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Actually I experienced that the fastest way to get to a place is using Waze. It works unbelievable accurate. It gives me most of the time the travel time within 5min accuaracy, no matter what the traffic situation is. It can estimate the traffic better than anything else I have experienced. On top of that it you learn new streets and shortcuts. It guides you through routes around the traffic better than the best driver in Cebu could do (of course it "knows" the traffic situation and finds the fastest route).

Just read that next year between 9pm and 5am all Mybus rides in Cebu will be free. At 25php, if I remember right, its cheap enough already. But handy I suppose if you arrive / are up and about in that timeframe.

Hi Folks, Just read about this on Sugbo.ph 25PHP fare with 30 minutes trip time from Mactan Wharf to Cebu pier 3 by boat. Would be really handy way to dodge the traffic if it runs well. (I searched for 'Topline' priot to posting - please delete if this has been covered already mods, cheers...) Best Regards, Geo...

We ordered Spaghetti (red sauce) with meatball and Spaghetti Carbonara (sp?), with a glass of house red and white, garlic bread, water, and they had their own hand made hot sauce with chiles and tomato spices. Parm cheese in a shaker jar. 600+ pesos and the staff were super professional and friendly I recommend this place.

I have done a budget for general cost of living in Cebu in preparation for retirement. I have left out an entertainment budget as it is too complex and each person is different. My subtotal for pretty essential living is 65,000 in a fairly decent condo near city. My actual budget will be a little over php100,000 per month.  Can those who have been there a while look over my figures and give feedback on my costs. Thanks in advance.  Budget.pdf

Discovery radically changes our understanding of hominin colonisation of South East Asian islands Images from the dig site at Kalinga on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Pictures: George Lyras and Gert van den Bergh

do you know anyone who can remove bees with a beehive on a tree here in Cebu? if possible just transfer the bees and not using a pesticide?

If you are looking for a beautiful and convenient getaway close to Cebu check out Nalusuan Island. Good food, nice stilt rooms with the sounds of water and sea breeze to lull you to sleep. Mid day has a steady stream of island hoppers but mornings and afternoons you can have the place to yourself. Water is packed with a variety of fish if you like to snorkel. Check it out

As you have seen, there are changes in full effect here on the forum. We will use this thread as a conduit to keep you, our members informed. We just opened the bonnet/hood a week ago here and oh shit , it turns out we had to drop the transmission, pull the engine, and what a mess she was. Sorry for the bright lights on the new forum theme guys. I hear you. I will fix it for you. If you like dark, we will give you dark. If you like bright, you can have bright. Just give us a little time here. Our pit crew is literally working around the clock here. We have accomplished a lot of changes in just the last 24 hours. Too many to list right now - but if you are a techno junkie, I'll ask the Techno Junkie guys to make a list and publish it when we are all done. Thanks for putting up with some hiccups along the way here. As we go along, please don't underestimate the power of logging out, clearing browser cache etc. It looks like all of that cache clearing crap is behind us now. So it wouldn't hurt to do that now after you read this post just to make sure you are covered. If you do have a problem with the forum, a good way to 'cross check' things is to try opening a browser you normally don't use (i.e. if you use Chrome normally, try opening Firefox and see if the issue repeats itself there). If you tell me you get the same issue in multiple browsers, that will help me instill into the tech team that we have a genuine issue that needs addressing. These tech guys sometimes need some convincing that their shtuff isn't perfect. The number one rule here is, don't lose your cool - we will help you through any issue we can. (Just don't ask us to quiet the roosters in your neighbors yard...) We have managed to fix a lot of things related to how the internet sees our forum. Some nice surprises have been uncovered and fixed. These things will take time - months really - to take full effect on the forum's inclusion in search results. We care about search results because we want people to find us. I do realize that all of you simply want to login and read messages and participate in the forum. We will take care of you. Your opinion matters here. We also have to move beyond where we are for this forum to grow and prosper. I want to grow a community here. To grow a community, we need to open our doors. We need new members. New discussions. New opinions. Why else have a forum? Cheers guys. If you have issues with the forum please post them in the Member's Complaints section. Or, if you are really frustrated, just post it right here. We will look after you. This is your forum, thank you for being part of it!

