This Week in Cebu (March 10 to 16, 2019)

Summer may be around the corner, but the weather seems a bit tentative for the moment. The start of the week is expected to be mostly sunny with hints of cloudiness on Tuesday. A short rain shower may come in the morning or afternoon of Wednesday up until the end of the week. On the weekend, you may want to bring your rain gear with you. Rethink of visiting the beach on Saturday as scattered rain showers are expected throughout the day. Temperatures in Cebu will range from 22 °C to 32 °C [1].

The provincial government has implemented a traffic plan due to the ongoing demolition of the Bureau of Agriculture-Extension building at the Provincial Capitol compound [2]. While the traffic plan affects mainly the area where the building is located, new parking areas were set up for both visitors and employees of the provincial government. Maps are posted all around the compound while guards will guide visitors to designated parking areas. The Bureau of Agriculture-Extension building is demolished to give way to the construction of a Resource Center.

Cebu Pacific issued a warning against fake promotions and websites. This warning comes as the local carrier is celebrating its anniversary with a seat sale. As the website of the company became inaccessible to many visitors, some unscrupulous entities tried to lure customers using alleged promo fares from the carrier [3]. The carrier added that visitors to these fake websites may put their data at risk. They may also be lured to a scam. Since the home page and mobile app of Cebu Pacific are undergoing improvements, the carrier provided alternative links for passengers to book, manage, and check into their flights. Cebu Pacific also indicated that any promo announcements are made through mass media or its official social media accounts.

A piggery in the southern Cebu town of San Fernando was shut down after authorities discover it was dumping animal waste into the sea. The Philippine Coast Guard and National Bureau of Investigation ordered the closure of Multifarms Agro-Industrial Development Corp. for violating RA 8550 or the Fisheries Code of the Philippines and RA 9275 or the Clean Water Act. A 400-meter pipe leading to the farm was found to have been dumping animal waste directly into the sea. Authorities have been clamping down on environmental violators ever since the shutdown and cleanup of Boracay Island last year.

Following an inter-agency summit on safety and security, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) activated its southern Cebu substation to ensure the safety and security of tourists in the southern towns of Cebu. The summit, held in the towns of Badian and Oslob, followed a travel advisory issued by the United Kingdom for its citizens after a bombing incident in Jolo, Sulu. Organized by Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino, the summit aimed to enhance maritime safety and security in southern Cebu, which is the gateway to Mindanao.

A measure calling for a complete ban on the use of single-use plastics was proposed recently in the Cebu City Council. If the measure is adopted, these types of plastics will be phased out in the city in the next three years. Currently, authorities have banned the use of plastic bags in packing groceries every Wednesday and Saturday. The new measure aims to start with the ban on the use of plastic straws and grocery bags in its first year. The move is expected to reduce plastic wastes by ten percent, according to the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro).