The top 95 stories from July 2013 to July 2014 (First of two parts)

CEBU, Philippines - A lot can happen in a day alone, so you can probably imagine how much can happen in a year. Here are the 95 biggest stories that happened between July 13, 2013 and July 13, 2014 as they saw print in The FREEMAN.

July 2013

14-15 - Lung-busting 250km race

Cebu played host to the longest ultramarathon in the Philippines— the SN 250, a two-day, 250-kilometer race from Santander to Bogo. It is even longer than the infamous Bataan Death March, which was only 160km.

15 - Warrant vs Clavel, et al

The Sandiganbayan issued arrest warrants against former congresswoman Clavel Asas-Martinez and six others over the alleged misuse of her Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel in 2003. The anti-graft court recommended a P40,000 bail for the anti-graft case but no bail was recommended for the malversation case. The respondents remain at large.

17 - Cebu sea mishap

In what seemed to be a freak accident, two large ships —a passenger and a cargo vessel—collided in Lawis Ledge off Cebu City evening on July 16. More than 100 passengers were killed when passenger ferry MV St. Thomas Aquinas sank after it was hit in its starboard side by cargo vessel MV Sulpicio Express Siete. The incident also caused disaster to fisherfolks when oil reached the shorelines of coastal barangays in Cordova town.

22 - Bus falls off cliff in Barangay Quiot

Over 30 people, mostly children aged four to 16 years old, were injured after the mini-bus they were riding fell off a cliff in Barangay Quiot, Cebu City. The bus was on its way to a retreat house when the bus lost its brakes and skidded backwards and plummeted down a cliff.

22 - CESAFI drug test

In an unprecedented move, the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. started the implementation of its mandatory drug testing policy for all collegiate basketball players who are qualified to see action in CESAFI events.

25 - UK issues advisory vs ferry travel in PH

Citing safety concerns, the United Kingdom warned its residents against travel to the Philippines following the collision between passenger ship MV Thomas Aquinas and a cargo vessel off Talisay City.

26 - Woman dead, 10 hurt in Argao bus accident

A midwife of a government hospital died while 10 others were injured after the Ceres bus they were riding fell on its side while the driver was negotiating a curve in Barangay Talaga, Argao near midday on July 25. A witness said the bus was travelling fast and suddenly zigzagged when it reached the blind curve, eventually hitting a concrete riprap.

August 2013

4 - Cobra 70.3 Ironman event

What is considered the best triathlon event in the Asia-Pacific region drew over 2,000 triathletes from 35 countries across six continents.

 28 - Cebu hosts contact center confab

On its ninth run, the Contact Center Association of the Philippines decided to bring the world’s largest contact center conference and expo to Cebu for the first time. Cebu, a major hub for contact centers and ranked among the Top 10 in Tholon’s Top 100 Outsourcing Destinations Report, played host to the 2013 International Contact Center Conference & Expo. With the theme “Where the World Meets the Philippines,” 75 chief executive officers and around 1,500 local and foreign contact center professionals converged last August 28-30 at Shangri-La’s Mactan and Radisson Blu in Cebu City.

September 2013

8 - Singer Susan Fuentes dies

Susan Fuentes, the “Queen of Visayan Songs”, succumbed to complications from colon cancer midday on September 7, 2013. She was 58. She rose to fame in the late 70s to the 80s, popularizing various Visayan songs, from Cebuano, Boholano to Ilonggo. She also recorded original Tagalog songs, the most popular of which is ‘Miss Kita Kung Christmas’.

9 - Cebu gets first German “big-ticket” investment

Daimler Group Services Philippines inaugurated its office at the Cebu Business Park, which was deemed as the first German big-ticket investment in Cebu. The Daimler-shared service center will be providing services and consultancies in the areas of financing and accounting to Mercedes Benz sales organizations and other Daimler subsidiaries in Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Europe and Germany.

13-15 - Davis Cup

The Davis Cup tournament, a famous international sporting event, is held in Lapu-Lapu City

16 - PDEA agent gunned down

PDEA agent Jessie Tabanao was shot dead as he disembarked from his vehicle in Escario Street, Cebu City late evening on September 15. Two months later, police filed charges against a man allegedly involved in a series of shooting incidents in 2005 and 2006.

