Dear Readers,
Here I am in Cebu, Philippines! I haven't had time to look around but I'll be blogging about my Philippine stay, so stay tuned.
I hear the Sinulog Festival was a rip-roaring success, and I quote from the local Sunstar:
"About 3.5 million persons turned up to watch the Sinulog grand parade on Sunday (January 19, 2014), but police and City Hall organizers reported no major hitches.
“The whole thing was awesome, magnificent and miraculous,” said Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.
Overcast skies and a steady breeze cooled dancers who spent up to 10 hours on the streets, but the rains that forecasters had warned about never fell.
After the official parade closed, however, some motorists called for better control over street parties, particularly those on Juana Osmeña and Gen. Maxilom Aves., to decongest traffic and prevent brawls.
A large crowd also turned up for the religious celebration Sunday morning, which Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma saw as a sign of faith despite the calamities that hit the region in late 2013."
This is terrific because the festival boosts the local economy.
And here's an update on super typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda:
Elmer Soria who had predicted a 10,000 casualty for Haiyan/Yolanda and who had been fired was reinstated to his position when the death count approached his estimate. I just found out about this from a friend (the news article about this was in late November 2013). At least the government was decent enough to acknowledge he was (sadly) more correct than Pres. Aquino who chastised him and insisted there was a 2,500 death count.
The pictures are courtesy of Val Sandiego.
The time difference between California and the Philippines is around 15 hours, so I'm terribly jetlagged!
This is all for now,
Cecilia
tags: Cebu, Philippines, Sugbo, Asia, tourism, Sinulog, Haiyan, Yolanda, super typhoon
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