers are offline... to watch the Sinulog! YEAH!

:dance:

Thanks a bunch sinjin for that sinulog link.
I was awake until 4 AM just to watch it. But it was worth it.
Bag-o ra gyud ko nahuman tan-aw.
Tug sa ko.

^Oh, the SkyCable video? No prob!

hows sinulog?

^The Grandest Sinulog ever @myx. You really can't imagine. Just wait for @slerz, subuanon and company for their photos. (I'm sure they have lots! :D )

I preferred to stay at home than mix with the revelry since it's really comfortable, you could see all the venues simultaneously.

Crowd reaches 1M but police keeps order


Police had to contend with at least one million spectators in the streets and in the grandstand, a brief skirmish between warring fraternities, cases of lost children and crowd control woes.

Despite these, they said yesterday?s Sinulog grand parade was generally peaceful.

Acting Cebu City Police Director Melvin Gayotin, also Task Force Sinulog commander, said the brief drizzles that threatened to mar the parade did not prevent spectators, including local and foreign tourists, from filling the streets to get glimpses of performers.

Still, security wasn?t enough to control the crowd; the lanes got too narrow for the dancers.

As early as 9 a.m., Gayotin decided to send a reserve platoon to the New Imus Road. Order was later restored.

More security

The additional security did not include yet military personnel from the Central Command and civilian volunteer groups.
Gayotin said he was able to assure total security within the parade route, but not outside.

For his part, Senior Supt. Carmelo Valmoria, who was tasked to monitor Sinulog-related events, estimated the crowd in the streets and in the grandstand to reach about a million people.

Despite this observation, he said the feedback he got from the field was that there were fewer people this year compared to the previous celebration. Senior Supt. Lani-o Nerez, deputy regional director for operations and yesterday?s chief of the PNP Operation Center, said the crowd began to swell in the afternoon.

Just as the parade was about to end, a clash between rival fraternities Alpha Kappa Rho (Akrho) and Tau Gamma Phi occurred.

It was not, however, determined who triggered the incident because both fraternities were pointing at each other.

Gayotin said two people, a boy and a woman, were injured in the incident.

A witness said it was a member of Tau Gamma who first threw a bottle of mineral water but another witness claimed an Akrho member started the incident.

The incident happened when Akrho members who joined the parade passed by a stage put up by members of Tau Gamma on Gen. Maxilom Ave. near Foodarama.

Gayotin said for the past Sinulog celebrations, both fraternities have been causing trouble.

Exclude them

He said he has long been recommending to the Sinulog Foundation for the exclusion of Akrho in the grand parade.

?They (Sinulog foundation) have the final call. It depends on the foundation, we could only recommend but they will have the final decision,? Gayotin said.

Nerez, for his part, said that if he had his way, the two groups will no longer be allowed to participate next year.

However, the pelting incident and unruly crowd was not the end to the police?s problems.

Fans of the hit reality series Pinoy Big Brother ignored soldiers tasked to control the crowd and ran towards the float where the popular ?housemates? were riding.

Spectators stepped outside the cordon when persons on floats threw freebies. These included cologne, candies, hats, stickers and fans.

Seizure

Vice Mayor Michael Rama said he had to confiscate the items and told those distributing these to claim the items in his office.

Rama, chairman of the Sinulog Foundation, said he had to order one of the multicabs that went with one of the floats to get out of the parade route because they continued distributing their products.

Other than these problems, police also found five lost children. Their parents, though, were alerted through the broadcast media and the children were later claimed at the PNP assistance centers along the parade route.

Valmoria and Nerez were also introduced to new technology yesterday.

Dominion, which provides wireless Internet access, demonstrated how real-time videos could be viewed.

Hidden cameras were placed along the parade route while Nerez and Valmoria observed the pictures they saw.

Valmoria said the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 was testing different technology from different companies to see if they could use this during the upcoming Asean summit in December.

Wow! Thread XIV

Congratz to all the Cebuanos.

welcome redeyes! to SSC. have you watched the Sinulog on The Filipino Channel?

