Camotes Island plagued by ‘massive’ brownouts for weeks now

THE entire Camotes Island has been experiencing massive brownouts for almost two weeks now.

Tudela Mayor Erwin Yu said brownout happens every day from 1 a.m. to 5 p.m. He received complaints from the business sector, especially from the resort owners and those who are selling refrigerated goods.

RDC sectoral groups approve draft plan

THE Regional Development Council (RDC) 7 Sectoral Committees approved yesterday the draft Central Visayas Regional Development Plan 2011-2016, which will be submitted to President Benigno Aquino III on Feb. 20, the deadline set by Malacañang.

The sectoral committees are the infrastructure development committee (IDC), economic development committee (EDC), social development committee (SDC) and development administration committee (DAC).

Immigration bureau exec nabbed, jailed

AN OFFICIAL of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Central Visayas spent one night at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 on Monday after he was arrested in his office at the Mactan Cebu International Airport, in connection with the libel suit an assistant prosecutor filed against him in 2009.

Fernando “Butch” San Ramon Jr., president of the Cebu Immigration Officers Association Inc., was only able to gain his temporary freedom after posting P10,000 as bail at the Cebu City Regional Trial Court.

Yacht’s crew safe after sea ordeal

AFTER several days adrift, Christopher Bell, the captain of the S/V Pineapple, won’t send a message of love in a bottle.

Bell, 62, who misses his wife in the United States, will use a phone to call her and let her know he’s safe.

PUJs sue City over ban

A GROUP of jeepney drivers and operators from Mandaue City yesterday asked the court to declare as invalid the four ordinances enacted by Cebu City, which prohibit 21-B jeepneys from plying major thoroughfares in Cebu City.

The Kahugpungan sa Mandaue Jeepney Operators ug Draybers Association Inc. (Kamjoda) lodged a civil case before the Regional Trial Court against Cebu City, Mayor Michael Rama, the Cebu City Council, the Cebu Integrated Traffic Management (Citom) and Citom chief Sylvan Jakosalem.

BPO agents teach English to kids

FOR one hour a week, grade one and fourth year high school students in Barangay Apas will get to learn how to speak English properly, this time not from their teachers but from call center agents who want to give back to the community.

At least 34 agents from Qualfon Philippines, Inc. will be reading to grade one pupils of Apas Elementary School and hold English proficiency tutorial for Camp Lapu-Lapu High School’s seniors once a week as part of the “Better English, Better Me” project.

Tourism office lines up festivals to attract tourists to Cebu City

CEBU City’s festive mood will no longer end after the Sinulog, with the Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC) lining up at least seven festivals to be held every year starting with the first Cebu Chinese New Year Festival next week.

The festivals will be organized to attract local and foreign tourists throughout the year, and give the hotels and restaurants a boost even after the Sinulog.

Stick to the real issue: dealer to DVMF chief

THE Meat Importers and Traders Association yesterday said Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) Chief Alice Utlang should not make an issue of Leo Cabangangan’s name.

The real issue, said group president Jude del Rio, is whether meat sold in the Carbon market and all wet markets under her jurisdiction is safe for human consumption.

CH earns P140M from biz permit renewal

MANDAUE City collected P142 million from the renewal of business taxes as of Jan. 24, with P15 million in collectibles from business permit applicants on queue when the deadline was up.

Assistant City Treasurer Regal Oliva is optimistic they will reach the P170-million target before the end of the first quarter.

Guv skips mediation on libel suit

CEBU Gov. Gwen Gar-cia didn’t show up yesterday at the mediation the court organized for the libel suit she filed against broadcaster Leo Lastimosa in 2007. Instead, Garcia sent Capitol lawyer Lito Astillero.

Lastimosa, for his part, appeared without his counsel Celso Espinosa.

1.9T of 14T job seekers find work thru City Hall

THE Cebu City Government, through the Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP), solicited 13,385 job vacancies last year.

DMDP labor and employment division officer-in-charge Florencia Monte-veros said of the total number of jobs, 10,851 are overseas and only 2,534 are local.

Governor reminds mayors to prioritize drainage systems

FOLLOWING floods that hit Mandaue City yesterday after a heavy rain, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia reminded the mayors of component towns and cities to prioritize the drainage system.

Garcia saw the flood when she was on her way to the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) for the launching of the Best eGwen Highway competition, which the town mayors attended.

Korean group eyes P8B airport facility

THE Korean International Cooperation Agency (Koica) presented to the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) and airport stakeholders yesterday the interim report on the feasibility study for the construction of a new international passenger terminal building that will cost P8 billion.

MCIAA Assistant General Manager Romeo Bersonda said the project will become a legacy of the administration of President Benigno Aquino III and will be implemented within his term.

