Blog From Cebu To The World

To those of you who are planning to come to Cebu and watch or join the Sinulog 2009 festivities, below is the Sinulog 2009 Schedule of Activities. For the religious, the important dates are January 9 and 17, and any day in between, at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño. For those who are after the parade and street dance only, and has a very limited time to spare, Sinulog Sa Kabataan will be on January 10-11, and the Grand Parade is on the 18th.

Sinulog 2009 Schedule of Activities

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I haven’t updated this blog for more than 10 days. I was so busy that I even had less time for sleep, and no time to blog or hop around. It’s been more than a month since I was officially transferred in Manila. There are so many things to be done and so many plans for 2009 hovering in my head. But one thing I’m looking forward to this Christmas is my trip back to Cebu.

How is Christmas celebrated in Cebu? It’s still the Christmas that you and I celebrate. There are parties and family celebrations. The famous lechon of Cebu is always present at the table. (Despite the many lechon I ate here in Manila, I still could not find the familiar taste of Cebu. No sauce needed.) The Christmas trees, kris kringle, singing, and the games are always part of the program. It is such a merry Christmas in Cebu!

The parties I attended here in Manila are nothing compared to being with my dear one back in Cebu. So, despite the steep plane fare price, I booked a ticket just to be with my love this Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas, friends! As you enjoy the holidays, remember Jesus Christ and what He has done for you more than 2,000 years ago!

photo credits: kevinworld.  This is Fuente Osmeña every Christmas.

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How to explore Metro Manila with its vastness, long highways, big and small streets, traffic rules and crazy traffic? This question bugged me since 15 years ago when I first set foot here (Manila). Then in 1996 when I came back here for a three-weeks training and in 2001 with a three-week audit assignment and an impending transfer to the Makati Office.

I transferred job late in 2001, in a company whose head office is in Cebu, but with a large Manila branch. Since then, being an HO guy, I’ve been a regular visitor to Manila mostly on a two or three-day visits. To explore Manila with an experienced driver is easy. We have that in our office. You get to avoid crazy traffic and insane drivers. In some cases, we ride a taxi. Riding a taxi is also convenient but you have to be wary of overcharging with fast meters, or fixed fees. Public utility jeepneys, V-hire (or what they call FX, even if it’s a Mitsubishi adventure) and buses are also available. Then there is the MRT and the LRT. But I never got to ride on those when in business trips.

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Air travel in the Philippines is getting cheaper. Going to your favorite vacation destination, or going to the province this Christmas Holidays, is now very affordable, especially with the latest EconoLight Class of Philippine Airlines (PAL). One-way fares are as low as P488, inclusive of all fees and surcharges.

Here’s the full text of their announcement in their website: Read the rest of this entry »

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Do you want to spend a single day in Cebu but don’t know how and where to go? This post is for you. I first got this idea from a conversation I overheard while waiting for a flight from Cagayan de Oro to Cebu. This balikbayan guy, after a night of partying in Manila, decided to proceed to the airport and booked a round trip flight from Manila to Cagayan de Oro. In Cagayan, he simply hired a taxi for 4 hours before proceeding back to the airport for the flight back in Manila.

Since there are more flights between Manila and Cebu, one can really cover more places when visiting Cebu. For those wanting to go on a day trip in Cebu, this is a very quick guide.
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There is a paradise island northeast of Cebu waiting to be discovered and explored. I am sure not all of you had gone there. Even I, who had lived in Cebu most of my life, had only gone there once, two weeks ago. I am referring to Camotes, and the towns of San Francisco, Poro, Tudela and Pilar.

How To Get To Camotes

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This is a follow-up post on Free Wi-Fi in Cebu .

Cebu, that island in the Pacific, is blessed with beautiful beaches and amazing historical sites. If you are familiar with your world history, this is the place where the famous Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, met his untimely death. But if you come to Cebu on business or just for a vacation, don’t forget to bring your laptop because there are now plenty of FREE WI-FI zones here.

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Where else would you find a pier that looks like a large swimming pool with white sand and crystal clear waters? For the few times I had been to the place, I really wanted to jump off the boat and into cool waters.

Bantayan Island, located at the Northern tip of Cebu, is considered as one of the most attractive tourist haven in the Philippines. It is also the favorite destination of local tourists during the Holy Week. Aside from the lovely beach and the warm smile of the local folks, it boasts of elaborate Lenten procession and the rare Catholic Church exemption from eating meat because of a 200 year old Papal Bull edict.

How to go to Bantayan Island

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Sometimes I wish that some free Wi-Fi signal reach our home so that I can this blog at the comfort of our home. Maybe not tonight, but I really hope it will happen sooner.

Max Limpag wrote in his blog (and published in today’s Sunstar) that the Municipality of Argao has a free Wi-Fi access at its plaza. It is made possible through the effort of its municipal government who wants to give tourists and residents access to the world wide web. Argao is located some 66kms south of Cebu and is famous for its beaches (including Argao beach Club), Mt. Lantoy (Maria Cacao legend) and the hometown of retired SC Chief Justice Hilario Davide. It is also my paternal grandmother’s hometown.

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Compassion PH-900 started in our church sometime in 1984. Our Church is one of the first projects opened in Cebu. I was barely 10 years old then but I remembered envying the sponsored kids my age for they always have various activities.

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