This Week in Cebu (October 20 to 26, 2019)

Spending the next week in the Queen City of the South means bringing an umbrella just in case. While the week will start with partly sunny weather, clouds will be covering the city for much of the week. Visitors should expect a thunderstorm or two on Monday and Tuesday as the city will experience a precipitation level of up to 63 percent. The weather on Wednesday may improve, but rain clouds will stage a comeback on Thursday. A seesaw battle will happen between the sun and rain as intervals of clouds and sunshine will hover over Cebu on Friday. But rainy weather will win the battle on Saturday with thunderstorms ruling much of the morning following an early-morning rain shower. Temperatures for the week will range from 23°C to 32°C [1].

After failing to fully comply with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte in clearing public roads of obstructions, Ginatilan Mayor Dean Michael Singco said the local government will exert more effort on implementing the order of the president. He also said they still have some room to improve. The Municipal Government also formed a task force to work on clearing the roads of the southern town. Ginatilan is among the 12 LGUs in Central Visayas that was unable to fully reclaim all public roads from illegal structures and parked vehicles. The president gave mayors 60 days to show significant improvement in ensuring public roads are used properly. The 60-day requirement started on August 1. The other towns included in the list are Badian, Carmen, Moalboal, and Pinamungajan, among others [2].

The first Malasakit Lounge was opened at the regional office of the Land Transportation Office recently. Regional Director Victor Caindec said the lounge will cater to the needs of senior citizens, nursing and pregnant women, persons-with-disabilities, lactating mothers, and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). The air-conditioned lounge features a lactating chair, nursery, diaper-changing table charging stations, and comfortable couches. It will also provide free Wi-Fi and free socks for children who want to play in the playroom. It was inspired by the Malasakit Center project of Senator Bong Go which provides care for people who require extra help while transacting with the LTO [3].

The provincial government expects 200 guests to join the three-day Suroy-Suroy Sugbo this year. Provincial Tourism Officer Maria Lester Ybañez revealed that they have received inquiries about the reinstated tourism project of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia since August. Ybañez added that the number will depend on the availability of rooms in the route. Around 80 percent of the partner hotels and resorts have already improved their amenities in preparation for the event. This year’s Suroy-Suroy Sugbo will cover towns and cities in the first, second, and seventh districts of Cebu. It is scheduled to be held on November 15 to 17 [4].

A heritage walk is in the works as part of the quincentennial celebration in Cebu City. This was revealed by Kenneth Cobonpue, who was assigned to lead the Visayas Quincentennial Committee. The world-renowned furniture designer said the first committee meeting with the Archdiocese of Cebu also discussed the redevelopment of some areas in downtown Cebu. He said it was necessary to rehabilitate and renovate some areas as they plan for the heritage walk. While nothing is final yet, the planned starting point of the walk is the Parian area. It will head towards the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and end up in the Plaza Independencia area. The walk is expected to be launched before the quincentennial celebration, which celebrates the victory in the Battle of Mactan as well as the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines [5].

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