Sen. Marcos airs suspicion on agri import facility's location

CEBU CITY---Senator Imee Marcos has called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to justify its choice of Subic as the future site of a Php500-million, laboratory-equipped “cold examination facility” for agricultural imports – the first of its kind in the country.

Marcos fears the higher risk of another African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak if the facility’s first-border inspections are not based instead in Manila, where most meat imports are shipped.

“What’s cooking in Subic, that imported meat and crops must be diverted away from Manila? Ini-import na natin lahat ng pagkain. Pati ba naman sakit? (We’re already importing all kinds of food. Must diseases be imported too?),”Marcos asked.

Marcos also said that food imports will become more expensive for Metro Manila’s 12 million residents due to the additional cost of delivery from Subic.

A July 18 briefer of the Department of Agriculture recommended the facility’s location, funding, and construction by June 2023 to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who concurrently heads the agency.

Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) insiders said the project, first proposed in 2019 but whose funding lapsed in 2020, could have been built last year in Manila’s South Harbor, where a vacant 5,000-square-meter lot known as Block 162 was being managed by Asian Terminals Inc. under a concession granted by the Philippine Ports Authority.

But they added that former DA Secretary William Dar and BAI Director Reildrin Morales had pushed for construction of the laboratory-equipped facility in either Subic or Cebu.

“It’s been nine years since the Food Safety Act became law, but first-border inspections have not been properly enforced. The facility’s location is key to achieving food safety and security,” Marcos said.

Although ASF cases have subsided since nationwide outbreaks began in 2019, Marcos warned that a major outbreak could again be triggered by contaminated pork imports and cause business closures and job losses in the swine industry, a shortage of pork products, and a further increase in already high market prices of pork.

Pork imports amounting to 545,213,681 kilos made up about 54 percent of total meat imports from January to September this year, according to the BAI.

Spain, Canada, and Brazil have supplied 61percent of the Philippines’ pork requirements, with Belgium, the United States, Denmark, the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands supplying the rest. (Photos: DA/FB/Google Images)

Lantaw floating restaurant stays afloat, powered by Converge

CEBU CITY – The Lantaw Floating Restaurant in Cordova, owned by one of the most well-known food groups in Cebu stayed afloat online during the pandemic with Converge IT Solutions powering it and still is now as it reopened in June 2022 with the economy reopening and restrictions easing this year.

“Lantaw basically offers you a very native Filipino experience, akin to how you would feel if you’re dining by the sea. We have the freshest catch of the day since we have sutokil offerings and also a grilled selection,” said Trisha King, Marketing Head for the Pages Food Group.

The Lantaw Floating Restaurant which started with its main branch in Cordova faced the impact of the pandemic and the super typhoon head-on as the floating structure itself was destroyed by Typhoon Odette last December 2021.

However, as the pandemic shut down some branches of the food brands under the Pages group, and the Lantaw floating structure destroyed, the food group’s social media presence grew by leaps and bounds as Cebuanos took to ordering meals online.

The food group quickly pivoted and developed their own in-house delivery service that catered to all their brands.  Staying online and connected is part of the Group’s strategy in moving forward as it still gets inquiries through its social media pages. 

It has relied on the pure-fiber connection of Converge ICT Solutions Inc. in powering its point of sale systems and internal connectivity.

“Even before Super Typhoon Odette, we already had Converge in several of our restaurants. Specifically, for Lantaw, when the typhoon happened, we had to decide if we would push through with our monthly subscription.  Our IT specialists called Converge and they were quick to respond and reinstalled when we were about to reopen this branch,” King noted.

Just one of the 17 brands under the Cebu-based and family-owned Pages Group, Lantaw Floating restaurant aims to create a dining experience similar to a tranquil ocean cruise - surrounded not just by the calming blue waters but by a feast of Filipino dishes.

In 2022, the Pages Group, seeing the opportunity to restart the brick and mortar businesses, reconstructured the Lantaw floating restaurant and says it will be ready in a year’s time. It also opened a second branch in Il Corso.

While the floating restaurant itself is being rebuilt, the area that used to be a parking lot adjacent to it has been converted into a bright and welcoming open-air dining area, so it can start serving the Filipino favorites of its customers.

“We’re doing very well actually, we just reopened this branch in Cordova in June this year.  We decided to rebuild a small portion, like a prelude to our floating restaurant, because we want to make sure the brand continues to be felt in Cebu. Because it is still loved by everybody,” King said.

