Metro Cagayan de Oro

Pueblo de Oro, TESDA 10 partner to upskill workers for Metro Cagayan de Misamis

CAGAYAN DE ORO – The region’s leading real estate developer has linked with the government agency tasked to manage and supervise technical education and skills development in the Philippines, to build up a globally competitive workforce in the Metro Cagayan de Misamis growth area, now the Philippines fourth metropolitan area after Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao.

Pueblo de Oro Development Corporation (PDO), through its corporate social responsibility arm ICCP Group Foundation, Inc. (IGFI), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement on November 29, 2024, which aims to address the growing demand for skilled workers particularly in the construction sector, promote sustainable livelihoods, and advance the region’s economic growth.

**MOA signing betwen TESDA, Pueblo de Oro and the ICCP Group Foundation, Inc.** (IGFI) (TESDA photo)

“TESDA is tasked with training so we can put our people into employment,” said TESDA-10 Regional Director Dir. Rafael Y. Abrogar II. “It sounds like a very simple equation, but it entails a lot of hard work and effort. This will not only benefit the private sector, but even more the unemployed, and those living in poverty, who need to be helped,” he added, as he reaffirmed TESDA’s commitment to producing highly skilled manpower, aligning with the region’s aspirations for growth and development.

The agreement includes initiatives such as access to TESDA’s database of certified graduates, competency assessments for existing workers, livelihood programs through IGF), skills mapping for emerging occupations, and supervised industry learning (SIL) opportunities. These collaborative efforts underscore a shared vision of empowering local talent and enhancing employability to meet the demands of a dynamic job market.

Abrogar revealed that TESDA Regional Offices are now empowered to delve into curriculum development in partnership with industry and the academe, especially for hard-to-fill skills, trainings, or qualifications which still lack competency standards, and apply these directly to address the specific needs of particular industries and companies.

L-R **Ronnie Tapnio** (IGFI), **Chrysler Acebu** (PDO), **Rafael Abrogar II** (TESDA-X), **& Marigold Cherie Garrido** (TESDA MisOr) (TESDA photo)

“Inherent to TESDA’s mandate is to provide relevant, accessible, high quality techvoc, hence the need to have a demand driven skills training through a strengthened partnership with industry as indicated in our priority program for Demand Drive and Data Driven TVET,” said TESDA Misamis Oriental Provincial Director Dir. Marigold Cherie R. Garrido. “The partnership with PDO will also lead towards realizing TESDA’s priority program 5.0 on Employment Outcomes.”

Engr. Chrysler B. Acebu, PDO General Manager and Vice President for Mindanao, cited the strategic importance of the partnership, especially with regard to PDO’s Masterson Mile North, a five-tower luxury condominium complex; the 31-hectare Southridge Silicon Valley-inspired mixed-use development, and a World Trade Center.

“We would really need TESDA to help us upgrade the skills of our workforce since PDO is known for its high-end products, therefore we need workers who are able to keep up in terms of delivering quality work that align with the premium standards we envision for these upcoming projects,” Acebu noted.

**Pueblo de Oro Chairman Guillermo D. Luchangco presents the Masterson Mile North Towers project during the CDO Investment Forum at EDSA Shangri-La last year.** (Oro-TIPC)

These projects, a collaboration between the National Development Company (NDC) and PDO’s mother firm, the ICCP Group, aim to position Cagayan de Oro as a hub for innovation and commerce. He emphasized that achieving these ambitions requires a workforce skilled to the highest standards, aligning perfectly with TESDA’s mission.

“This MOA is a symbol of our united vision between the government through TESDA, and the private sector through ICCP Group Foundation Inc. (IGFI) for the benefit and welfare to create opportunities, build capacities, and empower our communities here in Cagayan de Oro,” said Ronnie M. Tapnio, IGFI Executive Director. “When we signed this MOA, we committed ourselves to the partnership between TESDA and IGFI.”

Tapnio related how IGFI have had a similar partnership in Cebu with TESDA for pastry training with 25 women for a host community, and with TESDA national in Luzon with the Advanced Manufacturing Development Work Force funded by USAID at the national level for the upskilling of the manufacturing workforce to Industry Level 4.0 (4IR) from the current Level 2.0.

31 program candidates from Western Digital, ICCP Group Foundation, Inc., Fastech Synergy Philippines Inc., Semiconductor & Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI), and Amherst Laboratories complted their certificate course in Organizational Development and Change Management for the Advanced Manufacturing Industry today. This is part of the AMDev Diploma in Strategic Human Resources Management and Development for the Advanced Manufacturing Industry spearheaded by Alliance Partner, Ateneo CORD, in April. (IGFI)

Industry 4.0, (also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution or 4IR) is the current phase of the industrial revolution characterized by digital transformation and a shift towards automation and data exchange in the manufacturing and business processes.

ICCP manages six industrial parks around the Philippines where the skillsets of the workers of its locators have to be competitive at a global level to be able to adequately address the needs of their markets and clients.

“TESDA appreciates PDO for opening its door to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). PDO plays a crucial role in helping TESDA achieve greater things, and we’re deeply grateful for your partnership and unwavering faith in our interests,” Garrido said.

“Thank you for your support to TVET and for bringing value in our journey, and we are excited to continue growing and evolving together,” she added.

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The World is coming to Metro Cagayan de Misamis

CAGAYAN DE ORO – The fastest growing metropolis in the Philippines will soon boast of a global dimension, and sooner than you think!

Casual observers attribute the convergence of projects as a fortuitous event, but savvy magi wise in the ways of local taipans know better. This is no accident. This is the collective brainstorm of knowledgeable people with a vision that can see beyond the immediate horizon.

So what constitutes this unseen brain trust which enables it to perceive what we mortals cannot even imagine in our wildest dreams?

Let’s start two provinces to the west of the city where the Panguil Bay Bridge has finally been opened to vehicular traffic. This has unlocked the floodgates eastward for residents from Zamboanga Peninsula and Misamis Occidental, who can now travel to Cagayan de Oro in a matter of hours via private vehicles or bus.