No but i've seen pictures sent to me from Cebu. :rock:

^You should have used the link I posted yesterday

www.skysinulog.mozcom.com

^^Through that, you could have viewed it live. :)

---news updates are coming---

^^
Thanks!

Sinulog success lifts host’s confidence

As the Sinulog 2006 came to a peaceful close last night, preparations for the hosting of the Asean summit kicked off with much pomp that impressed locals and tourists alike.

Close to 1,000 dancers performed the finale of the Sinulog festivities, which segued into the dance numbers representing the 10 member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

It was a world-class performance that equaled the opening production at the 2000 Olympics, said Mayor David Borger of Parramatta in Sydney, Australia, a sister-city of Cebu.

“This is world-class. The Cebuanos’ hearts must be bursting with pride,” he said.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said last night’s show is a preview of the presentations in the Asean summit, and also served as an exercise for the City Government.

Impressed with the contingents’ numbers, grand finale and the 15-minute fireworks display that capped the parade, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Frank Benedicto said Cebu is ready to host the Asean summit in terms of cultural presentations.

“I think they were really, really very good in coming up with something like this. In the area of performing arts and cultural presentations, I think Cebu is ready for the Asean,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.

Osmeña and Sinulog Foundation Inc. officials felt yesterday’s celebration was better than last year’s, although out-of-town contingents need to be given more exposure.

Sinulog executive director Ricky Ballesteros attributed yesterday’s success to the cooperation and discipline of close to 50,000 revelers who watched from the grandstand.

“Everything just flowed smoothly, the flow of the parade and the performances was even smoother than last year’s.

The audience was very disciplined and that helped us,” he said.

Bigfoot Entertainment’s CEO Michael Gleissner, one of the VIP guests, said the program was exceptional and deserves to be featured in a show that his company can produce next year.

“I didn’t expect this level of professionalism here in Cebu. I’ve been blown away,” he told reporters after the grand finale.

Benedicto, over-all head in the preparation for the Asean summit here, said the performances would be good production numbers for the gala dinner during the Asean summit, which is usually be filled with musical and cultural presentations.

“They put on a good show today and I think the best contingents will have a good chance to be asked to participate.

They were very good but the final decision will come from the foreign affairs secretary,” he added.

The grand finale featured the guest contingents of the Cebu Province, the Cebu City Government and the Cebu City Dancesport Team.

As the dancers left the stage, a streamer that read “Cebu your host to the Asean Summit 2006” welcomed 17 dance troupes representing the Asean member-countries and its seven dialog partners.

A fireworks display provided a backdrop for the dancers garbed in the colorful national costumes of the countries they represented, as they performed traditional dances to the Sinulog beat.

Although he was impressed, the mayor was also dismayed with the fewer out-of-town contingents, which he said is a strong signal that the organizers and the City Government should take better care of them.

Besides, he said, it is the out-of-town contingents that make every Sinulog a successful event.

He promised better exposure for the participating local government units on television and tourism promotional materials next year.

A sneak preview of what happened yesterday:

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2006/01/16/article_160144_jan16.jpg

And the winners:

Sinulog-based category 1st - Sindanduloy Cultural Troupe 2nd - Compostela National High School 3rd - Bag-ong Ozamisnon, Ozamiz City 4th - Barangay Apas 5th - Pundok sa Kabataan sa Day-as/Zapatera Elementary School
Best in costume: Pundok sa Kabataan sa Day-as/Zapatera Elementary School

Free Interpretation category 1st - Camiguin Province 2nd - Tribu Pintados de Passi, Iloilo City 3rd - Tribu Iliganon, Iligan City 4th - Panglao Municipality, Bohol 5th - Sinirangan, Eastern Samar
Best in costume: Lumad Basakanon

Street Dancing Category 1st - Sindanduloy Cultural Troupe 2nd - Lumad Basakanon 3rd - Camiguin Province

Congratulations Sinulog!! I watched it through the NBN Channel yesterday, it was breath-taking! especially the finale presentation and of course the pyrotechnic show!! :okay:

Gee, i woke up 5am earlier today and saw Rico Lucena of TV Patrol doing a live report! it's freakingly 5 in the morning and there were still many people partying! :rofl:

Congratulations Sinulog!! I watched it through the NBN Channel yesterday, it was breath-taking! especially the finale presentation and of course the pyrotechnic show!! :okay:

Gee, i woke up 5am earlier today and saw Rico Lucena of TV Patrol doing a live report! it's freakingly 5 in the morning and there were still many people partying! :rofl:


we missed it rusty!!! next year tan-aw na gyud ta!!!

any pictures of the Sinulog yesterday? No pictures of yesterdays Sinulog in sinulog in samahan too.

