Cebu is virtual champ in Batang Pinoy games

Cebu City dominated almost all the sports disciplines played after day three of the Batang Pinoy 2011 Visayas qualifying leg in Dumaguete City.

Except for archery, which was ruled by host Dumaguete City, Cebu City won the gold medals at stake in badminton, table tennis, judo, taekwondo, chess and swimming to emerge as the virtual overall champion with a day left in the event played by athletes 15 years old and below.

Excluding the second day results for swimming, lawn tennis and boxing, Cebu City has already collected 42 golds, 24 silvers and 23 bronzes in the multi-sporting event.

At second place is Bacolod City with 26 golds, 20 silvers and 19 bronzes while running third is Leyte with 18 golds, 12 silvers and 10 bronzes.

Cebu swept the gold medals at stake in badminton with Fritz Gerald Sagaad ruling the boys’ singles and Hannah Tudtud topping the girls’ singles. Sagaad later paired with Dexter Oballa to take home the boys’ doubles gold while Tudtud teamed up with Jhunah Francisco to bag the gold in the girls’ doubles.

Also claiming the golds for Cebu were Jeffrey Lauron (42 kg) and Christopher Odevere (55 kg) in judo while Dannel Jay Tormis ruled the boys’ singles and the mixed doubles gold medal with Diana Oliverio in table tennis. The gold in the girls’ singles, however, went to Emy Rose Dael of Bacolod city.

The gold medal in chess went to Jazelle Villarin in the girls category with her score of 4.5 points while Jethro Esplanada of Leyte topped the boys division with his 5.0 points.

Cebu City also collected a total of 10 golds in the boys at girls divisions in taekwondo with Ma. Carmela Coran (flyweight), Aila Marie Lepon (lightweight), Micah Marie Mission (featherweight), Marie Hanz Therese Espina (welterweight) and Zosen Prajes (middleweight),James Louie Callino (finweight), Eric Garces Jr. (flyweight), Kyle John Flores (bantamweight), Jefferson Louie Callino (lightweight) and Keith Brian Fernandez (featherweight) taking home the mints. /pr

Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines.

Read more »

#Cebu - Lapu, Megaworld sign deal

Friday, November 11, 2011

THE Lapu-Lapu City Government, through a joint venture with a real estate giant, plans to put up the city’s answer to Cebu City’s Asiatown IT Park.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza announced in a press conference yesterday that the City Government and Megaworld Corp. plan to construct the Mactan Town Center in Barangay Mactan.

"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.

Megaworld Corp. signed a memorandum of agreement with the City yesterday morning. The holding firm’s projects include mixed-use communities and office spaces for business process outsourcing (BPO) companies. A source privy to the Mactan project said the
development cost is projected to reach P2.5 billion.

Jericho Go, Megaworld first vice-president, told reporters the 16.8-hectare Mactan Town Center will be different from its counterpart in Cebu City, as it will not only cater to industrial and BPO companies, but also to commercial, leisure and even retirement services.

The town center will be overlooking the coast, Go said.

“All the successful ingredients to launch our project are in Lapu-Lapu City,” he said.

Go said they are also seeking accreditation with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) in order to declare their project as an economic zone.

Once the project starts operation, about 2,500 jobs will be created, particularly for those living in Lapu-Lapu City, Go said.

For now, some potential locators include Quantum Leap, Accenture, Hewlett Packard, Dell and IBM.

Go said they will develop the property in such a way that expansion will be easily facilitated.

As of now, a building is being constructed, and utilities like water, electricity and drainage are already in place, he said.

To meet electricity needs in the surrounding areas, Go said they have given a commitment to the Mactan Electric Company (Meco) to allow them to construct a power station within their project area.

The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) has also committed to provide water supply in the project area and to provide a water truck in the event that a shortage occurs.

Radaza, for her part, said the project will be beneficial to the city government as it will not only create more jobs for her constituents but will also generate revenues for the City.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 12, 2011.

Read more »

#Cebu chosen as World Bank program pilot city

By Jujemay G. Awit

Monday, May 30, 2011

CEBU CITY -- To complement the proposed Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system in Cebu City, the World Bank will help the City Government implement programs on energy efficiency in six sectors, including transportation and public lighting.

