FROM CEBU: ABELLANA, TALAMBAN REIGN IN 'SINULOG SA DAKBAYAN'
[PHOTO - Dancers of the contingent from the Talamban Elementary School whoop it up after coming out on top of the elementary category of the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan yesterday. The Abellana National School also came out best in the secondary category. ALDO NELBERT BANAYNAL-CEBU, Philippines]
MANILA, JANUARY 10, 2011 (STAR-FREEMAN) By With Ryan Christopher J. Sorote/WAB (The Freeman) - Abellana National School and Talamban Elementary School swept all the honors in the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan 2011 held at the Cebu City Sports Center yesterday. It was Talamban's first win but it is still its second participation in the Sinulog sa Kabataan while this is Abellana's second championship in a row.
The rest composing the top five for the secondary level are Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Memorial National High School (second place), Apas National High School (third place), Tisa National High School (fourth place) and Balangay - Pardo National High School (fifth place).
[Photo -FESTIVE IN CEBU Dancers, students from the Langtad Elementary School perform during the Sinulog sa Kabataan Lalawigan Sunday at the Cebu City Sports Center in Cebu City. Students from various schools in Cebu province compete during this pre-event of the week-long Sinulog celebration which takes place next weekend. (Photo by CHERYL BALDICANTOS)]
Abellana National School also bagged the best in costume and best in musicality awards.
For the elementary category, the rest that completed the top five winners are Mabolo Elementary School (second place), Tejero Elementary School (third place), Pardo Elementary School (fourth place) and City Central Elementary School (fifth place).
Talamban Elementary School also took home the best in costume and best in musicality awards.
All ten winners of the Sinulog sa Kabataan Dakbayan automatically qualifies for the Sinulog Grand Parade competition on January 16.
Their respective scores will be back to zero as they will compete against a different set of contingents from the province and other areas outside Cebu.
The winners in yesterday's competition received trophies and cash prizes from the Sinulog Foundation Inc. in partnership with the Cebu City Government. Grand champions won P150,000 cash while the second placers to the fifth placers got P100,000, P75,000, P50,000 and P25,000 respectively. Choreographers received their own cash prizes.
How they made it
Gener Caringan, Director for Cultural Affairs of the University of the East and Chairman of the Board of Judges, said that Talamban Elementary School showed a "very good" production to more than 20,000 spectators at the Cebu City Sports Center.
"Most especially, we've seen that everybody was working together as if we were watching only one dancer. They are very synchronized and the kids are enjoying what they're doing," Caringan said.
Caringan said Abellana was also able to show them quality performance that is more improved than the previous years.
"We can feel that they're more confident now maybe because they're more secure since most of them are winners last year," he explained.
But since the Grand Parade has a higher standard, Caringan said that all those who will participate on January 16 must practice more to improve especially in expanding their concept.
"They should think about as early as now, how they can expand their concept. How to make it more exciting every single minute," he said. — (FREEMAN)
City eyes Osmeña Mausoleum as park By Garry B. Lao/BRP (The Freeman) Updated January 10, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (0)
CEBU, Philippines - The plan to develop the Osmeña Mausoleum along M. J. Cuenco Avenue into a people's park will likely push through after the Cebu City Council granted authority to Mayor Michael Rama on a land swapping agreement with the owner of the property, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cebu (RCAC).
City Councilor Jose Daluz III, chairman of the committee on budget and finance, and the real property, said the RCAC represented by Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal already agreed to swap it for the city's property located in Barangay Pasil.
The Osmeña Mausoleum has an area of 9,282 square meters with an appraised value of P106,278,900 while Pasil property only has 729 square meters with an appraised value of P3,200 per square meter.
Since the Osmeña Mausoleum is of much greater value and area than the Pasil property, Daluz said the excess and difference shall be paid by the city government in the amount of P5 million to RCAC.
According to Daluz, the RCAC came up with P5 million by crediting amount as payment for the real property tax, in favor of the city government for five years or from 2010 to 2014.
Daluz said that since the RCAC approved the swapping of lots, the city plans to develop the area in order to preserve the place and uphold its historical importance.
Built in 1920, the mausoleum, contains the mortal remains of Doña Estefania Chiong Veloso de Osmeña, the first wife of Philippine Commonwealth President Sergio Osmeña Sr., Sergio Osmeña Jr., who is the president's son who also became mayor and governor of Cebu and senator, Juana Osmeña, the president's mother, and several other members of the Osmeña, Veloso, Suico and Sotto families. — (FREEMAN)
To prevent further traffic woes Mayor Rama says, No discos in parking areas By Rene U. Borromeo (The Freeman) Updated January 10, 2011 12:00 AM
(Photo - Fuente Osmeña is considered to be a center for socio-cultural]
CEBU, Philippines - Learning from what happened in the past years, Mayor Michael Rama has turned down requests of several businessmen seeking permission to allow them to hold disco events at the spaces intended for the parking area of vehicles of their customers.
City Hall public information officer Carlo Dugaduga said the mayor has rejected such requests, because converting the parking areas for disco may cause traffic congestion as the vehicles of their customers will just be parked on the road.
The management of a downtown department also asked the mayor to allow it to hold a disco at their basement garage after their business hours, but Dugaduga said the mayor referred the matter to the Office of the Building Officials (OBO).
During the past years, then mayor and now South District Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña ordered the closure of several establishments along General Maxilom Avenue because they used their parking area for events that caused heavy traffic when their customers parked their vehicles on the road.
Dugaduga said Rama does not want that such problem will be repeated this year.
Meanwhile, the private towing companies that are hired by the City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) were ordered to intensify the campaign against illegal parking the night before the Sinulog grand parade on Sunday.
"Sabado pa lang sa gabii magsugod na mi paghimo'g clearing operation sa mga sakyanan nga ipataka lang og parking ug kadtong ibilin diha sa parade route," said Efren Navales, the operations officer of One Stop Towing Services.
The Road Warrior Towing Services was also instructed by CITOM to intensify the campaign against any vehicles found illegally parked in the street or sidewalks that obstruct the passage of the motorists and pedestrians.
Trailers that are parked along the parade route will be removed if they encroach the sidewalk and prevent the people to move without passing the road that is intended only for the Sinulog contingents.
Meanwhile, THE FREEMAN has observed that the beer company that already installed dozens of tables inside the oval of the Fuente Osmeña rotunda had stopped from selling their products Saturday night after Rama stood pat on his decision not to grant them with special permit.
Even if the mayor has been informed that the beer company is one of the major sponsors of the Sinulog Foundation Incorporated and selling of beer products at Fuente Osmeña is included in the package or contract, Rama said that the alcoholic beverage should not be sold in the public plaza.
Although Cebu City Ordinance 1413 prohibits the sale of beer and other alcoholic products within the 100-meter radius from the church, hospital, school and public plaza, but the mayor is empowered to issue special permits on a case-to-case basis with the payment of P6,000. — /NLQ (FREEMAN
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