Relocation of families affected by LADP now 84.80% complete
by Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob

Cagayan de Oro City (14 September) -- Some 558 families representing 84.80% of 658 affected by the Laguindingan Airport Development Project (LADP) in Misamis Oriental have been relocated by the Dept. of Transportation and Communication (DOTC).

“Relocation of the said families in Phase I of the relocation site was done with technical assistance from the National Housing Authority (NHA) and support of the local government unit and Gawad Kalinga Program of the Couples for Christ,” Laguindingan Mayor Orville Abellanosa said.

The remaining 100 families will be relocated to a shoreline area not far from the site to enable them to continue their livelihood activities per instruction of Pres. Gloria Arroyo who ordered the immediate release of Php500M when she inaugurated the LADP, January, this year and for DOTC to release Php300M by the end of first quarter of 2006.

“The project,” the President said, “is envisioned to make a significant contribution to the growth of commerce and agro-industry and the industrialization of not only of Northern Mindanao but also of its neighbors.”

Set in a total project area of 412.08 has., the LADP is a US$107.7M (Php5.4B) project with funding from various international sources: US$24.5M from the Korean Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), US$38.9M from the Korean Export-Import Bank , US$12M from the Nordic Investment Bank of Germany and US$32.30M from the Philippine government as equity.

About 204.4 has. of the total project area have already been acquired, 88.44 has. of which is donated by the Ayala Corp. Another 94.04 has. of the Ayala property is still for expropriation while 25.2 has. have yet to be acquired including the 23.91 has. for access road.

Meanwhile, the preconstruction activities of the LADP is expected to take place from July 2006 to June 2007 and the construction of horizontal and vertical structures will be from July 2007 to June 2010 and from July 2008 to August 2010, respectively.

In a related development, the Administration believes opening of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 is strategic in the transportation development plan of the country, specially in the super regions to attract more investments and boost their tourism industry. (PIA 10)

Deficient airport perimeter fences top 10th PCAS concerns
by Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob

Cagayan de Oro City (13 September) -- Having a deficient perimeter fence has always been the first and foremost problem in all the airports under the jurisdiction of the 10th Police Center for Aviation Security (PCAS).

This is the assessment of P/Supt. Rizalino R. Borlagdatan, Chief, 10th PCAS based at Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City, who aired his concern during the recent meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), region 10.

He said based on their Regular Airport Security Survey and Inspection, an inadequate perimeter security fence has always allowed the residents of adjacent barangays/sitios to sneak to the airport runway through the unfenced section.

"This situation poses a great danger not only to the incoming/outgoing aircrafts but also to the lives of the residents who cross the airport runway at anytime of the day," he said.

Activated in 2003, 10th PCAS covers the following airports: Lumbia Airport, Baloi, Lanao del Norte, Mambajao,Camiguin, Labo, OzamizCity, Bangcase, Butuan City, Surigao City and Siargao, Surigao del Norte.

"So far, we have already reported this problem to our higher headquarters for appropriate action as the Philippine airport authorities are now implementing stricter and enhanced security measures in all international and domestic flights in the country," Borlagdatan said.

Moreover, due to the recent foiled plot to blow-up a US-bound plane in Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom, stringent measures had put the civil aviation industry in the limelight.

As a result, he said, all airline passengers are only allowed to bring with them cash money, passports and travel documents while on board the aircrafts.

Aside from those objects already being banned from passenger's hand-carried bags, all forms of liquids, gels, lotions, shampoo and creams are also prohibited to be taken by the passengers when aboard the plane effective Aug. 12, 2006.

Meanwhile, the Aviation Security Group of the Philippine National Police (ASG-PNP) will continue to secure all the country's airports against offensive and terroristic acts that threatens civil aviation.

The ASG-PNP will also exercise operational control and supervision over all agencies involved in security operations and enforce all laws relative to air travel protection in support of the PNP mission, Borlagdatan, further said.

In a related development, the opening of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 will serve as a strong driving force behind the modernization of all airports and other strategic transportation facilities in the country in support of the Administration's development plan based on the super regions.

Pres. Arroyo has ordered the immediate formation of an interagency team of experts that will thoroughly inspect the condition of the entire NAIA-3 as part of the initial phase of its takeover by the government, Sec. Leandro Medoza of the Dept. of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) said.

"This will attract more investments and boosts the tourism industry and bring growth to the economy in an environment of political stability," Mendoza also said. (PIA 10)

Visual arts competition celebrates Mindanao talents
Cagayan de Oro City (13 September) -- Using information and communications technology as a tool, talents from the different parts of Mindanao showcase their creativity at the Digital Photography and Graphics Design Open Competition of the 5th Mindanao ICT Congress.

Happening as a forerunner to the conduct of the Congress, the visual arts competitions was launched last July 2006 and entries are being displayed at SM Super Mall, Cagayan de Oro City from September 4 until September 18, 2006 when the winners will be announced in a simple declaration ceremony on the same day. Awarding of the winners will be made during the Closing Ceremonies of the 5th MICT Congress on September 22 at the Grand Caprice Restaurant and Convention Center this city.

SM Super Malls and Fujifilm Digital Imaging are the corporate sponsors of the event. "We are happy to be the partners for this special event of the 5th Mindanao ICT Congress," said SM Super Mall Manager, Mr. Paul Ferrer. "We are pleased with the turnout of entries. And as we went through each one of them, we are so amused that the works range from amateurs to professionals."

"In fact, we are already talking with the Oro Chamber about the possibility of making this an annual activity between SM and the Oro Chamber. And by the looks of it, there is a good indication that it will be," Ferrer added.

The theme for the Digital Photography Open Competition is "Faces and Places in Mindanao" while the theme for the Graphics Design Open Competition is "Life Redefined". Local photographers, graphics and layout artists, and visual arts professionals and enthusiasts were tapped to judge the competitions.

On September 20-22, the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (Oro Chamber) hosts the 5th Mindanao Information and Communications Technology Congress together with the Mindanao Business Council (MinBC). Co-hosts are the Cagayan de Oro City Government and Regional Information Technology & E-Commerce Committee of Region 10 (RITECC-10). Co-presenters are Globe Innove and PLDT Business Solutions, while Official VOIP Provider is Bayantel and Mack Mayer Printers as Official Printer.

For inquiries and Congress registration, please contact the Oro Chamber office through telephone numbers (088) 856-3764 and (08822) 726-492. (Oro Chamber) [top]

lolz...nakakatawa yung host ng Wowowee kaninia...I think it was Mariel ng PBB
Hindi kasi nya mabigkas yung LIMKETKAI...gosh naging host pa sya ng PBB kung di pa nya nabubulol sya ang simpleng Limketkai. Buti nalang si Willie Revilliame ang nag-tuloy ng pag-plug sa show nila sa CDeO:)

Dear SSC Forumers, please take note on our guideline on posting news articles: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=9944541&postcount=8
Do not mind what you have posted before for it will be very tedious if you will edit all of those. It'd be appreciated if you follow the guideline immediately upon your next posting of news articles. Thank You :)

lolz...nakakatawa yung host ng Wowowee kaninia...I think it was Mariel ng PBB
Hindi kasi nya mabigkas yung LIMKETKAI...gosh naging host pa sya ng PBB kung di pa nya nabubulol sya ang simpleng Limketkai. Buti nalang si Willie Revilliame ang nag-tuloy ng pag-plug sa show nila sa CDeO:)
I still wonder if that "Rosario Crescent" in LKK Center can acomodate 60K people..

^ Hmm, marami bang tao ang pumila to join Pera O Bayong?

i dunno.. Do they? All i know is you just need to txt and wait for ABS-CBN's call. Many people(camping out) were shooood out of Limketkai, where the show will be staged.

@Boju, I haven't answered your "?" in the previous thread pa pala..

Yup, you're right.. Sobrang ingay sa bahay namin.. Buti na nga lang hanggang 7pm lang yung mga flights.. Unlike sa davao na maghahating gabi na may lumilipad pa rin.. But fine kasi may alarm clock ako sa umaga..^^

i dunno.. Do they? All i know is you just need to txt and wait for ABS-CBN's call. Many people(camping out) were shooood out of Limketkai, where the show will be staged.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. ;) So, it would be the government who would take care of the security pala?

As per the news articles, yup!

Kasi nung last year dito sa Ayala Center Cebu, ang management ng Ayala ang nagprovide ng security at talagang napakahigpit

ABS was originally requesting for 1000 security personnel but trimed down to 400 later on.. Maybe that's combined PNP and Limketkai security.

Goodluck sa Wowowee Sabado sa CDeO...

Friday, September 15, 2006
Arroyo backs Mindanao ICT gab in Oro

SUPPORTING the thrust of the government to open up more cyber-corridors and promoting the establishment of business process outsourcing opportunities in Mindanao, the 5th Mindanao ICT Congress gets the support of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Malacañang Memorandum Circular 113, which was signed on September 8, authorized all information and communication technology (ICT) professionals in government offices to attend the 5th Mindanao Information & Communications Technology Congress slated here in Cagayan de Oro City on September 20 to 22.
Full story (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/09/15/bus/arroyo.backs.mindanao.ict.gab.in.oro.html)

Just wanting to clarify, is the venue for Wowowee this Saturday an open or enclosed area?

I think it is an open area as what FrancisZ said last time that the venue is in Limketkai infront of Robinson.

lolz...nakakatawa yung host ng Wowowee kaninia...I think it was Mariel ng PBB
Hindi kasi nya mabigkas yung LIMKETKAI...gosh naging host pa sya ng PBB kung di pa nya nabubulol sya ang simpleng Limketkai. Buti nalang si Willie Revilliame ang nag-tuloy ng pag-plug sa show nila sa CDeO:)


OA naman talaga kasi yang mariel na yan eh..:D

OT: Hayaan n'yo na si Mariel, mabait s'yang tao, bulol lang talaga s'ya kung magsalita. Unlike Janelle (yung isang host d'yan), na napakapolystyrene (napakaplastic!), na nung nagshow ang Wowowee sa Ayala, hinalikan ko na sina Iya at Kat at tuwang-tuwa sila sa suporta at nung hinalikan ko yung Janelle na 'yan, nandiri at agad pumasok sa van nila :|

Real estate firm to construct first-class housing project in Oro

Cagayan de Oro City (15 September) -- A top real estate developer of the country expressed a keen interest to construct a high-end subdivision in an eight-hectare lot in Upper Camaman-an, this city.

City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano revealed this after representatives from Robinsons Corporation presented their business proposal...

Full story (http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=10&sec=news&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p060915.htm&no=10#TOP)

RP consulate in Australia helps ensure success of Emano’s trade mission

Cagayan de Oro City (15 September) -- The Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) of the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, Australia is now finalizing the details to ensure a successful turnout of the scheduled trade mission that City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano is leading next month.

Emano’s business mission to Australia and New Zealand aims to lure more foreign investors to explore the vast potential for investments here in Cagayan de Oro...

Full story: http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=10&sec=news&r=R10&y=06&mo=09&fi=p060915.htm&no=11

Palace allows "official time" for gov’t ICT professionals joining 5th MICT
by Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob

Cagayan de Oro City (15 September) -- All ICT professionals and practitioners in government offices attending the 5th Mindanao Information, Communication and Technology (MICT) Congress on Sept. 20-22, 2006 in Cagayan de Oro City are authorized to do so “on official time.”

“This is to ensure maximum gain and participation of the event,” said Executive Secretary Eduardo R. Ermita...

Full story: http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=10&sec=news&r=R10&y=06&mo=09&fi=p060915.htm&no=07

OT: Hayaan n'yo na si Mariel, mabait s'yang tao, bulol lang talaga s'ya kung magsalita. Unlike Janelle (yung isang host d'yan), na napakapolystyrene (napakaplastic!), na nung nagshow ang Wowowee sa Ayala, hinalikan ko na sina Iya at Kat at tuwang-tuwa sila sa suporta at nung hinalikan ko yung Janelle na 'yan, nandiri at agad pumasok sa van nila :|

Ah Ganun pala un host na si Janelle...Mas mabuti pa un nabubulol minsan kaysa un lumalaking ulo

Real estate firm to construct first-class housing project in Oro

Cagayan de Oro City (15 September) -- A top real estate developer of the country expressed a keen interest to construct a high-end subdivision in an eight-hectare lot in Upper Camaman-an, this city.

City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano revealed this after representatives from Robinsons Corporation presented their business proposal...

Full story (http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=10&sec=news&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p060915.htm&no=10#TOP)
U/c na to.. Yung Richmond Hills by RLI. Sa may camaman-an, napaka accessible nya kasi nadadaanan both ng East at south diversion..
Another one by RLI is the housing project in El Salvador. High-end din.

CDeO is now flocked by high-end builders like Ayala and RLI. Hopefully, wala nang dumating na Financial Crisis sa region natin para mag materialize lahat ng mga investments.

CDeO is now flocked by high-end builders like Ayala and RLI. Hopefully, wala nang dumating na Financial Crisis sa region natin para mag materialize lahat ng mga investments.
May nabasa pa akong High end din na itatayo sa eastern part of the city..
Sabi "the most luxurious in mindanao" daw.. Na post na ata dito yung article.

I heard that too. It would cost around 250 million pesos I think. Sana by 2010 lahat ng Major Infra projects dyan matapos na para talagang tuloy tuloy na ang growth momentum ng Normin :)

Let's see if Ayala keeps its promise.. sabi 4th quarter daw ang ground breaking eh.. let's wait till Dec31..

tama ka...let's see. Hopefully it does include a mall kasi yung mall talaga ang main attraction ng Ayala (both Cebu & Makati CBDs). Without Glorietta, Ayala Makati CBD wouldn't be what it is today. Likewise Cebu Business District wouldn't be what it is without Ayala Center Cebu. So I hope ALI does build its first Ayala Branded Shopping Complex in Mindanao in CDeO.

Ayala Center CDeO will help put the city in the same visibility as other key cities in the south. Kasi as one forumer said pag sinabing Mindanao akala agad Davao. Believe me here in Luzon Zamboanga, General Santos, Cotabato, Butuan & even Marawi City are more well-known than Cagayan de Oro. In terms of promotting itself as a local tourism destination, CDeO really has a lot to do :)

^^night cafe tonight...

@Boju, I haven't answered your "?" in the previous thread pa pala..

Yup, you're right.. Sobrang ingay sa bahay namin.. Buti na nga lang hanggang 7pm lang yung mga flights.. Unlike sa davao na maghahating gabi na may lumilipad pa rin.. But fine kasi may alarm clock ako sa umaga..^^


Okray... Social ang alarm clock mo, airplane wala kami nyan:runaway:

^^night cafe tonight...


Every weekend, marami pa ring tao sa night cafe?

Yup..ewan ko lang ngayon kasi umaambon...

Okray... Social ang alarm clock mo, airplane wala kami nyan:runaway:
pero di na gaanong effective kasi immuned na tenga ko.. manhid na..^^

Sign off muna me, silip lang me ngayong gabi na 'to. Wish ko sana bukas ng umaga may bagong business news na naman. Gud night CDeO.

^^haha..im afraid not kasi sabado.. walang business section ang paper.

Watch Wowowee @ Rosario Crescent, Limketkai Center, Cagayan de Oro
LIVE VIA SATELLITE ON ABS-CBN (September 16, Saturday 12:30 nn)
:dance:

Duda ako na sa Rosario Crescent nga talaga.. Kc yung pinakitang preparation sa local TVP kanina hindi naman Rosario crescent.. Pero ang nasa plug nila e Rosario Crescent...

Mas maganda sana sa Rosario Crescent kc maganda ang view.. Rosario Strip plus Robinsons..

E anong lugar yung pinakita sa TVP?
Para sakin mas-magandang background un Rosario Crescent...very cosmopolitan

Dun yata yun banda sa may PNB.. Yung across the New Foodcourt and bingo. walang view dun kundi puro puno..at bundok..

oonga.. very cosmo ang crescent..

Siguro naman, ipapakita din ng ABS un paligid ng venue at extensive Ketkai ...di lang ung nakatapat sa Stage...Un ang unique sa Wowowee dahil nasa gitna un Stage nila, usually ung camera nila iba-ibang view un pinapakita...

Pero mas maganda pa rin talaga sa crescent.. kasi kahit san nakaharap ang cam, maganda yung view..