**The Panguil Bay Bridge links Tubod, Lanao de l Norte to Tangub City, Misamis Occidental.** (DPWH)

Just an hour’s travel from the city, the Laguindingan Airport expansion through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC) has finally been approved. The first phase involves increasing capacity to 3.9 million passengers a year, from the current 1.6 million. Starting 2026, capacity will be doubled to 6.1 million passengers, depending on the attainment of key performance indicators (KPIs). The Laguindingan airport is the country’s sixth busiest airport, and Mindanao’s second busiest airport after the Francisco Bangoy Airport in Davao City.

**Expanded Laguindingan Airport Perspective** (AIC)

Rafael Aboitiz, AIC vice president and head of airport business operations, said they plan to market Laguindingan as an international airport after the official turnover in April 2025. AIC will renovate and expand the passenger terminal, install modern equipment, and improve the airport’s operations. With the imminent upgrading of the facility to international status, this would now unlock Metropolitan Cagayan de Misamis to international tourists, investors and immigrants.

Pueblo de Oro-Laguindingan Mountain Diversion Road

Current travel time by car from Laguindingan Airport to downtown Cagayan de Oro now averages 60 minutes depending on the traffic situation. Residents joke how it’s faster to travel (by air) from Laguindingan to Metro Manila, than it is to commute by land to Cagayan de Oro. However, the 4-lane 35.89 km. Pueblo-Laguindingan Mountain Diversion Road which is slated for completion by 2027 aims to drastically cut transit time by half to only 30 minutes from either end.

**CDO-Laguindingan Mountain Diversion Road** (CDODev.com)

Motorists coming from the Zamboanga Peninsula, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Iligan City and West Misamis Oriental are expected to favor this artery in coming to Cagayan de Oro since it would lead them straight to the Uptown Area for their shopping and entertainment.

**Opol-Canitoan Bypass Road** (TripNiTonio)

However, if they still prefer to travel further downtown, they would soon have two alternatives to the often congested Fr William Masterson Avenue: via the Macasandig-Manresa Bridge and CDO Alternate Bypass Road in Barangay Macasandig, while those coming from nearer areas of Misamis Oriental can choose to take the Opol-Canitoan Bypass Road.

However, regional planners are not confining themselves to roads and bridges in addressing the growing transport needs of the burgeoning Uptown area. The proposed CDO Aerial Mass Transport System is envisioned to be the first aerial cable gondola system for urban mass transit in the Philippines.

This innovative system will be capable of accommodating up to 20,000 daily commuters on its initial 3-kilometer route in Phase 1, connecting the Rodelsa Circle in Bgy. Nazareth to Masterson Avenue at the Uptown Area. It aims to ease the traffic congestion in Uptown Cagayan de Oro, particularly along Fr William Masterson Avenue.

**Metro CDO Aerial Mass Transit System** (courtesy of Elpie Paras)

A Global Village rises Uptown

Meanwhile, a virtual Global City is rising in the Uptown area driven by key infrastructure projects such as Xavier Ateneo’s Campus of the Future, Pueblo de Oro’s Masterson Mile North and Southridge Development/World Trade Center, and the residential subdivisions mushrooming in Barangay Lumbia.

XU Campus of the Future

The new 21-hectare PhP2.1-billion Masterson Campus, named after the late Fr William Masterson SJ, features an abundance of space, green areas, wide roads, dedicated bike lanes, campus-wide wireless connectivity, and healthy and adaptable learning facilities for virtual and physical classes.

The Masterson Campus will blend seamlessly with the adjacent 14.3-hectare Manresa Town, a mixed-use university town with generous open spaces providing students convenient and safe residential options, easy access to commercial establishments and future-ready offices.

This University Town concept creates strong synergies which will benefit both Xavier Ateneo and the surrounding uptown Kagay-an communities. The 21-hectare Campus of the Future will be buffered by over 25 hectares of surrounding forested areas (protected forests and animal sanctuaries).

Masterson Mile North & Southridge

The National Development Company (NDC) and the Investment & Capital Corporation of the Philippines (ICCP) Group, sister company of Pueblo de Oro (PDO), recently signed a Letter of Intent to erect a 5 tower luxury condominium, a 31-hectare (ha.) Silicon Valley type mixed-use development, and a World Trade Center within an expanded Pueblo de Oro Township.

**Pueblo de Oro Southridge Project** (TripNiTonio)

The planned WTC will be situated in a 31-hectare property at the crossroads of the new Laguindingan- Pueblo de Oro Diversion Road. The new development, dubbed Southridge, would emulate the vitality of California’s Silicon Valley in the San Francisco Bay area. Development has already started for the 5.2 hectare (ha.) residential portion of Southridge.

The estimated cost of the Masterson Mile North Towers condominium project is PhP13.5 billion (USD245 million). The five-tower high-rise project is part of a total of PhP18 billion (USD327 million) in new projects that Pueblo de Oro Development Corp. (PDO) is allocating to key areas.

ICCP Chairman & CEO Guillermo D. Luchangco presents the Masterson Mile North Project during an investment forum. (PDO)

ICCP Group Chairman & CEO Guillermo D. Luchangco said the WTC aims to support Cagayan de Oro as the next metropolitan area of the Philippines.

“We are planning to bring in a World Trade Center like the one we have developed in Pasay City, Metro Manila. The significance of that is the branding. WTC is an association of over 330 WTCs throughout the world. It’s a brand name we’d like to bring to CDO which fits its role as an entrepot trading center. Our main target is to bring in international exhibitions. Sixty percent of exhibitions in the Philippines are held at the World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM). This is what will help the country grow. An exhibition hall is one of the keys to international trade,” Luchangco noted.

The projected completion of the WTC project aligns with the expected commissioning of the Pueblo de Oro-Laguindingan Mountain Diversion Road, the Laguindingan Airport expansion, and the entry of international flights.

