Pleasant surprises do happen, especially during the Christmas season.  When Virginia Roble broke her left arm on December 7, she went to Perpetual Succour Hospital for surgery. 

When the high school teacher went to nurses’ station to check out, she received a heartwarming surprise in the way of a handwritten note from her doctor and former student, Dr. Dilbert Monicit. The note said “Professional fee – paid 22 years ago.” The doctor did not charge his former teacher for his services as a surgeon.  He even referred to Roble as “my favorite teacher!”

The 64-year-old teacher thanked her former student “for the early Christmas gift” on her Facebook account as a way of thanksgiving. She also thanked her former pupil “for being there.”

Roble indicated that she was teary eyed when she read the note. She thought the note was for her medication since “prescription paper” was used for it. The post is making rounds on social media and already received at least 13,000 likes and 800 shares. 

The Crocolandia Foundation Inc is a nature conservation center established in 2001 in Talisay City, Cebu. The Crocolandia Park is home to a number of animals including birds, snakes, lizards and crocodiles. Its main objective is to protect and breed endangered animals, including the Philippine crocodile and sailfin lizard. The park highlights the importance of protecting the rich biodiversity of the Philippines. 

The most famous resident of the park is an estuarine crocodile named Lapu-Lapu.  The park also houses squirrels, monitor lizards, deer, turtles, ostriches, civets and a Visayan warty pig, among others.  

Aside from the animals housed at the Crocolandia Park, it also has a library and museum right in the middle of the premises. The library is located on the second floor of the building. Visitors can read through the books about animals and nature in general. The museum has a number of preserved crocodile and deer bones on display. The bones of the animals were preserved for display and research purposes.

Since it is a family park, it also has a playground for children. While the play area is not quite large, it is suitable enough for children to enjoy their visit to the park. The park also offers a fishing experience to its visitors who may want to test their skills in fishing.

Visitors can also drop by the souvenir shop if they want to take home a memento of their visit to Crocolandia. The shop offers a number of souvenir items including key chains, coin purses and t-shirts. The park also has a restaurant serving food to visitors who may want to take a pause from their tour of the park to have a bite to eat.

​The park is accessible to both private and public transportation. The entrance fee at the park is P100 for adults and P50 for children.

The Tagaytay Regional Trial Court courtyard recently became the venue for the destruction of illegal copies of furniture of world-renowned designer Kenneth Cobonpue, as shown on a report from inquirer.net. Cobonpue considered the destruction of the faux furniture as “a victory for intellectual property rights” for himself and other designers around the Philippines. 

The furniture designs of Cobonpue are known worldwide with some of them gracing the homes of a number of Hollywood stars. He is the first Philippine-based designer to campaign against copyright violators. 

The order to destroy the illegally-copied furniture was obtained by Cobonpue from Judge Jaime Santiago of the Tagaytay Regional Trial Court. The furniture was seized from RSK, a shop located along the highway from Sta. Rosa to Tagaytay. The illegal copies of the furniture were manufactured by RSK in 2013. Among the furniture copied by RSK were the “Dragnet” chair, the “Yoda” chair as well as the “Voyage” chair. The “Voyage“chair of Cobonpue graces the home of Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

In order to avoid being prosecuted and a criminal sentence, a settlement was offered by the owners of RSK, Christian, Elmer, and Editha Pamintuan, according to the lawyer of Cobonpue.

The Cebu City Zoo or the Cebu Wildlife Resources Conservation & Protection Office was originally a project of Hon. Raymundo Crystal sometime in the 1950’s. It was established in 1973 in collaboration with the Boys Scout organization in Cebu in the plot of land donated by former Governor Rene Espina. 

The Lamplighters Foundation under Father Eleuterio Tropa managed the zoo during this time. After Father Tropa passed away in 1993, the Philippine Wetlands & Wildlife Foundation Inc was tasked in managing the zoo by the City of Cebu. The Cebu City zoo is currently under the management of Giovanni Stephen Romarate while Dr. Alice Utlang is the veterinarian of the zoo. Executive Order No. 18-5 of the Office of the Mayor of Cebu City gave the zoo its new name, the Cebu Wildlife Resources Conservation & Protection Office in September 2015. 