Panoorin natin bukas...baka naman un main staging area dun talaga sa Rosario Crescent
Nag-aasemble lang siguro sila ng mga props at gamit dun sa may PNB

Panoorin natin bukas...baka naman un main staging area dun talaga sa Rosario Crescent
Nag-aasemble lang siguro sila ng mga props at gamit dun sa may PNB
parang ganun nga.. maglalagay ata sila ng wide screen kasi hindi kayang i acomodate sa isang venue lang ang crowd.. Hindi ko lang alam kung saan talaga yung main stage.. sana sa crescent...^^

Wow...may wide screen pa para sa di ma-accomodate sa Main-venue - sosy parang concert ang dating.
Pinag-hahandaan lang siguro talaga ng ABS un kasi alam nilang dadagasain sila ng tao bukas...Sana lang maging smooth un flow bukas para mag-stage din dyan ung ASAP o SOP sa hinaharap :)

SOP? i doubt it.. Wala namang studio ang GMA dito.. Wala silang pang outside broadcast facility dito sa CDO..Like OBvans, ect..

Ang ASAP di pa nakakapunta rito. MTB pa lang..

Nakita ko lang itong article na ito. Hopefully mag-establish din ang GMA dyan para di naman solo ng ABS ang coverage ng CDeO.

Transmitter facilities for 2007

GMA Network spent more than P168 million for the upgrade of its transmitters and other facilities in various key areas in the provinces alone. The Company plans to augment its existing studio facilities in Cebu, Iloilo and Davao. It will also be putting up TV and radio facilities in Dagupan City to further improve its coverage in the northern part of the country.

The transmitter facilities to be upgraded include those that service Baguio, Dagupan City, La Union, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Lipa, Northern Mindoro, Naga, Central Camarines Sur, General Santos, Saranggani, South Cotabato and Davao del Sur. A new one will be put up to enhance coverage of Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental. Coverage realignment in Bukidnon will also be included.

These upgrades include new transmitting equipment, from transmitters to antenna systems and building/tower rehabilitation/construction. The facilities come complete with the essential support equipment for quality, reliable and continuous broadcast operation. The Network expects completion of these projects within the year.

Actually meron na silang exsisting transmitter dito w/c serves bukidnon-misor and nearby areas.. @Sera, ano ba pagkakaintindi mo sa article, are they putting up a studio here?

hmm, they should start broadcasting via digital terrestrial rather than analog... digital tv gives you more options, clearer pictures, lesser bandwidth, interactive, etc etc... =/

oh well, we can only hope and wait.

CDeO is now flocked by high-end builders like Ayala and RLI. Hopefully, wala nang dumating na Financial Crisis sa region natin para mag materialize lahat ng mga investments.

Wag lang sana Coup d'etat... :D

^^ GMA really needs to upgade or face dire consequences.

pati tayo nadamay konti ang peso value dahil sa coup d etat sa thailand, kung mangyari pa yun sa atin.. naku... magiging 1$ = 100Pesos

:(

by the way guys.. clips from wowowee in CDO last Sept 16watch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEaeqaFoTKw)

Hey everyone, Hey CDO!

I'm currently staying here in CDO again after I took the ACET (Ateneo College Entrance Test) last Sunday in ADMU.

It's nice to be back again, just after a month. Lol

I went to Night Cafe a while ago after watching a movie in Gaisano Mall. Too bad I didn't bring my digicam.

Anyway, who has some videos of XU's Intrams Cheering Competition?
I'm just curious of how well they've performed. And also, after reading the post of Mr.FrancisXavier that the champion's performance was better than UST's. Hehe.

^^ do you have any idea who won? hehe.. I heard the College of Engineering is tougher than before..

Actually meron na silang exsisting transmitter dito w/c serves bukidnon-misor and nearby areas.. @Sera, ano ba pagkakaintindi mo sa article, are they putting up a studio here?

...I think they would just improve the transmitter itself. GMA's only local studios are in Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod & soon in Dagupan. With CDeO's growing market importance, I'm pretty positive GMA will set up its Studio in CDeO. Btw...I have heard before that ABS-CBN's studio there in Ketkai is the networks biggest in Mindanao :)

...I think they would just improve the transmitter itself. GMA's only local studios are in Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod & soon in Dagupan. With CDeO's growing market importance, I'm pretty positive GMA will set up its Studio in CDeO. Btw...I have heard before that ABS-CBN's studio there in Ketkai is the networks biggest in Mindanao :)

@ Sera-

I thought there is a GMA studio in Davao since they have local shows in there. While Manila got GMA's Saksi in Davao it's GMA Testigo. There are also several variety shows produced by GMA Davao such as Singgit Dabaw and Kuyaw!. And I thought their studio is located in Shrine Hills few meters away from ABS CBN Davao. Well, i could be wrong though. But i also got this info from the net:



GMA Network spent more than P168 million for the upgrade of its transmitters and other facilities in various key areas in the provinces alone. The Company plans to augment its existing studio facilities in Cebu, Iloilo and Davao. It will also be putting up TV and radio facilities in Dagupan City to further improve its coverage in the northern part of the country.



GMA should also set up a tv studio in CDO. Like that they have done in Davao, it also helped in promoting the city to a wider audience nationwide. Several GMA Davao talents are now working in GMA Manila and this would also be the case in CDO once they (GMA) establish their presence in CDO!

I heard before that GMA 7 had plan to put up regional tv station in Northern Mindanao either in CDeO or in Iligan city.

Long time no see, ang haba naman ng pahinga ng SSC, hehe. Ngayon na bumalik na ulit I'm sad kasi ako naman ang mawala a week long or more....

TSADANG BUNTAG CAGAYAN DE ORO!

Ito yung site ng Wowowie last 9/16/2006 Rosario Crescent, Limketkai Center

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/wowowwie01.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/wowowwie02.jpg

Legend:
Yellow Circle = Site of Wowowwie
Yellow Curve = Rosario Crescent (This is a street name)
Pink ======= Limketkai Avenue

Sakay-sakay Lambago at Tsada Festival 2006:

Photo courtesy from www.visitcagayandeoro.com

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/lbhn42.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/lbhn43.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/lbhn44.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/lbhn40.jpg

For more photos visit www.visitcagayandeoro.com

Sakay-sakay Lambago at Tsada Festival 2006:

Photo courtesy from www.visitcagayandeoro.com

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/lbhn38.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/lbhn37.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/lbhn36.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/lbhn34.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/floatstagustine3.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/lbhn31.jpg


For more photos visit www.visitcagayandeoro.com

A Special Issue of MINDANAO CURRENT: A Collage of Photos of Tsada Kagay-an Festival Taken by The MINDANAO CURRENT Photo Journalist Boyet Varias...

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/minadanaocurrenttabloaid01.jpg


http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/minadanaocurrenttabloaid02.jpg


Source: http://mindanaocurrent.blogspot.com/

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/TsadaFestival.jpg

Dedicated to the Men and Women who made the 2006 Annual Fiesta Celebration the BIGGEST, the Liveliest and the best! By The Mindanao Current. (http://mindanaocurrent.blogspot.com/)

Mayor Emano names tourism as key to Mindanao dev't
Cagayan de Oro City (22 September) -- City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano points to tourism promotion as the key to the genuine development of the entire island of Mindanao.

Emano emphasized this point during the opening...

Full Story: http://www.pia.gov.ph/Default.asp?m=10&sec=news&r=R10&y=06&mo=09&fi=p060922.htm&no=10

Hey everyone, Hey CDO!

I'm currently staying here in CDO again after I took the ACET (Ateneo College Entrance Test) last Sunday in ADMU.

It's nice to be back again, just after a month. Lol

I went to Night Cafe a while ago after watching a movie in Gaisano Mall. Too bad I didn't bring my digicam.

Anyway, who has some videos of XU's Intrams Cheering Competition?
I'm just curious of how well they've performed. And also, after reading the post of Mr.FrancisXavier that the champion's performance was better than UST's. Hehe.
Yup... at least, as how i saw uste's cheering squad on TV.. But, yeah! SBM's(School of business and Mgt) performace was really the best! Sa lahat ng napanood ko na competition, i could say...nothing/nobody beats them(SBM).. May "deal or no deal" effect pa with their brief cases...lol...
and i was so stupid to have forgotten my cam.. Hindi ko na binalikan sa bahay kasi grabeng hirap makapasok sa gym.. Nasa kataastaasan na nga kami "nakatayo" sa sobrang puno nung gym..

Anyway..welcome back Martyness... Keep on posting!

Welcome back sa lahat! @

Cyrusal
Boju
Sera
Martyness...

Keep on posting...
@Burotski...post post lang sad...^^

...I think they would just improve the transmitter itself. GMA's only local studios are in Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod & soon in Dagupan. With CDeO's growing market importance, I'm pretty positive GMA will set up its Studio in CDeO. Btw...I have heard before that ABS-CBN's studio there in Ketkai is the networks biggest in Mindanao :)

They (GMA) have one in Davao too just in case you have overlooked it and Davao's ABS-CBN studio was erected in the early 90's alsmost simultaneously with Cebu's and it's a huge stand-alone edifice devoted to ABS-CBN local Davao shows.

Yeah, Davao has GMA studios.. All that Bacolod has, like CdeO is transmitter. Infact, it was just last year that GMA installed one in Bacolod.

Yup... at least, as how i saw uste's cheering squad on TV.. But, yeah! SBM's(School of business and Mgt) performace was really the best! Sa lahat ng napanood ko na competition, i could say...nothing/nobody beats them(SBM).. May "deal or no deal" effect pa with their brief cases...lol...
and i was so stupid to have forgotten my cam.. Hindi ko na binalikan sa bahay kasi grabeng hirap makapasok sa gym.. Nasa kataastaasan na nga kami "nakatayo" sa sobrang puno nung gym..

Anyway..welcome back Martyness... Keep on posting!

Oh Thanks. Hehe.

I want to watch it. I've tried searching it in Youtube and found none. Tsk tsk. Hehe.

@Martyness..Not this soon.. hahaha^^

I heard before that GMA 7 had plan to put up regional tv station in Northern Mindanao either in CDeO or in Iligan city.
iligan had a small transmitter back then before they ceased operations... =/ its quite sad because GMA is quite hard to get in iligan esp on terrestrial...

^^There's GMA Channel 11 in Iligan already and it's competing with ABS-CBN Channel 4 in terms of viewership. Studio 23 is also available and soon GMA's Q11. GMA's FM Radio is also popular with their Station ID " WOW Nindota Ah!"

tnx Boju for that pics.. the fiesta was indeed so colorful and vibrant! :)

Notice the motif...it's gold..

I found this one in flickr. A new angle of Koresco
[IMG}http://www.flickr.com/photos/visitcagayandeoro/235589158/[/IMG]

^^ nice one.. btw, any updates on the 20-storey expansion of Maxandrea Hotel? Have you talked to the daughter of the owner?

I have..but she doesnt know anything..Burotski will do the job..hahaha...
No press releases yet...Maybe this plan is just like the planned mall at the back of the cathedral.. hahaha...hope not..

Why should there be a planned mall at the back of a cathedral? Magulo na ang zoning kung ganun ang mangyayari. Must appropriate pa siguro kung mag-expand ang Limketkai with another mall in the lot fronting Rosario Crescent.

It's not gonna be right at the back of the cathedral, but by ne u/c bridge.. that's more than 200m away.. The piece of land is owned by Landco(correct me if im wrong).

What do you mean in front of rosario crescent? the parking lot? There is a plan to make an underground multilevel carpark there. The reason maybe is for Ketkai's future plan with that piece of lot.. but i would prefer to see a high rise office building there.

^^E saan yung proposed Limketkai Hospital?

Is there? All i knew was the "Korean Hospital".. LKK should not house a hospital, com'on..it's a shopping center.. All the proposed hospitals should be built on suburbs to decongest the downtown.IMO

^^Akala ko sinabi mo noon na magtatayo ng multi-storey Hospital yung Ketkai with U.S. Specialists pa? Oo nga naman mas magandang lalo pang pagandahin ank Limketkai para maging flagship ng CDeO ala West Edmonton mall ng Alberta.

Marami pa bang Hectares ang puwedeng tayuan ng Limketkai mall?

^^ baka yung hotel sa Limketkai tinutukoy mo? Dba merong plan yun?

lolz...un Korean Hospital nga ata.
parang 150 room hotel ata ung plano ng Ketkai

Propel Progress in Mindanao – delegates told

City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano exhorted all ICT leaders in Mindanao to be the catalyst that will influence the national government to seriously pursue the much-needed development of Mindanao.

In a dinner hosted by the city government for the delegates of the 5th Mindanao Information and Communications Technology (MICT) Congress, Mayor Emano said that its high time for all Mindanaoans to collaborate efforts so that economic progress can take off in the whole island.

“Let us work together ... full story at http://mindanaocurrent.blogspot.com/

^^E saan yung proposed Limketkai Hospital?

I think ito yung article noon na nagsasabing magatayo din ng hospital ang Limketkai. Quote from previous Tsada Kagay-an thread.


Ayala to put up P4-B center in Cagayan de Oro
Ellen P. Red
Business World



CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Ayala Corp. plans to build...

Limketkai, a pioneering mall developer in this city, is developing its Limketkai Center into a central business district. Aside from the shopping mall, the center now hosts open cafes, restobars, and a few townhouses. Limketkai mall also features an atrium that can accomodate 4,500 people.


Limketkai proposes to put up condominium units, a hospital with links to US-based specialists, a commercial building for private offices, and a government building that will house local and national government offices.


Part of its plan is the development of a one-hectare area into a basement parking, ground floor department store, four modern theaters on the third floor, and a 320-room business hotel.


The 30-hectare Limketkai Center opened in June 1991. So far, nine hectares have been developed. Two of the biggest locators in the center are Plaza Fair and Robinsons.



Okey lang naman siguro kung may hospital within business district katulad ng Makati Medical center. Health is important in business community. Basta world class na hospital ha.. :)

@sera, 320 room business hotel ang plan ng ketkai...

Hindi ba yung Malberry suites na yung Hotel na plinano ng Ketkai? Medyo confused nga lang ako kasi 120 rooms lang sya.

^^Let's wait & see kung magtatayo sila ng business hotel...
Anyway, kung 1 hectare lang ang for carpark building, ground floor department store & hotel, tingin ko parang Robinsons Cebu ang labas ng proposal ng Ketkai.
1. Rob Integrated Carpark = Basement Carpark
2. Rob Cebu = Ground Floor Dep't Store
3. Cebu Midtown Hotel = Business Hotel

@Martyness.. SBM, pictures pictures pictures..@ XU's 2006 cheerdance competition.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d190/angeleslew/SBM1.jpg

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d190/angeleslew/SBM2.jpg

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d190/angeleslew/SBM3.jpg

IMO, their performance was better than UST's @ UAAP.

Sorry for the quality, i only got this from my friend's fone..

^^Yes, I once took up a my PE 1 (Performing Arts) there in XU & I saw the talent of the Cagayanons. Sana i-expand yung UAAP sometime soon to include Universities outside MM like UC, Siliman, SLU, Ateneo de Davao & off course Xavier U para makita talaga sino ang the best of the best in the Phils.

hahahaha..that would be possible in many years...

@Sera, Cyrusal, Boju, Burotski....

register mo dari mga bai www.vizmin.com

naa gihapon dadto mga forums..

this ssc is always down kaya let's make ssc an alternative nlng.. hahaha

^^ I sometimes visit that forum, pero wala pa ko nag post.. i actually prefer reading.hehe. here sa ssc, i also visit as often as i can (almost everyday) like before but not as active in posting.. :) pwera lang sa last thread.. i was quite busy that time.. hehe

^Martyness pa diay...

^Martyness pa diay

^Martyness pa diay

Mayor asks town to support firm's P250M project.

Cagayan de Oro- City Mayor Vicente Emano is asking residents to support what he describes as the biggest real estate development in the entire island of Mindanao.

Emano revealed to residents in Barangay Agusan that a P250-Million first class subdivision will be constructed in the highlands of Agusan bordering Barangay Balubal sometime this year.

"The intention of all these developments is only to put in place the necessary economic growth that will bring about more employment opportunities and better living conditions for the people in the city," he said.

He told residents that the establishment of a posh subdivision in their barangay will increase the city governments revenue, which can be used to improve the delivery of social services in the barangay and the entire city.

