Travel and Tourism Industry - Compiled Threads [Archive] - Page 18

ruralvillage

June 1st, 2009, 11:04 PM

Businessmen expect tourism to emerge as major industry (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/june/02/yehey/prov/20090602pro4.html)
Manila Times (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/june/02/yehey/prov/20090602pro4.html)

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: Tourism, already the second biggest money maker and job provider in the country, is likely to emerge as the principal industry soon, which will directly benefit millions of Filipinos all over, a prominent businessman said on Monday.

“Tourism is jobs and business and stronger tourism means more jobs and more business,” according to Robert Lim Joseph, chairman emeritus of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies Inc. (Naitas).

Taking a cue from The Manila Times special report on the success of the medical tourism Joseph asked all tourism stakeholders to support the recently enacted Tourism Act of 2009, which he said will make the industry the principal engine of growth and development of the country.

According to The Times special report, medical tourism is proving to be a super-bright region in our country’s darkening economic landscape. The country’s chief statistician warns that we are on the brink of a recession.

Tourism Undersecretary Cynthia Carrion was quoted as saying that the medical tourism sub sector performed better in the first quarter of 2009 than in the same period in 2008 despite the global financial crisis.

The 10-percent growth from January to March came from more than 200,000 foreigners who came to our medical, dental, health and wellness centers. If this trend continues, by the end of 2009, a total of 600,000 patients and wellness seekers from abroad would have arrived and stayed spending dollars and offsetting somehow the decline in exports, the decline (God forbid) of OFW remittances and other setbacks caused by the global financial crisis and economic slowdown.

Joseph echoed the rise in the local tourism economy, saying in the first quarter of this year alone, new hotels and resorts, costing P87.16 billion, have already provided employment to 1,286 employees.

He said aside from the medical tourism, the industry as a whole is projecting that by the end of this year, at least 1,946 more people will be directly employed nationwide once the additional 2,315 hotel rooms are operational in Manila, Cebu, Boracay, Puerto Princes, Tagaytay and Albay.

Joseph said more jobs are forthcoming because the Department of Tourism has recently endorsed five development projects worth P6.32 billion which will provide 6,340 new jobs in places where the hotels and resorts will rise.

He said thousands more who are not directly connected with tourism will derive income from it like the carpenters who build hotels and resorts and farmers and fishermen who supply food to bars and restaurants,

“Everyone is actually a stake*holder, including tricycle drivers in towns and provinces who ferry tourists to local destinations or the cigarette vendors who sell outside bars and restaurants,” Joseph said.
-- Francis Earl A. Cueto (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/june/02/yehey/prov/20090602pro4.html)

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

June 2nd, 2009, 04:03 AM

^^ yeah, it is still publicity for the philippines, not our fault...:)

baka super amazed at overjoyed siya sa kagandahan ng caramoan kaya tuloy inatake sa puso! talagang traydor ang sakit na yan! hehe...:lol::lol::nuts:

pulsephaze22

June 2nd, 2009, 10:57 AM

Hong Kong TV to feature Sarangani Bay wonders

By Rommel G. Rebollido

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, June 2 (PNA) – A Hong Kong-based television crew has recently completed taking footages of marine life in Sarangani Bay which will be shown as part of a series that the Chinese network will be showing.

Hong Kong TV director and producer Jerry Tai said they stayed for close to a week in this city to particularly film concrete artificial domes that have already grown corals along their surfaces and are proving to be major dive attractions in the bay.

He said their company, Radio Television HK, is coming up with a television special featuring five underwater wonders around the globe.

Tai described how the domes have developed and became a coral sancturay as "unique and magnificent. Almost a sculpture and an art piece, a work of art.”

Over 5,000 reef domes were dropped in various sites along Sarangani Bay.

It started when two expatriate Chris Dearne, a former British Army enlisted man, and former Peace Corp volunteer John Heitz began toying with the idea of doing their piece in restoring the coral reefs in the bay that were badly destroyed by illegal fishing and pollution.

Both dive enthusiasts, Dearne and Heitz, dipped into their pockets and began designing concrete slabs that they then hoped to substitute dead corals as new hosts for soft and hard corals.

They finally perfected it by fashioning a design, first as a large laundry tab to what they are now a dome that are laced with holes where small fishes can find sanctuary.

Dearne said they began to get sponsors and were able to obtain a P20,000 grant which they all used to produce the domes.

"We provided the transportation and cost of dropping them on our account," Dearne said.

The former British Army, who owns a dive shop and a resort in Purok Malakas, said they have slowly restored marine life along Lion's Beach (now named Queen Tuna Park) across P. Acharon Blvd.

"Lions Beach used to be all sand. Now, we have some corals and small fish living around the domes we dropped in there," he said.

Dearne urged corporate entities and the local government units around the bay to help in the effort of restoring marine life and protecting Sarangani Bay. (PNA)

Rence

June 3rd, 2009, 07:53 PM

see the link:
http://stampcollectingroundup.blogspot.com/2009/04/philippine-philatelic-walking-tour.html

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reports, "The postal heritage walking tour around Manila hopes to resurrect the dying art of stamp collecting in an age of e-mail and instant messaging through leisurely strolls around historic sites around the country’s capital."

Reporter Jeannette Andrade writes, "What’s magical about the tour is the Filipinas Stamp Collectors’ Club’s (FSCC) ability to uncover hidden gems of history around Manila using postage stamps as its guide."

The FSCC was first organized by stamp collectors in October 1994 as the Manila Stamp Collectors’ Club aimed at beginners and intermediates. It was later renamed as the FSCC in January 2000 and has some 70 active members to date according to the article.

Lawrence Chan, FSCC vice president and tour guide, is quoted in the piece as saying, "The Philippines was the first country in Asia to issue stamps, printing and releasing them on Feb. 1, 1854."

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/SfUnh7PrrTI/AAAAAAAAC00/OuTqDYRm-6E/s320/img025.jpg

Shown above, a 1954 stamp marking the 100th anniversary of the first Philippine stamps. Manila's main post office (which is one of the stops on the walking tour) is shown on the right of the stamp.

To read the entire article, click here.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20090425-201434/History-stroll-thru-postal-stamps

Bosnyboy

June 4th, 2009, 06:18 AM

^^ This is probably the first in Survivor at dito pa talaga sa pilipinas.

Err i tink this is the Nth time survivor series chose our country for the show. remember last year twas france and turkey i tink. Then there's israel. I forgot what other countries pa.

Bosnyboy

June 4th, 2009, 06:21 AM

RonnieR

June 4th, 2009, 06:36 AM

CARABAO ISLAND, the next big thing in Philippine tourism
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3556/3525264522_98f0b0ac0c.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amielkirbybalagtas/

Planning Democracy

June 4th, 2009, 07:06 AM

I think tourism has a chance in Sulu, but the people there have to realize that it will be a lucrative source of income for them.

As soon as they become the stakeholders they will self police and the culture of kidnapping for money will be less attractive for the people living there. But stuff like that doesn't happen overnight, and that's what I meant when I said it (the insurgency) won't be ending anytime soon.

I'm sure one day it will end, when all the old timers are dead and we do steps to educate the children who will be their future leaders.

LorodePico

June 4th, 2009, 07:19 AM

One good thing about these areas not being explored and exploited for tourism purposes is the environment is preserved. The creatures and the sea can continue to live without interference and destruction from man. Although i did hear from a recent interview sa tv that that area in sulu is way better daw than the beaches in the maldives.

The last time I heard and read, the Sulu Archipelago is still part of the Filipinos and our Muslim brothers are still called Filipinos. We don't need to brand them as being ugly because it will really bounce back at all of us. Let us not abandon the dream of having a unified and peaceful Philippines and maybe tourism can be a tool to unite all of us.

icarusrising

June 4th, 2009, 12:18 PM

^^ Here's a related article that came out in Starweek Magazine

Sohoton Caves: Discoveries from Leyte to Samar (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=472890)
By Ida Anita Q. del Mundo Updated May 31, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – Just like the colorful banig (mat) which the area is known for, the vibrant attractions of Leyte and Samar weave into each other with vibrant threads of rich history, progressive urbanization, and a rugged environment perfect for exciting eco-adventures, laying out a vast setting of new discoveries for any tourist.

Our first stop was the Sto. Nino Shrine and Romualdez mansion. Incidentally, guests have to take off their shoes and put on the rubber slippers provided before entering the area so as to keep the shrine and mansion clean. “The family never lived here,” the tour guide explains. “It was all just for show.”

And what a show, indeed – each room, decorated with a different theme, features pieces of furniture, paintings, artifacts and treasures from the Philippines and all over the world. Each of the guest rooms has a diorama of Imelda’s life from childhood to being crowned Rose of Tacloban, following her rise to fame – in her signature butterfly sleeves – in the country’s history.

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/2325/wik1b.jpg

Our next destination was a short drive to Palo, Leyte to catch a glimpse of the monument commemorating the most popular historical event to happen in the area – the MacArthur landing. The general’s celebrated return stands tall against Leyte’s clear blue sky, a testament to promises fulfilled.

Before turning in for the night, we pass by the University of the Philippines-Tacloban for the 9th Philippine Speleological Society (PSS) Cave Congress. We soon realize that these modern day “cavemen” are far evolved from their ancient equivalents with all their knowledge of the caves of the Philippines, as they explain the meaning of speleology (the scientific study of caves) and that Samar has the biggest contiguous karst (limestone) formation in the Philippines, which accounts for the numerous caves in the area, including Calbiga cave, the largest in the Philippines.

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/783/wik1c.jpg

Basey, Samar, on the other hand, has over 30 caves, including the Sohoton cave, which we would explore the next day.

In their annual cave congress, more than 200 participants of the PSS tackled topics and issues related to the year’s theme, Finding the Balance Between Conservation and Tourism. “Tourism and conservation are both important,” says Jason Garrido, president of the Philippine Cave Guides Association. “We would like to streamline tourism and conservation policies,” he adds on the aim of the congress.

While it may make preservation efforts a bit harder, the leaders of PSS say that tourism is a great venue for teaching about the importance of caves to the environment. With this knowledge, they hope that visitors will find new respect not only for caves but the environment as a whole. Residents of the area definitely put more importance on the preservation and upkeep of the surroundings now that it has become a tourist attraction that they can benefit from.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/3518/wik1.jpg

“Cave tourism in the Philippines has so much room to grow,” says Jason. “We would like to implement the preservation policies while the industry is still young and controllable.”

“We are aiming for minimum- to no-impact caving,” says PSS president Bojun Bagayas, explaining that even just touching the stalactites – which take hundreds of years to form – contributes to their deterioration because of oils transferred from the human skin. Stressing the importance of preservation, he adds, “You cannot plant a cave. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.”

Jason considers Samar as “the ultimate caving frontier” with a karst area almost as big as Cebu. He adds that a 1-kilometer cave is the standard for a large cave, but in Samar this size is the norm. “It’s an entirely different experience,” says Jason. “There’s always a chance to discover a new area that no one has ever seen before.”

Many of today’s Filipino cavers started as mountaineers and it took opportunity and experience, hit and miss, to establish the organization they have now. Jason, who started mountaineering in high school and branched out to caving in college, says that it was caving that truly gave him profound experiences.

“When you are caving, it is pitch dark and your only world is the light around you,” he says, adding, “You really realize how small you are in the bigger scheme of things.”

The next day, we head out early to drive to Brgy. Inuntan in Basey, Samar where we would get to explore the Sohoton cave. We marvel at the bright blue sky as we cross the San Juanico bridge, the longest in the Philippines at 2.16 km. Shaped to form the “L” and “S”, the bridge connects Leyte and Samar. The curving ride on the bridge was fine, but after the bumpy ride further into Samar, many of us were wishing that we had taken the alternative route – a two-hour boat ride.

In Brgy. Inuntan, a press conference was held to launch the Sohoton Caves River Cruise, a floating restaurant that can accommodate 30 guests and offers local cuisine and entertainment as passengers enjoy the view while cruising along the river. The project is operated by the Basey Tourism Services Association (BATOSAN) which has received technical and financial assistance from the Grass Roots Entrepreneurship for Ecotourism program of the Department of Tourism (DOT).

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/5707/wikcover.jpg

Tourism secretary Ace Durano, who went on the river cruise and explored the cave with the group, says, “We want ecotourism to become a way of life for the people here in Basey. Right now it is additional income for them, but our vision is that this will become their main livelihood.”

He notes that in the past, logging companies had taken advantage of the area and were able to profit greatly from it, but the locals, as well as the environment, did not benefit from it. With ecotourism, the community earns a living while preserving the beauty of their surroundings. The DOT and the local government, with the BATOSAN, continue to develop the area for ecotourism.

After a grueling trek to the mouth of the cave, the coolness inside is comforting. But the darkness isn’t. Catching up to my group after almost being left behind because I stopped to take pictures, I feel a bat’s wing all but graze my cheek as it flies by.

Further into the cave, the initial fear is replaced with awe as we marvel at the different formations, some shaped like angels, animals, even the Statue of Liberty. The cave is huge – in prehistoric times, it must have been a caveman’s mansion. As we walk, water drips from the ceiling. In 100 years, it would form one square inch of stalagmite. My favorite discovery in the cave was the sparkling brown calcite on one of the cave walls. If the cave was not well preserved, the brown calcite would be dull and dead. Near the cave’s exit, our guide says, “You’ll never get lost here,” showing us the rock formation pointing towards the way out.

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/1291/wik1d.jpg

After an adventure-packed day, we drove back to Tacloban to unwind at Rafael’s Farm. It’s peaceful setting and delicious food was a great way to relax as we contemplated the events of the day while watching the sunset.

When asked what keeps him excited about caving even after more than 20 years of exploration, Bojun says, “I believe there is so much more to discover.” The same thing can be said about the Leyte-Samar stretch – from the Imeldific to the historical to the adventurous, there is so much to be discovered around every corner. In the land of fulfilled promises, I find myself quoting the renowned general: “I shall return.”

For more information, contact the DOT regional office at (53) 321-2048 or visit www.visiteasternvisayas.ph.

marchitecto

June 4th, 2009, 04:45 PM

manila_eye

June 4th, 2009, 05:05 PM

Err i tink this is the Nth time survivor series chose our country for the show. remember last year twas france and turkey i tink. Then there's israel. I forgot what other countries pa.

he/she was talking about the death of the contestant. ;)

:)

Sana four seasons hotel na lang ang itayo sa carabao island instead of small and cheap hotels na dahilan kung bakit nasira ang boracay.

Planning Democracy

June 5th, 2009, 11:02 AM

:)

Sana four seasons hotel na lang ang itayo sa carabao island instead of small and cheap hotels na dahilan kung bakit nasira ang boracay.

I hate Boracay, not because of the white sand beaches, but because of the feeling that it got spoiled... :ohno:

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

June 5th, 2009, 11:07 AM

^^

parang ganun na nga. overrated na kasi ang boracay. :ohno:

habagatcentral1

June 5th, 2009, 11:17 AM

IMO, Boracay is now a "party island" instead of a relaxation island. More like Copacabana in Rio and the likes...there is too much "urbanity" there that its laidback charm is getting lost.

Actually, Boracay is even more progressive than the capital of her mother province...IMHO.

For me Boracay is paradise lost...but Philippines has still 7107 islands to choose from. :D

bledzoe

June 5th, 2009, 12:20 PM

^^cguro dapat mafasttrackna infrustructure developments sa Carabao Island para magkaroon ng alternative jan sa area na iyan.

jpdm

June 5th, 2009, 02:15 PM

demented_pigeon

June 5th, 2009, 02:45 PM

^^ if you like picking them up when they're drunk. At least you don't have to have a conversation.

icarusrising

June 5th, 2009, 02:48 PM

jpdm

June 6th, 2009, 02:57 AM

^^ if you like picking them up when they're drunk. At least you don't have to have a conversation.

hahaha...:lol::cheers:

...I love Boracay! especially the bikini clad women...hayyy......:lol::nuts::cheers:

RonnieR

June 6th, 2009, 07:40 AM

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/06/05/24.manila/index.html
Make the most of Manila's chaotic charm
By Dean Irvine
CNN

(CNN) -- Manila often gets a bad rap, derided as dirty, chaotic, and an incoherent mess of unfinished urban areas and slums.

Navigate the city's streets and discover the many faces of Manila.
more photos » It's a world away from carefully planned Asian cities like Singapore -- which makes it perfectly suited for visitors who don't need their lives hermetically sealed in air-conditioned shininess.

Manila is alive with a mix of cultures, from Spain, China and the numerous Philippines islands. Sights to gawp at are thin on the ground, but the city streets have enough going on to enthrall even the most disinterested visitor.

Though it was bombed to bits during the Second World War, Intramuros is one of the most coherent areas of the city. Worth a morning's visit, the old walled city's buildings (or rather what was left of them) were left untouched, even when the area was given an update in the 1980s. But it still retains a unique atmosphere in a city where the capital's expanding population is reflected in its growing sprawl.

The Manila Cathedral was one of the buildings pummeled in the war, but the rebuilt version is faithful to the original 16th-century edifice. Fort Santiago, once the guarding fortress of the city and River Pasig, is now a war memorial. Nearby is Rizal Park, a green spot named after the national hero. What he would have made of the moat outside the old city's walls being made into a golf course is anybody's guess.

Taxis are the best way to negotiate the city, and they're cheap and plentiful, but it's worth jumping into the back of a crazily colorful jeepney at least once, just for the experience.

Regardless of the means, head towards the towers of Makati, one of the more central areas that make up Metro Manila. Home to big businesses and major hotels that may make you feel like you're in Singapore, if you're there on a Saturday make sure you wander through Salcedo Market. It's an upmarket affair, relatively speaking, where you can grab some great local food and produce. Those hankering for excellent western food and a glimpse of Manila's long-lunching business-types should head to Apartment 1B, on Lafayette Square.

While you're never far from an urban vignette that contrasts with the central business district's gloss, it's best to plunge into another area of the city for more local color and flavor. A taxi ride away is Marikina City, home to some uniquely Manilan attractions.

Once the shoe-making capital of the capital, you'll find Marikina Shoe Museum here. But it doesn't house just any old shoes. No, it's basically a celebration of the shoes of Imelda Marcos, the country's former first lady, who still deeply divides opinions among Filipinos. A bit kitsch, a bit weird, with over 605 pairs of her footwear (size eight and a half if you must know) and a selection of photos of the former first lady with world leaders, complete with hilariously obsequious captions, it's a sight to behold.

Snap back to reality with a moto-taxi ride to Marikina City's market. The covered lanes are a hive of stalls and intriguing local life. Heading back towards the central area of the city and Manila Bay, visit Cubao Expo. Located just off General Romulo Street it was formerly Marikina Shoe Expo, a mix of shoe outlets for nearby factories.

Now the low-rise complex of boutiques, bars, galleries and antique shops has to be a contender for hippest spot in Manila, a city that doesn't bother itself too much with anything so affected. Relaxed and fun, it's a great place to while away a few hours. When the shops there close you can get some great, local, home-made food, down a cocktail or Red Horse lager or two, and wind down away from the chaos of the streets and plot some evening entertainment.

Later on, head to Makati, one of the main areas for bars of varying descriptions and clientele. Saguijo's bar is one of the city's best for music. Attracting typically exuberant Manilan crowds, like all good live music venues it's got a comforting, grimy edge. It hosts bands playing all sorts of music, and, rare for Filipino bands, no covers. To push on through to the morning light, Embassy in Fort Bonifacio is the club with the most in-crowd hipsters queuing to get in.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

^^ he has not mentioned or has not travelled to Quezon City's Timog, Tomas Morato, West Avenue's entertainment districts, Eastwood, Ortigas Center, Mall of Asia comples, the Alabang/Filinvest in the south, and other places. but overall, he gave an objective view.

icarusrising

June 6th, 2009, 01:16 PM

icarusrising

June 7th, 2009, 03:51 AM

Magical Malcapuya & mystical Maonsonon (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=475325&publicationSubCategoryId=87)
KRIPOTKIN By Alfred A. Yuson Updated June 07, 2009 12:00 AM

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1614/travel1v.jpg
The view from Malcapuya’s rocky knoll

Thrice this summer I’ve set foot for a day or less on Malcapuya Island, and been increasingly entranced by its configuration and setting among the Calamianes Group in Northern Palawan.

