This Week in Cebu (December 1 to 7, 2019)

While Cebu will see a bit of sun on Sunday, cloudy weather will dominate the rest of the week. A thunderstorm or two will hover over the Queen City of the South on Monday. Even as the weather will improve by Tuesday, clouds will continue to dominate the skyline of Cebu. And on Wednesday, the sun will once again peek out from behind the clouds. But Thursday will see rain showers coming back for a second time for the week. The rainy weather will continue over the weekend as the chances of rain will reach 61 percent. Temperatures for the week will be between 23°C to 32°C [1].

The detailed engineering design for the Bus Rapid Transit in Cebu is expected to be finalized by the second quarter of 2020. This was revealed by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) recently. Moreover, DOTr Undersecretary Mark de Leon said the government will start buying lots affected by the plan once it is finalized. He added that the depot sites and bus stops for the PhP16-billion project should be strategically located. But the main concern of the government agency is the procurement due to road-right-of-way restrictions. Together with its feeder lines extending to Talisay City, the BRT project will cover a total length of 39.88 kilometers. The main line will start at the South Road Properties (SRP) and will end at the Cebu IT Park in Lahug [2].

GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) President Louie Ferrer and Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) General Manager Steve Dicdcican joined Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia in inspecting the airport in San Francisco town in Camotes Island on November 25. Following the inspection, GMAC will decide if it is interested in developing the airports of Camotes and Bantayan Islands. Moreover, the provincial government will discuss the arrangement of the investment with the company. They will decide if it will be a Build, Transfer, Operate (BTO) scheme or a joint venture between the company and the government. The province of Cebu already has a memorandum of agreement with Dicdican to convert the Bantayan Island Airport for commercial use after he inspected the airport last September 30 [3].

The 30-hectare development of Megaworld, The Mactan Newtown, received the Best Mixed-Use Project in Visayas and Mindanao Award from the 2019 Outlook Awards recently. The award comes as the property giant opened the Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown, its first hotel development in Cebu. Moreover, it also recognized the rising status of the township, which blends residential, commercial and retail components within a self-contained community. The award was given following a survey conducted by a panel of judges and home-seekers [4].

The floats for the Sinulog 2020 grand parade will depict the history of Christianity in the country. This was revealed recently by Sinulog Governing Board member Kenneth Cobonpue. He said while the floats will be free-style, they should choose a theme depicting the arrival of Christianity and its history in the country. Companies joining the float competition have two theme categories to choose from: free interpretation and timeline theme. Moreover, celebrities who will join the float should also be consistent with the character of the theme. Aside from the float parade, other activities for Sinulog 2020 include the “Sinulog sa Palaboy” and “Drum the Beat, Beat the Drum.” In addition, the “Sinulog Market Street Fair” will encourage municipalities to highlight their local products and delicacies during the celebration [5].

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