Barangay 1 lass wins Ms. Balingasag title

TOTCHIE Echeveria of Barangay 1 bested 14 other equally beautiful ladies after she was named Miss Balingasag 2013 during the coronation night held Friday at the town's gymnasium.

The young and the stylish

GET into where your passion lies. This, I believe, is the key ingredient to a successful venture. What you are passionate about you are keen in absorbing whatever there is to learn about your field, hard work will become its twin, and along the way, you hone a good business sense.

Czech Republic – Bohemian Kingdom

OUR hosts in AUSTRIA drove German, Liza Ilagan, Rey and me to PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC for a day’s tour.

City's outstanding librarian retires

AFTER four fruitful decades of serving the city government of Davao City, librarian Nora Fe V. Alajar retires from service on her natal day on January 24.

Giving hope to children

HEAVY rain brought by Typhoon Pablo could not stop selfless men and women to extend a helping hand for those who are in need, most especially the children who have no families to celebrate Christmas together.

GBPC signs up for ‘Adopt an Estero’

GLOBAL Business Power Corp. (GBPC), through its subsidiaries Toledo Power Company and Cebu Energy Development Corp., recently signed an agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 to support the department’s “Adopt an Estero” project.

Free seminar for nurses set

CLEO Dimayuga, an immigration specialist from Canada and the president of Canadim, lawyer Renaud Dery of Dery and Associates, a Canadian law firm specializing in immigration law, will visit Cebu on Jan. 21 to conduct a free immigration informational seminar and discuss services for nurses and their families who wish to immigrate to Canada.

MCWD offers free water during procession, grand parade

THE Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) will continue with its annual commitment to provide free potable water during the feast of the Holy Child, Señor Sto. Niño.

During the solemn grand procession on Jan. 19, MCWD will set up four water stations along the route to give free water to devotees who are expected to flock to the city.

Archdiocese of Manila launches Patron of the Arts concert

A NEW star-studded show will add luster to the Philippine entertainment scene every year.

Pinoy rules in watching Les Mis

OKAY, I have long been waiting for this film. So please do not make a pest of yourself when you watch this movie. And just to make sure what nuisance is, please read carefully. No, this is not copied from those rules pasted on Facebook but there are some similarities for obvious reasons. I shall list down the rules, some will be in English, others in Visayan and in Tagalog. Here are the rules when watching Les Mis.

UPOU opens organic agriculture course

THE University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) announced the second offering of its online non-formal course on organic agriculture.

The course is designed to provide participants with the basic knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for implementing and promoting organic agriculture activities and programs.

Cereb honors 10 grads of masters course

THE Cebu Real Estate Board Inc. (Cereb) recently produced the first batch of graduates in master in management, major in real estate management program, in response to the call of the Philippine Association of Real Estate Boards Inc. (Pareb) to tie up with local universities for the group’s drive of professionalizing the real estate industry.

Christmas event for kids held

THE Metro Pacific Investment Corp. (MPIC) and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) Group treated underprivileged children from various communities to an early Christmas party in celebration of the International Volunteers’ Day last Dec. 5.

Cebu in the UAE

THE United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a country that knows no cap in almost everything good under the sun. Known to the world as a country of superlatives - tallest and highest building, as well as the biggest mall, it is composed of the seven emirates, namely: Abu Dhabi (the capital), Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Sharjah and Fujairah. It also boasts of a varied number of nationalities that come to reside and work. One of the more than 180 nationalities attracted to this rich gulf country is the people from an archipelagic country of the Philippines.

Keeping your kidneys healthy

THE kidneys are a mighty pair of organs: they filter and excrete waste products including toxic wastes; secrete substances to maintain acid-base, electrolytes and fluid balances; secrete vital hormones like rennin, erythropoietin and prostaglandin; aid in reabsorbing of nutrients like amino acids, glucose and others; and regulate blood pressure.

