Engineers working to fully restore Sun Cellular mobile services in Bohol, Cebu

Operations of Sun Cellular in Bohol and Cebu—which were hard-hit by a major earthquake this morning—have been affected, the company said in a statement.

However, engineers are “working to normalize services shortly,” said Smart Communications Inc., which acquired Sun Cellular, in a statement.

Smart also said that its mobile phone service in Bohol and Cebu remains “remains largely operational despite the damage inflicted on some cell sites and network facilities by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit Central Visayas early this morning.”

Since electricity is unavailable in parts of Bohol and Cebu, Smart will be “deploying generator sets to power key cell sites and keep mobile phone and internet services running,” the company said in an announcement.

“We are also setting up free call services and free mobile phone charging stations in affected towns and municipalities to assist residents as well as emergency agencies involved in rescue and relief operations,” it added.

Smart Communications Inc. is the mobile phone unit of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), which is led by Manuel V. Pangilinan, who also chairs TV-5.

source: interaksyon.com

Earthquake shuts down Cebu BPO industry for a few hours

MANILA – Business process outsourcing (BPO) companies in Cebu have resumed operations hours after a strong quake struck many parts of Central Visayas this morning.

In a statement, the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) said call centers in Cebu temporarily stopped operations this morning “to ensure the safety of thousands of employees.”

A 7.2-magnitude quake shook Central Visayas around 8:00 a.m., causing damage to many structures in the provinces of Cebu and Bohol.

Citing a report by the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEDF-IT), Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) president and chief executive Jose Mari P. Mercado told InterAksyon.com that there were “no reports of damage” so far among BPO companies operating in Cebu.

“Evacuations occurred, but [operations] back to normal now. All on heightened alert for aftershocks and prepared to evacuate if necessary. Safety of our employees is paramount,” Mercado said.

“Several buildings have been safely evacuated immediately after the earthquake and are undergoing structural assessments for safety by the building owners and their engineers. Re-entry into the buildings will only commence once the buildings have been cleared that they are safe,” CCAP president Benedict C. Hernandez said, adding that “the safety of contact center employees in the affected provinces is its number one priority.”

Cebu hosts about 100 BPO firms, while the rest of Central Visayas is home to about 20 companies, Mercado said. About 70,000 people are employed by Cebu-based outsourcing firms.

Most of the firms within the Cebu Business and IT Park are contact centers, which “have business continuity plans that we follow for such events… ensuring their employees are guided to ensure their safety and welfare,” Hernandez said.

Cebu City ranked 8th in global advisory firm Tholons’ 2013 Top 100 Outsourcing Destinations report.

source: interaksyon.com

Quake destroys Cebu, Bohol historical, tourist sites

MANILA, Philippines -- The 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Central Visayas including Bohol and Cebu destroyed centuries worth of history and valuable tourism assets.

In Bohol, the quake left portions of the Loon and Loboc Churches in rubble. Local officials said it would take time to rebuild.

"Loboc Church is a 17th century church which is a major tourism draw," Rep. Arthur Yap of Bohol's third district, where the church is located, told InterAksyon.com.

In a separate interview, Cebu Representative Ace Durano said the churches of Bohol are very much part of the heritage of Boholanos.

"This reflects the Boholanos' deep appreciation of their cultural assets and reflects their deep religiosity. The fact that these churches are very much part of the lives of the Boholanos render them valuable tourism assets," Durano, former secretary of the Department of Tourism, said.

The Church of San Pedro in Loboc, the second oldest church in Bohol, was built in 1602 but was damaged by fire. In 1638, a more sturdy structure was built, according to the website www.bohol.ph. As it was located near the river, it has survived a number of floods, but remained standing.

The church features paintings on the ceiling, and a Spanish coat of arms can be found in the stone wall near the entrance of the convent. Its bell tower is about 100 meters from the church. Attached to the structure is a three-story convent, which houses the Museo de Loboc on the third floor. The museum keeps old statues of saints and some religious artifacts.

The church is also famous for the Loboc Children's Choir, a school-based chorale of school children from the Loboc Central Elementary School. Founded in 1980, the choir has held concerts all over the country and abroad, and has won several awards.

The Church of Our Lady of Light in Loon, the biggest church in Bohol, was built during the term of Fray Manuel de Elizalde in 1753. The building has two octagonal bell towers, and is fully symmetric. From Loon Church is a long stairway of 174 stone steps connecting it to Napo, the former seat of the town.

The other old churches in Bohol are the Baclayon Church and Dauis Church--both of which were also damaged by the quakes--and Maribojoc Church and Panglao Church.

Unfortunately, according to Australian experts, these beautiful historic churches in Bohol and Cebu were obviously not built to withstand a magnitude 7.2 earthquake.

In Cebu City, the Basilica Del Sto Nino also was not spared as its belfry crumbled during the quake while the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral also sustained damage.

source: interaksyon.com