Pilar in Top 10, needs online votes

CEBU, Philippines - The island municipality of Pilar in Cebu was chosen as one of the ten finalists in the Global Solution Search for Top Community-Based Marine Conservation Projects sponsored by Rare Conservation and National Geographic.

This qualifies the municipality to win $20,000 if chosen to be the overall winner in the ongoing search via on-line voting and a video exposure on National Geographic’s Ocean website.

There were more than 100 entries submitted from 48 countries while three entries come from the Philippines.

Of the country’s three entries, only the municipality of Pilar made it to the top ten and is one of the two finalists from Asia.

Pilar is a fifth class municipality that is part of the Camotes group of islands in the Province of Cebu and is composed of 13 barangays.

As its entry, the municipality showcased the Pilar Municipal Marine Park (PMMP) situated in Ponson Island and bounded by barangays Lower Poblacion and Villahermosa.

Located in what is considered a priority conservation area for reef fishes, the region was previously threatened by compressor fishing and illegal intrusion of commercial fishing boats.

Pilar Vice Mayor Eufracio Maratas, Jr. said that in addressing the threat, the PMMP established an innovative multi-stakeholder co-management scheme, which implemented activities that allow the completion of the life cycles of the diverse pelagic resources found in the area.

Maratas visited Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday to seek the Capitol’s support to encourage the public to vote online.
“We are very excited and this contest can give our work a great boost,” Maratas said.
The public can vote for the winner at www.solutionsearch.org or at www.rareplanet.org and go to the “Solution Search” tab.
The on-line voting started Wednesday right after the announcement of top ten finalists and will run up to December 24, 2011.
The winners will be announced on January 6, 2012 and the awarding will be held in Washington, D.C. in the Unites States of America.
“For too long the conservation community has focused on problems, but there are a lot of working solutions in remote parts of the planet,” said Brett Jenks, president and CEO of Rare, in a statement.
Rare, is an organization using social marketing to advance conservation with local communities, in partnership with National Geographic.
The first ever Solution Search: Turning the Tide for Coastal Fisheries sought applications from organizations worldwide that could demonstrate proven innovations to benefit coastal communities and marine ecosystems.  (FREEMAN)

Read More

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

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

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 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

#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

CCCI awarded best chamber

THE Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) was awarded “Most Outstanding Chamber in the Philippines” this year by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).

The award was given during the 37th Philippine Business Conference and Exposition last Oct. 12 to 14 in Manila Hotel.

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

CCCI said the latest award is the chamber’s fifth, after it received the same honors in 2006, 2005, 1996 and 1995. CCCI was also named a “Hall of Fame” awardee last 2007.

“Being the largest business organization in Visayas and Mindanao, CCCI never rested on being resilient especially in this challenging era of business dynamism. Having been known to be an active ally of both public and private parties, CCCI remains steadfast in its advocacy in the promotion of a healthier business community within its area of responsibility and beyond,” CCCI said in a statement.

The recent three-day conference focused on public-private partnership, the core program of the Aquino administration, and how collaboration between government and private sector can create a more competitive business and investment climate.

CCCI said that 2011 has been a very vibrant year for the organization after winning two prestigious awards. CCCI also won the bid to host the Confederation of Asia Pacific Chamber of Commerce and Industry Conference in March 2013.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on October 17, 2011.

Read More

Let stakeholders decide on flyovers, Palma says:

CEBU City residents should decide for themselves whether to support the flyover projects planned for the junctions e of General Maxilom and Gorordo Avenue, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said yesterday.

“Let the Cebu people choose and react about it, without thinking so much about  personal vested interest. It should be for the good of the community,” Palma told Cebu Daily News.

Palma had an hour-long closed door meeting with Rep. Rachel Marguerite “Cutie” del Mar of Cebu City’s north district along with her father Raul, the former congressman,  at the Archbishop’s Residence yesterday.

After the meeting, Palma said the church needs to hear both the proponents and the opponents of the flyover projects being implemented by the Dept. of Public Works and Highways.

The del Mars are proponents of the flyover projects which cost P300 million each.  Work was scheduled to start in November but the Gorordo Avenue flyover will likely be postponed to February next year due to last-minute changes in the design to avoid damaging the Asilo dela Milagrosa  property.

The Cebu Archdiocese will make an official statement about the issue.

Palma said he would still have to confer with dicoesan priests on the matter.

The Movement for a Liveable Cebu (MLC) composed of citizen stakeholders opposed to the flyovers earlier met with Palma last Oct. 4 to ask for guidance.

The prelate earlier admitted that he is personally against the flyovers but that he is not yet ready to  speak officially on behalf of the Archdiocese on the matter.

“But as I said I’m not a Cebuano, so I could not feel the possible difficulty it will entail,” Palma said.

Palma said del Mar told him that consultation was done and a master plan was already in effect which involved road widening.

She said this would entail longer planning and a bigger budget.

Palma said he reminded the flyover proponents to preserve the heritage value of  establishments to be affected during the construction.

“There should be respect for old architecture,” Palma said.

The lady legislator recently wrote to  Transportation and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas to request for an updated transportation  master plan for Cebu, which wuld cost P30 million.

She said if it would be approved, the DOTC would become the main proponent of the master plan.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net

from: 

Read More