MegaLotto Results 6/45 - Draw Date: 2/27/2008

MegaLotto 6/45
5-12-17-25-30-45
Php 9,805,825.80
Winner: 2
Draw Date: 2/27/2008

4 Digit Luzon
7-2-3-5
Php 19,535.00
Winner: 34
Draw Date: 2/27/2008

4 Digit VisMin
7-2-3-5
Php 22,935.00
Winner: 16
Draw Date: 2/27/2008

Swertres MidDay Draw
9-0-1
Php 4,500.00
Winner: 380
Draw Date: 2/27/2008

Swertres Evening
7-1-8
Php 4,500.00
Winner: 912
Draw Date: 2/27/2008

EZ2 Lotto
18-11
Php 4,000.00
Winner: 192
Draw Date: 2/27/2008

The Case Of The Runaway Groom - Cebu Version

In the Cebuano version of "Runaway Bride," here's a story of a runaway groom who gets sued by his bride-to-be. According to the news article, a civil case for damages and attorneys fees was filed yesterday against a man who left his bride-to-be waiting in the altar right before they were supposed to exchange their “I dos”.

Lilibeth Gaviola wants the Regional Trial Court (RTC) to compel her would-be husband, Ryan Sesante, to pay close to P500,000 in actual damages, including the expenses incurred for the wedding, moral damages and attorney’s fees.

She said the incident (their scheduled wedding last Dec. 22) left her feeling downgraded. Her “shameful story” appeared in the newspapers and became the subject of a few commentaries.

“Plaintiff has no more choice except to go to court and seek therein relief for the injustice and pain that she had suffered from the hands of defendant,” Gaviola said.

In her complaint, Gaviola narrated how she met Sesante back in college when they were classmates taking up accounting at the Southwestern University.

She said they graduated together and found work separately, meeting again accidentally only in December 2005 at the Saint Vincent Church in Barangay Sambag II.

Sesante, she said, courted her sometime after that and, by February 2006, they were sweethearts.

After a year of being steady, they then decided to get married, with Sesante asking Gaviola’s hand from her parents last June 17.

“The parties arranged for their wedding, starting with getting of the marriage license and church requirements, then arranging for the principal and secondary sponsors, place of reception, invitations and other details for the wedding. The reception was booked at Royal Concourse, with 100 persons reserved for the occasion. Invitations to relatives and close friends were made (as well as) video coverage of the wedding and reception,” she said.

In the morning of the wedding, Gaviola said she was at the Golden Peak Hotel together with her make-up artist, getting ready for the big day.

She, on board the bridal car, was already at the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish on Escario St. Cebu City 15 minutes before the schedule.

Sesante arrived half an hour late.

“Upon defendant’s arrival, his mother immediately wore the barong over him with his eyes seemed teary. Then, the wedding ceremony started with the priest harping on the delay as it commenced,” Gaviola said.

The ceremony, albeit a bit behind schedule, progressed without a hitch until the part where vows are exchanged.

She alleged that when the priest asked him if if he was willing to take Gaviola as her lawfully wedded wife, a girl wearing a skirt and eyeglasses shouted to the priest to stop the wedding and called out Sesante’s name twice.

Sesante, in turn, “without any hesitation or saying something or anything, turned his back and walked very fast toward the lady. They then hugged each other and went outside the church together.”

Gaviola said the priest even called out to Sesante, asking him to come back. And when he did not, the priest even went after him. But, to no avail.

In the end, the crowd proceeded to the restaurant for the banquet. She, on the other hand, went home with her parents, depressed.

This story sounds pretty much like a soap opera. But in all cases, I support Gaviola and hope that this groom pays for what he did to her.

(image from Keithandmelinda.com)

Warehouse In Lapulapu Robbed Of 400T

A Sunstar article reported that, six men robbed a warehouse in Barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City yesterday morning, scampering off with P300,000 in cash and P100,000 worth of jewelry and mobile phones. That's a lot of money, so beware Cebuanos who are traveling to Mactan.