Beholding its half kilometer of white-sand beach upon approach starts the appreciation. Stepping ashore from a boat confirms the reward: sugar-fine sand that stays cool in the sun, easily likened to Boracay’s after the inevitable comparison.

At the northern end of the beach rises a rocky outcrop where a trail leads up to a grand view of adjacent islands. All around, the waters are apple green to cobalt blue. Below this knoll, snorkeling among the rocks brings one face to face with zebra fish, danggit and schools of dilis.

Past the rocky point is another beach that’s cut short by mangroves. Here the currents are strong, washing detritus ashore. At low tide, however, a sandbar emerges. Coconut trees have been planted on a wide, level field that stretches back behind the talisay trees fringing the main beach, whose southern end hugs modest cliff faces of jagged red rock.

This has become my favored area especially during low tide, as here the sparkling shoreline undulates past the cliffs, creating small beach coves for picturesque and poetic privacy amid little caves. The glistening surf washes gently on the soft sand, where one reclines in contemplation — to survey the lovely sea and many small islands across, or look back at the elongated shoreline with its ragged contours.

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/1072/travel1b.jpg

The main strip is wide enough to accommodate a fluffy venue for beach volleyball. Several thatch-roofed cabanas provide shelter, wooden tables and bamboo-strip decks. There’s even a basketball half-court ensconced on a clearing at one end of the coconut field, past which rises a hill where the island’s owner, Eddie Reyes, maintains his two-story concrete residence.

Magical is Malcapuya, also because at 3 p.m. on a fateful Sunday, our cruising company sat around an elegant upraised hut, fronting it on rows of monobloc chairs to watch Manny Pacquiao knock out Ricky Hatton in less than two rounds.

A 42-inch LCD flatscreen had been ferried from the 7107 Islands cruise ship and set up early, along with a satellite dish and generator wherewithal. But it turned out that no pay-per-view privilege was available in the Calamianes, so that the wait for the fight extended all morning and well into the afternoon.

By noontime, of course most of us had already received the text messages on the outcome. But anyone who ventured into the viewing area where some golden-boy balikbayans sat patiently through the prelim fights was quickly told not to divulge any news. They wanted to see the main event “live” if very much delayed.

A thunderstorm broke soon after lunch and we huddled under hastily set-up tents. All around us were whipping winds; it turned misty and no other islands hove into view past the steaming shore. After half an hour the sky brightened and the TV commercials also cleared Manny to go get Ricky.

At the back of the hut a smaller TV monitor served the deck hands and some islanders who had helped grill the now-famous Malcapuya Chicken with its secret marinade. Each knockdown produced a whoop that startled everyone else gamboling in the waters or combing the beach, ensuring more and more late arrivals. Then it was all over and everyone was back to his or her favorite spot for genuflection.

In 1973, a much younger Eddie Reyes (who’s now only in his late 50s) got stranded in Coron for a week. He went island-hopping, as it had always been his dream to acquire a tropical island for his retirement years. Malcapuya was offered for P3,000. He snapped it up, and was told by natives that it could have gone for half the price. He complained to the seller, who casually told him to cough up P200 more for a couple of bonus islands.

Eddie has since developed Malcapuya, if rather modestly. Day visitors are charged P150 each for entry and use of the beach cabanas. There are hardly any other facilities, and one can stay overnight only as a happy camper, since Eddie keeps his house on the hill private. Travelers on their own can hire pumpboats in Coron town for the two-hour crossing.

A year ago Eddie joined the consortium led by Steve Tajanlangit who runs the 7107 Islands cruise ship and the EJC Corp. that has now acquired — outright or through decades of lease rights — 21 islands and/or beachfronts thus far around Coron. Eddie’s equity includes Malcapuya and his two other smaller, yet undeveloped islands.

Debutunay, Linacapan, Inakupan — the names all promise some hours of magic. “Puya” is Cuyonon for “girl,” so that Malcapuya is said to literally translate into “You’re bad, girl.” That can only mean even more magic in this fabulous island, to which I was introduced during the Holy Week cruise.

An exclusive corporation cruise that followed had a pharmaceutical company treating cardiologists and their wives to a week’s jaunt off Coron thence Boracay. The 250-strong company was said to have almost launched a mutiny when the time came at sunset for the lifeboats to ferry them all back to the mother ship. No one wanted to leave Malcapuya.

On my second cruise, El Nido was in the itinerary. But that was the week when we were visited by three freak typhoons. One of them continued to brew in the South China Sea, so that the captain diverted the 7107 Islands to a small bay east of the Palawan mainland instead of venturing out to Bacuit Bay on the other side. Thus did we get to discover Maonsonon.

Steve Tajanlangit is quite a character, whimsically given to island-shopping. He had heard of and seen Maonsonon from a distance. Now it was close enough to touch. In a typical spur-of-the-moment decision, the crew was told to prepare for a shore excursion and picnic lunch the following morning.

Now I can claim to have been in the first lifeboat of tourists to ever set foot on the “virgin island.” Witnessing our beachhead was a coconut tree bent horizontally over the shallows. It was also accomplished with much fanfare. Also coming ashore were the Boracay Drumbeaters, a contingent of five percussionists that usually whipped up a storm on the pool deck to announce cocktails at sundown. Soon a score of islanders and their children were on hand, drawn by the ethnic beat of drums welcoming batch after batch of lifeboat passengers wading in, all clad in orange life vests.

Maonsonon’s attraction is a wide sandbar that tapers like an isosceles triangle toward a satellite islet. During low tide one can walk right across. That day my son and two other guys walked halfway, steering clear of a flotilla of large jellyfish, but had to swim a bit to reach the islet. I took it easy with a couple of media girls; we hailed a passing speedboat from the ship and had ourselves ferried across. We explored the islet past its small beach; tidal pools with crystal clear waters offered a jacuzzi of gentle waves.

A young boy of about 10 or 12 came on a baroto or very small banca. He said, partly in Tagalog but mostly in Cuyonon, that he was left to fend off for himself and forage or fish for food. He upturned shore rocks in the hope of finding crustaceans, then disappeared for a time up the forest that crowned the islet’s hillock. He came back clutching at saltine crackers. Hmm, strange forest, I thought to myself. Turned out he had encountered one of the girls, who had emptied her pocket.

I asked the boy to paddle me back to the island in return for some Malcapuya Chicken. Halfway across, he asked if the chicken would be for fighting. No, for eating, I said. He had lunch with us in the shade of coconut trees. His eyes popped when we offered him a can of ice-cold Coke.

The old folks in the tour complained of the strong sun and lack of shade, let alone any washrooms. They asked to be taken back to the ship after lunch.

Three weeks later, I was surprised to see Maonsonon included in the official itinerary, and even more surprised to be welcomed back by a dozen makeshift wooden tables with fresh palm-weave roofs. Steve had acted fast to address the shortcomings of our virgin island.

The boy Iban (or so he said his name was) again suddenly materialized right behind me as I lolled on the sand on one side of the gleaming sandbar. He said his baroto had been wrecked when it was dashed against some rocks. Today there were no more jellyfish, he gestured with circling hands. He called them by another name, not salabay.

It seems he had seen me erecting an installation the first time out, one that featured poles and green spike pods stuck inside a circle of drying seaweed with a yin-yang division. It had been much photographed by the party’s point-and-shoot-ers. This time Iban did his own kind of art — a row of sand balls that he framed with brown spikes. It drew the usual army of shutterbugs who were convinced that the island was mystical.

To ensure his place at the lunch table, Iban coated his face with white sand. Thus did he also become a model of a boy shaman.

When I look out at the waters bridging all these islands of the Calamianes, I see the future: windsurfers, kayak paddlers, parasailers, jetski and banana boat riders shuttling back and forth among the emerald gems fringed by gleaming beaches. Oh, there’ll be modern cabanas, casitas, condotels rising amid the greenery of hills. And paraws advertising gizmo offerings on their sails.

The entire scene will be very busy, with hordes of cruise ship tourists, fly-ins and backpackers out for a lark in our version of paradise as the tropical playground in this part of the world.

For now, my cell phone memory can only gorge on the privacy of rarefied experience — with images of magical Malcapuya and mystical Maonsonon imbedded for the nonce via high-tech rituals.

Manila-X

June 7th, 2009, 05:22 AM

----------------------------------------------------------------------

^^ he has not mentioned or has not travelled to Quezon City's Timog, Tomas Morato, West Avenue's entertainment districts, Eastwood, Ortigas Center, Mall of Asia comples, the Alabang/Filinvest in the south, and other places. but overall, he gave an objective view.

The areas you mentioned in Q.C are off the beaten path to foreign tourists. Notice that you'll see more foreigners in Makati or around Manila Bay than in Q.C.

Especially Eastwood. There is no metro access heading there.

Also, you can just take the train from Marikina to Cubao Shoe Expo.

in_a_rush

June 7th, 2009, 08:23 AM

The areas you mentioned in Q.C are off the beaten path to foreign tourists. Notice that you'll see more foreigners in Makati or around Manila Bay than in Q.C.

Especially Eastwood. There is no metro access heading there.

Also, you can just take the train from Marikina to Cubao Shoe Expo.

not to mention na wala namang masyadong hotel sa mga lugar na yan. pero i love Timog-T.Morato and Eastwood. sana they will convert Malate area into something like those places.

tonight

June 7th, 2009, 12:22 PM

What's on in Bohol (even when it rains) (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=474520&publicationSubCategoryId=87)

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5254/travel1.jpg

MANILA, Philippines - Boatmen call it “the sea between Bohol and Siquijor.” Here pumpboats ferry tourists to go dolphin-watching and island-hopping.

To catch sight of the dolphins, you need to be at mid-sea by early morning. The spot where dolphins come out to greet the first rays of sunlight is a 30-minute boat ride from Panglao Island’s beach resorts.

After the close encounter with the dolphins, you’re off to marvel at the rich coral bed and wide variety of fish in the marine sanctuary that is Balicasag Island, about 30 minutes away.

It is a must to go snorkeling when in Balicasag. From the pumpboat, where you can leave your things with the boatman, you transfer to a small paddle boat, which will carry up to three passengers to the designated snorkeling and fish-feeding area. The water is so clear; you can see the corals and schools of fish.

Next stop is Virgin Island off the coast of Panglao. After cruising for another 40 minutes, you dock at the tip of a tiny crescent-shaped white sandbar island.

Virgin Island is postcard-pretty. The sky and the sea come together in this uninhabited paradise. The water is not ideal for swimming as it is full of lusay, a type of seagrass, but it is quite photographable.

In the distance, catch a glimpse of Siquijor and Cebu. Aside from Panglao and Balicasag, a small Bohol island also comes into view. It is called Cat Island because stray cats in Panglao are “exiled” here as punishment for stealing food.

Also on Virgin Island, tourists can buy fresh catch from passing fishermen, who carry in their banca the harvest of the day. Balo, an elongated fish that thrives in shallow water, sells for P200 to P300 apiece depending on its size. Sea urchin roe are sold by the bottle for P100.

The Bohol dolphin-watching and island-hopping tour is interesting with each destination offering something different.

The bonus is that all throughout the tour, whether at sea or on an island, you can stay connected to the Internet via Smart Bro Prepaid. All you need is to equip your laptop with a Smart Bro plug-it USB modem.

Smart Bro is the high-speed wireless broadband Internet service that runs on Smart Communications Inc.’s nationwide HSPA network. Its prepaid version is a small USB-type wireless modem.

Smart Bro is available in both urban areas and remote provinces and towns.

“In Bohol, we have Smart Bro coverage in Panglao as well as in the municipalities of Tubigon, Talibon, Trinidad, Ubay, Guindulman, and Jagna,” says engineer Gerald Galdo of Smart Bohol. Residents from far-flung places need not travel to the main city to visit an Internet shop.

Loading a Smart Bro Prepaid broadband kit is as easy and affordable as loading a prepaid mobile phone. It costs only P10 for every 30 minutes, and load is available from over a million Smart e-load retailers all over the country.

With good connection, 30 minutes is more than enough time to reply to important e-mails, check out the news online, and even post photos on the spot to your social networking accounts.

And while the dolphins may not come out on a rainy morning, the Smart Bro connection is not affected by wet weather, not even by a downpour, as Galdo attests.

On such days when dolphin-watching and island-hopping may not be such a good idea, you can always stay in the beach resort and just surf the Net.

RonnieR

June 8th, 2009, 04:29 AM

The areas you mentioned in Q.C are off the beaten path to foreign tourists. Notice that you'll see more foreigners in Makati or around Manila Bay than in Q.C.

Especially Eastwood. There is no metro access heading there.

Also, you can just take the train from Marikina to Cubao Shoe Expo.

Hopefully, the BRT C5 will push thru to address the Eastwood access to public. It caters more to residential and call centers. I've seen some foreigners but they could be expats in several BPO companies there. However, I've seen some elderly Caucasian looking tourists - more than 20 with an old Filipina in tow... :)

Manila-X

June 8th, 2009, 04:53 AM

Hopefully, the BRT C5 will push thru to address the Eastwood access to public. It caters more to residential and call centers. I've seen some foreigners but they could be expats in several BPO companies there. However, I've seen some elderly Caucasian looking tourists - more than 20 with an old Filipina in tow... :)

There are some in Eastwood but mostly expats. And of course the company where they work can provide them a car.

Why BRT if you can have an elevated or underground metro?

Manila-X

June 8th, 2009, 04:54 AM

not to mention na wala namang masyadong hotel sa mga lugar na yan. pero i love Timog-T.Morato and Eastwood. sana they will convert Malate area into something like those places.

There are some nice hotels around Timog-T.Morato but are either 3 to 4 star. Camelot Hotel is one example and its a nice hotel. And there's this hotel with a TGIF on the ground floor, Great Eastern, etc.

http://vilmarice.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/camelot_hotel.259193445_std.jpg

icarusrising

June 8th, 2009, 05:38 AM

The allure of Ananyana (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=475078&publicationSubCategoryId=87)
RENDEZVOUS By Christine S. Dayrit Updated June 07, 2009 12:00 AM

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/9770/travel2.jpg
Ananyana’s Family Suite is rustic luxury with its fusion of Balinese-Filipino architecture.

It all started simply — as most journeys often do. The urban frenzy was becoming constricting and the need to escape to sublime serenity was necessary. Hibernating in a tried-and-tested soulful sanctuary was a must — this time, in the beautiful Ananyana resort, our home away from home in the sunny island of Panglao in Bohol.

Just a comfortable hour-long flight away was all it took for my family, friends and I to find ourselves enchanted by this slice of paradise. From Tagbilaran, the capital of Bohol, where our Cebu Pacific plane landed, we were whisked off along well-paved roads to this jewel of a resort in Panglao. From Ananyana’s enclave, guests can traipse to the province’s green-mantled hills, waterfalls, lush forests, caramel colored sandy beaches, meandering rivers and centuries-old churches. Guests can also opt to be ferried to the middle of the sea on a glass-bottom boat and watch dolphins frolicking. Today, Bohol is among the country’s top tourism destinations for it is an ode to the beauty and glory of its heritage and culture as well as a magnet to progressive infrastructure, amenities and very soon a new and posh airport.

The resort per se is a marvelous destination. What makes Ananyana all the more an extraordinary find is the fact that dining here is never second best. Indeed, Ananyana is popularly known as the choice destination for epicurean aficionados.

In this inn-timate resort, the aroma of food wafting from the open kitchen mixes well with the breeze coming from the pristine beachfront of the resort. At the resort’s one and only restaurant, the guests’ palates are teased and tickled with delightfully delicious entrees. The farmer’s breakfast is a hefty and heavenly serving of fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, onions, paprika and secret spices. It’s the favorite of my family as we hie off to this resort very religiously. Take advantage of Ananyana’s Pinoy Summer Specials of specially discounted packages until the end of this month. I assure you, it will be worth the trip.

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Besides the luxurious accommodations and amenities, the food at Ananyana makes the resort a fabulous travel destination. Everything on the menu is guaranteed to satiate one’s craving. From the resort’s fresh salads creatively arranged with fabulous dressings to the pasta with gamberi (juicy shrimps) drenched in olive oil, the resort’s kitchen staff proves that dining at Ananyana takes a stellar treatment. The bread pudding served piping hot with liquor and cream and slathered with white and dark chocolates is both a salvation and a sin. The assorted pizzas like margherita and seasoned marinara are divinely made from scratch. No wonder my youngest sister Yvonne and her husband Pael Romualdez and their diving buddies often book this lovely resort for an entire week of luxurious leisure and quality-time retreat.

At the resort, gracious GM Freddie Carmona warmly welcomed us. In this picturesque mise en scène in Panglao island, we were charmed anew by Ananyana. With 10 beautifully appointed rooms and two spacious family suites to share its lavish facilities and three kilometers of private beachfront, Ananyana resort certainly takes boutique hospitality to soaring heights.

The architecture of the resort’s suites are a fusion of Balinese and traditional Filipino styles. Each suite is replete with super-king-size beds with immaculate white linens, natural stonewall mounted showers, split-type air-conditioning and a well-equipped mini bar. The family suite can accommodate as many as eight persons with a living area with two divan beds, mezzanine type bedrooms and capiz-shelled sliding door that leads to the balcony. Take a refreshing shower in the indigenous Filipino-styled bathroom called tapayan with outdoor plants and antique jars filled with flower petals for that personal and loving touch.

In this tropical sanctuary, an ideal haven of exquisite idyllic living, the cream sand extends along the ocean while quaint hammocks under the towering palm trees rock you to the lullaby of the sea. Or you can lie on the sand so soft you feel you are reclined on cotton wool while having ice-cold frozen margaritas and daiquiris. During the day, you gaze at pure aquamarine; in the evening at the gently tinted play of colors as the sun fades into the ocean. If you turn your gaze inland, you see nature in all the green tones of a painter’s easel merging with the friendliness and graciousness of the resort staff. Their smiles seem to radiate from their hearts.

Ananyana is perched along the three-kilometer Doljo beach. The resort is a visual feast designed to caress the mind, body and soul. Nestled in settings that weave nature with tradition, the romance of Ananyana is a splendid treasure on the island of Panglao. In the midst of a picturesque sea view, the resort is perched on a landscaped plethora of greens and blooms, a patina of rainbow colors awash on the landscaped grounds. As you enter the lobby festooned with frescoes, wooden carvings, silk embroidered pillows, bronze artifacts and Balinese stupas, the scent of lavender and mint wafts in the air, arresting your senses. Tribal music and mellow jazz complement the sensual atmosphere as bamboo and wood furniture with comfortable sofas entice you to lie down and be embraced by the warmth and sincerity of the place. Furnished with local endemic wood, rattan and light-colored fabrics, the suite villas are built around sand dunes, lush landscapes, a restaurant and quaint spa nook. Beneath coconut palms and awash in the quiet murmur of the sea, one concomitantly communes with nature. In just a few moments, the tension of past years dissolve into pleasure — the newly acquired energy can later be used for an excursion to the Chocolate Hills, swimming by the gushing waterfalls of the Loboc river or visiting the sanctuary of the world’s smallest primate, the tarsiers.

One can also try the newest island activity, zip-lining, in which the daredevil in you can swing across exhilarating views of the mountain and sea that would even make the Mona Lisa envious. A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended along a cable mounted between two points of an incline. It is designed to enable a user propelled by gravity to ride from the top to the bottom along the inclined cable, usually made of stainless steel, by holding on or attaching to the freely moving pulley. The 550-meter zip-line is where tourists slide for their life while suspended above a canyon of about 250 to 300 meters over the gurgling Wahig River and its rocky beds. The slide, which takes about 45 seconds to a minute o complete, depending on one’s weight, is gravity controlled and has to be executed twice — another ride on the way back, which is rated an even bigger thrill by extreme adventurers.

The resort’s spa services are also a must. This outdoor sanctuary is home to herbal aromatic spa treatments. In this paradise, where the land meets the sea, can be found great spiritual power as both the earth and the water are renowned for their natural healing qualities. Rather like the properties themselves, the sophisticated treatments combine elements from both Eastern and Western practices, yet with suitable local flavor. The Tuina massage, an ancient Chinese form of massage based on acupressure, reestablishes the natural flow of universal energy while the Ananyana Blend immerses traditional local massage techniques using hand-prepared aromatherapy oils. The spa’s luxurious Tao Foot Revival begins with a lemongrass and patchouli oil fusion foot wash followed by a scrub combining pine, menthol and pumice. Body therapy rituals, herbal and fruit wraps and facials add to the sensory delights but at the core of the spa in Ananyana is not just pampering, but healing.

