tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84792352729935339112011-07-30T23:24:44.877-07:00CEBU DREAMSChronicling Cebu's quest to become Asia's best.Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comBlogger371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-49261870347629864102010-02-16T20:18:00.000-08:002010-02-16T20:18:10.307-08:00New and improved blogI now have a new and improved blog at http://wilrodolfo.wordpress.com/. See you all there!Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-59912910197809363002010-01-23T04:36:00.000-08:002010-01-23T04:36:19.527-08:006 presidential bets face of in CebuCEBU hosted a historic presidential forum on Friday as six presidential candidates battled for the 2 million votes of what is considered as the strongest and more discriminating voting bloc in the country.
A jam-packed plenary hall of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) showed a cross-section of the Cebu community coming together for the forum organized by the Cebu business Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-50919126748302607732009-12-16T01:26:00.000-08:002009-12-16T01:26:09.425-08:00New boss, new plansTuesday, 15 December 2009 19:26
THE incoming director of the tourism office in Central Visayas said she will beef up the region’s presence in the large-scale conventions and diving markets in an effort to bring in more tourists to the country’s best-selling tourism destination.
Maria Rica Bueno, who will replace outgoing director Patria Aurora Roa of the Department of Tourism (DOT) office Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-87442445191127765182009-12-07T17:46:00.000-08:002009-12-07T17:46:02.776-08:00More blackouts for VisayasSunday, 06 December 2009 19:56
EVEN as the Visayas is on its knees at present, trying to crawl out of a power crisis, an official of the energy department has warned of another power crisis by 2013 as no new power plants are breaking ground to supply the region’s electricity needs in the next several years.
Rey Maleza of the Department of Energy (DOE) Visayas field office said there are not Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-74259869409390678282009-11-30T16:33:00.000-08:002009-11-30T16:33:56.046-08:00Toll for subwayMonday, 30 November 2009 19:18
VEHICLE owners in Cebu City may find themselves stopped and paying at a toll gate when the kilometer-long subway section of the Cebu South Coastal Road opens early next year, as public-works officials and representatives of the Japanese contractor said there is no budget to pay for the equipment and utilities to run the facility.
The project manager from Japanese Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-62131190059392102512009-11-23T17:29:00.000-08:002009-11-23T17:29:47.017-08:00Cebu north coastal road in perilBusiness Mirror
Monday, 23 November 2009 19:59
THE contractor of the P2.36-billion Cebu North Coastal Road has asked to suspend the project a month after it is set to be completed after the national government failed to pay for its monthly accomplishment payments for the last four months, public-work officials said.
The highway, hinged on a 1.25-kilometer, four-lane offshore bridge over CansagaWilly Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-59376035903980403832009-11-21T23:41:00.000-08:002009-11-21T23:43:39.214-08:00No BRT-LRT ShowdownThursday, 19 November 2009
THE expected showdown between proponents of the mass-rail transit and bus rapid transit (BRT) projects in Metro Cebu at the Regional Development Council (RDC) meeting will not happen, as the two projects have not been lined up for discussion.
National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Central Visayas director Marlene Rodriguez told the BusinessMirror that theWilly Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-41585001219936858752009-11-13T04:42:00.000-08:002009-11-13T05:03:48.322-08:00Cebu's Power StruggleBusiness Mirror
Monday, 02 November 2009
IN a single day, October 23, Metro Cebu suffered sporadic brownouts for close to 12 hours, “rotated” to different feeders by the local distribution utility to spread out the damage. That Friday was just one of many, increasingly recurring days this year when most of the Visayas run short of its needed power, a problem predicted years ago but has not yet Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-39224279284357286352009-09-10T05:31:00.000-07:002009-11-13T05:02:39.537-08:00Apo Cement helps Veco ease power-supply shortage in CebuTuesday, 08 September 2009
CEBU-based Apo Cement Corp. on Tuesday signed an agreement to supply up 10 megawatt (MW) of power to distribution utility Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) as the central Philippines’ grid plunges deeper into incessant rotation brownouts.
The agreement was signed by representatives of Apo’s mother company in the country, Cemex Philippines Corp., led by its president Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-68659681546825579702009-09-04T05:16:00.000-07:002009-10-25T04:28:48.799-07:00Riding the Waves
For many people, hearing the word Siargao conjures images of roaring waves and surfboards under the bright sun.