There was no security guard to man the compound’s steel gate, and the culprits calmly waltzed into the property.

Although no shots were fired, one of the robbers smacked the head of Mildred Cubillan, 45, with the butt of his .45 pistol.

At first, the six men asked for the price of a case of soft drinks. As soon as Cubillan replied, they pulled out their handguns and announced a holdup, demanding that Cubillan open the drawer on her table.

“Mao ra man gihapon (It makes no difference),” Samson and Rosario Go, the warehouse owners, told Theft and Robbery investigator SPO1 Andres Gahi Jr. when asked why they didn’t have a security guard.

Gahi said the couple has long operated a general merchandise business in Lapu-Lapu without ever having one.

“Isugon sab gyud hinoon ning pamilyaha (They’re a pretty brave family),” he said.

The Gos run a store that sells rice, soft drinks and beer at the city’s public market in Barangay Poblacion. The warehouse in Gun-ob serves as their office. It’s also where they entertain wholesale orders for rice and corn.

The P300,000 in cash was their proceeds from last Friday.

Mildred, the Gos’ daughter, had kept the money in her drawer, as she was going to deposit it by Monday.

The robbers arrived on board a white taxi around 9 a.m. and left in less than 10 minutes.

The taxi was parked in front of the gate to block the view from the outside. Five of them went in, leaving their sixth companion behind the taxi’s wheel.

Gahi said that when the robbers announced a robbery they ordered Mildred, her husband Randy, parents Samson and Rosario and their five workers to stay in the corner.

They then asked Mildred to open the drawers of the three tables.

But because Mildred only had a key for her table, the robbers failed to get the money in the two other tables.

“One of the robbers looked anxious. He was telling his companions to hurry,” Gahi said in Cebuano.

Before leaving, they cut the telephone cord of the two landlines of the warehouse and took the necklaces of Randy and Rosario, and Mildred’s mobile phone.

Gahi said they immediately set up a checkpoint at the two Mactan-Mandaue bridges when they were alerted about the robbery, to no avail.

Last January, two men clad in police intern uniforms and armed with .45 pistols took off with P1.5 million from the Mactan Rural Bank in Barangay Basak.

The incident shocked city officials because it was the first bank robbery since Arturo Radaza became mayor in 2002 and Supt. Louie Oppus assumed as police chief in December 2003.

There is nothing to link the two incidents, but police are convinced they were perpetrated by professionals.

Well, looks like the Cebu City government is serious about making life difficult for motorists and commuters with the Banilad-Talamban fly-over. One of two south-bound lanes of Governor Cuenco Avenue is now closed to traffic starting past 9 a.m. until past 6 p.m. causing a buildup of traffic in the area. And why wouldn't it when more than 7,000 vehicles go down that route every single day. To update you with the Banilad Talamban fly-over construction details from Cebu Daily News:

Engineers of WTG Construction are implementing a gradual closure of the roads in the area where the Barangay (village) Banilad flyover project is being constructed.

Engineer Meo Daan, one of the WTG Construction's site engineers, told Cebu Daily News on Tuesday that they are implementing a gradual closure on the road so that the motorists will not be severely affected.

Daan said that when the pile driving or actual works on the foot foundation will start, the two outer lanes of the entire 390 meter stretch will be closed.

He also said that other heavy equipment, such as the backhoes, dump trucks and cranes, will occupy the inner lanes, prompting them to close two lanes of the four-lane Governor Cuenco Avenue.

It's an agonizing drive going to and from the office right now. My office is in Mandaue and I live in Cebu so sometimes I just have to pass there and it is inconceivably slow and stupid how we are painfully being forced to endure long hours on the road and hideous traffic.

(image care of My Cebu Photo Blog)

Where Can You Find The Best Cakes In Cebu?

