I was privileged to attend the Launching of SM City Cebu’s newest extension building- the Northwing.

Prominent people and businessmen from Cebu attended  the occasion.  Mr. Hans Sy, President of SM Prime Holdings and Mrs. Margot Osmeña conducted an Opening and Countdown  Ceremony.  A series of fashion show from local designers were also one of the highlights of the event. 

Lots of oppurtunities and lifestyle shopping will be happening when the Northwing will open in September.  Here’s some pics to share from yesterday’s  event.

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Cebu Pacific Air Posts 57 PCT Jump in 2006 Passenger Traffic

CEBU CITY, April 26 Asia Pulse - Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) has registered a 57 per cent jump in passenger traffic last year due to the increase in its domestic flights and the completion of its re-fleeting program.

Candice Alabanza Iyog, CEB vice president for marketing and product said, the airline has a total of 222 flights in and out of Cebu last year or a 46 per cent increase in the number of domestic flights in and out of the province.

HARMONYis the guiding principle behind Thai cuisine. It is known for its balance of five fundamental flavors in each dish or the overall meal – spicy, sour, sweet, salty and bitter. Essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously combined into something unique, it incorporates Chinese stir-fries and indian curries with chilles introduced by Portuguese missionaries who acquired a taste for them while serving in South America.
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For reservations, call now at 253-1111.

Cebu Asean tourism congress slated in June | IndianMuslims.info

The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry Cebu (CCCI) has slated the Cebu ASEAN Tourism Congress on June 14-15 during the celebration of Cebu Business Month Tourism 2007.

The congress, with the theme “Tour Cebu, Gateway to Asia,” will be held at the P515-million Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City.

This is the third in the series of confabs of local, national and international tourism players aimed at positioning Cebu and Asia in the global market through effective branding and marketing.

What’s On Expat Philippines News Paper

NOT TOO SURPRISINGLY, the white-sand beaches of Cebu still remain the top tourist attraction for Europeans to come to Cebu via Qatar Airways. Arrivals are steeper especially during the winter season whereby the Europeans escape from the cold climate in their native countries and bask in the tropical weather in Cebu. More than just beach enthusiasts, the diving market has also accounted for an increasingly larger share due to the rich biodiversity situated mainly in the divespots in Cebu province.

The Bohol Chronicle Official Website

City Savings Bank was awarded as among the Top 3 Taxpayers with highest voluntary payments on Percentage Tax for the taxable year 2006 during the 5th Anniversary Celebration of the Tax Campaign lunch of the Bureau of Internal Revenue LTDO - Cebu held at SM City Cebu last March 1.

Balita Organization, Inc - 17 - Cebu pork gains entry into Singapore market

Pork from Cebu and the entire Visayas has gained entry into Singapore and by June or July this year Philippines will begin for the first time exporting pork, an industry official said.

“We’re very excited that we are finally exporting our pork products. This has been the industry’s dram from the start,” Albert Lim Jr., President of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc., said in a press statement.

Lim said the volume of pork export from the Visayas will be supplemented by pork from Mindanao.

Start Date: 28-JUN-07 End Date: 30-JUN-07
Venue: Waterfront Cebu City Hotel

Cebu Food Expo showcases all kinds of food processing and packaging machines, materials, systems and products under one roof. This is the unique opportunity to meet senior buyers & decision makers from all facets of the user industry.

A complete food technology show which is for bakers, restaurants, snacks & sweet manufacturers & person belongs to food industry. Consultants, Convenience Retailers, Departmental Stores Managers, Dieticians / Nutritionists / Food Technologists Architects / Designers / Engineers, E-Retailers. Restaurant Management, Bakery / Confectionery Manufacturers, Airline / Institutional Catering Management.

Exhibitor’s Profile: Profile for exhibit include Food & Beverages, Packaging & Processing Technology, Handling & Catering Equipment, Supplies and Services.

Organizer: Global-Link Marketing & Management Services, Inc.
Unit 1003, Antel 2000 Corporate Center, 121 Valero Street, Salcedo Village,
Makati City, Philippines.
Tel: +(63)-(2)-7508588/8871304
Fax: +(63)-(2)-7508585/8871305

Cebu Coliseum and main mall cinemas here in Cebu were jampacked of people as they watched Manny Pacquiao’s fight yesterday.  A winner by TKO on the 8th round with Solis is another history and we Filipinos could make Pacquiao someone to be proud of.

The fight was lived via sattelite from SAN ANTONIO, Texas.  Manny Pacquiao stopped Jorge Solis with a powerful right hand in the eighth round Saturday night after struggling through the opening five rounds and being cut by a head butt in the sixth.
Pacquiao (44-3-2, 34 knockouts) holds the WBC international super featherweight belt, and is the WBC’s No. 1 contender to the super featherweight title held by Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico. Solis, the brother of IBF light flyweight champion Ulises Solis, lost for the first time in 35 fights.

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Encouraged and stirred by the rousing success of past travel fairs, Cebu City once again proudly hosted the Third International Travel, Tours, Leisure and Lifestyle Expo at the SM City Trade Hall which was organized by the Cebu Association of Tour Operators (CATO), Cebu Travel and Tours Association (CTTA) and Global-Link Marketing and Management Services, Inc.

Guests of Honor included Cebu Provincial governor Gwen Garcia and Cebu Vice Mayor Michael Rama who both delivered brief inspirational messages. More…

CUSTOMERS from all walks of life crowd over a stall for a few hanging rice, a bottle of soft drink, a saucer of chili sauce and a dish that most Cebuanos find satisfying, the “Original Siomai sa Tisa.”
“Ubay-ubay sad gani ang mopalit diri nga de-sakyanan” said business owner Jeffrey Quillosa (Several well-to-do customers come here).

The Chinese dish, which is also drawing customers in Talamban, P. del Rosario, Fuente Osmeña and even in the cities of Mandaue and Talisay, started with Quillosa of Barangay Tisa, Cebu City.
When the business picked up in 2001, he left his job as a machine operator in a local company.

But he said he only has one other branch near the Tabunok overpass which he just started last February.

To distinguish his business from the others, he is using a logo of an image of a Chinese cook on the upper left side of his stall’s signboard.

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It’s a rather obscure town, a sleepy, quiet place by the sea on the southern part of Cebu. It can hardly be considered a tourist destination, but I guess that would depend on what one’s travel preferences are.

Below is the poem by Maria Theresa Niere that describes the beauty of Boljoon.  Discover its wonder.

a town of fresh spring water that dries not
in history, legend and song it cries a lot
in this little postcard town of beauty down south
a huge sleping reptile lies at its mouth

the scenic water leaves visitor in awe
of natures’ creation, one would love to draw
the church speaks voluminous memories of old
in friendship and beauty, the people are sold

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