Title: This Week in Cebu (June 18 to June 24, 2018)

Even as the PAGASA officially announced the start of the rainy season, the week starts off with the sun peeking from behind the clouds. The somewhat sunny weather will be short-lived though, as rain showers are expected to intensify as the weekend approaches. It will be mostly cloudy on Thursday with a couple of thunderstorms expected to fall over the city at night. Meanwhile, the weekend will see rain showers and thunderstorms affecting Cebu both in the morning and the afternoon. Temperatures will range from 24 0C up to 33 0C [1].

If you are planning to visit the southern part of the island, it’s best to leave early since traffic is expected to be at its worst with the closure of the southbound lane of the Mananga Bridge. The closure is a part of the maintenance work on the bridge by the Department of Public Works and Highways 7 (DPWH 7) and will last for a month according to Jonathan Tumulak, the focal person on traffic management of the Cebu provincial government. So, if you are planning to swim with the whale sharks in Oslob or witness the sardine run in Moalboal, it is advisable to plan your trip ahead of time [2].

Terminal 2 of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport was inaugurated recently with no less than President Rodrigo Duterte leading the event. The PhP17.5-billion facility is considered as the first resort airport in the world. It is expected to increase the minimum capacity of the airport to 12.5 million passengers each year and will also open Cebu to more international flights in the future. Cebu is currently one of the top destinations in the country and plays a strategic role in the National Tourism Strategic Plan of the Department of Tourism [3].

The temporary closure of Boracay Island compelled tourist towns to look at their own backyards. One of these towns is Sta. Fe in Bantayan Island. The town recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to protect its beaches. The first order of business under the MOA was a cleanup drive of the coastal area of the town. The cleanup was conducted by the Santa Fe Tourism Enterprise Association, Inc. (Safetea), a group of tourism stakeholders in the island. In addition to the cleanup drive, the group also aims to hold an education drive among barangay officials and community leaders to do their part in protecting the environment [4].

Around 95 percent of coral reefs in Southeast Asia are at risk due to illegal fishing, climate change, and destructive fishing. This was shared during a five-day symposium attended by marine scientists in the Asia-Pacific area. To protect these coral reefs, it is important to manage human activities in areas surrounding them. With Cebu being a tourist destination for the beauty of its environment, it is important for Cebuanos to do their part in protecting nature. Locals can start by minimizing the use of plastic products, which have been identified as one of the top wastes polluting the waters and endangering coral reefs [5].

The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) is set to discuss the strict implementation of the plastic ban with vendors’ organizations in the city. While business establishments are compliant with City Ordinance No. 2343, some market vendors have continued to defy the ordinance. Vendors are asked to use eco-bags instead of plastic bags, which have become one of the top pollutants of rivers in the city. City officials are also looking into extending the plastic ban from two days to four days each week. The ordinance currently prohibits the use of plastic bags every Wednesday and Saturday [6].