A lot of you might wonder how Christmas in Barangay Guadalupe looks like. I’ve got an answer for that! During Christmas time streets and residences along the barangay, that includes V. Rama Avenue and Guadalupe Street are filled with lights and Christmas decors to celebrate the spirit of Christmas. The barangay has organized an annual competition to who has the best decors, where judging and awarding are held usually in the New Year’s eve.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cardigans. Blazers. Trousers. Winter Coats. Denim jeans. Blouses. Parkas. Shirts. Boxer shorts. Bras.

They are all UK. Alright they were sourced from Korea, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, United States, but not United Kindom. People brand them all as from UK wherever they came from. UK is a euphemism for anything bought from ukay-ukay shop. Many people love to shop for imported goods, be it brand-new or second-hand, especially clothes. For them, Levi’s is still a Levi’s whether it’s worn-out or fresh from the factory. Armani jeans is still Armani even if it is torn at the legs. Tommy Hilfiger doesn’t diminish with its boxer shorts’ fading colors.

What draw them to this kind of bargain shopping is of course the price factor. They cost almost ten times cheaper than the brand-new ones albeit sometimes they look drab and worn-out. But as long as they are wearables, people buy them.

Read the rest of this entry »

What if Cebu builds a structure that is uniquely Cebuano in character? What if Cebu builds the megadome and keep its original design so as to distinguish itself from other modern structures? What if Cebu makes its own symbolic structure that is both contemporary and historic?

Cebu is arguably the country’s most popular brand name. It’s the name associated with the finest guitar in the country. It’s the name associated with the finest mango from the Philippines. It’s the name associated with the best lechon (roast pig) the country has ever known. It’s the name used to identify the best furniture in the world with ultra-modern yet contemporary look. It’s the name of the country’s oldest city. It’s the name of the tropical island in the Pacific.

Read the rest of this entry »

The ultimate most exclusive lifestyle club is now taking shape at the heart of uptown Cebu. Club Ultima is a hybrid private membership club that will deliver the “ultimate perks for a wealthy and healthy lifestyle.”
It will occupy the whole 20-story Tower 1 adjacent to the 38-story Tower 2 which will house the 300-room deluxe Crown Regency Hotel. Both towers are located a stone’s throw away from Fuente Osmeña.

Club Ultima is a member of time-share management company Interval International. Interval International’s vacation exchange network includes more than 2,000 resorts and more than 1.7 million member families worldwide. Therefore Club Ultima members will get the chance to spend a free seven-day vacation every year at any of these resorts and Interval International member-hotels around the world.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Sinulog Bazaar is an annual event initiated by Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña to give traders and merchants from outside Cebu a chance to legally sell their goods during the Christmas and Sinulog seasons which run from early December to end of January.

The Plaza Independencia, a historic city park adjacent to the equally historic Fort San Pedro, is transformed into a mini bazaar where locals and visitors alike can hunt for items at bargain prices. Stalls are spread out in open spaces of the park selling just about anything they can think of which is of interest to the tourists and local residents alike.

Read the rest of this entry »

South Road Project (SRP) is a vast reclaimed land stretching from the edge of the Ludo Luym properties southward to Laray in Inayawan in Cebu City annexing the tiny Kawit Island.

J. King and Sons Co. Inc. (JKSCI), a hotel developer from Cebu is planning to put up a 3-hectare water theme park in the property which is being eyed as the new commercial and tourism hub in the region. The project is envisioned to be Cebu’s grandest theme park that will rival the Enchanted Kingdom in Laguna or Splash Island in Manila.

Read the rest of this entry »

Three students from the University of San Carlos in Cebu won the national competition for accounting students from all over the country.

They won their respective competition over other representatives from colleges and universities all over the Philippines.

Representing the Univesity of San Carlos’ College of Accountancy the three accounting wizards won first and second place in the individual competition and third in team competition in the recently concluded Nationwide Business Case Competition held in Manila last Dec. 5.

They are Sheryll Chua, Charmaine Huyo-a and Stephen Yu, all fifth year accounting students from Cebu.

Here are some good photos taken by me during the Christmas Eve. Hope you liked it.

I assume that not all of you are familiar with cave shrine. But with this article I hope to give you some amount of information which you may need to know.

The cave shrine can actually be a potential tourist destination in Cebu, that is known for its miraculuos spring water and holy oil (locals call it lana) streaming from below the ground at the opposing sides of the cave. Both oil and water have been streaming steadily for years without drying up. The smooth and sticky feel of the liquid believed to be oil really suggest that is indeed an oil and I have even touched it with my hands. Some enterprising people in the nearby area actually make a living out of this extra-ordinary phenomenon by collecting the oil into tiny bottles using a cotton swab. Some tourists visit the place on a daily basis and pay tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose statue is placed inside the cave. There are also some tourists who visit out of curiosity.

Read the rest of this entry »

Leonilo Estimo is one of the distinguished artists Cebu has ever known in recent memory. He is a multi-talented and a multi-awarded artist who helps the advancement of Cebuano literature in the country, having been recognized by some of the country’s prestigious institutions such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, Cebu Arts Foundation, Ludabi Inc. and Bathalad Inc.

He is a poet, drama writer, novelist, short story writer, and academician. Come January 23, 2006, the Southwestern University (SWU) will pay him a tribute during the launching of his book, Suhot.

Read the rest of this entry »

The tourism industry in Cebu has been badly hounded by the room shortage for quite some time already. The lack of more hotel rooms in Cebu stunted the tourism growth of the province until newly-appointed Tourism Secretary Ace Durano stepped in urging investors to build more hotels in the province early this year. He personally organized a trade mission to Korea by the middle of this year to drum up Koreans’ interest in investing in the Philippines especially in the tourism sector.

As a result, more and more Koreans are visiting the country and even poured capitals on various business opportunities. Cebu is now the most favorite destination both for Korean tourists and capital investments. In fact, a group of Korean investors have decided to put up a resort condotel in Mactan Island soon. They are now in the final stage of securing proper documents as requisites to start the building of the project.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cebu City Science High School is the oldest public science high school in Cebu molding students into future leaders in their respective chosen fields. The school’s free education has helped many poor but bright students to graduate without burdening their parents.

While all students enrolled here are all scholars, some of them still need financial assistance to help them meet the academic demands. Some students here come from very poor families and could barely afford even the daily jeepney fare or snack for their children.

Read the rest of this entry »