Congratulations Sinulog!! I watched it through the NBN Channel yesterday, it was breath-taking! especially the finale presentation and of course the pyrotechnic show!! :okay:

Gee, i woke up 5am earlier today and saw Rico Lucena of TV Patrol doing a live report! it's freakingly 5 in the morning and there were still many people partying! :rofl:

mr club ultima, ang club ultima sa fuente kay gi-abri para sa mga members kung motan-aw sa sinulog.

we missed it rusty!!! next year tan-aw na gyud ta!!!
oh yeah! Tan-aw gyud ta for sure!

mr club ultima, ang club ultima sa fuente kay gi-abri para sa mga members kung motan-aw sa sinulog.
that's what i heard. all 54 club rooms were opened ba? :)

Sinulog success lifts host’s confidence

Bigfoot Entertainment’s CEO Michael Gleissner, one of the VIP guests, said the program was exceptional and deserves to be featured in a show that his company can produce next year.

“I didn’t expect this level of professionalism here in Cebu. I’ve been blown away,” he told reporters after the grand finale.


i knew Cebuanos will never disappoint Mr. Gleissner et al :okay: i'm happy for the Film Academy's exposure on TV. :cool:

oh yeah! Tan-aw gyud ta for sure!


that's what i heard. all 54 club rooms were opened ba? :)


you know, i always have second thoughts on news they release to members. hope they did!

It's nice to know that there are a lot of cebuanos here who are very passionate about the development of cebu as a truly world class city...please join this message board => cebulife.tk (http://xsorbit29.com/users5/cebulife/index.php?PHPSESSID=4a1d3b90bd54e9464a41b96a71c20424&) -- i dedicated a thread there exclusively for our beloved cebu...please also post there...tnx!

please click this one => The Cebu Thread (http://xsorbit29.com/users5/cebulife/index.php?board=56.0)

how was the mood of yesterday's sinulog?

^^ da best.. hehe

Adam Sandler eyed for movie on Cebu
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Inquirer News Service


BIGFOOT Entertainment's "3 Needles," shot in Thailand, stars Lucy Liu. The company aims to do a lot of movies on Asia, in Asia.

BIGFOOT ENTERTAINMENT, a Hollywood production company based in Cebu, is eyeing box-office draw Adam Sandler to topbill a movie that will be set in the Philippines.

The movie, "Cockfight," will be the company's first Philippine-made-from principal photography to post-production-project.

Written by Leslie Scott, it was originally set in Mexico.

"We plan to hire Filipino actors as well," said Scott, who met with a handful of Filipino media people recently at the Bigfoot facilities on Mactan Island.

Bigfoot chair Michael Gleissner said his firm was bent on doing "a lot of movies on Asia," in Asia.

"3 Needles," shot in Thailand, was one such project. The media group was treated to a preview of the film on board the yacht of Gleissner, who also served as executive producer, off the waters of Mactan Island.

Starring Lucy Liu, Chloe Sevigny and Stockard Channing, "3 Needles" won Best Direction (for Thom Fitzgerald) and Best Cinematography (for Thomas Harting) at the 25th Atlantic Film Festival in Canada.
Advertisement
Liu portrays a pregnant blood collector in China; Sevigny, a not-so-chaste nun who'll go to great lengths to save her wards in Africa; and Channing, the waitress-mom of a porn star afflicted with AIDS.

Variety described the film: "Sprawling from Montreal to South Africa to China... [it's] a great discussion tool for World AIDS Awareness Day."