Already, global branded hotels and serviced apartments like Radisson Blue and Citadines by Ascott, are coming soon to the Pueblo de Oro Business Park to complement the WTC and anticipated influx of more tourists, investors and immigrants. A few kilometers away, no less than 56 residential subdivisions are now being planned and constructed in Barangay Lumbia to likewise accommodate the expected “gold rush.”

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Limketkai Luxe frames Holiday Season with Sustainability

Limketkai Luxe Hotel kicked off its Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 16, stressing sustainability in its Christmas decors by repurposing its old decorations from previous years, in an inspiring validation that elegance and environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive.

**Limketkai Luxe Hotel’s outdoor Xmas Tree made from recycled wine bottles**. (photo courtesy of Limketkai Luxe)

“Previously we imported 11 Christmas trees in honor of the nine Limketkai siblings and their parents. However, this year we wanted to stress sustainability, so we had materials from the old trees repainted and refurbished. You will also note we had our empty wine bottles colored red, gold and pink for our façade and all our outlets,” explained GM Jerome de la Fuente.

**GM Jerome de la Fuente pitches sustainability starting with their Xmas tree made from recycled materials.** (photo courtesy of Awesome ChenS)

However, he stressed the hotel’s thrust for sustainability will not be limited to the Yuletide season, but will henceforth me an integral part of Limketkai Luxe’s operations.

“To further promote reducing, reusing and recycling, we will next be replacing the disposable plastic bottles of the toiletries in our rooms with attractive, permanent glass decanters by Diversey Philippines. We will also have reusable glass bottles for the guests drinking water in their rooms,” he stressed.

Sustainability will likewise not be confined to the hotel’s guest rooms but also practiced in its restaurant, banquet and function rooms.

“You will note we don’t use plastic straws anymore in our outlets but paper ones. And we will eliminate plastic take-out containers with bio-compostable ones made from polylactic acid (PLA) derived from corn starch, which is a renewable resource. This material is molded the same way conventional plastic is, but it breaks down into harmless biomass or organic matter. Plastic cups will be changed with biodegradable paper cups; while plastic stirrers for beverages would be replaced with compostable wood stirrers.”

While De La Fuente admits these sustainability shifts would require a significant investment, it would pay off in the long run not only through lower operating costs for the hotel, but also in its social and environmental costs.

“The change to eco-friendly materials is just our latest in the environmental initiatives that Limketkai Luxe is integrating into its operations and core strategy. We are also advocating the same to our fellow hoteliers and restaurateurs in the Cagayan de Oro Hotel and Restaurant Association (COHARA) and eventually to our annual Kumbira Culinary Show and Live Competitions so these would also trickle down to the students and professionals competing in this event, which they hopefully can then carry back home to their respective establishments.”

**GM Jerome de la Fuent is pitching sustainability to his fellow members from COHARA**. (Limketkai Luxe photo)

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Xavier Ateneo seeks Stronger Connections, Newer Grounds in coming Centennial

As Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan (Xavier Ateneo) journeys closer to its 100th Anniversary, a sub-theme will be launched every year of the preceding decade during the celebration of the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola in July, to direct the mood and emphasis of each celebration.

The sub-theme Onward to Stronger Connections and Newer Grounds was simultaneously launched with the Centennial logo on November 23 at the XU Little Theatre.

Engr. Lennie K. Ong, Project Manager for Xavier Ateneo’s Campus of the Future, shared how XU consulted ADMU’s School of Education & Learning Design, Fr Johnny Go, and Maria Teresa Rosario Irvine, Executive Director of its new Research Institute for the Futures of Education, to help imagine the future as the university approaches its 100^th Year.

The sessions captured two insights: With tailored learning, care and community will matter more than ever, and relationships and partnerships will be critical to operational sustainability.

“A stronger organization means a more solid employer and economic contributor to the country. A stronger school means a healthier supply of workers and leaders for the world. Stronger partnerships create mutualistic symbiosis that can strengthen society. Stronger connections to humanity and the divine provide clear vision and direction,” Engr. Ong stressed.

“This is our challenge: how to harness heads, hearts and hands, to share with and care for this dream-in-progress that is Xavier Ateneo. In the next ten years, how do we bring everyone together behind our vision: to be a leading ASEAN University forming leaders of character?” she added.

Newer Grounds

Another insight gleaned by Fr Johnny: Tradition and fast-moving technology can co-exist.[There is] a call to determine the ambition and scope of work for the next decades.

The past and future can co-exist. We are not abandoning history but are moving forward enhanced by it. It is Futures in the plural that are possible, not a singular future that is set. We determine how and what kind of dream becomes future reality, Engr. Ong notes.

“This is our desire: to be able to write a grand history of Xavier University not just in the next 10 years but for its next 10 decades.”

Campus Of The Future

As perhaps the most ambitious project that any Jesuit University in the Philippines has embarked on, this is the vision of the Campus of More — more than books, more than classrooms, more than paths, more than encounters.

It is more than buildings; rather, it is the Xavier University of the Future. This is not just the idea of past and present Trustees, Presidents and administrators. This is our future, the University of Magis and magis.

We dare to dream big because we believe in the future of education in the Philippines, in the potentials of the Filipinos, and the role that a Catholic, Jesuit, Filipino University plays for the country and our people.

This is our prayer: that we all work together to create the Xavier University that is for the next century.

Fr Masterson once said, “My friends, only those who can see the invisible, God in man and His providential actuations, can do the impossible.” This is us, going boldly into the future, daring the impossible.

Let us build the future together.

As Fr Tan succinctly puts it: “Looking ahead, we recognize the strengths of our university and the abundant opportunities that lie before us: the vision and mission we cherish; the Jesuit ideals that have guided us for nearly a century; the commitment of our university community; the unwavering support from our alumni and friends; our well-considered future plans—including the Campus of the Future in Uptown and the new College of Agriculture Farm Laboratories in El Gaucho Upper Puerto; as well as our strategic goals enshrined in the 2019 University Strategic Plan—combined with our strong belief in God, give us much hope and motivation to continue our story, our journey, and our mission.”