18 - From the hardcourt to the court of law

For the first time in local basketball history, games under the juniors division of the 13th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. season were suspended indefinitely due to the legal battle between the CESAFI and the parents of USC Baby Warriors player Scott Aying. The CESAFI disqualified Aying from playing in the league for failing to meet the eligibility requirements. Just when the tournament was already in the semifinal stage, the parents of Aying suddenly filed a case against the CESAFI at the Regional Trial Court. Ruling in favor of Aying’s parents, the court has ordered the CESAFI to let Aying play in the league. The CESAFI, however, stood pat on its decision, resulting in a standoff that has yet to be resolved.

23 - Tourist traffic in CV exceeds target

Tourist arrivals in Central Visayas have continued to soar and already surpassed half of the Department of Tourism’s target midway through the year. DOT-7 report showed that the region’s arrival traffic hit 14.78 percent growth from January to June this year to 1.7 million, more than half of the 2.6 million target arrivals for 2013.

26 - Mayor, 7 others told to serve suspension

The Sandiganbayan orders Aloguinsan Mayor Cynthia Moreno and seven officials of the town to serve a 90-day suspension for dishonesty and misconduct for procuring aluminum composite panels for P1.19 million without public bidding.

October 2013

3 - UV-SWU rivalry

Cebu’s amateur basketball scene again became vibrant and lively due to the scathing rivalry between the University of the Visayas Green Lancers and the Southwestern University Cobras. The Lancers went on to accomplish a highly-improbable comeback, rallying from a 0-2 series deficit to win the best-of-five CESAFI final and reclaim the crown they last held in 2009.

6 - Big waves hit Talisay City

Almost 300 families in three barangays in Talisay City were displaced when big waves, measuring 1.6 meters high, slammed into their houses on the evening of October 5. Most the houses affected were made of light materials.

16 - Visayas Quake

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake jolted Central Visayas morning on October 15, 2013, destroying buildings, roads, and houses and killed at least 200. In Bohol, decades-old structures were toppled by the quake while two famous landmarks in Cebu, the Basilica del Santo Niño and the Cebu City Medical Center, were damaged.

21 - Biggest desalination plant in Visayas and Mindanao opens at SRP

Pilipinas Water Resources, Inc., in partnership with Mactan Rock Industries Inc., opened the biggest water desalination plant in Visayas and Mindanao at the South Road Properties to supply water to the industry and commercial locators at the zone. PWRI and MRII have signed a 30-year joint venture agreement with the Cebu City government for the establishment of the facility, renewable in 30 years, said MRII chairman Antonio Tompar. Both companies have invested P750 million for the establishment of the water facility that will offer SRP locators a lower rate for desalinated water, which is initially pegged at P47 to P49 per cubic meter.

30 - Team Rama dominates barangay polls

Team Rama-backed candidates gain the upper hand over Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan bets in the proxy war between Mayor Michael Rama and his former ally Tomas Osmeña during the barangay elections in October; 41 of the 80 barangays were dominated by the Team Rama candidates.

November 2013

3 - Cebu jins in golden glow

Decorated Cebuana jin Mikeala Calamba shone brightly in the 8th World Poomsae Championships in Bali, Indonesia. She clinched gold in the female individual freestyle and shared another gold with fellow Cebuana Rinna Babanto and Jocel Lyn Ninobla in the female team (under-17 years old) category. Glenn Lava grabbed part of the spotlight after bagging gold in the male team (under-29) together with Jean Pierre Sabido and Ernesto Guzman Jr.

4 - World billiards champ crowned

Cebuana cue master Rubelin Amit once again brought honor to the country at the pool hall after she won the 2013 Yalin Women’s World 10-Ball Championship and in the process became the first Filipina to be a world billiards champion. The pride of Mandaue City also bagged gold in last year’s Southeast East Games in Myanmar (December). Her exploits abroad earned her the coveted “2013 Athlete of the Year” award by the Sportswriters Association of Cebu.

9 - Yolanda makes landfall

Super typhoon Yolanda, the strongest typhoon on record to make landfall; batters the Visayas including northern Cebu, leaving thousands of people dead and billions of pesos in damage.

12 - Phl placed under calamity state

A few days after super typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc in the Visayas, President Benigno Aquino III signs Proclamation No. 682 placing the entire country under a state of national calamity due to the massive devastation.