The subdivision which will be established by the A. Brown Co., is touted to be the biggest and most luxurious housing project in the whole mindanao area.

Emano said the project is also an outcome of a trade mission he initiated to India and Germany in May this year.

Other projects

Aside from the real estate project in Barangay Agusan, another real estate company, Robinson's Corp., will establish a residential project in Barangay Camaman-an.

Emano said Sta. Lucia Real Estate Development Co., and the Ayala Group are also planning to implement subdivision projects in Cagayan de Oro.

Emano said the influx of foreign and local investors in the city is due to stable peace and order situation and the city government's partnership with the private sector in business development.

He said the city government has also established fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to attract investors.(Sun.Star Sunnex)

yahoooooooo

whaaaaaaat??? ang masuya moligid!!!!!!!!

That's why valium never reregistered because he already had an alternick in the first place, 3stan_yu, their IPs match :)

So he's banned for the second time..

hi!!!!its been a while...i think i'll post some stuffs after our final exams!!!!!!!!!!godbless

Lew dayon to atong outing ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@ Burotski and all who posted kanina after 11am...nabura posts nyo.. better post again nlng..

^^ Long tym no post...Anyway, I read something that some sectors of CDeO are planning to divide the city into 2 cities in the future. Agree ba kayo dyan sa dividing your city, at kung agree kayo ano naman kaya ang pangalan ng CDeO city II?

^^ Long tym no post...Anyway, I read something that some sectors of CDeO are planning to divide the city into 2 cities in the future. Agree ba kayo dyan sa dividing your city, at kung agree kayo ano naman kaya ang ipapangalan ng CDeO city II?

^^ Long tym no post...Anyway, I read something that some sectors of CDeO are planning to divide the city into 2 cities in the future. Agree ba kayo dyan sa dividing your city, at kung agree kayo ano naman kaya ang ipapangalan ng CDeO city II?

Hindi ba yan yung hahatiin sa tatlo ang currently lone district na CDO..

right now CDO's city size is not that big, dividing it would just cost extra money =/

right now CDO's city size is not that big, dividing it would just cost extra money =/

MAAYONG BUNTAG CAGAYAN DE ORO!!! MISS YOU ALL:)

More bridges to be completed in Oro

Cagayan de Oro City (6 October) -- It would soon be easy for people to traverse from the eastern and western parts of the city.

This, as the construction of two major bridges is now nearing completion.

More story here: http://www.pia.gov.ph/Default.asp?m=10&sec=news&r=R10&y=06&mo=10&fi=p061006.htm&no=15

^^ Long tym no post...Anyway, I read something that some sectors of CDeO are planning to divide the city into 2 cities in the future. Agree ba kayo dyan sa dividing your city, at kung agree kayo ano naman kaya ang pangalan ng CDeO city II?

The move is not to divide the city into 2 smaller ones ... It's to divide the city into 2 congressional districts...

papayag ba naman ang mayor na hattin ang teritoryo niya?lols here in davao, matagal n n issue yan pero it never pushed through..sino ba nman ang papyag n mababawsan ang sakop niya..haha

yeah dividing it into 2 or 3 congressional districts would be a good idea, para mas marming funds..tama ba?

Ganun na nga, they prefer to divide the city into more congressional districts rather than making another city. This is more materialistic and wise move.

metro manila cities has multiple congressional districts. meron pa bang iba in the countryside?

Davao city has 3 congressional districts and Cebu city has 2.

Youth leaders join 1st Mindanao Environmental Youth Summit in Oro

Cagayan de Oro City (7 October) -- Over a hundred youth leaders from all over Mindanao converged here in a bid to become ambassadors of goodwill on environment as the first-ever Mindanao Environment Summit kicked-off today, October 6, at the Cha-li Beach Resort, this city.

Full story: http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&r=R10&y=06&mo=10&fi=p061007.htm&no=20

;10073964']papayag ba naman ang mayor na hattin ang teritoryo niya?lols here in davao, matagal n n issue yan pero it never pushed through..sino ba nman ang papyag n mababawsan ang sakop niya..haha

yeah dividing it into 2 or 3 congressional districts would be a good idea, para mas marming funds..tama ba?

I think nowadays cities tend to grow bigger rather than be divided into smaller ones. Take for example Beijing, lately the city has been expanded to be over 16,000 sq. km around 7 times bigger than Davao.

@ Sinjin, I want to quote an article from www.kagay-an.com, since the site didn't give the specific address of the specific article so can I post here its entire story?

right now CDO's city size is not that big, dividing it would just cost extra money =/

i tend to disagree.. CDO city is big enough.. bigger than camiguin province. it's the urban area that is small..perhaps, only 10% of the total land area. CDO's land area sprawl southwestwards, joining the border of Iligan city and Bukidnon..

@boju: Yeah, I forgot to announce that we should now post the entire news articles already and just cite the source because some sites update their database regularly so there are chances that we might not retrieve the articles ;)

adding a congressional district is based on population and not on land area right?

yeah..i guess it has to be over 400,000 population.. so CDO qualifies for another one..

@boju: Yeah, I forgot to announce that we should now post the entire news articles already and just cite the source because some sites update their database regularly so there are chances that we might not retrieve the articles ;)

IC, okey thanks.

adding a congressional district is based on population and not on land area right?

Yeah, one congressional district should not less than 250,000 popuplation.

why would it be advantageous to get another district????

Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Ayala confirms subdivision project
By Danilo V. Adorador III

SOME good news for once: one of the country's premier property developers, Ayala Land Inc. (ALI), officially bared its plans to put up a posh residential district in a hillock zone overlooking the city.

Perched in a 180-hectare land just above the south diversion road, Ayala's still-unnamed high-end subdivision will tentatively start initial development either by December or January next year, said Ver de la Cerna, corporate communications manager of Cebu Holdings Inc. (CHI), ALI's Visayas-Mindanao affiliate.

The announcement marked an end to months of speculation whether the project would push through -- owing in part to the scale of the project -- during which the prices of surrounding properties have reportedly soared.

Of the total land area, de la Cerna said the company will first utilize 80 hectares for residential development alone -- the rest to be eventually used for retail shops and other amenities. The whole area spans from barangays Macasandig, Camaman-an and Indahag.

Indicating that the development is in its imminent kick off, de la Cerna said they already have secured an Environment Clearance Certificate (ECC), but still needed a social acceptability endorsement from the City Council.

Responding, acting Vice Mayor Edgar Cabanlas said the City Government will do its share to assist the company comply all requirements.

Councilor Jose Benjamin Benaldo who heads the committee on trade and commerce, assured the company it will benefit from the city's tax incentive perks.

De la Cerna said Ayala's soon-to-rise residential district, strategically overlooking the city, will boost of good mountain vista, unique aesthetic structures and high-end amenities found in other Ayala communities in the country.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/10/10/bus/ayala.confirms.subdivision.project.html

why would it be advantageous to get another district????

that would mean another pork..more projects.. i just hope the representatives use it wisely..

Ang aga mo Francis, may magandang balita kasi kaya inagahan mo ang pagsurf..! Tuloy na talaga ang Ayala project, subdivision pa ang unahin, kelan kaya ang mall?

May maganda pang balita, Sta. Lucia Realty will take over the long overdue Fil-Estate's Mountain Meadows. Fil-Estate can't cmply on its plan since 1998 due to its financial constraints. Sana sundin pa rin ng Sta. lucia ang plano ng Fil-Estate dati or mas bungga pa ngayon. Mas malawak ang area nito diba kaysa Ayala na 180 hectares?

Mayor Emano, Oro biz men off to Australia today
by Rubelyn Yap/City Information Office
Published: 2006-10-09

City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano will lead today a group of local businessmen and trade officials in a trade mission to Australia and nearby New Zealand hoping to attract more foreign investors to consider the vast prospects of investment here in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental.

Upon arrival in Sydney, Mayor Emano and his trade delegation composed of the members of the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (Oro Chamber) and the provincial office of the Department of Trade and Industry are set to meet with Consul General Ma. Theresa Lazaro of the Philippine Consul General in Sydney. then proceed to meet Mr. Wilen Van Den Broek, managing director of EMS Pty. Ltd., a manufacturer of air purification filters and inline fans who is considering relocating his company’s facilities from another Asian country to the Philippines.



After the meeting the group will then proceed to Parramatta City to meet with the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce where Mayor Emano is expected to deliver a talk, do some networking with the local businessmen and business organizations and meet with the Parramatta City Council officials for a walking tour on various development projects around the city centre.



The trade delegation from Cagayan de Oro is also scheduled to meet with the Australia-Philippine Chamber of Commerce Industry, Inc. where Mayor Emano again is expected to deliver a talk and present Cagayan de Oro and Northern Mindanao for possible business matching with their foreign counterparts.



There will be a business forum with the members of the Australia-Philippines Business Council the following day where it is a great chance to discuss two-way business opportunities between the two countries.



After the forum, Mayor Emano will meet with the Smithfield-Wetherill Park Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. where he is set to talk and will present the city and region’s business opportunities for the Australian businessmen.



The group is also scheduled to meet with the executives of Leighton Holdings Ltd. for possible tie-up before proceeding to New Zealand..



Mayor Emano is hopeful that their visit will bring in more investors from Australia and New Zealand who will establish their business in Cagayan de Oro and elsewhere in the island of Mindanao.



Mayor Emano reiterated that the influx of more investments here in the city will readily translate into more job opportunities for the local residents and increased revenue for the city government to implement better and improved social services for the people here.

Source: http://www.cagayandeoro.gov.ph/news.php

Mayor Emano promotes Cagayanon talents, products
by Sandra Tadeo/City Information Office
Published: 2006-09-29

City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano is exhorting all Cagayanons here and abroad to support Cagayanon talents and patronize Cagayan de Oro products as these are real source of pride.

Mayor Emano said that as the city shifts to a higher gear in as far as promoting Cagayan de Oro to the global market, it is also noteworthy to showcase the city’s best talents, products and services.



Particularly, Mayor Emano took an active stance in promoting the musical compositions of a native Cagayanon—Felipe Velez Abrogar, who in 1985 placed fourth in the Metro Pop Music Festival in Manila.



Abrogar’s album, named So Much Better contains 12 songs all of which are his original compositions namely, Nangangati Ang Ulo Ko, Birheng Salita, Ikaw ang Langit Ko, Pinakamamahal, So Much Better, Since I Came Back Here, Street Song: Fr. Cuna, Prepare For My Old Age: Fr. Cuna, Kilala Ba Ako, Imo Ba Syang Igsoon?, Wa Pa Mahuman Ang Tanan, and Ania Ako Ang Imong Higala.



Ania Ako Ang Imong Higala was composed by Abrogar in 1977 but became popular in 1985 when he interpreted the song in the prestigious Metro Manila Pop Music Festival in that year.



Abrogar’s album sold at P250 per copy will soon be available at the Cagayan de Oro Tourism Show House in Divisoria.



Other Cagayanon talents who are making waves in the national and international entertainment arena are musician Toti Fuentes, classical guitar artists Julius Carrasco and Ernie Vasquez, soprano Evelyn Mandac, Teogenes Velez who composed the UP Hymn, the Sunot sisters of the famous female band Aegis, pop singer Mark Bautista.



Meanwhile, Mayor Emano also disclosed the city’s best products such as the famous ham of Darling Foods, Pine Ham, Oro Ham and Slers.



These products and more of the city’s best products, services and destinations, are also displayed at the city government-operated Tourism Show House in Divisoria.

Source: http://www.cagayandeoro.gov.ph/news.php

May maganda pang balita, Sta. Lucia Realty will take over the long overdue Fil-Estate's Mountain Meadows. Fil-Estate can't cmply on its plan since 1998 due to its financial constraints. Sana sundin pa rin ng Sta. lucia ang plano ng Fil-Estate dati or mas bungga pa ngayon. Mas malawak ang area nito diba kaysa Ayala na 180 hectares?

Residential subdivision din ba yung plano ng Fil-Estate?

Residential subdivision din ba yung plano ng Fil-Estate?

Ang plan ng Fil-Estate dati ay residential estate, country club, business park, and golf course. Maganda ang lugar na yan overlooking the city and macajalar bay at malapit na sa Malasag reforestation area.

^^Wow, parang Pueblo de Oro din yung proposal.

Yup, sana matuloy ang gulf course kasi sa tingin ko mas maganda ang location dyan kaysa Pueblo.

Ang aga mo Francis, may magandang balita kasi kaya inagahan mo ang pagsurf..! Tuloy na talaga ang Ayala project, subdivision pa ang unahin, kelan kaya ang mall?

oo nga eh.. hahaha..actually 2am pa lang nasa VizMin Online community at SSL na ako.. nung inopen ko ang sunstar, yan agad ang nakita ko kaya pinost ko dito.. kaya tulog ako buong umaga at ngayon lang po nagising..hehehe
Oi, register naman kayo dun..i mean ssl at vizmin..hehehe

Ang plan ng Fil-Estate dati ay residential estate, country club, business park, and golf course. Maganda ang lugar na yan overlooking the city and macajalar bay at malapit na sa Malasag reforestation area.

magkatabi lang yung ayala± at fil estates diba? Anyway, yung retail ng ayala di pa nabanggit sa article.. kala ko pa naman sabay sila gagawin..

Nabanggit ang retail shop and other amenities sa article but it would be after the subdivision. Yun ang pakaintindi ko. Eighty hectares daw ang subdivision, pwerting luaga no, siguro from low-cost to high end na. The rest 100 hectares will be on retail and other amenities. Mura pod ni ug pueblo de Oro. Ilang years ba nagkaroon ng SM ang Pueblo? I think mga 7 to 8 years, tama ba 'ko? Kung ganun it takes to 5 years up bago magkaroon ng Ayala Mall dito... sana hindi ganyan kahaba ng paghihintay....

nag open ang SM, 2003..

anyway... mag open diay ang McDo ug new store sa Cogon... Ororama..hehehe..

Nabanggit ang retail shop and other amenities sa article but it would be after the subdivision. Yun ang pakaintindi ko. Eighty hectares daw ang subdivision, pwerting luaga no, siguro from low-cost to high end na. The rest 100 hectares will be on retail and other amenities. Mura pod ni ug pueblo de Oro. Ilang years ba nagkaroon ng SM ang Pueblo? I think mga 7 to 8 years, tama ba 'ko? Kung ganun it takes to 5 years up bago magkaroon ng Ayala Mall dito... sana hindi ganyan kahaba ng paghihintay....

wait a minute mga bai, i'm confused here. i thought the groundbreaking, supposed to be this december, of the ayala corp is intended for the mall, kay morag mao mani gi post sa mga naunang thread. buot pasabot ani isa lang sa proposal ang mall, tapos unahon nila ang subdivision? abi nako maka ayala na ang mindanao next year. libog ko ngano unahon nila ang subdivision, if ever. we need the mall, come on ayala.

wait a minute mga bai, i'm confused here. i thought the groundbreaking, supposed to be this december, of the ayala corp is intended for the mall, kay morag mao mani gi post sa mga naunang thread. buot pasabot ani isa lang sa proposal ang mall, tapos unahon nila ang subdivision? abi nako maka ayala na ang mindanao next year. libog ko ngano unahon nila ang subdivision, if ever. we need the mall, come on ayala.

murag after na sa subdivision..pero sakto gihapon nang ilang strategy..kay basig kung mall una, walay musaka adtong bukira..bisag ako.. layu-a ra adto.. Limketkai nlng..at least kung naay subdivision, unya mga dato pa jud rkay high-end man, sure na ilahang market..

bukid diay na bai francis ang location sa ayala land? if 80 hectares, na dugay pa gyud na kay dili basta basta mag build ug subdivision. kung simultaneous na lang diay, naunsa man ning ayala oi.

Balo ko ani na location kay apil man ang Macasandig. Naa man ko relatives diha dapita. Dako ni na location and pasaka ni sa bungtod.

bukid diay na bai francis ang location sa ayala land? if 80 hectares, na dugay pa gyud na kay dili basta basta mag build ug subdivision. kung simultaneous na lang diay, naunsa man ning ayala oi.

lapad kaayo na nga plateau.. duha ang nagtag-iya.. 150 hectars man tingali sa ayala, the rest kay sa sta lucia na..