Cebu City is one of three cities in East Asia that were chosen to serve as pilot areas for the Sustainable Urban Energy Development (SUED) program of the World Bank.

"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.

The two other pilot areas are Danang in Vietnam and Surabaya in Indonesia.

Related Articles

• World Bank: Bus Rapid Transport faces 4 risks

Through a grant from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid), SUED aims to provide a sustainable program for energy efficiency and savings.

The program is seen to help the city reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in the city, which is pegged at 19,000 tons a year.

To start the program, proponents had to assess the greenhouse gas emission in the city.

An inventory of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions conducted by World Bank representatives and other partner agencies showed that at least 19,000 tons of greenhouse gases are emitted in the city every year, said Maricon Encabo of the City Planning and Development Office.

Around 8,500 tons are from public vehicles, while close to 2,000 tons are from solid waste.

Emissions from electricity were pegged at 9,000 tons, 6,000 tons are from streetlights and more than 2,000 come from public buildings. The rest are from waste water.

Data gathered from the inventory will be used in a workshop with representatives from Danang and Surabaya later this year.

The three cities will then discuss and work together to develop guidelines for a sustainable energy program.

The World Bank has identified six key areas for energy efficiency: transportation, buildings, water and waste water, public lighting, solid waste and electric power.

In transportation, World Bank plans to distribute global positioning system or GPS-enabled phones to taxis, public transportation and government-owned vehicles to collect real-time traffic flow and road condition data.

The data will help the City in the implementation of the BRT system, which is expected to operate by 2014.

“These data, which would normally require significant time and resources to collect, can be used to more effectively manage road assets, mitigate traffic congestion, and plan for fixed guide for transport systems, such as the proposed BRT,” the SUED program plan read.

The BRT is also one of the reasons why Cebu City was chosen as a pilot area for SUED in the Philippines.

In a presentation on the BRT early this month, the World Bank noted that Cebu City is already on track in upgrading its transportation system, as jeepneys are considered inefficient and contribute to pollution. (Sun.Star Cebu)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 30, 2011.

Read more »

So: Planting trees before marrying

By Michelle P. So

Caught in the Net

Thursday, November 10, 2011

FOR those sweethearts who object to a proposal that requires them to plant at least five seedlings before they can get married, take comfort in the fact that Councilor Nida Cabrera has not put in her draft that the seedlings should first become full-grown trees before a couple can be issued a marriage license.

Take more comfort, too, that you only need to attend a lecture on solid waste management, not build a SWM system in your backyard.

Share your thoughts on Pacquiao-Marquez III

Cabrera, who chairs the Cebu City Council environment committee, only wants Cebu City to be a place still livable for the future children of the couples-to-be-wed. Who would be the best custodians of the environment but the parents?

When Cabrera pitched her draft ordinance to her colleagues in August this year, she was teased. They didn’t take her proposal as seriously as she did the matters of solid waste management and ecology.

Planting seedlings as a requirement to the issuance of a marriage certificate would be less tedious and bothersome for the couples if they could plant them in pots or in their backyard.

But no, under Cabrera’s proposal, pots or backyards are not allowed. They have to plant the seedlings in an area that is designated for the tree species by the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro).

In all likelihood, Cenro will have them plant the seedlings in some mountain barangays that can be reached by habal-habal if the couple didn’t have a private vehicle. Now, now. Superstition has it that a couple about to be wed should never ride together days before their wedding lest they court an accident where one of them gets killed. For those who haven’t tried habal-habal riding in the dirt roads or narrow paths of mountains, let me tell you what it’s like: You’re attempting hara-kiri. So much for the wedding.

Cebu City Civil Registrar Evangeline Abatayo sees the impracticality of Cabrera’s proposed ordinance.

Couples who plan to get married have complained about the impending tree-planting requirement, Abatayo says.

She says Cabrera’s proposal is not helping the civil registrar’s office, which has seen a decline in the application for marriage license in the last 10 years. “The application for a marriage license is supposed to be as simple as possible,” she tells a public hearing on Cabrera’s proposed ordinance.