There are a lot of cake stores and bakeshops in Cebu City and they all have their own specialties. Here's a nice list of what makes each one unique and where they are located:

1. Creole Cakes - these are elegantly made cakes that are home-made. They are a little bit expensive but they are also delicious. What's good about these cakes are that you can tailor them as you want. In contrast to cakes that can be bought in typical bakeshops, you can actually ask for the cake to be customized according to the design you want... Creole cake designs can be for weddings, birthdays and even special occasions - they accept naughty cakes too



2. Bebong's is a quaint little bakeshop in Mandaue that makes delicious cakes that are very affordable. Last time I went though, there are only very few choices - chocolate and ube. So you'll have to make do with that. But they are very delicious. Once attended a wedding that had about 20 Bebong cakes as their wedding cake because they were so affordable and delicious.



3. Leona's bakeshop which is located near Mabolo also has delicious cakes. This place started out small and then eventually just became this pastry sensation. They now sell bread too. They're closed on Sundays



4. Cream and Bake along AS Fortuna is a new discovery for me. I just got one of their cakes for my birthday and it was the yummiest chocolate cake I've had to-date. They have other stuff on their menu as well. I heard they also serve sumptuous entrées and main course meals that are quite affordable



5. Dessert Factory located in Ayala Center Cebu and SM City Cebu, is a frequent place for cake lovers. Like Cream and Bake they also have other types of food on their menu. Two of my favorite would be their Grilled Baby Back Ribs and their Boneless Crispy Pata.



6. Then of course there are the usual bakeshops - Red Ribbon has pretty decent chocolate cakes, before Cream and Bake actually - Red Ribbon was my absolute favorite. I personally enjoy their Tiramisu cake. Their mango pie is also very good.
   



7. Goldilocks is another old-time favorite. They are usually the best when it comes to custom made birthday cakes. They have a wide selection of cake designs (which you have to pay for separately by the way). My favorite cake here would be their triple decker. It's a cake that has 1 layer of chocolate, 1 layer of mocha and 1 layer of strawberry.

Via Associatedcontent.com

A Review Some Of Cebu's Best Beach Resorts

Cebu is known for having excellent beach resorts - pristine white sand beaches, great tropical ambience. Here are some of my favorite beach resorts in Mactan Cebu with commentaries on what I like abuot them as well as their rates and contact information for those who are interested:

Shangri-la's Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu
Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/cebu/mactanresort
The best thing about this beach resort:

Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa recently completed a three-year major renovation program so they're bigger and better than ever. Although a tad more expensive because of the 5-star resort image which you are also paying for, Shangri-la Mactan will not disappoint you. They have a great view of the beach, you can relax in 2 large swimming pools (where you can also play water volley), and for families the best feature yet is the Kid's Adventure Zone which is a multi-level playground with Daily Children's Activities spaced among three age levels. This huge play area is approximately 3 stories high with padded floors and walls as well as giant slides.

Shangri-la Mactan also has ongoing offers for different occasions. They have a Valentine Package this February and a Kid's Adventure Package for families who plan to go on vacation as well.

Room rates: starting at $220
Phone: (63 32) 231 0288
Fax: (63 32) 231 1688
Email: mac@shangri-la.com

Plantation Bay Resort and Spa
Website: http://plantationbay.com/
The best thing about this beach resort:

Plantation Bay has 2.3 hectares of saltwater man-made lagoons that are surrounded by their villas. So aside from the beach - which is quite small by the way, it won't matter because the multiple lagoons and swimming pools will just blow you away. The resort is 11.4 hectares. It's so big that it'll take you more than a day just to visit the different attractions. Here's a link to their map if you don't believe me. They even have these small jeepneys that bring guests from one place to another (from your room to the spa for instance). You can also rent a bike while you're at it.

