Sun.Star Cebu
PROTEST.
A protester prepares to throw tomatoes at a caricature of Vice President Sara Duterte as demonstrators chant “Convict Sara Now” during a Black Friday protest on Don Pedro Cui St. in Barangay San Antonio, Cebu City, on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. Organized...
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PHOTO BY JUAN CARLO DE VELA
FAITH AT SEA. Devotees aboard boats accompany the vessel carrying the image of Nuestra Señora Virgen de la Regla on the Mactan Channel on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, during a seaborne procession marking the start of the 291st fiesta. The procession ended...
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CEBU GETS REHAB AID
Over a billion pesos in disaster recovery funds have been released to local governments to repair critical public facilities and infrastructure. Led by Gov. Pamela Baricuatro, local officials are committing to transparent and corruption-free...
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SHADE ON WHEELS.
A pedicab travels along an inner street in Barangay Cotcot, Liloan, Cebu, with an umbrella providing shade from the intense heat on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. Cebu faces an extreme heat warning for the coming months, as the combined effects of El Niño and...
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Children need guidance on social media use
CHILDREN need guidance on how to use mobile phones and social media safely from the time they first use them, a child protection advocate said at a Cebu City convention on preventing abuse and exploitation. Francisco Dizon, vice president and trustee...
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PHOTO BY JUAN CARLO DE VELA
HILLSIDE BLAZE. Smoke rises from Sitio Nangkaville in Barangay Quiot Pardo, Cebu City, on Thursday afternoon, Nov. 5, 2026, after a fire struck a portion of the hillside residential area. Firefighters declared the blaze under control past 1 p.m., but...
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LIGHTS OF REMEMBRANCE.
Lit candles encased in glass containers adorned with black and white ribbons line the steps of the Cebu Provincial Capitol in Cebu City on Wednesday evening, Nov. 4, 2026, during a solemn commemoration marking the first anniversary of typhoon Tino.
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A YEAR LATER, THE SCARS REMAIN.
A year after typhoon Tino unleashed devastating floods, scenes from Talisay City and Bacayan, Cebu City show the destruction left behind and the continuing struggle to recover. The images from 2025 and 2026 serve as a stark reminder of the lives...
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FLEEING THE FLAMES.
Residents scramble for safety, wading through muddy waters at the South Road Properties to flee a raging fire that struck Sitio Lawis in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026.
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REMEMBERING THE MISSING.
Members of Karapatan, Hustisya, Desaparecidos and Selda light candles in honor of victims of enforced disappearance during a remembrance activity at Sto. Rosario Cemetery inside the Carreta Public Cemetery in Cebu City on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in...
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EARLY PREPARATIONS.
A man sweeps the grounds of Calamba Cemetery in Cebu City on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, clearing pathways ahead of All Saints’ Day on Sunday, Nov. 1, and All Souls’ Day on Monday, Nov. 2. Hundreds of city workers and over 1,000 police personnel have been...
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WAITING FOR BUSES.
Passengers queue for buses at the Cebu North Bus Terminal in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City, on Friday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2026. Transport hubs expect heavy passenger volume as travelers head home for Kalag-kalag, or All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on...
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SURPRISE TEST.
Personnel of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7 collect specimen samples from bus drivers and conductors during a surprise drug test at the Cebu South Bus Terminal on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. Eight bus drivers and conductors tested...
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ASEAN DEFENSE LEADERS.
Defense ministers and representatives of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member states pose for a family photo during the opening of the 20th Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting at Mactan Expo in Lapu-Lapu City on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026....
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LONG SHADOWS, HOT DAYS.
Under the afternoon sun, Cebu’s streets tell a story in shadows. Motorists and pedestrians cast long silhouettes along P. del Rosario Street in Cebu City on Oct. 27, 2026, as hot weather persists.
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PHOTO BY JUAN CARLO DE VELA
SAFE HAVEN FOR PATIENT WATCHERS. Gov. Pamela Baricuatro and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) Medical Center chief Dr. Gerardo Aquino Jr. (background left) lead the opening of the Pasilongan Center along Don Mariano St. near Larsian in Cebu...
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MARKLE FACES PROBE
A cross-border investigation involving the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, highlights ongoing efforts to combat the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children in Central Visayas POLICE are coordinating with law enforcement...
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READY TO SERVE.
