CEBU 8TH BEST ISLAND DESTINATION IN ASIA

After being excluded last year, Cebu island bounces back at number 8.

An international magazine that specializes in luxury travel has ranked Cebu as the 8th best island destination in Asia for 2011.

The Condé Nast Traveler survey also recognized Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa in Mactan Island, Cebu, in the category of Top Resorts in Asia.
It was the resort’s second time to make the list.

In a field of 20 in Asia, the high-end Mactan resort ranked number 14 with 84.8, a notch higher than last year’s 83.2 points. Another Shangri-La property, the Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa, was ranked no. 17 with 83.8 points.
The world’s best resort is the Ritz-Carlton Shanghai in Pudong with a score of 99.2 points, while the Best Resort in Asia is the Ayana Resort and Spa in Bali (95.7 points).

The results, released last week, are from Condé Nast’s 24th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards, a listing of the best cities, islands, hotels, transportation and resorts worldwide for 2011.

There are 1,285 top scorers all over the world.

“The demand for excellence in travel has never been higher, and the results of the 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards reflect the most exacting standards by the world’s most discerning travelers—the readers of Condé Nast Traveler,” said editor in chief Klara Glowczewska.

Cebu bounced back this year at number 8 (77.2 points) after being shut out and dislodged by Luzon island last year.

Still, it failed to surpass Luzon ranking this year at no. 6 (77.9 points) on the list of Top Island Destinations. Luzon was ranked at no. 7 last year (75.1 points).
Cebu is a small island in the Visayas with a population of 3 million compared with Luzon’s 48 million. Luzon includes Metro Manila and regions of Ilocos, Bicol, Central Luzon, Cagayan and the Cordilleras.

Cebu has occupied the 7th place four times in the magazine’s annual survey: 72.6 in 2009, 70.9 in 2008, 72.3 in 2007 and 72.8 in 2004. Twice, it has been ranked 8th best island destination by the same survey: in 2006 with 71.0 points and in 2005, with 69.5 points.

In the category of Asia, the top ten best islands destinations are the following: Maldives (87.5), Bali (84.30), Phuket (80.0), Seychelles (79.9), Malaysian Borneo (79.2), Mauritius (77.4), Langkawi (76.1) and Koh Samui (73.7). Maldives, Bali and Phuket have maintained their last year’s ranking.

Kyoto claims the Best Asian City for the first time after beating Bangkok, a consistent winner since the ranking started.

In the same survey, two Manila-based hotels made it to the Top Hotels in Asia.
Edsa Shangri-La, Manila was ranked at 54th with a score of 89.3 (ranked at 100th with a score of 83.9 points last year). The Peninsula Manila is at 111th with a rating of 83.7 points.

Every year since 1988, a select sample of Condé Nast Traveler readers have taken the Readers’ Choice Survey. The questionnaire is available to all readers through a secure website. This year, there were 28,876 responses from readers with combined eight million votes. They were tabulated by Global Market Insite Inc., of Boston.

The annual Readers’ Choice Awards is derived from the Readers’ Choice Survey, the largest independent poll of consumers’ preferences in the U.S.
Each candidate was rated, criterion by criterion, on a five-point scale: excellent, very good, good, fair and poor. Criterion scores, which represent the percentage of respondents rating a candidate excellent or very good, were averaged to determine the final scores.

Questionnaires contained lists of candidates (individual cities, hotels, etc.) and write-ins were allowed. Only candidates that received a required minimum number of responses were deemed eligible for an award.
Resorts were rated on activities/facilities, food/dining, location, overall design, rooms and service.

Hotels were rated on food/dining, location, overall design, rooms and service.
Island destinations were rated on activities, atmosphere/ambience, beaches, friendliness, lodging, restaurants and scenery.

The resorts and islands were grouped into the United States, Canada, Mexico, Carribean/Atlantic, Oceania, Central and South America; Asia, Africa and the Middle East; and Europe.

A separate list, The Global Top 100, ranks hotels, resorts and cruise lines that achieved near perfection, with no score below 94.3.

The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai in Pudong clinched the top spot this year with near perfect score of 99.2.

No Philippine-based company made it to this year’s list.

