The Visayas island group – to which Cebu belongs – has three main power baseloads which are interconnected into one grid with capacity of over 2,200MW of electricity. The main source is geothermal energy, supplemented by thermal and diesel generating plants. These sources provide Cebu with predictable 220V AC electricity at stable prices. However, no matter what the figures look like, Cebu, like most parts of the Philippines; still suffers from what locals call “brownouts”. Yes, that translates into “blackouts” for the majority of the rest of us.
Potable water is abundant in most areas, with ongoing infrastructure projects providing a very significant increase in water supplies to keep with the growing needs of industry. Keep in mind that Cebu, like the rest of the Philippines, needs to pay attention to the ongoing management of water resources. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out why.
The road and bridge system, is undergoing a substantial (much needed) upgrade to bring the road transport system into the 21st century. Believe me, there is no route 66 here in Cebu, or most places in the Philippines for that matter. The big buzz word in Cebu is SRP. Stay here a little longer and you’ll know what it means. I get my thrills on route SRP… Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it!
All in all, Cebu is currently enjoying a sustained economic boom. The latent result is that the infrastructure is slowly improving.
Festivals
Sinulog. The Sinulog festival is Cebu's biggest and most popular. Celebrated every 3rd Sunday of January, the feast is in honor of the holy image Señor Santo Niño de Cebu. Fiesta Señor, as it is widely known, is the most celebrated among Cebu's festivals where people converge along the route of a grand solemn procession and partake in the gaiety amidst a mardi gras parade immersed in vivid colors and the constant drums of the Pit Señor.
Paskuhan. A Christmas celebration of songs and lantern-making held during the month of December spreads good cheers to local residents and visitors alike.
Kadaugan sa Mactan. A one-day re-enactment celebrated with pomp and pageantry every 27th of April to commemorate the historic Battle of Mactan between the forces of Lapulapu and Magellan.
Nuestra Señora de Regla Fiesta. Lapulapu City – Held to honor the patroness of Opon on November 20-21, this religious and social event reveals the indefatigable faith of the people and the penchant for merry making. A food fair, carnival, procession and a coronation of the Fiesta Queen highlight the festivity.
Semana Santa sa Bantayan. A unique mixture of solemn religious rites and local celebration highlights the Holy Week activities in Bantayan Island. The normally quiet island becomes alive and festive with the arrival of relatives and friends and tourists who wish to experience the scenic rites and cool off the summer heat in the beautiful white sandy beaches and clear tropical waters.
Fiesta sa Carcar. Is celebrated on November 24-25 in honor of the town's patron, St. Catherine of Alexandria. Carcar town is noted both for its old Spanish style houses in the quiet countryside setting and popular local delicacies that take the spotlight during fiestas.
Tagbo. Poro, Cebu – Celebrated every January in honor of Patron Santo Niño de Poro. Beloved memoir of a living past, Tagbo is the cornerstone from which this great municipality has sprung. Rich in cultural heritage and deep in spiritual values, Tagbo is a very significant event preluding the birth of a town very dear to the hearts of her sons and daughters.
Sanayon. Agro-tourism festival in the southern towns of the second district about 100 km from the city. A month-long activity to spread out tourism to the coutryside.
Tres de Abril Celebration. The 3rd of April commemoration of the Spanish resistance in the south. This historic battle under Leon Kilat's leadership gave Cebu the glory of being the first major island outside Luzon to oppose Spanish dominance.
This (relativley) modern facility in Philippine terms, serves both international and domestic flights and boasts of a comprehensive list of facilities.
The PR blurb states it has lots of amenities including a shopping center, duty-free shop, souvenir shops, cafés, business centers, food shops, communication facilities, banking facilities, car rentals, hotel and resort reservations, and beauty & health services. The reality, no shopping center, a couple of souvenir shops, a spluttering of car rental stands and a couple of decent waiting areas for a few of the 5-star resorts. The immigration is reasonably fast and baggage handling is ok.
Cathay Pacific Airways, Cebu Pacific & (technically speaking) Philippine Airlines, the Philippine’s flag carrier, fly between Hong Kong and Cebu daily (well sort of – it is actually a Cathay Pacific plane but they share the code with Philippine Airlines). However, your best bet if your watching the bucks, is Cebu Pacific.
Silkair flies between Cebu and Singapore daily, whilst Cebu Pacific flies every other day (check their schedule). Philippine Airlines services the Cebu-Tokyo route daily except Mondays, Cebu-Seoul four times a week, and Cebu-Kuala Lumpur and Cebu-Kota Kinabalu twice a week. Malaysian Airlines flies from Kuala Lumpur via Kota Kinabalu to Cebu twice a week as well. Qatar Airways, meanwhile, flies from Doha to Cebu via Singapore.
Cebu is also the domestic air hub of the Philippines, with close to 60 flights daily on average to and from popular destinations and key cities all over the archipelago such as Manila, Boracay, Siargao (Surigao), Zamboanga, Davao, Bohol, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Camiguin, Gen. Santos, Leyte, etc.
Visitors from North America, Europe, Middle East, and the rest of the world need to fly through either Singapore, Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur to get to Cebu. If you can keep a stiff-upper-lip amidst the horrendous traffic and cacophonic noise of Manila, you will obtain a faster connection to Cebu since there are over 20 flights daily (or almost two flights every hour) between the two cities.
Charter flights are also available in some select destinations such as China, Russia and USA. Cebu is an increasingly popular destination so more routes are bound to be added.
By Boat (Ferry):
OK, so you will quickly establish that most locals get around the 7,107 islands by ferry. Why? It’s cheap. Dam cheap. Fares begin at just a couple of hundred pesos (USD4). Now, that’s cheap in anyone’s language.
Cebu is home to almost 80 percent of the country’s passenger vessels and nerve center of the country’s largest – WG&A, Sulpicio Lines, Trans-Asia, George & Peter Lines and Lorenzo Shipping Lines – Cebu City’s domestic port is clearly the country’s busiest.
Large cruise ships with a capacity of 2,000 to 4,000 passengers ply the more distant routes such as Manila, Davao, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro. Medium-sized vessels such as the roll-on/roll-off (roro) types sail to the nearer destinations while fast ferries cover the neighboring islands in two hours or less depending on the destination.
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