On our last night in Ananyana, the silvery full moon shining in all its glory created a stunning reflection on the calm waters. A candle-lit dinner of grilled barracuda with mango and avocado, tuna steak with remoullade sauce, tiger prawns sarong marinated with lemongrass and chili paste, stir-fried beef with lemon basil and bamboo shoots, Mahi-Mahi fillet with banana curry sauce and baked brawns with Mandarin sauce and tomato at al fresco dining area was a delightful way to end the day. Ice-cold amaretto sour cocktails energized our senses as we were serenaded by cicadas. It seemed as if we were in heaven or at least we felt very close to it.

It all began simply with the desire to get away. Our wanderlust led us back to Ananyana. In this resort, our home away from home, all we want to do is to stay.

Bosnyboy

June 8th, 2009, 06:31 AM

Heres a clip of a forgeign tv show (i supposed) showing life in manila now a days. Overall nice review naman. http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2009/06/citybycity-manila.html

icarusrising

June 8th, 2009, 08:09 AM

^^ Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed that. It was like looking at Manila from another's eyes.

icarusrising

June 8th, 2009, 10:20 AM

World’s only private luxury liner to visit RP (http://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp/?p=5660)
Posted on June 5th, 2009 under Beauty of the Philippines

The world’s only private residential cruise ship, ‘MV The World,’ with some 150 residents and guests on board, is set to sail through the Philippines’ prime tourist destinations, including premier beaches in Palawan, Boracay, and historic places in Manila come November.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said, “We are excited to welcome a first rate cruise ship operated and managed by US-based company ResidenSea.
“Our pristine and majestic beaches, heritage sites and shopping haven, well complemented by a fantastic tropical weather and warm friendly people, shall serve as a great treat to its residents and guests.”

According to Durano, “There is more to the Philippines to see and explore. We aim to have other world-class cruise vessels to attract to our shores.”
While the ship appears to be a typical holiday liner at 43,000 tons, ‘MV The World’ is the only private community at sea offering residential options and rental travel experiences to the discriminating traveler.

The MV World has 165 homes onboard ranging from 30 sq.m. (325 sq.ft.) up to 300 sq.m. (3,300 sq.ft.). The ship’s operator, ResidenSea, assists those who are interested to purchase a residence or rent a private home onboard the ship.

Its luxury studios are designed by world renowned names in ship design, Nina Campbell, JP Molyneux Studio, TMT Design, Yran & Storbraaten, and Hirsch Bedner & Associates.
Tourism Planning Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque Jr. said, “The World’s visit in the Philippines not only promotes the country but is also a great opportunity for us Filipinos to know about this one-of-a kind sea lifestyle which we may try to experience ourselves.”

Like in 2006 when The World last visited the Philippines, ResidenSea shall have a special guest chef to prepare a unique Filipino dinner for both passengers and crew; a well-known artist or photographer to showcase his or her works onboard; a travelling cultural show on each port; and a renowned specialist to talk about the Philippine political and economic landscape.

These are on top of authentic, original and genuine cultural, social and experiential tour activities while ashore.
(Story courtesy of PNA)

RonnieR

June 8th, 2009, 10:30 AM

There are some nice hotels around Timog-T.Morato but are either 3 to 4 star. Camelot Hotel is one example and its a nice hotel. And there's this hotel with a TGIF on the ground floor, Great Eastern, etc.

http://vilmarice.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/camelot_hotel.259193445_std.jpg

nice - just like in europe.

Heres a clip of a foreign tv show (i supposed) showing life in manila now a days. Overall nice review naman. http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2009/06/citybycity-manila.html

thanks for sharing...:)
World’s only private luxury liner to visit RP (http://goodnewspilipinas.com/wp/?p=5660)
Posted on June 5th, 2009 under Beauty of the Philippines

The world’s only private residential cruise ship, ‘MV The World,’ with some 150 residents and guests on board, is set to sail through the Philippines’ prime tourist destinations, including premier beaches in Palawan, Boracay, and historic places in Manila come November.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said, “We are excited to welcome a first rate cruise ship operated and managed by US-based company ResidenSea.
“Our pristine and majestic beaches, heritage sites and shopping haven, well complemented by a fantastic tropical weather and warm friendly people, shall serve as a great treat to its residents and guests.”

According to Durano, “There is more to the Philippines to see and explore. We aim to have other world-class cruise vessels to attract to our shores.”
While the ship appears to be a typical holiday liner at 43,000 tons, ‘MV The World’ is the only private community at sea offering residential options and rental travel experiences to the discriminating traveler.

The MV World has 165 homes onboard ranging from 30 sq.m. (325 sq.ft.) up to 300 sq.m. (3,300 sq.ft.). The ship’s operator, ResidenSea, assists those who are interested to purchase a residence or rent a private home onboard the ship.

Its luxury studios are designed by world renowned names in ship design, Nina Campbell, JP Molyneux Studio, TMT Design, Yran & Storbraaten, and Hirsch Bedner & Associates.
Tourism Planning Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque Jr. said, “The World’s visit in the Philippines not only promotes the country but is also a great opportunity for us Filipinos to know about this one-of-a kind sea lifestyle which we may try to experience ourselves.”

Like in 2006 when The World last visited the Philippines, ResidenSea shall have a special guest chef to prepare a unique Filipino dinner for both passengers and crew; a well-known artist or photographer to showcase his or her works onboard; a travelling cultural show on each port; and a renowned specialist to talk about the Philippine political and economic landscape.

These are on top of authentic, original and genuine cultural, social and experiential tour activities while ashore.
(Story courtesy of PNA)

I hope this is the start of more cruise ships.

Planning Democracy

June 9th, 2009, 02:34 AM

Ozymandias214

June 9th, 2009, 06:41 AM

^ Agreed, the surrounding area is $4!t, to be blunt about it.

icarusrising

June 10th, 2009, 09:09 AM

Philippine airline firms undaunted by bleak outlook of operators worldwide (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/164444/Philippine-airline-firms-undaunted-by-bleak-outlook-of-operators-worldwide#)
RUBY ANNE M. RUBIO, GMANews.TV
Article posted June 08, 2009 - 09:43 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Three local airlines remained confident about their respective outlooks despite global industry trends which indicate that the sector’s losses may double this year.

Philippine Airlines (PAL), reportedly Asia’s first air carrier, said that it would go “back to basics."

http://images.gmanews.tv/webpics/2009/090610_business1.jpg

The Lucio Tan-led carrier hopes to “adapt and cope with the current market volatility by focusing on product improvement, asset and cost management and business efficiency," PAL president Jaime J. Bautista said.

Part of this initiative is to maintain PAL’s On time Performance, which he claims is "better than industry standards."

“Improving customer service both on ground and in the air, and offering competitive and affordable rates to loyal customers and new passengers will entice them to fly more and patronize Philippine Airlines," he added.

The company also expressed its “cautious optimism" about its three-pronged strategy which will focus on “contribution margin, cost efficiency, and risk management."

The said strategy will help tide the company over “during these difficult times," Bautista said. He added that the airline would continue to look for ways “to improve its operations and control costs without compromising passenger safety and comfort."

Meanwhile, budget carrier Cebu Pacific Airlines expects to meet its goal of transporting nine million passengers this year, the company said.

Cebu Pacific, which flew 23 percent more passengers last year to 6.7 million, is ranked by Airline Business Magazine as the third largest low-cost carrier and 22nd in the world.

The airline’s projection for this year “stays the same" as market conditions during the period “have been anticipated," Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific Air Inc. vice president for marketing and distribution said.

However, she refused make any comments regarding the company’s financial performance. JG Summit Holdings Inc., Cebu Pacific’s parent, is listed at the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).

http://images.gmanews.tv/webpics/2009/090610_business2.jpg

She issued these remarks on the same day the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that losses are seen to double this year.

This year’s losses may reach $9 billion, twice the $4.7 billion estimated in March, IATA, which claims to represent airlines that serve 93 percent of global routes, said.

“There is no modern precedent for today’s economic meltdown," IATA director general and chief executive Giovanni Bisignani said in a statement. “This is the most difficult situation that the industry has faced."

IATA said revenues would drop an “unprecedented" 15 percent to $448 billion in 2009 from last year’s $528 billion.

Meanwhile, a different perspective is offered by Zest Airways.

Established last year after its owners acquired what was then Asian Spirit Airlines, Zest Airways currently serves local routes from Bacolod to Busuanga.

And that exactly is its advantage.

Although it expects to post losses for its first year, the company, like all local carriers, is “least affected in the region," said Alfredo Yao.

“Domestic travel is good. It has increased by 20 percent in the first quarter unlike those in the western side," he said.

These expectations go against the IATA’s global industry forecast.

Passenger demand is expected to decline by 8.03 percent to 2.06 billion travelers compared to 2.24 billion in 2008, the group said.

Meanwhile, air cargo demand is expected to decline by 17 percent.

In 2009, airlines will likely carry 16.96 percent less at 33.3 million tons of freight from 40.1 million tons in 2008, IATA said.

For this year, Asian carriers are seen to post “the biggest loss at $3.3 billion as the region’s largest market, Japan, is in deep recession," IATA said.

Growth markets of China and India are delivering major losses as export-driven demand slows, IATA said. Nevertheless, it added that this is a slightly better performance than the $3.9 billion that the region’s carriers lost in 2008.

To help reverse this bleak outlook, the IATA asked governments around the world to avoid protectionist policies even as they invigorate their economies to curb the global slowdown.

Liberalization is “more critical" since the airline industry is facing the “most difficult" situation that is seen to drag operators’ revenues and incomes, the IATA said.

“Our future depends on a drastic reshaping by partners, governments and industry. We cannot bear the cost of government micro-regulation, crazy taxation and partners abusing their monopoly power," Bisignani said.

He noted it took three years to recover after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

“Protectionism is the enemy of global prosperity. In the 1930s, it prolonged the recession. And it will not work today. To build a strong global economy, we must fight hard to keep the world trading," he added. - GMANews.TV

RonnieR

June 10th, 2009, 11:11 AM

This is in Cebu - i haven't been to this Kawasan falls but it looks beautiful.

June 04, 2009
by rustyboi (http://www.flickr.com/photos/restymail/)

Kawasan Falls, Badian
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3559/3609991047_50ee117138.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2463/3609991533_0ed92cc3a7.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3324/3610803600_707309c232.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2451/3609991691_e1fc8b9973.jpg

Mantayupan Falls, Barili
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3658/3610804804_280a65a2a0.jpg

RonnieR

June 10th, 2009, 11:12 AM

IMPERIAL HOTEL - new, Cebu
...view from Maribago Beach Resort (background: Imperial Hotel and EGI Hotel & Condo)
pic by @donalrey of flickr
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2462/3609734665_280a46eb31_b.jpg

bledzoe

June 11th, 2009, 02:58 PM

great shot!

bledzoe

June 11th, 2009, 04:25 PM

http://anton.blogs.com/flag/large.jpg

HAPPY 111th INDEPENDENCE DAY!

credit to Mr. Anton Diaz for the photo.

TeslaCoil

June 11th, 2009, 06:18 PM

wow bledzoe pinoy ka talaga hindi tulad ng iba dito na...

Rence

June 13th, 2009, 03:10 PM

http://www.ice.com.ph/images/poster-pifgex09.jpg

Poster of the Event:

This event is expected to draw between 15,000 to 20,000 people from all over the country and all over the world! This is one of the biggest Flora and Fauna event for the year Where one could see and experience rare natural beauties that our country is known for!!!

> 2-Day Conference on Flora & Fauna with topic on:
•
Philippine Tree species
•
Orchid and flowering epiphytes
•
Fern, palms and cycads
•
Other important Philippine plant species
•
Small Philippine mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fishes and insects

> Inventors’ Pavilion showcasing environment-friendly inventions

> Avilon Zoo to display Asian and South American animals

>Filipinas Stamp Collectors’ Club – Will exhibit local and foreign stamps, which will feature rare, endangered, and extinct flora and fauna. FSCC sponsors “ free postal heritage walking tour” around Manila’s historical districts and representatives of the club will provide lecture about “ Stamps as a Tool in Nature Conservation” and " Staring a Collection on Flora and Fauna on Stamps " during the expo.

Yahoo groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/filipi...ollectorsclub/

Philippine Daily Inquirer - April 25, 2009 Issue about " Philippine Postal Heritage Walking Tour : " http://services.inquirer.net/print/p...0090425-201434

Philippine Postal Corporation- Asia’s oldest postal corporation will exhibit a variety of flora and fauna on stamps.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources – will exhibit flora and fauna representing the 16 regions of the country

Philippine Orchid Society -The country’s oldest orchid and plant association staffs and officers will provide technical assistance to the people, which would like to start orchid raising. There will also be an orchid landscape exhibit .
Philippine Orchid Society Website: http://www.philippineorchidsocietyph.org/beta1/

Philippine Native Plant Conservation Society , Inc. – will exhibit different photographs of rare, endemic , flora of the country.

Cactus and Succulent Society of the Philippines - The society will exhibit rare, outrageous and different species and varieties of cactus and succulent collections from all over the world!!! The landscaping head is a 20 year old culinary and entrepreneur student Mr. Noel Vincent Canicula of Rizal .

He will also provide a lecture on growing cactus and succulent in the Philippines on July 19 sunday .

EDSA Garden House – One of the largest garden and herb retailers in the country will have an interesting exhibit of various culinary herbs, medicinal herbs among others.

Flower Club Philippines – will sponsor flower arrangement competition

King Louis Farm – One of the country’s biggest ornamental flowering plants and potted plant producer will exhibit beautiful potted plants such as mums, liliums , amaryllis , calla lilies among others.

Malvarosa Orchids– Malvarosa Orchids of Batangas will exhibit rare and new orchid hybrids named after famous Philippine celebrities and politicians in magnificently landscape rural rustic setting.
Malvarosa Orchids Website: http://malvarosaorchids.com/OrchidNewsAndEvents.aspx

Red Ostrich Farm - Established in 2002, Red Ostrich Farm is engaged in the breeding of live ostriches, supply and processing of fresh meat and exquisite ostrich leather, eggshells and feathers. The tranquil farmland is located in Bustos, Bulacan.

Paradizoo – Paradizoo is a farm theme park in Tagaytay will have an animal show during the expo .

Zoobic Safari – one of the biggest zoos in Central Luzon will be exhibiting fascinating animals. Local and foreign visitors can expect an astonishing site of diverse exotic animals roaming and frolicking in the expo site. It features a wide range of habitats present in the forest due to the terrain.

> Garden, Plants & Animal Display
•
Landscape of indoor and outdoor gardens
•
Garden Services (Landscape, Architecture, Construction)
•
Plants, Herbs, & Flower Display
•
BFAR Aquamarine Life

> Exhibits

•
Photo Exhibit
•
Flower Arrangement Exhibit

> Retail Area

•
Garden and Farm Produce such as vegetables and fruits
•
Organic Products
•
Beauty & Wellness products and services
•
Eco Products
•
Pets (mammals, dogs, cats, reptiles, fishes, birds)
•
Pet Food, Pet Accessories and supplies
•
Plants, Flowers and Herbs
•
Garden materials, tools, supplies and accessories
•
Wellness Beauty products and services
•
Garden and Environment – friendly services

> Competitions

•
Flower Arrangement Competition
•
Photo Competition
•
Art Competition
•
Plant Competition

Entrance fee is : Php 100 for general public, and special discount for senior citizens and large groups.

> FREE lectures, demos, workshops and product launches within the 2 activity areas

Join us in re-educating everyone in protecting and sustaining nature in our
modern daily lives. We expect over 20,000 participants, students, nature lovers, advocates of plants and animals conservation, flower clubs, garden enthusiasts, animal raisers and hobbyists, teachers, researches, local and foreign visitors, industry practitioners, suppliers, traders, NGOs and private organizations, tour organizers and the general public.

We look forward to protecting and sustaining nature and celebrate life with you in the 2nd Philippine International Flora & Fauna Garden Expo (PIFGEX 2009).

For more information, please call or email ICE INC at 584.5321, 584.5316, 727.2151, ice.incorporated@yahoo.com.ph or info@ice.com.ph

jhunix

June 13th, 2009, 11:13 PM

Cable Cars in Lake Sebu’s Seven Falls : A different kind of adventure

Apart from the intact T’boli culture and wonderful sceneries, a different kind of adventure will soon be experienced by tourists in Lake Sebu in South Cotabato.

Lake Sebu is known for its natural lake and home to the indigenous T’bolis, Tirurays, Ubos and Manobo tribes.

Lake Sebu cable cars
Beautiful Lake Sebu

This southwestern Mindanao’s summer capital also have a majestic waterfalls called Seven Falls.

According to reports, talks between the provincial government and the investor already started last week about the proposed cable car tours at the Seven Falls located in Lake Sebu town.

Colorado Springs has their own version of seven falls but South Cotabato’s version is totally different. Imagine a series of river drops along the lush mountain forest that’s located in approximately 1,00 meters above sea level.

The planned Sacdalan Cable Car Tours will only operate along the second waterfalls up to the fourth waterfalls only but the said investor expressed interest in putting cable cars until the highest falls.

The local tourism officials of Lake Sebu also plans to put a zip line along the Seven Falls. Currently, the Seven Falls attracted 3,000 local tourists last Holy Week.

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5514/105733396ri4jjtzgimg082.jpg (http://img191.imageshack.us/i/105733396ri4jjtzgimg082.jpg/)

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/1193/27184035994e9e269fba.jpg (http://img355.imageshack.us/i/27184035994e9e269fba.jpg/)

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/7163/sebufalls101.jpg (http://img355.imageshack.us/i/sebufalls101.jpg/)

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/6177/271485104131af9e2e7f.jpg (http://img37.imageshack.us/i/271485104131af9e2e7f.jpg/)

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7844/2ndfalls.th.jpg (http://img141.imageshack.us/i/2ndfalls.jpg/)

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/2752/13527640417e586f8376o.jpg (http://img193.imageshack.us/i/13527640417e586f8376o.jpg/)

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/2594/1352776547064e315ac0o.jpg (http://img188.imageshack.us/i/1352776547064e315ac0o.jpg/)

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/3014/24110451677efb457c41o.jpg (http://img44.imageshack.us/i/24110451677efb457c41o.jpg/)

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/7059/2411871976de9cf13735o.th.jpg (http://img38.imageshack.us/i/2411871976de9cf13735o.jpg/)

(photo courtesy of Leonard Pe and iconwulf.net)

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1117/mindanaolakesebuviews.th.jpg
(http://img132.imageshack.us/i/mindanaolakesebuviews.jpg/)

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/8893/lakesebu.jpg (http://img44.imageshack.us/i/lakesebu.jpg/)

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/344/2712276195764b173aba.jpg (http://img355.imageshack.us/i/2712276195764b173aba.jpg/)

the serenity of place.......

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/7314/sebufalls104.jpg (http://img31.imageshack.us/i/sebufalls104.jpg/)
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/9022/89394384vqhcqswbimg0246.jpg (http://img41.imageshack.us/i/89394384vqhcqswbimg0246.jpg/)

the beauty of nature....

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/6062/2722252332c83db6c345.jpg (http://img32.imageshack.us/i/2722252332c83db6c345.jpg/)

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/8948/105732441l1yj76xximg051.jpg (http://img38.imageshack.us/i/105732441l1yj76xximg051.jpg/)

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/8300/886736964whssm3elakeseb.jpg (http://img32.imageshack.us/i/886736964whssm3elakeseb.jpg/)

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/5809/88674840rrqy7896img0784.jpg (http://img38.imageshack.us/i/88674840rrqy7896img0784.jpg/)

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/485/89394473eze5pqhwsibling.jpg (http://img44.imageshack.us/i/89394473eze5pqhwsibling.jpg/)

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/4885/105730131dokg4pzkimg080.jpg (http://img191.imageshack.us/i/105730131dokg4pzkimg080.jpg/)

the people...

:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

federalist

June 14th, 2009, 07:18 PM

PITF seen to boost Central Visayas as RP's tourism super-region
Updated June 12, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The forthcoming Philippine International Tourism Fair (PITF) 2009 will further widen and reinforce the global reputation of Central Visayas as the Philippines’ tourism super-region, with the Queen City of Cebu as its capital.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said the foreign travel agents from Hong Kong, China, North America, Japan, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries joining the PITF 2009 “will have a very gratifying personal experience on what this tourism super-region is all about.”

