Feed aggregator

July 06, 2023 11:00 AM

Food, healthcare and house rental costs are high and still increasing.

RUNNING enthusiasts are in for a huge treat as exciting prizes await them in the upcoming 32nd Lite Ferries Anniversary Run, scheduled on July 30 at the Cebu Business Park.

The event, which will feature five categories, will be even more special as participants will have a chance to win a brand-new NMAX motorcycle.

The footrace will include the following categories: three kilometers, five kilometers, ten kilometers, sixteen kilometers, and twenty-four kilometers.

Each category's registration fees, which include race bibs and shirts, are set at a very affordable rate.

The registration fee for the 3km race is P550, for the 5K race is P700, for the 10K race is P800, for the 16K race is P900, and for the 24K race is P1,100.

Special discounts will be available for students and senior citizens.

Finishers in the 10km, 16km, and 24km categories will also receive a specially-designed finisher's medal.

Those interested in joining the race may register at any Lite Shipping branch. Look for Debbie Canama or Roger Bernasor at (032) 255 1721, local 426 & 327, or visit Fizeek Fitness and Yoga Center located near Tejero Elementary School along M.J. Cuenco Avenue in Cebu City.

The Lite Shipping 32nd Anniversary Run would like to express gratitude to all the sponsors: Danilo Lines Inc., Sunline Shipping Corp., Lirio Shipping Lines, Cebu Lite Trading Inc., Lite Properties Corporation, IPI, Nature's Spring, Pepsi, McOQ's Cafe, Fizeek Fitness, RC Goldline, ECYY, Fitbar, Queen V, Mr. Potato, Mr. Taho, MACES Trading, MoGu MoGu, Casa Corella, and J&J Technology Solutions. Media partners include The Freeman, Sun Star Cebu, CDN Digital, and Cebu Online News Press Corps (CONPC), with the special participation of Wowie De Guzman and his team. (SPONSORED CONTENT)

July 06, 2023 9:45 AM

South Korea's birth rate fell to 0.78 in 2022, the world's lowest.

The IAEA endorsement is ‘ridiculous’ as the agency cannot be considered an independent arbiter given its role to ‘advance nuclear power’, one activist says.

July 06, 2023 9:25 AM

The torrid heat has pushed local governments to ask residents and businesses to curb the usage of electricity.

A wage increase ratified today will give more than 1,150 midwives employed by Te Whatu Ora a 15 percent pay boost, Minister of Health Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall has announced.

"The Chris Hipkins Government is committed to paying our front-line health workers fairly, with this agreement just the latest in the sector," Ayesha Verrall said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised on June 8 the status of Mayon Volcano in Albay to Alert Level 3 after it showed an “increased tendency towards a hazardous eruption.”

The US Treasury secretary's trip to Beijing comes as tensions between the two countries remain high.

July 06, 2023 7:18 AM

The police statement did not give the names of the detainees.

A Singaporean bank’s cardholders have exclusive access to presales for Taylor Swift concert tickets, which has prompted some Swiftie bachelors to jokingly search for dates who happen to be cardholders.

Long-standing captain Sunil Chhetri has been the face of football in cricket-crazy India.

(Kyiv, July 6, 2023) - Ukrainian forces have used cluster munitions that caused numerous deaths and serious injuries to civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. Russian forces have extensively used

Pita Limjaroenrat’s pro-democracy Move Forward Party netted the most seats at the May 14 election but there are no guarantees it will be able to form government or that he will lead the country.

Nepali women are branching out from managing the nation’s community forests to local, national politics to ‘show the way for the state’.

AT LEAST 17 road development projects are in the pipeline to tackle the escalating issues of traffic congestion and flooding in Lapu-Lapu City, with Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan also looking at the road improvements to make the city more conducive to tourism, ultimately boosting the city’s economic growth.

Big-ticket items like the Lapu-Lapu skyway, a new city hall and a reclamation project that are expected to begin construction this year are also seen to boost economic activity.