26 - CCMC campaign launched

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama launches the “Piso Mo, Hospital Ko” campaign to raise funds for the construction of a new Cebu City Medical Center after the city-run hospital was damaged by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in October. The fund drive, however, was met with controversy after the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas required the city government to secure a permit from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

December 2013

3 - Ciudad project back on track

After being stalled for years, Ciudad project is again moving forward as the Fifth Avenue Development Corp. revived the proposed P1.2-billion mixed-use development project on a Capitol-owned lot in Barangay Apas. Executives of Fifth Avenue presented the project before the members of the Cebu Provincial Board in December. The joint venture between the Province of Cebu and Fifth Avenue was conceptualized in 2007 during the administration of then governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

5 - German holds jail warden hostage

A German national detained on charges of human trafficking and child abuse held hostage the jail warden of the Talisay City Jail. Thomas Michael Ruhland also demanded a firearm and ammunition from the jail officials. He was later overpowered by jail guards and disarmed.

6 - Cebu investment center to halt operations

The Cebu Investment and Promotions Center announced to permanently cease its services by the end of 2013. CIPC, which helped bring in investors to Cebu, would have turned 20 years in May 2014.

8 - Running queen ascends throne

Mary Joy Tabal had been a dominant force in both local and national running events. She further cemented her status as the country’s long distance running queen after she ruled the women’s 42km race of the National Milo Marathon in record-establishing fashion last year in Manila. She topped the grueling battle in two hours and 48 minutes, eclipsing the 11-year-old mark of Jho-an Banayag by a respectable 16 seconds.

13 - Comelec orders officials to quit posts

At least 422 elected officials in the country including, 11 councilors in Cebu, were ordered by the Commission of Elections in December to vacate their posts for violation of election laws. The officials failed to file their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures.

15 - Two dead in Parian fire

A six-year-old girl died of smoke inhalation while her 28-year-old neighbor died of cardiac arrest after a fire engulfed a two-story apartment building at corner Bonifacio and D. Jakosalem streets in Barangay Parian. Maria Alexa Mutoc was left sleeping in the room while Sheemy del Mar collapsed while watching the flames.

17 - 2 dead, 32 hurt in bus accident

A packed Ceres Bus Liner fell sideways in Barangay Balhaan, Badian town, Cebu, killing the driver’s wife and daughter and wounding 32 other passengers. The incident prompted the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-7 to suspend the 10 Ceres buses, including the one that figured in the accident.

19 - Twin calamities dampen tourism growth in 2013

What started as a promising year for tourism has turned into a challenging one, as the year of water snake—2013, left two unforgettable nightmares that temporarily shattered the strong momentum of the region’s tourism sector. Tourism advocate Jay Aldeguer said the earthquake and typhoon Yolanda were “big blows” to the tourism sector in the region. Although the industry saw an encouraging movement in the first semester of 2013, its growth was not able to offset the severe devastation that happened in the October 15 earthquake, and the November 8 typhoon.

20 - Las Vegas KTV bar closed

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama ordered the closure of Las Vegas KTV bar in the North Reclamation Area in December because of alleged “lewd, obscene shows.”

22 - 3 dead, 37 hurt in road accident

A Ceres bus from Bato, Samboan town en route to Cebu City fell on its side resulting to the death of three people and injuring around 37 others. The bus driver, who later tested positive for driving under the influence of alcohol, reportedly lost control of the vehicle and smashed an electric post and a tree before falling on its side.

27 - Cebu City bags two DILG awards

The Cebu City Government is given two e-governance awards by the Department of Interior and Local Government. The city won first place for its “Cebu Traffic” solution in Government to Business category and third place for its “Fix my barangay” solution for the Government to Customer category. Cebu City has topped the Government to Business award for two consecutive years.

January 2014

3- Guard kills 3 in Daanbantayan robbery

The New Year’s Eve celebration turned out as a day of mourning for three families who lost their loved ones in a bank robbery in Daanbantayan where a security guard shot a fellow security guard, his girlfriend and a bank clerk after taking P80,000 from the establishment. Berly Tudtud, 28, was later arrested and admitted to the crime but said that it was never his plan to kill the three people and his only intention was to get money to get back at the bank for terminating his services. Police revealed though that they are looking at the angle of revenge against the slain security guard who allegedly spread rumors against Tudtud, the reason for his termination.

8 - Cash aid to seniors cut

Mayor Michael Rama announced that because of the City Council’s decision not to approve the proposed P10 billion annual budget, he had to cut down the cash assistance for senior citizens, breaking his promise to give them a P1,000 monthly monetary aid. Rama, who promised in his State of the City Address in 2012 that he will increase the cash aid from P7,000 to P12,000 a year if he gets re-elected, said they had to be realistic about the budget since the council only approved P5.8 billion out of his proposed P10 billion.