I am currently living in The Philippines and so know most general things ... but I want to relocate to Cebu City (or very near) with my wife and High School age child ... I would appreciate any advice on where best to live to be within easy reach of Cebu City at a reasonable cost. I want to rent (I currently pay P15000 for a 3 bed house but am prepared for the fact I might have to pay more) and would either like to be within walking distance of the City Centre (I saw online a property in Malobo for about P30,000 - which seems reasonable) or outside the city but on a bus route. I have read that Banilad is worth exploring and I also wonder about Talisay or CarCar. I also would like a good High School nearby and to be not too far from the best hospitals, as I am retired. I would be grateful for any advice. Thanks, Dylan.

Around 20 houses were gutted by fire at Barangay Carreta, Cebu City, on Monday afternoon, November 28. The Cebu City fire department received the alarm at 3:55 p.m., and declared the fire under control at 4:10 p.m. MORE

Does anyone know what hotel this is? Thanks, hope I dont get crucified for this video. I am just curious. Thanks.

Cebu Daily News - August 04, 2016 By: Jose Santino S. Bunachita, Nestle L. Semilla, Rosemarie H. Borromeo, Victor Anthony V. Silva The Sinulog Festival in January next year will not be the same. No more youth dance parade and contest to open the festivity. No more fireworks display to cap the weeklong festival. The culminating day’s grand parade and mardi gras, the festival’s highlight that has been drawing thousands of spectators from all over the world, will most likely end at 4:30 p.m. instead of the usual 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. as a crowd control measure and to put a lid on late-night revelries and drunken brawls. This more austere Sinulog Festival was announced yesterday by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña in a press conference he called before he left for the Mactan Cebu International Airport en route to the United States, where he will be spending the next week for a medical checkup. And then, as previously announced by Osmeña, there will no longer be a Miss Cebu beauty pageant. The pronouncement immediately drew statements of concern not only from the Sinulog Foundation leadership but also some city officials and from a Cebu hotelier for its ngative impact on tourism and for its effect on youngsters who danced primarily not to compete but to show their devotion to the Senor Sto. Niño. Osmeña said he decided to cancel the Sinulog Sa Kabataan, which is participated by elementary and high school students in Cebu City and province, because the expense to take part in the event was “getting out of hand,” with each school, mostly public schools, spending as much as P1.5 million for their respective contingent. This without counting the lost school hours as students tend to practice their routines even during school hours and of students having to practice up to late at night in their school campuses, disrupting night classes. “Who are the models of Sto. Niño? The night high school students who are trying to study or the other people out the street making noise so these people (night students) cannot study?” the mayor added. Final He said his decision was final, and he will not entertain “motion for reconsideration.” “They (students) have no participation at all. In any shape or form. I do not like to give them excuse that they have to raise money, practice and disturb classes. Disturb their own schedules. So no,” he said. With this cancellation, fewer contingents will be performing during the Sinulog grand parade. But Osmeña said he would welcome fewer contingents as this meant he would hit his goal of ending the Sinulog dance parade as early as 4:30 p.m. and thus reduce peace and order problems resulting from post-mardi gras revelry that in this year’s case, ended in a number of drunken melees. “This will reduce, will able to help control peace and order if it ends early. You cannot stop everything, but you can reduce,” he said. He said next year’s Sinulog would be “a lot nicer” since it will be shorter with fewer contingents and higantes (giant replicas of mythical creatures, personalities or film characters) participating in the grand parade. While there will no longer be a Sinulog Foundation-sponsored fireworks display, spectators could still watch the fireworks displays of private organizations, such as that being held at Ayala Center Cebu, he said. Dance of youth Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) Executive Director Ricky Ballesteros expressed surprise by Osmeña’s decision and said they would try to get the mayor to reconsider. He pointed out that most of the Sinulog contingents are composed of young people as they have the stamina to dance for several hours on the parade route. “You know walay manayaw nga mga tiguwang na (You know, the older ones don’t dance in the grand parade),” he said. He said that even the out of town contingents’ dancers are mostly students. He said that if the reason for canceling the Sinulog sa Kabataan was the expense, the contingents could spend less if they directly join the grand parade. Ballesteros, however, said that in the end, they would have to abide by Osmeña’s decision since the foundation could not mount the festival without city funding. Last year, the city government appropriated P25 million for the 2016 Sinulog Festival. Former Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, the