This Week in Cebu (February 9 to 15, 2020)

Partly sunny weather is expected for the coming week of love. The week will start with the sun shining bright in the sky in the morning. But clouds will start to creep in and will be accompanied by a bit of rain as the sun sets over the horizon. The partly sunny weather will continue until Tuesday as the probability of precipitation will go as high as 65 percent. A slight improvement is expected on Wednesday and Thursday with only spots of rain in the afternoon and evening. Valentine's Day, which falls on Friday, will see an increasing amount of sunshine in the morning and mainly clear weather in the evening. The clear weather will be short-lived as rain showers are expected on Saturday. Temperatures in the city are expected to range from 23°C up to 32°C [1].

A new rerouting scheme will be implemented by the Mandaue City Government for tricycles and pedicabs plying the streets of the city. The implementation of the new scheme complies with a Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) memorandum circular requiring local government units to review existing ordinances on pedicabs and tricycles.

While three-wheeled vehicles will no longer be allowed to ply major thoroughfares, the Sangguniang Panglungsod (city council) can allow tricycles to pass national roads when there are no alternative routes. The Local Transport Plan and Traffic Management Plan of Mandaue City will strictly comply with the memorandum. Aside from incorporating tricycle routes, the plan will also accommodate e-jeepneys. A consultative meeting with drivers and operators will be held to integrate the plan with the DILG memorandum [2].

A 14-day quarantine was ordered by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia for passengers arriving from China due to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. Garcia will issue an executive order to formalize the new directive in the next few days. Two government-owned properties were identified as quarantine areas for affected passengers. Since the facilities can only accommodate 200 people, the local government will look for additional facilities. On the other hand, she will not issue a ban on Chinese nationals from coming to Cebu. Handheld thermal scanners will be used to enhance monitoring and surveillance in all the 16 ports of entry in Cebu [3].

Countryside tourism has yet to achieve its full potential especially since travel operators normally offer packages where tourists do not stay in one place for long. Due to this, the provincial government is pushing for quality tourism where visitors can fully experience everything a tourist spot has to offer. Cebu Gov. Garcia is encouraging local resorts to focus on quality rather than quantity. For instance, resorts in Oslob should aim for a few tourists who are willing to spend more during their stay rather than look for hundreds of tourists who only spend a small amount while visiting tourist spots. As such, local resorts should “level up” and come up with better strategies to attract and encourage tourists to stay with them to help the local economy [4].

Several areas in Moalboal will be reclassified from rural to urban by the Cebu Provincial Government along with other government agencies. The reclassification will reduce the easement zone to 3 meters from the current 20 meters. Among the barangays initially identified for reclassification are Barangay Basdiot, Barangay Saavedra, and Barangay Tuble. Moreover, the plan will allow the local government of Moalboal to regulate the tourism industry in the area.

The provincial government will discuss the matter with the local government of Moalboal, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Environmental Management Bureau. Similarly, the town of Oslob earlier expressed its intention of reclassifying some areas in Barangay Tanawan. The barangay is famous for its whale shark watching activities [5].

Philippine Airlines (PAL) recently revealed its plan of reviving the nonstop flight between Los Angeles in the United States and Cebu by May. PAL Chief Operating Officer and President Gilbert Sta. Maria said the upcoming service shows the flag carrier’s commitment to building up Cebu as a global aviation hub to major international destinations. Aside from attracting tourists to Cebu, the new flights will allow American tourists to use the hub transit facilities of Cebu for connecting flights to holiday destinations in the Visayas and Mindanao, including Camiguin, Siargao, Boracay, and Coron, among others [6].

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