Now with Lantaw’s Cordova branch and the connectivity powered by Converge, recovery of the food brand can fully take place until the floating restaurant can be rebuilt. “We have to make sure customers are very pleased with the internet and for our POS system to keep running on a reliable connection,” King added. (Photos: Converge)

mWell launches wellness tracker via the nationwide Zumba Fitfest Tour

CEBU CITY – Metro Pacific Investments Corporation’s (MPIC) mWell partners with the country’s top Zumba masters to launch the mWellness Score via the mWell Fitfest Tour Zumba challenge that kicked off in Cebu last October 7 where hundreds of participants danced the weekend away in the Dance Workout 3.0 Marathon held at the Insular Square in Mandaue City.

mWellness Score is a personal in-app health tracker which measures the amounts of exercise, light activity, sedentary behavior and sleep everyday using data-driven methods.  The mWell Fitfest Tour is led by celebrity dance diva, choreographer, and top Zumba instructor Regine Tolentino.

Through it, Zumba communities around the country will get the first crack at mWellness Score via the nationwide Zumba challenge that kicked off in Cebu.  The workout series continues in Mandaue, Bohol, Pampanga, Marikina, Las Pinas and Quezon City.  

Zumba enthusiasts may join the event for free, dance their way to a healthier lifestyle and get the chance to bring home gift vouchers, shirts, and smartwatches. All they have to do is download the mWell app, start using the mWellness Score feature and flex their scores on their social media pages.

“I’m really excited to partner with mWell for this event. You won’t feel like it’s a dreaded workout. Just dress up, feel beautiful and empowered as you move to the music. You’ll burn a ton of calories too! It will be a blast. By monitoring my mWellness Score as I teach Zumba, I can easily stay fit and healthy, lower the risk of getting sick and be more productive,” she adds.

In support of the fitness campaign, MPIC’s Finance, Risk and Sustainability Officer and wellness enthusiast Ms. Chaye Cabal-Revilla says, “Zumba is a happy pill.  It’s a fun and easy way to be healthy and beat stress at work. In our spare time, we even have Zumba breaks in the office. And with the mWellness Score, you can track your performance versus other mWell app users. This feature also helps monitor step count, physical activity, and sleep.”

Through the mWellness Score, mWell mobile app users can easily access a handy guide to developing a healthy lifestyle for long-term health, without having to spend on extra gadgets or wearables.

Designed for those who lead a busy life, the mWellness Score enables app users to be in control of their health, reach their fitness goals and make informed lifestyle choices to prevent chronic diseases. No need for a drastic lifestyle change.

All it takes are a few tweaks to make space for physical activity and adequate sleep regularly. To make the path to fitness more exciting, mWell users can set personalized goals, or interact with others on the app, making wellness organically part of their lifestyle.

They can get their daily mWellness Score for free by simply clicking on the Wellness icon on the app.  This latest innovation from mWell comes on the heels of National mWellness Day, the biggest nationwide digital medical mission.

The fastest-growing health app which provides doctor consultations and serves as a wellness guide, has earlier won Best Initiative in Technological Innovation in The Asset ESG Corporate Awards--one of the world’s leading and longest-running honors in the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) space.

Aside from the mWellness Score, mWell has also made available customized fitness and nutrition programs developed by Olympians and exercise physiologists as well as calorie-controlled recipes created by dietitians and nutritionists. (Photos: mWell)

DOLE-7 distributes livelihood “NegoKarts” worth P3.7M to 137 individuals in Cebu City

CEBU CITY – Ma. Eda Obrador from Riverside, Kaimitohan, Barangay Sapangdaku, Cebu City could not believe that the form she filled out months ago would transform into a 5-in-1 Food Cart Business.

Obrador is one of those 137 individuals coming from the different barangays in Cebu City who are beneficiaries of the livelihood starter kit called Negosyo sa Kariton or NegoKart that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-7) released on October 11 at the UC-Mambaling Campus Gym.

According to Marites Mercado, DOLE-7 Tri-City Field Office (TCFO) Chief, these NegoKarts are Food Carts livelihood kits worth P3.7 million that are equipped with an LGP tank, stove, deep fryer, food containers, cooler, ingredients such as hot dogs, French fries, etc., pan and other cooking equipment all worth more than P27,000 each package.

“Apart from the Food Cart Business given to the beneficiaries, they are also covered with a Group Personal Accident Insurance with the GSIS for one year. These beneficiaries are mostly self-employed but whose income is not enough for their respective families’ daily needs. Some of them lost their jobs, while some lost their livelihood due to the pandemic and the devastating effects of Typhoon Odette, which struck the entire province of Cebu last December 2021,” Mercado bared.

