This Week in Cebu (January 22 to 28, 2018)

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Region 7 (LTFRB 7) is set to calibrate taxi cabs this month. This is in line with Memorandum Circular No. 2017-026 issued by the LTRFB central office which aims to have taxi meters sealed/resealed and calibrated by May 2018. Earlier reports have stated that new taxi fare rates approved last October 2017 will be effective after the Sinulog festivities. However, the initial timeline will not push through as LTRFB 7 is still waiting for the supplies of dashboard cameras and other digital equipment.

Locals and tourists can go on a food trip at Sugbo Mercado, the first food market in Cebu. Diners can find a wide range of cuisines aside from clothing, crafts, and beauty and wellness products. First opened in 2015, their flagship location at Inez Villa, Cebu I.T. Park spans 2,000 sq. m and is home to 55 vendors. They also have another food park located in City Di Mare, South Road Properties.

Sugbo Mercado is open from Thursday to Fridays, 5:00 PM to 1:00 AM.

People who would like to take a break from the stress of the city can go to Bacalla Woods Campsite. Located in Libo, Ilaya in San Fernando, Cebu, the camping grounds is a haven for artists, explorers, and all kinds of people to appreciate the beauty of nature. Visitors can camp in tents, hammock, or inside their cabins. Guests can also enjoy a lot of activities like river trekking, mountain biking, and skate boarding, to name a few.

To go there, one can ride a bus from the Cebu South Bus Terminal. Travel time to San Fernando is approximately two hours.

Danggit (salted, sun-dried rabbitfish) and dried mangoes are popular take-home gifts or pasalubong from Cebu . Another savory snack that locals and tourists can enjoy is chicharon (fried pork belly or pork rinds). It is made by boiling pork rind in salted water, after which it is deep fried twice in hot oil. While many places in the Philippines have their version of chicharon, the version from Carcar is unique because of the chunk of meat included with the fat.

Chicharon can be bought from ambulant vendors in Carcar, as well as in major supermarkets and pasalubong centers in Cebu City.

This weekend, runners and fitness-conscious individuals can join the Mactan Speed50 marathon. The sporting event will take place on January 27 to 28 at the Lapu-Lapu City Hall. The race will have 25-km. and 50-km categories. The race will start on 10:00 PM of January 27 and end at 8:00 AM the next day.

There will be awards for individual runners and team delegation contestants. Registration fee is at PhP1,800 for the 50-km. category and PhP1,200 for the 25-km. category.

While the low pressure area (LPA) spotted over Surigao del Sur has disappeared, a new one has been spotted in eastern Mindanao. This weather disturbance will most likely cause cloudy skies and scattered rains in Visayas and other parts of the country. The weather forecast for Cebu this week indicates sunny skies with thunderstorms during weekdays. The weekends will have showers and thunderstorms. Temperature for the day will be around 30 to 31 °C, while temperature at night will range from 24 to 26 °C.

The Department of Health Region 7 had advised the public to be wary of eating street food. This is because such foods are prone to contamination and might lead to hepatitis A and amoebiasis.