In stark contrast to the preview's opulent venue is the film's gritty realism. In exquisitely photographed scenes, it presents a mass circumcision of African tribesmen; the birthing of Liu, alone and au naturel, in a prairie; and a rather icky bloodletting involving Stockard and her son.

"This is a subject that is pretty close to my heart because I lived in South Africa for a time," Gleissner explained. "This is no Lucy Liu action blockbuster."

Under Bigfoot Entertainment is Bigfoot Partners, which has two other projects in the works: "Social Grace," a romantic comedy directed by B.D. Wong and headlined by Margaret Cho, and "The Curiosity of Chance," a coming-of-age film described as a cross between "The Breakfast Club" and "Priscilla Queen of the Desert."

Post-production of "Curiosity," which was shot in Belgium, will be done entirely at BP's International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT) also on Mactan.

Gleissner said the director, Russell P. Marleau, will supervise post-prod and teach at the IAFT.

Timothy Doolen, BP director of Creative Development, explained the focus on Asia: "We want to show audiences that there is more to the region than just kung-fu and ninjas. We definitely want to present Asian culture in a positive light."

Doolen previously worked on Dreamworks' "Catch Me If You Can" and "The Ring."

"Bigfoot's goal is to produce movies that will not get made otherwise in the present Hollywood set-up," Doolen said.


Copyright 2005 Inquirer News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. (SIGE LANG GUD!!! para makabasa sad ang uban) hehehehhe.... from the best news service INQUIRER.

hindi ba narecord sa youtube, slerz

^Youtube :hilarious

Slerz hasn't been online since yesterday yet. I suppose he's still asleep from yesterday's revelry. Didn't you click my link yesterday? You could have viewed it live.

Proposed soundstage to make
Cebu attractive to filmmakers
Investments in SRP to provide
employment to thousands
Published: 16 January 2006

by Irene R. Sino Cruz

THE presence of a sound stage would encourage filmmakers to shoot their films here since it would be cheaper to do so, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said.

Osmeña said the city has already agreed to the proposal by Bigfoot to build an international film studio on a two-hectare area at the South Road Properties (SRP), formerly South Reclamation project.

While Bigfoot is negotiating for a 14-hectare are, Osmeña said the company initially wants to use two hectares.
Advertisement
Having a sound stage here, he said, would enable Cebu to attract location shootings of foreign films.

"Why will you have it made in Hong Kong when it is cheaper here," Osmeña noted.

Aside from this, he said, Bigfoot plans to build a sky walk from the film studio towards Kawit island where they would put up a restaurant.

He also maintained that SRP remains a good project, although the city faced difficulties after the nearby Talisay City claimed it owned part of the project.

"SRP is really a good project but we run into a liguidity problem because of the claim of Talisay. They waited until the grace period of the loan ended before they made their claim. It cost us two years. We have to pay P600 million a year. Our original plan is we sell property; and we use that as payment," Osmeña said.

The city also prefers dealing with developers rather than go into retail selling, he told Cebu Daily News.

He said the city government would also like to schedule the selling of the SRP lots.

"We are pacing ourselves. We don't want to do it haphazardly. We don't sell retail. We want to deal with major developers and then they buy (from the developers)," Osmeña said.

The city's priority, he said, is to pay the 20-year loan and, at the same time, create jobs.

Another investor, a furniture company, also plans to set up a manufacturing facility in SRP within the year, Osmeña said.

"Another one about to start right away, a furniture company, will hire 4,000 to 8,000. They will start this year. They are just waiting for us to start on the road and they will build right away," he added.

