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5 Most Beautiful Starbucks Branches in Cebu

“Lahi rajud ang kape sa Starbucks.” [Iba talaga ang coffee sa Starbucks.]

The pandemic basically made many of us coffee makers — whether simply mixing instant coffees or learning a new skill to brew on our own or making Dalgona coffee.

Sure it’s fun to make coffee at home but the taste and smell of coffee in coffee shops, plus the good service and great smiles of the baristas, are just so satisfying we keep coming back for it over and over.

One of my favorite coffee shop brands is Starbucks. And there’s really no explanation needed why I do. I’ve been to several Starbucks branches in Cebu and out of the many, here are my top 5 picks of the most beautiful Starbucks stores in Cebu.

1. Starbucks Reserve – Cebu IT Park

Starbucks Reserve is a premium, elevated store category of the global brand that, in a nutshell, showcases the rarest yet the best coffees and beverages Starbucks can offer. These are intriguing offerings that are only available for limited times at Starbucks Reserve stores.

The first-ever Starbucks Reserve in Visayas and Mindanao officially opened at the AyalaMalls Central Bloc in Cebu IT Park on December 22, 2019. It offers an “ultra-premium coffee experience” with its new experience bar.

This place flaunts beautiful murals that are inspired by Cebu’s tropical scenery and beaches.

Exact location: AyalaMalls Central Bloc, Cebu IT Park, Cebu City

2. Starbucks Primeway

When Sugbo.ph featured the opening of this branch last September 2019, Starbucks Primeway in Ramos St., Cebu City trended on Facebook and garnered more than 4,000 reactions. Its beautiful facade and spacious interiors speak a thousand words why coffee lovers just love it here.

Exact location: Primeway Plaza, Ramos St., Cebu City (near Robinsons Fuente and Raintree Mall)

3. Starbucks BPI Tower 

The relatively new Starbucks branch in Cebu Business Park is quite spacious and usually not crowded. Most of the customers that frequent the place are workers from nearby offices.

You will fall in love with the cozy vibe and ambiance in this branch.

Exact location: BPI Corporate Center, Cebu City (across Metro Ayala Center Cebu, near One Montage Tower)

Photo by Ram Mancelita
Photo by Henry Ian Octobre
Photo by Heidi Wang
Photo by Heidi Wang
Photo by Heidi Wang

4. Starbucks SM Seaside

Consider taking a coffee break in between shopping sprees.

This Starbucks branch in SM Seaside City is one of the biggest in Cebu. There’s also an al fresco area by the garden where you can sip your coffee with the view of SM Seaside’s iconic tower.

Exact location: UG/F Mountain Wing, SM Seaside City Cebu, South Road Properties, Cebu City

5. Starbucks Ayala Terraces

Although crowded most of the time, this branch at Ayala Center Cebu is the go-to coffee place among shoppers. There’s also a spot where you can enjoy the city view.

Exact location: 2/F The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu Business Park, Cebu City

Photo by Cinnamoroll Puff
Photo by Karen Velasquez
Photo by Wandercrick
Photo by Wandercrick

Cebu logs 1,225 new cases on January 25

On Tuesday evening, the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7) released its official, consolidated data of the COVID-19 cases in the region as of January 25, 2022.

The whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Cebu Province — recorded 1,225 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 985 new recoveries, and 11 new deaths. Cebu’s total active cases jumped to 13,980 (from 13,754).

Cebu City
– Total confirmed: 49,386 (+531 new)
– Total recoveries: 40,726 (+378 new)
– Total deaths: 1,558 (+5 new)
– Active cases: 7,102

Lapu-Lapu City
– Total confirmed: 15,648 (+164 new)
– Total recoveries: 13,535 (+1 new)
– Total deaths: 475 (+0 new)
– Active cases: 1,638

Mandaue City
– Total confirmed: 14,160 (+141 new)
– Total recoveries: 12,422 (+235 new)
– Total deaths: 448 (+0 new)
– Active cases: 1,290

Cebu Province
– Total confirmed: 41,965 (+389 new)
– Total recoveries: 35,411 (+371 new)
– Total deaths: 2,604 (+6 new)
– Active cases: 3,950

SUMMARY OF COVID-19 CASES IN CEBU:

  • Total Active Cases in Cebu: 13,980 (from 13,754)
  • Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 121,159 (+1,225 new)
  • Total Recoveries in Cebu: 102,094 (+985 new)
  • Total Deaths in Cebu: 5,085 (+11 new)

A total of 3,762 laboratory results were released.