Balo ko ani na location kay apil man ang Macasandig. Naa man ko relatives diha dapita. Dako ni na location and pasaka ni sa bungtod.

part sa macasandig bai pero sa south sya agihon.. accessible through the south diversion road..´

lapad kaayo na nga plateau.. duha ang nagtag-iya.. 150 hectars man tingali sa ayala, the rest kay sa sta lucia na..

na nisamot na kay more than 150 hectares man diay na. a subdivision/village that big will take years to finish or at least become operational. rancho palos verdes here in davao is 165 hectares, although operational na, dili pa gyud 100 percent done. got no idea kanus-a nagsugod ang rancho but i'm sure more than 3 years na na sya. dili siguro hulaton sa ayala nga mahuman gyud ang subdivision, maybe after 2 years start na sila kay dili baya pod dali mag build ug mall.

nag open ang SM, 2003..

Nagsimula ang Pueblo 1995-96, so mga 7 years bago nagkaroon ng mall ang Pueblo...

well, i do hope...very soon... 4.5 billion gud to ba?

wait a minute mga bai, i'm confused here. i thought the groundbreaking, supposed to be this december, of the ayala corp is intended for the mall, kay morag mao mani gi post sa mga naunang thread. buot pasabot ani isa lang sa proposal ang mall, tapos unahon nila ang subdivision? abi nako maka ayala na ang mindanao next year. libog ko ngano unahon nila ang subdivision, if ever. we need the mall, come on ayala.


Tingnan pa siguro nila kung feasible ba gyod ang market kaya pakunti-kunti muna ang investment.

oonga...ang SM nga eh halos magsarado na..to think ang daming subdivisions na nakapaligid sa kanya...

well, i do hope...very soon... 4.5 billion gud to ba?

In the long run yung 4.5 billion na investment. Kahit Fort Bonifacio hindi naman biglaan ang totaol investment ibuild-up sabay-sabay. Darating din tayo dyan magka Ayala mall, saglit lang yung 5 years initial ko lang na time yan... hehe

anyway... mag open diay ang McDo ug new store sa Cogon... Ororama..hehehe..

Ororama Supercenter, saan banda tapad sa greenwich?

yung pharmacy nila, hinati..to giveway sa McDo.. sa labas nga lang ng ororama ang entrance.. bale tabi ng foodcourt..

P4.5Billion for the business district of Ayala?

P4.5Billion for the business district of Ayala?

Yan ang nabanggit sa mga press release ng city government. Sabi nga nila initial investment is 2 billion, is 2B enough or too big to construct a subdivision? Kasi ang unahin daw eh subdivision, sa nabanggit sa mga unang press release ang initial na investment ng Ayala ay 2B therefore ang cost ng subdivision is 2B? Or kasali na siguro sa 2B ang horizontal development ng buong Ayala project.

buong horizontal development na siguro, like pueblo..Grabe naman kung subdivision lang yun..

PIA Press Release
2006/10/09

Mayor Emano, Oro biz men off to Australia today
Cagayan de Oro City (9 October) -- City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano will lead today a group of local businessmen and trade officials in a trade mission to Australia and nearby New Zealand hoping to attract more foreign investors to consider the vast prospects of investment here in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental.

Upon arrival in Sydney, Emano and his trade delegation -- composed of the members of the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (Oro Chamber) and the provincial office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) -- are set to meet with Consul General Ma. Theresa Lazaro of the Philippine Consul General in Sydney. then proceed to meet Mr. Wilen Van Den Broek, managing director of EMS Pty. Ltd., a manufacturer of air purification filters and inline fans who is considering relocating his company’s facilities from another Asian country to the Philippines.

After the meeting, the group will then proceed to Parramatta City to meet with the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce where Emano is expected to deliver a talk, do some networking with the local businessmen and business organizations and meet with the Parramatta City Council officials for... Full story here. (http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&sec=news&r=R10&y=06&mo=10&fi=p061009.htm&no=72)

MAAYONG BUNTAG BULAWANONG KAGAY-AN!

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/Kagay-anresort.jpg
Kagay-an Resort
Photo courtesy by www.kagay-an.com

waaa...i've never been there...looks nice..

buong horizontal development na siguro, like pueblo..Grabe naman kung subdivision lang yun..

Oo nga, 2B as initial investment? Sobrang laki na yan. Kasali na yan sa buong horizontal development.

Mindanao Coal on Schedule, Online by December
By Mike Banos

Plant officials allay fears of delays in the commissioning of the 210 megawatt coal-fired power plant amidst apprehensions of a looming power crisis in Mindanao.


http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/mindanaocoal.jpg

VILLANUEVA, Misamis Oriental – Construction of the Mindanao coal-fired power plant is proceeding as scheduled and should be online by the end of the year, plant officials said.


"We are on the final stage of the power plant's commissioning. The first unit has passed the guarantee and efficiency test while the second unit is gearing-up for a reliability test in preparation for full operation by yearend," said Jerome Soldevilla, communications officer of Steag State Power Inc, (SPI), the project company of the Mindanao Coal-Fired Power Plant.


"Commercial operations will begin as planned not later than 31 December 2006 and we will have our official inauguration in January 2007" he added. "As of 27 September 2006, the power plant project attained a weighted progress achievement of 99%. Based on this figure vis-à-vis the timelines, we are on track and confident that it will commence commercial operations as committed."


Oliver Brock, head of Steag's commissioning team, has been working closely with his counterpart Y. Onishi, head of the Kawasaki Plant Construction, Inc. (a subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries) since the first quarter of the year for the commissioning of the first 105MW unit even as the second 105MW unit is being assembled nearby.


That may sound like good news for an island where demand is fast outstripping available power supply, but power supply in the island remains critical, as oil fired plants come down and repairs in its hydroelectric plants continue.


Emmanuel Abellanosa, Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Assistant Vice President for Mindanao, said they have been constrained to implement voluntary power curtailment or "power shedding" at various times last summer due to imbalances between the available power from National Power Corporation (NPC) and the demand from residential, commercial and industrial users.


"There's not enough spinning reserve in the Mindanao grid to address contingencies," Abellanosa said.


NPC figures show the system gross reserve in Mindanao from the latter half of 2005 to year end 2006 was already insufficient to meet the 11.9-percent load following/frequency and spinning reserve requirements.


NPC president Cyril C. del Callar, earlier warned that "recurring power shortages are expected especially during peak periods, when generators and or associated transmission lines are on forced outage."


Peak power demand in Mindanao last summer topped 1,100 megawatts but the NPC only managed to supply an average of 1,050 megawatts to the Mindanao Power Grid. As a result, whenever there's a glitch in the distribution system, power is cut in some areas as the grid seeks to balance the remaining available power throughout the delicately balanced system.


Abellanosa said NPC's total power generation was curtailed due to rehabilitation works in the 92MW Agus IV Hydro-Electric Power Plant at Iligan City, the 255-megawatt Pulangi IV Hydro Electric Plant in Bukidnon and the 25MW Iligan Diesel Power Plant in Ditucalan, Iligan City, turned over a few years back by independent power producer Northern Mindanao Power Corporation.


As a result, power supply to the Zamboanga peninsula and nearby areas was curtailed by 50MW causing up to three hour power outages although Cagayan de Oro city managed to get by thanks to the 18MW Mindanao Energy Systems (Minergy) power plant which augmented available power to the local utility (Cagayan de Oro Electric Power & Light Co. or CEPALCO).


Rufino T. Magbanua, communications officer for Transco NCMA, said at least 85 percent of Mindanao has already been tapping independent power producers (IPPs) and NPC power barges particularly in key areas.


That's for the short term. Over the medium and long term, even if only ongoing base load coal-fired power plant in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental comes online as scheduled by year end, it's merely going to patch things over but not fix it.


Although the grid is being weaned away from its traditional dependence on hydroelectric power plants, the bulk of generated power in the island is still being sourced from the Agus Hydroelectric Power Plants in Iligan City and Lanao del Sur and the Pulangi Hydroelectric Power Plants in Maramag, Bukidnon.


The Regional Development Council in Region 10 (RDC-10) has sounded the alarm over the deteriorating power situation in Mindanao.


Arsenio L. Sebastian III, RDC-10 vice-chairman and Dr. Modesto Babaylan, RDC 10 infrastructure committee co-chairman, disclosed recently that Pulangi is producing only 100-120MW of its 255MW rated capacity due to accumulated siltation in the Pulangi River feeding its catchment basin.


Besides the lack of available funds to dredge the Pulangi river, Sebastian said they also have no place to dump the dredged silt taken from it.


Sebastian is also concerned the Mindanao Coal –Fired Power Plant might not be sufficient to meet energy demand in the island, citing Department of Energy statistics show a rising demand for power that the present supply might be unable to meet even with the new base load plant online.


NPC President del Callar earlier said that from 2007 to 2008, power supply in Mindanao would be stable as the system gross reserve remains sufficient to meet the LFFR and spinning reserve with the scheduled commissioning of the 200 MW coal plant.


The average power supply reserve margin in the Mindanao grid from 2005 to 2008 is 7.26% with 2008 having the lowest projected power supply reserve margin of 3.93%. By 2009, peak demand for power in Mindanao will start to exceed the existing power capacity, with additional new capacity of about 57 MW to be needed for the year and an average of 116 MW every year thereafter.


But the environmental advocacy group Task Force Macajalar (TFC) has called on the NPC to review its projections.


TFM spokesperson BenCyrus Ellorin said Mindanao can sustain its power needs without resorting to fossil fuels like oil or coal because its existing hydropower plants are sufficient to meet the island’s needs if their full potential of 12,000MW is tapped.


Latest NPC figures only show an existing power band of 982 –1,500 MW with independent power producers (IPPs) capable of another 543 MW.


NPC expects power demand in Mindanao to grow 11.8 percent from 2005-2011 and would need an installed capacity of 2,830MW by the end of this period with the Mindanao Coal-Fired Power Plant filling the gap.


Ellorin believes Mindanao would be better off if it rehabilitates its present hydroelectric power plants and reforest the watersheds that support them or inter-connect with the rest of the Philippine grid with the Leyte-Mindanao Inter-connection project.


The Mindanao grid is divided into three sub-grids - North, West, and South Mindanao. Of these, only North Mindanao enjoys an excess capacity while the West and South Mindanao grids have to import from the North Mindanao sub-grid to sufficiently address peak power demand in their respective areas.


The country’s Power Development Plan for 2005 to 2014 stresses the importance of putting up more power generating plants in order to avert a power shortfall in the major islands of the country, particularly in Mindanao since the previous surplus has been effectively erased with the reopening of the National Steel Corporation (NSC, now Global Steel International, Inc. or GSII) steel plant in Iligan City.


In a recent forum to determine just how real the Mindanao Power Crisis is, CEPALCO Sr. Vice President David Tauli said there’s no large power plant (e.g.., 100MW or larger) scheduled for construction in Mindanao from 2007-2011 after STEAG State Power Inc’s 210MW coal-fired power plant goes online this year end.


By 2009, Tauli’s projections show Mindanao’s energy demand at 9,150 gigawatt hours while dependable power supply, SPI’s coal-fired power plant included, would only be 9,200 GWh, way below the 11.9-percent load following/frequency and spinning reserve requirements of Transco and a generating system that’s no longer “N-1” reliable.


Tauli said this would result to widespread and lengthy brownouts when a section of the transmission system goes on the blink. A drought like the one expected to hit the island soon would worsen this situation.


In the same forum, former National Power Corp. President Guido Alfredo Delgado concurred with Tauli’s observations, citing how energy prices in Mindanao are too low, hence the lack of an economic incentive to add new capacity to the island’s power grid.


“There are no creditworthy off-takers and no long term market, hence no long term funds available in the local market for investments in power generation, which by its very nature calls for long-term funds,” Delgado noted. “On top of that, there are the stranded costs of Napocor and distribution utilities Mindanao power consumers are mandated to pay under the EPIRA.”


Tauli, Delgado and Ellorin all agree the passage of the Renewable Energy Bill which has been languishing in Congress to include a mandatory “renewable power supply portfolio” for distribution utilities should lead to investments in renewable sources of electricity, but chances of the bill’s passage before Congress goes into recess next month look dim.

Source of photo and story: www.kagay-an.com, September 28, 2006

Maayong Hapon Kagay-an!

PIA Press Release
2006/10/11

Ayala firm to start developing high-end residential complex in Oro
Cagayan de Oro City (11 October) -- The pioneer of land development in the country, Ayala Land -- a real estate affiliate of the Ayala Corporation -- is set to develop their 180 hectares of property in the barangays of Camaman-an, Macasandig, and Indahag, this city.

Vel De La Cerna, assistant vice-president of Cebu Holdings Inc., which is an affiliate of Ayala Land operating in Visayas and Mindanao, disclosed during Monday's regular session at the city council that they are now developing 50 hectares of their property and are set to be finished by the first quarter of 2007.

De La Cerna informed the city council that they already got their Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and is set to get a development certificate from the city government soon.

The executive told the councilors that the soon-to-rise high end residential complex is to be developed under the Ayala Land Premier brand, the developer of elite residential and business parks like Forbes Park, Ayala Alabang, Ayala Westgrove and to name a few.

He said that their presence in the city is a sign that Cagayan de Oro is now ripe for real estate development of such first-class residential complex.

The 50 hectares, which covers first phase of the entire property, is composed of several villages that include a sports facility, pocket park, watershed treatment facility, chapel, ravine orchards, promontory point, canyon trails and a central park that is unnamed yet.

Aside from the residential complex, the company also plans to engage in other business in the city like the development of an Information and Technology (IT) park or a shopping center.

The real estate company assured the city government that they will lend their technical expertise to the city by helping in shaping-up the city as the most progressive city in Mindanao. (City Information Office/RAGCOM

Source: www.PIA.gov.ph

This thread has not yet returned to its original title.

^ Done, sorry for the inconvenience ;)

Hello Kagay-an, i'm back! nkakamiss to. just arrived from bangkok. it is nice to know that these promising development projects of cagayan de oro are now realizing.. whoa! go CDeO!

Welcome back Cyrusal! mapugngan pa ang baha nungka ang kalamboan sa CDeO! Giga Go CDeO!!!

PIA Press Release
2006/10/14

TESDA to launch jobs fair for welders, call center agents
Cagayan de Oro City (14 October) -- Secretary Augusto Syjuco, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Directory General, is set to visit the city to spearhead a jobs fair at the SM City Activity Center from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

The jobs fair is exclusively for call center agents and skilled welders. Interested applicants are requested to bring with them the following pertinent documents: transcript of records, certificates of previous employment and of training (optional) along with their resume.

For more details, applicants may visit the TESDA regional office or call (08822) 725519 and look for Beulah Lusica, program coordinator. (PIA-10)

Source (http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=news&r=R10&y=06&mo=10&fi=p061014.htm&no=12)

PIA Press Release
2006/10/13

Emano to meet Aussie-RP biz group execs
Cagayan de Oro City (13 October) -- City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano is expected to meet with the members of the Australia-Philippines Business Council (APBC) during a scheduled high-level luncheon business forum in Sydney, Australia today, October 12.

Emano’s business meeting with about 15 to 20 members of the APBC hopes to provide an avenue to discuss two-way business opportunities between the two countries.

It may be recalled that Emano left last weekend to lead a group of local businessmen and trade officials in a trade mission to Australia and nearby New Zealand hoping to attract more foreign investors to consider the vast prospects of investment here in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental.

After the business forum, Emano and party will meet with the Smithfield-Wetherill Park Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. Full story HERE (http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&r=R10&y=06&mo=10&fi=p061013.htm&no=13).

Reflections By Anselmo B. Mercado


RIVER OF CAGAYAN DE ORO

River of Cagayan de Oro,

you keep flowing serenely since long ago.

Your name will linger on forever,

a flowing landmark in the city that admires you.

Rains from the sky replenish you.

Streams and rivulets seek and refill you.

The thirsty earth absorbs you.

Hills and plains are in quiet and respectful awe,

as they let you flow through,

to the welcoming arms of Macajalar Bay,

where the open sea endlessly consumes you.

During the rainy season

your waters overflow in uncontrolled fashion,

watering the land, a flowing irrigation,

God’s gift from the bounty of His vast creation.

During the dry season

your waters ebb in recession.

From your depths some islets appear,

formed by unfeeling uncontrollable erosion year-by-year.

On your waters people frolic, bath and wash.

You are indeed life to many a creature and fish.

