East ASEAN ministers sign transport agreements - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Transport ministers from the four-country East ASEAN Growth Area (EAGA) signed agreements on sea, air and land traffic and security in a meeting here Thursday.

Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza said he and the other ministers pledged to find ways to improve security to protect the traveling public.

“We are going to offer a safer travel,” Mendoza said, adding among matters threshed in the second EAGA transport ministers meeting were issues concerning air cargo and security.

6 months after the historic meeting of the ASEAN leaders in Cebu, the foreign ministers meet again in Manila.

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When the five-day 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) opens at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on Sunday (July 29), the regional grouping will be only 11 days shy of its 40th anniversary on August 8 this year.

From the original five, ASEAN now has 10 members, comprising all the countries in Southeast Asia. Although the member countries have different political and ideological orientations, ASEAN has one unifying objective: to promote peace and stability in the region.

ASEAN was established on Aug. 8, 1967 at the height of the Cold War by the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand during their historic meeting in Bangkok where they signed the ASEAN Declaration, now known as the Bangkok Declaration.

Shanghai-Cebu flights seen boosting Visayas tourism - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

CEBU CITY, Philippines–The introduction of regular chartered flights between Cebu and Shanghai will open up the huge Chinese market to the local tourism industry.

Shanghai tourism attaché Gerard Panga called the China Southern Airlines’ inaugural Shanghai-Cebu flight, which landed in Cebu early Saturday morning, a breakthrough for Cebu’s tourism industry.

Shanghai, along with Beijing and Guangzhou, is among the three most economically developed regions in China, and they are considered major sources of outbound tourists.

About 21 towns in southern Cebu had the chance to showcase their unique culture &  history and delicacies to local and foreign tourists to the Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo Southern Heritage Trail that was started last Friday (July 27-29). 

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia accompanied over 200 foreign and local tourists around Cebu’s southern towns.  Also with the Governor are Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco, Region 7 DOT Director, Dawnie Roa, governor’s daughter Atty. Christine  Garcia, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industries Officers and Members, the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industries and group of business sectors joined the said suroy-suroy.

The tour kicked off in Minglanilla, then proceeded to Naga, San Fernando, Sibonga, Argao, Dalaguete, Alcoy and Boljoon, where the group toured in the famous Boljoon church.
On the second day of the tour, July 28, started from  Oslob, Down to Santander, Samboan, Ginatilan, Alegria and ended at Badian.  At Badian the group visited the famous Kawasan Falls.

On the third day (July 29), Suroy-Suroy group proceeded to Moalboal, Alcantara, Ronda, Dumanjug, Barili, Carcar, down to Talisay as the last town visit and returned to the Capitol. 

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From Philippine Information Agency

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) here in Cebu said, PGMA’s promise to create one million jobs every year until 2010 is attainable.

Elias Cayanong, DOLE-7 regional director said, to do this, government must maintain the decreasing unemployment rate in the country through job generation.

According to Cayanong, the unemployment rate in Central Visayas has been decreasing since the last quarter of 2006 to the 1st semester of 2007 by 7.3% from 7.8% in the late part of 2005 until early 2006.

The introduction of regular chartered flights between Cebu and Shanghai will open up the huge Chinese market to the local tourism industry.

Shanghai tourism attaché Gerard Panga called the China Southern Airlines’ inaugural Shanghai-Cebu flight, which landed in Cebu early Saturday morning, a breakthrough for Cebu’s tourism industry.

Shanghai, along with Beijing and Guangzhou, is among the three most economically developed regions in China, and they are considered major sources of outbound tourists. More…

Young, fresh and beyond-the-usual; are only a few adjectives that can best describe the newest coffee shop in town and the young entrepreneur behind it.

Serving more than just your usual plain and ordinary coffee, Café Volere offers a wide array of quality food from pizza, pasta, lasagna, macaroni and selected pastries truly inspired by the Italian character of good food and quality value.

“Volere” actually meant “like” in Italian. And just the same, the coffee shop literally is set to become a trendy hang-out which coffee-lover customers would come to like.

Owned and operated by 22-year old Kingsley Ko, a CIE Business Administration student; the café posts several advantages as it adheres to fresh ideas that only someone young and open to newer marketing trends and perspectives could appreciate. More…

I hope so… These dancing Cebu inmates rock!

A video of provincial inmates dancing to the tune of Michael Jackson’s 80s hit “Thriller” may end up in the Guinness Book of Records.

Capitol security consultant Byron Garcia yesterday said the video has a shot at taking the record for the most number of individuals dancing to “Thriller” at the same time and in the same location.

He said he was informed by a Guinness Record title holder that the current record stands only at 65 dancers. More…

Cordova is a coastal town in the southern part of Mactan Island. It is 7 kms. away from Lapu-Lapu City and 9 kms. away from Cebu City. The channels of Cordova is known as one of the best diving havens in the country. Cordova has a total land area of 780.38 has. bounded by Camotes Sea in the east and Bohol Strait in the south. The main livelihood of its people is fishing.

A lot of fascinating spots entertain the local and foreign tourists who happened to visit the town: the CORDOVA MARINE PARK site, the islets of Tongo, Lava and Shell, Nalusuan Island and the most popular gilutongan Island & Sun Beach Resort and Cordova Reef Village Resort.

The primary means of transportation are tricycles; though, jeepneys are occasionally available.

 Major road networks are either asphalted or cemented. However , some barangay roads are still gravel-filled.

Visit www.cordova.gov.ph.

TO meet the annual demand of 1,500 entry-level software developers in the province, the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (Cedf-it) is now in the position to launch its Bridge Course Program (BCP) this September.

The BCP, considered to be the first in the Philippines, aims to meet the growing local demand for qualified software developers since it serves as a “tipping point” in bridging the gap between those who are hired and those who are deemed as second choices, said Cedf-it senior project manager Arnold Banogon.

Citing a survey by Cedf-it in 2006, he said only 600 information technology (IT) graduates are absorbed by companies. More…

Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal yesterday declared St. James the Apostle parish church in Compostela town as Cebu’s own ‘Santiago de Compostela,’ the newest archdiocesan shrine for pilgrims to visit.

In a decree of conferment he issued on July 24, Vidal named the shrine “Santiago de Compostela,” in reference to the famous pilgrimage Cathedral in Galicia, Spain.

“They don’t have to go outside the Philippines or outside Cebu anymore because there is already a shrine here,” Vidal said. More…

Last week, I was able to feature more htan 1,500 inmates of Cebu Provincial Detention Center (CPDC) doing the thrilller dance  as a routine at the jailhouse and it’s interesting to know that it gets positive response from the web especially You Tube savvy users.

Byron Garcia (author), who oversees the jail and introduced the dance routines last year, loaded the videos onto the Web.

“I want the prison system to learn from this,” Garcia told Reuters. “The inmates are after all human beings and the inmates after all, once inside, know that they have committed mistakes, let them enjoy their stay.”

The online audience certainly enjoys their sense of rhythm.

“I usually have some kinda witty banter. But not this time, I’m just completely speechless,” wrote one viewer on YouTube.

There’s still hope at the inside.:)  Even people inside the jail can do the creative dance steps of Michael Jackson or perhaps can do the groove of Gary V…???  Sikat ang Cebu! Sikat ang Pinoy!

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