NOTES from DOH-7:

  • *As per DOH-7, the additional deaths in the report are not due to the overnight spike in deaths but due to more accurate data collection and validating efforts. Not all of those deaths occurred today but occurred more than a week ago.
  • Reports maybe subject to change as these claims undergo thorough validation by the local healthcare offices and health personnel.

DOH-7 FULL REPORT (CENTRAL VISAYAS):

0.3% PH Population growth, lowest in 70 years

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Well, if there is one thing good that came out in this pandemic, it is the lowering of the skyrocketing population growth in the Philippines.

The year 2020 recorded 914,797 births which is a far cry from the 2021 data of 324,000 births. This means that the Philippines’ population increased only by 0.3 percent which is the lowest record in history since 1946 and 1947 which was 254,000 births, according to the Commission on Population and Development (PopCom).

Now PopCom says that the reason for this may be related to the economic crisis and covid-19 pandemic as Filipino continues to delay having children or form families. They also point out that the number of couples who avail of family planning commodities and services is also growing with 8 million users in 2020.

The annual “natural increase” data is from the computations based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) reports from January 2020 to August 2021.

Filipino population increase short timeline

  • 2020: 914,797 births
  • 2021: 324,000 births
  • 2022: Estimate of 109,991,095 by the end of 2021

“If integrated population and development measures are sustained, we can look forward to a more stable population that can effectively support Philippine development. Smaller family sizes need to be supported by a national living wage structure that also allows parents to save for their households’ unmet needs in food, housing, and education. Uneven regional wage structures only lead to individuals falling further behind than those in progressive areas such as the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon,”

– – Dr. Juan Perez III, PopCom Chief 
Photo from Unsplash

Though births sure are a blessing to the families, it is also a good thing that we have control over the population growth in our country. The recovery of each household and of the government from the pandemic will be greatly affected by the population as well.

Soon to rise: SM-Ayala’s South Coast City in SRP

When two titans joined forces, they can create a city within a city.

This is what to be expected as two of the country’s real estate giants, Ayala Land Inc. and SM Prime Holdings, had partnered with each other in their newest property development venture in the South Road Properties of Cebu City – the South Coast City.

Official render from Cebu ni bai

South Coast City, a P300-B project of the SM-Ayala consortium, is eyed to become the newest entertainment center of the Visayas region, boosting attraction, tourism and businesses within the area. It will highlight an Arena, Convention Center, and 1-hectare park, among many other mixed-use facilities, to support Cebu’s growing demand for convergence areas.

Moreover, the said project is to generate about two million jobs.

FEATURES

South Coast City sprawls a vast land area of 26 hectares, enough to house state-of-the art facilities, attractions and services that will give more vibrance to this part of the metro.

1. Seaside Arena and Convention Center

The Arena is set to be the preferred destination for major local and international entertainment and sporting events while the Convention Center will be one of the largest in Cebu once completed.

Official render

2. District Square

This is the progressive commercial district of South Coast City. This area is planned for mixed-use commercial offerings which will complement the entertainment and recreational facilities of the broader community. It offers investment opportunities through commercial lots.

3. 1-Hectare Park

This linear park will serve as a refreshing green oasis in the middle of the master-planned development.

Fronting the Cebu Strait, South Coast City will take pride of its spectacular waterside views and features. A pedestrian network will link the main areas of the development. Other amenities also include:

  • A 36-meter wide and 320meter long green space.
  • Road networks with primary street widths of 30 meter wide.
  • Underground utilities
  • Underground Telecommunications System duct banks with fiber optic cable capable to handle multiple service providers.
  • Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology-cable telecommunications.
Photo by Cedric Maquilan

THE SM-AYALA CONSORTIUM

A consortium led by ALI and SM Prime won the new landbank at SRP (lot number 8-B-1) with a winning bid of P10 billion.