10 - Aloguinsan oil

After the confirmation that the Department of Energy has acknowledged the oil exploration, Cebuanos, officials and residents of Aloguinsan town were pleased by the news that there is a possible source of oil in Cebu. Australian firm Gas2Grid Limited confirmed that DOE has recognized the Malolos-1 project as an oil discovery and approved the extension of their Service Contract 44 in order to conduct oil production with the aim of establishing a commercial oil field.

17 - Three ships run aground

Strong winds and waves caused a cargo ship and two passenger vessels to run aground in the seas of Bohol and Leyte. At around 8 p.m., the MV Our Lady of All Nations, which was carrying 90 passengers from Bato, Leyte, ran aground when it reached a shallow part of the Danajon Bank in northern Bohol. Minutes after, Roble Shipping’s MV Joyful Stars from Maasin, Leyte ran aground at Bantolinao Point off Lapu-Lapu City. The ship had 295 passengers, mostly headed to Cebu for the Sinulog festivities, and 72 crew members onboard. Just hours after, Gothong Shipping’s cargo vessel MV Subic Bay 1 also got stuck a few meters away from where MV Joyful Stars run aground. All passengers and crew members of all three ships were brought to safety and the three vessels were able to make it safe to port later on.

24 - Knowles’ P1.6B facility to hire over 3,000 workers

World renowned micro-acoustic and human interface solutions maker Knowles Electronics (Philippines) Corp. promised to hire over 3,000 employees this year, following the grand opening of its P1.6-billion manufacturing facility at the Cebu Light Industrial Park in Lapu-Lapu City. Knowles Philippines President Joseph Emmanuel Liwag announced that from the current 507 total employees, the Chicago-based manufacturing firm will be hiring a total of 3,400 people within this year with the completion of its 220,000 square-foot facility.

24 - Tsuneishi Heavy Industries delivers biggest class ship

Tsuneishi Heavy Industries (Cebu), Inc. has named and delivered the MV Frontier Zone, a 180,000 deadweight metric ton cape-size bulker, the biggest class ship ever built in the Philippines, at its shipyard in Barangay Buanoy, Balamban town. Delivered last January 20, the MV Frontier Zone is the 173rd ship of THICI since its inception in 1994. It was officially launched in August of last year. THICI officials said Frontier Zone is one of the four cape-size bulkers in the order book of 2013.

24 - Mike and the drug test

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama underwent a drug test after initially stressing that no one, particularly the city council, can dictate him to undergo one. A member of the Cebu City Anti-Drug Abuse Council said Rama, who initially declined to undergo a drug test, later submitted himself to drug screening. A week earlier, the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention conducted a drug test among the Cebu City Council officials.

28 - Capitol doubts debts

 The Provincial Board has sought the assistance of the Commission on Audit regarding the payments of the capitol amounting to P600 million to contractors with projects and contracts entered into by the previous administration of then governor and now 3rd district Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia. The new administration of Governor Hilario Davide III insisted that it would only honor the contracts that were approved by the PB or those that the COA would advise as valid and ratified by the PB.

30 - Cold weather affects animals and crops

Damaged crops plus the loss of animals caused by the extreme cold weather was estimated to cost P28 million in the whole Cebu province and the declaration of 17 upland barangays in Cebu City under the state of calamity. Upland barangays in Cebu City, which recorded the most damage, lost P22 million worth of crops and farm animals while Danao City reported P3 million and Balamban town another P2.9 million. In an estimate by Cebu City officials, at least 36 cattle, carabaos, piglets, goats and sheep were found dead in 17 barangays possibly due to hypothermia.

February 2014

3 - Guadalupe cyberporn operation busted

Police arrested the owner and manager of a company that was allegedly fronting as a call center when in fact its operations were of a pornographic nature. The Anti-Cybercrime Group-7 of the PNP said that it conducted surveillance after they received reports of cyberpornography wherein the company would reportedly hire models to pose and their pictures would be posted in an online site catering to foreigners.

8 - Fake Sto. Niño miracle

Hundreds of devotees flocked to a sitio in Barangay Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City, after children claimed they came upon a talking image of the Sto. Niño. An investigation by the Church revealed there was no miracle and the children lied. With this, the Church explained the long process before something is considered as a miracle and urged the public not to believe immediately in stories that are not validated by proper authorities.