During his fourth State of the City Address (Soca) on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, counting the first three in his first term that began in 2019, Chan said these are among the high-profile projects that his administration will prioritize this year.

Eleven of the road projects the City wishes to pursue are intended to alleviate traffic issues, while the remaining six are intended to solve the flooding issues.

“To support our tourism campaign, we have to invest on infrastructure. We need to improve our facilities and provide more amenities to make our city even more appealing and tourist-friendly,” said Chan.

He said the city saw a 1,142 percent growth in tourist arrivals from 5,727 tourists in 2021 to 71,177 tourist visits in 2022.

Chan revealed they already welcomed 3.9 million tourist arrivals in the first five months of this year.

Road projects

Chan said there are road projects that will receive funding from other government offices.

This includes the plan to construct a box culvert-type drainage system, which will be sponsored by the office of Rep. Cindi King-Chan and a skywalk that will be funded by Tingog Partylist.

The 17 road development projects are the following:

To address the traffic problem:

• Open a new road in Pakpakan going to Collinwood, a one-way road accessible going to Agus, Marigondon and Subabasbas.

• Widen the George Tampus Road from five meters to 10 meters.

• Open a new road connecting George Tampus Road to Timpolok-Calolo, Barangay Babag.

• Open a new road connecting George Tampus Road to Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).

• Open a new road in Tacan, Babag going to Basak-Subabasbas.

• Construct a diversion road from Barangay Calawisan to Barangay Babag.

• Widen the Barangay Punta Engaño Road.

• Construct a skywalk in front of Gaisano Grand Plaza, Basak.

• Construct a skywalk at the junction of Humay-Humay and M. Patalinjug Avenue.

• Construct a skywalk in front of Gate 5, Barangay Ibo.

• Construct a skywalk in front of the Cebu Light Industrial Park

To address the flooding problem:

• Construct a box culvert-type drainage system along George Tampus Road that will lead to an outfall with flood gate.

• Improve roads with drainage facilities at Agaton Soronio to SubaMasulog-SubaPanas and Subabasbas Road.

• Improve roads with drainage facilities at Soong Road, Bankal and Mactan, Lapu-Lapu.

• Improve roads with drainage facilities in Barangay Agus and Pajac.

• Improve the road with drainage facilities at Timpolok Road, Barangay Gun-ob.

• Improve the road with drainage facilities at A. Tumulak Road, Barangay Gun-ob.

Skyway

Chan said work on the first skyway in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, known as the Lapu-Lapu Expressway (LLEX), will begin in September.

LLEX, which will connect the CCLEX to the airport, will generate income for the city.

Since it will be a public-private partnership project, it will cost the city nothing, he said.

The skyway is expected to reduce traffic and shorten the 35-minute trip from Cebu City to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport to just 12 minutes.

“I am proud to announce that construction will commence by September of this year,” Chan said.

Big-ticket projects

Major projects were laid out in his speech, including the construction of socialized housing in a 25-hectare lot in Barangay Canjulao that aims to give decent shelter to informal settlers.

“Our intention is to steer our informal settlers from danger, so we will provide them a decent place to live that they can have the opportunity to own,” Chan said.

He will also prioritize the construction of a boardwalk along the coastal road connecting the first, second and fourth bridges, which will include commercial establishments and amenities.

He will also look into building a multipurpose building adjacent to the Hoops Dome that will feature an indoor skatepark, and badminton and arnis courts.

A new Lapu-Lapu City Hall building projected to be worth P800 million and a 400-hectare island-type reclamation project are all expected to happen this year.

However, Chan did not say when these projects would be completed.

Social programs

Aside from providing cash assistance to senior citizens and persons with disability, Chan also plans to provide subsidy to solo parents who are registered voters in the city.

“For single parents who are registered voters in Lapu-Lapu City, each of them will receive P3,000, which is equivalent to P12,000 per year,” he said.

Chan also said that a proposed Anti-Discrimination Ordinance, which will benefit the LGBTQ+ community, is already pending in the council.

“The draft of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance is now in the council, and I am hopeful that regardless of gender preference, in the Chan administration, we will all be equal,” Chan said.