The Cebu City zoo covers a total of seven hectares and houses a number of birds, reptiles and mammals. Among its attractions is a Philippine brown deer, Philippine log-tailed macaque, a saltwater crocodile, monitor lizard, white-bellied sea eagle and a sulphur-crested cockatoo. The zoo also houses a golden leopard and a Bengal tiger named Boggart. The current star of the show at the zoo is the Burmese pythons, which is popular among both local and foreign tourists due to the “snake massage“service they provide. 

The Cebu City zoo or the Cebu Wildlife Resources Conservation & Protection Office is located in Capitol Hills, Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City.  The zoo is open from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM from Monday to Sunday. The entrance is P25 for adults and P10 for children. 

Cebuano lawmakers pushing for the Mega Cebu Development Authority emphasized the importance of a special body promoting and coordinating all sustainable growth and socio-economic activities within the Cebu Province. The House Committee on Government Reorganization under Rep. Romeo Acop of Antipolo is currently deliberating House Bill 6227 or the “Mega Cebu Development Act of 2015.”

The bill was authored by Rep. Raul del Mar and co-authored by Reps. Luigi Quisumbing, Joseph Durano, Gerald Anthony Gullas, Rodrigo Abellanosa, Aileen Radaza, Gwendolyn Garcia, Wilfredo Caminero, and Benhur Salmbangon. The MCDA will consist of the highly-urbanized cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue along with the cities of Talisay, Danao, Carcar and Naga. The municipalities of San Fernando, Minglanilla, Compostela, Liloan, Cordova and Consolacion will also become a part of the MCDA.

Del Mar pointed out that the Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board or the MCDCB under the chairmanship of Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III drafted the proposed bill. The development authority will be responsible in providing services with a metropolitan-wide impact and goes beyond politics, Del Mar added.

The main function of the MCDA is to create, organize, control and supervise all the plans, programs and policies designed for sustainable development and the integration of Metropolitan Cebu. These plans, programs and policies also include investment programs designed to deliver services across the province, physical and spatial development based on solid governing values and identical visions focusing on integrated systems aimed at urban development and suitable land use.

The services offered by the MCDA should cover and influence different LGUs, rise above politics and do not require considerable cost. These services include infrastructure planning and development, traffic and transport management, solid waste management and disposal, and disaster risk reduction and management.

The body is also responsible for ensuring all the plans, programs, services and policies are in accordance to the objective of attaining the Mega Cebu Vision for 2050 of a Wholesome, Advanced, Vibrant, Equitable, and Sustainable or WAVES Cebu. It is also tasked in carrying out the development strategy for livability, competitiveness, mobility and metropolitan management for Mega Cebu. The body is also tasked in the implementation of the Metropolitan Cebu Roadmap and any subsequent roadmaps for the benefit of Mega Cebu.

The Mega Cebu Development Board will be composed of the Governor of the Province of Cebu, mayors of all cities and municipalities within Metro Cebu, League of Municipalities president in Cebu and heads of civil society and private sector organizations, coalitions and associations.

The German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently awarded the Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise or CITE the best in innovation award during the 1st Vocational Training Awards. CITE was among the companies and schools following the German dual education model named in the awards, which are categorized into Cooperation, Motivation and Innovation.

Porsche AG was also named co-winner of CITE under the Innovation Category while the Punlaan School and National College of Science and Technology copped the awards for the Motivation and Cooperation categories, respectively. The three-year Industrial Technician Program is one of the well-recognized programs of CITE. It produced more than 2,000 technicians since 1994. 

CVIF-Dynamic Learning Program and Competency-based training were adopted by the school for its dual-training system while its quality management system is ISO 9001:2008 certified.  CITE is a socially-oriented and industry-based institution supporting the social and economic development of Cebu. It offers scholarships to lower-income families whose sons want to take advantage of top quality technical training. It also offers upgrade courses for industry workers and features a values formation center nurturing human values and virtues for its students, staff and clients.