Durano was referring to the beautiful and colorful exhibits to be showcased by local exhibitors at the PITF and its many exciting activities, including pre- and post-event tours around the region for the foreign travel wholesale buyers.

“They (foreign delegates) will have a great time enjoying the best of the bests of Central Visayas, starting with the province of Cebu itself where the PITF will be held on June 25-27 at the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu,” Durano said.

The foreign buyers include tour operators, travel agencies, retailers, corporate travel planners, specialized tour companies, incentive travel and wellness program organizers, and medical tourism intermediaries, among many others.

On the other hand, the sellers generally include the various sectors of the local tourism industry seeking new foreign markets for their tourism destinations, products and services.

Both parties will have business meetings on June 26 during the Travel Market Exchange (Tramex), which forms part of the three-day PITF 2009.

The Philippine Convention and Visitors Corp. (PCVC) will allot 8 to 9 a.m. of June 26 for the Tramex briefing and for the request session for onsite business appointments.

The marketing arm of the Department of Tourism, the PCVC handles and manages the Tramex, a full day of serious business negotiations between the foreign agents/buyers and local sellers/exhibitors.

“Tramex offers the opportunity for the local industry to deal directly with their foreign markets,” said chairman Angel Ramos Bognot of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies Inc. (NAITAS), the PITF organizer and the country’s biggest industry organization with over a thousand members nationwide.

“Aside from Tramex, the PITF 2009 also includes corporate exhibitions, seminars and educational sessions, business networking, marketing presentations, product launches, pre- and post-event tours, NAITAS general assembly, and many other activities,” Bognot said.

The PITF is the country’s premier and only global travel event held annually in Cebu.

Industry members who want to join the PITF and/or Tramex may call the PITF secretariat at 523-8375, 523-7504 or 523-7501 or e-mail at pitf_sec@yahoo.com or the Tramex secretariat at 525-9318 or 525-7320 or e-mail at ttu@dotpcvc.gov.ph.

Supported by the DOT and its attached agencies PCVC and the Philippine Tourism Authority, the PITF 2009 “will unveil the latest market trends and best industry practices, and generate optimum deals and long-term corporate alliances for our tourism sector,” Durano said.

jhunix

June 16th, 2009, 08:14 PM

Mati, Davao Oriental

MORE PICS

DAHICAN (mga artistahin...:):):):) )

The beach of Barangay Dahican is characterized by white sand and often times strong wind making it ideal for wind and board surfing. It is approximately a 15-minute ride from the Poblacion and accessible by any means of land transport.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/5561/dahican2.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/i/dahican2.jpg/)

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3125/dahican1p.jpg (http://img151.imageshack.us/i/dahican1p.jpg/)

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/699/f376561613c34b8bb4f8d28.jpg (http://img23.imageshack.us/i/f376561613c34b8bb4f8d28.jpg/)

OAK ISLAND

This very small island of white sand is only visible during low tide and disappears during high tide. The island is located in Barangay Lawigan and could be reached by a rented motorboat for P 1,000.00 from Masao Beach Resort or Gregorio Beach Resort

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/6959/oako.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/i/oako.jpg/)

PUJADA ISLAND
This is a 156-hectare island located at the entrance of Pujada Bay in Barangay Lawigan. It is surrounded by white sandy beaches ideal for swimming, sunbathing and snorkeling. The place can be reached by motorboat after about an hour travel. The island has no facilities yet, so visitors just stay under the trees for shade or while gazing at the clear blue waters surrounding the island.

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/3420/pujada1.jpg (http://img197.imageshack.us/i/pujada1.jpg/)

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9171/pujada2.jpg (http://img196.imageshack.us/i/pujada2.jpg/)

WANIBAN ISLAND

Located at Barangay Tamisan, this small island of approximately four hectares is also ideal for picnic, swimming & sunbathing because of its white sand. It would only take 30 minutes boat ride from its jump of area, Masao Beach Resort to be able to reach the place where cottages are available for rentals. Tourist may either bring food and water when entering into this island or may opt for a fresh catch fishes.

Some foreign, domestic and local tourists have gone in the area for sightseeing and beach holiday. Recommended duration of visit is slag (stop, look, and go), excursion and overnight camping.

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/4817/waniban1.jpg (http://img193.imageshack.us/i/waniban1.jpg/)

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/2107/waniban2.jpg (http://img526.imageshack.us/i/waniban2.jpg/)

SLEEPING DINO...:):):):)

This natural attraction is approximately 579 hectares located at sitio Baso of Barangay Badas. It is visible upon passing the eight (8) kms. winding road of Badas going to Mati from Davao City. It can be reached by motorboat within 25-minute ride. This attraction is cited as one of the key major tourism development areas of the Province’s Tourism Master Plan. So far, only local and domestic tourists have gone in the area.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/4922/82064866.jpg (http://img31.imageshack.us/i/82064866.jpg/)

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/332/1590546974l.jpg (http://img198.imageshack.us/i/1590546974l.jpg/)

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/3971/1850798086l.jpg (http://img198.imageshack.us/i/1850798086l.jpg/)

Philippine Eagle Sanctuary

The Philippine Eagle Sanctuary covers 7,000 hectares of tropical forest within the Barangay Cabuaya and Luban. The nesting tree is a at the heart of the sanctuary in an old growth forest in Mount Malantao as per barangay resolution no. 32. Raptors were identified by Barangay resolution no. 34 as Cabu (Male), Aya (Female), and Cabuaya (juvenile).

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/6637/53647255.jpg (http://img44.imageshack.us/i/53647255.jpg/)

Mangrove Nursery

This is a joint project of the Guang-Guang Community and the DENR, as the habitat of the Marine Lives Conservation. Some of the sea turtles were already released to the open. The mangrove nursery is maintained to provide a good spawning ground for marine lives.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3611/42437036.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/i/42437036.jpg/)

Jericho Camp Site

This green relaxing pasture is located at Barangay Macambol, accessible by any means of land transport and can reach by an hour travel from Mati Poblacion.

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4554/jerichoi.jpg (http://img142.imageshack.us/i/jerichoi.jpg/)

Bonsai Forest

The grandiose nature view of Bonsai Forest is located upon reaching the top of Mt. Hamiguitan at San Isidro. It is a 32 kms. away from the city and can be reach by an hour travel by land. Upon arriving, 9-10 hours of walk to reach the top Mt. Hamiguitan and while getting there the different bonsai can be viewed as if every allegory is taken from within you.

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/1332/800pxmounthamiguitanpea.jpg (http://img41.imageshack.us/i/800pxmounthamiguitanpea.jpg/)

Davao Oriental Provincial Capitol

This is located at Capitol Hills in Barangay Central. It is nestled on the hilltop overlooking Pujada Bay. Measuring one hectare, it houses all offices of the provincial government and a few national government agencies. It has a park, children’s playground, basketball and tennis courts.

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/8938/1355680096l.jpg (http://img197.imageshack.us/i/1355680096l.jpg/)

Menzi Citrus Plantation

This is owned and managed by Menzi Farmers Cooperative (MEFCO) but currently the mango plantation is being rented by the DOLE Philippines. Production is focus on quality fruits like mango, pomelo, grapes and cashew. About 60 hectares is planted to mango, 30 hectares to cashew, 18 hectares to pomelo, and 3 hectares to grapes plantation. The plantation occupies a portion of the land area of Barangay Don Martin Marundan. It has a mango processing plant producing mango puree and dehydrated mango strips. This plantation is one of Mati’s prides and often included in the itinerary of whoever comes to Mati either for business, leisure or exposure trips.

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9297/1248806288l.jpg (http://img196.imageshack.us/i/1248806288l.jpg/)

Tarsier Habitat

Existence of Tarsiers locally known as “MAGO” in the City of Mati at Barangay Bobon was recorded late 70’s in private lands of Andrada, Laude, Malabanan, Gregorio, Chan, Santiago-Garcia and Punzalan.

With the recent development of resort industry in these areas and rampant pouching which endangers the population of Tarsiers, the Local Government of Mati, the Sambuokan Foundation, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and some media groups conducted an exploration to locate the habitat and initiated a Rehabilitation and Conservation Project dubbed as “Friends of Mago” to preserve its existence. As such, public awareness was also conducted through the Barangay Tourism Council, which serves as the steward and the caretaker of this small primate.

Dolphin/Sea Cow Sighting

These sea creatures are abundant in the area of Macambol and Lawigan of Pujada Bay where extensive sea grass abounds. Dolphins are often sighted in the month of June to August.

Buso Hot Spring

The spring is located amidst the forest of barangay Buso. The hot mineral water can really provide invigorating and revitalizing effect to one’s tired body after a hard day’s work. The attraction is about 30-minute ride on a rough road from Mati Poblacion by private car or motor vehicles.

Other Attractions

There are still other tourist attractions in the City that have to be explored for identification and proper documentation like the Pygmy Forest and the Jericho Camping Site in Macambol; the Guano Cave and Lagoon in Luban, and others that await exploration. The City Tourism Office is encouraging all barangays to conduct exploration of possible tourism potentials in their areas for inclusion in the tourism plan of the city. Likewise, the fast developing tourism industry in Mati is the establishment of beach resorts in the beautiful and long stretch of its coastal areas.

:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

dvbaicrviser

June 17th, 2009, 02:47 PM

Nepal
http://www.welcomenepal.com/promotional/

Tanzania
http://www.tanzaniatouristboard.com/

Ecuador
http://www.ecuador.com/

Romania
http://www.romaniatourism.com/

Philippines :ohno:
http://www.tourism.gov.ph/
http://www.philtourism.com/

Naubos na ba magagaling na web designers sa 'Pinas? :bash:

Sa mga cities at provinces, so far, ito ang mga matitinong nakita ko:

Negros Occidental
http://www.visitnegros.com/

Baguio
http://www.gobaguio.com/

shyaman

June 17th, 2009, 11:12 PM

Agree. Our tourism websites are really not impressive. There's no 'wow' factor, even if the header says Wow Philippines. I noticed also that the pictures posted in those sites are not really good. There are lots of excellent pictures by professional photographers that they can solicit to be posted in the website.

jhunix

June 18th, 2009, 08:12 AM

bartstrife99

June 18th, 2009, 12:20 PM

MatudNilaBaby

June 18th, 2009, 09:17 PM

Mati, Davao Oriental

:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

in god we trust caption in a government building. sounds like the green buck. can't we find other statement that make us original and not a copy cat? sounds like we're still "tuta" of the americans.

cq40

June 19th, 2009, 05:11 AM

in_a_rush

June 19th, 2009, 03:43 PM

sana naman mag-hire sila ng magagaling na website desigeners for our tourism websites. and make it more simple as possible para mas madaling ma-navigate.

amigo32

June 20th, 2009, 02:43 AM

in god we trust caption in a government building. sounds like the green buck. can't we find other statement that make us original and not a copy cat? sounds like we're still "tuta" of the americans.

Palitan ng " Buddha grant as peace and prosperity:D::lol::lol::lol:
ayan asian na asian:D

sana naman mag-hire sila ng magagaling na website desigeners for our tourism websites. and make it more simple as possible para mas madaling ma-navigate.

pssst, mawalan namn ang trabaho ang mga ka close ni Secretary:D

Porknight

June 20th, 2009, 02:45 AM

well the http://www.tourism.gov.ph not that bad , at least get some useful informations.

in_a_rush

June 20th, 2009, 10:19 PM

Manila wins bigger slice of cruise market

Roderick T. dela Cruz
Manila Standard
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news5_june20_2009

THE Philippines is slowly becoming a destination for cruise ship passengers from Europe and the United States, and their number is expected to double in the coming months.

Costa Cruises, one of the largest European luxury passenger liners, has been bringing close to a thousand tourists to the country each month since May 2007, according to Jenica Ferrer, sales and operations officer of the Italian-flagged Costa Cruises in Manila.

Costa Cruises has 15 veritable floating hotels deployed around the world. One of its ships, Costa Allegra, is dedicated to cruise Southeast Asia .

Last year, Costa Allegra made 14 port calls in Manila and brought 10,586 tourists. It is expected to return to the South Harbor tomorrow as part of a regional swing that includes stops in Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Da-Nang in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia and Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei.

The Web site of Costa Cruises showed that the Southeast Asian tour costs between 1,000 euros and 2,000 euros per passenger depending on the type of ship accommodation and tour package chosen.

Costa Allegra docks at Pier 13 at the South Harbor in Manila from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and their passengers have the option to avail themselves of any of the four tour packages.

The tour packages, lasting up to eight hours each, include bus tours around Metro Manila or to Tagaytay and Pagsanjan, or a short cruise to Corregidor. The cost of the local tour including lunch is 50 to 100 euros.

Costa Allegra has visited Manila six times this year, bringing a total of 4,710 tourists of whom 2,464 opted to go ashore and join the tours, Ferrer said.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said the Philippines expected 18,000 cruise passengers this year from 15 visits of the Costa Cruises, up from 10,586 last year, since the cruise company would field a larger vessel starting October—the 1,680-bed Costa Classica—instead of the 800-bed Costa Allegra.

Costa Cruises’ guests had cited the Philippines for having the warmest arrival reception of their destinations, with the Tourism Department treating day visitors to cultural performances and great shopping, Tourism Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque Jr. said

The Manila tour, for example, involves a visit to Intramuros, Fort Santiago, San Agustin Church and Museum, Manila Cathedral, Casa Manila, tdhe American Cemetery, Coconut Palace, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the financial district of Makati.

Boracay is also starting to get noticed by cruise operators, with the Delphin Voyager making a stop in the world-famous island in February.

Another ship, the Silver Whisper, also stopped in Cebu after Manila in February.

in_a_rush

June 20th, 2009, 10:23 PM

its a good thing that our big companies (megaworld, sm, ayala and robinsons) are now venturing in tourism. they are now building budget hotels which we lack. this can cater to back packers and even budget conscious balikbayans. :banana::banana:

Philippines' Megaworld still expecting higher profits

KRISTINE JANE R. LIU
BusinessWorld
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW062009/content.php?id=041

Andrew L. Tan-led property company Megaworld Corp. expects lower reservation sales this year but remains optimistic that it will close the year with higher profits.

"We feel some effect of the global crisis but we are confident that we will meet our P4 billion net income target this year," Megaworld Executive Director Kingson U. Sian told reporters at the sidelines of the company’s stockholders meeting on Friday. The P4-billion target is higher than the P3.8 billion in profits posted in 2008.

Mr. Sian however said Megaworld does not expect a repeat of last year’s reservation sales performance because of the economic slowdown, but sees the company equalling its 2007 sales.

"Last year was the best year in our over 20-year history. Reservation sales will likely be slower this year as people are nervous and tend to hold back a bit," he said. "Still, we are quite happy with the rate that we are going now and we will likely meet or exceed our reservation sales in 2007 which is another record year."

Megaworld’s reservation sales hit P24 billion last year, higher than the P19 billion posted in 2007. For the first three months of the year, Megaworld’s reservations stood at P7 billion, already higher than the P5 billion posted in 2007.

Megaworld plans to spend around P8 billion to P9 billion for projects this year, lower than the P10 billion spent last year. It also plans to launch five new residential projects worth P12 billion, namely Two Central in Makati City, another project in Eastwood City, Palmtree in Newport, and phase two of The Venice and Morgan Suites in Taguig’s Fort Bonifacio.

Mr. Sian also said Megaworld is finalizing plans for its 40-hectare project at the entertainment complex being built by the state gambling monopoly, and is already completing a plan to build an "iconic building" on a five-hectare lot at Paseo de Roxas in Makati.

Megaworld will also build two new Richmonde Hotels in Quezon City’s Eastwood commercial center and in Binondo, Manila. The company already has one in Ortigas.

The Richmonde Hotel in Eastwood will have 150 to 175 rooms and is expected to open next year while plans for the Manila-based Richmonde have yet to be finished. Mr. Sian said the project cost for each room in Richmonde would be around $70,000.

Aside from Richmonde, Megaworld, through unit Travellers International Hotel Group, Inc., will also venture into budget hotels. This will be under the Remington brand, with up to 800 rooms.

"We are already finalizing the design and hope to complete it this year. By end of next year or early 2011, we expect it to be complete," he said.

Megaworld is among the many property companies that have started venturing into "economic"-type hotels to take advantage of high demand. The SM group has already launched its SM Inns while the Gokongweis are expected to open their first Go Hotels next year.

Mr. Sian said Remington would be built along with its other high-end hotels — six-star Maxim and Marriott located near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

"We want to target all segments of the market," Mr. Sian said. Shares in Megaworld closed at P1 per share on Friday, 0.64% lower.

Rence

June 21st, 2009, 02:11 AM

http://gardenevents.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/pos-booth.jpg
Philippine Orchid Society exhibit booth during last year's PIFGEX 2008

http://gardenevents.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/pnpcsi-booth.jpg
Philippine Native Plant Conservation Society booth last PIFGEX 2008

http://gardenevents.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/inauguration1.jpg
Last year -guests of honor Sec. Lito Atienza , Rachy Cuna , Congresswoman Cynthia Villar

http://gardenevents.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/fairies-dancing.jpg
Opening dance July 18,2008

http://www.ice.com.ph/images/poster-pifgex09.jpg
Poster of the event

This event is expected to draw between 15,000 to 20,000 people from all over the country and all over the world! This is one of the biggest Flora and Fauna event for the year Where one could see and experience rare natural beauties that our country is known for!!!

> 2-Day Conference on Flora & Fauna with topic on:
•
Philippine Tree species
•
Orchid and flowering epiphytes
•
Fern, palms and cycads
•
Other important Philippine plant species
•
Small Philippine mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fishes and insects

> Inventors’ Pavilion showcasing environment-friendly inventions

> Avilon Zoo to display Asian and South American animals

>Filipinas Stamp Collectors’ Club – Will exhibit local and foreign stamps, which will feature rare, endangered, and extinct flora and fauna. FSCC sponsors “ free postal heritage walking tour” around Manila’s historical districts and representatives of the club will provide lecture about “ Stamps as a Tool in Nature Conservation” and " Staring a Collection on Flora and Fauna on Stamps " during the expo.

Yahoo groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/filipi...ollectorsclub/

Philippine Daily Inquirer - April 25, 2009 Issue about " Philippine Postal Heritage Walking Tour : " http://services.inquirer.net/print/p...0090425-201434

Philippine Postal Corporation- Asia’s oldest postal corporation will exhibit a variety of flora and fauna on stamps.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources – will exhibit flora and fauna representing the 16 regions of the country

Philippine Orchid Society -The country’s oldest orchid and plant association staffs and officers will provide technical assistance to the people, which would like to start orchid raising. There will also be an orchid landscape exhibit .
Philippine Orchid Society Website: http://www.philippineorchidsocietyph.org/beta1/

Philippine Native Plant Conservation Society , Inc. – will exhibit different photographs of rare, endemic , flora of the country.

Cactus and Succulent Society of the Philippines - The society will exhibit rare, outrageous and different species and varieties of cactus and succulent collections from all over the world!!! The landscaping head is a 20 year old culinary and entrepreneur student Mr. Noel Vincent Canicula of Rizal .

He will also provide a lecture on growing cactus and succulent in the Philippines on July 19 sunday .

EDSA Garden House – One of the largest garden and herb retailers in the country will have an interesting exhibit of various culinary herbs, medicinal herbs among others.

Flower Club Philippines – will sponsor flower arrangement competition

King Louis Farm – One of the country’s biggest ornamental flowering plants and potted plant producer will exhibit beautiful potted plants such as mums, liliums , amaryllis , calla lilies among others.

Malvarosa Orchids– Malvarosa Orchids of Batangas will exhibit rare and new orchid hybrids named after famous Philippine celebrities and politicians in magnificently landscape rural rustic setting.
Malvarosa Orchids Website: http://malvarosaorchids.com/OrchidNewsAndEvents.aspx

Red Ostrich Farm - Established in 2002, Red Ostrich Farm is engaged in the breeding of live ostriches, supply and processing of fresh meat and exquisite ostrich leather, eggshells and feathers. The tranquil farmland is located in Bustos, Bulacan.

Paradizoo – Paradizoo is a farm theme park in Tagaytay will have an animal show during the expo .

Zoobic Safari – one of the biggest zoos in Central Luzon will be exhibiting fascinating animals. Local and foreign visitors can expect an astonishing site of diverse exotic animals roaming and frolicking in the expo site. It features a wide range of habitats present in the forest due to the terrain.