Copyright 2006 Cebu Daily News. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

^^ da best.. hehe

naa daghang mga banda bai? that's one thing i like about sinulog too. the before and after events make sinulog so spectacular.

it rained right?

mao ni mga venues sa mga concerts:

1. cebu business park (6 concerts)
2. ayala entertainment center
3. boss grill in manros plaza
4. fuente rotunda
5. mango sqauare mall
6. plaza independencia
7. sm city

so far mao lang ni ako baw-an.. also almost all bars in the city had their own party.. it rained last night but only for a few minutes.. "pawala lang sa abog sa mga dalan"

mao ni mga venues sa mga concerts:

1. cebu business park (6 concerts)
2. ayala entertainment center
3. boss grill in manros plaza
4. fuente rotunda
5. mango sqauare mall
6. plaza independencia
7. sm city

so far mao lang ni ako baw-an.. also almost all bars in the city had their own party.. it rained last night but only for a few minutes.. "pawala lang sa abog sa mga dalan"

grabeha na no?! sa cebu business park unsa nang 6 concerts?

where else on the planet aside from cebu that celebrates something like the sinulog with such magnitude? there's the rio de janeiro's mardi gras...

"naay mga bands from manila na nagconcert sa cebu business park:

i dunno if kaila pa ka ani nila:
1. friday (imago; 6 cycle mind; orange and lemons)
2. saturday (rivermaya; naay japanese band nagconcert inside acc entertainment center )
3. sunday (brownman revival)

*jasmine trias of american idol also had a concert in plaza independencia (free admission)
*mga housemates ni kuya sa pinoy bigbrother
*mga teen stars of GMA 7 (starstruck survivors) "haha lu-od kaayo"


i hope someday sinulog will be somewhat like the street party in brazil (rio de janeiro).. na millions of foreign tourists would watch it every year.. "nya preho sad kanindot ug mga floats ug mga dancers (halos na mag-hobo)" :D

@ i already posted some pics (googled) sa samahan

grabeha na no?! sa cebu business park unsa nang 6 concerts?



6 STAGES simultaneously having concerts.

"naay mga bands from manila na nagconcert sa cebu business park:

i dunno if kaila pa ka ani nila:
1. friday (imago; 6 cycle mind; orange and lemons)
2. saturday (rivermaya; naay japanese band nagconcert inside acc entertainment center )
3. sunday (brownman revival)

*jasmine trias of american idol also had a concert in plaza independencia (free admission)
*mga housemates ni kuya sa pinoy bigbrother
*mga teen stars of GMA 7 (starstruck survivors) "haha lu-od kaayo"


i hope someday sinulog will be somewhat like the street party in brazil (rio de janeiro).. na millions of foreign tourists would watch it every year.. "nya preho sad kanindot ug mga floats ug mga dancers (halos na mag-hobo)" :D

@ i already posted some pics (googled) sa samahan


grabeha na gyud sa sinulog! if you are a tourist in cebu and your travel dates fall sometime during the sinulog season, sulit kaayo...

6 STAGES simultaneously having concerts.

6 stages? at different areas, you mean?

unsa na sad kaha last year no? a month after the asean summit. naa na gyud ko cebu ana! i don't wanna miss a thing... hehehehhe

^^ the 6 stages were scattered all over the business park.. last night cbp was like a big carnival with people literally flooding the place.. "malingaw ka tanaw2 sa mga tao kay mura mga hulmigas pirte jud daghana"

6 stages? at different areas, you mean?

6 stages at the 4 corners of ACC.

mao ba? that festive even at ayala? how about the other areas like fuente? namingaw?

ahhhh kasuya!!!

usually, when i attended the previous sinulogs, after the parade i hop from one place to another checking how people celebrated...

Good morning mga higala...hehe. Karon pa jud ko naka uli dri amo sukad gahapon :D. :dance2:

some party and street scenes yesterday...

parties
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6771/ec14cj.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/7715/ec27vh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/174/ec31ag.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/9730/cbpparty0td.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

street scenes during the parade
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/8121/dscn4187partyjones21et.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/1289/partyjones3qt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/8076/horse8qz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/7818/mango0lj.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

MarkiBoi's alluring bukton:D
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/9213/marktatoo1fc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