This tactical alliance of the two largest developers in the country is a strategic move to unlock the full potential of the 26-hectare prime property they acquired at the South Road Properties.

In a report, top officials from Ayala Land Inc. and SM Prime Holdings said that they decided to work together on this big project to hasten the development of this area, which the Cebu City government was grooming to be a new central business district.

Project Brief

  • Groundbreaking date: July 2019
  • Target completion date: Phase 1 on 3rd Quarter of 2025
  • Lot sizes: 1,777 – 2,601 sqm (11 commercial lots)
  • Developer: Ayala Land & Cebu Holdings
  • Location: South Coast City, South Road Properties (SRP), Cebu City

Transit Connectivity Map:

  • 500m from SM Seaside, Cebu’s biggest mall
  • 2km from South Bus Terminal
  • 4km from Cebu Port
  • 11km from Mactan Cebu International Airport

PROJECT UPDATES

As of January 2021, groundworks are still ongoing while the city is under community quarantine status. Bore piling works have already begun at the site of the convention center and arena.

The Convention Center’s target opening date is on October 2024 while that of the 16,000-seater Arena will be on July 2025.

Photo from Cebu Holdings
Photo from Cebu Holdings

There is always something more to look forward to in Cebu City even with the pandemic scare looming around us. South Coast City of the Ayala-SM Consortium is a proof that we are destined to achieve bigger and better things in the coming years, as it has always been for the last years.

Also read:

This Empanada Business only had a P250 Capital, but now earns P70K a week

You don’t have to have big capital to grow a successful business.

This is what this special homemade empanada business has proven as starting from its capital of just P250 it has grown to a full store earning over P10,000 a day or P70,000 a week.

Haydee Garin Cetro, owner of Empanada Ahuy in Cavite, started making empanadas for her family. From there she sold them online which the customers enjoyed so Haydee ventured into making bigger batches.

Empanada Ahuy has the filling and flavors that customers couldn’t get enough of. They have over nine flavors with each piece sold for P25 while a box of 15 at P300.

  • Savory empanadas: Ham and Cheese, Spicy Tuna ala King, Classic Chicken, Pork, and Beef w/ Mushroom
  • Sweet empanadas: Mango Cheese, Ube Cheese, Cheesy Choco Hazelnut

Prices:

  • P25 each
  • P100 per bag of 4pcs
  • P200 per bag of 8pcs
  • P300 per bag of 12pcs
  • P350 per bag of 15pcs

A rolling pin, which everyone who cooks knows is essential when you’re making empanada dough or even just dough wasn’t even available for her starting out but she didn’t let that stop her as she improvised and used a bottle to roll out her dough.

She said that you don’t need a big capital but a big serving of hard work and determination. break their record and sold over 750 pieces in one day. Haydee couldn’t help but be grateful.

“My husband and kids ang kauna-unahang naging fans ng aking empanada. Dati sila lang ang pinagluluto ko. Ngayon, buong Alfonso na. Isama na din natin ang tagaytay, Indang, Mendez, Bailen, Dasma, at Laguna. Marami pong salamat sa inyong lahat at sa lahat ng sumusuporta sa Empanada Ahuy since day one,”

Haydee Garin Cetro, owner of Empanada Ahuy

Empanada Ahuy’s tagline goes “Tikman Ang nakakadik na sarap ng Empanada Ahuy! Masarap Ang dough, masarap ang fillings!”

Cebu logs 634 new cases on January 24

On Monday evening, the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7) released its official, consolidated data of the COVID-19 cases in the region as of January 24, 2022.

The whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Cebu Province — recorded 634 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 966 new recoveries, and 16 new deaths. Cebu’s total active cases declined to 13,754 (from 14,047).