> Garden, Plants & Animal Display
•
Landscape of indoor and outdoor gardens
•
Garden Services (Landscape, Architecture, Construction)
•
Plants, Herbs, & Flower Display
•
BFAR Aquamarine Life

> Exhibits

•
Photo Exhibit
•
Flower Arrangement Exhibit

> Retail Area

•
Garden and Farm Produce such as vegetables and fruits
•
Organic Products
•
Beauty & Wellness products and services
•
Eco Products
•
Pets (mammals, dogs, cats, reptiles, fishes, birds)
•
Pet Food, Pet Accessories and supplies
•
Plants, Flowers and Herbs
•
Garden materials, tools, supplies and accessories
•
Wellness Beauty products and services
•
Garden and Environment – friendly services

> Competitions

•
Flower Arrangement Competition
•
Photo Competition
•
Art Competition
•
Plant Competition

Entrance fee is : Php 100 for general public, and special discount for senior citizens and large groups.

> FREE lectures, demos, workshops and product launches within the 2 activity areas

Join us in re-educating everyone in protecting and sustaining nature in our
modern daily lives. We expect over 20,000 participants, students, nature lovers, advocates of plants and animals conservation, flower clubs, garden enthusiasts, animal raisers and hobbyists, teachers, researches, local and foreign visitors, industry practitioners, suppliers, traders, NGOs and private organizations, tour organizers and the general public.

We look forward to protecting and sustaining nature and celebrate life with you in the 2nd Philippine International Flora & Fauna Garden Expo (PIFGEX 2009).

For more information, please call or email ICE INC at 584.5321, 584.5316, 727.2151, ice.incorporated@yahoo.com.ph or info@ice.com.ph

RonnieR

June 22nd, 2009, 03:51 AM

dinabaw

June 22nd, 2009, 03:01 PM

Davao Wild Water Rafting

X8aeQWx1AIo&feature=player_embedded[/url]

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/7893/470448224.jpg

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/9417/470448234.jpg

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/2513/470448242.jpg

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/5871/470448244.jpg

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/3875/470448248.jpg

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/1081/470448252.jpg

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/5861/470448264.jpg

dinabaw

June 22nd, 2009, 03:02 PM

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/772/smallzipline.png
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/1161/filedrawtext2php.gif (http://img197.imageshack.us/i/filedrawtext2php.gif/)

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/8540/eden183.jpg (http://img20.imageshack.us/i/eden183.jpg/)
Skyride

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/1221/kadayawan228.jpg (http://img40.imageshack.us/i/kadayawan228.jpg/)
Slide for Life

dinabaw

June 22nd, 2009, 03:06 PM

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/4586/3650091332e2b19b49f8b.jpg

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5017/36492880630f8620a08eb.jpg

RonnieR

June 22nd, 2009, 05:22 PM

^^ dinabaw: I thought the rapids is in CDO...it's cool that you have it in Davao...where is it?

Is it really a cultural show or something different? the attire hehehe

jhunix

June 22nd, 2009, 06:11 PM

Tubing

Another must-do in Davao is to ride inner tubes down the Davao River. This time, after being trained in river kayaking at Camp Bighorn, Andy gave the big group a safety briefing beforehand, teaching about strainers, the whitewater position and the difference between "smiling holes" and "frowning holes." Also, one of Dad's Filipino friends had two river kayaks, so we got to take turns enjoying a very different perspective of navigating the Davao River.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/4919/dsc03772o.jpg

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/4582/dsc03802c.jpg

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/6391/dsc03813g.jpg

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3323/dsc03891l.jpg

http://www.dankatie.com/photos/04/12-asia/tubing/

:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

filcan

June 22nd, 2009, 11:31 PM

International press hails Philippine dive sites’ diversity

June 22, 2009, 4:50pm

Century-old wrecks, mating mandarin fish, threatening thresher sharks, meter-long giant clams: These are just some of the reasons why professional divers from the United States and the United Kingdom are getting more and more drawn to the Philippines’ underwater paradise.

“With over 60 registered sites spread out in our islands, the country has one of the most diverse highlights for diving,” said Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.

Two lengthy features with full colored images on the island’s premier dive sites in Puerto Galera, Malapascua, Apo Island and Palawan landed on UK and US editions of top dive magazine Sport Diver recently.

The Department of Tourism hosted the underwater exploration by seasoned travel writer Ted Alan Stedman and award-winning photographer Carlos Villoch in Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguete, Boracay, Palawan, and Puerto Galera, which yielded a 10-page, full-color article on Sport Diver magazine’s US edition.

Stedman is well-known freelance travel writer while Carlos is an accomplished underwater photographer whose images have graced more than 65 magazine covers as well as museums and aquariums throughout the world and were utilized by the World Wildlife Fund and British Broadcasting Corporation.

A sighting of an ominous 12-foot thresher shark at Monad Shoal in Malapascua, Cebu opened Stedman’s article, noting a renowned fable in the island that told of a Chinese fisherman decapitated by a thresher’s scythe-like tail.

After Cebu, Stedman and Villoch headed to Apo Island in Negros. The writer underlined Apo Island as a marine restoration success story, with even the Chicago’s Shedd Museum dedicating a permanent exhibit for it, entitled “Wild Reef”.

Source (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/207727/international-press-hails-philippine-dive-sites-diversity)

venntro

June 24th, 2009, 02:58 AM

Tourism gets its act together (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=479445&publicationSubCategoryId=87)
CRAZY QUILT By Tanya T. Lara Updated June 21, 2009 12:00 AM

It is, as they say, worth the wait. The tourism industry’s stakeholders from the private sector waited four and a half years for the Tourism Act to be passed and they don’t mind waiting two or three more months for it to be implemented.

At an exclusive interview with The Philippine STAR, representatives of the private sector involved in tourism discussed how the act will help change the tourism industry. You can sense the relief they were all feeling — that something as important as this law, authored in the Senate by Richard Gordon and in the House by Edgar Chato, has finally been passed.

“We had no Tourism Act before; what we had was a Tourism Charter creating the Department of Tourism,” says Dading Clemente, the grand lady of Rajah Tours and Travel, and of the Philippine travel industry itself. “The Tourism Act is all-encompassing, it’s for the entire tourism industry. That’s why this law is very historical.”

For the first time, the private sector will have a say officially in how the government promotes the country and builds the industry with the creation of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).

While the DOT, headed by Secretary Ace Durano, continuously works with the private sector, the consultations have never been in an official capacity.

“We cannot sell the country without the private sector,” says Durano in a separate interview. “The new law institutionalizes this partnership.”

Think of the DOT as the primary planning, programming, coordinating, implementing and regulatory government agency in the development of the industry; think of the TPB as the Philippines’ counterpart of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), HKTA (Hong Kong Tourism Authority), or TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand), all very aggressive — and ably funded — in promoting their destinations.

“With the creation of the TPB, we achieve synergy between government and private sector,” says Rose Libongco, president of the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association (HSMA). “The promotions undertaken by the DOT under Secretary Durano are very good. Our goal is for a sustained and continued marketing of the destinations.”

The TPB will be headed by the tourism secretary and will be attached to the DOT. Apart from Durano, it will have 10 directors: five from the government and five from the private sector. The private sector will elect its own representative directors coming from accommodation enterprises; travel and tour services; land, air and sea tourist transport services; conventions and exhibition services and suppliers; and other tourism enterprises.

While everybody has the same goal — to bring in more tourists, currently pegged at three million — the private sector says that without a Tourism Act the marketing focus changes from one administration to another. “With the Tourism Act the marketing and promotion of the Philippines domestically and internationally will be more sustained, as it should be,” adds Libongco.

By law the TPB is tasked to organize itself in the a manner “most efficient and economical for the conduct of its business and the implementation of its mandate, develop and implement a plan to market the Philippines, direct and coordinate the resources and efforts, and develop and promote the Philippines as a center for international meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions, sports, medical tourism and other special events.” These plans will include short, medium and long-term strategies to market the country.

Players from the private sector have been organized for quite sometime under the Federation of Tourism Industries of the Philippines (FTIP), headed by Dading Clemente as president, and the different associations and their representatives: Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) president Ma. Paz Alberto and ex-officio Marciano Ragaza; Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA) president Cesar Cruz; Hotel Sales & Marketing Association (HSMA) president Rose Libongco; Philippine Hotel Federation, Inc. (TPHFI) executive director Bel Mariano; Hotel & Restaurant Association of the Philippines (HRAP) president Humphrey O’Leary; Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers & Suppliers (PACEOS) president Marissa Nallana, secretary general Adelia Majaba; Board of Airline Representatives (BAR) president Felix Cruz; Association of Car Rental Companies (ACRCI) president Ruel Cayamanda; Freedom to Fly Coalition (FFC) president Mila Abad; Women in Travel (WIT) president Carmen Bautista, board member Annette Feliciano; and Southern Tagalog Tourism Council president Andrew Nocon.

One of the issues against the Tourism Act was the “holiday breaks” or tax incentives that investors will be getting. The Department of Finance calculated the government stands to lose about P15 billion, but proponents of the Tourism Act point out that this is “money that’s not there yet; investments that aren’t being made precisely because there is no tax incentive for tourism-related investments.”

“We’re very optimistic that the Act will bring in not only the much-needed bodies, but also the investors we are targeting,” says Mila Abad, president of Freedom to Fly Coalition (FFC).

And here is where the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) comes in: It will make it easier for local and foreign companies to bring their tourism-related investments here.

Under the new Act, TIEZA will establish offices where prospective Tourism Enterprise Zones (TEZ or areas that have the cultural, historical and natural attractions to be developed into tourism hotspots) that will be “one-stop-processing” offices where registration, licenses and permits can be obtained. No more bureaucratic red tape — and we all know the horror stories involved here. One car rental company, for instance, has been trying to re-fleet its hotel cars and it’s been two years since they applied for this license and nothing has yet happened; meanwhile the hotel is threatening to cancel its contract with the company. TIEZA will hopefully erase the image of the Philippines as one of the hardest places to do business for foreign investors.

As far back as 2006, during a trade fair in Europe, Durano talked about the role of the DOT as “shepherding non-traditional tourism investors such as real-estate developers” in the infrastructure development of the industry. With the Tourism Act, this role has just become official.

TIEZA will be government by a board of directors with the tourism secretary as chairperson, TIEZA chief operating officer as vice chairperson, the TPB CEO, the DPWH secretary, the DENR secretary, and the DILG secretary. It will also have five representative directors with a three-year term each, and three permanent directors appointed by the secretaries of DPWH, DENR and DILG.

After the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Tourism Act have been agreed on and published, Secretary Durano will convene a tourism congress and the boards will be elected.

So, where is the money to develop infrastructure and promote the Philippines going to come from? The private sector members say there is always money — it’s just a matter of appropriating it where it belongs.

The Tourism Act mandates the national government to give the TPB P500 million annually for at least five years, and “25 percent of the 50 percent national government share remitted by the PAGCOR to the national treasury,” and other provisions from other sources.

Durano says the Tourism Act “gives the department authority to raise revenue from other sources.”

Libongco says the government’s annual budget for tourism promotion is so small that Thailand spends this kind of amount on one campaign alone.

The next question, of course, is: Can we really achieve the numbers of Thailand? (It had 14.54 million arrivals in 2008 and revenues of $16 billion from tourists.)

All members of the private sector turn to look at this writer as if the question was ridiculous. With optimism, they all say, “Yes!”

RonnieR

June 24th, 2009, 05:22 AM

Win a Manila trip at expo

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/National/2590610/Article/index_html

KUALA LUMPUR: If you are pining for a holiday but don't know where to go, keep July 3 to 5 free.
It will be a great time to learn about local attractions at the Malaysian Domestic Tourism Fair at the Putra World Trade Centre, here.

To encourage visitors to the fair RHB Banking Group is organising a contest.

Customers stand a chance to win a trip for two on business class to Manila with every RM200 or more spent on a single receipt, or any application for participating RHB products.

The bank's retail banking head, Renzo Viegas, said the fair was a viable launch pad for local tourism players.
"We are very positive this will help build Malaysia's profile to be the destination of choice for Malaysian and foreign tourists," he said. The New Straits Times is the official media partner for the fair.

^^ who says malaysia is anti-philippines? They are also promoting Manila in this aspect :)

johnmizer

June 24th, 2009, 07:34 AM

3 day 2 nights sa manila? cool...

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

June 24th, 2009, 08:49 AM

[SIZE="4"]

^^ [B]who says malaysia is anti-philippines? They are also promoting Manila in this aspect :)

sino ba ang nagsabe? :naughty:

RonnieR

June 25th, 2009, 04:09 AM

sino ba ang nagsabe? :naughty:

hehehehe, nawala na kasi ang thread about Sabah. :lol: i miss that thread

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

June 25th, 2009, 08:30 AM

^^

hahaha... naku po! :doh:

jhunix

June 25th, 2009, 10:34 AM

hehehehe, nawala na kasi ang thread about Sabah. :lol: i miss that thread

here http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=34041764#post34041764

RonnieR

June 25th, 2009, 11:22 AM

^^ hahaha, ang bilis mo naman, resurrected na pala to.

venntro

June 26th, 2009, 03:09 AM

RP in the running as most preferred destination (http://http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=480977&publicationSubCategoryId=87)
Updated June 26, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines may once again be officially recognized as the world’s most preferred travel destination.

“The International Travel Expo in Hong Kong chose the county as a finalist for the ‘New Travel Route’ competition, where finalist countries will be put to popular vote as the most preferred destination for avid travelers,” Tourism Secretary Ace Durano reported.

Joining the Philippines in the list of finalists are Switzerland, Greece, Peru, India, South Korea, Turkey and Japan.

Durano noted that the Department of Tourism also promoted the country as a wedding destination at the international expo, held earlier this month at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center. “Romantic Philippines” is set to captivate Asian couples, featuring unique getaways and exhilarating thrills in the country’s more than 36,000 kilometers of unspoilt coastlines, scenic landscapes and a myriad of natural wonders.

“The country’s stunning landscapes make it a sought-after wedding destination. Couples would choose only the best for life’s most memorable events, and we are certain they would never run out of exciting discoveries in our many islands,” Durano said.

The Philippine booth attracted visitors with unique performances by local artists performing kundimans and by the stunning fashion of designer Renee Salud.

Durano said the DOT is looking forward to more tourist arrivals from Hong Kong this year, topping the 116,653 visitors registered in 2008. – Mayen Jaymalin

Sleepwalker

June 26th, 2009, 05:31 AM

Good news!!!...:banana::banana::banana:

jpdm

June 26th, 2009, 06:44 AM

Yes! The Philippines despite its shortcomings will beat the odds and survive the recession (decline in tourists/revenues)

The stakeholders and the Filipino people should work together to make our country attractive not only to foreign tourists but to our own local tourists!:cheers:

dinabaw

June 26th, 2009, 07:55 AM

Yd029_pX-rE&feature=related

RonnieR

June 27th, 2009, 05:12 AM

2 new natural wonders put on World Heritage List
http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/27/stories/2009062754470900.htm

The Wadden Sea on the coast of Germany and the Netherlands, and the Dolomites mountains in Northern Italy were inscribed on the World Heritage List in Seville, Spain, on Friday. The Tubbataha Reefs National Park in the Philippines, which is an existing World Heritage Site inscribed in 1993, has been significantly extended with recommendations from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

With the new additions, the total number of natural and mixed sites is now 201.

The Wadden Sea is the largest unbroken system of inter-tidal sand and mud flats in the world.

— Xinhua

amigo32

June 27th, 2009, 06:15 AM

Yd029_pX-rE&feature=related

ilang kilometers yang water rafting na yan?
merong bang mas mahaba mas mahal na package?

federalist

June 27th, 2009, 04:50 PM

Microtel slashes room rates
By Ehda M. Dagooc Updated June 27, 2009 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - As the current outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) starts to take its toll on tourist arrivals in Cebu, resort chain Microtel Grand Resorts in Mactan decided to slash down room rates to boost business from the domestic market.

Newly appointed general manager Dean Ynalvez Cid announced that the resort is moving up ways to increase its occupancy from the domestic market, now that there is a slight decline of foreign visitors.

The 161-room Microtel Grand Resorts is implementing 60 percent reduction of its room rates for the local market, providing opportunity for local residents to enjoy the new resort’s accommodation.

“We’d like to have more of domestic market,” said Cid in a press conference held at the resort recently.

In the first quarter of this year, Microtel Grand Resort, the largest resort facility of the Microtel chain around the world, registered 80 percent occupancy rate, which Cid described as good performance.

However, towards the second quarter of this year, which is also the lean season for the tourism industry occupancy rate of the resort plunged to an average of 50 percent, also brought about by the A H1N1 scare.

“We are now feeling the brunt of the A H1N1 outbreak,” he said adding that the reason why the resort has to come up with very attractive promotion to drum up domestic market.

Depending on the accommodation choices, an overnight stay would now cost within the average of P2,500 and P2,900 for a package with free breakfast (for two).

Although Microtel chain is known as an economy hotel brand, the Cebu facility, which is the largest Microtel in the country, is offering five-star standard service, in value or affordable rate package.

The Microtel Resort in Punta Engaño, Mactan is situated in a 5,000 square-meter property, developed by Microtel franchisee Enrison Land Inc. (ELI), a company owned by the Benedicto family of Cebu. It is the first venture of the Benedicto family into the hospitality sector.

ELI has inked deal with the Microtel Inns & Suites [Pilipinas] Inc., for a 100 percent franchise package, which means to invest in the resort facility, tapping the management expertise of Microtel group.

ELI invested about P200 million on this project. ELI president Dean Benedicto said the company is confident that it could achieve its ROI (return of investment) in the short term.

Currently, the resort’s occupancy is dominated by Korean tourists (60 percent), followed by out-of-towners, and corporate bookings specifically from Metro Manila, and Davao.
According to Cid, the resort is also expecting a rebound of foreign visitors in the next few months, as the months July-August and September are the honeymoon months for the Koreans.

jpdm

June 28th, 2009, 02:17 AM

^^^^
Magandang balita yan!:cheers:

dinabaw

June 28th, 2009, 01:09 PM

ilang kilometers yang water rafting na yan?
merong bang mas mahaba mas mahal na package?

13kms yan at halos walong oras ang adventure at sa P2,500.00 mahal na yan!:lol: of course kasali ang mga photos and videos.:)

amigo32

June 28th, 2009, 01:32 PM

13kms yan at halos walong oras ang adventure at sa P2,500.00 mahal na yan!:lol: of course kasali ang mga photos and videos.:)

paano ko kaya mapatulad dyan ang ilog namin:D kalamado kasi:D at konti lang ang tubig:D
gusto ko sana pagkakitaan ilog namin:D:lol:

dinabaw

June 29th, 2009, 04:05 AM

paano ko kaya mapatulad dyan ang ilog namin:D kalamado kasi:D at konti lang ang tubig:D
gusto ko sana pagkakitaan ilog namin:D:lol:

pakitirin at laliman mo :lol:

jpdm

June 29th, 2009, 07:42 AM

Anchor Land acquires historic Admiral Hotel for P360M

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 06/29/2009 11:32 AM

Upscale property developer Anchor Land Holdings Inc. has acquired the historic Admiral Hotel along Roxas Boulevard from the Lopez-Araneta family as part of its planned P4-billion investment in the Manila Bay area.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the company said it made the acquisition through wholly-owned subsidiary Manila Tower Development Corp., which bought 249,999 shares of Admiral for P258.65 million and paid off P101.35 million of its debts.

Anchor Land said it used internal funds and borrowings from China Banking Corp. to pay for the acquisition.

The owners who decided to unload the property were led by Jose Ma. Lopez and Ma. Victoria A. Concepcion. The latter is the daughter of Dona Victoria Lopez Araneta, who built the hotel along with husband Don Salvador Araneta in 1938.

Anchor Land was represented by Chairman Stephen Lee, who personally negotiated the acquisition with Mr. Lopez.

The parties signed all pertinent documents last Friday, June 26, at the Anchor Land offices in Makati, concluding weeks of negotiations.

In a statement, Anchor Land Vice Chairman Steve Li said the company would redevelop Admiral into a boutique hotel, as well as put up an upscale residential condominium beside the original structure, with a resulting twin tower development.

