RUE-The House of Caramel Beer opens in Cebu City

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CITY— RUE-The House of Caramel Beer, the newest resto bar in Cebu officially opened for business, Friday, April 30 with “Hudyaka’ grand opening night at the Meerea High Street, Ouano Avenue, Reclamation Area, Subangdaku, Mandaue City, Cebu.

Bar owner Elisha Janelle Mendoza, in a media interview, invited everyone to visit RUE, unwind, have fun and enjoy the night and excitement with good food, wine, beer and music.  This is RUE’s first branch outside of Metro Manila, the first in the Visayas-Mindanao region.

Mendoza said, when she was in college in Manila, she and her friends used to hang out at RUE at BGC and she thought it would be nice to bring the RUE brand to Cebu. “Here we are now,” she beamed.

RUE Cebu’s grand opening included cocktails, showcasing its brand beer and other flavored drinks and its famous brand gourmet; fire dance performance, flairtending, LED Light Men performance and music and dance with guests DJ Kate and DJ Ian Sndrz.

Rue means “street” in French and Bourbon, the name of the famous New Orleans bar strip. Here at Rue, the experience is always one for the books. Fun and creativity are embedded in its DNA.

What once started as a humble after-work bar in 2009, Rue Bourbon was made to emulate the excitement brought about by the world-famous Mardi Gras festival in Bourbon Street, New Orleans.

Rue Bourbon or “Rue” for short, offers a noteworthy dining selection and a revolutionary product that has since been the foundation of its success – Caramel Beer, establishing Rue’s status as The House of Caramel Beer.

From then on, more flavors have been added such as Peach, Lychee, Roasted Hazelnut, Cucumber, Watermelon with more coming soon. “We’re always developing drinks and flavors and best food to pair with our beers and drinks,” Elisha said.

She added that beyond the booze, Rue is also famous for its deliciously good food with its 6- hour Roast Beef, Juicy Ribs, Sisig Nachos, Beef Birria, Rockefeller Oysters, Buffalo Chicken Tenders and Thin Crust Pizzas.

Rue continues to focus on providing unique experiences unparalleled to any other restaurant and bar in the city. Located at the heart of food and drink districts all over the Metro, Rue has become one of the most popular bar and restaurant chains in Metro Manila.

Rue Cebu is open to serve customers from 5:00pm to 1:00am on Sundays to Thursdays and 5:00pm to 3:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.  

For inquiries and reservations, you can contact Rue through Mobile: 0969 275 1121 and 0977 063 1919; Instagram: @ruecebu and Facebook: https://facebook.com/ruecebu/

 

Endangered PH native tree species are now safe at SU-EDC BINHI Arboretum

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

VALENCIA, Negros Oriental – Silliman University (SU) and Energy Development Corporation (EDC) agreed to establish the newest BINHI arboretum inside the Center for Tropical Conservation Studies (CENTROP) at the university’s field laboratory grounds in Palinpinon, Valencia, Negros Oriental called SU-EDC BINHI Arboretum to provide a safe haven for the long-term survival of the endangered Philippine native trees.

Both parties planted 100 seedlings of endangered Philippine tree species like banuyo, ipil, taba, baguilombang, yakal, lisok-lisok, malakatmon, basilan-yakal, quisumbing gisok, red lauan, kamagong ponce, bagtikan, duguan, narra, kamagong, molave,bagawak-morado inside the SU-EDC BINHI Arboretum on March 30, 2022.

Prof. Jane Annette Belarmino, SU Vice President for Development, Enterprises, and External Affairs said, the arboretum helps strengthen SU’s instruction, research, and extension programs, specifically on conservation biology.

“Because of shared vision and goals, SU very much appreciates EDC’s collaboration and expertise in developing the area for an arboretum of endangered and premium endemic Philippine trees,” Belarmino said.

Norreen Bautista, EDC Corporate Social Responsibility head for Negros said, the kickoff tree-planting activity is part of the International Day of Forests celebration observed every March 21 and she asked everyone to take a serious look at the way people value forests, “not just a source of raw materials but a means of absorbing carbon and helping sustain life on the planet,” she added.

Bautista said the planted seedlings are premium species. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) defines premium tree species as species whose wood has special characteristics, such as strength, durability, beauty, scarcity, and rarity, or is used for special purpose.

Ariel dela Cruz, EDC watershed management officer said, the planted seedlings are of species that are commonly found in Dipterocarp forests which are dominated by Dipterocarp species.

Reforestation wherein only native tree species in the Philippines such as Dipterocarp species are planted is a concept defined by DENR as “rain-forestation.” The aim of rain-forestation is to preserve biodiversity and expand Philippine forests and simultaneously sustain human food production, Dela Cruz explained.