Plantation bay also has rooms that are right on the water's edge, riverboat suites built on stilts over flowing water, two-bedroom suites and club rooms that fit big groups

Room rates: Lowest normal web discount rate is $140 for their poolside room and as much as $690 for their Quantum Villa (4 detached bedrooms, private pool and gazebo that can accommodate up to 8 adults)
Phone: + 63 - 32 - 340 5900
Fax: + 63 - 32 - 340 5988
Email: For general inquiries and reservations for individual travelers use inquiry@plantationbay.com (Email subject: Room inquiry)

Cebu White Sands at Maribago Beach
Website: http://www.whitesands.com.ph/
The best thing about this beach resort:

White Sands Resort is a relatively small private beach resort. It's good for gatherings particularly if you intend to reserve the whole area and make it exclusive. They provide this at an affordable per person rate for parties. They just had a lot of their rooms renovated too.

Room rates: starting at $120 for Deluxe room and up to $220 for their Mabuhay Suite
Phone: [63](32) 495-9000 to 03
Fax: [63](32) 495-2220
Email: cebu@whitesands.com.ph

Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort
Website: http://www.bluewater.com.ph/
The best thing about this beach resort:

Not only is Maribago Bluewater a great beach resort, they also have their own island called Sumilon. And there you'll find their sister company/ resort Sumilon Bluewater Island Resort. For families they also have a Kids club for children that provides fun activities and souvenirs specially for children.

Maribago Bluewater also offers different activities daily that are scheduled for their guests. Click here for a sample of their January offer.

Room rates: starting at $160
Phone: +63 32 492-0100 / 232-5411 F
ax: +63 32 492-0128 to 129
Email: maribago@bluewater.com.ph

Tambuli Resorts
Website: http://www.tambuli.com/
The best thing about this beach resort:

The Tambuli Resorts are a collection of resorts 2 of which in Cebu and 2 in Bohol (that's a neighboring island). They are:

1. Tambuli Beach Club is divided into East and West wing. The West Wing is famous for the Jamaican Nights Activity during the summer. That's when there are bikini fashion shows, band showdowns and drinking sprees so if that's your thing, make sure to drop by during the summer and ask about the schedule. Room rates here start at $90. The East Wing is smaller and relatively cheaper as well starting at $70

2. Cebu Beach Club is a great resort with more child-friendly swimming pools and a slide too. They used to have this really cool giant chess set that you can play with and a bar right in the pool. Rates here start at $70.

3. Bohol Beach Club is in Panglao island Bohol. It's a quaint little place that would be best suited for intimate occasions. Room rates here start at $60

4. Blue Sky-Sea Resort is an even smaller version of Bohol Beach Club also in Panglao Bohol and if you're on a tight budget would be great fun while you tour around the island (particularly if you want to see the area's attractions, which are the tarsier and chocolate hills). Rates here start at only $35

Phone: (632) 522-2302 / 522-2303
Fax: (632) 522-2304
Toll Free no. : 1800-1888-2302
Email : reservations@tambuli.com

(via Associated Content)

IBO Super Flyweight World Championship Ends In Draw In Cebu City

According to Secondsout.com IBO super flyweight world champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan fought a wild twelve round draw with Z Gorres on Saturday night at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel in Cebu City, The Philippines.

Referee Lance Revill from New Zealand ruled 25 year-old Gorres 27-2-2 (15) hit the canvas in round 1, to the protests of the Filipino fans in the arena.

32 year-old Darchinyan 29-1-1 (23) then hit the canvas in round 2 after receiving a Gorres right hand.

Darchinyan recovered and won round 3 then Gorres edged round 4. Gorres hit the canvas in round 5, but the referee ruled a slip. Darchinyan appeared to win round 6, but Gorres came back again in round 7.

Darchinyan’s promoter Gary Shaw was outraged with the performance of the referee. Gorres hit the canvas a number of the times in the final three rounds of the fight, but on each occasion, it was ruled a slip.

Judge Montol Suriyachand from Thailand scored the fight for Gorres 113-112, Judge Jonathan Davis from The Philippines scored it 114-112 for Darchinyan, while Cec Perkins from Australia had a draw 113-113.

The Ring magazine currently rates Gorres at No.9 and Darchinyan at No.10 at 115lbs.