Another publication, the New York-based Travel + Leisure magazine, named Cebu among the “best islands in Asia” twice (last year at number 3 and in 2009 at number 4) in the release of its World’s Best Awards, evaluating hotels, airlines, cruises islands and cities all over the world.

Condé Nast Traveler is an American magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, which specializes in luxury travel and reviews of high-priced hotels, products and services. In 2008, it was named one of the top 10 magazines in the U.S. by both Adweek and Advertising Age.

A UK edition, Condé Nast Traveller, uses the British spelling for the title. The format and content are very similar to the U.S. edition.

Source: Cebu Daily News

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Illegal recruiters next to druglords in Duterte’s ‘most hated list’

If druglords are scampering away at the sight of the shadow of Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, illegal recruiters also better hide.

Next to drug dealers, illegal recruiters are next on my list, said Duterte in the Gikan sa Masa Para sa Masa television program on ABS/CBN on Sunday.

While still the city mayor, Duterte has been known for his iron-fist policy against ciriminals particularly drug dealers and pushers.

He has been probed by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) for his alleged link to the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS) said to have been behind the killing of more than a thousand suspected criminals in the city. Human rights groups say the DDS is state-backed and blamed the local government and police for the extrajudicial killing by the motorcycle-riding gunmen.

My anger for illegal recruiters is as intense as my hatred for drug dealers, Duterte said in the program hosted by lawyer Geraldine Tiu.

But Duterte can only do as much as advise those wanting to go abroad to check their recruiters. He said the local govrnment can help them establish if the recruiters are  licensed.

He said the pain is as hard for families who lost members to drugs as to families who lost members after falling to illegal recruiters.

“There are many children who lost their mothers sent abroad by illegal reccruiters who are now missing, ” he said.

Duterte has urged residents in the city and nearby provinces to refrain from “gambling their future” with unlicensed recruiters.

Recently, 71 women were rescued by elements of the Regional Interagency Council Against Trafficking Integrated Action Network (RIACTION) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) from a house in Juna Subdivision.

The women, most of them Moro from Cotabato, were recruited by an unlicensed agency.

Duterte said the recruiters take their victims out of the country to foreign lands where they are vulnerable to the lack of support system and proper documentation. Women may end up in prostitution den or in an abusive environment. Many of them can no longer be located.

“I cannot imagine the horror brought about by losing someone, many of them women, due to the absence of documents,” he said.

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Wenceslao: For Osmeña, it’s Bebot, not Totol

Source: Sunstar.com.ph

LAWYER Aristotle Batuhan seems to be the odd man out in the search for Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan’s (BOPK’s) official congressional bet in Cebu City’s south district.

Bong O. Wenceslao

Candid Thoughts

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That is, if one considers the recent statements of the party’s chief, Rep. Tomas Osmeña. Batuhan is among those in the list of BOPK’s south district “congressionables” together with Tomas’s wife Margot Osmeña and Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa.

“Margot doesn’t have to run,” Tomas told reporters the other day. “I think Bebot (Abellanosa) can handle it with the way things are shaping up.” Batuhan became but an afterthought for Osmeña, though, when he merely referred to him as not yet out of contention. Saying that “Bebot can handle it” means that, for Tomas, it is Abellanosa who can carry the BOPK’s torch in the south district and not Batuhan.

I know that Batuhan has been doing the rounds in the south district and reconnecting with his old leaders in the barangays. I don’t know, however, if his efforts have already been eclipsed by Abellanosa, who has been lobbying for the BOPK nomination since he realized he can no longer run for reelection for the city council. Still, I consider Batuhan a better material for the House of Representatives than Abellanosa.

Also Batuhan, if he is given BOPK’s backing, is in a better position to defeat the bid of former congressman Antonio Cuenco than Abellanosa. Batuhan has already shown in two previous congressional elections that he can go toe-to-toe with Cuenco. Abellanosa, though, has more campaign funds than Batuhan, and that would be an asset for BOPK.

Besides, Batuhan maybe with the Liberal Party (LP), which is allied with BOPK, but Abellanosa is a true-blue BOPK. And Abellanosa has not been known for his independence, which means he is more controllable, as far as Osmeña is concerned, than Batuhan. I doubt if Batuhan, who is a lawyer, would allow himself to become an Osmeña stooge.