Li said the acquisition would mark the company’s foray into the Roxas Boulevard area, where it intends to invest P4 billion over the next few years.

He added that the Admiral Hotel investment is part of Anchor Land’s strategy to strengthen its position in the upscale condominium market. He said the hotel’s historic past will be a prime consideration in the development plans.

The company earlier earmarked P2.5 billion for capital expenditures this year, mostly for the acquisition of properties in various areas in Metro Manila for future development.

Li said that aside from Admiral Hotel, other big projects in the pipeline include the 55-storey Anchor Sky Suites in Binondo, Manila, which is to become the tallest structure in the Chinatown district.

Completed in 1939, the Admiral Hotel has seen the tenure of 11 Philippine presidents--from President Manuel L. Quezon to President Fidel V. Ramos.

The Admiral Hotel served as the center of Manila’s elite during the pre-war colonial era, and as such hosted the most distinguished visitors in the country at the time, including former US President Herbert Hoover, Britain’s Lord Mountbatten, and General Douglas MacArthur, to name a few.:cheers:

RonnieR

June 30th, 2009, 05:36 AM

Infrastructure boom seen in Camp John Hay with entry of Ayala Land

By Artemio A. Dumlao , The Philippine Star | 06/30/2009 2:13 AM

BAGUIO CITY — After a slow start, development inside Camp John Hay, the former American rest and recreation facility, is expected to accelerate.

More infrastructure projects are set for implementation as both the developer Camp John Hay Development Corp. (CJHDevCo) and its latest locator Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) will start soon “developments” in the area.

Alfredo Yñiguez III, CJHDevCo chief operating officer and Steve Dy, assistant vice president for Ayala Land Businesscapes, said the biggest project is the Eco Village which will be built right where the Filling Station is currently located.

The Eco Village will be a one-storey structure that will house restaurants, shops and an arts and culture center. It is envisioned to be a convergence area where al fresco dining and regular shows will be held, Yñiguez said adding that the structure will blend with Camp John Hay’s green and mountainous environment.

This is just the beginning he said as he pointed out that in the next five years as wellness, sports and recreation centers will also be built.

They are also currently rushing Phase 1 of The Suites, in time for the Advertising Congress in November. Baguio will host for the second time the biggest gathering of stakeholders in the Filipino advertising industry.

The Suites is a 366-unit condotel facility being built just beside the Manor. The Suites takes the place of what was once the 19th Tee Restaurant, a famous spot where golfers and guests converged for meals with a breath-taking view of the golf course.

Phase 1 involves construction of 200 rooms and Phase 2, 166 rooms.

For its part, ALI is set to develop an initial 2.6-hectare property where a “pedestrianized” type of mall will be constructed.

Dy said shops will be connected by covered walkways to allow people to walk, instead of riding. No trees will be cut, at least in the initial phase of development, he added.

Initial investment by ALI is around P500 million.

Its biggest development meanwhile is the construction of six to eight buildings, which will be used as its administration office and for business process outsourcing.

These buildings conform to the four-storey requirement of the city government.

An estimated 3,000 employees will be accommodated in each building.

ALI has acquired 12 hectares of the remaining 10 hectares left as open spaces and forest covers.

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

June 30th, 2009, 07:37 AM

^^

wow! maganda talaga ito kasi ayala land 'to eh. hehehe... proven na maganda talaga mga projects nila. :okay:

habagatcentral1

June 30th, 2009, 07:40 AM

^^ No comment....kasi hindi lahat ganun....Hehehehe!!! :nocrook:

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

June 30th, 2009, 07:42 AM

^^ No comment....kasi hindi lahat ganun....Hehehehe!!! :nocrook:

ay, hindi nga ba?! :nuts::naughty:

parang may tinatago ka bai @berns?! hahaha...:lol::lol::D

RonnieR

July 2nd, 2009, 05:37 AM

The Philippines’ last frontier
Palawan Philippines
Cruising among the lagoons, beaches and mountains in the remote islands of northern Palawan
FIRST POSTED JULY 1, 2009
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/49933,life,the-philippines-last-frontier-palawan-linapacan-cadlao
The remote islands of northern Palawan in the Philippines are often labelled the country's "last frontier", says Ellie Fazan in the Guardian. There are hundreds of them, sparsely populated and unspoiled by tourism – desert islands with palm-fringed beaches of "sugary white sand" and jungled mountains plunging into an impossibly turquoise sea.

Exploring the islands in a converted bangka, or traditional fishing boat, "each day is a new adventure". At Cadlao you can snorkel in "an electric blue lagoon full of multi-coloured fish", which is set among "dramatic limestone cliffs". On "far-flung Linapacan", a Spanish fort lies deep in the jungle near a village where locals will cook you dinner.

Tao Philippines (0063 928 554 3052) offers expeditions of 3-7 days from around £45pp per day, from November to June.

icarusrising

July 2nd, 2009, 09:01 AM

RP in the running as most preferred destination (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=480977&publicationSubCategoryId=87)
Updated June 26, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines may once again be officially recognized as the world’s most preferred travel destination.

“The International Travel Expo in Hong Kong chose the county as a finalist for the ‘New Travel Route’ competition, where finalist countries will be put to popular vote as the most preferred destination for avid travelers,” Tourism Secretary Ace Durano reported.

Joining the Philippines in the list of finalists are Switzerland, Greece, Peru, India, South Korea, Turkey and Japan.

Durano noted that the Department of Tourism also promoted the country as a wedding destination at the international expo, held earlier this month at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center. “Romantic Philippines” is set to captivate Asian couples, featuring unique getaways and exhilarating thrills in the country’s more than 36,000 kilometers of unspoilt coastlines, scenic landscapes and a myriad of natural wonders.

“The country’s stunning landscapes make it a sought-after wedding destination. Couples would choose only the best for life’s most memorable events, and we are certain they would never run out of exciting discoveries in our many islands,” Durano said.

The Philippine booth attracted visitors with unique performances by local artists performing kundimans and by the stunning fashion of designer Renee Salud.

Durano said the DOT is looking forward to more tourist arrivals from Hong Kong this year, topping the 116,653 visitors registered in 2008. – Mayen Jaymalin

venntro

July 2nd, 2009, 09:05 AM

More ambitious plan projects 8-M tourists (http://http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/12407-more-ambitious-plan-projects-8-m-tourists.html)
Written by Max V. de Leon / Reporter
Sunday, 28 June 2009 23:47

THE Philippines, in partnership with private industry, is venturing into a more ambitious tourism plan for 2010 to 2014, and among its towering targets are that of attracting 8 million tourists, $10 billion in investments and a cumulative $45.55 billion in revenues at the end of the five-year period.

Samie Lim, tourism committee chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), said this public-private initiative is an extension of the initial five-year plan, from 2005 to 2009, that targeted 5 million tourists, $5 billion in investments and $5 billion in revenues, which he indicated was successful.

“These are just the initial numbers, but we are very optimistic, especially now that we have the Philippine Tourism Act, which sets the policies, incentives and infrastructure to make us work together. We have shown in the past five years that with the public and private sectors working together, we were able to hit the glass ceiling,” said Lim.

The new five-year plan will be launched on June 29 through the InvesTour Advocacy of the PCCI and PLDT SME Nation at the Manila Ocean Park.

By 2010, Lim said the target is to attract 4 million tourists who are expected to spend an average of $1,200 each for the duration of their stay.

The numbers as set in the plan would be 5 million tourists with average spending of $1,350 in 2011, to 6 million tourists and $1,400 average spending in 2012, to 7 million tourists and $1,600 average spending in 2013, and then to 8 million tourists and $1,800 average spending for 2014.

As for the investments, Lim said the plan is for the front-loading of capital in the first two years of $3 billion, $2 billion in the next two years, and in the last two years with $1 billion each year.

He said from 2005 to 2009, they managed to get the business taipans involved, and this allowed them to achieve their $5 billion in investments and $5 billion in revenues by 2008. The country is yet to achieve the 5-million-tourist arrivals mark. The country hosted only about 3.3 million foreigners in 2008.

Lim said the next task is to integrate the various developments and then come up with tour packages. “Each gateway—Manila, Cebu, Clark, Davao, Laoag—must have at least 15 attractions and then we will create tour packages with a combination of any of them all-in, including the hotel and transport. We are getting all the tourists organizations together, the hotel association, travel agents, airlines and we will all talk.”

Also, through PCCI’s 100 chapters nationwide and the sponsorship of PLDT SME Nation, they will embark on a 10-province tour this year to help them prepare the tourism products.

He noted Vietnam has already overtaken the Philippines with 3.5 million tourists. Cambodia is threatening to overtake the Philippines with 3.2 million. “The point is, they do not have the natural beauty and human resources. And for us to have all these, it is unbelievable that we are not getting them.”

< Prev Next >

dvbaicrviser

July 2nd, 2009, 02:31 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ss-d8Hf498

Mid 80's pa itong ad na ito ng Philippine Airlines, pero pwede parin. Sana ganito ang mga commercials na ipinalalabas sa CNN tungkol sa Pinas. :)

Sleepwalker

July 2nd, 2009, 03:09 PM

jpdm

July 3rd, 2009, 12:55 AM

We hope we can achieve this one...Or even surpass...:)

We can. If we will put our acts together. Starting in 2010.

RonnieR

July 3rd, 2009, 08:58 AM

[July 03, 2009]

RP: Prime tourist/investment destination for the Middle East region

Jun 30, 2009 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) -- MANILA, June 30 (PNA) -- The Philippines has successfully penetrated the 2009 Arabian Travel Market (ATM) to become a prime tourist and investment destination for the Middle East region.

The country recently participated in the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center in United Arab Emirates (UAE) where ATM is the Middle East?s premier travel and tourism event showcasing an excellent business platform for inbound and outbound tourism organizations and professionals.

The ATM's 16th year, which attracted more than 2,100 exhibitors from 69 countries, was held with the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktuom, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and under the auspices of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing of the Dubai government.

The high-spending Middle East market spells bright hopes for the Philippines. Inbound travelers from the region in 2008 represented a growth rate of 13.51 percent.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates account for the bulk of tourist traffic. The market is continuing to expand as visitor arrivals from Middle East grew by 20 percent for the first quarter of 2009.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said on Tuesday, The ATM was dedicated to unlocking the business potential within the Middle East region. Joining this fair was significant in continuing to invite and encourage travel and economic activity in the Philippines. Durano added that global destinations look to the buoyant Middle East continues to be the world's fastest growing tourism market.

Durano further added, Studies reflect that the Middle East has been less affected by the economic downturn, compared to its Western and Far Eastern counterparts. The Philippines now earmarks this travel-savvy regional sector as one to watch over the coming years. Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions, Eduardo Jarque Jr., who led the country delegation, noted, The business generated during this fair has far exceeded our expectations in spite of a challenging global environment for tourism.Jarque noted that the Philippine booth accommodated numerous business visitors and received various inquiries from tourists.

"All the delegates are optimistic of reaping the fruits of our participation in the coming months as we expand travel options for this high-spending market, Jarque added.

Meanwhile, Director for Tourism Coordination Benito Bengzon Jr. presented the Philippines unique attractions, investments and tourism prospects at the Destination Briefing of ATM during the Travel Agents Day.

Bengzon said, Recovery and cooperation set the tone for the event as regional tourism industry leaders remain optimistic about continued growth despite the challenging global economic conditions.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-rp-prime-touristinvestment-destination-the-middle-east-region-/2009/07/03/4256310.htm?p=news

dinabaw

July 4th, 2009, 02:15 PM

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/3490/dsc0652m.jpg

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5804/campsabroskapatagandigo.jpg
Camp Sabros, Kapatagan Davao

jpdm

July 5th, 2009, 05:27 AM

Yes!Yes! Yes!:cheers::cheers::):):banana::banana:

Caramoan lures more ‘castaways’ from Israel

By Volt Contreras
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:45:00 07/05/2009

MANILA, Philippines—A piece of paradise in Bicolandia continues to draw an international cast of castaways.

Like the French and the Bulgarians before them, Israelis have shot their own version of the popular reality TV show “Survivor” on the Caramoan peninsula in Camarines Sur, opening this tropical Eden to a larger global audience and tourism market.

“For Israelis, it’s a view they won’t see anywhere else,” said Guy Hameiri, CEO of the production outfit Reif Hameiri, in an interview last month at the company offices in Tel Aviv.

“We were overwhelmed when we saw the location, and I’m sure it will be very tempting for our audience to go see it themselves,” Hameiri said.

Show producer Gregory Bekerman observed that “the Philippines has a certain kind of green that I haven’t seen anywhere [else].”

He said he would return to the Philippines in September to scout for another site for future “Survivor” seasons.

“It’s paradise” captured through 22 cameras and some 3,000 hours of raw footage, Bekerman said.

The challenge now is to squeeze those amazing shots into 40 hour-long episodes.

A popular TV reality game show produced in many countries, “Survivor” isolates its contestants in the wilderness to compete for cash and prizes. They are divided into tribes and they vote off other contestants until only one is left.

$7 million

The two production executives updated Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano and a number of Manila-based journalists on the project during Durano’s official trip to Israel late last month.

A dramatic, minute-long teaser of the Caramoan episodes featuring sweeping aerial shots of beaches, cliffs and lush forest hills, with cutaways to local wildlife and colorful flora, was shown during the briefing.

The Israeli production, which Hameiri said cost some $7 million, conducted the Caramoan shoot from March to April.

It brought from Israel 20 contestants and a crew of around 120, and hired some 300 Filipino support personnel (about 80 from Manila and the rest from Camarines Sur).

The show—the third Israeli season of “Survivor”—will premiere in Israel in October.

The first two, which were shot in the Dominican Republic and Panama, had between 700,000 and 1 million viewers, covering a 40-percent share of the TV audience, Hameiri said.

But unlike the first two seasons where the shows’ title cited only the name of an island or region (“Survivor Caribbean” for the Dominican Republic shoot and “Survivor Pearl Island” for Panama), the Caramoan episodes will recognize the host country itself.

‘Very big thing’

“This season will be called ‘Survivor Philippines,’ so there is no question where it was shot,” Bekerman said.

He said it was the first time the show would be named after the host country “because, as we said, the place is so unique and it was a very big adventure to go there.”

“So it must be a very big thing for you,” Bekerman said, turning to Durano during the meeting arranged by Philippine Ambassador to Israel Petronila Garcia.

The French were the first to “discover” Caramoan as an ideal “Survivor” locale early in 2008. They closed Gota Beach to the public for weeks under the guise of what the provincial government then called “massive developments” at the local resort.

Though officially a secret, the French project nevertheless started a buzz that would eventually boost Caramoan’s reputation as the “next Boracay.”

In May, the Bulgarians also started shooting their edition of “Survivor” there.

Unique balance

Bekerman offered an explanation why Caramoan seemed to have become a favorite:

“On one hand, [a ‘Survivor’ location] has to be isolated from tourists, from local villages. But on the other hand, it must have the facilities to accommodate all the [production] people.

“This balance is quite unique [in Caramoan].”

And apart from the breathtaking scenery, Bekerman said, “we were amazed by the generosity of the people—very professional yet always smiling, and thinking how things can be better done.”

The local hires included residents of nearby villages, including women who helped build the various structures needed on the set as well as maintain the lodgings for the Israeli crew.

“I also personally liked [the local dishes] laing and another that had green papaya in it,” Bekerman said, smiling.

Until he came to the Philippines, Bekerman thought of it as just the homeland of the foreign workers in Israel.

“The whole experience turned out to be a pleasant surprise,” he said. “When I first came to your beautiful country [to scout for locations, I discovered that] the farther you go from Manila, the more welcoming the people are.”

Tour packages

Secretary Durano said Caramoan’s debut on Israeli television in October should put the Philippines back among the top leisure destinations for Israeli tourists.

“We in the Department of Tourism will support this [exposure] by facilitating tour packages with our partners in and outside the Philippines and other promotional events on the ground, as what we’ve done after [the French shoot],” he said.

Before the Reif Hameiri briefing, Durano met with Israeli tour and aviation executives at the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv, where he was told that some 100 Israeli teachers would be arriving in Manila for a congress later this year.

The embassy has since begun sending promotional materials to the teachers, according to Tourism Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque.

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

July 6th, 2009, 04:28 AM

^^

:applause::applause::applause:

I'm so proud! ;)

Mabuhi ang Pilipinas! :okay:

Juan Pilgrim

July 6th, 2009, 05:58 AM

^^Caramoan lures more ‘castaways’ from Israel

By Volt Contreras
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:45:00 07/05/2009

MANILA, Philippines—A piece of paradise in Bicolandia continues to draw
an international cast of castaways.

Like the French and the Bulgarians before them, Israelis
have shot their own version of the popular reality TV show “Survivor”
on the Caramoan peninsula in Camarines Sur, opening this tropical Eden
to a larger global audience and tourism market.

who is next???
Americans, Germans, South Koreans, Argentinians... :banana:

:horse:

TeslaCoil

July 6th, 2009, 07:59 AM

^^ There's a rumor in survivorsucks that they might tape their production in Caramoan this coming september;)

shyaman

July 6th, 2009, 01:43 PM

A surprise 5-page feature article of Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival on ‘GET LOST’ magazine July issue.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/shyaman_king/GetLostmag-front.jpg

Get Lost is a monthly Australian travel magazine. It is very rare for Australian travel publications to feature Philippine destinations.

The back cover of the magazine is a nice Philippine tourism ad… which is another surprise, a rare episode in Philippine tourism promotion in Australia.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/shyaman_king/GetLostmag-back.jpg

I hope the government will continue to be aggressive in promoting Philippine tourism through enticing print ads such as this one.

Here’s the full length of the Dinagyang article…

The Ati-ati and the ILOILO FAIR

Tom Cockrem witnesses colour and flair at one of the Philippines’ more remarkable festivals.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/shyaman_king/GetLostmag-Iloilo1.jpg

History in the Philippines is never far from its people’s daily lives. It’s intrinsic in their artworks, religion, cinema and especially their festivals. It is unlikely that any country in the world puts as many days aside for celebrating events as the Filipinos. And they do it in grand style, with an energy and passion that can leave the visiting observer filled with excitement and awe. This I discovered in the city of Iloilo, located on the central Visayan island of Panay.

This is my second visit to Iloilo. The city’s plazas and churches – grand Spanish colonial survivors – had drawn me here on my first visit. On this occasion, however, I had one of the great festivals on the Philippines in mind – the Dinagyang. Its popularity is such that you have to book well in advance to ensure you nab a hotel room. Alternatively, as I’ve decided to do, it is possible to arrive a few days prior to the main parade.

I arrive to find the town already in a state of upheaval. Traffic is being diverted from major intersections on which huge grandstands are under construction – hand-built by an army of enthusiastic workers. One major city street has been cordoned off and given over to live entertainment and food. Almost every kind of food found in the Philippines is available. Iloilo is famous for its “Ilonggo” cuisine, especially the squid. It’s grilled on a skewer and stuffed with a delectable garlic seafood sauce. Stuffed barbecued fish will likewise win you over to a cuisine that receives less than its share of epicurean accolades.

Performance rehearsals are underway. I quiz a bystander about the drumming and commotion I hear up the street. “It’s the Ilonganon tribe practicing,” he tells me. The word “tribe” arouses my curiosity.

Ostensibly, the Dinagyang festival is about religion – a re-enactment of an event in 1967 when a replica of an ancient and highly venerated statue of the child Jesus, or Santo Niño, arrived in Iloilo from Cebu. But there is more. The main body of the celebrants dress themselves as ‘Ati’, or ‘Ati-ati’, the dark-skinned indigenous inhabitants of Panay. And like the Ati of old, they divide themselves into ‘tribes’, each one representing a modern-day district or town within the Iloilo province. They blacken their bodies and contrive extraordinarily flamboyant tribal costumes with headdresses that bring to mind the mountain tribes of New Guinea. The costumes are mostly made from organic materials – feathers, shells, leaves, coconut fronds, coconut husks and bark. The name ‘Dinagyang’ is a reference to the Ilonggo linguistic term ‘dagyang’, or ‘merrymaking’.

