This Week in Cebu (May 19 to 25, 2019)

The summer heat takes a back seat as rainy weather is in Cebu’s skyline for the week. A shower or two is expected as the sun slowly hides behind the clouds on Sunday. Cloudy weather continues to dominate the next three days before the rain starts to fall on Wednesday [1]. It would be best to pack an umbrella starting Thursday as thunderstorms come into the picture all the way to the end of the week. Despite the rainy weather, it may feel somewhat humid at times as temperatures are expected to be between 26°C and 35°C.

Commuters may have to start tightening their belts as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) approved a provisional increase in public utility jeepney (PUJ) fares in Central Visayas [2]. A board resolution dated April 24, 2019, approved the increase in fares from PhP 6.50 to PhP 8.00 for the first five kilometers. PUJ drivers started collecting the new minimum fare after they received their copy of the new fare matrix. The fare increase was due to rising diesel prices. The Department of Energy Visayas Pump Price Monitoring revealed that diesel prices have increased from PhP 20 in 2016 to PhP 47.29 today.

The Bureau of Customs–Port of Cebu may have faced challenges, but it exceeded its target collection for the month of April. Elvira Cruz, BOC-Cebu District Collector, said they were able to exceed the PhP 2.730 billion target for April by 0.43 percent [3]. This accomplishment comes amid some confusion on the reassignment of Cruz during the election period. Cruz was reassigned to the Customs Monitoring Unit on April 1 with a lawyer being designated as a replacement. Despite this, Cruz said customs personnel worked hard to achieve their target collections for the month.

Airbnb chief strategy officer and co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk said the company is willing to work with government regulators to allow both parties to benefit from the age of technology disruption [4]. Speaking at the Pacific-Asia Travel Association (Pata) Annual Summit 2019, the Airbnb China chairman said while short-term rentals will continue to thrive, the home-sharing platform recognizes the importance of working with governments in the long run. There are around 60,000 properties listed on Airbnb in the Philippines. Despite the increasing popularity of the platform, the hotel industry in Cebu is not worried. Carlo Suarez, president of the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu, said the platform has its own niche in the market and does not pose a threat to the industry.

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