Dela Cruz said EDC provided the seedlings which were grown from EDC’s Vegetative Material Reproduction (VMR) nursery for 6 to 8 months.

Each seedling has a tag with information about the species and where planters can write their name.  Some tags also have a QR code that, when scanned, will lead to a page on the BINHI website with information about the species including where it has been planted.

In future tree-planting activities in the Arboretum, Dela Cruz said EDC plans to enable planters to track the status of their planted seedlings through the BINHI “Communitree” an online platform and database of trees planted by EDC and its partner organizations. (Photos: SU/EDC)

 

CCLEX officially opens to motorists at 5:08 p.m. today, April 30

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY -- The 8.9-kilometer Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) officially opens to the motoring public at 5:08 p.m. today, April 30 after it was inaugurated on April 27 with President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan leading the cutting of the ceremonial ribbon marking the inauguration of the CCLEX.

“We are happy and excited to finally welcome motorists to CCLEX, the new icon of Cebu.  The opening of CCLEX to motorists comes after four years of non-stop construction,” Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC) President and General Manager Allan Alfon said.

Vehicles that are allowed to use the expressway now are those classified under Classes 1 to 3. Motorcycles under 400cc are not yet allowed on the CCLEX, only by July this year.  The CCLEC is setting up safety measures for motorcycles below 400cc.

Pedestrians and bikers are also still not allowed to use the CCLEX for now as their designated lane will be opened also in July 2022.

CCLEX is a toll expressway that uses an all-electronic toll collection system. To give more time to motorists to have an RFID sticker installed on their vehicles, cash payments will be accepted in the meantime. The full electronic toll collection will be implemented by June 2022.

“We invite motorists in Cebu to have their vehicles installed with CCLEX RFID to be able to use the expressway. Have your units installed with a CCLEX RFID now while it is still free,” Alfon said.

Those who want to schedule their registration can sign up using the online form mptc.outsystemsenterprise.com/ORRAS/ or go to cclex.com.ph and click register.

 Toll rates

The Local Toll Regulatory Council (LTRC) has already authorized the implementation of the approved toll rates for the CCLEX. The LTRC is composed of Chairman Joseph Michael Espina and members Engr. Felix Taguiam, Engr. Virgilio Espelita, Atty. Benjamin Cabrido, Jr. and Ronald Diola. They were jointly appointed by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Cordova Mayor Mary Therese Sitoy-Cho.

Approved toll rates include P90 for Class I vehicles such as cars, jeepneys, pick-ups, vans, and motorcycles; P180 for Class I vehicles above 7ft in height (except when the top load is recreational equipment such as bikes, surfboards, and the like which must be securely fastened and not intended for commercial use). 

Payment of P180 for Class II vehicles such as light trucks, tourist/school and public utility buses and P270 for Class III vehicles such as heavy and multi-axle trucks and trailers.

Motorcycles with 125cc to 399cc engine displacement will be allowed on the CCLEX by July this year. The CCLEC is still looking into how much of a discount to give to motorcycles under 400 cc.

The CCLEX Bridge Management Board (BMB) composed of CCLEC President and General Manager Allan Alfon, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Cordova Municipality Mayor Mary Therese Sitoy-Cho approved through a resolution to allow motorcycles under 400cc on the bridge following a strong clamor from motorcycle users.  The BMB acknowledged that motorcycles have become the preferred mode of transportation in Cebu.

Registration of motorcycles 125cc to 399cc, however, will still be announced at a later date. The sidewalk for pedestrians and bikers which are free to use, will be opened in July this year.

The CCLEX is a Traffic Discipline Zone. To provide safe and seamless experience in passing through the bridge, the CCLEX has 24/7 patrol crews, incident response and standby emergency teams. CCLEX is negotiating with LTO for deputization of these teams.

According to operations manager Mareon Therese Moile, CCLEX has 160 CCTVs that include traffic and incident systems and ALPR camera to detect car plates. Variable message signs are also installed at the bridge including road weather information/rain detector and sensor visibility, humidity, weight in motion in both sides of the bridge.  Speed limit at the bridge is from 60-80kPH, she added.

As the CCLEX starts operations today, April 30, the motoring public is asked to drive at a maximum speed of 60 kph. The CCLEX is designed for maximum speed of up to 80 kph but the CCLEC is implementing a 60 kph limit during initial operations as part of safety measures because motorists are still not familiar with the expressway.

Cash payments for the toll fees are accepted for now at the Toll Plaza and motorists are advised to prepare the exact toll fare and they should not stop at any area in the entire stretch of the expressway.

The expressway is a project of the CCLEC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the MPTC, in partnership with the Municipality of Cordova and Cebu City. It is seen to not only to ease traffic congestion in the metro but also spark socio-economic development in the province, according to a study by the University of San Carlos. (Photos: CCLEX FB/Google Images/mbcn)