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ONE XAVIER: Centennial Logo celebrates storied past, upbeat future

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY-To celebrate the decades long celebration marking the 100thyear of Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan (Xavier Ateneo), it has unveiled a Centennial Logo representing 100 years of excellence, service, and faith, in the tradition of the Society of Jesus in a launching program held November 23rd at the XU Little Theatre.

“The logo transcends mere design. It embodies the long and rich history of our university, deeply rooted in the Jesuit ideals of education, reflection, and action. It reflects the legacy of those who have come before us, and the vision we carry forward into the next century,” noted Fr. Mars P. Tan, SJ, XU President.

Since its establishment in 1933, Xavier Ateneo has served as a home for generations of Xavier Ateneans, fostering their growth and formation. It has been the foundation for future productive citizens and leaders who embody the values of excellence and service to society and the Church.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the history of Cagayan de Oro City is closely intertwined with that of Xavier University, as many of our graduates serve as leaders and influencers in the local communities, Fr Mars added.

**Xavier Ateneo Milestones by Oscar Floirendo/XU Museo de Oro.**

He reminded those present how all their achievements are built upon the dedication of all those who came before—the Jesuit founders, the administrators, faculty, staff, and the countless students whose lives have been transformed by a Jesuit education.

He stressed how this centennial serves as a call to action for everyone: to continue a shared journey with renewed passion, to strengthen our resolve to make a difference, and to deepen our commitment to the principles of justice, equality, and service.

The XU Centennial

Prior to the unveiling of the logo, Xavier Ateneo Centennial Chair Fr Frank Dennis B Savadera SJ related how the university will turn 100 years in 2033, being founded by Archbishop James Hayes, SJ on June 7, 1933.

To mark this milestone, XU President Fr. Tan created the XU 100th Year Steering Committee, imagining a huge celebration to be marked with socio-cultural, historical, academic, formation-related and fun events.

**The Xavier Ateneo 100th Year Steering Committee** (Xavier Ateneo)

One hundred years is a rare achievement. Xavier Ateneo is one of God’s many gifts to the people of Mindanao. Let the stewards of this gift be always grateful and humble as we brave new frontiers. We look forward to a bright future not only for our university, but as well for the community of Northern Mindanao that we serve, Fr Tan added.

The Centennial Steering Committee has been tasked to plan activities and commemorations annually for the next 10 years, highlighting the legacy of Xavier University, its resolve to leapfrog into a new era of growth, and drumbeating the big celebration in 2033.

A general framework has been proposed along the central theme: ONE XAVIER …ONE (On to a New Era.) This envisions a Mode of Revisiting the Past celebrating the history, identity, the mission, traditions and values of Xavier Ateneo as a vibrant educational institution, and articulating XU’s Collective Aspirations for the future.

“To symbolize our journey forward, we are launching an image of our XU Centennial Celebration, that we can call an Icon or an Artifact of our Shared Dreams, “ Fr. Savadera noted.

During the same event, Fr Antonio Moreno SJ, shared vignettes from the school’s storied past recalling “Xavier Ateneo@100: Tales of Thanksgiving, Trials and Triumphs,” that framed the context of its coming Centennial.

The Centennial Logo

“The use of the infinity symbol formed by the two zeros in “100” immediately conveys the idea of timelessness and endless possibilities. This is a strong metaphor for the school’s longevity—celebrating 100 years but also looking ahead to an infinite future of growth, development, and education,” said Angel Nikito Borres, an XU alumnus and part-time faculty who designed the logo, explaining the concept behind the Xavier Ateneo Centennial Logo.

The fluid nature of the infinity loop communicates a sense of ongoing development, implying that the school’s future is dynamic and full of potential, as it transitions to a new campus with modern infrastructure.

The infinity symbol is universally understood and holds significance in many cultures. By incorporating it into the logo, the design would resonate with a broader audience, symbolizing the school’s reach, inclusivity, and its ever-growing global community of students, alumni, and faculty.

The duality of the logo, which can be interpreted as both “100” and the infinity symbol, is a clever way to encapsulate both the school’s past and its vision for the future. This shows that while the school has reached a significant milestone, its journey is far from over.

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Limketkai Luxe honors Kumbira winners in Xmas Tree Lighting

By Tito Mike

We were privileged to be invited to the Christmas Tree Lighting Event of Limketkai Luxe Hotel on November 16 with the theme “Taste of Kumbira 2024, Simply the Best” featuring the awarding winning chefs of the hotel and their medal recipes in the recently concluded Culinary Competition organized by COHARA.

“Since we started joining Kumbira under my watch, we’ve consistently won the most awards under the Professional Category,” said GM Jerome de la Fuente. “Now, I want to share that know-how with everyone, and they can even request for a copy of the recipe from us!”

**GM Jerome dela Fuente introduces some of Limketkai Luxe Kumbira Over-All Champion Chefs.** (courtesy of Awesome ChenS)

Honored were the following GOLD AWARD CHEFS: Ace Augustine Reyes - KUMBIRA Chef Master (Chef de Partie); Ma. Teresa Laplana- Best Regional Ingredient Rice (Pastry Chef, Commis II); Cendy Clair Rocero- Best Regional Ingredient Rice (Pastry Chef, Commis III); Kristian Jeriko Nacalaban – Best Regional Ingredient – Suwa (Commis II – Hot Kitchen), and Ghandi Raagas – Best Regional Ingredient – Suwa (Commis I – Hot kitchen)

SILVER AWARD CHEFS: Flynn Magdua – Best Regional Ingredient Rice (Chief de Partie – Banquet Chef); Richard Cuerquiz -Best Regional Ingredient Rice (Commis III – Banquet Chef); Elena Castro Pascua – Best Traditional/Modern Cooking Technique – Chicken Pastil (Demi-Chef); Leo Echavez – Best Traditional/Modern Cooking Technique – Chicken Pastil (Commis III); Jomar Mamaran – Regional Fruit Jam/Preserve – Langka (Commis I); Vaughn Dale Senalist – Regional Fruit Jam/Preserve – Langka (Commis III); Josidiel Galit – Regional Kakanin platter; Perlito Edrolin – Bread Showpiece Theme- ‘Salu-Salo’ ( Pastry – Commis II); and Stephen James Tesocan – Bread Showpiece Theme- ‘Salu-Salo’ (Pastry – Commis II ).