According to folklore, the original Santo Niño was found by members of an Ati tribe in the sixteenth century. It was washed up from a wrecked Spanish galleon on a beach in the north of Panay. Back further still, in 1212, the Ati also participated in what became a very famous barter. As the original custodians of the island, the tribal folk saw fit to grant large tracts of prime coastal land to a bunch of newly arrived settlers in exchange for gifts: cloth, jewels, gold trinkets and the like. The newcomers are said to have been ten Datu (chiefs) from Borneo. They had arrived with their followers in Panay to escape persecution from a tyrannical overlord. The successful transaction began a cathartic celebration on the part of the Ati, with wild dancing to the beating of drums. It is this, the so-called Hala Bira, that is enthusiastically re-enacted at the Dinagyang festival.

The festival kicks off in late December and culminates in the street parade on the last Sunday of January. Preliminary events show bands, dance and marching ‘showdowns’, a global peace parade, the coronation of Princess Isabel, Dinagyang Personality Development and a series of religious services at the colonial church of San Jose. The focal point of the fiesta is the large and leafy Plaza Libertad, directly opposite the church. This was where the flag of the First Philippine Republic was raised in triumph after Spain surrendered Iloilo, her last capital in the Philippines. The plaza still thrives and is now the scene of all manner of fun-filled happenings – snacking out in the temporary cafes, imbibing in the temporary bars, buzzing to and from the carnival next door, last minute rehearsals for bands and marching troupes, and buying Niño images and feathered Ati-ati masks.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/shyaman_king/GetLostmag-Iloilo2.jpg

The key religious event is the Fluvial Procession – a re-enactment of the arrival of the Santo Niño in the town. I learn that the procession is assembling at the remains of old Spanish-built Fort San Pedro, which stands near the mouth of Iloilo River. I go there by pedicab and arrive just in time to see the town dignitaries being escorted onto one of the giant flag-festooned outrigger boats that comprise the ceremonial fleet. It’s my first chance to see the real Ati-ati costumes. The boats are all manned by the warriors, who look like they are setting off to war.

Another pedicab gets me quickly back to just behind the Independence Plaza, where a huge crowd lines the banks of the Iloilo River. Almost everyone waves a Santo Niño statue. Some of these are quite impressive works of art – handmade by the owners. The flotilla duly arrives – a wonderful sight, with a warrior chief commanding each bow. How many boats? There’s no time to count them, for the image has already come ashore, carried by the warriors and surrounded by a thousand frenzied Niño-waving devotees. Ranks of fantastically costumed tribes assemble. Marching bands arrive from God knows where, along with martial arts performers and athletic groups, all splendidly decked out and meticulously drilled in their routines.

The official festival program proves a boon. It’s available at the Iloilo tourist office, which also supplies good maps and information on the city and the province. Without it I would probably have missed some of the other fun events. The marching girls competition turns out to be a mini festival in itself, with the primly decked-out groups doing their baton wielding before huge crowds in the giant ‘Freedom Grandstand’. The Princess Isabel crowning may not be everybody’s favourite kind of show, but the kids are irresistible. As escorts for the contestants, they sport courtly satin costumes and play devilish tricks on each other and on me as they wait for their gorgeous royal charges to arrive.

Shopping centres also get in on the Dinagyang act. Retreating to SM Mall to escape the midday heat, I find an excellent photographic exhibition on the mezzanine floor. There’s an Ati-ati warrior on hand in the plaza as well, who you get to take your picture with, and a boys-dance showdown that would not be out of place in the Sydney Mardi Gras.

By now I’m well and truly primed for the really big event. It’s Sunday. Some thirty or so Ati-ati tribes have assembled round the plaza, each with upwards of a hundred male and female members, plus stage hands, prop carriers, water totes and wardrobe attendants. It’s great fun to wander in amongst them, as last-minute touches to their make-up and costume are applied. Each group has choreographed a dramatic and highly charged theatrical show. It might be based on an historical event, or maybe just pure myth. It will almost certainly involve the overthrow of evil spirits through the invocation of the Niño. And there’s more.

The performers must parade through the city’s major streets. But they don’t just walk. It’s non-stop dance and performance all the way – and this in the full blaze of the sun. Water totes are kept busy all the way. And the ‘roadies’ trail loyally behind, wheeling the enormous mobile stage or carrying costume accessories and props. As if this is not enough, each troupe stages its show on four separate occasions before huge crowds assembled in the grandstands. You need to buy a ticket for the stands. I can’t get hold of one – they’re full. No problem, a Filipina lady sees my plight and hands me a spare one for free. The show is fantastic from up on high. The Atis leap fearlessly and manoeuvre their ranks with flair and precision rivaling a Broadway production from the 1940s. The crowd goes suitably ballistic.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q128/shyaman_king/GetLostmag-Iloilo3.jpg

Once back down on the streets I start to feel the pinch. It’s midday and there are still few tribes out in the sun. I wish them well and retire. The following day, I have a new mission. I return to the tourist office to ask if the Ati people still live in Panay today. It seems they do, in small isolated communities way off in the hills. The more accessible communities can be found in Guimaras, a relatively large island just south of Iloilo. Reached via ferry, outrigger ‘pump boat’, the island is no more than 30 minutes away. The boat docks in the small coastal town of Santo Rosario. This is a friendly and intriguing little place – a lively fishing harbor, a quaint town centre and several backwater villages on stilts. It’s not long before I am invited into peoples’ houses and offered cool refreshments. That’s the Filipino way.

From here I am able to hire tricycle (a motorized trishaw) to take me into the interior. My destination is the barangay (district) of St Nicholas and the Ati village of Sirum. The excitement wells up inside me as we wheel down the dirt track that takes us to the village. ‘Village’, though, turns out to be not really the right term. The settlement is more a loose collection of farmhouses dotted here and there among the hills. We approach a house on foot. No one seems remotely fazed by our approach and the welcome we receive is genuinely warm, especially from the kids. The families proudly show off their attractive little houses, which they have built.

Life in the community is Spartan, but no more so than elsewhere in the island’s hinterland. Everyone seems very fit and well. I leave with a very positive impression, one that also confirms what I’ve already been told. The Ati people are by nature very shy. Historically, they have preferred to retreat further back into the hills, rather than embrace the strange new communities that imposed themselves from elsewhere, especially the colonizing Spanish.

It seems somewhat ironic that the Ati of today do not participate in the festival that borrows so much from their culture and acknowledges the key role they have played in the history of Panay. However, those who visit them would understand why. The Ati people are content to remain out of the limelight and enjoy the tranquil beauty of their farmlands and hills. Who could really blame them?

Text and images by Tom Cockrem

shyaman

July 6th, 2009, 01:55 PM

The Philippine tourism Australian website rocks! Far better than the official Philippine Tourism Authority site.

http://www.philippinetourism.com.au/

icarusrising

July 6th, 2009, 07:52 PM

^^ Did you retype the article from the glossy, Bong? Wow Philippines! :cheers:

in_a_rush

July 6th, 2009, 08:12 PM

^^ sana yan na lang yung official website ng PTA.

shyaman

July 6th, 2009, 11:05 PM

^^ Did you retype the article from the glossy, Bong? Wow Philippines! :cheers:

Yes I did igan. :D

^^ sana yan na lang yung official website ng PTA.

Oo nga. But it needs more refinement. I think it was put up just recently so it's really not that extensive in terms of coverage and features. And some links are dead. But the layout is great.

amigo32

July 7th, 2009, 04:04 AM

Ang ganda nga ng website.

thanks for posting and retyping:D (hindi man lang ini-scan) ang sipag ha!

shyaman

July 7th, 2009, 04:39 AM

^^ Mahirap kasing i-scan kasi di mai-stretch ng husto yung spread. Di mahahagip yung bandang gitna. :D

jpdm

July 7th, 2009, 04:58 AM

Business Mirror

Tourism Act of 2009, an engine for national development

Written by On Firm Ground / Atty. Elma Christine R. Leogardo
Tuesday, 07 July 2009 01:52

The Tourism Act of 2009, signed into law on May 12, 2009, as Republic Act 9593, is a tough act to follow. It installs tourism into the very machinery of government as an engine for socioeconomic growth and cultural affirmation.

The new law categorically declares that tourism is an “indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance.” It leapfrogs its three-and-a-half-decade-old predecessor, Presidential Decree 189, which was merely one of the instruments in a grab bag of incidental tools for accelerated national development.

In contrast, the Tourism Act is a reengineering of the industry and was crafted to generate investment, foreign exchange and employment, and in a nod to social engineering, to enhance national pride.

It provides an encompassing approach to promote and develop a robust tourism industry that is ecologically sustainable, responsible, participative, culturally sensitive, economically viable, and ethically and socially equitable for local communities.

To do this, the new law addresses three critical requirements: institutional support, public sector-private sector cooperation, and sufficient funding.

Institutional support

The Tourism Act explicitly says that the state shall provide full government assistance through competitive investment incentives, long-term development fund, and other financing schemes extended to tourism-related investments.

It provides that the Department of Tourism (DOT), as the primary planning, programming, coordinating, implementing and regulating agency, can now call upon all agencies of government to implement their programs in accordance with the national strategy for tourism development drawn up by the department.

To this end, the law creates a Tourism Coordinating Council (TCC) composed of the heads of different departments and agencies of government, including the Department of Transportation and Communications, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government. The TCC also includes representatives from local government unit (LGU) leagues and nongovernment organizations or people’s organizations.

To ensure that tourism enterprises conform to international industry norms, the DOT will prescribe and regulate standards for the operation of the tourism industry. Primary tourism enterprises will be periodically required to obtain accreditation from the DOT; accreditation for secondary tourism enterprises is voluntary. Only accredited enterprises can avail themselves of promotional, training and other programs of the DOT.

Three key agencies have been reorganized to help achieve the goals set by the new law. The Philippine Convention and Visitors Corp. is now the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB); the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) has become the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), and Duty Free Philippines (DFP) has been incorporated into Duty-Free Philippines Corp. (DFPC).

The involvement of on-the-ground groups like LGUs and agencies like the DENR is an acknowledgement not only of the scope of promoting the country’s tourism industry, but also of the expertise needed to deliver destinations that are appealing, enjoyable, safe and convenient. What good is Boracay, for example, if its waters are breeding grounds for E. coli?

Public sector-private sector cooperation

A significant innovation under the Tourism Act is the creation of tourism enterprise zones (TEZs). TEZs provide for the development and infusion of foreign investment into geographic areas that are historically and culturally significant, are aesthetically pleasing, or have existing or potential integrated leisure facilities, among other requisites.

While other special zones (special economic zones, for instance) can only be designated by a presidential proclamation, TEZs spring from the grassroots level. An LGU, a private entity or a joint venture between the public and the private sectors, can propose a specific area as a potential TEZ. A TEZ designation requires the approval by TIEZA of the area’s tourism development plan, plus approval by resolution of the LGU concerned. The successful TEZ proponent is required to establish a corporate entity, known as the TEZ operator, which will administer the TEZ and supervise its activities.

Among the fiscal incentives that may be granted to TEZ operators and registered tourism enterprises within TEZs are: income-tax holiday, gross income taxation, and exemption from all taxes and customs duties on importations of capital investment and equipment, transportation and spare parts. Non-fiscal incentives are also available.

This process easily opens opportunities for empowering LGUs and private entities, and encourages productive public sector-private sector partnerships. Different LGUs and private entities nationwide have the opportunity to not only create joint ventures to manage the different segments of public works, but also to manage and profit from entire TEZs through the duly established TEZ operators.

Funding

All three reorganized corporate bodies—the TPB, the TIEZA and the DFPC—are infused with substantial capital and are assured of funding by the national government under the Tourism Act. The TPB and the TIEZA have each an authorized capitalization of P250 million, while the DFPC has an authorized capitalization of P500 million.

In addition, a Tourism Promotions Trust has been created from the liquidation of the assets of the defunct PTA. A Tourism Promotions Fund has also been established. This includes a direct subsidy from the national government of not less than P500 million for at least five years from the time of the constitution of the fund.

Founded on a robust, forward-looking law, tourism is clearly now a national priority. But to actually draw in the tourists, the next step must be taken decisively. That is to say, if we build the infrastructure, they will come.:cheers::)

federalist

July 7th, 2009, 07:40 PM

Vietnamese travel agents eye Cebu link
By Rhia de Pablo Updated July 08, 2009 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines – Vietnamese travel agents are now starting to create links with Cebu-based travel agents to take advantage of the huge potential seen on the increasing inbound and outbound tourists between Vietnam and Cebu.

“It is about time we tap Cebu because a lot has changed in the area. We have to update our contacts and look for partners because we need to sell airline seats and make suitable packages for the Vietnamese market,” said Lac Hong Voyages Co. Ltd., director for business development Robert Tan in an interview.

Tan said that there is a continually growing volume of Vietnamese tourists and a lot of these tourists travel to destinations like Malaysia, Thailand, China, Singapore and Cambodia which can be traveled through coach.

“Vietnamese have interests to come to the Philippines. When they travel, it’s usually for shopping, culture and adventure tourism,” said Tan.

“The Philippines is still quite a new destination for Vietnamese especially Cebu. They do not have much information about the area and usually they are skeptical on the issues of safety because of distorted news,” added Lac Hong Voyages Co. Ltd. executive director Jonathan Tran.

Although the number of inbound and outbound tourists from Cebu going to and from Vietnam is still considerably small, there is a huge potential to increase this number if only there is sufficient information that can at the same time strike out the negative perception on safety.

“There is really big potential to increase the inbound and outbound volume of tourists that is going to Cebu from Vietnam and from Cebu to Vietnam because the Philippines and Vietnam has quite the same culture. Vietnamese prefer to travel at short distances,” said Tran.

He said that other than culture, history and shopping, the similarities in religion could also be a good area to explore.

“Vietnam is the second biggest Catholic country in Asia next to the Philippines but then both countries have certain distinctions in practices and even in church architecture as Vietnamese churches are more French while Philippine churches are more Spanish so this could be a good area of interest to explore for both tourists,” added Tran.

He said that the appearance of the Our Lady of Fatima in their La Vang Basilica and in Fatima Binh Trieu in Ho Chi Minh City could be a good area of interest for devout Filipino Catholics to go and see.

He said that Vietnamese tourists are usually composed by a 60 percent majority of young travelers and a lot travel with big groups and with families so tour packages must include a lot of family-centric tourism activities.

Right now, the only access to Vietnam from the Philippines is though Manila because there is a direct flight going to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon.

Philippine Airlines travel in this route daily while Cebu Pacific travels three times in a week, said Tran.

“Filipinos go to Vietnam usually for business, pleasure and work because a lot are employed in tourism and hospitality industries. They manage health clubs,” Tan said.

He said that after establishing linkage with Cebu-based travel agents, they will organize familiarization tours for travel agents from Manila and Cebu for them to increase their knowledge on Vietnam’s tourism.

They are also looking forward for familiarization tours in the Philippines for Vietnamese travel agents so that they will realize the country’s tourism potential.

in_a_rush

July 7th, 2009, 10:08 PM

PGMA to inaugurate new Manila Ocean Park attraction

MANILA, July 7 (PNA) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will inaugurate today a new enticement at the Manila Ocean Park -- the P1 billion investment of China Oceanis Philippines, the Makansutra Asian Food Village.

The President will lead the ribbon-cutting to be followed by a brief inspection of the facilities.

The opening of Makansutra is expected to boost the Manila Ocean Park as another alternative attraction to those who love interacting with marine species.

Its opening is expected to generate new employment opportunities to Metro Manila residents.

Makansutra Asian Food Village is the first branch in the country of China Oceanis which specializes in the investment, building, and operation of public aquaria/oceanarium attractions.

Makansutra will add to the existing Oceanarium at the Manila Ocean Park, Hotel H2O, and the Sunset Quay.

The Makansutra Asian Food Village, a food museum and restaurant, aims to introduce "edutainment" through a multisensory dining experience and interaction. It also provides one-of-a-kind attraction that will match those in other countries.
The restaurant which has a 500-seating capacity, will showcase different food types in "hawker" style food selling that is very popular in Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and China. In the Philippines, they are popularly known as "carinderias." (PNA)

Tips from the Masters in opening our food court in Manila
By K.F.Seetoh

“You must blanch the mee a bit first, then when you fry, it will be smooth and soft. Cannot fry it direct from the packet, very funny taste.”, went one of them, “your marble top must not be too oily, otherwise the prata will not stretch when you flip, it will slide back.”, went another. All these little gems of advise, certainly not found in recipe books, were nuggets of wisdom a few street food experts and masters imparted to us when we were setting up to pre-open our first regional food court, the Makansutra Asian Food Village in Manila last week.

Our Singapore top hawkers trying to pause for a smile in
between fussing over recipes.

It was a dream in concept (at least for me), and a nightmare in execution, kind of food court. To begin with, it is an open island kitchen set up with fourteen stations serving up over 100 items. We had to train 38 chefs Pinoy chefs and sub divide them to man sections and stations- thing is, none of them had ever been to nor eaten anything from Singapore and Malaysia, let alone Thailand and Indonesia, whose food we offered at the eatery. They are “performance” chefs set in hawker-like stations inspired by a make shift village food festival atmosphere. Each chef cooked ala minute and in front of curious customers. All the food signs on A-stands had explanations of what they are, were hand painted with poster paint and chisel brushes (it is a dying art in Singapore but over in Manila, there are hundreds of Jeepney painters waiting in line to offer their services, and they are fast and cheap enough). You see what you like, order, pay and go eat in a environment with an eclectic mix of kopitiam tables, chairs and old Spanish style street café furniture with Indonesian tok panjang seatings. We even used wooden crates for seats. If you observe carefully, you will notice tin cans and old kerosene lamps used as bulb holders to illuminate the eatery.

The centerpiece of the whole eatery is the
naked-open-kitchen concept operation.

The kitchen occupied about 2000 square feet in the middle of the eatery and was the key focus and “culinary stage” of the eatery. My colleagues and I had all the pre-tested recipes well ready in advance (a good four months ahead of time) and was approved by the four street food masters we sought help from. The masters from Singapore were not shy nor secretive with advise when the showed up at our eatery a week before opening to fine tune the techniques and recipes with our Pinoy cooks. Mohd Hussin or Sam, from Alhambra Padang Satay at Gluttons Bay by the Esplanade, insisted that the 12 ingredients used for the marinade, must not be compromised and the skewering technique must be observed, otherwise, he warns, “they fall apart when you bakar (grill)”. Alex See of Geylang Lor 29 Fried Hokkien Mee (396 East Coast Road), was particularly active in defining style when imparting his skills, “eh, when you fry the last bit of garlic for finishing, use a little bit of oil with three bits of lard can already, the smell sure come out, then you flip the noodles over it”, all this, in between telling us to pre blanch the yellow noodles before frying. The chilli crab sauce from Francis Yeo (Ah Heng) from Tian Jin Hai Seafood (01-09 Zion Road Riverside Food Centre), had an A and B pre sauce technique which must only be mixed when frying the dish, for max flavour effect and reminds us to “smell the sauce on the wok first, when very pang (fragrant), then you put the crab in, this will give you the flavour. If not, you will taste the raw spices.” Of course, the Pinoy chefs, half the time, had no idea what they were saying but somehow, action spoke loudest and they could relate. But of all the dishes the team had to master, the most difficult one was also the easiest to enjoy- roti prata. We had the privilege of being guided by Mohamed Nasiruddeen Hudek (or Deen). He runs Flavours Prata (210 South Bridge Road) and hails from some of the top prata joints in Singapore and had been at it for over 20 years. “Your fingers must be soft, you must relax and you must face the customer, otherwise, your prata will go sideways when you flip” and “tabletop must not be oily, or prata cannot stretch”. We also had an eagled eyed full time trainer, Hokkien and Mandarin speaking Cheng King Tong, a, what I would call a pao-ka-liao (everything also can) kind of hawker, who helped us relay our recipes to the Pinoy chefs.

We are in debted to these street food masters for their help and advise. Now, we are ever so ready and honoured to have The Philipines President Gloria Arroyo grace our opening event this evening (7th July 09) and feast on our authentic makan made by an all Pinoy crew.
Makansutra Asian Food Village

Address
2nd Floor Manila Ocean Park
Luneta, Behind the Quirino Grandstand
Manila, Philippines
Opening Hours
11am – 9pm daily

Juan Pilgrim

July 8th, 2009, 12:26 AM

^^ YES!!! to gastronomic tourism!!

