Three cheers for Cebu

Karl Hudson, general manager of the Cebu City Marriott Hotel, was presented the 2004 Marriott Leadership Excellence Award at the recent Global General Managers conference held in Orlando, Florida.

Hudson, one of only seven given this prestigious award from over 2,600 properties, received the highly coveted recognition in his first assignment within the Marriott chain, and we were not surprised.

While in Orlando, he also brought home the Marriott International Customer Excellence Award for the hotel he leads for its excellent performance in achieving the greatest resolutions in 2004.

Congratulations Karl, you make the Cebuanos proud.

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Director of Studies Professor Jeffrey Solares conducted the Peace Philharmonic Philippines (PPP) second concert of its Chamber Classic Series 2005 at the Arctic Ballroom of the Cebu Waterfront Hotel entitled "Moments of Musical Reflections."

The performance included The Echo by Franz Joseph Haydn and Concerto in D Major for guitar and strings by Antonio Vivaldi. It also featured Edward Elgar’s Serenade for Strings with Barney Fojas of the University of the Philippines College of Music as the soloist.

Fojas, a recitalist, played a Cebu-made eight-string concert guitar by Adolfo Timuat, Madrid-based guitar maker and concert guitarist. The particular instrument is made of wood and materials that are only found in the Philippines.

The PPP, led by its dedicated founder international pianist Ingrid Sala Santamaria, continues its noble mission to bring the best examples of art-music that is a living part of the cultural experience to the local community as well as to foreign shores.

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The islands of Cebu and Bohol have been tapped as a filming location for a Korean miniseries.

Tentatively entitled Returned Single, the drama series will film two of its 16 episodes around Cebu, highlighting the fabulous award- winning resort the Shangri La in Mactan Island.

A story revolving around a recently divorced self-centered man and a clumsy widow is a project of J Media Plus, a well-known production outfit in Korea which produces classic movies, popular dramas, and sitcoms.

In addition to the stars and celebrities, directors and production crew, some members of the Korean press flew in from Seoul to exclusively cover the shoot – thus extending the media exposure on yet another aspect of the Central Visayas destination.

During a breakfast meeting with the Korean visitors, Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said that the filming of the telenovela would certainly generate publicity and awareness of the Philippines as a tourist destination.