Complying with all the current requirements is tedious enough: they have to attend pre-marital counseling and family counseling, which are not scheduled on the same day. And if it’s a church wedding, there’s pre-Cana as well.

The husbands-to-be get a glimpse of what married life would be for them: there’s just too much talk in it. These counseling requirements give them time to think twice about getting married.

Cabrera has proposed that couples who don’t plant at least five seedlings and attend the solid waste management lecture in securing a marriage license run the risk of getting fined anywhere between P1,000 and P2,500.

The councilor is not really helping promote family life with her draft ordinance.

Anyway, a couple can get away with the tree-planting requirement: if they have lived together as husband and wife for at least five years and without any legal impediment to marry each other, they can get married without need to secure a marriage license. It says so in the Family Code of the Philippines.

Just saying.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 10, 2011.

Read more »

Cebu chamber singers in 'A symphony of voices'

CEBU, Philippines - They brought glory to the country, specifically Cebu, when they bagged gold medals in choir competitions abroad. The Cebu Chamber Singers will bat for another gold haul as they once again compete in the prestigious Busan International Choral Competition to be held next month in South Korea.

The Busan stage is no stranger to the talented men and women of Cebu Chamber Singers. In 2008, they won the Gold diploma in the Mixed Voices Classic category and Bronze in the Ethnic category. It was no mean feat, as it was participated in by choirs from powerhouse countries such as China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Russia and the United States.

However, their first major victory beyond local shores was winning two gold medals in the 1st Asian Choir Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2007. Besting all other gold awardees, the Cebu Chamber Singers was proclaimed the "Winner of the Asian Open" for the Gospel and Spiritual, and the Mixed Chamber Choir categories.

But before the group, composed of Cebuano professionals (doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc.) and music enthusiasts, will impress jurors abroad, they will first stage a concert dubbed "A Symphony of Voices" this Friday, October 14, 7 pm at the Grand Ballroom of SarrosaInternational Hotel. As local acts who’ve gained international recognition always say, there’s nothing like performing and hearing heartfelt applause from one’s hometown crowd.

Its dynamic members — who come from different parish, school, and community choirs — promise to treat the crowd with their pure blend of talent and expertise, in an exciting repertoire of folk, popular and religious music. Tickets for the concert are sold at Sarrosa International Hotel.

Formed in July of 2006 by prominent Cebuano musician Maestro Dennis Gregory Sugarol and US-based musician Rey Roa, the group has been singing regularly at the Pedro Calungsod Shrine, and is also a staple in social and religious events in the city. They are currently trained and conducted by the award-winning Sugarol. (FREEMAN)

Read more »

SWU keeps title in Unigames beach volley

CEBU, Philippines - Danika Yolanda Gendrauli and Princess Anne Pido of Southwestern University (SWU) completed their fairytale run with a two-set thrashing of Adamson University to clinch back-to-back championships in beach volley event of the 2011 University Games yesterday in Roxas City.
Playing under the sweltering heat of the sun, the Jordan Paca-mentored SWU belles roared off to a lopsided 21-6 victory over the Lady Falcons in the opening set. They followed it up with a decisive 21-12 win to seal the deal in convincing fashion.
“We really made a lot of adjustments at the start of the game because we're a little bit pressured. But as we move along, we're able to establish teamwork and sustained our momentum until the second set,” said Gendrauli, who was paired with Lorie May Layno in winning the title last year.
Pido, for her part, proved she's not only good in the indoor volleyball but as well as in the sand court.
“I’m very happy that we won back-to-back titles. I’m also blessed to be paired with Danika who is already experienced in beach volleyball. Hopefully we can get the three-peat next year,” said Pido.
Paca said he was not wrong in teamming up Gendrauli and Pido as he could already see great potentials in them.
“Both Danika and Princess have the needed skills in beach volley and their teamwork was their key factor in getting the championship. They really communicate inside the court and they know how to counter the attacks of their opponents,” said Paca.
In men's volleyball at the Panay Civic Center, the University of San Carlos (USC) Spiking Warriors failed to book a semifinal ticket after they fell prey to Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 25-19, 25-19, 25-23. (FREEMAN)

Read more »

Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama approves building beach volleyball court behind Fort San Pedro

By Iste S. Leopoldo

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

THE Fort San Pedro has been one of the major historical landmarks of Cebu. In no time, it will become another landmark as it will soon be the home for Cebu’s beach volleyball court.