Cebu City
– Total confirmed: 48,936 (+272 new)
– Total recoveries: 40,415 (+263 new)
– Total deaths: 1,553 (+6 new)
– Active cases: 6,968

Lapu-Lapu City
– Total confirmed: 15,494 (+66 new)
– Total recoveries: 13,545 (+88 new)
– Total deaths: 475 (+2 new)
– Active cases: 1,474

Mandaue City
– Total confirmed: 14,019 (+78 new)
– Total recoveries: 12,193 (+258 new)
– Total deaths: 448 (+2 new)
– Active cases: 1,378

Cebu Province
– Total confirmed: 41,587 (+218 new)
– Total recoveries: 35,056 (+357 new)
– Total deaths: 2,597 (+6 new)
– Active cases: 3,934

SUMMARY OF COVID-19 CASES IN CEBU:

  • Total Active Cases in Cebu: 13,754 (from 14,047)
  • Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 120,036 (+634 new)
  • Total Recoveries in Cebu: 101,209 (+966 new)
  • Total Deaths in Cebu: 5,073 (+16 new)

A total of 1,516 laboratory results were released.

NOTES from DOH-7:

  • *As per DOH-7, the additional deaths in the report are not due to the overnight spike in deaths but due to more accurate data collection and validating efforts. Not all of those deaths occurred today but occurred more than a week ago.
  • Reports maybe subject to change as these claims undergo thorough validation by the local healthcare offices and health personnel.

DOH-7 FULL REPORT (CENTRAL VISAYAS):

Get to Know Filipino-American Jacob Batalon, Spider-Man’s ‘Best Friend’

We all know spiderman’s sidekick Ned as an Asian but some of us just recently found out that he is a Filipino.

The Filipino representation was strong in the recently released ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ movie what with the introduction of Ned’s lola and the Filipino language spoken in the movie.

Now, you might be wondering who “Ned Leeds” really is in real life as he is a whole lot of charming and an awesome character as well.

Ned is actually a Filipino American actor named Jacob Batalon, born in Hawaii, to Filipino parents. His Filipina mother, who has always supported his dreams, is Eva Andres who is originally from Pangasinan here in the Philippines.

Jacob also has an interesting big family as he has seven half-siblings. He has a brother and a sister from his mother, and three brothers and two sisters from his father.

He had a drastic change in his body as well for Jacob lost 102 pounds (46 kg) in 2020. He decided to start a fitness journey after realizing how unhealthily he had been living.

“I felt like I could barely walk upstairs without being out of breath, and this one day I kind of just saw myself without a shirt on and it was just ridiculous. I could not believe I let myself get this far. That’s what sort of started it all.”

– Jacob Batalon

Road to playing “Ned”

He was really studying for his dreams if his academic pursuit is taken into consideration as he attended Kapi’olani Community College to study music theory, but later dropped out and then took a two-year program to study acting at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts.

He had his acting debut in the film North Woods playing the role of Cooper and was recently cast as the lead role of Reginald in Syfy’s dramedy series Reginald the Vampire. 

Jacob Batalon to lead Syfy series ‘Reginald The Vampire’

He had cameos as Ned in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home so people have always associated Jacob as a permanent lead character in the MCU.

Now, without giving out any spoilers, he swings into action in a much bigger role and says that It’s been really fun.

Success Story behind Angel’s Burger: From Common Employees to Owners

Everyone knows this burger and when I say everyone, I mean everyone.

Angel’s Burger is so popular that anyone and everyone can see it everywhere. It has more than a thousand outlets all over the Philippines. A lot of roadside breaks and late-night snacks have been spent on these burgers.

Photo from Zomato

The very successful business known for its Buy 1, Take 1 Burger, had its humble beginnings. In fact, one of the owners was even an employee in a bank, Vicky Mojica.

This “Burger ng Bayan,” is the baby of Joseph and Vicky Mojica’s leap of faith. These two ‘regular’ employees quit their jobs during the ’90s, franchised a burger business and also ventured into several more businesses.

Joseph and Vicky Mojica, Angel’s Burger Owners | Photo from Angel’s Burger
Vicky Mojica, Angel’s Burger Owner | Photo from My Puhunan via Twitter

Now, the couple made Angel’s Burger a household name and as one of the most popular food kiosks in the country.

