The Association of Certified Public Accountants in Commerce and Industry (ACPACI) invites its members and friends to join its 2013 Annual National Convention, with the theme, Rising to the Challenge, to be held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City on September 19 to 21, 2013. The convention is in collaboration with the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) – Commerce and Industry Sector.
Savor Cebu at Radisson Blu
Radisson Blu is located at the corners of Sergio Osmena Blvd. and Juan Luna Ave. in Cebu City. It is an upscale boutique hotel with palatial space and picturesque lobby that has soaring ceiling and marmoreal floors, pillars and grand staircase. It has plush guest rooms and suites with a postcard view of Cebu City and grand function rooms with hi-tech amenities which are ideal for conferences and seminars.
This premier hotel is put up by business tycoon Henry Sy of the SM Conglomerate in partnership with the Carlson group, a US company that manages the Radisson brand on international business hotels that cater to wealthy travellers. It is the very first Radisson hotel in the Asia Pacific. It is 11 kms. from Mactan International Airport and a stone’s throw away from SM City.
The hotel is considered to be one of the stateliest hotels in Cebu; top ranked for its executive luxury, Radisson Blu will deliver it in spades.
Hail to the Queen!
Cebu is undeniably the Queen of the South. The apt phrases ascribed to Cebu, both the City and the Island: The Cradle of the Philippine Christianity, a historical center, a hub of trade and commerce, and the perfect island get-away.
With a captivating balance of history, culture and chic modern flair, Cebu’s unique fusion of the Old World and New creates a collage of the stately and cosmopolitan. Explore and experience Cebu, and you’ll find a wonderful mix of incense-filled Taoist temple, memorable museums and fortresses, glittering shopping complexes, significant architectural churches, historical monuments, glass-and-steel buildings in the City’s business center, white-sand beaches and resorts, falls, nature spots, world-class hotels, residential condominiums, and ancestral homes, etc. These, among others, co-exist with ancient traditions (like the re-enactment of the conversion of Hara Amihan and the fluvial parade of the Sto. Nino), and lively festivals (like the un-missable Sinulog Festival, which takes place every January), making Cebu a melting pot of culture and adventure in the Central Visayas.
Historical Cebu
Lying some 587 kms. south of Manila, the vibrant Cebu City has a population of around 870 thousand, and the Cebu Province of around 2.6 million. It has a total land area of 5,342 sq.km. This makes the island almost eight times bigger than Singapore and almost five times bigger than Hong Kong.
It is said that in 1521, the Chief of Limasawa (a slice of land at the southern tip of Leyte, and the place where the first mass was held) directed Magellan and his minions to a place called “Zubu”, where they could find food and the place with the most trade and with the most gold. When the Spaniards arrived, the people of Cebu already had music, laws, and industries and were open to new cultures, so much so that Magellan was able to Christianize about eight hundred natives led by their Chieftain, Rahaj Humabon and his wife, Hara Amihan. Magellan gave a Sto. Nino image to Hara Amihan. The natives quickly adapted the new belief, and started dancing the Sinulog in honor of the Sto. Nino.
However, not all the natives were receptive to the concept of Christianity, when Magellan imposed his will on the local Chieftain Lapulapu and his men in the island of Mactan, they engaged him in a battle eventually killing Magellan.
Fabulous Food
Savor a city that bursts with flavors. Cebu is famed for its sutukil. Sutukil is a blend of three ways how to cook food in Cebu. Su is for sugba (grilled), tu is for tuwa (soup), and kil is for kilawin (prepared in raw vinegar). There are plenty of sutukil restaurants where you can try this famous Cebu treat and rest assured that they serve only the freshest ingredients.
If you visit Cebu, purchasing its famous danggit (dried fish) and the emblematic Shamrock Otap (biscuit) as pasalubong, is a must, because if you don’t, it’s as though you haven’t visited Cebu at all. It’s like going to Paris without sampling its crackly croissant or visiting Switzerland without ever tasting its renowned Swiss cheese and chocolates!
Each town in Cebu has its own speciality. Carcar has its ampao (poprice) and chicharon; Mandaue boasts of its masareal (peanut nougat) and bibingka. People identify Liloan with Titay’s rosquillos – a flower-shaped biscuit, Guadalupe is famous for its succulent mangoes. Cebu is also known for its fruit preserves—mango, pineapple, jackfruit and the crunchy banana chips.
Entrepreneurial Spirit and Local Pride
Cebu is a place with little arable land; hence, Cebuanos have acquired the traits of diligence and resourcefulness. They turned to trade and manufacturing for livelihood. They capitalized on their central location and excellent harbors. Cebuanos posses a strong entrepreneurial spirit; the typical Cebu business is backyard enterprise that thrived. Homes often double as factories and hum with cutting tools, and the workers are often just family members. Classic entrepreneurial concerns are the furniture business, particularly rattan, wood, buri and stone; Cebu is known as the Milan of Asia because it accounts for around 70% of the country’s total export receipts.
Other folk industries include shellcraft, fashion-accessory and guitar making. The best guitars in the Philippines come from Cebu-- in Mactan Island. Cebu is the Disneyland of guitar lovers. The Mactan guitar’s fame rests on its fine craftsmanship and soulful sound.
Cebuanos know the value of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. Thus, it doesn’t come as a surprise that their sense of local pride is almost palpable. They are proud to be Cebuanos. They love the city / island they live in, its sights, sounds and colorful culture and history, it is a place that survive and thrive under any adversity, and they feel privileged beyond all measure to call Cebu their home.
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Notes:
Mira Gloria, “Radisson Blu – Business Class,” Business World, Highlife Magazine, October 2010 – January 2011,p.38.
www.radissonblu.com/cebucityphl.
Joyce Garcia Dizon, “Cebu, a place for all season,”(Makati City, Bookmark, 1999) pp. 3, 9-10; 16, 24, 30-35; 71, 94, 98-99; 112-115.
Amadis Ma. Guerrero, “A Journey Through the Enchanted Isles,” (Pasig, Metro Manila: Anvil Pub.1995) pp. 100-105.
Side Trip Travel Magazine, “Cebu- Hunt for the Best Cebu Experience,” Issue 1Volume 6; pp. 68- 69; 88-91.
“NAMRIA, NSO, NSCB, and LMB,” Mercury Drug 2013 Calendar.