DOLE-7 OIC-Regional Director, Lilia Estillore urged all beneficiaries to take care of what they received from the government through the Department of Labor and Employment saying that it is not every day that DOLE gives out livelihood assistance such as the NegoKarts.

Estillore said, the livelihood assistance extended to the beneficiaries was born out of the DOLE- Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP), that aims to help reduce poverty and the vulnerability to risks of the working poor and the marginalized workers either through emergency employment and promotion of entrepreneurship and community enterprises.

Ma. Eda Obrador, like the other beneficiaries were mostly misty-eyed when they received their NegoKarts. Eda works at home as a dressmaker while her husband who is already retired, just helps at home.

Ma. Eda said she and her husband left early from home, headed to the venue feeling a bit unsure of what is in store for them.  She gasped at the sight of a hundred food carts lined up from end to end at the UC-Mambaling Campus Gym where the distribution too place.

“Mapasalamaton ko ug daku kay mapun-an na gyud ang akong kita. Gibaliwala ra gyud naku ang akong gi-fill out nga form, unya na-surprise ko sa dihang nay nitawag naku nga naa na ang Food Cart,” she said. (I am so thankful that my income would increase because of this. I just forgot about the forms we filled out last year and I am so surprised when DOLE called me that the Food Carts are now available.)

Ma. Eda added that she is so much blessed to be one of the beneficiaries of the NegoKarts livelihood assistance program of DOLE. Overjoyed and excited, she said she will continue with her Milk Tea skills training so she can probably get into it as her start-up business with her empanada, hot dogs, French fries, milk tea, and other street foods.  She planned to put up the Food Cart either in front of their home or at any viable place near the school in their area. (Photos: DOLE7/Luchel Taniza)

Yoyi’s celebrates 9 years of shared goodness

CEBU CITY— Yoyi’s celebrates its 9 years of shared goodness as Yoyis Cakes & Pastries Cebu at its Fuente and Talisay branches with the vision to bring more delight to the Cebuanos.

On October 15, Yoyi's Cakes and Pastries Cebu at Yoyi's Fuente Branch gave away nine percent discount to first nine customers and raffled nine winners to avail a Gift Certificate to those who will participate in sharing their recent anniversary post.

Originally from Ormoc, Yoyi's boasts with its flagship stores in Fuente and Talisay with its

wide variety of sweets and treats, which are affordable yet delicious.

Yoyi’s have always been a game-changer on their own. Best-sellers include cassava bars, choco crinkles, buko pies; its signature dessert Heavenly Mango Cake, Ube Halaya Cake, the Double-Baked Blueberry Cheesecake, and Mango Cheesecake.

Newest additions to the menu include its Carrot Walnut Cake. Soon they will also be introducing bread treats.

Orders can be made via mobile or store pick up. Customers can also message via the

Messenger app (FB: @yoyispastriesanddesserts, IG: @yoyispastries.desserts).

Deliveries can also be arranged. Tamayo Ralph Julienne Eva Guanzon Yoyi's Cakes & Pastries -

+15

19Chille Domo Sevlac, Cyka Niki and 17 others

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‘DAILY’, Bo’s Coffee new brand now serving in Cebu

CEBU CITY – Bo’s Coffee just introduced ‘DAILY’, a new brand under its belt, now serving this handcrafted, strong coffee on-the-go taking on a Filipino Classic with 26 years of experience in the industry, DAILY will continue to uphold a high standard of homegrown coffee excellence.

“Everyone’s so busy these days, and we want to use coffee to infuse a bit of fun and fuel into our customers’ mornings and afternoons. Through ‘DAILY’ we hope to make the ritual of getting coffee more exciting,” Steve Benetiz, founder of Bo’s Coffee said.

Beyond serving strong and tasty coffee beverages, ‘DAILY’ offers its customers a playful in-store aesthetic thanks to one of the Philippines’ top designers, Dan Matutina of Plus63. The store’s vibrant hues and energetic vibes give customers a refreshing cafe experience like none other.

Expect nothing less than ordinary from Daily’s menu, filled with cold classics and new crowd favorites!  For sweet cravings, check out the chocolate-topped Mocha Dinosaur at PHP120 or the signature strong and caramelly Kapesada at PHP105. Those who prefer a classic taste can try the Iced Coffee at PHP95 or Iced Mocha at PHP120.

Its new store, located on the ground floor of the Visayas Community Medical Center Building, will act as the grab-and-go station where coffee lovers can get a quick caffeine fix for a busy day.

Find DAILY’s VCMC Branch on the ground floor of the AppleOne Medical Arts Building, 85 Osmena Blvd., Cebu City. The store is open from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily. (Photos: Bo's Coffee)