BRONZE AWARDS: Gabriel Calixto Gonzaga – Best Traditional/Modern Cooking Technique – Chicken Pastil; Mutma Innah Pakilulla – Best Traditional/Modern Cooking Technique – Chicken Pastil;Mary Jean Belhot – Regional Kakanin Platter; Jhon Crisvelle Alimoren – Latte Art.

(Photo Gallery courtesy of Mumzy Vany)

Aside from the culinary awards, Limketkai Luxe also won a slew of awards in the non-culinary categories, the winners of whom were similarly feted during the event:

OTHER GOLD AWARDS, Nova Shellom Dagdagan – Buffet Table Centerpiece with a Theme (RECEPTIONIST); Mark Anthony Pasilan – Buffet Table Centerpiece with a Theme (Service Associate); Arvin Estoconing – Hotel Lobby Floral Centerpiece with a Theme (Housekeeping); Joel Solde ¬– Hotel Lobby Floral Centerpiece with a theme (Housekeeping); and, Juzel Narvaez – KUMBIRA Bar Master (Bartender)

OTHER SILVER AWARDS: Radel Visto – Table Setting w/ Floral Centerpiece (Service); Dian Cresille Rose Latayada – Table Setting w/ Floral Centerpiece (Service); Shiela Mae Salcedo – Mocktails Mixing – Regional Fresh Fruit Juices(Bartender ); Javier Manalastas – KUMBIRA Bar Master (Bartender)

DIPLOMA AWARDS: Den Matthew Sumicad – Latte Art; and Alken Jay Tan – Latte Art

With his typical pizzazz and panache, GM Jerome didn’t stop with introducing the award winning chefs, but let the invited guests actually taste their award winning recipes in a buffet table for the ages!

“After the professionals and students, we are now taking the next step by conducting culinary competitions with our homemakers through Kumbira’s Pre-Event Inter-Barangay Competition,” GM Jerome noted. “This would not only elevate the level of our culinary expertise at the most basic level, but even more important, provide the family with an additional source of livelihood to help improve our standards of living and lower poverty incidence in our region.”

Since its inception in 1996, Kumbira has been sharpening the kitchen knives of culinary students and professionals all over Mindanao, which has significantly contributed to the increasing demand for skilled kitchen and hospitality staff from here and abroad.

KUMBIRA is the Philippines’ longest running live competition for students and professionals, and largest culinary show outside of Metro Manila which has been staged by COHARA for the past 27 years. A prelude event dubbed Hala Kumbira! Food Festival was held on August 16, 2024 to officially launch this year’s festival.

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Xavier Ateneo hosts 1st PH Regional Conference on Ethical Criticism of Mindanao Literature

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY- Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan (Xavier Ateneo) recently convened the 1^st Regional Conference on Ethical Criticism of Mindanao Literature on November 15-16, 2024 at the Little Theater of Xavier Ateneo — the first of its kind in the Philippines.

Hosted by the Department of English Language & Literature (DELL) headed by Dr. Ferdinand Cantular, through the endorsement of Dr. Maria Luisa Reyes, Panel head of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Center of Development (COD) Panel Head, UST Scholar in Residence and UST’s UNITAS Chief Editor, the conference convened well-respected proponents of Ethical Criticism, paper presenters, literature teachers from high school and tertiary levels, and English majors/Graduate students who engaged in critical discussions of works by Mindanaoan authors through the lens of ethics as a pedagogic, analytic, and critical tool in appreciating, understanding, and interrogating literary and cultural texts.

Reyes stressed the conference marks an important milestone in this country, as it focuses on ethical literary criticism in the classroom setting.

Tracing the evolution of ethical criticism in the Philippines in its historical context from its origins during the American colonization of Philippine education by colonial and westernized English departments, to the Commonwealth Period when its dichotomy divided Filipino writers into the Veronicans associated with Jose Garcia Villa, and members of the Philippine Writers Guild associated with Salvador P. Lopez, Reyes stressed the conference should now insist that ethical criticism is critical theory as well.

Dr. **Maria Luisa Reyes**, Panel head of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) *Center of Development* (COD) Panel Head, UST Scholar in Residence and UST’s UNITAS Chief Editor (RMB)

“This means that what we seek to understand is not only in the practice of this criticism alone, but in critiquing society in our literary and cultural studies. In this, the question of the aesthetics of form is intricately constitutive of the ethics of its content — if you forgive this simplistic yet familiar and certainly simply heuristic dichotomy, and dichotomizing between aesthetics and ethics,” she noted.

Reyes suggests that ethical literary criticism in the Philippines today could take off from the so-called “Rizal tradition” — where the ethical and the aesthetic holds a tension through which Philippine ethical critical tradition may emerge from the country’s cultural diversity and historical richness, a tradition shaped by the Filipinos’ history of struggles in everyday life, at home and beyond, against historical injustice, and a vision of a life of social and national freedom for all. It is hoped that from the history of their critical practice that the flame of ethical literary criticism in the Philippines might continue to burn.

Ethical Literary Criticism

“At IAELC, we have long believed that Ethical Literary Criticism has a unique position that challenges us to consider literature beyond its artistic merits and aesthetic qualities,” said Prof. Nie Zhenzhao, President of the International Association for Ethical Literary Criticism (IALC),in a taped presentation from China. “It allows us to ask more of literature, and asks us not only to reflect on what is well-crafted but also on what is just, what is humane, and what is morally essential.”

So, in Mindanao, a region with diverse histories, cultural identities, and linguistic richness, this field of inquiry takes on particular importance. Mindanao literature does more than tell stories; it carries voices that span generations, languages, and ideologies, each one contributing to a larger narrative of human experience, he noted.