11- Aussie insurance firm opens Cebu office

One of the world’s top insurance companies, QBE Insurance, joins Cebu’s flourishing business process outsourcing industry, hiring an initial headcount of 600 to 900 people in the next 18 months. With headquarters in Australia, QBE has chosen the Philippines as its offshore support office, taking care of their company’s back office operations since its entry to the Philippines in Manila three years ago.

15 - P13 COLA

Labor groups were disheartened after their application for a region-wide wage increase of P132 across-the-board was denied by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board. Instead the RTWPB approved a P13 Cost of Living Allowance which the labor groups fought against. Business chambers in Cebu said that the P13 COLA is the most feasible, especially for small and medium enterprises which could not afford to pay their workers more.

16 - Damage to Lapu-Lapu corals

After the Lapu-Lapu City Task Force Kalikasan reported writings and graffiti on the corals found in Kon-Tiki Wall, Lapu-Lapu City, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources warned the public that such actions are very damaging to the marine biodiversity. The corals found with writings are said to be in an area off-limits to divers. DENR-7 information officer Eddie Llamedo said that resort owners with underwater activities, diving schools, and diving professionals need to be reoriented on the benefits of the corals as well as the disadvantages if these are not protected.

19- Lawyer Noel Archival ambushed

 Prominent Cebuano lawyer Noel Archival as well as his driver and aide were killed after they were ambushed while heading to Cebu City from Dumaguete City. Archival came from a robbery case hearing in Du-maguete City and was traveling in his Ford Escape when men riding separate pick-up trucks peppered his vehicle with bullets along the national highway of Barangay Coro, Dalaguete town, Cebu. Archival and his aide Edu Minoza died on the spot while his driver Alejandro Jaime was declared dead on arrival at a Cebu City hospital. Another aide of Archival, Paolo Cortes, survived the ambush. Several policemen have been accused of the crime, the case is ongoing.

20 - Labor leader’s son shot dead

 Richard Seno, 51, son of a labor leader in Cebu, was killed by a man who pretended to be looking for an apartment to rent in Barangay Sambag 2, Cebu City. Seno showed the man around a three-story apartment building which they owned and upon getting to the second floor, the suspect shot him in the head, causing his instantaneous death. Seno was the son of lawyer Cecilio Seno, vice chairman of the Associated Labor Union and president of Vimcontu Broadcasting Corporation which owns radio station dyLA.

28 - Danao mining accident kills one

Jose Melvin Landero, a miner, is trapped in a collapsed mining pit of the SKI Energy Resources Inc. Mining, in Barangay Dunga, Danao City. His body was retrieved on March 2. Landero was the only fatality in the accident. Landero’s fellow miners said the logs serving as brace support in the mine failed. There were 14 mi-ners inside the pit but only Landero failed to get out. According to Landero’s co-workers, he saved all of their lives by alerting them before the cave-in.

March 2014

4 - Apas Demolition

The demolition started last March 4. Since then it has been going on and off due to the many issues related to it, including the court sheriff’s alleged violations of the procedure, the human barricade formed by the residents, and the motion filed by the Cebu City Attorney’s Office. CAO on March 24 filed a motion before the Municipal Trial Court in Cities to stop the ongoing demolition of houses in Sitio San Miguel, Barangay Apas, as it violates the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992. Lawyer Jerone Castillo, head of the CAO, said the demolition is a violation of Section 28 of RA 7279 stating that the families were not given enough time to relocate. Around 157 houses are subject for demolition in Apas alone.

10 - Cebu City chosen as most livable

Online real estate listing site Lamudi hails Cebu as the most livable place in Asia due to its being “exciting, different and affordable.” Lamudi said they chose Cebu as it was the country’s oldest city and the cultural center and having several Filipino-Spanish heritage buildings, malls, parks, museums, attractions, etcetera.Among the places in Asia that were shortlisted were Bali, Indonesia; Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh; and Mandalay, Irrawaddy River, Myanmar; as well as Lahore, and Islamabad in Pakistan. Lamudi is considered to be a global player when it comes to helping clients find and book apartments throughout Asia. It was founded in 2013.

11- LBC robberies

The first of three LBC branches are robbed by armed men in Barangay San Nicolas, Cebu City. Chief Inspector Romeo Santander, chief of the City Intelligence Branch, is certain that “local boys” are behind the robbery. Two more branches would be robbed in Mandaue City and Bogo City. CCTV cameras are installed in LBC branches, but not all the branches have security personnel, making it an easy target for robbers.

