FEDEX Express (FedEx), a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and the world’s largest express transportation company, recently delivered 23 boxes of books and toys to students of Salcedo Central School (Salcedo CS) in Ilocos Sur.

The donation was part of an initiative organized by Grades 5 and  6 students of the German Swiss International School in Hong Kong (GSIS-HK), who held a read-athon and book drive to raise funds and collect donations for the initiative.

CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) could break ground by the end of the year on its P25-billion development in the reclaimed South Road Properties (SRP).

Osmeña, who recently resumed his post after a month of being absent for health reasons, said he met with FLI’s foreign consultants to discuss the plan for the 46-hectare joint venture and that final revisions are under way.

“I asked them to put provisions for a bus rapid transit [BRT] system,” Osmeña told the BusinessMirror.

The mayor also confirmed his efforts to bring MD Anderson Medical Center from Houston, Texas, to Cebu’s SRP. The mayor had had his cancer treated at MD Anderson.

He said the MD Anderson facility could be integrated into the FLI development.

LEGAZPI CITY—The province of Albay has drawn up an economic strategy tailored after that of California, USA, governance that focuses on productive agriculture, infrastructure development, tourism, efficient green energy, natural disaster-risk reduction and world-class medical services.

The economic road map for the province also includes a responsive tertiary education, efficient transport system and coping with climate change, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said over the weekend.

Outlining his road map and strategy for Albay, Salceda said his priority infrastructures include the South Luzon International Airport, the Albay-Donsol tourism access road, the Philippine National Railways Southrail Line and setting up the Guicadale—Guinobatan, Camalig, Daraga and Legazpi City—business platform.

The P600-million South Luzon International Airport is now under construction in barangay Alobo, Daraga town, about 12 kilometers west of this city.

Also under way is the construction of the 1-km access road from the national highway to the airport. The Department of Public Works and Highways is funding the P100-million road project.

The Albay-Donsol tourism road will open a new and shorter route between Albay and Donsol, Sorsogon, a key ecotourism area in Bicol frequented by both domestic and foreign tourists due to Donsol’s whale sharks.

The Guincadale Business Platform is a new investment zone in the province located far from areas affected by the natural hazards posed by Mayon Volcano.

In the area of education, Salceda said his goal is for “every home in Albay to have at least one college graduate,” adding that he would pursue this goal through the Albay Higher Education Contribution Scheme, an Australian-inspired educational program.