former chairman of SFI, declined to comment on the pronouncement of Osmeña, except to say that he was praying that the mayor would reconsider. “I’m not going to be creating more comment as of this moment. Ato lang na siya (Osmeña) i-ampo. Ug patabangan og ampo sa tanan aron igbalik niya mausab iyanag huna-huna. Way Sinulog nga way bata (I’m not going to be creating more comment as of this moment. Let’s just pray for Osmeña. I ask everyone to pray that when he comes back, he will change his mind. There is no Sinulog without the youth),” Rama said. More than a competition Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, who was head of crowd control in this year’s Sinulog celebration, believed that although crowd control remains a problem in every Sinulog celebration, this should not be used as an excuse to cancel Sinulog sa Kabataan. “The Sinulog festival is a huge event in country. It attracts visitors from around the globe and even domestically. People can get rowdy and there will always be trouble here and there, but then these things are isolated cases considering that Sinulog draws millions of people,” Garganera said. Further explaining his decision to cancel Sinulog sa Kabataan to his FB followers, Osmeña said in a post: “As for the Sinulog itself, it’s time people stopped using our festival as an excuse to get drunk, or worse, high on drugs. The crowds are getting worse and worse every year. It hurts our tourism, our reputation, and it destroys the Sinulog’s intent of honoring our Sto. Niño.” Garganera, as village chief of Barangay Tinago before winning a post in the council last May, had been actively involved in Sinulog activities with the schoolchildren of his barangay. “A lot of us have experienced how it is to join Sinulog as participants, and as you look back, it is always a wonderful experience. Let us not deprive our schoolchildren this kind of experience that makes us different. It’s not just about the competition. It is all about the Cebuano culture,” Garganera added. A member of Team Rama, Garganera suspected that the cancellation of Sinulog sa Kabataan and the fireworks display would be Osmeña’s way of “again trying to project that the city is bankrupt and everything has to cost cut because the previous administration of Mike Rama spent all the money kay gi-waldas kunuhay.” LOOK. This photo taken last January 16 is posted on the official Facebook page of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, then a mayoral candidate, which showed him with some Sinulog revelers. He wrote about having to walk for over two hours to cross Fuente Osmeña but was happy that people still recognized him. (TOMMY OSMEñA FACEBOOK PAGE) To Osmeña, Garganera issued this appeal: “Please spare the Sinulog. Please.” As to whether the Cebu City Council intends to do something about the mayor’s plans, Garganera said, “It’s very hard to quarrel over something that’s very religious, special and spiritual to most of us Cebuanos. We still have five months away from Sinulog, we still have enough time to pray for Osmeña to change his mind.” Tourism impact Cenelyn Manguilimotan, past president of the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC), said Sinulog is known for its weeklong activities and tourists will expect nothing less. “If news will come out that there will be less activities, they might have second thoughts of coming because it wouldn’t be the same,” she said in a text message. Manguilimotan, general manager of Parklane International Hotel in Cebu City, said they generally have an 85 percent occupancy rate during the Sinulog week, held every third week of January, and are always fully booked on the Friday and Saturday before the Sunday grand parade. Capitol officials, on the other hand, accepted Osmeña’s decision to cancel the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan and Lalawigan. Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III, however, noted that the towns and component cities of the province have been anticipating the yearly competition, which showcases the different festivals of the towns and cities through dances presented by public elementary and high school students. “Let’s give (Osmeña) a chance. He just assumed and he wants changes. But para nako pud, it would have been nice nga ipadayon ang Sinulog (sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan). But we can’t impose on the city,” he said in an interview yesterday. Davide said the contingents that would usually participate in the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan have always been looking forward to the yearly competition, which is also a chance for local government units of the province to promote their respective towns and cities. Without the opportunity to bring their festivals to Cebu City during the Sinulog, Davide said the provincial contingents could just continue to showcase their presentations during local fiestas. Davide did not think that the scrapping of the Sinulog sa Kabataan would have impact on tourism as tourists can still enjoy the grand parade and mardi gras. Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, who chairs the Provincial Board’s committee on tourism, also did not think that the cancellation of the event would have a negative impact on tourism as tourists normally came for the grand parade. Read more: http://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/100316/no-more-sinulog-sa-kabataan#ixzz4GOPh3phy Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