Since all signs are pointing to Abellanosa getting the nod as BOPK official bet for Congress in the city’s south district, would Batuhan still be pursuing his congressional bid? Would he allow all his “rebuilding” efforts to go down the drain? And if he insists on running, would the LP bigwigs allow it? Doing so would mean he will be running against a candidate from an allied group.

To give the south district more choices, I think Batuhan should run for Congress in 2013, with or without BOPK support. If he does so, he can be considered a dark horse in a three-way battle. He can offer himself as an alternative to the moneyed Abellanosa and political veteran Cuenco.

Incidentally, Batuhan was one of the volunteer private prosecutors in the impeachment trial of former chief justice Renato Corona. He reacted to my column, “Impeachment trial subplot” that came out on June 2, 2012. He referred me to his blog (totolbatuhan.com) that carried a reaction by Carmen Basa, daughter of Jose Ma. Basa III, one of the original owners of Basa Guidote Enterprise Inc. Here are excerpts:

“Truth and justice prevailed! Dad believed in fighting for a cause and he believed in the justice system. The same justice system that somehow evaded him during his lifetime…This truly is a victory for the Filipino people and the nation. The country should be celebrating because this conviction shows the entire world that the Philippines is now open for business.”

(khanwens@yahoo.com)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on June 08, 2012.

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Happy Migrant Workers’ Day to all OFWs!

As part of the festivity, the POEA will hold a consultation-workshop on the revision of the POEA rules and regulations for land-based agencies in its main office, For OFWs visiting and transacting with the POEA, they will be given free medical services, free snacks, entertainment, and raffle prizes. Migrant Workers’ Day is celebrated every 7th of June to commemorate the signing into law of Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers Act of 1995.

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Corona says sorry to media, jokes about his paintings

Ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona on Wednesday briefly took a break from packing his things at the Supreme Court to share a light moment with members of the media, even cracking a joke about the paintings displayed in his office.

In between poses for the camera with reporters, Corona apologized to the media if he oftentimes would be elusive in granting interviews, especially during the five-month impeachment trial.

"I'm very, very sorry kung minsan ay hindi ako makapag-paunlak ng panayam sa mga panahong kailangan niyo ako makunan ng pahayag," Corona told reporters. Corona took time to shake hands with every member of the media inside the room.

"May times na mukha akong 'di cooperative... Pero rest assured na nandoon naman iyong urge na mapagbigyan ko kayo," Corona said. "I tried my best to be accommodating."

Now on his third day of clearing his table, the former chief magistrate admitted having a hard time, especially since he had to pack things that had piled up in his office for the last 10 years that he had been with the Supreme Court.

Corona said he and his staff had to place voluminous documents in boxes that had to be brought to a truck outside.

He said he has been feeling better since being discharged from The Medical City in Pasig City over the weekend. Corona said he has only been taking maintenance drugs.

"Alam niyo na, I am 63 and we are not getting any younger," said a smiling Corona.

Paintings

At one point of the light talk, a member of the media joked if Corona could just "raffle off" the numerous large paintings hanging on the walls of his office. To which Corona replied with a chuckle: "Wala na nga akong trabaho eh."

"Ibebenta ko na nga lang sana sa inyo... four-gives," Corona added as reporters broke into laughter.

The entire time, Corona's wife Cristina — clad in a black shirt bearing the words "Not Guilty" — and daughter Carla observed from a distance as the former chief magistrate mingled with reporters. The two women also granted requests to have their photos taken with the media.

Just outside Corona's room, his son Francis, meanwhile, talked with court employees who were waiting for their turn to give their farewells to the ousted chief magistrate.

Placed outside the door of Corona's office at the second floor of the SC building was a huge message board where supporters can write their messages of encouragement and support for him. — RSJ, GMA News

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Disneyland Philippines: in the making?

In alignment with Department of Tourism slogan ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines’, Pampanga’s 1st District Representative Carmela Lazatin requested Walt Disney Company via email to invest in our country by building another Disneyland Park in Clark, Pampanga.

