This Week in Cebu (February 23 to 29, 2020)

The weather bureau announced earlier that cold weather will last until March. This is true in Cebu, as clouds are expected to dominate the skyline throughout the week. Sunday will see partly cloudy weather with a rain shower or two in the morning and evening. The wet weather will continue until Tuesday. Wednesday will see a slight improvement with the sun peeking out of the clouds. While rainy weather will return on Thursday, the weekend will see partly sunny weather as the probability of rain goes down to one percent. Temperatures for the week are expected to be between 23°C and 32°C [1].

Residents and visitors to Cebu should brace themselves for more gridlocks as three major road widening projects will be implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Once completed, these projects would lead to lighter traffic along Juan Luna Avenue, Salinas Drive, and Sergio Osmeña Jr. Boulevard corner Vicente Sotto Street.

Juan Luna Avenue and Salinas Drive will see its existing four-lane road expanded to six lanes. On the other hand, the existing four lanes of Sergio Osmeña Jr. Boulevard corner Vicente Sotto Street will be increased to eight lanes. Civil works for the Juan Luna Avenue project are set to start before the end of the year. No timeline was set yet for the two other projects [2].

Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) director, announced the deployment of additional police personnel at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA). The additional personnel will assist in the quarantine of Filipinos returning from Taiwan and China. He said personnel from the Quick Response Team (QRT) and the Regional Mobile Force Company (RMFC) will provide assistance to airport personnel. The MCIA Authority requested assistance in enforcing quarantine measures at the airport after some Filipinos refused to go through quarantine after they returned from Taiwan (3).

The first luxury resort of Robinsons Land Corp. in collaboration with the Dusit International hospitality group of Thailand officially opened its doors to Cebuanos recently. The Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu features three low-rise buildings with 727 rooms, six restaurants, and six event venues. Situated at the northern tip of Mactan Island, the resort offers magnificent views of Magellan Bay. General manager David Anthony Baldwin said the property has no bad angles and offers numerous sunrise views for its guests. Moreover, the pool area features a sunset view, making it the most popular spot in the resort. Baldwin added the resort suitably blends the warm Filipino welcome with the unique grace and manner of the Thais [4].

Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia encouraged local tourism stakeholders to promote domestic tourism amid the challenges brought by the 2019 novel coronavirus. She said hotels and resorts should focus on making Cebu attractive to domestic tourists. One way of promoting local tourism is the Suroy Suroy Sugbo where tourists can see attractions in five to ten towns. The last leg in January covered northern Cebu and Bantayan. Another northern tour is planned for April covering northern Cebu and Camotes Island. Moreover, towns and cities will be encouraged to improve their facilities to cater to participants of the event [5].

Citation tickets were issued to individuals caught smoking in public areas by Cebu City’s Environmental and Sanitation Team (CESET) recently. Photos of the violators with their faces covered were posted by the CESET as citation tickets were issued for violating the Comprehensive Anti-Smoking Ordinance of the City of Cebu. Moreover, violators were also fined PhP1,500. Aside from the anti-smoking ordinance, deputized enforcers were also tasked to implement the Anti-Littering Ordinance and Solid Waste Segregation at Source Ordinance of the city [6].

Visit Yoorekka for more updates on Cebu.