Water supply

Chan said he will also prioritize providing stable water supply to meet the demands of the city and its constituents.

“I have been courting private proponents to explore viable options to produce enough potable, reliable and sustainable water supply,” he added.

Recently, the city received an additional 5,000 cubic meters of water supply daily from the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD).

He also said MCWD has commissioned two wells, one in Barangay Bankal and the other in Barangay Agus, that can accommodate new service connections to around 1,000 households, which is expected to serve around 4,000 individuals.

He revealed that a P100 million transmission and distribution project of MCWD is already in the works, while the construction of the pipeline project along Barangay Agus to Barangay Mactan, and a pipeline expansion along the General Aviation Road to Barangay Bankal has already begun.

Meanwhile, the bidding for the pipeline for Basak, Marigondon and P. Rodriguez Street is still underway.

He said the pipeline projects are being done to prepare for the additional 25,000 cubic meters of water supply that will be distributed to the households in the city.

A desalination plant in Barangay Canjulao will be opened in the future as well.

“We have begun to reap the fruits of our efforts, but we will not stop here,” the Lapu-Lapu City mayor said.

Free school supplies

Another priority of the Chan Administration is accessible education to everyone, so he has allotted a budget for free school supplies for the students of Olango Island.

This program is for all students in Olango, from kindergarten to senior high school. It was also planned that next year, students from the mainland would also be given the supplies.

The government also allocated P19.2 million in tablets for elementary and secondary school learners, and a separate P15 million for the Alternative Learning System training centers.

AT LEAST 17 road development projects are in the pipeline to tackle the escalating issues of traffic congestion and flooding in Lapu-Lapu City, with Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan also looking at the road improvements to make the city more conducive to tourism, ultimately boosting the city’s economic growth.

Big-ticket items like the Lapu-Lapu skyway, a new city hall and a reclamation project that are expected to begin construction this year are also seen to boost economic activity.

During his fourth State of the City Address (Soca) on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, counting the first three in his first term that began in 2019, Chan said these are among the high-profile projects that his administration will prioritize this year.

Eleven of the road projects the City wishes to pursue are intended to alleviate traffic issues, while the remaining six are intended to solve the flooding issues.

“To support our tourism campaign, we have to invest on infrastructure. We need to improve our facilities and provide more amenities to make our city even more appealing and tourist-friendly,” said Chan.

He said the city saw a 1,142 percent growth in tourist arrivals from 5,727 tourists in 2021 to 71,177 tourist visits in 2022.

Chan revealed they already welcomed 3.9 million tourist arrivals in the first five months of this year.

Road projects

Chan said there are road projects that will receive funding from other government offices.

This includes the plan to construct a box culvert-type drainage system, which will be sponsored by the office of Rep. Cindi King-Chan and a skywalk that will be funded by Tingog Partylist.

The 17 road development projects are the following:

To address the traffic problem:

• Open a new road in Pakpakan going to Collinwood, a one-way road accessible going to Agus, Marigondon and Subabasbas.

• Widen the George Tampus Road from five meters to 10 meters.

• Open a new road connecting George Tampus Road to Timpolok-Calolo, Barangay Babag.

• Open a new road connecting George Tampus Road to Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).

• Open a new road in Tacan, Babag going to Basak-Subabasbas.

• Construct a diversion road from Barangay Calawisan to Barangay Babag.

• Widen the Barangay Punta Engaño Road.

• Construct a skywalk in front of Gaisano Grand Plaza, Basak.

• Construct a skywalk at the junction of Humay-Humay and M. Patalinjug Avenue.

• Construct a skywalk in front of Gate 5, Barangay Ibo.

• Construct a skywalk in front of the Cebu Light Industrial Park

To address the flooding problem:

• Construct a box culvert-type drainage system along George Tampus Road that will lead to an outfall with flood gate.

• Improve roads with drainage facilities at Agaton Soronio to SubaMasulog-SubaPanas and Subabasbas Road.

• Improve roads with drainage facilities at Soong Road, Bankal and Mactan, Lapu-Lapu.

• Improve roads with drainage facilities in Barangay Agus and Pajac.

• Improve the road with drainage facilities at Timpolok Road, Barangay Gun-ob.

• Improve the road with drainage facilities at A. Tumulak Road, Barangay Gun-ob.

Skyway

Chan said work on the first skyway in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, known as the Lapu-Lapu Expressway (LLEX), will begin in September.

LLEX, which will connect the CCLEX to the airport, will generate income for the city.

Since it will be a public-private partnership project, it will cost the city nothing, he said.

The skyway is expected to reduce traffic and shorten the 35-minute trip from Cebu City to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport to just 12 minutes.

“I am proud to announce that construction will commence by September of this year,” Chan said.

Big-ticket projects

Major projects were laid out in his speech, including the construction of socialized housing in a 25-hectare lot in Barangay Canjulao that aims to give decent shelter to informal settlers.

“Our intention is to steer our informal settlers from danger, so we will provide them a decent place to live that they can have the opportunity to own,” Chan said.

He will also prioritize the construction of a boardwalk along the coastal road connecting the first, second and fourth bridges, which will include commercial establishments and amenities.

He will also look into building a multipurpose building adjacent to the Hoops Dome that will feature an indoor skatepark, and badminton and arnis courts.

A new Lapu-Lapu City Hall building projected to be worth P800 million and a 400-hectare island-type reclamation project are all expected to happen this year.

However, Chan did not say when these projects would be completed.

Social programs

Aside from providing cash assistance to senior citizens and persons with disability, Chan also plans to provide subsidy to solo parents who are registered voters in the city.

“For single parents who are registered voters in Lapu-Lapu City, each of them will receive P3,000, which is equivalent to P12,000 per year,” he said.

Chan also said that a proposed Anti-Discrimination Ordinance, which will benefit the LGBTQ+ community, is already pending in the council.

“The draft of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance is now in the council, and I am hopeful that regardless of gender preference, in the Chan administration, we will all be equal,” Chan said.

Water supply

Chan said he will also prioritize providing stable water supply to meet the demands of the city and its constituents.

“I have been courting private proponents to explore viable options to produce enough potable, reliable and sustainable water supply,” he added.

Recently, the city received an additional 5,000 cubic meters of water supply daily from the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD).

He also said MCWD has commissioned two wells, one in Barangay Bankal and the other in Barangay Agus, that can accommodate new service connections to around 1,000 households, which is expected to serve around 4,000 individuals.

He revealed that a P100 million transmission and distribution project of MCWD is already in the works, while the construction of the pipeline project along Barangay Agus to Barangay Mactan, and a pipeline expansion along the General Aviation Road to Barangay Bankal has already begun.

Meanwhile, the bidding for the pipeline for Basak, Marigondon and P. Rodriguez Street is still underway.

He said the pipeline projects are being done to prepare for the additional 25,000 cubic meters of water supply that will be distributed to the households in the city.

A desalination plant in Barangay Canjulao will be opened in the future as well.

“We have begun to reap the fruits of our efforts, but we will not stop here,” the Lapu-Lapu City mayor said.

Free school supplies

Another priority of the Chan Administration is accessible education to everyone, so he has allotted a budget for free school supplies for the students of Olango Island.

This program is for all students in Olango, from kindergarten to senior high school. It was also planned that next year, students from the mainland would also be given the supplies.

The government also allocated P19.2 million in tablets for elementary and secondary school learners, and a separate P15 million for the Alternative Learning System training centers.

THE Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA 7) has allocated P293 million to address the effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon, of which over P255 million will be spent to optimize the production of crops, livestock and fisheries in the non-threatened areas and to save vulnerable areas through water management and other related interventions.

Meanwhile, the Cebu City Agriculture Department (CAD) is preparing a budget of P80 million to prepare for El Niño.

On July 4, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) declared the start of the El Niño phenomenon in the country, adding that it may persist until the first quarter of 2024.