In this context, we are given a unique opportunity to reflect on how these stories and historical significance navigate issues of justice, identity, and all beyond. We recognize that Mindanao literature not only represents beauty and tradition but also embodies resilience, courage, and ethical complexities that reflect the profound cultural diversity. And by critically engaging with these works, we come closer to understanding the ethical fabric of a culture that continues to evolve within a dynamic social landscape, he explained further.

Zhenzhao is Professor and Yunshan Chair of World Literature and Languages at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. He is currently President of the IAELC, and has consistently been designated by Elsevier as a Most Cited Chinese Researcher, and in both the career-long and single-year categories of Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists List as well. He is an International Fellow of the British Academy, and a Foreign Member of the Academia Europaea, the de facto “National Academy” of the European Union.

Perspectives from the Region on the Question of Ethics & Morality in Literature

Delving into the ethical context of Mindanao Literature is quite challenging because it cannot be merely done in a generic manner, Cantular said. Mindanao, the second largest island in the country, is the most ethnically/ culturally diverse. There are indigenous people native to the island apart from migrants coming from the Visayas and Luzon. Dominant religious affiliations are Christianity, Islam and Animism, the belief system of the indigenous group. With this, one would see a complex layer of moral awareness and consciousness which have direct bearing on people’s moral choice.

Dr Ferdinand Cantular (leftmost) **with Dr. Lulu Reyes** (center) **and Day 1 Paper Presenters** (RMB)

In addressing the questions of morality and ethics in literature, particularly from the Mindanao region, it’s essential to recognize the unique socio-political, cultural, and historical contexts that shape the literary landscape. The literature of Mindanao, reflecting a rich and diverse heritage of indigenous groups, Muslim communities, and settlers, offers deep insights into the ethical questions of justice, conflict, identity, and resilience. The questions of morality and ethics in literature, when viewed from the perspectives of Mindanao, offer fertile ground for critical engagement.

Ethical criticism is a method of literary analysis that examines the moral and ethical dimensions of a work, its characters, and its themes. When applied to Mindanao literature, this approach involves not only assessing the ethical content of the texts but also considering the cultural, social, and historical context of Mindanao.

XU Center of Development

As an awardee of CHED’s COD (Center of Development) status in 2014, and the only one in Mindanao, DELL has been invested with the cloak of responsibility of taking the lead in promoting Literature as a curriculum, as academic discipline and as scholarly work, Cantular noted.

Part of its purview as COD is to set the tone or influence/shape the literature program in higher education, literary studies here in our region through literature conferences, trainings, and workshops for Region X.

“Part of our responsibility is to convene a conference like this, archiving, translation of local literatures which had been paved by the pioneering works of Fr Francisco Demetrio and Fr Miguel Bernad (who facilitated the translation to English of Subanen and Talaandig epics and published them in the Kinaadman journal), the gathering of writings from emerging authors like the TINUBDAN anthology of ArleneYandug, Elena Paulma and Lilia Cotejar, and the publication of established authors through the XU Press like the works of Anthony Tan, Ricardo de Ungria, and Paulma,” he added.

**Dr Ferdinand Cantular** (center, in orange) **and Dr Lulu Reyes** (center,in white) **with the Conference’s Paper Presenters.** (RMB)

Among the paper presenters of the conference were Prof. Carthelyn C. Adajar, PhD; Abigail James-Botavara, Alessandro Nioda, Ma. Luisa S. Saministrado, PhD; and April Jade Ramayan (Xavier Ateneo); Therese Abonales, Nelia Balgoa, PhD; and Omnah Pierre P. Talle (MSU-IIT, Iligan); Adonis Hornoz (Norte Dame of Dadiangas University, General Santos); Prof. Gel Inte, PhD (USTP-Cagayan de Oro); Diandra-Ditma Macarambon (MSU-Marawi); Khyrstal Venus M. Munar (Ateneo de Zamboanga University); and Floraime Pantaleta (AdZU-Mindanao Institute).

“Holding this conference at Xavier University is significant. This venerable institution has long upheld the values of academic rigor and social responsibility, and it is fitting that we examine the ethical dimensions of literature in a place where education and community service intersect. By hosting this conference, Xavier University underscores its commitment to bridging academic excellence with ethical responsibility, making it a home for scholarship that matters not just in the classroom, but in the world beyond,” Zhanzhao said.

“I wish that in the next few months, that Xavier University may also be the hub for ethical literary criticism in Mindanao of all its shapes and stripes that could work in tandem with the IAELC. As such, we could take the lead or cooperate with national and international institutions on other related initiatives and disciplines in conducting seminars, encouraging research and scholarship, publications,” Reyes said.

**Dr. Hobart Savio**r (rightmost) & **Dr. Arlene Yandug** (3rd from right) **with the Xavier Ateneo Department of English Language & Literature** (DELL) **headed by Dr. Ferdinand Cantular** (leftmost, 2nd row).

As Conference Convenor, XU Press Director Dr. Arlene Yandug facilitated secretariat/ground work, with Xavier Center of Culture and the Arts under Dr. Hobart Savior, in cooperation with ELCCAP (Ethical, Literary, and Cultural Criticism of the Philippines) and IAELC.

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Cebu Pacific showcases “Fly to Happy, Fly to the Philippines” in Burj Khalifa

The Philippines leading airline, Cebu Pacific (PSE: CEB) lit up the world’s tallest structure on Saturday with a spectacular light and sound show that bid travelers around the world to experience the warm hospitality and wonders of the Philippines, and offer Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a nostalgic memento of home.

Dubai’s Burj Khalifa became the backdrop for CEB’s “Fly to Happy, Fly to the Philippines” celebrating the most iconic reasons to visit the Philippines in 2025.

Projected onto the world’s tallest building, the show captured the warmth and smiles of Filipinos, and highlighted the natural wonders of the Philippines, including the world-famous beaches of Boracay, Palawan, and Cebu, and breathtaking attractions like Mayon Volcano in Legazpi, the Chocolate Hills in Bohol, and Mt. Apo in Davao.

“We’re proud to share a piece of home on such a grand stage,” said Xander Lao, CEB President and Chief Commercial Officer. “This is a celebration of Philippine pride and an invitation for travelers to connect with the unique beauty, culture, and warmth that our country offers.”