The letter to Robert Iger, chairman and CEO of Walt Disney Company, from Lazatin includes the tax-free privileges given investors of Clark Freeport Zone within the 4,400 hectare main zone and 27,600 sub zone which is suitable to build a new Disneyland Park. The world-class Clark International Airport was also mentioned in the letter which serves as one of the main instrument in bringing tourist to the proposed Disneyland Park.

(Materials based on Attractionsmanagement.com)

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4-month maternity leave proposed in Congress

ANILA, Philippines - From 60 days of maternity leave, a bill filed by the mother-son tandem of Representatives Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2nd District, Pampanga) and Diosdado Macapagal-Arroyo (2nd District, Camarines Sur) would extend the period to 120 days.

House Bill 6128 seeks to give mothers more time to breastfeed their children. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO) say it would be ideal if mothers could breastfeed their babies for at least six months after birth.

"This will give mother and child quality time for bonding while at the same time ensuring the child's proper growth and development," the Arroyos said.

Longer breastfeeding time, along with more time for mothers to care for infants, is deemed crucial to increasing the chances for survival of infants and children under 5-years-old.

The UNICEF's data on under-five mortality rates around the world ranks the Philippines 88th among 190 countries. This can and should be improved, the Arroyos said. 

Source: With Aliana Gimena, Interaksyon.com

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Centuries-old fourth Balanghai boat excavated in Butuan City

Source: Interaksyon.com

BUTUAN CITY—Two decades after the first three centuries-old Balanghai boats, or ancient wooden watercraft, were dug out, six archaeologists from the Philippine National Museum in Manila together with personnel from the Regional Museum here have excavated the fourth Balanghai boat where the previous three boats were dug back in the 1980′s at the Ambangan site in Barangay Libertad.

Wilfredo Ronquillo, Chief Archaeologist of Philippine National Museum expressed how impressed he and his team are of the rich historic cultural heritage of Butuan.

A museum technician of the National Museum cleans parts of the wooden plank of the boat to remove mud during the archeological excavation of the fourth Balanghai Boat in Barangay Libertad in Butuan City. Photo by Erwin Mascarinas, InterAksyon.com.

Ronquillo said, “The people who have been studying these kinds of technology saw that there are slight differences in how it was constructed compared to the previous boats dug here. They are not identical, although the general scheme is almost the same. The artistic ways of each boat maker, the skill of our early predecessors are what we see here. When they made this, there was no blue print, no plans. It’s amazing.”

The chief archaeologist added that they hope to open the site, expose the boat, study, measure, and extract all data that can be generated from it and in comparison with the other boats of South-East Asia.

Ligaya Lacsina, Museum Researcher 1 of the Archaeology Division of the National Museum explained, “It is interesting because compared to excavated Indonesian and Malaysian boats, they have points that show similar boat construction techniques. They use the same shell-first boat building, with the planks connected edge to edge using the wooden dowels. And they are lashed with the dugs to flexible rids. They just lashed it with fibers, nails are not used.”

Lacsima who is currently studying for her doctorate degree on archaeology in Australia is doing research studies on traditional boat-building especially on South East Asian boat-building traditions.

She pointed out that compared to those discovered on the oldest site found in Malaysia, which dates around third or fourth century AD, there is only a slight difference between the two regarding their construction because there are indications that the fourth Balanghai’s creators also used the sewing technology.  One major difference she observed is that they use edge-pegging of the planks together with sewing.

Alfredo Orogo, National Museum Researcher suggested that the work being done at the moment is just an initial digging and it might take two to three months, depending on the budget.

Orogo added, “Maybe this coming June, there will be another team of researcher who will come and continue the research and excavation. The plan for the Balangay 4 is to let it remain after exposing.  This will be made into a site museum and become one of Butuan City’s tourist destinations.”

The flotilla of the Balanghai Boats was accidentally discovered by treasure hunters back in 1976 after which archaeologists from the National Museum took over the site and recorded nine boats buried in the ground.

From the nine original boats discovered in Barangay Libertad, Balanghais 1, 2, and 5 were dug up. Balanghai 1 is dated back to 320 AD, Boat 2 to 1250 AD, and Boat 5 to around 900 AD. Balanghai Boats 1,2 and 5 were declared back in March 9, 1986 as National Cultural Treasures under Proclamation 86 by the late President Cory Aquino. Boat 2 is now on display at the Maritime Hall of the National Museum in Manila. While Boat 5, which has the most intact structure, is displayed at the National Museum site in Barangay Libertad in Butuan City.