@ the grandstand
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/884/grndstnd3fx.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/6749/grndstand2oq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

the official declaration for Cebu to host the ASEAN summot 2006
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/5032/cebuhost7da.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Honest Kids
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2273/honestkids3qs.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
the two honest kids and Mayor Tan of Tangub City

the story
Mayor Tan of Tangub City lost her cellphone during the Sinulog Festivity and not hoping that it will be returned to her coz now adays one can encounter honest people once in a blue moon.
As the hours passes by someone told her that her cellphone was recovered. The one who is responsible for that is the 2 honest young boys of Zapatera Elementary School who belongs to the less fortunate families. Mayor Tan was really greatful that in this times of millions of people sorrounding us she didn't expect that there are two angels that depicts this celebration of the Child Jesus this Sinulog and said "these two kids proves that there are a lot of honest people here in Cebu" and she said that she will give P5,000 as a reward for their honesty. Mayor Tommy Osmeña on the other hand said that "these kinds of people is one of the reason why Cebu shines" (something like that:D)

^^ the 6 stages were scattered all over the business park.. last night cbp was like a big carnival with people literally flooding the place.. "malingaw ka tanaw2 sa mga tao kay mura mga hulmigas pirte jud daghana"

there are more and more stages in different points of the city... We stayed sa Escario Street stage party sa Cebu Grand Hotel after we went to ayala.

and also in Emall, there are two stages back to back...:rock:
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6324/emallhugyawan9tu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

AWESOME!!!!

the last sinulog i saw is not even close to being as good as this!!
hm, i just missed the year's most spectacular event -_-//

Happy Sinulog from Crown Regency
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/IMG_0738.jpg

HAPPY SINULOG from GV HOTEL
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/IMG_0666.jpghttp://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/IMG_0673.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/IMG_0708.jpg

They should start opening this hotel for the ASEAN Summit... It has so many rooms, it might even solve Cebu's "Presidential Suites" problem..... Went here kanina and I saw some workers mending its landscaped gardens; so they haven't really neglected this structure pa! There's still hope.. hehe
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/IMG_0600.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/IMG_0603.jpg

Naay nag "PDA" sa Fuente last Sinulog night, wala jud sila kauwaw; murag nindot kaayo i-record tapos i baligya as scandal, hahahahahha..

Is this year's sinulog better than last year? I missed the broadcast sa Mozcom because of work :cry: , hahaiz, mayta nakapost si BAi Slerz sa youtube ug video, hahaha ;)

btw, how many rooms diay does the Sheraton have?

mao ni mga venues sa mga concerts:

1. cebu business park (6 concerts)
2. ayala entertainment center
3. boss grill in manros plaza
4. fuente rotunda
5. mango sqauare mall
6. plaza independencia
7. sm city

so far mao lang ni ako baw-an.. also almost all bars in the city had their own party.. it rained last night but only for a few minutes.. "pawala lang sa abog sa mga dalan"

what about near the Capitol, is the "BOULEVARD" bar still open? coz 4 years ago we went there to check the place out after the Sinulog parade. cool party people are in there too... :)

are there party events too in Lahug area? :?

here's a video presentation of International Academy of Film and Television. this was broadcasted over NBN Channel on the recent International TV Coverage of the Sinulog Festival.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8756338422241030027&q=cebu

I haven't bee to those ares during the SInulog bai Rusty but with that crowd bisag kadlawng dako naa jud tingali.

@Rusty, the 1st two floors of the Crown Regency building was used as the viewing area by the members during the parade. Ikaw ray wala didto og si CEBUwow :D

Bai Arnold, musta... what's PDA? kanang nagkuan bisag daghag taw: :D

ba jrealde, magpost lang nya ko unya...hehe

@Rusty, the 1st two floors of the Crown Regency building was used as the viewing area by the members during the parade. Ikaw ray wala didto og si CEBUwow :D

my family wanted to go there but they had a hard time with the crowd, traffic and all. next year me and Cebuwow will reserve a viewing lounge in Club Ultima for the SSC Forumers! :lol:

seriously, i'll book a hotel room as early as now for Sinulog 2007. :okay: i'm not sure if Tower II will open several rooms just in time for the festival but i'll make sure to give the Club Ultima people a heads up that i'm getting a room! if they cant, :gunz:

btw, u people can use my room for restroom break, snooze lounge, viewing deck or sumthin like that. hehehe