One can surely understand why filipinas want foreigners as mates. My fiance works for Sykes there, she grosses 15000\mo. Net pay is just 13000. Her room rent that she shares is 3000 and with utilities being shared, a total of 1000+. She is not a real spender and spends around 200-300 peso per meal in a day, usually 2-3 meals x7 days etc. Of course, sending 2500-3000 to parents every two weeks acerbates the whole issue. She will sacrifice in order to send money to them, which I get to a point, but still, she needs to survive. I do help out and have come to the conclusion that an average person there needs to earn 20000 peso a month, which is not much in USD for a month. What I earn in a day, she earns in 1.5 weeks! And Sykes is one of the better companies with higher wages, LOL, OMG!

July 1st - Metro Cebu. Most images are near Ayala. But not to fear, this only happens when it rains a bit hard..

In this summer, I am planning to visit the beautiful island of Cebu and the capital of Philippines as well with my family. My kids and grandmother are very excited about this trip because they always saw the panoramas of island in pictures and now, the dream is going to be a reality. My husband has martyred in a military operation at Afghanistan so I am the single parent and take care of all expenses of my family as well. However, I will also have to look at my budget and need your advice regarding following things: Comfortable, hygienic and economical hotels of Cebu Economical restaurants with great taste of food Best places to Cebu Your suggestions will be appreciated and you can also PM me. NOTE: Please read the rules prior to posting again.

I loved Cebu for its diversity, city life and within a few hours, beautiful countryside. The main attractions for sure are: Whale watching at Oslob, Tumalog Falls near Oslob, Dalaquete beach, Osmena Peak (3000 ft), Aguinid Falls with its five levels that you climb up with a guide (the best of all waterfalls), Driving on the otherside of the island was awesomely beautiful and no traffic with ocean on one side and jungle on the other. Kawasan Falls is the second best falls IMO. A great place to hang and the hike to it is stunningly tropical. Lambug Beach is the the island's Boracay-like beach and its best secret. Always empty. Clear water, 80F. I did not want to leave. While Moalboal has nice beaches also, lambug is untouched for the most part. Of course, Cebu city is action packed and vibrant with 2 million or so. But, for a tourist, not a lot to do. Mactan was rather rundown IMO, public beaches are so lacking, we did find a nice beach at Karancho resort for day use, went jet skiing. Of course, we took the bus to the ferry to go to Bantanyan island. Again, nice beaches but not better than lambug. The town of Santa Fe was actually a rundown village with little appeal. The ferry across was on an old LST which took an hour. The southern part of Cebu island offers a lot, no so much in north part.

Yes, that's right I'm just doing it. I have the income and can live there well. I know several woman and a cousin and friend who live there now...or nearby. I think it's essentially not a good idea to ship anything over there because of the price...it's cheaper to buy new stuff there. I intend to bring a carry on bag and another larger bag with everything I "have to have" and buy everything else. I will store some things here just in case I come back but after a year I will just get rid of it if I stay. I plan on getting married and living there and yes I know to choose the right girl who knows I am not there to support her family but only support her. I have no visa but intend to get one soon after arriving and fairly soon to marry. I will first stay at the Marco Polo for a week while I look for a place to rent between 400 and 500 per month. I will then stay a year and look at options of buying a condo or leasing land and building. I want to stay close to cebu but outside of cebu. I may travel to chiang mai thailand to check it out but I prefer having people around me that mostly speak some english. Ok, where am I going wrong? What am I doing right? Thank you in advance.

i am interested in finding out about a so called resort or restaurant called " la isla " it is apparently in cebu , but i cannot find any info on the web so i am beginning to wonder if this place exists ? any ideas out there , it is quite important , look forward to any suggestions , thanks .