This Week in Cebu (December 29, 2018 to January 4, 2019)

While preparing to start the New Year with a bang, it may be advisable to keep your rain gear within arm’s reach. The week leading up to January 1st in Cebu will be wet as the chance of precipitation goes up as high as 75 percent. Saturday will see a thunderstorm or two in the morning. The same weather will continue until the end of the year. While a brief respite is expected on the New Year as the sun may peek from behind the clouds at the start of the day, rain showers are expected to return on the second day of the year. Temperatures will be between 23 °C and 31 °C [1].

Cebuanos will have to face the fact that their daily commute to and from work or school will become more challenging. The Supreme Court recently issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against a ruling by a Mandaluyong court that stopped the apprehension of Angkas drivers. Due to this, the Land Transportation Office – Region 7 (LTO 7) and the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board – Region (LTFRB 7) started apprehending Angkas drivers and motorcycle-for-hire drivers in Cebu. Aside from the riding public, the decision will affect 5,000 Angkas drivers, many of whom depend on the ride-hailing app as their main source of livelihood.

See Also: Five Chill-out Places in Cebu to Stay in to Beat the Rainy-Day Traffic

Tighter security is expected to be implemented in the ports as authorities are working on preventing the entry of illegal drugs in Cebu. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-7) and Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) will discuss the prevention of the entry of illegal substances with private cargo forwarders, port authorities, and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) early next year. Law enforcers will coordinate with port managers to monitor suspicious cargo arriving at the ports of Cebu. Even as authorities will tighten security in the ports, they will also enhance the education drive against the negative effects of illegal drugs.

The renovation of Terminal 1 of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is expected to start in January 2019. To ensure that the services of the terminal will not be affected, the renovation will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will be implemented from January to June 2019, while the second phase will be implemented from July to December 2019. After the renovation is complete, Terminal 1 will increase its capacity from eight million to 11 million passengers every year. One anticipated main feature of Terminal 1 after the renovation is the Airport Village. The Airport Village merges the arrival and departure areas, which will allow local and foreign passengers to mingle with each other.

In the spirit of Christmas, the Casa Gorordo Museum has set up a Belen or nativity tableau made up of around 200 characters. Twelve famous Nativity scenes are depicted in the exhibit. Dr. Clodoveo Nacorda, a renowned iconographer, said the Belen reflects devotion rather than a decoration. The Belen will feature the major characters of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as well as the three wise men and farm animals. In addition, it will also feature a scene showing an angel announcing the birth of a King to the three wise men and the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt. The exhibit is open to the public from December 15 up to January 21.

See Also: 8 Entertainment Spots in Cebu To Watch A New Year Fireworks Display

For more updates and news about Cebu, visit the Yoorekka Website.