El Niño increases the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions, which could bring dry spells and droughts.

In a document sent to SunStar Cebu on Tuesday, July 4, the Office of the Regional Executive Director of DA 7 unveiled four strategies to address the effects of this weather phenomenon.

These are (1) massive information dissemination across different locations in the region, P21 million; (2) maximizing and optimizing the production in non-threatened areas, P170 million; (3) saving vulnerable areas through appropriate water management and other related interventions, P97 million; and (4) rehabilitation of vulnerable areas that can no longer be saved, P3.6 million.

Program management will cost P1.6 million.

The DA 7 “El Niño Action Plan” has a proposed budget of P293 million, where P279 million is funded through the General Appropriation Acts of 2023 while the remaining P14 million has yet to be funded.

Central Visayas is one of 16 regions in the country that will be vulnerable to El Niño, according to Pagasa’s six-month rainfall forecast data issued on March 22, 2023.

Strategies

As part of its master plan to combat El Niño, the DA 7 will reactivate the El Niño Disaster Task Force while being stringent in monitoring and getting updates on local field conditions based on the weather forecast and outlook and checking of dams’ water levels.

Informative campaign materials will also be distributed while the DA 7 will also engage in bufferstocking of agricultural inputs.

To maximize production in non-vulnerable areas, the DA 7 has allocated close to P170 million to supply agricultural inputs to farmers such as seeds and planting materials, fertilizers and soil ameliorants.

There will also be provision of irrigation network services, mulching film/plastic mulch, establishment of pasture development, and provision of drugs, biologics and feeds.

The DA 7 has a budget of P97 million to implement water management and other related interventions aimed at restoring or saving the productivity of vulnerable areas.

Interventions include the provision of water-related facilities and equipment such as open source pumps, small-scale irrigation projects, diversion dams, small water impounding projects, pump irrigation system open source, small farm reservoirs, solar powered irrigation system/pumps, spring development, production facility management, HDPE Pipes, water plastic drums and ram pumps to the farmers across Central Visayas.

These are to ensure that there will be sufficient supply of water and that water will be managed efficiently.

The DA 7 will also provide fuel subsidy or fuel discount vouchers, while also supplying agricultural facilities and equipment to affected farmers during the expected drought seasons.

Master plan

On April 12, 2023, the DA central office rolled out the 2023 El Niño Mitigation and Adaptation Plan, setting in motion the strategies that aim to lessen the impact of the El Niño phenomenon on the agriculture and fishery industries and restore productivity in affected areas.

The department plans to put emphasis on water-related infrastructure to address the impending long dry spell.

DA encourages the use of the alternate wetting and drying or AWD method, where farmers can reduce the use of water from irrigation systems without sacrificing the crop yield through the application of irrigation water a few days after the impounded water has been used up.

Cloud seeding operations will be conducted to induce more rainfall during dry seasons.

Cebu City

In Cebu City, there is currently no exact release date for its P80 million budget.

But on Wednesday, July 5, Cebu City Agriculturist Joelito Baclayon said: “We expect that we can get the budget by this month and we can proceed with the procurement by late this month.”

Baclayon said farmers will be supplied with seeds that are early maturing and that can withstand the high temperatures due to El Niño. Farmers are not encouraged to open more areas but to open enough that can be sustained. The requested budget of P80 million will be used to provide farmers with the additional resources to respond to El Niño.

Baclayon said the CAD has made local farmers aware of the incoming El Niño so they could also provide insights to supplement the CAD’s plans.

Another strategy is identifying water sources that could be used to sustain farming areas and which areas need to be sustained and focused on.

Pagasa said the El Niño is currently still weak but with “signs of strengthening in the coming months.”

Baclayon is positive that the city is prepared for the El Niño phenomenon because of the earlier steps it has already taken and been slowly implementing.

DESPITE the approved decrease in franchise fees for the renewal of driving permits for tricycle drivers in Mandaue City, some drivers are also hoping their pending penalties will be waived upon renewal.

