Exploring Cebu's Culinary Delights
Friday, April 7
Cebu is a culinary destination that offers a variety of mouth-watering dishes that will satisfy every food lover's cravings. From classic Filipino dishes to local specialties, Cebu's food scene has something for everyone. In this blog post, we will explore some of Cebu's culinary delights and the best places to try them.
Lechon Cebu - The undisputed king of Cebu's culinary scene is the Lechon Cebu, a slow-roasted pig that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. One of the best places to try Lechon Cebu is at CnT Lechon, which is famous for its juicy and flavorful pork.
Puso - Puso is steamed rice wrapped in woven coconut leaves called "puso" in Cebuano. It is a common side dish in most Cebuano meals and often served with grilled meat or seafood. You can find Puso almost everywhere in Cebu.
Chicharon - Chicharon is a deep-fried pork rind that is crispy and crunchy. It is a popular snack in the Philippines, and Cebu has its own version of Chicharon called "Bantayanon Chicharon". It is a specialty of the town of Bantayan and can be bought in most local markets.
Dried Mangoes - Cebu is known for its sweet, juicy, and sun-dried mangoes. It is a perfect pasalubong for your loved ones. You can buy it in most souvenir shops and supermarkets in Cebu.
Otap - Otap is a flaky and crunchy biscuit that is made from flour, sugar, and shortening. It is a favorite pasalubong from Cebu, and you can buy it in most supermarkets and pasalubong centers.
MagsPeak Mountain Resort & Villas by CLI opens new chapel, Way of the Cross &Rosary Walk ideal for Holy Week devotions
BALAMBAN, Cebu – MagsPeak Mountain Resort and Villas, a joint venture between MagsPeak Nature Park Inc. and leading Vismin developer Cebu Landmasters, is Cebu’s newest destination for Holy Week devotions with the opening of the Our Lady of the Pillar Chapel, Stations of the Cross, Rosary Walk among others, all set against the backdrop of western Cebu’s highlands.
Beginning April 5, 2023, devotees wanting to fulfill their religious observances, especially this Holy Week can now visit MagsPeak for free to fulfill their spiritual devotions including the Way of the Cross, where 14 stations are spread from the entrance of the property up to the top of MagsPeak spanning an estimated 600 meters walk.
In addition, one can immerse in a spiritual retreat inside the Our Lady of the Pillar Chapel that overlooks the mountains, meditate quietly by the Pieta in the Meditation Garden, or take the 800-meter-long Rosary Walk contemplating on the 20 mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
CLI chief executive officer Jose Soberano III says: “MagsPeak provides a space where we can retreat, reflect and nurture our faith. It is CLI’s answer to the need of Cebuanos for a scenic and quiet place for spiritual devotion. We don’t have to go very far anymore, it’s just right here in Balamban.”
MagsPeak Mountain Resort and Villas is a 21-hectare mountain estate in Magsaysay Peak, Brgy Sunog, Balamban, Cebu, with an elevation of 800 meters. MagsPeak Nature Park Inc. is composed of Cebuano businessmen and fellow Caminoans, Bob Gothong, Segundino Selma Jr., and Ricardo King.
The mountain estate is designed to create a holistic mountain experience for Cebu with an outdoor, religious, and hospitality component, built with sustainability at its core.
likewise, MagsPeak will be among the starting points of the Camino de Cebu trail via a 42-kilometer route traversing the mountainside of Manunggal, Balamban down to the Municipality of Compostela, Cebu.
The Camino de Cebu is based on the traditional Camino of Spain, which is composed of several trails from Spain, Portugal and France that converge on the City of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.
By 2025, MagsPeak will accommodate guests looking for a weekend escape with the opening of 12 exclusive mountain villas, 20 hotel rooms, a clubhouse, heated infinity pools, and a farm-to-table restaurant, making it an ideal destination for individuals and families looking for a place to relax and unwind but with a touch of exclusivity. This will be managed by CLI’s hospitality arm, CLI Hotels & Resort.