The discovery of the boats sealed the claim that Butuan City was once a seafaring community trading with Srivijayan Empire in Southeast Asia and China as early as 10th century AD. So far, shards of pottery also found in the fourth Balanghai boat site further indicate the thriving civilization in Butuan, and the Philippines in general, long before the arrival of Spanish colonizers. The Balanghai Boats are also referred to as Butuan boats.

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Gwen Garcia asks support for senatorial bid

CEBU Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia asked support yesterday from residents of Tabogon for her Senate bid as well as her brother’s gubernatorial candidacy in 2013. 

Garcia attended the town fiesta of Tabogon yesterday and inaugurated the town’s heritage park.

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In her speech, she asked residents to help her become the first female senator from Cebu.

“Hinaut unta nga makighiusa ang mga Sugbuanon alang niining usa ka kawsa nga dili lamang alang nako. Kawsa sa mga Sugbuanon. (I hope Cebuanos will unite in helping me),” she said.

She said many have been asking what will happen to the projects she started once her term ends.

Garcia said she will continue the progress taking place in Tabogon. 

She said in a press conference that One Cebu’s candidate for governor is someone who can assure the continuity of the projects she has started. 

She also endorsed the candidacy of Provincial Board Member Joven Mondigo for another term in the board. 

Tabogon spent P350,000 for the heritage park. Garcia also gave P1.2 million for the town’s birthing centers. 

The town’s Liga Ng mga Barangay also received P150,000 from Capitol, while each barangay received P50,000 for socio-cultural projects.

The Provincial Planning Office is still waiting for the resolutions of other barangays so they can claim the amount. 

Another P300,000 was given for organizing the town’s Sanggi Festival.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 21, 2012.

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'Pawikan' meat sold in Cebu barangay

Source: Interaksyon.com

CEBU CITY—Business is brisk, judging from the throng of people and cars parked outside this makeshift eatery in Pasil, a shoreline barangay.

The customers, some in long sleeves and tie, do not mind the heat and the dishevelled slum area. They are here for one reason: To eat their favorite stewed dish of sea turtle or pawikan, an endangered species whose hunting, sale and killing have been banned by law since 2001.

The Wildlife Conservation Act, or Republic Act No. 9147, penalizes violators with a fine of up to P100,000 and imprisonment of up to one year.

The pawikan appears on the list of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), having become endangered because of poaching, slaughter, blast fishing, illegal trade and pollution.

A signatory of the CITES, the Philippines, through the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, has implemented the Pawikan Conservation Project nationwide.

Animal welfare groups, meanwhile, consider the whole month of May as the Month of the Ocean, which promotes conservation and protection of sea creatures.

But Basilisa Piaquinto, head of the Protected Area and Wildlife (PAW) of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) here, expressed helplessness over the sale of the contraband in Pasil.

Vendors, mostly ambulant, have wised up and now sell pawikan meat already cut up, making it difficult for authorities to tell it apart from other meat, she said. And eateries are temporary structures that are easy to dismantle, allowing them to elude authorities.

Piaquinto said the vendors themselves know they are violating the law, but the demand for pawikan meat has kept the trade going.

Often eaten with corn grits and sold for P60 a bowl, the stewed pawikan is commonly believed to be an aphrodisiac, explaining its popularity among men.

“People come here because they believe that pawikan is like Viagra and some also come just for the thrill and curiosity of eating an endangered species,” said Henry Lumanang, who has lived for 15 years on Rallos Street where the eatery is located. Viagra is a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction.

The sale of the marine species in the neighborhood is an open secret known even to policemen, who are among the eatery’s customers, he said.

Elinore Malagar, a student from the University of San Jose Recoletos, visited the makeshift restaurant, located less than 300 meters from the nearest police station, a parish church and barangay hall, in mid-April after she was told that pawikan meat was being sold openly.

When she got to the place at 11.a.m., a handful of customers were already eating at the tables housed under a tent with tarpaulin roof and two large cauldronscontaining a steaming hot stew had obviously just come off the wood-fired stove.