A canine trooper stands alert alongside some of the 3,670 personnel during the official send-off ceremony on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, ahead of the Asean Defense Ministers Meeting, which will be held from Wednesday, Oct. 28, to Saturday, Oct. 31, in...
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TEEN ‘GROOMER’ RESCUED
The National Bureau of Investigation 7 is investigating a 16-year-old accused of running an online group that allegedly groomed minors toward violence, including school shootings THE National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI 7) has...
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WASTE PROBE HALTED
THE anti-graft office may go to the Supreme Court (SC) over a Court of Appeals order that halted its investigation into alleged corruption in Cebu’s garbage collection, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. “We will discuss it...
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SACRED CRAFT.
Sculptor Bujot Tocmo Lanaja measures an image of Jesus Christ along D. Jakosalem St. in Cebu City to check its length of nine feet and 11 inches. Carved from santol and mahogany wood, the sculpture is bound for a church in Ozamiz City in Misamis...
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CLEARING THE AIR
CEBU Province and Cebu City are developing standardized guidelines for class suspensions during periods of poor air quality, aiming to balance student health with the need for continuous learning. The push for a unified policy follows recent episodes...
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KALAG-KALAG PREPARATIONS.
An aerial view shows the Carreta Public Cemetery in Cebu City on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, as the City Government gears up for the expected influx of visitors for All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2). Authorities are rolling out measures...
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IN FOCUS.
Students from various schools in Mandaue City compete in the photojournalism category of the Division Schools Press Conference at the Mandaue City Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. The contest challenges campus journalists to capture newsworthy moments...
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A TASTE OF TRADITION.
Residents savor free lechon courtesy of the Talisay City Government during the annual feast day of Sta. Teresa de Ávila on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. At least 25 freshly roasted pigs were served to the public to mark the city’s vibrant fiesta. Widely...
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TB PREVENTION INITIATIVE.
United States Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton (left) shares a light moment with local officials ( from right) Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Ma. Cynthia “Cindi” K. Chan, her husband Lone District Rep. Junard “Ahong” Chan and Department of Health Central...
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HALAD INASAL FESTIVAL.
Contingents perform in colorful costumes, carrying lechon replicas and flower props during the Halad Inasal Festival in Talisay City on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. The festival is part of the city’s annual fiesta honoring its patroness, Santa Teresa de...
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PROCESSION.
Hundreds of motorboards join the annual seaborne procession on the eve of the feast of St. Teresa of Ávila in Talisay City, Cebu, on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. The religious tradition brings devotees and local communities together in a show of faith and...
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PONDS EYED TO CURB FLOODING
NARROWED river channels, runoff from steep mountain slopes and improper waste disposal are among the factors contributing to flooding in Cebu City, according to a University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu study presented to City officials. The City...
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POWER RISKS PERSIST
THE Visayas region will likely continue to experience electricity supply shortages through 2027 as the government scrambles to find temporary power sources to bridge the gap before new generation plants begin operating in 2028. Energy Secretary Sharon...
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CEBU’S LITERACY WOES
Recent assessments reveal that thousands of young learners in Cebu Province lack foundational reading skills, prompting calls for urgent educational and nutritional interventions MORE than 31,600 young students in Cebu Province finished School Year...
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POND A PROPOSAL.
An aerial view of Pond A at the South Road Properties in Cebu City on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. The City Government is studying a proposal to use brackish water from the 60-hectare pond for firefighting and other non-potable purposes as it prepares for the...
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LANDSLIDE BURIES FAMILY
FOUR relatives were having lunch together in one of their homes in Sitio Riverside, Barangay Pulangbato, Cebu City, when a landslide buried them around noon Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, killing two young boys and their grandmother while the boys’ mother...
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LOREGA PROJECT DECAYS
MORE than four years after its original completion deadline, a five-story tenement housing project in Barangay Lorega-San Miguel, Cebu City, remains unfinished, leaving at least 170 urban poor families waiting for the homes promised by the City...
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FIREFIGHTERS
direct their hoses as they battle a warehouse fire in Upper Malibu, Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City, on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. The Bureau of Fire Protection raised the fire to second alarm at 4:35 p.m. and declared it under control at 5:16 p.m.
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WATER SHORTAGE LOOMS
CEBU’S water supply could face a 25,000-cubic-meter-per-day shortfall during the expected dry period, as the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) anticipates declining production from its surface-water and groundwater sources. MCWD Chairman Ruben...