This after Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama approved the Cebu City Sports Commission’s proposal to have a permanent sand court in the city.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

CCSC proposed the setting up of an artificial beach volley sand court in the two-hectare property of Fort San Pedro.

“Wala ni siya problema. This will boost the tourism in the area. However, there is still a need for the Parks and Playgrounds Commission (PPC) to be aware of the said proposal and for CCSC to collaborate with them kay basin naa na existing program ang PPC,” Rama told Sun.Star in a phone interview.

Rama added that incorporating sports in a historical landmark of Cebu is a welcome development.

According to CCSC commissioner Ryan Aznar, who is also the athletic director of the powerhouse beach volley team of Southwestern University, the development will give a chance for beach volleyball to grow in Cebu City.

“It’s a chance for beach volleyball to grow. If naa na gyud tay public sand court, our level of competence will grow. It will also raise public awareness about the sport because it will be made accessible to the public,” Aznar said.

Aznar added that in the past, Cebu beach volleyball teams had to travel to Lilo-an, Naga or Mactan just to train for major tournaments.

Cebu Province spent for a beach court at the Parkmall in Mandaue. However, two years after, what was perceived to be beach sand hardened and is now being used as the mall’s parking lot.

“With it made accessible, it can create interest and that is one way of developing players,” Aznar said.

Aznar said that PSC’s Eric LeCain, who is beach volleyball trainer in New York and a former RP beach volleyball coach, has seen so much potential in the Cebuano players.

When this plan will materialize, LeCain together with Ceva will be spearheading grassroots program for beach volley.

Cebuano players have been dominating the prestigious Nestea beach volleyball competition, which is expected to make a comeback next year. In all of its 14 years of existence, Southwestern has been the winningest team in the Nestea tournament, with four women’s titles.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 03, 2011.

Read more »

Blessed Pedro Calungsod a candidate for canonization; diocese of Laoag is 50

Visayan Martyr Pedro Calungsod, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II on March 5, 2005 in Rome, might be canonized in 2012 if the major miracle submitted to the Congregation of the Causes of Saintswould be approved during a meeting of Cardinals in February 2012.

I asked permission from Cardinal Emeritus Ricardo Vidal if I could announce this and he said “yes”—only for the reason that more sick people can pray to him for healing.

I was able to interview Cardinal Vidal at the Collegio Filipino in Rome on May 1, after the beatification of Blessed John Paul II in the morning.

But the first one to tell me the good news was Fr. Rommel Par, OSA who invited us for coffee at the St. Augustine Convent across the Vatican. The postulator of the cause is Fr. Fernando Rojo, OSA. The major miracle attributed to Blessed Calungsod was the miraculous waking up of a woman who had been dead for two hours, without suffering brain damage. It is, according to doctors, medically unexplainable.

Cebuano catechist

Pedro Calungsod lived in the 17th century in Cebu. He was a catechist who could read, write and speak Bisaya, Spanish and Chamorro. He was mentored by the Jesuits, particularly Father Diego Sanvitores, who brought him  to Saipan. Both were martyred for refusing to renounce their faith.

Fr. Roy Rosales told me that the body of Pedro Calungsod was thrown into the sea. A shrine was built in his honor along the seashore. Consul General Medardo Macaraig heads the Philippine Consulate in Saipan. He also initiated the devotion to San Lorenzo Ruiz, our first Filipino saint among OFWs and migrants there. San Lorenzo’s image, donated by the San Lorenzo Ruiz Global Ministry, is enthroned  at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral.

Immediately after Calungsod was beatified on March 5, 2005, a three-ft statue made by Francisco Vecin was brought to the Guam Cathedral for enthronement by Cardinal Vidal.

Today, a three-ft statue of San Lorenzo Ruiz faces him along the halls of the Cathedral. San Lorenzo Ruiz was brought to Guam by the San Lorenzo Ruiz Global Ministry for enthronement on Aug. 15, 2009.