Its name came from their daughter Angel. It was when she was born that they decided to stop franchising and start a burger business of their own.

Angel’s Burger Story Timeline:

  • 1997: first burger shop built and named it after Angel with an initial capital of P20,000. Unfortunately, it was NOT successful.
  • After that, the couple decided to become Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
  • Vicky won the jackpot in a slot machine in Las Vegas. She took home $10,000 or around P500,000 at that time.
  • With the lotto prize, Vicky and Joseph decided to come home and invest all of it in their burger business.

Their buy 1, take 1 strategy, which is what makes them famous, only profits a little when they were still starting but Vicky was positive that small profits are better as long as it is consistent.

“Konting kita basta dire-diretso ay okay na. Hindi kami naghangad ng sobra sobrang kita. Basta sigurado lang po na araw-araw may kita, masaya na po kami”

Vicky Mojica, Angel’s Burger Owner

The namesake Angel, their daughter is now all grown up and is very proud of her parents and what they have achieved. This is one of those rare times where a win in luck was beneficial and actually made a family successful. But no matter the luck, it was hard work that made sure of their success.

2022 BUDGET TRAVELING Guide to Malapascua Island

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It is already known to many that people visit the island of Cebu because of its great history, its churches, parks, but not known to many, people come to Cebu for the white beaches and beautiful nature.

Nestled 6.8km from the offshore of the northern coast of Cebu island is, Malapascua. Because of its rich marine sanctuary, Malapascua Island has attracted both local and foreign visitors, especially divers. It is best known for its world-famous diving sites, specifically the Monad Shoal where thresher sharks can be seen and observed regularly before sunrise.

The Best of Malapascua Island

As I was saying, the island of Malapascua is perfect for a beach vacay. There are quite a number of beaches waiting for you to explore and I have a list of some for you:

1. LIGHTHOUSE BEACH

If you are up for snorkelling, Lighthouse Beach is perfect for you because of the Japanese wreck submerged in the shallows. The skeleton of the ship is what remains, and became an artificial reef. Lighthouse beach is accessible by foot or a short habal-habal ride from anywhere on the island.

Lighthouse Beach Malapascua Cebu
Lighthouse Beach Malapascua Cebu

2. GUIMBITAYAN BEACH

Situated fairly close to the Lighthouse Beach is Guimbitayan Beach. Perfect for relaxation, this bach is hidden behind many fishermen houses along the way.

3. LANGUB BEACH

If you want the entire beach for yourself, Langub Beach is the place you should visit for it is a very quiet beach in the Northen part of Malapascua.

Langub Beach Malapascua Island Cebu (1)
Charlene Mae Abellana
Langub Beach Malapascua Island Cebu (2)
Charlene Mae Abellana

4. BOUNTY BEACH

With a long stretch of white sand beach, Bounty beach is a home to bars and restaurants. It is the main beach of the island, and there is no entrance fee. It is ideal for chilling around, having a meal or a snack, and going for a leisurely swim. There are even hammocks hanging around that you can lie in them and relax for free.

Thomas Dietz

Diving in Malapascua

Apart from beach-hopping, you can also go diving in Malapascua. Malapascua is also very well known for macro diving (small critters, yes it very confusing), and you will see seahorses, shrimps, crabs and sea slugs in most of the dive sites. But ofc, thresher sharks – if you’re in for some great adventure.

@bryanchu

Whale shark 2.0 at Monad Shoal, Malapascua!!! Yes, the lucky divers of Exotic had another unbelievable whale shark encounter again. And this time there were TWO whale sharks😱😱😱❤️❤️❤️Keep your eyes open when you go for the thresher shark dive—you never know what bonus will show up😜.Special thanks to Scott Lam who generously shared his awesome video with us for this amazing experience🙏#malapascuaexotic #whaleshark #whenoneofthemisnotenough #sharkdiving #itsmorefuninthephilippines

Posted by Malapascua Exotic Island Dive Resort on Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Monad Shoal is the 1# dive site in Malapascua, where thresher sharks (not dangerous) come every early in the morning to bathe in the depth of 30-40m.  And since it’s the BER months, they say that divers can usually spot manta rays there too.

