CEBU CITY, Cebu (PNA) — A shrine honoring the Virgin Mary will rise at the 30-hectare SM Prime Holdings property at the South Road Properties (SRP). The shrine, which will be the first church in Cebu to be built by a private company, will be constructed ahead of a giant mall and residential buildings to rise within the SM property.

Architect Carlos Arnaiz, founder of Carlos Arnaiz Architects of Brooklyn, New York, who also designed the new Boracay International Airport, was commissioned to design the 1,000-seat Shrine of Mary, Mother of God, on a 2,200-sqm. lot in SM’s Seaside City, Cebu. SM intends to finish church construction by December 2012.

Cellphones Confiscated

ILOILO CITY, Iloilo (PNA) — A Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP-6) team conducted last Wednesday a surprise inspection of the Iloilo Provincial Integrated Jail (IPIJ) in Pototan, Iloilo and confiscated over 500 banned items from inmates including improvised bladed weapons, ice picks made of plastic toothbrush, knives using cans, iron bars and pipes, 30 cellular phones with chargers, bold magazines and discs, bottled cups, cigarette packs, electrical wiring, tattoo machine, wooden batons, nails, DVD player, metal spoons, forks and electric heater.

Negros Press

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occ. (PNA) — The 2012-2013 officers of the Negros Press Club (NPC) held their oathtaking yesterday at the NPC office in Bacolod City. Municipal Trial Circuit Court (MTCC) Judge Jose Paolo G. Ariola administered the oath-taking of the new officers of the oldest press club in the country.

Taking their oath were Philippines News Agency provincial stringer and Negros Daily Bulletin Editor Arman Toga, as President, Edgar Lucasan (DYRL) as Vice President, Clarence Locsin (DYWB-Bombo) as secretary, Aquilino Boy Ciocon (DYAF), as treasurer, Chrysee Samillano (Visayan Daily Star) as auditor and directors Henceboy Cestina (RPN-DYKB), Ranie Azue (Panay News), Adriano Nemes (Visayan Daily Star), Merlinda Pedrosa (SunStar Bacolod) and Butch Bacaoco (SunStar Bacolod), and ex-oficio John Elmer Ubaldo (Watchmen).

2012 Entre-Pinay

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte (PIA) — The Philippine Information Agency in Eastern Visayas kicked off this year’s Women’s Month by launching “Entre-Pinay,” which is short for enterprising Pinay.

PIA 8 Director Olive Tiu said this is PIA’s way of helping new women entrepreneurs promote their products or services and connecting them to government agencies that will assist them in their business undertakings.

The PIA forum here, Harampang Ha PIA, will feature once a month, an unknown enterprising Filipina, to help launch her business.

Biliran Rabies-Free

NAVAL, Biliran (PIA) — The Biliran provincial veterinarian said in a recent meeting of the Biliran Provincial Rabies Prevention and Control Committee (PRPCC) that the province is intent on becoming rabies-free this year.

Dr. Suzette V. Apura, provincial veterinarian at the Biliran provincial veterinary office said that the province may qualify to become a rabies-free province since there have been no reported positive cases of rabies in both human and animals in the province for the last three consecutive years in Biliran from 2009 to 2011.