Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said she intends to start the Bantayan airport development in the first quarter of 2012.

Commercial flights to the island were stopped last August 7 due to the poor runway condition, said Bantayan airport officer-in-charge Joselito Seville.

Garcia said the provincial government wants to rehabilitate the airport because the presence of an airport in the island is seen to boost the area’s economy and tourism.

Bantayan Island is famous for its delicacies such as “danggit” (dried fish) and “pusit” (dried squid) and for its white sand beaches and crystal clear sea waters.

Garcia recently met with the 31 out of the 51 Lot B owners that covered the 23-hectare property.

During the meeting, the lot owners raised numerous concerns like their unpaid lots and unclear status of lot ownerships.

They said among the proof of ownership they have were their long stay in the area and their tax declarations.

Garcia said verification of the lot owners is being conducted by a committee assigned to handle the development of the airport.

”The Provincial Government intends to buy the lot, if you agree,” Garcia told the property owners.

Garcia said the province has three options: to buy the lot, swap some lots with the adjacent lots owned by the Cebu Provincial Government, or pursue expropriation proceedings for those who will not sell their properties.

The lot owners were only holding tax declarations as the areas are still considered as wilderness.

Rep. Benhur Salimbangon’s (Cebu, 4th district) bill declaring the area alienable and disposable is set for approval on third reading at the House of Representatives.

Paul Entera, real estate administrator of the Cebu Provincial Government, said that the Bantayan airport is composed of two adjacent area-Lot A, which is about 31 hectares, and Lot B, with 23.2 hectares.

The areas covered under Lot A were bought by the previous administration and the owners have already been paid in full.

However, of the 31-hectare lots bought, only three were so far transferred under the name of the Cebu Provincial Government.

Entera said his office is still trying to locate the documents of the 28 other lot parcels and the owners.

Lot A, however, was found to be a low-lying spot based on a technical study.

Salimbangon said it will take a huge amount of money to level the area and build a runway there.

This is the reason the airport runway that was supposed to be build in Lot A did not materialize, and instead the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) decided to use and construct the runway in Lot B.

The current state of the runway, however, discouraged airlines from providing commercial flights to Bantayan.

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A company official attributed the growth to Cebu’s vibrant hotel industry and the company’s good market planning and investment.

Rey Fuentes, chief operating officer of Platinum Beacon Strategic Management Corp., said the hotel has found a niche market to serve, with the growing number of corporate functions here.

Fuentes said most of its guests are from local corporations with business dealings in Cebu.

Platinum Beacon is the property management firm of Harold’s Hotel. It is responsible for the hotel’s market opportunities and positioning, product development and operations.

The 12-storey Harold’s Hotel, built at a cost of P300 million, serves the “upper mid” market and has 90 rooms, of which 36 are superior rooms, 45 are deluxe and nine are deluxe suites.

Fuentes said the establishment of the hotel is also meant to cater to the growing number of tourists in Cebu.

Domestic arrivals in Cebu grew by 6.42 percent in the first eight months of the year or 750,643 from 705,380 arrivals in the same period in 2010, according to the Department of Tourism 7.

While majority of their guests are from the domestic market, Fuentes also noted that the hotel has a good number for foreign guests.

”Filipino brand hotels are faring well despite the presence of international hotels,” Fuentes said.

He said the hotel’s edge lies on its good market planning and investment. He said the hotel is also strategically located, just minutes away from Cebu’s financial district.

Among the hotel’s amenities are a business center, function rooms, fitness center; dining and entertainment facilities like H Café, Highlights and Bread and Co.

”The hotel started well this year. The concern now is how to sustain or surpass the occupancy rate for next year,” Fuentes said.

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Dr. Alicia Cabatingan, USPF president and trustee, said the construction of the Southern Skies Boutique Hotel is meant to help bridge the gap between the academe and industry requirements.

“This is one of the bold projects the school is undertaking this year. Despite the drop in enrollment, we see that this facility would help the school produce quality tourism graduates for our tourism industry,” Cabatingan said.

She said the facility will also complement USPF’s new program called the Institute of Tourism and Hospital Management (ITAHM), the umbrella program for courses like Bachelor of Science (BS) in Hotel and Restaurant Management, BS Tourism Management and BS Travel Management.

The Southern Skies Boutique Hotel is a P60-million, three-storey facility that will house lecture and laboratory rooms, a wellness spa room, dining hall, bar, suite, deluxe and function rooms and a function hall that will also be open to the public.

USPF vice president and trustee Geronimo Sta. Ana said the project, envisioned by the school two years ago, will help improve tourism, and hotel and management courses, which are among the popular courses in Cebu and the rest of the country.