Beside the cauldrons was a plastic pail that contained the raw meat, four flippers and the head of a sea turtle. “I was shocked and could not believe what I saw inside the pail,” Malagar said.

A man in his fifties who was preparing the exotic dish said the eatery gets its daily supply of pawikan meat from middlemen who buy the turtle meat from fishermen from islets in Bohol.

The merchandise enters through the small port in the barangay and is sold for P250 to P350 a kilo, depending on the supply, he said.

But the deliveries are not easily detected by authorities because the contraband is stored inside a styropor box and covered with fish to camouflage, unlike in the past when live sea turtles were delivered to the barangay, the man said.

 “Now they deliver the meat; that is why it is hard to detect,” he said in the dialect.

The supply of pawikan meat is continuous because of the sea turtle’s nature to lie on the seashore where it dries its carapace or top shell in the sun, makes a nest, and lays eggs, making it easy to capture, the man said. The pawikan would also get accidentally trapped in the fishermen’s nets.

The Pasil eatery cooks an average of 80 kilos of pawikan meat every day. The dish is cooked in two batches—the first at 9 a.m., in time for customers who start coming at 10. The second batch is prepared at 1 p.m. because by then the 40 kilos of meat cooked in the morning would usually have been consumed.

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2 Cebu rival leaders test village chiefs’ loyalty

source: SunStar.com.ph

CEBU -- Cebu City’s barangay chiefs were divided on Saturday when the two contenders for the mayoral elections in May 2013 summoned them for a meeting at the same time.

During the separate meetings, both Mayor Michael Rama and Representative Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City, south district) made promises to the barangays should they win as mayor next year.

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Mayor Rama met with 40 of the 80 barangay captains over lunch at the Grand Convention Center, for the signing of a memorandum of agreement for the release this year of P400 million from City Hall to the barangays. (Six other barangays were represented at the meeting by other officials, not their chiefs.)

Meanwhile, Congressman Osmeña met with 30 barangay chiefs, also during lunch time, at the White Gold House for a short “pulong-pulong” with the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).

Osmeña, who heads the BOPK, vowed to the village chiefs that he will triple the City’s financial aid to the barangays if he wins as mayor.

“I will make a deal with you. When I make it back to City Hall, I will make it (financial assistance) times three so you will have something to look forward to,” he said.

The aid, Osmeña said, will be increased by 100 percent each year for the next three years -- but only for the barangays whose chiefs stay with the BOPK.

Rama, who is on his first term as mayor, left the BOPK last year after some public disagreements with Osmeña, who was his political ally for at least six straight terms.

Conditional

Under the P5.2-billion approved budget of the City for this year, the City’s financial aid to the barangays amounts to P400 million. Each barangay’s share depends on the size of their territory, but a minimum of P3 million was promised.

Osmeña alleged that Rama is threatening to hold the release of the barangays’ financial assistance this year if they will not swear to support Team Rama.

“Those nga dili makadawat (who do not receive anything), those of you who will stick it out with us, will be amply rewarded,” he said.

The law says barangay officials are supposed to be non-partisan, even during the barangay elections, but captains and other local officials also double as ward leaders during election campaigns.

The Rama camp denied ever saying the aid for the barangays who do not support them will not be released.

Promises

In an interview Saturday, Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) Chief Michael Ralota said the Office of the Mayor scheduled a meeting with the village chiefs after learning about the BOPK’s meeting.

Asked about the matter, the Rama camp said that Saturday’s meeting with the barangay officials had been scheduled several weeks before.

Rama told those at the meeting that he will increase the City’s financial aid to the villages to P800 million, with each barangay getting P10 million, starting next year.

Rama also said he will increase the City’s financial assistance to the senior citizens. This year, the plan is to increase the senior citizens’ cash aid by P2,000, for a total of P7,000 each.

By next year, Rama said, he will increase it by P3,000, and again by P2,000 the year after that for a total of P12,000 or P1,000 each month.

“And that’s the target of our mayor nga taga buwan na sila magdawat (that the seniors will get something each month),” said Rama’s chief of staff, Philip Zafra.

SRP sale

Rama’s challenge, however, will be to get his budget approved by the council, where Osmeña’s allies make up the majority.

Osmeña, in his meeting, also vowed to double the financial assistance that the City is giving to the scholars and senior citizens.