11 - Bus fare hike petition

Three transport groups; the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association, the Cebu South Mini-bus Operators Association, and the North and South Operators Association, submitted a petition before the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to reinstate the bus fare approved in 2011. If approved, the minimum bus fare would be P8.50 for the first five kilometers and P1.45 for the succeeding kilometer. As of present, the fare is P6 for the first five kilometers and P1.20 for the succeeding kilometer.

12 - Cebu City is ninth “selfiest” city

Cebu City is ranked ninth in the world’s cities with the most “selfies” posted online by TIME magazine. With a database ofmore than 400,000 photos, it is estimated that there are 99 selfie-takers per 100,000 people, as mentioned in the article “The Selfiest Cities in the World: TIME’s Definitive Ranking.” Other Philippine cities that were included in the list were Makati, Pasig, Baguio, Quezon City, Iloilo, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod and Zamboanga. Makati and Pasig cities made it to the top, bagging the title “The Selfiest Cities of the World.”

18 - Baby ‘sold’ for P5T

Two live-in partners were arrested after they were found “selling” their five-month-old baby for P5,000. Arthur Marzan, 40, and Carla Natilip, 38, of Barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City, were arrested by police when a neighbor confirmed that the couple sold their baby to her.

19 - Lorega fire leaves 7,000 homeless

An estimated 500 houses in eight sitios in Barangay Lorega-San Miguel, were destroyed by a fire, leaving around 7,000 people homeless. It took almost three hours before the Bureau of Fire Protection declared the fire under control. A major development is being planned for the three-hectare lot, the plan will include a market, park, and medium-rise building, among others.

27 - Cult raided in Balamban

The rescue of an “illegally detained” woman and the discovery of a boy’s body in a tunnel led to the arrest of Casiano “Tatay Loloy” Apduhan, considered a “cult leader” in Balamban town. Balamban Mayor Ace Binghay said that he is thankful that members of the cult were courageous enough to report the activities in the cult house. Some members allegedly experienced abuses and even became “sex slaves.” Apduhan is now charged with murder, illegal detention and human trafficking.

27 - Man’s capture goes wrong; arresters become the arrested

Four employees of a private drug rehabilitation center were arrested after they mistakenly handcuffed a man having dinner with his girlfriend in a restaurant, thinking he was their would-be patient. Sonny Para-ngan, 30; Anthony Lua, 31; Milco Godinez, 30; and Allan Ouano, 27, all employees of Metro Psyche Inc., a private drug rehabilitation center located in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City, seized the wrong man.

27 - JVR a no-show at TCC graduation ceremony

Mayor Johnny De los Reyes did not appear at the Talisay City College commencement exercises organized by acting TCC president Ritchel Bacaltos, the first time in seven years that a mayor and school’s board chairman gave the occasion a cold shoulder. But the mayor quickly denied that he ignored the event saying it was awkward for him to attend because when he received the invitation from Bacaltos, his name was not allegedly on the program.

28 - BPO firm to open facility in Mactan

Manulife Group’s outsourcing arm Manulife Business Processing Services announced the opening of an 800-seat globally shared service facility in Cebu at the Mactan Newtown and is expected to hire a total of 1,500. MBPS will occupy the entire Two World Center building, or soon-to-be-called Manulife Building, currently being constructed and set to be completed by June this year.

April 2014

4 - Overruled resolutions sparking political rift?

The Lapu-Lapu City Council overruled two resolutions vetoed by Mayor Paz Radaza, a move political observers described as a possible start of a rift between the executive and legislative departments. But Radaza quickly denied that there is a conflict between her and members of the City Council headed by Vice Mayor Marcial Ycong.

4 - Facebook instrumental to rape suspect’s arrest

A rape suspect, who was identified by the police through popular social networking site Facebook, was arrested in an Internet café in Barangay Santo Rosario, Bogo City. The suspect, Niño Cueva, left Barangay Casili in Mandaue City to go into hiding in Bogo City after he learned last year that he had a pending warrant of arrest for allegedly raping a 17-year-old minor last May 12, 2012.

5 - PRISAA hall of famer

Central Visayas, represented mostly by Cebuano athletes, was enshrined into the elite Hall of Fame by the Private Schools Athletic Association for dominating the PRISAA National Championships for three consecutive years.

5 - GMR-Megawide wins MCIA contract

The GMR-Megawide Consortium emerges as the highest bidder for the Mactan-Cebu International Airport project after submitting a bid of P 14.4 billion for the project. It has long been competing with the Filinvest-Changi Consortium for the project.

To be continued…