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HOUSING SITE SITS EMPTY
NO HOUSES have been built at a P217.5-million permanent housing site for typhoon Yolanda survivors in Bogo City years after the project was approved, leaving a multimillion-peso advance payment entirely unrecovered. The 2025 Commission on Audit (COA)...
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P150M ROAD TO NOWHERE
The Cebu City Government faces scrutiny after state auditors uncovered P118.66 million in payments for a suspended road project plagued by unauthorized work and bidding deficiencies THE Cebu City Government has disbursed P118.66 million for the first...
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GABII SA KABILIN.
Two residents gaze at an altar inside the Casa Gorordo Museum in Cebu City on Friday night, October 2, 2026. The museum is one of 10 participating cultural and heritage sites — including Museo Parian sa Sugbo – 1730 Jesuit House, the Rizal Memorial...
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‘VET WASTE PROPOSAL’
THE Cebu City Council is reviewing a P470-million waste-processing system proposed by a private company as the City Government searches for a long-term solution to its garbage disposal problem. This proposal comes with a P220-million increase over an...
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CBRT LOT DEAL FLAGGED
CEBU City Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña plans to bring before the Office of the Ombudsman the proposed acquisition of properties along F. Vestil St. in Barangay Mambaling for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project, questioning the reported valuation and...
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SEAWATER
surrounds the damaged platform of Tabogon Port in Barangay Tapul, Tabogon, Cebu, during high tide on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, one year after the magnitude 6.9 earthquake.
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IS CEBU QUAKE-READY?
THE earthquake struck at 9:59 p.m., centered 19 kilometers northeast of Bogo City, offshore, at a depth of about five kilometers. Phivolcs recorded Intensity VII in Bogo City, Daanbantayan, Medellin, San Remigio and Tabuelan and Intensity VI in Borbon...
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PHOTOS BY JUAN CARLO DE VELA
WORLD RABIES DAY. Pet owners avail themselves of free veterinary services — including anti-rabies vaccinations, vitamins and spay and neuter procedures — from the Cebu City Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries at the Department of...
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CEBU WAGE HITS P582
MINIMUM wage earners in Central Visayas will see an additional P42 to their daily pay starting mid-October 2026, pushing the highest minimum wage in the region to P582. The National Wages and Productivity Commission unanimously approved the increase...
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AQUATIC LIVELIHOOD.
A fish farmer checks ornamental fish cages at a breeding facility in Sitio Tubigan, Barangay Banilad, Mandaue City on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. Residents in the community have relied on ornamental fish breeding as a source of livelihood for more than...
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PHOTOS BY JUAN CARLO DE VELA
FLOODWATERS. An aerial view of Sitio Magtalisay in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City, shows floodwaters covering the area beside Mahiga Creek following heavy rains on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. The area has experienced recurring flooding during periods of heavy...
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STREET PROTESTS.
Members of student organizations and protesters from progressive groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Central Visayas take to the streets of uptown and downtown Cebu City on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, to mark the 54th anniversary of the declaration of...
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WILDFIRE FALLOUT.
Metro Cebu is blanketed by transboundary haze linked to Indonesian wildfires in this aerial view taken Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. Environmental officials recorded “Acutely Unhealthy” air quality levels across the region, including an Air Quality Index of...
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NIGHTTIME PATROL.
Members of the Cebu City Police Office stood ready during the launch of the first-ever Nightwatch Aggressive Patrol Operation on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, to heighten security and combat crime. Officers executed search warrants and conducted Oplan...
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3 STUDENTS KILLED IN SOUTH COTABATO
AT LEAST three students were killed, including the suspected gunman, and eight others were wounded in a shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato on Friday afternoon, Sept. 18, 2026, the third deadly school shooting in the Philippines...
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‘BER’ MONTHS BEGIN.
Workers perched on scaffolding put finishing touches on a giant Christmas tree frame at the center island along Imus Ave. in Barangay Day-as, Cebu City, on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. The installation signals the start of the Philippines’ famously long...
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BARANGAY POLLS FACE 2-YEAR DELAY
A PROPOSED five-year term for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials could give local leaders more time to carry out programs, but the additional years should come with greater accountability and measurable results, Cebu City Liga ng mga...
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WEATHER SHIFT.
Thick rain curtains obscure the mountains behind the Metro Cebu business district during a downpour Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 15, 2026. The swift transition from weeks of relentless heat to heavy localized rainfall highlights the region’s volatile...