Milestone

Laoag, Ilocos Norte, where I was born and had my studies, marks a milestone on June 4-5, 2011 when it celebrates the Golden Jubilee of its canonical erection as a diocese in 1961. Formerly belonging to the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia, the Diocese of Laoag headed by Bishop Sergio Utleg held the blessing of the Jubilee Cross yesterday at the Ermita Hill in Laoag City. 

Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato officiated the Concelebrated Mass at Sta. Monica Church inSarrat town at 9 a.m., followed by the blessing of the Diocesan Museum.

During the testimonial lunch at Sta. Monica Parish, awards were given to bishops from and of Laoag, namely: Laoag Bishop Sergio Utleg; Archbishop Emeritus Edmundo Abaya of Nueva Segovia; present Archbishop Ernesto Salgado of Nueva Segovia; Urdaneta Bishop Jack Jose; San Fernando Bishop Artemio Rillera, SVD; Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, OMI; Bishop Emeritus of Bangued Cesar Raval, SVD.

Catholic schools

The heads of the different Catholic schools in the province were also given awards. The schools included the Holy Spirit Academy of Laoag where I studied from kindergarten up to high school; St. Joseph High School in Laoag; St. Andrew Academy in  Bacarra; Sta. Rosa Academy in San Nicolas; St. James Academy in Pasuquin; St. Jude High School in Pagudpud; St. Joseph Institute in Dingras and Divine Word College of Laoag.

Am I glad that I studied in a Catholic school which prepared me, I think, for the work I am doing now.

Bill Fariñas, president of the Diocesan Council of the Laity, and his wife Soledad Ventura-Fariñas  must have been prepared, too, when Bill went to St. William High School (now Divine Word College High School) and Soledad was ahead of me at the Holy Spirit Academy.

They are the founding couple of the Laoag District of Bukas Loob sa Diyos Covenant Community. They  joined BLD in Manila way back in 1987 and brought it to Laoag in 1993 with two other couples from Laoag: Ronnie and Ida Tionko (nee Simon) and Sammy and Cora Tomas.

BLD is very actively supporting the parish in its evangelization programs.

Jubilee theme

If I translate it right from Ilocano, the theme of the Golden Jubilee celebration—“Rambaken Pannakapabaro”—is “Celebrating what is made new.”

The Diocese of Laoag, which was established in 1961, shares the early history of its Mother See, the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia.

Christianity came to the northernmost part of Luzon in 1572 as part of the “pacification campaign” led by conquistador Juan de Salcedo, who used the cross and the sword to plant Spanish rule and Christianity in this part of the world.

The seat of the diocese is St. William’s Cathedral, with Bishop Utleg as parish priest and Fr. Policarpo Albano as parish Rector.

New deacons and priest

The Archdiocese of Tuguegarao will hold the ordination of two deacons on June 10, 9 a.m., at Our Lady of Chartres Chapel in St. Paul University.

Archbishop Diosdado Talamayan will ordain seminarians Edgardo Baculi and Mark Anthony Ventura as deacons, while Rev. Bernice de la Peña Rio will be ordained priest on June 11, 9 a.m., at the St. Peter Thelmo Parish Church.

St. Anthony de Padua fiesta

The Catholic Women’s Club in Santuario de San Antonio, with Betty Roxas Chua as president, is celebrating the feast of St. Anthony de Padua, June 13, with Novena Masses June 4-12 and with a series of spiritual and medical activities to help the less fortunate. Bishop Broderick Pabillo will officiate the Concelebrated Mass on June 13 at 6 p.m.

Every morning starting June 4, breakfast will be served to 600 indigents from the different barangays around the area in the parking lot of the church.  Mass baptism will be held on June 8, 9 a.m., with 65 babies up to two years old. The confirmation of  l20 young people will take place on June 9, 9 a.m., with Bishop Emeritus Manuel Sobreviñas as presider.

A mass wedding of 24 couples will take place on June 10, 10 a.m., followed by reception for the couples’ families and guests at the Parish Center.

A medical mission will also take place on June 11 at the parish center. It will provide minor surgery, optical refraction and dental treatments.

Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines.

Read more »