Cebu Landmasters currently has a hospitality portfolio of 10 hotels, resorts, and co-living in key cities in VisMin.
JobStreet advocates for Fair Hiring to eliminate exploitative recruitment practices
Thursday, March 9
Leading online job portal JobStreet intends to enhance its commitment to eradicating unfair hiring practices by cracking down on the exploitation of Filipino workers across the nation. Its parent company, SEEK, is focused on Fair Hiring with the intention to improve working lives by putting an end to exploitative recruitment and modern slavery. This initiative advances as modern slavery continues to rise significantly.
The Philippines faces its own unique risks, according to the 2022 Trafficking in Person Report: Philippines by the US Department of State. The report showed that the local government recorded 1,802 victims, of which traffickers exploited 535 in sex trafficking, 501 in forced labor, and 766 in unspecified exploitations.
Moreover, Filipino workers are disproportionately at risk of falling victim to exploitative recruitment practices due to the export of approximately a quarter of workers to work overseas. The hidden nature of domestic work set within private spheres of employers’ households and the informality of arrangements typically practiced enable the exploitation of vulnerable OFWs and in some cases, forced labor and trafficking.
According to Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon of the National Economic and Development Authority
(NEDA) it is estimated that in 2023, 1.5 million Filipinos are expected to enter the labor force, which is more than double the 600,000 before the pandemic.
In response to the high volume of jobseekers, JobStreet has continued its ongoing endeavor to develop the platform to best meet the needs of those helping to be employed through well-suited career opportunities and valuable support including the vetting of safe recruitment. One of the first steps JobStreet has taken to implement safer practices was the hiring of Scott Stiles, Special Advisor of Fair Hiring in Asia.
As far as what Fair Hiring means to JobStreet, Stiles explains that “Recruitment is one of the high-risk activities that can lead to modern slavery, therefore the purpose of the Fair Hiring Program is to improve working lives by eliminating exploitative recruitment.”
For years, JobStreet has had teams focused on spotting job advertisements thus making the company one of the most trusted employment marketplaces within most markets.
Led by Stiles, JobStreet along with parent company SEEK, enacts these processes top-down with the understanding that it needs to “walk the walk’ for itself, thus prompting the rolling out of companywide discussions for customer-facing staff in order to make sure that everyone at the company feels the importance of its purpose and it engaged in keeping the platforms safe.
Trusted by around 30,000 employers in the Philippines and more than 12 million candidates, the platform’s commitment is also demonstrated through its dedicated online security team which regularly surveys the site for evidence of suspicious job ads and advertisers so that they can be removed immediately. The platform’s Terms and Conditions act as a means to ensure that all job ads on the site are for legitimate job opportunities.
Furthermore, JobStreet continuously educates the workforce on spotting potential job scams and actively screens exploitative recruitment schemes.
Regarding the role that JobStreet can play in advancing Fair Hiring, Stiles explains,“ most forced labor situations start with recruitment, whether it happens through a recruiter, family member, or on social media. Connecting people to safe jobs is the best way to eliminate situations of forced labor and modern slavery. JobStreet has teams dedicated to ensuring JobStreet is the most trusted platform for candidates and hirers.”
Stiles believes that the platform should serve both employers and candidates, reflected in its approach to screening for potential partners. “Many companies claim a social purpose. But truly impactful companies align their social purpose with the core competencies of the business. The ones that are most successful can do this in such a way that benefits their clients, employees, and ultimately shareholders—making our marketplaces safe benefits candidates and hirers alike,” says Stiles.
JobStreet’s vision has always been to connect businesses with talent and improve lives through better careers. By leveraging world-class products to match talented job seekers with reputable employers across South East Asia, both parties can expect efficient and safe matching on the platform.
To find safer recruitment opportunities in 2023, visit https://www.jobstreet.com.ph/career-resources/.
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