Ombud denies telling DENR staff to forgive

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 contractual employee who accused an official of sexual harassment and psychological torture said the Office of the Ombudsman for the Visayas did not act on her complaint.

Kristina (real name withheld) said she had raised her complaint against Protected Area, Wildlife and Coastal Management Zone Services regional technical director Dioscoro Melana to the ombudsman in 2008 and in 2010.

Cebu to host Chinese New Year fest

CEBU CITY -- The Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC) and the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) will hold a Chinese New Year festival on February 5 this year.

2 missing in Cebu floods

CEBU CITY (Updated 5:20 p.m.) -- Two young children were missing after they were carried away by floods in two areas in two Cebu cities.

Heavy rains Tuesday morning that lasted for two hours inundated some areas in Mandaue and Cebu cities, stalling hundreds of motorists.

Traders question finding on E. Coli in some local meat from markets

CEBU CITY -- The release of a laboratory test result showing fecal bacteria in local meat has revived calls for random market tests and put pressure on the dealer who made the results public.

Slow conversion delays taxi passengers’ pain

TAXIS that use the old meters cannot charge the new rates.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) yesterday warned operators and drivers against increasing taxi fares without complying with requirements, which include the installation, calibration, testing and resealing of meters that can issue receipts.

Koreans eye Naga coal plant

ASISTER company of Korea Electric Power Corp. (Kepco) wants to put up another power plant in Cebu.

Yar-Sup Sim, vice president of the Construction Department of Korea Southern Power Co. (Kospo), together with other company representatives, met with Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday.

Sinulog body on track of earning P15M

THE Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) earned P7.1 million from the income-generating activities of the Sinulog festivities, said executive director Ricky Ballesteros.

He is also hopeful the foundation will reach its earnings target of P15 million, including income from sponsorship, which he has yet to check with the marketing department.

Medellin mayor files case vs. cop

MEDELLIN Mayor Ricardo Ramirez yesterday made good his earlier announcement to file anti-graft charges against the policeman who tagged him for the death of his bodyguard.

Ramirez accused PO3 Arnold Bocayong of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and the Revised Penal Code.

DENR staff seeks probe on official

A CONTRACTUAL employee wants concerned government agencies to re-investigate a sexual harassment and psychological torture complaint against a high-ranking official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7.

Kristina (real name withheld) has not received feedback on the complaint she filed at the DENR 7, Office of the Ombudsman for the Visayas and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) last February 2010 against Protected Area, Wildlife and Coastal Management Zone Services (PAWCMZS) regional technical director Dioscoro Melana.

28-year-old runner collapses, dies after jog

FOR Rafael Turno, 28, jogging inside the Cebu City Sports Complex (CCSC) oval in the morning was a great way to start the day.

He didn’t know that his early morning jog yesterday was going to be his last.

Palma open to SLA for priests

CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma is open to the possibility of implementing equal monthly compensation for priests in the archdiocese.

“I would welcome the possibility of us priests discussing the feasibility of a standard living allowance (SLA),” he said.

Guv calls on investors to build more tourist resorts in towns

CEBU Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia called on investors to build resorts in the province, saying resorts in the north were fully-booked during the recent Suroy-Suroy.

She said the Province has become “a victim of its own success” when more than 200 local and foreign participants signed-up for the Suroy-Suroy.

Bridge Board to device ways vs. nut cases

THE Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB) will meet this week to discuss procedures in preventing deranged individuals from climbing bridges.

Cebu Gov. Garcia said she was thankful no lives were lost in the incidents, but said deranged persons should probably just go elsewhere, like the park or a mental asylum, but not on the bridge.

Lost for 2 weeks, yacht rescued

ALTHOUGH moving relatively slow at five knots, the S/V Pineapple, a twin-hulled catamaran, sailed its way to Cebu and was expected to arrive at Cebu City port at 1O p.m. last night.

However, only three Americans were on the sailboat, as their two other companions had decided to fly back to Guam.

City clears Ban-Tal of island railings

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama personally manned the completion of the removal of railings in the Banilad-Talamban (Ban-Tal) area.

Rama said the Ciudad project has nothing to do with it.

PRO 7 officials take drug test

THREE days after the arrest of a policeman in Danao City, top officials at the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 yesterday submitted themselves a random drug test to prove to the public that they are clean.

PRO 7 Director Ager Ontog Jr. was the first to line up and submit his urine sample to the personnel of the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory 7.

RDC to discuss CV medium-term plan

FOUR committees of the Regional Development Council (RDC) will meet today to discuss the proposed Central Visayas Medium-Term Regional Development Plan for 2011 to 2016.

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