SIQUIJOR, Siquijor – Aiming to further boost its ecotourism, the Siquijor provincial tourism office is vigorously pushing its homestay program to accommodate more tourist visitors in the area.

Senior Tourism Officer Jossette Armirola, in a recent media interview initiated by the Philippine Information Agency, disclosed that at least 35 houses around the province were already inspected for accreditation.

Of the 35 houses, eight were located in the town of Lazi , seven in San Juan, five in Siquijor, four in Enrique Villanueva, and three each in the towns of Maria and Larena. (Phoebe Jen Indino)

Rainfall in Metro Cebu 400% higher
CEBU CITY (PNA) – The volume of rainfall in Metro Cebu last month was 400 percent higher than that of the same period last year, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Mactan, Cebu station.

PAGASA said the total rainfall in the area last month reached 400 millimeters while that of January last year was only 80.9 mm. May Casilagan, weather specialist at PAGASA Mactan, attributed the dramatic rise in rainfall to the La Niña phenomenon.

P.R.O.-7 resolves admin backlog
CAMP SERGIO OSMEÑA, Cebu City – The Police Regional Office 7 (PRO-7) recently announced that it was able to met the deadline in resolving all its back-log administrative cases in the previous years. Earlier, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo has ordered the Philippine National Police to clear all “backlog” administrative cases against erring police officers.

Data from the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM) pointed out that the region has 79 backlog administrative cases. However, after a careful and thorough reconciliation of the DPRM data early last month only 29 cases remained pending. (Phoebe Jen Indino)

Prepare healthy diet, milk for kids
ILOILO CITY (PNA) – Parents and guardians here are encouraged to prepare healthy diet and prepare milk everyday to fight the onset of malnutrition among children.

Dr. Elinor Roquel, of the MD Essentials Integrated Marketing Company, said that parents must take time to prepare a healthy breakfast, as well as a full glass of milk to their children before letting them go to school.

Roquel stressed that most children between ages 12 years old and below lack vitamin A, iron, and zinc, which are essential for growth.

Growth in Cebu tourism seen
CEBU CITY – Tourism stakeholders expressed optimism that the arrival yesterday of some 600 Chinese tourists here is seen to revive the growth of this foreign market, which indicated a drop in arrivals last year.

Friday, some 600 Chinese tourists composed mainly of families and couples arrived here via a chartered flight for a four-night, five-day holiday tour in Cebu and its countryside, including a day tour and overnight stay in Bohol. Earlier, the Region 7 office of the Department of Tourism (DoT-7) here said China is one of the top travel markets of Cebu, aside from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and the United States. (Malou Mozo)