He said that aside from engineering and information technology courses, tourism-related courses are among the top preferences of high school graduates because of Cebu’s booming tourism industry.

Sta. Ana, however, said that although the country produces many tourism graduates every year, the industry also has a high turnover as most of them leave to work overseas after gaining experience here.

“The launching of the new program as well as its facility would somehow help fill the gap between the kind of graduates we produce versus the industry requirement as well as the continued supply of globally competitive manpower for the industry,? Sta. Ana said.

Sta. Ana said the curriculum will emphasize industry-based skills and competencies; international standards and practices, as well as address “market imperfection issues.”

He said it will also offer enrichment programs with linkages with Australia, Europe, Asia, America and Canada.

The institute also prepares the graduates to become competitive in the different areas of tourism such as food and beverage, front office, travel accounts, airlines, housekeeping, resto bars, tour operations and ship course.

Sta. Ana said they will also tap industry leaders as consultants on the project.

Former tourism undersecretary Phineas Alburo, who is also an ITAHM consultant, said Cebu needs a continued supply of manpower for its tourism industry to support the increasing arrivals of both foreign and local tourists, and opening of more rooms with the country’s approval of an open skies policy.

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Two years after it was demolished to make way for the construction of the Cebu South Coastal Road tunnel, the Plaza Independencia is now again open for public use.

The city unveiled plaza Sunday and held the ceremonial switch-on of the plaza’s lights.

It was attended by Cebu City Mayor Michal Rama, Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Lourdes Ong, special assistant to the President, Councilor Nida Cabrera and other city hall officials.

Cabrera, who chairs the council committee on parks and playgrounds, hopes the plaza will attract tourists to the city.

”I hope this will awaken the interest of foreign and local tourists and will encourage them to make the plaza their top destination and landmark in the city,” she said.

Last year, the city appropriated P40 million for the park’s beautification and rehabilitation after it was damaged during the construction of the subway portion of the south coastal road.

The renovations include the installation of new benches and lamp posts, the restoration of the fountain and the redesigning of the plaza’s walkway and landscape.

The city also inaugurated the Dr. Jose Rizal Memorial Library and Museum, two years after it was closed for renovation.

Unlike before, the library is now well-lit and more spacious, and has new chairs and tables as well.

Despite the facelift, however, a problem still lingers in the corners and shelves of the 71-year-old library: the lack of books and limited reading materials for students, teachers, and researchers.

”The library really needs books and reading materials. Our books also need updating,” said city librarian Rosario Chua.

Aside from the lack of books, Chua also said the library needs more librarians to attend to the needs of the different library users and researchers.

Currently, Chua said, the library only has seven workers when it is supposed to have 20 plantilla workers.

Chua said she will ask the mayor to hire more workers for the city library.

Rama said it is “heartwarming” to see the library opened again to the public.

”This place will not embarrass us anymore” he said.

Rama also appealed to the Cebuanos to help the city in preserving its culture and history, saying, “a city without culture is like a city without a soul.”

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The Sinulog 2011 edition will pay tribute to the Chinese community and celebrate Chinese influence in the local culture and economy.

Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) executive director Ricky Ballesteros said although they cannott match the production numbers during the opening of the Beijing Olympics, they will try to do something similar to give the parade an authentic Chinese feel.

Aside from the performances, the stage and street décor for the grand parade will also have a touch of Chinese, including the use of huge drums and other Chinese musical instruments.

The contingents will still perform the traditional “two steps forward, one step backward” Sinulog dance, but organizers expect the music and props to feature Chinese influences.

“Even our fireworks display and the stage will have Chinese-themed design. There will also be a dragon dance during the finale. We have done our research to make sure that our tribute to the Chinese community will come out well,” Ballesteros said.

As they complete the preparations for the parade on Jan. 16, he urged the contingents to also do their research so they can come up with new and unique concepts for their story line, costumes and props.

“There are 15 out-of-town contingents joining next year, that’s why the locals are expecting tough competition. So I hope the contingents will also go out of their way to come up with something unique and new so the audience will see a bigger and better Sinulog next month,” Ballesteros added.

Among the contingents from Mindanao that have confirmed to join are the provinces of Lanao del Norte, Surigao del Norte, North Cotabato and South Cotabato, and Tangub City.

From the Visayas, contingents from Tacloban City, Dumaguete City, Ormoc City, Bayawan, Bais and Siquijor will compete, as well as the Province of Masbate in Luzon.

The number of out-of-town contingents is higher this time compared to the previous Sinulog, which saw only nine contingents competing.

Organizers expect a total of 50 contingents to participate in next month’s festivities.

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