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CAPITOL PREPS GRAFT RAPS OVER MISSING PAPERWORK
AN ADMINISTRATIVE failure during the 2025 leadership transition left P9.6 million in public works projects missing mandatory paperwork, forcing the Capitol to freeze contractor payments and prepare graft complaints. The paper trail gap Capitol...
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PEANUTS FOR TUITION, DREAMS FOR TOMORROW.
Third-year Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering student Ariston Era III of the University of the Visayas sells peanuts along P. del Rosario St. and Osmeña Blvd. in Cebu City after classes, often working from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. while still wearing...
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HIGH-RISE CONSTRUCTION.
Construction workers labor high above Cebu City as its skyline continues to grow. Elevated high-rise construction requires focus, technical skill and strict safety measures to prevent accidents at height.
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CLEARER SKIES.
An aerial shot shows Cebu City’s sky on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, as Metro Cebu recovers from transboundary haze.
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FINAL RESPECTS.
Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro (left) and historian Dr. Jose Eleazar Bersales pay their final respects before the casket of National Artist for Literature Dr. Resil B. Mojares during a necrological service held by the Provincial Government at the Social...
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POWER CRISIS THREATENS INVESTMENT GROWTH
BUSINESSES in Cebu are spending more on backup power and adjusting their operations to cope with recurring blackouts, raising concerns that unreliable electricity could increase costs and discourage new investments. The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and...
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DEVELOPERS DRAG FEET ON FLOOD PLANS
CEBU City’s ongoing review of local flood-mitigation measures faces a growing challenge as inspectors turn their attention to older residential subdivisions built without detention ponds. As the City assesses whether property developments are...
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AIR QUALITY IMPROVES AS HAZE LEVEL DROPS
AIR quality in Metro Cebu showed significant improvement on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, as pollutant levels dropped following days of dangerous haze. The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7 recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 136 at the Metro Cebu...
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NIGHTTIME COMMERCE.
An aerial view shows the bustling Colon Night Market along historic Colon Street in Cebu City. Recognized as the oldest street in the Philippines, the vibrant thoroughfare transforms at night, drawing crowds of shoppers and diners to numerous stalls...
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POWER CONCERNS.
Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro (left) speaks during a press conference at the Provincial Capitol in Cebu City on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, as energy and power officials discuss the rotational power interruptions affecting the province amid tight supply in...
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STILL HAZY IN THE CITY.
Haze blankets Cebu City’s urban landscape at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. The Environmental Management Bureau 7 reported that the PM2.5 air quality index rose to 251 by 10 a.m., placing air quality in the acutely unhealthy category. Authorities...
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CEBU AIR ‘ACUTELY UNHEALTHY’
Indonesian forest fires send fine particulate matter over Central Visayas, prompting health warnings and flexible work advisories. Health officials warn of respiratory risks as PM2.5 levels spike across Metro Cebu THREE cities in Metro Cebu have...
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MAJOR CEBU PLANTS BACK
POWER supply in the Visayas is getting a boost as major generating units return to service, but supply shortages remain a concern as other plants stay offline and power imports from Mindanao remain limited. Department of Energy (DOE) Visayas Director...
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MAYOR DENIES CONFLICT OVER MONTERRAZAS CDO
CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival denied that his ownership of property inside Monterrazas de Cebu influenced his decision not to issue a cease and desist order (CDO) against the development, rejecting allegations that his private interest affected his...
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VAX DRIVE IN CV LAGS AT 21.7%
NEARLY eight in 10 target children in Central Visayas have yet to receive the supplemental measles-rubella vaccine, leaving health authorities with almost 500,000 children to reach. Data released by the Department of Health (DOH) 7 on Sunday, Aug. 30,...
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CITY BEGINS INSPECTIONS AMID FLOOD INVESTIGATION
CEBU City has begun inspecting developments that responded to the City’s request for drainage and flood-mitigation plans, as officials assess whether properties may be contributing to flooding in downstream communities. Among those inspected was...
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NEW ‘HIGH-RISK’ SINKHOLE FOUND
The expanding sinkhole in Barangay Guadalupe, Bogo City adds to ground hazards documented since the September 2025 earthquake A NEWLY discovered sinkhole in Barangay Guadalupe, Bogo City, northern Cebu, is still growing, raising concern in a city...
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