Benerando Irmac, a 52-year-old tricycle driver with 23 years of experience, said that removing the pending penalties would be beneficial for him. Since he only rents his tricycle unit, he has to pay a daily rental fee of P150.

Irmac said he began accumulating traffic penalties in 2005 when he was still a truck driver, and the total amount is estimated to be around P12,000.

He added that despite starting work at 3 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m., he only earns around P500 to P700 daily, which is insufficient to meet his family’s needs.

Fifty-year-old tricycle driver Dodong (not his real name, as he requested anonymity) has been driving for 20 years. He also has pending penalties amounting to roughly P5,000. He said he only earns around P500 to P800 per day, not enough to support his family.

Another tricycle driver Pabling Daip, 56, said the reduced renewal fee comes at a good time as he will renew his permit on July 21. This reduction will help him save money, especially considering the increasing price of gasoline. He said he has been driving for 23 years already.

Irmac, Daip and Dodong are among 2,500 tricycle drivers plying the barangay roads as they are banned from transporting passengers along national highways.

Dealing with penalties

Hyl Retuya, chief of the legal office of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team), said on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, that the resolution of pending penalties for drivers is being dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Retuya said the issue with some drivers is that they have significant violations that need to be paid before they can renew or obtain a franchise.

“The franchise can be obtained in two ways: first, there should be no pending violation, and second, if there is any, they need to pay in full to receive Team’s clearance,” Retuya said mostly in Cebuano.

“If their penalties are significant, they can approach the Team office, as there are ways to obtain a team clearance or provisional team clearance,” he added.

A provisional Team clearance allows for a certain period during which drivers can fully settle their penalties. However, Retuya emphasized that this provision is applied on a case-by-case basis.

On Monday, July 3, John Eddu Ibañez, head of Mandaue City Legal Office, announced that they are now accepting tricycle drivers who wish to renew their franchise.

The amended City Ordinance 13-2014-904 has reduced the fees, including the franchise renewal fee, from P1,500 to only P1,000.

The franchise is good for three years.

ECONOMIC relief, improved working conditions and benefits for habal-habal (motorcycle-for-hire) and delivery riders were sought during the Riders Summit held at Cebu City Hall on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

The summit aimed to launch the Riders’ Charter of Rights and bring together riders from various groups to support it.

Around 60 riders from different organizations, including Grab, Foodpanda, Angkas, Maxim, Lalamove, Joyride, and local rider clubs, attended the event.

City Councilor Rey Gealon presented proposed ordinances during the summit, which aimed to establish riders’ hubs in establishments as shelters for riders.

Two ordinances were introduced to grant amnesty to traffic violators and amend certain provisions in the tax ordinance, exempting delivery riders from annual fixed tax payments and assigning liability to digital platform companies.

One of the proposed ordinances set for final reading is the one that creates the Cebu City Motorcycle Riders’ Welfare Office. This measure aims to assist motorcycle riders in obtaining the necessary documents to operate legally.

Geoffrey Labudahon, national coordinator of United Delivery Riders of the Philippines, presented the proposed Riders’ Charter of Rights, which included provisions such as the right to just compensation, social protection, representation, freedom from discrimination and abuse, safe working conditions, self-organization, continuing education, and grievance mechanisms.

Labudahon said the charter has been submitted to the Senate and Congress, and a position paper has been submitted. His group is waiting for updates.

Riders expressed concerns about the decrease in booking rates and fare rates since after the pandemic, which has affected their daily income.

They had a minimum rate of P55, allowing them to earn between P1,000 and P2,000 daily; however, rates have now dropped to a range of P20 to P40, resulting in lower earnings.

Abraham Montecalvo Jr., a Foodpanda rider, said the summit was important as it aimed to address their concerns and improve their working conditions. (RJM WITH CNU INTERNS CAMILLE BUTAS AND GK MARIE DEJACTO)

TikTok Shop is a fast-growing feature within China’s short-video app, with a burgeoning fan base in Southeast Asia, Indonesia the successful launch pad, and Chinese entrepreneurs part of the action.