Many a boat on your waters they float,

carrying people and their wares,

going about their business

plying your route.

Oh beautiful river!

Your silent presence is simply a pleasure.

Keep flowing, oh beautiful river!

You are the city’s pride and treasure.

Oh people of Cagayan de Oro!

Regard with kindness and respect, for we know

our river is more precious than “oro”.

Let not pollution and utter negligence continue.

Let’s clean, beautify and take care of our river.

Let’s see her flow – flow, flow beautiful river!

Let your beauty flow to last forever.


Source: http://mindanaocurrent.blogspot.com/

PIA Press Release
2006/10/11

Ayala firm to start developing high-end residential complex in Oro
Cagayan de Oro City (11 October) -- The pioneer of land development in the country, Ayala Land -- a real estate affiliate of the Ayala Corporation -- is set to develop their 180 hectares of property in the barangays of Camaman-an, Macasandig, and Indahag, this city.

Aside from the residential complex, the company also plans to engage in other business in the city like the development of an Information and Technology (IT) park or a shopping center.

Source: www.PIA.gov.ph

Nice new fromat of SSC
Sana parehong Shopping Center at IT Park ang itayo sa CDeO...! :cheer:

Soon, all of these will materialize. Tatlo na ang IT parks ng CDO kung matuloy itong Ayala IT park. Una ang Pueblo de Oro then Alwana Business IT Park. Plus newly PEZA approve IT building ang Georgetown Cybermall IT building sa Kauswagan. Marami na tayong IT parks/building, susunod dadagsa sa atin ang mga IT locators naman... its time to start for the countdown of being IT hub in Southern philippines!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Land Bank to open Puerto branch
By Danilo V. Adorador III

THE Land Bank of the Philippines will open its fifth Cagayan de Oro branch in Puerto this week, bringing its credit delivery system and other services to the city's eastern district and the adjoining towns of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.

Josephine Mercadal, manager of the soon-to-be opened branch, said Land Bank Puerto will offer all services currently being offered in all of their branches -- deposits, ATM services, loans, remittances from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), SSS and Pag-ibig contributions.

The new branch will serve highly industrial barangays in the eastern side, covering Tablon and stretching to the Misamis Orietal town of Lagonglong.

With the bank's proximity to Bukidnon, it is also expected to cover the province's agro-industrial municipalities of Manolo Fortich, Libona and Malitbog.

"With the new branch, we can now serve better major industrial establishments not only in Cagayan de Oro but also Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon," Mercadal said.

Land Bank, a government financial institution, would become Puerto's only universal bank, she added.

Prospective clientele and local officials are expected to attend Land Bank Puerto's soft opening on October 20. Banking hours will start at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m.

Being the fourth largest bank in the Philippines and the largest formal credit institution in the rural areas, Mercadal said Land Bank Puerto will strive to contribute to the development of the clientele it will serve.

SOURCE: Sunstar (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/10/17/bus/land.bank.to.open.puerto.branch.html)

Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Mayor upbeat over Aussie prospects

MAYOR Vicente Y. Emano said he has successfully convinced the Australian-Filipino business community in Sydney, Australia to explore vast investment opportunities in Cagayan de Oro City.

Emano ended the first leg of their trade mission in Australia over the weekend with a bright note.

The mayor, together with local businessmen and trade officials, left earlier this month to lead another round of trade mission in Australia and nearby New Zealand, hoping to attract more foreign investors to consider the vast prospects of investment here in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental.

While in Australia, the Cagayan de Oro City delegation met with the different groups of businessmen during formal business forums and meetings where Emano presented viable investment opportunities the city could offer to foreign traders.

Emano reiterated that the influx of more investments in the city will readily translate into more job opportunities for the local residents and increased revenue for the City Government to implement better and improved social services for the people here.

Aside from luring Australian investors, the trade mission is also aimed at establishing economic and friendship ties with the international community through sisterhood agreements.

In fact, officials from Blacktown, a city in Australia, has expressed keen interest to sign a sister-city pact with Cagayan de Oro before the group headed to New Zealand for the last leg of the trade mission. (CIO)

Source (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/10/18/bus/mayor.upbeat.over.aussie.prospects.html)

Thursday, October 19, 2006
WOCCU-CUES opens office, celebrates Intl Credit Day

CREDIT unions/cooperatives from around the world will join in solidarity on October 19 to honor the credit union movement's history and achievements.

In a press statement the World Council of Credit Unions-Credit Union Empowerment and Strengthening (WOCCU-CUES) Phils. said it is inviting the community to join in celebrating International Credit Union Day simultaneous with the inauguration of the new office located at Gonzalo Go Building, A. Luna Street, Cagayan de Oro City.

Since 1948, International Credit Union Day has been celebrated annually on the third Thursday of October.

This year's theme, Credit Unions: Making a World of Difference, reflects the worldwide scope and influence of credit unions/cooperatives.

Selected by credit union enthusiasts from around the world, the theme emphasizes the common thread and desire for financial freedom that weaves people together into the international credit union movement.

World Council of Credit Unions, Inc., the international trade association and development organization for credit unions, has sponsored International Credit Union Day for over 30 years.

"Credit unions are cooperatives that bring an equal voice and financial freedom to more than 157 million credit union members in 92 countries," World Council CEO Pete Crear said. "From Asia to Afghanistan to Louisiana, credit unions have been there to rebuild, offer hope and provide community support when all other means have failed."

Credit unions from around the world will celebrate the day with parades, festivals, contests and open houses. In Cagayan de Oro City, ICU day will be highlighted with the WOCCU- CUES' office inauguration and open house at Antonio Luna Street, Cagayan de Oro City.

Moreover, WOCCU- CUES will also conduct a Refreshers' Training on Credit Management at Pearlmont Inn, Cagayan de Oro City on October 18 and 19, 2006.

Around 120 coop leaders and managers from all over Mindanao and the Visayas Region 8 have confirmed their attendance to the training-workshop.

The WOCCU-CUES Philippines project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Office of Economic Development and Governance (OEDG).

WOCCU-CUES, Philippines Project transferred its main office in Cagayan de Oro City following the recently- approved Phase 3 Project, dubbed establishing the Deposit Insurance Facility (DIF).

The new office houses the Model Credit Union Building (MCUB) and Examination units of the Project.

It is located at Gonzalo Go Building, A. Luna Street, Cagayan de Oro City.

The office will be inaugurated on October 19, 3:00 p.m. in celebration of the International Credit Union Day.

David Richardson, Senior Manager for Technical Development and Mr. Adrian Rodriguez, the new Chief of Party will attend the office blessing.

Davao City used to be the main location of WOCCU-CUES Project but since more cooperatives from Northern Mindanao and neighboring regions are participating in the 3rd Phase, it was decided to relocate the office in Cagayan de Oro City.

SOURCE: Sunstar (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/10/19/bus/woccu.cues.opens.office.celebrates.intl.credit.day.html)

Tourist arrivals in NorMin increase by 17.5% in 2nd quarter
Sunday, October 15 2006 @ 11:20 AM BST

Tourism
The second quarter of the year posted a 17.58 percent increase in tourist arrivals in Northern Mindanao.

The Department of Tourism regional office 10 disclosed that of the figure foreign tourists registered 86.80% while domestic tourists at 14.27% or 202,845.

DOT-10 regional director Catalino Chan III said that of the foreigners who visited the region, arrivals from Brunei, Hongkong, New Zealand, Norway and Denmark registered a highest increase while the Balikbayans reached 2,224 compared to only 737 during the same period last year.

He pointed out that the second quarter is considered a peak season for the region since the area is found to be a good place to spend summer break as well as educational and cultural visits.

The Misamis Occidental-Ozamiz-Tangub-Oroquieta registered the most number of visitors which totalled 74,994 followed by Camiguin, Cagayan de Oro-Misamis Oriental, Iligan-Lanao del Norte and Bukidnon.

Chan said that the hotel occupancy has increased to 2.11% and it has a good record of events organized in the region which totaled to 628 over 397 during the same period last year.

Chan hopes that even with the recent bombing incidents in Mindanao, visitors would still visit Northern Mindanao since it has the most stable peace and order in the island. (PNA)

Source: Bayanihan.org (http://www.bayanihan.org/html/article.php/20061015112040732)

Diamond PAL Interclub slated in Cagayan in 2007

THE Philippine Airlines Interclub, the country's largest golf event, converges in Cagayan de Oro for its 60th championships from February 16 to 24, 2007. The "Diamond Edition" of the tournament, widely acknowledged as the national clubs championship of the Philippines, has attracted a field of nearly 150 teams, including more than 60 squads from overseas.

Joining hands to formally launch the 60th PAL Interclub during the First Team Captains' Meeting recently are Clifford Celdran, general manager of Pueblo de Oro Golf & Country Club; Miguel Comique, golf chairman of Del Monte Golf Club; Domingo Duerme, Interclub chairman; Jess Garcia, Interclub vice-chairman; Bob Salazar, Interclub co-chairman; and Ruben Pecson, senior vice president of Air Philippines, a major sponsor of the tournament. Press release

Source: Sunstar (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ilo/2006/10/14/sports/diamond.pal.interclub.slated.in.cagayan.in.2007.html)

PIA Press Release
2006/10/18

Oro to host international rafting in 2007
Cagayan de Oro City (18 October) -- With the wild rapids of the Cagayan de Oro River, the city is capable of hosting the International Rafting Federation (IRF) World Championship Series in the last quarter of next year.

Mr. Mark Geoffe, board of director of IRF who was in the city recently to watch and manage the 4th National Whitewater Rafting Challenge over the weekend disclosed this.

Geoffe said that with the year-round navigable rapids of the Cagayan de Oro River and its exotic beauty and wild rapids, the city is truly capable of hosting an international event like the World Series.

Since the city lost its bid to Seoul, South Korea for the 2007 World Rafting Championship where Geoffe is the event organizer, he said that the city can be part of the World Series instead, which happens every year and will possibly be in the city by October-November of 2007.

The World Series is a rafting challenge where the best paddlers of each participating country test their courage and spirit in the wild rivers of the host countries.

As a veteran paddler who rafted in the world’s wildest rivers, Geoffe finds the Cagayan de Oro River as one of the best in the world, especially upstream like in Ugiaban and Sto. Niño.

The adventure tourism of the city has a high potential for the world market, said Geoffe who considered the city’s adventure packages as good enough to compete globally.

Geoffe, together with the local rafting group -- the Cagayan de Oro Whitewater Rafting Adventure -- is set to visit Department of Tourism secretary Ace Durano for the hosting of next year’s event. (City Information Office/RAGCOM) [top]

Source: PIA (http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=news&r=R10&y=06&mo=10&fi=p061018.htm&no=65)

PIA Press Release
2006/10/18

Oro’s computerization program a benchmark for Northern Samar
Cagayan de Oro City (18 October) -- Impressed with the city’s modern computerization system that interlinks main offices of the city hall, a 15-man delegation from the provincial government of Northern Samar has shown keen interest to emulate the salient features of the city’s computerization program in their locality.

Neciforo Rubenecia, Jr., the group’s team leader and Northern Samar’s Provincial Planning Development Coordinator, said that their recent visit in the city aims to get first-hand information on how to replicate the city’s best practices and programs especially in the area of computerization and information system on the collection of real property and business tax, hospital, human resource, project monitoring and agriculture.

The group is mostly composed of department heads, chiefs of office and some technical staff who will then be tasked to implement and oversee the realization of the replicable programs in their province.

During their one and half day visit, concerned departments and offices at city hall taught the group on how Cagayan de Oro set-up and run its information system networking in order to serve the clientele with faster delivery of frontline services.

Based on their observation, Rubenecia said the exposure is very informative and helpful to their needs along technical innovation and management information.

Among the best practices they learned from the city, the efficiency of the city’s real property tax system is what the group wants to adopt in Northern Samar since it is one of the most important frontline services in their province.

He said that the provincial government will attempt to develop software that would fit the actual needs of their clientele.

The modernization of Cagayan de Oro’s computerization program is a project funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). (City Information Office/RAGCOM)

Source: PIA (http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=news&r=R10&y=06&mo=10&fi=p061018.htm&no=69)

pa post lang ng davao ad..baka pala may kilala kayong pupunta ng davao..

here's my bar..(not mine..hehe ako lang architect)

the party place to be..


the Aquarium@Avenida Santos..

Located @ Avenida Santos, NOva Tierra Village, Lanang , Davao City

(200m from the Nova Tierra Gate)



Let's PARTY!!!

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/AQuALOGO2copy.jpg


http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/Bar1.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/Bar2.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/Bar5.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/Bar7.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/Bar4.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/Bar3.jpg

any updates sa AYala mall in CDO?

;10160793']pa post lang ng davao ad..baka pala may kilala kayong pupunta ng davao..

here's my bar..(not mine..hehe ako lang architect)

the party place to be..


the Aquarium@Avenida Santos..

Located @ Avenida Santos, NOva Tierra Village, Lanang , Davao City

(200m from the Nova Tierra Gate)



Let's PARTY!!!

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/AQuALOGO2copy.jpg


http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/Bar1.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/Bar2.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/Bar5.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/Bar7.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/Bar4.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g261/waway625/Bar3.jpg


Ang ganda ng bar na 'to! Talagang maipagmalaki lalo na sa may idea nito. Bravo to you!!!

Friday, October 20, 2006
SouthFoodEX `06 attracts 10T

IN ITS debut last September 2006, the Southland Food, Travel and Hospitality Exposition or SouthFoodEX 2006 attracted over 10,000 visitors and its 80 exhibitors generated close to 11 million pesos in cash and booked/reservation sales.

SouthFoodEX Chairman Marriz Manuel B. Agbon, President & CEO of Agbon Management Consultancy Services (AMCS), issued this statement.

In a press statement sent to Sun.Star, Agbon said SouthFoodEX effectively succeeded in its bid to establish itself as the signature food, travel and hospitality trade event to promote Cagayan de Oro and Mindanao to Asia and the rest of the world.

It represented the common aspiration of event organizers and suppliers of Cagayan de Oro to be the trade fair capital in addition to being the convention city of the Philippine south, added Agbon.

Top cash sales was reported by C&T Water Enterprise Corp. followed by Enzima International. The other SouthFoodEX exhibitors posting significant cash sales were SunStar Cagayan de Oro, Davao Synthetic, Carica Health Products and Pine Foods Ham.

The Northern Mindanao One Town One Product (OTOP) Pavilion put up by the Department of Trade and Industry, featuring some 20 micro and small entrepreneurs from all over the region, also reported satisfactory returns on their display. The OTOP Pavilion was voted the Best Dressed Raw Space for SouthFoodEX 2006.

Pearl Farm Beach Resort bagged the Best Dressed Booth. It will be noted that Pearl Farm was also cited as the Best Dressed Booth during the 2005 Mindanao Food and Hotel Exhibition (MinFHEx), the predecessor of SouthFoodEX.

Success

Meanwhile, Westfield Homes and Spot Wireless, Inc. led in booked/reservation sales followed by SouthFoodEX exhibitors C & T Water Enterprise, 3 Kingdom and YSU Marketing.

SouthFoodEX attributes a large part of its success to the generous support of DCTECH Micro Services-Xtreme Misornet-Pisolutions, Petron-Gasul, Nestle FoodServices, Limketkai and Sons, Inc. Ikebana International -CDO Chapter and the backing of the City of Cagayan de Oro, the Province of Misamis Oriental, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Agriculture, the National Economic and Development Authority and the Department of Science and Technology.

Exhibitors' satisfaction was unmistakably reflected in the post-event survey, which revealed 93 percent of exhibitors giving SouthFoodEX 2006 a thumbs-up rating, as reported by Southland Events Managing Director Ann Medes. This satisfaction spilled over to the exhibitors' ratings reported for exhibition trade goals:

* Building/increasing company/brand image - 96 percent
* Learn more about clients'/prospect's expectations - 93 percent
* Winning new customers - 90 percent
* Local possible agents/distributors - 86 percent
* Launch new products/services - 84 percent
* Assess market potential - 82 percent

Participation

Ninety-four percent of SouthFoodEX 2006 exhibitors signified their intention to return in SouthFoodEX 2007, which is already scheduled July 14 to 16, 2007.

Interested parties wishing to book this early to avail of big discounts are advised to contact Anna Marie J. Medes, Managing Director at 2nd floor, Metz Arcade Capt., V. Roa Street, Cagayan de Oro City, telefax + 63 88 8564499/+ 63 88 8566699 or email at southlandevents@yahoo.com.