He said the seniors deserve to get P10,000 each from the City, while the P10,000 cash assistance to the public high school graduates will also be increased to P20,000.

Cash assistance to the high school graduates in the mountain barangays will go up from P20,000 to P40,000, he pledged.

The City, Osmeña said, will have enough funds to cover the increases as it can already start selling lots at the South Road Properties (SRP).

The selling of SRP lots has been stopped during the Rama administration, with the council saying the City should wait until the price per square meter doubles.

Osmeña’s meeting on Saturday was attended by 30 barangay captains. Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young was also there as well as Representative Rachel Del Mar (Cebu City, north district), her father Raul Del Mar, and the BOPK city councilors.

Split

The barangay captains who went there are from Bacayan, Banilad, Capitol Site, Carreta, Cogon Ramos, Hipodromo, Kalubihan, Kamagayan, Kamputhaw, Kasambagan, Luz, Mabolo, Pahina Central, Parian, San Roque, Sto. Niño, T. Padilla, and Tejero in the north district.

For the south district, the barangay captains who were there are from Bulacao, Calamba, Cogon Pardo, Guadalupe, Kinasang-an, Labangon, Pahina San Nicolas, Pardo, Pasil, Quiot, Sudlon II, and Toong.

On the other hand, Rama’s meeting was attended by 46 barangays, 40 of which were represented by the captains themselves.

Six barangays were represented by a barangay councilor.

Those who went to Rama’s meeting are Adlaon, Apas, Agsungot, Binaliw, Busay, Cambinocot, Carreta (represented), Day-as, Ermita, Lahug, Lorega, Lusaran, Mabini, Malubog, Paril (represented), Pit-os, Sambag I, Sambag II (represented), San Jose, San Antonio, Sta. Cruz, Taptap, Tinago and Zapatera for the north district.

For the south district, those who went are the barangay captains from Babag, Basak Pardo, Basak San Nicolas, Bonbon, Buhisan (represented), Buot-Taup, Duljo Fatima, Inayawan, Kalunasan, Mambaling (represented), Pamutan, Punta Princesa, Pung-ol Sibugay, San Nicolas, Sapangdaku, Sawang Calero, Sinsin, Suba, Sudlon I (represented), Tabunan, Tagba-o, and Tisa. (Sun.Star Cebu)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 20, 2012.

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New iPad to make PH debut on May 29

Source: Interaksyon.com

MANILA, Philippines — It’s looking to be an interesting end-of-May as Apple’s new iPad joins the series of big-ticket releases in the Philippines, heralded by the launch of Samsung’s new Galaxy S III in the last week of May.

According to a page on Apple’s official website, the new iPad will be available through official retail channels on May 29.

These include official Apple resellers in the country, the Apple Online Store, and through partner telecom firms such as Globe Telecom.

No official pricing details were made available by the technology company.

There is also no word from Apple yet on the new iPad’s compatibility with the Philippines’ 4G-LTE network. To date, only Smart Communications has announced plans of rolling out commercial LTE in the near future.

Apple is now facing a court battle in Australia for reportedly misleading consumers with the “iPad with WiFi + 4G” promotion, despite the fact that the new iPad’s LTE connectivity doesn’t work with LTE networks in Australia.

It remains to be seen, though, if the case would be the same in the Philippines, since the only telecom firm with an immediate plan to roll out 4G-LTE in the country -– Smart Communications –- has yet to commercially launch its LTE service.

Earlier, though, Smart claimed that the new iPad would work on its network as its LTE spectrum is the same as that of telecom networks in the US (at 2100 MHz).

Still, the timetable for Smart’s commercial launch of its LTE service is in the latter half of the year, which could mean that those buying the new iPad with 4G-LTE connectivity would have to make do with HSPA+ data signals for the time being.

Launched in March, the new iPad tablet features a high-definition Retina Display, an A5X chip that provides quad-core graphics, and 4G-LTE wireless data connectivity, among other specifications.

It will retail for $499 for the base 16GB WiFi-only model, $599 for 32GB and $699 for 64GB, and will come in both white and black variants.

The ones fitted with the 4G-LTE capability will cost $629, $729 and $829 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models, respectively.

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