Click on this spectacular video for a first hand look.

To make the Philippine experience more accessible to more visitors and balikbayans, CEB also launched a special seat sale from November 22 to 30, 2024. Passengers from major international hubs—including Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, and the Middle East—can now book discounted flights to the Philippines for travel in early 2025.

CEB operates in over 60 destinations spanning Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. It operates the most extensive network in the Philippines, allowing for the best inter-island connections from hubs in Manila, Cebu, Clark, Iloilo and Davao.

Plan your 2025 trips and book the ongoing seat sale now at cebupacificair.com.

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Find out more from CEB’s social media handles:

Facebook: Cebu Pacific Air
X: @CebuPacificAir
Instagram: cebupacificair

Ally Gaccion top scores for Pueblo de Oro at 29th LUZVIMIN Invitational Golf

Pueblo de Oro’s Women’s Team finished a respectable sixth at the recently concluded 29^th LUZVIMIN Invitational Golf Tournament held at the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf & Country Club, Davao City on November 19-21, 2024.

Competing in the Emerald Division, the Pueblo team included Gladys Opitz, Carol Jeun, Celine Meñes, Ryry Tanog, Nimfa Sasaki, and Alethea Paige Gaccion.

**The Pueblo de Oro Golf & Country Club Ladies Team.**

Despite being the team’s most junior player, Ally Gaccion topped the Individual Awards of the tourney organized by the Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines (WGAP) under its 2024 calendar.

Ally finished with 165 points (54 points for day 1, 56 points for day 2, and 55 points for day 3), which made her the DIVISION 1 Overall Individual Champion.

Also a mainstay of Pueblo de Oro Golf’s Junior Girls Team, Ally has been filling up her trophy case with her breakout performance in 2024.

After finishing 5^th at the Mazda US College Pre Golf Championship held November 9-11, 2024 at Huahin, Thailand, she qualified to play in the 2025 Mazda US Junior World Cup Invitationals (JWCIFL) in Port St. Lucie, Florida on Jan. 3-5, 2025.

This follows a string of Class A Division championships at the 2024 ICTSI National Matchplay Finals held Oct. 1-4, 2024 at the Country Club, Sta. Rosa, Laguna; ICTSI/JPGT Mindanao Series 3 Del Monte Golf and Country Club Champion on August 6-9, 2024; and ICTSI/JPGT Mindanao Series 4 Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country Club on August 12-15, 2024.

She has also made her mark in international tournaments, finishing Top 12 at the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Junior Championship held at the Southwoods Golf and Country Club, Biñan, Laguna, on September 2-4, 2024; Top 20 at the SINGHA Thailand Junior World Championship held at the Royal Hua Hin Golf Club, Thailand, on September 17-19, 2024; Tied for 4^th at the AJGA DANA Incorporated Junior Open held June 24-27, 2024 at the Toledo Country Club, Toledo, Ohio, USA; and tied for 3^rd at the USGA Girls Junior Qualifier held at the Colgate University Seven Oaks Golf Club, Hamilton, NY, USA, on June 19, 2024.

**Alethea Paige Gaccion** of Pueblo de Oro Junior Girls Team has signed with the University of Central Arkansas Women’s Golf Team which competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference, NCAA Division 1 and will join them in the fall of 2025 under a full athletic scholarship. Also in photo is her long-time coach **Magno Arancon**. (photo courtesyu of Alfred Gaccion)

On November 11, 2024, Ally officially signed up to join the UCA Bears, the University of Central Arkansas Women’s Golf Team in the fall of 2025 with a full scholarship. The UCA Bears compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference of the NCAA Division 1 under Head Coach Summer Roachell and Assistant Coach Mary Michael Witherell. They have an international roster with players from France, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Japan, Iceland, and soon, the Philippines!

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Dodong’s soap opera

A Civilian’s Life in Misamis Oriental during World War II

FILOMENO “Dodong” Avanceña Bautista Jr. was 14 and a second-year high school student when the war broke out between Japan and the United States on Dec. 8, 1941.

At Misamis Oriental High School that Monday morning, as he stood waiting for the flag ceremony to begin, students and teachers seemed lost and disoriented.

Dodong Bautista’s Boy Scout Troop at Misamis Oriental HIgh School. (photo courtesy of Alice Limena-Lacson)

He noticed that people were saying goodbye to one another, acting as if they would not meet again. He kept hearing about the surprise bombing by the Japanese of the US naval facility at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and the subsequent bombing of American installations in the Philippines.

“We were all told to go home and join our families,” Dodong recalled. But members of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, of whom he was one, were told to wear their uniforms and help in various civic activities, like directing traffic in what was then formally known as Cagayan de Misamis.

Soon Cagayan, the capital of Misamis Oriental, was involved in the war. Citizens volunteered as peace officers, air raid wardens and coast watchers. By then the army and police were preparing for the Japanese invasion.

**Cagayan Poblacion circa 1935. The numbered places were burnt during the Japanese invasion of May 1942**. (NARA)

All business establishments in the vibrant commercial hub of Misamis Oriental closed shop. Except for civilian volunteers, no one was allowed on the streets.

Heads of families scrambled to procure food supplies and essential items for their households in preparation for evacuation to rural areas.

“There were two activities that were prevalent during that time—profiteering and evacuation,” Dodong said.

Panic gripped the citizenry of the town. The government ordered nightly blackouts. Army trucks and commandeered buses rumbled in the darkness as the military mobilized.

**A Civic & Military Parade in Divisoria, Circa 1940. Note the Japanese Bazaar in the upper left hand corner of the picture**, (shared by Ermin Pimentel)

Private vehicles were also commandeered by the authorities. Establishments owned by the Japanese in Cagayan were looted and closed, their owners arrested by the authorities.

Within a few weeks, order and stability in Cagayan were gone. Many families had left and moved to the rural areas.

Dodong’s father also decided that it would be safer for his family to leave Cagayan. In May 1942, the family moved to their farm, some 10 kilometers away from the town center of Balingasag, also in Misamis Oriental (46 km from Cagayan).