Gato Island is known for the white tip sharks dwelling here. There is an amazing tunnel dive here that ends with a small cave, and lots of marine life. There are plenty more dive sites around Malapascua, and even in Kalanggaman and Kemod shoal closer to Leyte, where you can see many interesting things.

TRAVEL TIPS

  • Summer is the best time to visit the island
  • There is no pharmacy in the island so I suggest you bring your own medicine kit
  • As of November 2020, there are at least 3 ATMs in Malapscua.
  • There’s a decent mobile signal or data in the island.
  • UPDATE: In this time of pandemic, visitors are required to present a hotel/resort booking before you’re allowed to board from the port.

WHERE TO STAY?

You can book your resort/hotel room in Malapascua island by checking out the resorts indicated below:

Ocean Vida Beach & Dive Resort

Starts at 2,500 PHP
CHECK RATES
Hippocampus Beach Resort

Starts at 1,400 PHP
CHECK RATES
Celtis Resort

Starts at 700 PHP
CHECK RATES
Malapascua Thresher Cove Dive Resort

Starts at 1,500 PHP
CHECK RATES

HOW TO GET TO MALAPASCUA ISLAND?

Exact Location: Bounty Beach, Malapascua Island, Daanbantayan, Cebu — 4 hours away from Cebu City, and 30 minutes away from Maya Port.

BY BUS AND FERRY: From the Cebu North Bus Terminal, ride a bus going to Maya/Bagay. It will drop you off at Maya Port. Bus fare is around ₱150 per head, travel time is 3-4 hours.

From the port, ride a ferry boat going to Malapascua Island. Boat fare is ₱100 per head, travel time is around 45 minutes. Boats ply every 30 minutes from 6:30AM to 4:30PM only.

PARKING: If you’re bringing your own car, you have to leave it in the mainland near Maya Port. Look for ‘Sugbo Maya’ or any private property where you can park for ₱100-150 per day.

Note: If it’s low tide, you may need to transfer to a paddle boat going to the shore.

Cebu logs 1,247 new cases on January 23

On Sunday evening, the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7) released its official, consolidated data of the COVID-19 cases in the region as of January 23, 2022.

The whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Cebu Province — recorded 1,247 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 281 new recoveries, and 4 new deaths. Cebu’s total active cases jumped to 14,047 (from 13,085).

Cebu City
– Total confirmed: 48,672 (+523 new)
– Total recoveries: 40,177 (+258 new)
– Total deaths: 1,547 (+0 new)
– Active cases: 6,948

Lapu-Lapu City
– Total confirmed: 15,430 (+220 new)
– Total recoveries: 13,465 (+1 new)
– Total deaths: 473 (+0 new)
– Active cases: 1,492

Mandaue City
– Total confirmed: 13,944 (+161 new)
– Total recoveries: 11,953 (+0 new)
– Total deaths: 446 (+0 new)
– Active cases: 1,545

Cebu Province
– Total confirmed: 41,370 (+343 new)
– Total recoveries: 34,717 (+22 new)
– Total deaths: 2,591 (+4 new)
– Active cases: 4,062

SUMMARY OF COVID-19 CASES IN CEBU:

  • Total Active Cases in Cebu: 14,047 (from 13,085)
  • Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 119,416 (+1,247 new)
  • Total Recoveries in Cebu: 100,312 (+281 new)
  • Total Deaths in Cebu: 5,057 (+4 new)

A total of 2,929 laboratory results were released.

NOTES from DOH-7:

  • *As per DOH-7, the additional deaths in the report are not due to the overnight spike in deaths but due to more accurate data collection and validating efforts. Not all of those deaths occurred today but occurred more than a week ago.
  • Reports maybe subject to change as these claims undergo thorough validation by the local healthcare offices and health personnel.

DOH-7 FULL REPORT (CENTRAL VISAYAS):