But the island is more than just the proverbial surf and sun. The islands surrounding Siargao and the Caraga region in northeastern Mindanao remain hidden, waiting to be discovered—breathtaking nooks and lagoons seemingly taken out of a Tolkien book; soaring cliffs and tranquil Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-9362123013231143272009-06-20T03:43:00.000-07:002009-10-25T04:29:15.954-07:00Natural reforestation succeeds in RP sites
Thursday, 18 June 2009 01:45
Farmer Dado: Welcome to the jungle.
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol—Diosdado Abergosado is a typical farmer. Early mornings he usually goes to his small rice field in Danao town in central Bohol with his young wife and two kids.
This day, however, is different. Abergosado is meeting three other farmers and walking a few hours to the hills for their weeklong tour of duty.
Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-51289596576784812042009-06-20T03:42:00.000-07:002009-06-20T03:43:16.224-07:00Cebu City eyes cultural heritage to boost tourismTuesday, 09 June 2009 20:01CEBU CITY—The Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC) is embarking on an ambitious long-term thrust to revitalize the downtown heritage area and turn it into a tourist attraction.The commission will kick off its first heritage trail history tour on June 25, and commissioner Tetta Baad said the long term plan is to rehabilitate old buildings and uplift the overall conditionWilly Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-76744865366252407272009-06-20T03:40:00.000-07:002009-06-20T03:42:08.680-07:00‘Job interview’ for Mar, ChizThursday, 11 June 2009 22:29PRESIDENTIAL aspirants Mar Roxas and Chiz Escudero were extensively grilled for almost four hours by businessmen and economists in Cebu City on Thursday, making them commit to issues from presidential appointments to federalism, oil deregulation, nuclear power and even code of ethics for spouses.The 1st National Business Conference of Independent Business Clubs, Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-83011560087961873852009-03-20T00:24:00.001-07:002009-03-20T00:24:42.278-07:00Power users in Visayas to face huge rate hikesBusiness Mirror Wednesday, 18 March 2009 22:56POWER consumers in the Visayas, including Metro Cebu, can expect to get the biggest hike yet in their bills as distribution utilities start to pass on, starting this month, the provisional increase in the generation rates of the National Power Corp. (Napocor)The Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) announced on Tuesday its close to 300,000 consumers will Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-37760740442334236952009-03-20T00:21:00.001-07:002009-03-20T00:21:58.395-07:00Making Folks Want What You ProduceBusiness Mirror Monday, 16 March 2009 21:16EXPORT furniture manufacturer Charles Streegan is known in Cebu not to mince his words. And so when asked during a press conference how bad the business are these days, people braced for his words and reality. “It’s terrible. There is no business these days.We’ve been in this business for 35 years, and I have not seen anything like it,” Streegan, who Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-39585291190194867432009-03-05T00:35:00.000-08:002009-03-05T00:36:44.944-08:00Cebu furniture sector upbeat despite crunchDESPITE the difficult times, Cebu’s landmark event for its proud export- furniture sector is set to open today with the number of exhibitors and buyers expected to be slightly lower, but with manufacturers exuding the same vigor that has spelled success for the industry for many decades.With less than a hundred exhibitors, the Cebu Furniture and Furnishings Exhibition (CebuX) 2009 claims to have Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-74809476575567957002009-03-05T00:32:00.000-08:002009-03-05T00:35:32.082-08:00Bizmen on Mactan Island brace for 12,000 job lossesBusiness Mirror Tuesday, 03 March 2009 23:57LOCAL businessmen on Mactan Island in Cebu are bracing for at least 12,000 job losses this year as exporters and manufacturers in the city’s three economic zones continue to suffer the effects of the recession.Mactan Island Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Efraim Pelaez Jr. said the group estimates that companies would retrench up to 25 Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-11992612534678608652009-03-02T00:20:00.000-08:002009-03-02T00:21:46.681-08:00Half of Cebu bizmen have dim outlookBUsiness MirrorMonday, 02 March 2009 00:00CEBU CITY—Close to half of business executives in Metro Cebu expect the economy to worsen in 2009, according to a survey by various business chambers and professional organizations here.Clarito Fruelda, vice president for external affairs of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), said one reason is that in the coming months, the manufacturing Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-70711489337277975112009-02-04T02:25:00.000-08:002009-02-04T02:33:35.202-08:001,500 Chinese tourists arrive in Cebu out of 10,000 target Red Storm Rising. Mainland Chinese descend in Cebu by the thousands. Business Mirror Monday, 02 February 2009 21:01 CEBU—Some 1,500 Chinese tourists arrived in Cebu the past week, the first batch of around 10,000 visitors that a China-based leisure company and its Filipino partner want to bring to this island in 2009 alone.Six full Cathay Pacific chartered flights arrived in Cebu as Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-90349306477217626812009-02-04T02:24:00.000-08:002009-02-04T02:25:21.197-08:00Tourist arrivals slow in 2008 but still up 2%; flat growth seen this yearBusiness Mirror Monday, 02 February 2009 00:18 THE Department of Tourism announced a slower but positive 2-percent growth in the number of foreign arrivals in the country in 2008, but is projecting a flat growth in 2009, as the country’s biggest markets continue to reel from the impact of the global recession.Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said the decrease in the number of tourists Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-45536048925396906622009-01-24T01:42:00.000-08:002009-01-24T01:43:00.346-08:00Cebu furniture exporters brace for toughest yearThursday, 22 January 2009 19:47 CEBU’S export-furniture industry is bracing for its toughest year as its global sales face a possible plunge that could place thousands of workers out of job in the next few months.A deepening recession in the US and Japan—Philippine exports’ biggest markets—is to blame for the industry’s woes.“We’ve been through the Asian financial crisis, the China threat and Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-62137116534692935762009-01-24T01:40:00.000-08:002009-01-24T01:44:03.951-08:00Veco, consumers brace for Cebu brownoutsMonday, 19 January 2009 19:45 Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) and 15 of its biggest consumers are drafting a deal that would allow companies to use generator sets and help avert brownouts in Metro Cebu this year.Veco chief operating officer Jaime Aboitiz said under the agreement companies will stop receiving power supply from the distribution utility at certain hours of the day when generators sets Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-53398312100763488332009-01-16T07:11:00.000-08:002009-01-16T07:22:22.534-08:00Cebu remains upbeat on Sinulog FestivalBusiness Mirror Thursday, 15 January 2009 19:28CEBU CITY—Cebuanos remain upbeat on the Sinulog Festival despite the impact of the global financial crisis.Hundreds of thousands of local and foreign tourists are expected to flock at the center of this central Philippine island this Sunday to witness what is arguably the country’s biggest festival.Despite the anticipation and the fanfare, Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-69814075135236845752009-01-13T03:10:00.001-08:002009-01-13T03:10:55.813-08:00Unstable supply delays cheaper power for Visayas regionBusiness Mirror Monday, 12 January 2009 23:56UNTIL power supply in the region is stable, the Department of Energy (DOE) will likely put off the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (Wesm) in the Visayas.Based on a study commissioned by the department, the Visayas is not yet ready for Wesm, despite the system’s reported readiness since 2007, DOE Visayas director Vicente Labios said.“Wesm is not yet Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-28181075849475988352009-01-13T03:07:00.000-08:002009-01-13T03:09:48.899-08:00Cebu govt bid on Filinvest project rejected once moreBusiness MirrorSunday, 11 January 2009 21:41THE Cebu City government on Friday rejected for the second time the provincial government’s bid to challenge the unsolicited proposal of Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) to develop 60 hectares of the reclaimed South Road Properties. With no other challenger signifying intention to challenge FLI, the property development firm is scheduled to be Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-86610321412158651472009-01-10T04:18:00.000-08:002009-01-10T04:28:07.018-08:00Cebu government appeals decision on Filinvest P80-B development projectThe hottest 60 hectares of SRP. Filinvest eyes it, the Capitol wants it. Business MirrorThursday, 08 January 2009 The Cebu provincial government is appealing the decision of the Cebu City Hall to disqualify the former from challenging an P80-billion unsolicited proposal by Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) to develop 60 hectares of land at the reclaimed South Road Properties (SRP).In a letter to the cityWilly Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-36490146525690066672009-01-07T20:51:00.000-08:002009-01-07T20:52:27.743-08:00Aussie company starts oil exploration efforts off CebuBusiness MirrorWednesday, 07 January 2009 THE Department of Energy (DOE) and Nor-Asian Energy Limited are preparing to sign agreements with two local government units in southern Cebu as they expect to commence offshore exploratory oil drilling operations later this year. DOE Visayas director Vicente Labios told the BusinessMirror that the draft memorandum of agreement has been sent toWilly Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-17506466226532266342009-01-06T20:41:00.000-08:002009-01-06T20:42:20.649-08:00Cebu City hotels fully booked for Sinulog Festival on Jan. 18Business Mirror Tuesday, 06 January 2009 21:25IF there is an economic crisis in many parts of the world, it is not yet felt by Cebu City hotels, with many rooms already fully booked months before the Sinulog celebration two weeks from now.Marco Protacio, president of the Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants Association of Cebu, said many city hotels are now full for days leading to the Sinulog Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-49097412814248391332009-01-05T04:04:00.000-08:002009-01-05T04:06:25.799-08:00Bohol hilltop-town residents in novel, cheaper reforestation effortBusiness MirrorSunday, 04 January 2009 22:46DANAO, Bohol—Residents of this town on a hilltop literally in the middle of the forest are reviving and protecting their most valuable resource— the trees—in a very unique way. There are no usual nurseries, no seedlings and no tree-planting activities for photo-ops. It’s just the trees and good old nature doing the work with some helping hand from man.Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-56511287019984404932008-12-22T23:15:00.000-08:002008-12-22T23:24:53.896-08:00It doesn’t take much to keep schools goingBusiness Mirror Monday, 22 December 2008 (PHOTO: The author with indigent honor student Irish Litub.)CALAPE, BOHOL ---- Bonbon—Catmonan Elementary School in Calape town Bohol is your typical rural elementary school on the outside. A student population made of sons and daughters of farmers and fisherfolks, several old classrooms, a learning institution bereft of books, equipment and educational Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-13133060450374144362008-12-17T06:09:00.000-08:002008-12-17T06:10:23.410-08:00Dark days expected in Central PhilippinesBusiness Mirror Tuesday, 16 December 2008 22:25 CEBU CITY—Cebu province and Central Philippines are set for a gloomy 2009 as energy players predict daily rotation brownouts all over the grid caused by thinning reserves and aging power plants.National Transmission Corp. (Transco) officials said on Tuesday they are asking industries and households to start adopting power-saving measures in order Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-33464674475225869532008-12-17T06:08:00.000-08:002008-12-17T06:09:15.184-08:00Ayala Land on the lookout for new opportunities in CebuBusiness Mirror Tuesday, 16 December 2008 21:33 PROPERTY developer Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) is looking at more opportunities to expand its presence in Cebu after the phenomenal success of its first foray in the island 20 years ago.ALI chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala told reporters that they are very happy with their first investment in Cebu, the Cebu Business Park, two decades ago which has now Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-47016208408848883642008-12-16T04:45:00.001-08:002008-12-16T04:45:52.531-08:00Fisher groups to file raps vs DOE, Nor-AsianBusiness Mirror Thursday, 11 December 2008 Fisherfolk organizations plan to file charges of human-rights violations against the Department of Energy (DOE), the military and Australian firm Nor-Asian Energy Ltd., which is conducting oil exploration in the waters off southeastern Cebu.Vince Cinches, executive director of the Central Visayas Fisherfolk Development Center, said they also sent a Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-464949740096620092008-12-03T22:10:00.000-08:002008-12-03T22:13:01.202-08:00Cebu City amusement tax hike eyedBusiness Mirror Wednesday, 03 December 2008 23:31 CEBU CITY—The Cebu City government is set to increase tenfold its amelioration taxes for amusement establishments to raise more revenues for its social-development projects.The city council is set to approve the raising of the amelioration tax from P1 to P10 per customer. More than 23,000 establishments are seen to be affected by the increase, Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-85836006052242536652008-11-29T23:19:00.000-08:002008-12-01T21:20:21.750-08:00Moratorium on development projects in Cebu’s north district stays Business Mirror, 26 November 2008 ACTING Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he would stick to the stand of Mayor-on-leave Tomas Osmeña regarding the city’s imposed moratorium on development projects in its north district.Rama said there should be security first for an estimated 5,000 households affected by the provincial government’s plan to recover 50 hectares of prime property in the north, Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-40112298518366513092008-11-29T23:09:00.000-08:002008-12-01T21:20:44.233-08:00Cebu provincial government considering to challenge Filinvest Land’s proposalBusiness Mirror, 25 November 2008 A SPECIAL committee created by the Cebu provincial government is set to come up with its own appraisal of a 10-hectare property in the city-owned reclaimed South Road Properties (SRP) the Capitol would like to bid out of the hands of Filinvest Land Inc (FLI).Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s spokesman, Rory John Sepulveda, told the BusinessMirror that an appraisal Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8479235272993533911.post-6095879427659358812008-11-29T23:01:00.000-08:002008-12-01T21:21:02.441-08:00Cebu exporters bullish, buoyed by forex gainsBusiness Mirror 23 November 2008CEBU CITY—Despite doomsday forecasts on the economy, exporters in Cebu said they are looking forward to more opportunities in 2009, with stronger players still in the thick of the fight backed by aggressive marketing, efficient production and a more favorable exchange rate.Philippine Exporters’ Confederation-Cebu president Jay Yuvallos admitted that several Willy Rodolfohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01928347566144164562noreply@blogger.com