Anthropologists now believe Magahat is not a group distinct from the Bukidnon but refers to the practice of killing. When a Bukidnon kills another due to the death of any family member, he is called Magahat. It was the performance of this act that made one a Magahat, a word ostensibly derived from the Visayan-Cebuano term that means “to kill”. The act called mag-ahat refers to the killing of an innocent person while the perpetrator is known as Magahat. The so-called Magahat did not refer to an ethnic group that existed independently of the Bukidnon. The Bukidnon in Basay and Bayawan themselves when interviewed by the Silliman University-DENR Task Force on Ancestral Domain research team denied having ever heard or known of the existence of the Magahat as a group of people. They claimed that the Magahat were the same people as the Bukidnon but the word itself did not refer to an ethnic designation but to a ritual practice involving the act of killing. (Text from http://bayawancity.gov.ph/?mnu=3&flnk=82)

The family stayed on the farm for several months until an indigenous tribe, the Magahat, forced them to move to the town proper for their safety. A few days before, they had heard that a family that sought refuge in a rural area not far from where they were had been massacred by the Magahat.

In Balingasag, Dodong would come into contact for the first time with Japanese soldiers, an encounter he would never forget. By this time, the US Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) had been largely subdued.

The first Japanese soldiers to arrive in Balingasag were part of Task Force for the Pacification Group. They were headed by Captain Okumura, an English-speaking, US-educated officer.

Dodong remembered him as looking dignified and possessing a very strong personality. The task force was accompanied by Filipino USAFFE officers, led by Capt. Jesus Yamut.

At about the same time, a guerrilla group was forming in the area. The less than a hundred armed fighters were headed by USAFFE officers Captains Clyde M. Abbott and Pedro Collado.

The guerrillas would later meet the Pacification team of Okumura and two Japanese soldiers. They tried to arrest the Japanese but Okumura resisted and attempted to evade capture by hiding inside the Santa Rita parish church in Balingasag.

Guerrillas gathered outside the church and soon there was an exchange of gunfire. The Japanese were outnumbered but the old church was as strong as a fortress.

**Church of the Immaculate Conception of Jasaan of bricks and wood, declared by the National Museum of the PH as a National Cultural Treasure. Photo Dec 8, 1948**. (Photo Jesuit Archives)

The guerrilla officers decided to burn down the church to flush out the Japanese, despite the objections of Fr. Clement Risarcher, SJ, the parish priest.

As the church burned, Okumura and his men went up to the belfry. Dodong, who lived very near the church, saw Okumura and his companions jump out of the burning church and try to hide behind an acacia tree. But the guerrillas repeatedly fired at them and all three were killed.

“Captain Okumura’s life ended on top of a wheelbarrow… where he was mutilated,” said Dodong.

The guerrillas, it seemed, did not plan to take the enemies as prisoners of war.

Remembering war’s cruelty, Dodong seemed to understand why Filipinos acted in this manner: “Brutality is always the consequence of injustice. Whenever a Filipino family was affected or a member of the family was killed by the Japanese, you would always look for an opportunity to hit back. There was no such thing as forgiveness—it was more about vengeance.”

Dodong’s father, Filomeno M. Bautista Sr., fearing reprisal from the enemy garrisoned in Cagayan, decided to move his family from Balingasag to the next municipality, Lagonglong. Here they would stay until the country’s liberation from the Japanese.

Dodong said their stay in Lagonglong was generally peaceful, interrupted occasionally by Japanese patrols near the coastline.

Wartime business

With their almost idyllic situation, the family attended to its economic needs. Dodong’s father, who was a government scholar at the Philippine School of Arts and Trade (now Technological University of the Philippines) in Manila tried making laundry soap.

The essential household item was no longer commercially available, so there was quite a demand for the product. But the ingredients they needed were no longer available.

“The most important ingredient was lime (apog) and it had to be made near the beach,” Dodong said. Limestone or coral had to be gathered near the seashore, then burned in a process similar to making charcoal to extract the lime.

Dodong found an old woman who lived near the beach and manufactured lime. Fearing they would be spotted by Japanese patrols if they met near the beach, Dodong and the old woman transacted business without meeting face to face.

The old woman would leave the lime powder at a designated place for him to collect and he would leave the payment by one of the posts of the old woman’s hut. It was all a matter of trusting each other to keep his/her end of the bargain.

**Burning seashells or coral (calcium carbonate) produces lime (calcium oxide) an essential ingredient in soap making that dates back to the middle ages.** (photo by Per Stormyr)

Reflecting on this relationship later, he expressed his eternal gratitude to the old woman whose name he never even knew. Because of her help, Dodong’s family was able to make quality homemade laundry soap that they sold or bartered for fish, meat, root crops and bananas.

The cottage industry sustained the family until the liberation in 1945.

Filomeno A. Bautista Jr, battalion adjutant (left) with Jose Gorra of Lagonglong, battalion commander at MOGCHS 1946 during Preparatory Military Training (PMT)
(photo courtesy of Bong Itchon)

Some 68 years after the country was liberated, Dodong’s memories of the war remained vivid, his experiences unforgotten.

He said the war had its good and bad points. Although he witnessed cruelty many times during the war, he also saw several positive things.

He said the war strengthened the people’s faith in God. He also found that those who had least in life had the biggest hearts, sharing their meager resources with whoever was in need.

Dodong, who turned 87 on May 26, is my maternal grandfather. I among his 14 grandchildren from his six children.

Dodong Bautista and his apo Celine Itchon. (PDI photo circa 2013)

(First prize winner Celine Marie B. Itchon was a senior high school student at St. Mary’s High School in Cagayan de Oro when she wrote this story in 2013 for the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) and Inquirer in Education (IIE) 2013 World War II True Stories writing contest in commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan. She was mentored by her dad, the late Eduardo S. Itchon Jr., who was also her teacher. Dodong Bautista died on April 21, 2021. Republished with the permission of The Philippine Daily Inquirer and Philippine Veterans Bank.)