The awarding was held at the Marriot Hotel and was attended by Industry Linkage Manager Dr. Bonifacio Mercado, Jr. 

Arnis is a traditional martial art from the Philippines that highlights the use of sticks, knives and bladed weapons, among others. Recently, 4,200 athletes from different schools around Metro Cebu gathered at the Cebu City Sports Center to set the record for the largest arnis class, as shown on a recent report from Philippine Star. 

Cebu City Sports Commission chairman Edward Hayco said since there is no existing record for the biggest arnis class in the world, they decided to establish one that is not easy to beat. Getting certified by the Guinness World Record Limited will be a formality.

It was not easy for the CCSC to gather enough players for the feat since the popularity of the sport only increased after it was included in the Palarong Pambansa by the Department of Education.

Students from the Abellana National School, Inayawan National High School, Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School and Cebu Normal University participated in the record-setting event. Students from different Mandaue schools as well as differently-abled players also joined the group.

The latest feat is expected to join a number of Guinness World Records set by Cebu City in the past. These records include the largest chess tournament, largest chess class, largest dance class and largest human pink ribbon formation.  The city used to hold the record for the largest Zumba class before Mandaluyong City topped it on July 19, 2015.

Cebu City mayor Michael Rama said young Cebuanos already have something to be proud of even without the certification. He said the Cebuano youth excel in arnis with this event. The mayor signed as a witness in the documents that will be sent to the London headquarters of Guinness World Records. 

Setting and breaking world records is a way for the CCSC to make sports appealing to the youth as well as encourage them to have an active and healthy lifestyle.

The launch of Uber in Cebu was highlighted by Rider Zero, Kenneth Cobonpue. The company aims to mimic the ethos of the multi-awarded designer, who is known throughout the world for his use of local materials in his magnificent creations reflecting his refined taste as well as the optimistic attitude of Cebuanos.

Uber partners started taking in ride requests at on December 3 at 8AM from riders within Metro Cebu. The areas covered by the five-star service offered by the company start from Talisay City all the way to Consolacion, including the island of Mactan.

As part of its soft launch, the company is offering 20 percent off on all rides from December 3 until December 9, 2015. All riders have to do is to use the promotion code ‘HELLOCEBU.’ The promotion is open to all new and current Uber users for rides taken within the specified area.

The annual financial report from the Commission on Audit or COA revealed that the richest province in the Philippines for 2014 is Cebu. The total equity of the province last year reached P28.181 billion. Rizal was a far second with P6.715 billion while Cavite was the third richest province with P4.918 billion.

The COA report, which was sent to the Office of the President on September 4, was based on the financial reports of all eighty provinces, one hundred forty four cities and one thousand four hundred seventy-nine municipalities. Eleven municipalities failed to submit a report.

Rounding up the top ten richest provinces in the country were Negros Occidental, Laguna, Batangas, Pangasinan, Negros Oriental, Isabela and Pampanga.

On the other hand, Cebu City is sixth in the list of high-equity cities in the country for 2014 with P7.855 billion. The richest city in the country is Makati with P34.461 billion. Aside from having the highest equity among all the provinces in the Philippines, Cebu also has the largest assets with P29.695 billion while Quezon City has the largest assets in the country with P47.687 billion while Cainta, Rizal ranked first among all municipalities with P2.826 billion.

However, when income is taken into account, Negros Occidental earned the highest income for 2014 with P3.3 billion. Bulacan came in at second with P3.25 billion while Cebu province was in third place with P2.76 billion. Income earned by a province includes fees collected from services and permits as well as the internal revenue allotment.

While Cebu Province was not in the top ten list for liabilities, Cebu City was third among all cities in the Philippines with P8.87 billion. Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III was happy that Cebu Province was performing well in terms of equity and assets based on the COA report. The governor added that it must be the reason why Cebu is the “third most competitive province in the country and was given the seal of good governance by the Department of Interior and Local government. 

He added that the achievement of Cebu was facilitated with the cooperation of the private sector the constituents of the province.