SouthFoodEX 2006 was proudly endorsed by the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines, Regional Development Council of Northern Mindanao, Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines, the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chamber of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industries of Northern Mindanao and Food Processors Association of Northern Mindanao.

Media and publicity partners include Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro, PARASAT Cable TV, MAGNET Advertising, RMN-DXCC, iFM, Boracay Ads and Event Publishing & Advertising, Legacy Printing, and Samsung. SOUTHFOODEX IT partners are STI College Cagayan de Oro, Inc., PHILCOM, Global Chips Technologies, Inc.

SouthFoodEX exhibition system contractor was Centrex Corporation while FoxChit provided visitor registration support.

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/10/20/bus/southfoodex.06.attracts.10t.html

any updates sa AYala mall in CDO?

Medyo malayo-layo pa bago kami magka-Ayala mall. Subdivision daw una nilang gawin. Sa 180 hectares nilang lupa dito 50 has. pa muna ang para sa ubdivision. Pero nagtataka ako kasi lumabas sa unang balita na 2 billion ang initial investment ng Ayala sa 4.5 billion nilang ilalagak dito a CDeO project.

BTW, hows your Convention center na gagamitin sa ASEAN summit? Balita sa TV malabo daw matapos at magamit sa ASEAN summit?

212,974 tourists visit CdeO in 8 months' time

Cagayan de Oro City (20 October) -- The city continues to be the most visited among the places in Northern Mindanao as it registered 212,974 visitors from January to August, this year.

Imma Rae D. Gatuslao, city tourism officer disclosed that the figure posted in their statistics registered 9,077 foreigners; 189,791 domestic travelers; 3,372 balikabayans and another 10,734 visitors with unspecified nationality.

Full story PIA (http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=news&r=R10&y=06&mo=10&fi=p061020.htm&no=61)

Medyo malayo-layo pa bago kami magka-Ayala mall. Subdivision daw una nilang gawin. Sa 180 hectares nilang lupa dito 50 has. pa muna ang para sa ubdivision. Pero nagtataka ako kasi lumabas sa unang balita na 2 billion ang initial investment ng Ayala sa 4.5 billion nilang ilalagak dito a CDeO project.

BTW, hows your Convention center na gagamitin sa ASEAN summit? Balita sa TV malabo daw matapos at magamit sa ASEAN summit?

ah ok...

about the CICC, murag triling lagi kaayo... but good to know coz of this contovercial CICC, a lot of Cebuanos were educated about the ASEAN summit.

October 19, 2006

Cagayan de Oro to host Asia Peace Builders Forum

By Mike Banos

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (19 October 2006) This self-styled “City of Golden Friendship” seeks to expand its many facets into another dimension when it hosts the Asia Peace builders Forum next week, 26-30 October 2006.

With the theme “Exploring Asian Approaches to Peace building” the five-day forum will be joined by at least 50 key change agents from 14 Asian countries working in community and national level peace processes in the Asia Pacific region.

Action Asia was started in 1999 when a small group of peace practitioners from the Asia Pacific region met under the umbrella of ACTION International to pursue a long-time dream to form an active network dedicated to peace building.

“The group envisioned to actively support peace practitioners working in violent conflict areas of the Asia region; as well as identify and promote Asian models and understandings of peace building and conflict transformation approaches and processes,” said, Balay Mindanao Foundation, Inc. (BMFI) president Charlito Manlupig whose Peace Center in Bgy. Bulua will host the activity.

“The first vision has been realised with ongoing work in Myanmar and Nepal carried out in conjunction with local peace practitioners, by Asian practitioners belonging to the network,” said Ariel Hernandez, BMFI executive director. “The latter objective of finding the Asian approaches and models has been building momentum, and the realisation of this dream will come about through the Asian Peace Builders Forum next week.

Previously, much of the training and materials relating to conflict transformation and peace building has been generated and provided in Western countries. Organizations such as Responding to Conflict in the UK, and Eastern Mennonite University in the United States have led the field in equipping peace practitioners to do their work.

“The graduates of these programs are the primary members of the Action Asia network, but until next week, they have not had the opportunity to share their own thoughts, reflections and theories about the approaches to peace building which have been found to be effective in the Asian context,” Manlupig said. “Yet there is a myriad of creative ideas and approaches which are being used to effectively address violent conflict, and promote and build peace in the region.”

Specifically, the Asian Peace builders’ Forum will create a venue to identify unique Asian approaches in conflict transformation and peace building; celebrate the vibrancy of the movement and highlight the success of various interventions; document and publish lessons learned from both success and failures in peace building and conflict transformation by practitioners at the community and national levels; deepen relationships between members for further exchange, collaboration and exposure; and profiling situations of Myanmar and Nepal for the purpose of regional solidarity and influencing work.

The forum that will run for 4 ½ days (please see Appendix One for Forum Schedule) will mainly focus on case study presentations exemplifying different themes from presenter’s experiences. The themes would include but not be limited to Ethnicity and Identity; Women, Gender and Peace building; Peace Futures; Peace Museums; Peace Journalism; Peace Advocacy at National Level; Reducing Tensions During Elections; Establishing Zones of Peace in Conflict Areas; Mediation; Conflict Prevention Mechanisms; Reconciliation and Asian Training Methodologies.

One of the highlights of the forum will be the keynote address of peace studies pioneer Prof. Johann Galtung, the founder and Director of Transcend, an organization promoting conflict resolution by non-violent means.

For over four decades Galtung has mediated conflicts in Israel and Palestine, China and Tibet, Peru, Sri Lanka and Burma, among others. He is the author of the United Nations' manual for peace workers and he continues to advise UN agencies on peace issues. He is Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Hawaii and other centers of peace learning.

Prior to workshop-presentations, speakers have been invited to open the morning plenary to talk on Peace building Efforts in the Asian Region from Various Faith Perspectives; Influencing Government Policies; and Mainstreaming Gender Sensitivity in Peace Building Work.

This Forum will also provide an opportunity for participants to strengthening the existing network and identify future collaborative actions, as well as giving core Action Asia members the chance to meet and discuss detailed future plans.

The forum’s ultimate goal is the publication of a book containing several thematic case studies from experiences of peace advocates in the Asian region.

Source: www.kagay-an.com

@boju: Thrilling na thrilling, malalaman ang lahat sa November 15 :yes:

There’s still hope for RP, 3 young leaders find

By Tina Arceo-Dumlao
Inquirer


Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc. officers and staff conduct their most intense meetings in a place they call “the peace—not war—room.”

They want to remind themselves that it is the culture of peace they are trying to nurture in war-torn Mindanao.

Balay Mindanaw, a Cagayan de Oro-based nongovernment organization, got involved in peace work just three years ago.

“That was when we found our true mission in life,” says its executive director Ariel C. Hernandez, 35.

Since graduating from Xavier University with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Hernandez has always been involved in community development work. He was part of the group that set up Balay Mindanaw 10 years ago. Some seven years were devoted to the development of upland communities, as far as six hours away from Cagayan de Oro.

Full story HERE (http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=22599)

@boju: Thrilling na thrilling, malalaman ang lahat sa November 15 :yes:Thrilling nga eh, last nakita ko sa TV wala pang bubong, sana ibuhos na nila lahat ng effort to finish before December para matesting pa ang system kung wala bang palya. May interior finishing pa pano na yun. I remember when our graduation held in newly finish Xavier Estate Club, at the middle of the ceremony namatay ang aircon kaya bad trip ang graduation namin.

Makisali na ako sa usapan. Just want you to know that here in Iligan, Marami rin ang nakaantabay regarding CICC. Talagang excited rin kami kung matatapos nga ba ang CICC on time o hindi. ;)

The Cebuanos will deliver :yes:

Kayang-kaya yan ng mga Cebuano. Dugong Cebuano rin ako eh.:)

I'll just cross my fingers...:)

Makisali na ako sa usapan. Just want you to know that here in Iligan, Marami rin ang nakaantabay regarding CICC. Talagang excited rin kami kung matatapos nga ba ang CICC on time o hindi. ;)

so inaabangan din pala ng taga mindanao ang CICC, akala ko kami lng dito...hehe
ang CICC naman ay para sa mga Pilipino di lang ng mga Cebuano...

212,974 tourists visit CdeO in 8 months' time

Cagayan de Oro City (20 October) -- The city continues to be the most visited among the places in Northern Mindanao as it registered 212,974 visitors from January to August, this year.

Imma Rae D. Gatuslao, city tourism officer disclosed that the figure posted in their statistics registered 9,077 foreigners; 189,791 domestic travelers; 3,372 balikabayans and another 10,734 visitors with unspecified nationality.

Full story PIA (http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=news&r=R10&y=06&mo=10&fi=p061020.htm&no=61)

Did the number of tourist arrivals increase from the same period last year?

Ang ganda ng bar na 'to! Talagang maipagmalaki lalo na sa may idea nito. Bravo to you!!!

DAGHANG SALAMAT PO..maybe we can hold the DVO-CDO SSC meet here..hehe

OT@ my relatives isuzu pick up just got recently car napped in CDO.... :( I never imagined that car napping was prevalent even in CDO.... i do hope that they do something about this!

^^ carnapping can happen anywhere especially in major urban centers..

yeah but issues like that gets resolved easily in some countries... =/ my point is we need to tighten our security.... cctv perhaps?

i think ok yung style ng mga malls dito sa davao (sorry i know cdo thread to, suggestion ra man) pagsulod sa carpark, tagaan ug ticket, unya dili ka kagawas ug carpark if wala ang ticket (problema m na kung iwan mo ang ticket sa kotse mo :lol: tapos ma carnap, di kagawas ghapon ang carnapper haha)

yep.. thats what parks here in the uk work, u get a ticket when you come in, you give the ticket when you go out.. automated.. makes it safer, plus the area is monitored by cctv.. so not a single car napper can dare steal a car

so inaabangan din pala ng taga mindanao ang CICC, akala ko kami lng dito...hehe
ang CICC naman ay para sa mga Pilipino di lang ng mga Cebuano...

Malaking impact ang ASEAN summit dyan sa Cebu, magkatabi lang tayo. Ang development ng Cebu ay maramdaman din ng Hilagang Mindanao even before. Lalo na ngayong summit may mga Indian at German nationals daw na mag-attend dyan at bibisita din dito sa CDeO para sa busines matching.

Did the number of tourist arrivals increase from the same period last year?

Yes, there's an increase of tourist arrivals not only here in this city but in the entire Northern Mindanao. The article below said:


Tourist arrivals in NorMin increase by 17.5% in 2nd quarter
Sunday, October 15 2006 @ 11:20 AM BST

Tourism
The second quarter of the year posted a 17.58 percent increase in tourist arrivals in Northern Mindanao.

The Department of Tourism regional office 10 disclosed that of the figure foreign tourists registered 86.80% while domestic tourists at 14.27% or 202,845.

DOT-10 regional director Catalino Chan III said that of the foreigners who visited the region, arrivals from Brunei, Hongkong, New Zealand, Norway and Denmark registered a highest increase while the Balikbayans reached 2,224 compared to only 737 during the same period last year.

Full story HERE (http://www.bayanihan.org/html/article.php/20061015112040732)

Monday, October 23, 2006
BPI Foundation holds SME program in Oro
By Abigail Chee Kee-Malalis

THE BPI Foundation which is the social development arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) held another round of "Show Me, Teach Me, SME!: Empowering Entrepreneurs" last Thursday at the Pearlmont Hotel here in Cagayan de Oro.

In a press statement sent to Sun.Star, the Show Me, Teach Me, SME! is a free learning program initiated by the Foundation and is designed to empower small and medium enterprises nationwide.

Full story here: Sunstar (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/10/23/bus/bpi.foundation.holds.sme.program.in.oro.html)

Hey there, I'll be on a business trip in CDO this Oct 25-27.. Anybody wanna meet up and tour me around the city pls. txt 09185205712. pakilala lang. Btw, my real name is ryan. Don't worry bisaya pud ko. Heheheh. thanks. :)

Tourist arrivals in NorMin increase by 17.5% in 2nd quarter
Sunday, October 15 2006 @ 11:20 AM BST

Tourism
The second quarter of the year posted a 17.58 percent increase in tourist arrivals in Northern Mindanao.

The Department of Tourism regional office 10 disclosed that of the figure foreign tourists registered 86.80% while domestic tourists at 14.27% or 202,845.

DOT-10 regional director Catalino Chan III said that of the foreigners who visited the region, arrivals from Brunei, Hongkong, New Zealand, Norway and Denmark registered a highest increase while the Balikbayans reached 2,224 compared to only 737 during the same period last year.

He pointed out that the second quarter is considered a peak season for the region since the area is found to be a good place to spend summer break as well as educational and cultural visits.

The Misamis Occidental-Ozamiz-Tangub-Oroquieta registered the most number of visitors which totalled 74,994 followed by Camiguin, Cagayan de Oro-Misamis Oriental, Iligan-Lanao del Norte and Bukidnon.

Chan said that the hotel occupancy has increased to 2.11% and it has a good record of events organized in the region which totaled to 628 over 397 during the same period last year.

Chan hopes that even with the recent bombing incidents in Mindanao, visitors would still visit Northern Mindanao since it has the most stable peace and order in the island. (PNA)

Source: Bayanihan.org (http://www.bayanihan.org/html/article.php/20061015112040732)

Wow! I didn't expect that Misamis Occidental-Ozamiz-Tangub-Oroquieta group will be the biggest tourist draw for Northern Mindanao. I thought it would either be CDO or Camiguin but good that Normin has an increase in Tourist despite the unwaranted bad publicity for Mindanao.

bah 29 stories, cool, if materialized.

Ok na as long as may increase in arrivals :)

Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Peace climate bedevils Aussie traders
By Danilo V. Adorador III

SECURITY concerns remain the biggest turnoff for foreign investors weighing to put up business in any parts of Mindanao, the head of Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (Oro Chamber) said Tuesday.

Oro Chamber president Ruben Vegafria said this was the consensus they gathered from the business leaders in Australia and New Zealand during their two-week trade mission in the two countries early this month.

The local government-led trade delegation returned here early this week, bringing with them several business prospects, which Mayor Vicente Emano, the leader of the trade mission, said was aimed at putting Mindanao, in particular Cagayan de Oro, in the global investment map.

"In the series of business meetings we had with our counterparts, they didn't fail to mention the problems of terrorism in this part of the country. This is a valid point, of course, because security is an essential factor in considering a business in a certain place," he said.

But Vegafria believes the city's trade delegation had responded satisfactorily to these concerns--enough to convince, he said, the business leaders they met to consider Cagayan de Oro and neighboring areas fit for investments.

"We were very forthright with our answers and we successfully delivered the message that Mindanao is not as horrible as their travel advisories would tell us," Vegafria said, referring to a number of travel warnings Canberra has recently issued against Mindanao cities, including Cagayan de Oro.

In a travel advisory to its citizens early this month, the Australian government cited an imminent attack in some parts of Mindanao, in the wake of the bombings in Central Mindanao areas of Tacurong, Makilala, and Cotabato City.

"We emphatically told them that Cagayan de Oro has no problems with peace and order; that the city is not proximate to the areas where there are terrorist activities; that Mindanao is a big area that you can't make a generalization on the island's peace and order situation," Vegafria said.

Full story here - Sunstar (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/10/25/bus/peace.climate.bedevils.aussie.traders.html)

bah 29 stories, cool, if materialized.

is this message meant to this thread?

Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Oro to host int'l rafting in 2007

WITH the wild rapids of the Cagayan de Oro River, the city is capable of hosting the International Rafting Federation (IRF) World Championship Series in the last quarter of next year.

Mark Geoffe, board of director of IRF who was in the city recently to watch and manage the 4th National Whitewater Rafting Challenge over the weekend, disclosed this information.

Full story here: Sunstar (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/10/25/life/oro.to.host.int.l.rafting.in.2007.html)

Carbon Sequestration Pioneers in Southern Philippines aim for synergy


Synergy is adding one to one and getting three. That’s the kind of benefit two pioneers in carbon sequestration in Southern Philippines area aiming for by working together to complement each other’s benefit to the embattled atmosphere.