The beginning of a new pact

"I LOVE espresso, I love latte, I love mocha Gatchpuccino. I love choco, I love caramel, I love Oreo Larcepuccino. I love, love coffee. I love, love Blugre" says the jingle of Blugre Coffee.

Brand CdeO

A FEW years ago, when I was detailed at the City Tourism Office, I was assigned to meet a group from Manila who came here on a study tour.

Growing strawberries for food and health

WHEN it comes to preventing cancer, can what you eat make a difference? Certain foods are high in antioxidants, which mop up the free radicals that contribute to cancer. But in studies it’s been a challenge to tease apart the effects of diet alone on cancer risk, since people who eat foods rich in antioxidants also tend to exercise more and avoid smoking, other factors that are known to lower the chances of developing cancer.

Mystery of the Black Nazarene

LOOKING deeply at that statue with eyes as if still alive made my body shiver. All the people around started to cry as they glanced at that life-sized, dark wooden sculptured statue of Jesus Christ carrying the cross.

A Christmas treat in January

WHAT a great way to start 2013 with a bang! Some members of the media in Cagayan de Oro, including local bloggers, gathered on Thursday at N Hotel and enjoyed a fun-filled day hosted by Globe Telecom dubbed “Christmas Treat in January.”

Knowing the new fashion trends

WEARING the latest trendy designs has always been a part of Kagay-anon lifestyle.

The other ‘family’ dinner

THERE is always a better cook among the siblings in any family household. In the case of my ‘other family’ (read: family formed through friendship), at least to me they are, Dina is the better cook, baker and the hostess with the mostest. She just loves to make us try what new dish she has learned. These episodes, everyone wants to take part in.

Austria: A tourist mecca (II)

LIZA, German Ilagan, Rey B. and I continue our AUSTRIA sightseeing to SALZBURG.

Moms' bucket list

2012 was a year of realizations for me. One of the many things I learned is that even if I want to prioritize being a wife and mom, I should also find time for other activities and people in my life on a regular basis. In addition, it is indeed true that “love and care for others starts with love and care for the self”.

A visit to a place lost in time: Myanmar

BAGAN, Myanmar — The rising sun streaked a light blanket of fog with pink and yellow. Suddenly, pagodas popped out from the mist, some grand and intricate, others squat and modest, some crumbling, others glinting with gold — a carousel of Buddhist temples amid fields of sesame, tamarind and scrub.

Pinoy crema de fruta

ONE of the many desserts and dulces during many lunches and dinners which was on many tables is the CREMA DE FRUTA. Would you believe that this is a local and uniquely Pinoy dessert? Its ancestors include the English Trifle, the Italian Tiramisu, the American Icebox Cake and the Australian Zebra Cake. Those dear readers, IS the provenance of our very own Crema de Fruta.

Love the second time around

LOVE, so goes a line of a popular song, comes from the most unexpected places.

Armando Garces is from Luzon. Elvie Obregon came from Mindanao, particularly Davao City. But as fate would have intervened, the two met in Metro Manila.

British explorer embarks on Antarctica adventure

JOHANNESBURG — British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has embarked on an expedition that he describes as one of the last remaining polar challenges: crossing Antarctica during the region's winter.

Fiennes, 68, and his five-member team left Cape Town on Monday aboard a South African polar vessel, the SA Agulhas, for what they have dubbed "The Coldest Journey."

Splash of the Titans

TILAPIA has become the mainstay of many small-scale aquaculture projects of poor fish farmers in the developing world. "The fish is cultured in more than 70 countries," says Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, a national scientist and former executive director of the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD).

Fishery experts have dubbed tilapia as "aquatic chicken" because it possesses many positive attributes that suit the fish for a varied range of aquaculture systems. For one, tilapia tolerates a wide range of environmental conditions and is highly resistant to diseases and parasitic infections.

27 students get grants from Timex

TWENTY-SEVEN students, who are dependents of TMX Cebu employees, were awarded with grants through the Timex Group Global scholarship program.

They are the fourth batch of students who benefited from the program.