Carbon Sequestration Pioneers in Southern Philippines look for synergy

By Mike Banos

VILLANUEVA, Misamis Oriental (10 October 2006) Synergy is adding one to one and getting three. That’s the kind of benefit two pioneers in carbon sequestration in Southern Philippines area aiming for by working together to complement each other’s benefit to the atmosphere.


For over half a century, E. Pelaez Ranch, Inc. (EPRI) has sought to transform its almost two thousand hectares of pasture land at the border of Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro city into a thriving forest. Except for a brief accident some years back which resulted in the accidental burning of some two hundred hectares of nascent timber land, this haven of former vice president Emmanuel Pelaez’s family has succeeded in preserving the virgin forest within its boundaries, and re-established trees where they were once cut down by indiscriminate loggers bent only in lining their pockets at the expense of future generations of Mindanawans.


When ‘carbon sink’ and ‘carbon sequestration’ were mere inklings in the minds of environmentalists and forest planners, the EPRI was already busy restoring the land to its former glory with new plantings of timber trees which have now grown in breadth and height under their almost seventy years of nurture and stewardship.


‘Carbon sequestration’ is the term used to describe processes that remove carbon from the atmosphere, for instance, through the use of carbon sinks. A variety of man-made means of capturing and storing carbon, as well as of enhancing natural sequestration processes, are now being explored to help mitigate global warming.


The protocols hold that, since growing vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide, countries that have large areas of forest (or other vegetation) can deduct a certain amount from their emissions, thus making it easier for them to achieve the desired emission levels. The effectiveness of these provisions is still inconclusive at best, or at worst, controversial.


Inconclusive, controversial or what not, the Mindanao Coal power plant project of STEAG State Power Inc. (SPI) has adopted carbon sequestration as one of its mitigating measures to curb the effects of its emissions into the atmosphere.


SPI is now in the process of commissioning its power plants, which incorporate a comprehensive anti-pollution system that includes the control of combustion emissions in the flue gas by air cleaning equipment (including desulphurization to neutralize sulfur, nitrogen dioxide reduction by optimizing combustion, and fly-ash removal using bag filters) and the collection and storage of solid by-products like bottom ash and fly-ash/gypsum in a specially prepared disposal area within the power plant site.


In addition, coal dust suppression from stockpiles will be maintained by regular water spraying with recycled treated water from the plant. All conveyor lines are fully enclosed and the receiving hoppers in the jetty are equipped with water sprayers for coal-dust suppression.


But perhaps the foremost concern of both the plant managers and environmentalists who are keeping very close tabs on the plant’s progress are its emissions to the atmosphere. For this, SPI has developed a comprehensive environmental conservation program which it will continue to manage and develop over the next 25 years.


Foremost among these is the Comprehensive Forest Conservation Program through which SPI aims to develop and maintain a 1,200 hectare reforestation project in the Mapawa Nature Park at Cugman, Cagayan de Oro City and another 1,000 hectares of urban forestry projects in Villanueva and Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.


In coordination with the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and EPRI, SPI has started the establishment of a 500 hectare plantation forest; maintains and protects another 500 hectares of existing plantation, and is conducting a Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) on a 200-hectare natural forest in the area as part of the program in compliance with the provisions of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).


This project aims to establish a carbon dioxide sink (or CO2 sink) which is defined as a carbon reservoir that is increasing in size, and is the opposite of a carbon “source”.


Examples of natural sinks are the oceans and growing vegetation, which both remove carbon from the atmosphere by incorporating it into biomass such as plankton and trees. The concept has become a buzz word in environmental protection because of its role in the Kyoto Protocol (Wikipedia)


Jojo Primne, park manager and chief forester of EPRI’s Mapawa Nature Park, simplifies this apparently complicated environmental accounting, thus: “For every ton of carbon dioxide sequestrated by a living tree, it will give off a metric ton of oxygen into the atmosphere and store 1.4 metric tons of water through its root system.”


Some countries want to be able to trade in emission rights in carbon emission markets, to make it possible for one country to buy the benefit of carbon dioxide sinks in another country. It is said that such a market mechanism will help find cost-effective ways to reduce greenhouse emissions.


There is as yet, however, no carbon audit regime for all such markets globally, and none is specified in the Kyoto Protocol. Each nation is on its own to verify actual carbon emission reductions and to account for carbon sequestration using some less formal methods.


In its website, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science notes that atmospheric levels of CO2 have risen from pre-industrial levels of 280 parts per million (ppm) to present levels of 375 ppm. Evidence suggests this rise in atmospheric CO2 levels is due primarily to increasing use of fossil fuels for energy.

The site goes on to explain how predictions of global energy use in the next century suggest a continued increase in carbon emissions and rising concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere unless major changes are made in the way we produce and use energy—in particular, how we manage carbon.

One way to manage carbon is to use energy more efficiently to reduce our need for a major energy and carbon source—fossil fuel combustion. Another way is to increase our use of low-carbon and carbon-free fuels and technologies (nuclear power and renewable sources such as solar energy, wind power, and biomass fuels). Both approaches are supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Renewable Energy Bill has just been passed by the Lower House and is now being deliberated upon in the Senate.

The third and newest way to manage carbon is through carbon sequestration.

Carbon sequestration refers to the provision of long-term storage of carbon in the terrestrial biosphere, underground, or the oceans so that the buildup of carbon dioxide (the principal greenhouse gas) concentration in the atmosphere will reduce or slow. In some cases, this is accomplished by maintaining or enhancing natural processes; in other cases, novel techniques are developed to dispose of carbon.

At present, the DOE’s Office of Science is focusing its carbon sequestration efforts on : a) Sequestering Carbon in Underground Geologic Repositories: Geosciences research related to understanding the geophysics and geochemistry of potential reservoirs appropriate for subsurface sequestration of carbon dioxide; and b) Enhancing the Natural Terrestrial Cycle: Identifying ways to enhance carbon sequestration of the terrestrial biosphere through CO2 removal from the atmosphere by vegetation and storage in biomass and soils.

Understanding how carbon dioxide "sinks" perform so we can enhance the ongoing natural processes, and developing innovative new processes, may add powerful new measures to carbon management options.(Office of Science, U.S. Dept of Energy, URL : http://cdiac2.esd.ornl.gov/index.html)

In addition to its carbon sink in Mapawa, SPI is also implementing the Villanueva and Tagoloan Urban Forestry Program. The Villanueva Urban Forestry Project aims to reforest a 500-hectare area within its host municipality within a 25-year period and has already established a plant nursery in cooperation with the local government of Villanueva which shall produce the seedlings needed for this undertaking.


The Tagoloan Urban Forestry Project, on the other hand, aims to preserve and rehabilitate the banks of the Tagoloan River, from which the power plant draws water for its cooling operations. This covers the establishment of 500 hectares targeted as watershed areas along the Tagoloan River, as well as addressing concerns such as indiscriminate quarrying, soil erosion and policies needed to rehabilitate Tagoloan river.


The may still not be any audit mechanism for the global trade in emission rights in carbon emission markets, and the country may still not have the legal basis and implementing guidelines to verify actual carbon emission reductions, and to account for carbon sequestration using some less formal methods.


However, for Misamis Oriental and Northern Mindanao, at least, the SPI project is already providing a leg up on global warming, and making sure future generations accumulate the interest needed through its capital base through what will be by then be well-established carbon sinks in Mapawa, Cagayan de Oro and in Tagoloan and Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.


source: www.kagay-an.com

Cagayan de Oro Floating Reataurant

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/cdo/floatingreataurant.jpg


Photo courtesy of www.visitcagayandeoro.com

mao ba ni tung duol sa COA?

Dili ko sure,

Floating restaurant...hmmm,sarap ba dyan? =)

Thursday, October 26, 2006
Asian delegates grace peace forum
By Stephen Capillas

AT LEAST 50 peace practitioners from all over the Asia Pacific Region will come together in a five-day forum to identify uniquely Asian approaches in the field of conflict transformation and peace-building.

In a press statement sent to Sun.Star, the legal group Balaod Mindanao said the First Action Asia Peace-builders Forum will be held on October 26 to 31 at the Balay Mindanaw Peace Center in Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City.

Full story here: Sunstar (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/10/26/news/asian.delegates.grace.peace.forum.html)

Thursday, October 26, 2006
Green group seeks plant results
By Lizanilla J. Amarga

AN ENVIRONMENTAL group is calling for a full disclosure of the results of the test runs conducted by the 210 megawatt Mindanao Coal-Fired Power Plant that started mid-September this year.

National Power Corporation's National Transmission Company (NPC-Transco) confirmed that the coal plant has been feeding 100 megawatt to the Mindanao Power Grid since last month for free.

Steag AG State Power Inc. has assured that it is using its anti-pollution devices in producing this 100 megawatts power supply.

Full story here: Sunstar (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/10/26/news/green.group.seeks.plant.results.html)

Saturday, October 28, 2006
Korean firm considers smelting plant in Misamis Oriental
By Lizanilla J. Amarga

A KOREAN company known to be the third largest steel producer in the world is considering investing on a US $750 million smelting plant at Phivedec Industrial Estate, Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.

However, the Korean investors are still looking into whether the Mindanao Power Grid can cope up with their power demands and at a cheaper cost than that offered by other countries.

This particularly as the US $360 million 210 megawatts Mindanao Coal-Fired Power Plant's power supply may just be enough to cope with the demands here in Mindanao.

Mayor Vicente Emano said he expects the arrival of the technical people of the Pohang Iron and Steel Company (Posco) this month or early November.

Full story here: Sunstar (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/10/28/bus/korean.firm.considers.smelting.plant.in.misamis.oriental.html)

PIA Press Release
2006/10/26

Biogas tech demo farm set up in Balubal
Cagayan de Oro City (26 October) -- In order to lessen pollution and to utilize animal excreta, the city is setting up its demonstration farm of Biogas Technology in Barangay Balubal, this city.

Dr. Perla Asis, officer in charge of City Veterinary Office (CVO) revealed that the Biogas Technology demo farm is the first in the city which is funded by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agriculture Research.

Full story: PIA (http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=news&r=R10&y=06&mo=10&fi=p061026.htm&no=77)

is this message meant to this thread?

^^Yes, I was referring to a Planned 29 story building there in CDO, a couple of posts above me, seems like it got edited...

halo cagayanons! its my 1st time to post here but ive been watching :p

suporta ko sa mga taga cagayan!

anyway, kita ba mo sa bag ong COSMO? wa mangud ko nakakita nagpost about ana, anyway, greek inspired kau sya og puti kaayo patsada kaayo tanawon, naa unta magpost og pic dari... peace!

welcome to the forums BariQ.. the more the merrier!

Tuesday, October 31, 2006
CDA-10 says Oro is coop capital

THE regional office of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) said Cagayan de Oro is fast becoming the cooperative capital of the country.

Regional CDA Director Orlando Ravanera made this disclosure as he congratulated members of various cooperative groups in the city for the successful turnout of the two-day Koop Tabo, an agro-trade fair for city agricultural and non-agricultural cooperatives

Ravanera pointed out that Cagayanon cooperators have every reason to be proud of their effort along cooperative movement not just in the region but in the entire country as well.

He revealed that the cooperative movement in Cagayan de Oro is contributing nine percent of the regional economy in Northern Mindanao.

Cagayan de Oro boasts of a total of 11 stable cooperatives, which performances impressed not only cooperative officials in the region but in the entire country.

"Our very own city mayor, Mayor Vicente Y. Emano, is considered as one of the strong pillars of the cooperative movement in the country," Ravanera said.

Ravanera added that the cooperatives in the city have instituted unique initiatives that are not found in other cooperatives elsewhere in the country.

The city's vibrant cooperative movement is further supported by the presence of Searsolin, which supports cooperative endeavors not only in the country but in the Southeast Asian region.

On top of all these are such organizations as the MASSPECC, CISP, and CLIMBS, which further boost the stability of local cooperatives. (CIO)

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/10/31/bus/cda.10.says.oro.is.coop.capital.html

^^ Congrats Cagayanons...Very good progress this year!

105 Years of History: The Legacy of Plaza Divisoria
By Mike Baños

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (28 October 2006) -If the old trees of Plaza Divisoria could talk, they would be constantly busy regaling the crowds with tales of its storied past, and how it often played a major role in the city’s local history.

One of those more recent events was when it became the focal point for the local edition of the People Power II revolution of January 16-20, 2001.

The Erap Resign Movement, a broad coalition of 50 or so groups united in its cause to have the former president resign his post, made the city bandstand its headquarters and promptly christened the “Democracy Center.”

It was here that fifty or so vehicles gathered on January 15, 2001, in an impromptu noise barrage, honking their horns and shouting "Erap resign!" shortly after the Senate tribunal' infamous 11-10 verdict not to open a second envelope from Equitable PCIBank, that signaled the beginning of the local edition of People Power II.


http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g283/boju4289/plazadvsoria.jpg


Crowds the size of which Kagay-anons had not seen since the first people power revolution of February 22-26, 1986 gathered to pray the rosary, imploring the heavens for a peaceful end to the nation's tumult.

Fiery speeches were made, protests songs sung, and a new generation of street parliamentarians rubbed elbows with scarred veterans of the Marcos years, in a remarkably peaceful, and even gay demonstration of solidarity, as a curious admixture of Christians and Muslims, students and teachers, moderates and radicals, parents and children, and even antagonists normally facing each other across opposing lines of conflict, were once again united in purpose, if only for the moment.

“I remember correctly, I participated in the victory party of the first EDSA revolution in 1986 which was held here in Cagayan de Oro at Plaza Divisoria,” said Antonio J. Montalvan II of the Heritage Conservation Advocates, a group advocating for the preservation of historical and cultural sites and artifacts in Cagayan de Oro.

Plaza Divisoria was constructed in 1901 by Tirso Neri y Roa, a rich merchant who was then municipal mayor of Cagayan de Misamis, the old name of the city. Much of the site used for the plaza was donated by Neri to the town.

“The purpose of this plaza was to serve as a divider for the town. Divisoria is a Spanish word which means divider," Montalvan explained. “At that time, Cagayan de Misamis, as the town was then called, was continuously razed by big fires. So, in order to contain such kinds of conflagrations, Tirso Neri built this fire break known as Plaza Divisoria."

However, due to its central location, Plaza Divisoria soon became the socio-political and cultural center of Cagayan de Misamis.

On September 10, 1916 it was the scene of a big parade celebrating the passage of the Jones Law, which granted a bicameral congress to the Philippine Commonwealth.

On June 19, 1917, the patriot Porfirio Chaves and his wife Fausta Vamenta turned over one of the earliest monuments in the country of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal which still graces the center of the plaza.

To the east is the old monument to Andres Bonifacio, where the bones of local revolutionaries who died in the Battle of Agusan Hill on May 14, 1900 were once interred.

At the center of the old plaza used to be a structure known to all Kagay-anons as the “Kiosko”. In the 1950s, people gathered here for importance social and cultural occasions, such as the annual celebration of National Heroes Day. By the 1960s, people were regularly gathering in the area which is now occupied by the Cagayan de Oro Tourism Showhouse to discuss the burning issues of the day.

This group of residents became what is now known to old-timers as "The Plazans" and included many of Cagayan de Oro's finest like Councilor Pio Roa, Yo Amon Fuentes, Dr. Jose Montalvan, Jesus Roa, Anastacio Gabor, Ramon Echem, former Governor Paciencio Ysalina, Aquilino Pimentel, Sr., Tawag ng Tanghalan National Champions Tata Neri and Rizal “Boy” Ortega, the late police chief Melo Esguerra, Carlos Yamut, and former RP Ambassador to the US Raul Ch. Rabe, to mention a few.

The “Kiosko” was for a time replaced by the “Bandstand” built by City Mayor Justiniano “Tiñing” Borja in the 60s, who also restored the central significance of Plaza Divisoria by building another structure, known to Kagay-anons as the “Ampi” (for amphitheater).

“All Philippine presidents who came to town, addressed the people of Cagayan de Oro in Plaza Divisoria,” Montalvan recalls. “So in a sense, this is the Plaza Miranda of Cagayan de Oro.”

Borja’s Bandstand has in turn been replaced by the “Kiosko Kagawasan”, built by the present administration of Mayor Vicente Y. Emano. It recalls the architecture of the original Kiosko sans the skylight and the two lions whose fate remain a mystery to this day.

Many of city's younger residents, especially the students who swelled the ranks of the protestors who filled Plaza Divisoria to the brink for People Power II, are still not aware they have become a part of history by simply being there during that fateful third week of January, in the year 2001, in what has curiously become a fitting celebration for the centennial of Plaza Divisoria.

During the last term of the present administration, the Plaza has undergone a major facelift. Besides the band stand’s replacement with the new Kiosko, the “ampi” has also undergone a similar renovation, which thankfully left it in better shape than it was before. Now it is the new home of Police Station 1 or the OKK (Operation Kahusay ug Kalinaw). The old OKK has been demolished to give way to the much more desirable Cagayan de Oro “Tourism Showhouse” and two new public toilets have been erected in an effort to stop the Plaza from degenerating into a public toilet.

However, there’s also been mixed reactions to other innovations such as the controversial lights which will lighting up what used to be a dimly lit plaza, have also been lambasted for its “barriotic” or garish looks. There’s the controversial Night Café and Night Market every weekend which has revitalized the Plaza with its human traffic but has also strained its carrying capacity that the public toilets are again waging a losing battle against the Pinoy’s penchant to do it anywhere and throw their litter everywhere.

Sad to say, the Night Market operators have also assumed their weekend extends to other nights of the week that many of Divisoria’s sidewalks disappear in the evening as peddlers cover them with their wares and pedestrians are forced into walking in the streets.

But residents and visitors both hope that in time, these transient problems are resolved, and that Plaza Divisoria with its fruit stands, monuments, benches and trees would be there for the next hundred years or so for their afternoon paseos, paradas and procesiones to mark important and historic occasions in this city’s history.

-INDNJC-

www.kagay-an.com

;10227406']mao ba ni tung duol sa COA?

yup..duol sa COA, but exactly at the back of the city hall.

Culinary Diversity: Hope for Culinary Tourism in the Philippines

Culinary Tourism is coming to the Philippines. Let's hope and pray we don't fall into the 'fast food' trap and lose the unique identities and variants of our local dishes in mindless pursuit of those euros and dollars.

November 6, 2006
Hammer&Anvil
MikeBaños

Culinary Diversity: Prospects for Culinary Tourism in the Philippines

Our hats off to our good friends at Southland Events who are advocating for Culinary Tourism in Cagayan de Oro City and Northern Mindanao. This advocacy kicks off on the 16th of this month with the 1st Philippine Culinary Tourism Conference which is a joint venture with the Department of Tourism. The two-day seminar with the theme: FOOD & TRAVEL : A CULINARY TOURISM SEMINAR will be held at the VIP Hotel of Cagayan de Oro City.

Besides defining ‘Culinary Tourism’ in the Philippine context, the seminar also aims to discuss other countries experience in the development and progress of their culinary tourism agenda, present how food and beverages can attract visitors, position and strategically market destinations, and serve as a prelude to the 6th Mindanao Food Congress in April 25-27, 2007 hosted by Caffinormin, Inc,., again in Cagayan de Oro. The campaign will climax with the signature food, travel and hospitality show of Southern Philippines SouthFoodEx 2007 on July 12-14, 2007 at The Atrium of Limketkai Mall, again in Cagayan de Oro.

In a white paper entitled, “Culinary Tourism: A Tasty Economic Proposition,” recently released by Erik Wolf, a destination marketing consultant with 15 years' experience in the travel industry and chair of the Oregon Culinary Tourism Task Force, he mentions how the concept of culinary tourism is as old as time.

Thousands of years ago, merchants traveled the Seven Seas, looking for foodstuffs to trade. Spices, wine, fruits and olive oil were the currencies of yore. Today, we unwittingly do much the same. However, modern travelers tend to prefer restaurants and wineries in place of battered ships traversing pirate-infested trade routes.

Previously overlooked, “culinary tourism” is an important new niche that fosters economic and community development and new intercultural insights. Culinary tourism can be found in rural or urban areas and should available to visit all year round.

Because of the variety and quality of Oregon’s agricultural products and a wide array of readily

available complementary leisure travel products, Wolf , who is also chair of Oregon’s Culinary Tourism Task Force, is strongly advocating that the Beaver State is unique and strongly positioned to lead in the development of the culinary tourism niche in the United States.

Culinary tourism is important for many reasons: The U.S. National Restaurant Association, the Travel Industry Association of America and the Canadian Tourism Commission all agree dining out is one of the most popular tourist activities.

Consider that nearly 100% of tourists dine out while traveling but even culinary tourists cannot eat constantly. Wolf says what makes culinary tourists interesting is that are explorers. Tourists who are interested in wine/cuisine also go to museums, theater, shopping, music, film festivals and outdoor recreation.

More important, Wolf stresses that local cuisine is the No.1 motivating factor in choosing a destination and culinary “attractions” are available all year round. Business owners know for a fact that the higher the total dinner bill, the more likely the patrons are tourists. Interest in culinary tourism spans all age groups, most probably because cuisine is the only art form that speaks to all five senses.

But Wolf cautions that just because it is food or drink it is not necessarily “cuisine”. To foster culinary tourism, your food or beverage experience must be unique and memorable. Culinary tourism is much more than just restaurants and wineries, he adds.

Some examples that Wolf qualifies as culinary tourism: cooking classes or workshops with your product, either in an urban or rural setting; interesting tasting room at a winery, such as an old

cave; a restaurant in the countryside that makes the best huckleberry pancakes in the state — people drive from three surrounding states to get them; a beer that is so unique, people make a pilgrimage to the brewery at least once in their lifetime; a unique and memorable product from your orchard, farm or ranch, such as Grandma’s secret recipe for Pear Butter, which tastes better than anyone else’s; A restaurant or eatery connected with your orchard, farm, or ranch that has a unique ambiance

Culinary tourism is not new. Wolf writes it is a subset of Agri-tourism that focuses specifically on the search for, and enjoyment of, prepared food and drink. Culinary tourism promotes all distinctive and impressive gastronomic experiences, not just those that have earned 4 stars or better.

And here’s where I hope our culinary tourist developers like my friends in Southlands don’t fall into the “fast food” trap. I was recently discussing the concept of culinary tourism with an old friend I haven’t seen for some time and he remarked how the Philippines has again fallen behind its neighbors like Thailand because of our “regionalistic” penchant to prepare what should have been the same dish (we discussed kinilaw) differently from place to place.

He said that in Thailand, the government or tourism board determines how a particular dish should be prepared such that what a culinary tourist tastes in Bangkok should be readily identifiable as the same dish in all places of the countries. Ah na na na na na! I told him we could be arguing all afternoon about this, because it is precisely our “regionalistic” diversity that makes our cuisine unique and encourages the culinary tourist to explore its variations in our regions.

In a recent report filed in The Philippine Star, Karen Andraneda reports how International marine scientists have cited the Philippines as the "Center of Marine Biodiversity" in the world, surpassing even the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. However, they warned the Philippine government that the rapid deterioration of the country’s marine resources could destroy the nation’s natural heritage. Marine biologist Dr. Kent Carpenter, coordinator of the Global Marine Species Assessment of the World Conservation Union, said the government should implement measures to protect and conserve the country’s vast species of marine and coastal resources.

Similarly, I hope and pray that our culinary tourism advocates like Southland and DOT don’t mess too much with what is essentially a good thing, and that is, the figurative “kinilaw” in all its glorious variations, from the sour and hot “Chavacano” version soaked in ginger and white vinegar made popular by Alavar’s Seafood Resto, to the unique “Kagay-anon” variety with its ‘tabon-tabon’ not found anywhere else in the Philippines.

Interested parties who wish to join Southland’s Culinary Tourism Seminar can reach them at tel.nos. (088) 856-4499 or 856-6699, or email them at southlandevents@yahoo.com. For those who can’t wait, you can also contact Erik Wolf, Chair Oregon Culinary Tourism Task Force, 5024 Foothills Rd., Ste G Lake Oswego, Oregon 97034, U.S.A., tel # (503) 750-7200. You can also visit his website at www.culinarytourism.orgerik@culinarytourism.org. or e-mail him at

Bon appetit!

Source: www.kagay-an.com

^^There must be a lot of good chefs there in CDeO:cheers:

And they're comin' out especially during "KUMBIRA"..

Cagayan de Oro City (3 November) -- As the year is about to end, more infrastructure and economic developments will be seen and expected by the Cagayanons here in the city.

City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano expressed this optimism after getting assurance of additional funding for major infrastructure projects from the national government and after meeting with top investors in the country.

Among the multi-million infrastructure projects expected to be completed before the year ends is the city’s 5th bridge that links barangay Carmen and Nazareth. It is expected to be completed this December once the payment for just compensation of road-right-of-way is made.

The 4th bridge that links barangays Puntod and Kauswagan is also set to be finished late this year after President Arroyo assured Mayor Emano of P10 million in additional funding for the project within this month.

In terms of investment, the city mayor said that top officials from Sta. Lucia Realty Development Corporation recently confirmed that they are definitely pushing through with their real estate project in barangay Gusa.

Two other giant companies, the Ayala Land Corporation and A. Brown Company, also gave assurance to Emano that they will start their real estate investments in the city at the soonest possible time.

In the wake of these developments, Emano is glad that the city’s economy is fast booming, a positive sign of the continuing trust and confidence placed by investors in the economic potentials of the city.

The city chief executive is hoping that more and more investments and rapid infrastructure developments will come to the city for the succeeding months as it is now fast becoming as the top business hub in Southern Philippines.

Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&sec=news&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p061103.htm&no=47

HOTEL firm Waterfront Philippines Inc. will spend about P30 million on improvements in a newly leased boutique hotel in Manila and may open five similar hotels in other cities, aiming for the high-end market, company president Rexlon Gatchalian said.

Waterfront said it had signed a contract last Friday to lease and manage the 50-room, 800-square meter G Hotel Manila, owned and designed by architect Gerry Contreras.

G Hotel Manila by Waterfront will open on Nov. 16, and Waterfront may open five more G hotels in the cities of Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo and Bacolod, Gatchalian said.

"This is an innovation we wanted to introduce to the market," he said. "There is a market now for small premium hotels catering to high-end travelers who want privacy and personalized service."

He said a 50-room G Hotel could generate revenues of P10 million a month. He added that in future hotels the rooms could be increased up to 150 rooms.

G Hotel Manila will be under the corporate management group of Waterfront Hotels and Casinos.

Waterfront operates the Manila Pavilion Hotel and Casino, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino Mactan and Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao. It has a total of 1,550 rooms, 1,560 employees and over 41,300 square meters of convention and gaming space. It also houses the country's largest gaming facilities. Elizabeth L. Sanchez, with INQ7.net

Source: http://business.inq7.net/money/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id=29687

Hello Kagayanons, bad news:

Story here: Sunstar (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/11/06/bus/oro.chamber.pushes.services.to.families.html)

Monday, November 06, 2006
Oro chamber pushes services to families
By Danilo V. Adorador III

AFTER capturing the national Family Welfare Excellence Award, the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Oro Chamber) is pushing for the institutionalization of family-oriented services among its member firms.

Ruben Vegafria, Oro Chamber president, said the move was aimed not only at enhancing business productivity levels, but more importantly, "promoting family values and family wellness for a stronger society."

Full story: Sunstar (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/11/06/bus/oro.chamber.pushes.services.to.families.html)

PINAY WHOSE LABOR PAINS FORCED LANDING OF PLANE COMES HOME

[PHOTO AT LEFT - JETSETTER: Flight attendants of KLM huddle around Betchel Banal, a Filipina working student in Denmark, and her baby Karl Laurence Martin, who was born on a KLM flight over Europe last Oct. 25. Mother and son returned to Manila yesterday after staying at a hospital in Kazakhstan. - Photo By RUDY SANTOS]

MANILA, NOVEMBER 3, 2006 (STAR) By Rainier Allan Ronda - A 22-year-old Filipina who forced a Manila-bound Royal Dutch Airlines flight from Amsterdam to make an emergency landing at the airport of Alamaty, Kazakhstan last Oct. 25 due to labor pains finally came home to Manila with her two-week-old son.

Cagayan de Oro City native Betchell Bana said that she wanted to secure Filipino citizenship for her son, Karl Lorenz Martin, despite his having been born in Kazakhstan.

"I want him to be a Filipino. Because I’m a Filipino — his father and I are Filipinos," Banal told airport reporters.

Full story here: NewsFlash (http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/hl/hl104764.htm)

Hello Kagayanons, bad news:

Story here: Sunstar (http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2006/11/06/bus/oro.chamber.pushes.services.to.families.html)

Naku...kaya pala hindi na-confirm yung LIA sa SONA ni GMA kasi di rin pala i-pupush through ng administration niya...:ohno:

it's time for the ayalas to withdraw the lot they have donated.. i develop nalang nila kesa naman nasasayang lang dahil nakatambak lang waiting for project na walang kasiguraduhan.. hahay, bakit naman yung sa iloilo and negros mAy fund ang gobyerno, e klarong klaro naman na mas vibrant ang economy ng R10 kesa R6..Hay naku!

^^ i don't understand, i can't see any bad news from the "sunstar news". or maybe a wrong link, but are you saying LIA will not push through? why?

^^

Lack of funds hobbles Laguindingan airport: mayor

By Lizanilla J. Amarga


CAGAYAN de Oro City mayor Vicente Emano disclosed Sunday that the construction of the already long-delayed US$107 million Laguindingan International Airport will be placed again at the backburner due to lack of funds.

The early construction of the international airport would have further boosted the chances of enticing major foreign investors who are already eyeing Cagayan de Oro city and the Province of Misamis Oriental as their next potential venue where they can pour in their investment.

Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo


Over a local radio station Sunday, Emano said he recently met with Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza when he came back from his trade mission to Australia and New Zealand.

The mayor said Dureza told him that the construction of the US$107 million Laguindingan International Airport will be delayed further.

"Dureza told me that the construction of the Laguindingan International Airport will not be started due to lack of funds," he said.

Early this year, no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo came over for the formal inauguration and ground breaking of the Laguindingan International Airport.

The president vowed that funds for the project would be immediately released and has signed an executive order to this effect.

The Department of Telecommunications and Communication (DOTC), Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno, second district of Misamis Oriental Representative Augusto Baculio Jr., and Laguindingan Mayor Orville Abellanosa, among others, already signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the purchase of the land area and development of the same in relation to this project.

Emano said he is surprised with this latest report from Dureza. The mayor said he helped out in convincing the South Korean government to finance this project through its Export-Import Bank.

"I really don't understand what is going on there. Even I have been given the boot on that project," he said.

Emano lamented this latest development as he is already expecting the arrival of top-ranking personnel from major foreign investors who have expressed their intention to invest in Cagayan de Oro City and the Province of Misamis Oriental.

Among these investors is third largest steel producer in the world Korean-based Pohang Iron and Steel Company (POSCO), which is eyeing on investing a US $750 million smelting plant in Phivedec, Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.

"This project is bigger than the Mindanao Coal Fired Power Plant," he said.

Steag AG State Power Inc.'s 210-megawatt Mindanao Coal-Fired Power Plant is also located at Phivedec and has an investment of US$360 million.

it's time for the ayalas to withdraw the lot they have donated.. i develop nalang nila kesa naman nasasayang lang dahil nakatambak lang waiting for project na walang kasiguraduhan.. hahay, bakit naman yung sa iloilo and negros mAy fund ang gobyerno, e klarong klaro naman na mas vibrant ang economy ng R10 kesa R6..Hay naku!

Malabo yan kasi nag-pledge na yung Ayala sa CDO for its Residential/Business dev't. Ayala is really just testing the waters in Mindanao for now. Still fortunately, despite the LIA setback Ayala's chose CDeO as its pilot development in Mindanao:)

^^ oh no... lacks 5 billion? limang arroyo boulevard lang yan ah. or maybe because cagayan de oro belongs to mindanao, sigh. remember what happened to the proposed zamboanga airport rehabilitation? of course, down the drain too.

^^Di ko nga alam pero I read something na sinasabi may ni-release nang P300 million for the initial groundworks & resettlement there in Laguindingan...Di ko na alam kung talagang natuloy yung pag-release nung funds...

So again that warrants a more strengthened campaign to bolt out from the Philippines. Let's go federal Mindanao!

bad news...:omg:

hay naku..press release lang yan..matutuloy pa rin yan...have faith

hopefully, sana, may unta...

better yet, republic of Mindanao..ehehehe