:horse:

salamangkero

July 8th, 2009, 07:46 AM

wow may Makansutra na din sa Manila.

swatch69sg

July 8th, 2009, 08:08 PM

Wow...ayan hindi ko na rin ma-mimiss ang mga Singapore hawker food pag nababakasyon ako ng 2-3 weeks sa Manila every Christmas-New Year time!!!..Minsan kasi hinahanap hanap ko rin ang mga hawker foods here like Prawn Mee, Laksa, Ban Mian at Kway Teow.:)

TeslaCoil

July 8th, 2009, 09:35 PM

Edible ba ang mga pagkain ng Makansutra? I mean okay ba ang lasa? I never really liked Asian foods kasi.

Juan Pilgrim

July 8th, 2009, 10:21 PM

^^You have to try eating at Makansutra...
it is probably the closest thing you can get to authentic Asian Cuisine.

Asian Food is really good!
I particularly like Singaporean, Pinang, Schezuan, Kerala and Pampanggo dishes.
The spicier the better.
Thai is good too but I prefer little or no Fish Sauce (prik nam pla).

:horse:

TeslaCoil

July 8th, 2009, 10:37 PM

I don't like fish sauce too.

Baka nasanay lang ako sa Jollibee:lol:

Ronskie

July 9th, 2009, 04:38 AM

jaygold06

July 9th, 2009, 04:43 AM

^^ako din parang di ko nagustuhan yung mga hawker food sa SG. di lang siguro ko sanay mas gusto ko pa kumain sa mga carinderia dito sa pinas.

RonnieR

July 9th, 2009, 05:58 AM

jagggn

July 9th, 2009, 06:16 AM

http://photos.friendster.com/photos/06/74/5154760/1_383314197l.jpg

RonnieR

July 9th, 2009, 06:21 AM

^^ where is it?

jagggn

July 9th, 2009, 07:02 AM

:rock:flushing meadows is in panglao, bohol

RonnieR

July 9th, 2009, 07:07 AM

^^ cool

jagggn

July 9th, 2009, 07:10 AM

:):):cheers:you have to try.... nice place and excellent service

RonnieR

July 9th, 2009, 07:41 AM

:):):cheers:you have to try.... nice place and excellent service

I plan to go to bohol in December :cheers:

pi_malejana

July 9th, 2009, 11:03 AM

kumusta na ung rank natin sa new7wonders?? tapos na un diba, did we end up in 2nd place??:)

jagggn

July 9th, 2009, 11:08 AM

try to go to flushing meadows

swatch69sg

July 9th, 2009, 09:06 PM

ewww! kahit khit kelan pinoy food and cuisine pa rin ako. hahaha :lol::lol:

ewww ka diyan...to each his own...i said..i sometimes miss the food in sg kapag matagal akong nawawala ng sg at nagbabakasyon ng pinas...may sinabi ba akong mas ok ang food nila dito?...grabe naman ito mag react...hala sige kumain ka sa lucky plaza araw araw ng mga oily pinoy foods dun...hahaha

swatch69sg

July 9th, 2009, 09:18 PM

^^ako din parang di ko nagustuhan yung mga hawker food sa SG. di lang siguro ko sanay mas gusto ko pa kumain sa mga carinderia dito sa pinas.

maybe u ate the not-so nice hawker foods when u were in sg...dapat tularan natin ang hawker setup sa singapore/malaysia kasi most of their food eh prineprepare pa lang pag inorder mo especially those noodles (i'm tallking about the hawker centres at hindi fine dining rest)..at least alam mong bagong luto..unlike sa mga carinderia natin na ang pangit pangit ng presentation..either nakalagay sa malalaking kaldero (na hindi mo alam kung anong oras pa yun naluto) o sa mga tupperware style na lalagyan nakalagay yung mga ulam...even my singaporean colleagues were not attracted to pinoy foods nung una at ang hirap hirap nilang kumbinsihin na itry.. kasi ganun ang nakikita nila sa lucky plaza..parang ang tagal na raw naluto at hindi na fresh...haha..but i did invite them once sa newly opened filipino fine dining rest sa chinatown called "bonifacio" at nagustuhan naman nila ng husto ang crispy pata (talagang ang crispy!) at especially yung "mango cheescake" for our dessert..may kamahalan nga lang..

crappypants

July 10th, 2009, 03:37 AM

^^tama ka, isa yan sa attraction sa mga tourists yung masasarap na pagkain. sana dumami yang mga asian style eateries pero yung affordable sa masa kasi karamihan pag asian eateries sa pilipinas, restaurant, me kamahalan na.
kaya marami silang tourists dahil masasarap , mura at malinis ang mga food vendors nila.

Manila-X

July 10th, 2009, 05:57 AM

The good thing about foreigners visiting The Philippines

it doesn't end up like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BKdnmuFoV0

crappypants

July 10th, 2009, 06:22 AM

oh god that's horrible, thank god.
they travel halfway around the world to be with people like themselves.
lucky western sobs they just need playgrounds in SE asia.

Manila-X

July 10th, 2009, 06:30 AM

oh god that's horrible, thank god.
they travel halfway around the world to be with people like themselves.
lucky western sobs they just need playgrounds in SE asia.

The Indochina region is popular with western tourists especially Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. But some of them travel there for cheap drugs.

One thing I noticed with most foreigners traveling to The Philippines is that, they are well behaved compared to other ASEAN countries. Even those who hangout in the country's red light districts.

crappypants

July 10th, 2009, 06:32 AM

yeah and sensible and more mature, thank god once again.

amigo32

July 10th, 2009, 06:32 AM

legal ba ang drugs sa Laos?

crappypants

July 10th, 2009, 06:34 AM

they belong in the opium triangle don't they? it's kind of bad that they don't even mix or interact with the locals and just stay in their own backpacker" group"

Manila-X

July 10th, 2009, 06:38 AM

they belong in the opium triangle don't they? it's kind of bad that they don't even mix or interact with the locals and just stay in their own backpacker" group"

Its rare they interact with the locals unlike foreign tourists in The Philippines. Cambodia is not part of The Golden Triangle.

Manila-X

July 10th, 2009, 06:40 AM

An example of a video done by some Finnish youths during their travel in The Philippines

ranB1j-nGtE

Manila-X

July 10th, 2009, 06:42 AM

legal ba ang drugs sa Laos?

Like any other country, drugs are illegal. But these kinds of activities happen around Indochina especially in tourist areas frequently visited by backpackers.

RonnieR

July 10th, 2009, 09:00 AM

[July 10, 2009] , an update
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2009/07/10/4266364.htm

PGMA inaugurates Makansutra Asian Food Village

MANILA, Jul 08, 2009 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo formally led the grand opening Monday night of the Makansutra Asian Food Village, a P1-billion investment of China Oceanis Philippines at the Manila Ocean Park in Luneta, Manila Upon her arrival, the President cut the ceremonial ribbon at the main entrance of the food restaurant to signal its formal operation. She was assisted by Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, and San Jose del Monte City (Bulacan) Representative Arthur Robes. Also present were MOP president Lim Chee Yong, chief operating officer Van Kam Weng, director Gene Go and Makansutra Brand founder K.F. Seetoh.

The President then toured the facilities, interacted with the Filipino chefs and staff, and personally ordered her meals. She later joined the Makansutra Food Village officials and invited guests at the dinner.

Makansutra Asian Food Village is the first branch in the country of China Oceanis which specializes in the investment, building, and operation of public aquaria/oceanarium attractions. It is expected to generate employment opportunities for Metro Manila residents.

The Makansutra Asian Food Village, a food museum and restaurant, aims to introduce "edutainment" through a multisensory dining experience and interaction.

It has a 500-seating capacity that will showcase the different food types in "hawker" style selling that is very popular in Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and China, including Hong Kong. In the Philippines, they are popularly known as "carinderias.?

RonnieR

July 10th, 2009, 09:46 AM

Palawan Subterranean River makes it to Top 77
Updated July 10, 2009 03:20 PM

MANILA, Philippines —The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River in Palawan has successfully landed on the top 77 nominees on the New 7 Wonders of Nature (N7WN) international poll. Organizers of the N7WN reported that the top 77 were chosen out of the 261 contenders, after the second phase of the worldwide voting ended in July 7, 2009.

“The success of this campaign wouldn’t have been possible without the Filipinos’ worldwide support. We are grateful to the people who voted and heeded our call to promote one of our national treasures,” said Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.

According to the N7WN report, from the top 77 nominees, only 28 Official Finalists will be chosen by the N7WN’s Panel of Experts. The announcement of the 28 selected finalists will be made in Zurich at the New7Wonders Foundation headquarters on July 21, 2009 at 12.07 GMT.

“The Palawan Subterranean River has a very good chance of making it to the top 28, considering the criteria of the panel which include unique beauty, diversity, ecological importance, historical legacy, and geographical location,” said Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque, Jr., Tourism Planning and Promotions. Historical legacy refers to the people's relations or deep bond with the site, while geographical location means the even distribution of the contenders between continents and countries.

The top 28 finalists will compete against candidates within their category, which have been classified into 7 groups: Landscapes/Ice Formations, Islands, Mountains/Volcanoes, Caves/Rock Formations/Valleys, Forests/National Parks/Nature Reserves, Lakes/Rivers/Waterfalls, and Seascapes.

After the top 28 selection, voting resumes, while the New7Wonders World Tour visits the finalists to give each a chance to be seen by the whole world. The final proclamation of the 7 Wonders of Nature will be held in 2011.

Founder and President of New7Wonders, Bernard Weber, said, “The success of lesser-known locations shows that an important New7Wonders goal in this campaign is being achieved—broadening the horizons of the voting public around the world, thus helping us all better appreciate the diversity of our planet.”

Renowned as the world’s longest underground river, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park also features a stunning limestone karst mountain landscape. Inside its large chambers are stalactites and stalagmites formations, while at the mouth of its cave thrives a bustling ecosystem which includes monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels.

The New 7 Wonders of Nature is an ongoing campaign sponsored by the New 7 Wonders Foundation based in Switzerland. The same group initiated the New 7 Wonders of the World project in 2007.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=485525&publicationSubCategoryId=200

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

July 10th, 2009, 10:06 AM

The Indochina region is popular with western tourists especially Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. But some of them travel there for cheap drugs.

One thing I noticed with most foreigners traveling to The Philippines is that, they are well behaved compared to other ASEAN countries. Even those who hangout in the country's red light districts.

IMO, mostly those going to the SEA mainland are the young backpackers while the "falangs" we have here are mostly dirty old white men looking for filipinas...hehehe :lol::lol::D

Manila-X

July 10th, 2009, 10:31 AM

IMO, mostly those going to the SEA mainland are the young backpackers while the "falangs" we have here are mostly dirty old white men looking for filipinas...hehehe :lol::lol::D

There's still a number of young western tourists visiting The Philippines though the number is not as high as those visiting The Indochina Region especially Thailand.

And you still have dirty old white men visiting Thailand for Thai ladies.

RonnieR

July 10th, 2009, 10:33 AM

There's still a number of young western tourists visiting The Philippines though the number is not as high as those visiting The Indochina Region especially Thailand.

And you still have dirty old white men visiting Thailand for Thai ladies.

How come we associate Thai tourism for sex? It's not really fair :)

Manila-X

July 10th, 2009, 10:46 AM

How come we associate Thai tourism for sex? It's not really fair :)

Like I said, some :)

But media especially movies gives these countries a notorious reputation for its tourist industry.

Again, every country has its good and bad rep. Thailand is one of my favourite countries to visit and I go there for the sites, not sex :)

RonnieR

July 10th, 2009, 12:12 PM

Like I said, some :)

But media especially movies gives these countries a notorious reputation for its tourist industry.

Again, every country has its good and bad rep. Thailand is one of my favourite countries to visit and I go there for the sites, not sex :)

i'm going there in august...but quiet worried about the 13 deaths they have due to h1n1 virus.

RonnieR

July 11th, 2009, 04:29 AM

SCTEX spawns upbeat tourism business in Central Luzon
Updated July 11, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – Central Luzon Tourism Regional Director Ronaldo Tiotuico has projected a tourism boom in the region as Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) recently registered a 35 percent increase on monthly arrivals.

“Our monthly arrivals at DMIA increased from 20,000 to 27,000 since Subic Bay now is only 40 minutes away from the airport,” Tiotuico said attributing the surge of regional travelers to the opening of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).

SCTEX is the country’s longest expressway, built to interconnect three major economic and industrial zones in Central Luzon and spur economic activities in the region. Tourism is among the first industries that gained momentum from the existence of the 94-kilometer stretch.

“Prior to SCTEX, it used to take 2.5 hours to get to Subic if one wants to travel smoothly through the Olongapo-Gapan route or a shorter 1.5 hour-travel through the rugged roads of Floridablanca. Now it only takes 40 minutes going to Subic from the NLEX spur road Mabalacat,” Tiotuico explained.

He stressed this recent development will likely ensure a 10-15 percent increase in the yearly tourist arrival figures.

While exerting efforts to induce tourism in the neighboring provinces of Tarlac and Cabanatuan, the DOT official happily mentioned that Subic Bay benefitted a lot from SCTEX.

According to him a lot of domestic and foreign tourists flock the Subic-Clark corridor to experience Subic’s theme parks and water activities like surfing, jet skiing, kayaking and parasailing and Clark’s world-class hotels, casino, duty free shops and other travel facilities. “It is highly ideal if both Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) would harmonize their marketing and promotional efforts. It will result to a lot of savings in terms of government funds, time and effort if these two organizations will complement each other. Subic has its natural attractions while Clark boasts of its facilities and services,” Tiotuico explained.

Anticipating a sudden increase of tourists not only in the Subic-Clark loop but in the entire Central Luzon, the tourism official is now preparing volumes of EZ maps to make travel faster and easier.

CDC announced earlier that last year’s investment haul came from the new tourism projects with P9.2 billion committed investments in the next five years.

Essential to the realization of huge market expectations and long-term economic projections, the SCTEX is envisioned to play a major role in inducing and sustaining economic growth in the region.
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=485566&publicationSubCategoryId=66

Sleepwalker

July 12th, 2009, 02:17 PM

amigo32

July 12th, 2009, 02:38 PM

Sleepwalker

July 12th, 2009, 02:40 PM

tinuod na bai?:D
ayawg binuang diha ha:D:lol::lol::lol:

Good news.

Hahahhaha...Blessed are those who believe without seeing... :)

Just check the provided links...It will bring you to the rankings.

amigo32

July 12th, 2009, 02:58 PM

Hahahhaha...Blessed are those who believe without seeing... :)

Just check the provided links...It will bring you to the rankings.

To see the place is to believe:D
Okay, I'm gonna be in Cebu on the 15th:D. I got an early morning flight to get the cheapest fare.:lol:

Danggit bai:D

Sleepwalker

July 12th, 2009, 03:01 PM

To see the place is to believe:D
Okay, I'm gonna be in Cebu on the 15th:D. I got an early morning flight to get the cheapest fare.:lol:

Danggit bai:D

I can understand how you missed Bukid... :)

Paalala lang, huwag mag-LV sa Colon o pag-bumibili nang danggit.

Baka mangamoy ang LV mo... hehehehhe

Oppsss, OT na.

mike durero

July 13th, 2009, 02:27 AM

DestinAsian (http://www.destinasian.com/issuedet.php?id=916), a Hongkong-based magazine, recognize Siargao Island as one of Asia's best island beaches.

10 Great Island Beaches

For that ultimate tropical idyll,nothing beats a ravishing stretch of sand—particularly when the beach in question is located on an equally serene isle. After a considerable amount of island-hopping around the region, our writers have identified 10 such strands that are among the best in Asia. Some of these picturesque shores are remote and undeveloped, while others pamper visitors with luxurious lodgings. But all share tha most elusive quality: paradise

Compiled by Natasha Dragun, with reports from Cynthia Rosenfeld, Leisa Tyler, David Tse, Martin Westlake, Petrina Price, and Cathy Paras-Lara.

From Malaysia to the Maldives, Asia has its fair share of exotic islands, fabled archipelagos, and legendary beaches. The fact that many come with abundant offshore attractions and luxury lodgings makes a visit even more appealing. Here, we travel to 10 countries to profile the region’s hottest island shores—endless stretches of sand fringed by rain forest and coral reefs—looking at when to go, what to do, where to be pampered, and the best places to eat and sleep when you arrive.

Bai Sao
Phu Quoc, Vietnam
Getting to Bai Sao, known locally as Star Beach, requires patience, but you’ll be well rewarded for your effort. Set on the southeast coast of Phu Quoc—Vietnam’s largest island, 50 kilometers from the mainland in the Gulf of Thailand—Bai Sao’s gentle arc of powdery sand sweeps down to shallow, turquoise waters that are warm year-round.

Where to Stay
Save for the occasional beach shack, Bai Sao is as yet undeveloped. But comfortable lodgings are close at hand. On Phu Quoc’s west-coast Duong Dong Beach, La Veranda (84-77/398-2988; laverandaresort.com; doubles from US$135), is only four kilometers from Bai Sao, easily accessed by bicycle or taxi. Rooms come with private balconies, paddle fans, and handmade decorative tiles, while the resort’s main wing is home to a breezy restaurant with ocean views.

What to Do
Feast on barbecued seafood at the small restaurants along Bai Sao in between dips in the bathwater-warm water. For something more active, hire a bike and pedal to the village of Ham Ninh, where you can pick up pearls and the island’s famed fish sauce. You don’t need scuba tanks to explore the shallow reefs, but there are several dive outfits on the island, and bamboo shark sightings are common offshore.

When to Go
The monsoons strike the island between June and November. Avoid the rain and visit in the dry season, when temperatures hover around 30°C.

Godellawela Bay
Sri Lanka
Set at the southernmost tip of the country, Godellawela Bay earned its local nickname, Dream Beach, for a reason. The long stretch of soft white sand is lapped by gently curling waves, and crystal-clear waters extend as far as the eye can see. The bay is hemmed by soaring coconut palms and rocky bluffs, making it one of the most secluded shores on the island.

Where to Stay
Postcard-perfect views are afforded by the 30 rooms at Amanwella (65/6887-3337; amanwella .com; doubles from US$325). Linger on daybeds on your private terrace before retreating to your suite—think classic Aman sleekness accented with floor-to-ceiling windows and fantail coconut-wood furniture. The resort’s restaurant dishes up the catch of the day above a 47-meter-long infinity pool.

What to Do
Time seems to lose meaning at Amanwella, where daybeds and hammocks pepper the path to the beach. Once you do finally make it to the shore, you might be rewarded with sightings of baby leatherback turtles—hatchings occur here every spring. Farther afield, spot elephants, exotic birds, and free-roaming tigers at Uda Walawe National Park.

When to Go
Sri Lanka’s sun shines brightest from November to April.

Kenting Beach
Taiwan
Nestled at the southern tip of Taiwan and surrounded by national parkland—fields of sugar cane, banana and coconut groves, and rain forest —Kenting Beach is a popular holiday spot. But if you time your visit right, you might have this strip of sand to yourself.

Where to Stay
The Kenting Chateau Beach Resort (886-8/886-2345; ktchateau.com.tw; doubles from US$182) features three themed guest wings; rooms in the Marbella Hall and Italian-style Positano Hall come with ocean views and private balconies. Seafood stars at the resort’s four restaurants; the Barbados Beach Bar is just meters from the sand and is great place to catch a dazzling sunset.

What to Do
From bird- watching to banana boating, there’s never a dull moment on Kenting Beach. Ornithologists will want to head inland to the Kenting National Park on the banks of Lungruan Lake. On any given day in October, thousands of migrating gray-faced buzzard eagles and Chinese sparrow hawks pass through here. If you’re feeling restless, try your hand at paragliding, mountain biking, or snorkeling.

When to Go
Surfers will not want to miss the awesome curls that roll in between November and March. With the monsoon season past, these months are also good for diving and snorkeling—the waters are crystal clear, and the crowds have subsided. Avoid summer, when temperatures can soar and the beach becomes overrun with vacationers from Taipei and Kaohsiung.

Landaa Giraavaru Beach
Baa Atoll, Maldives
Clownfish and Oriental sweetlips add color to the azure waters that surround this 18-hectare isle in the Baa Atoll, a 45-minute seaplane flight north of the international airport. Of the Maldives’ 1,190 coral islands, Landaa Giraavaru boasts one of the most romanticsandbanks—it changes hue and shape from sunrise to sunset.

Where to Stay
Guests at the Four Seasons Resort Maldives Landaa Giraavaru (960/660-0888; fourseasons.com; doubles from US$800), the island’s only accommodations, can watch fish swim into view from the massage beds inside Landaa Spa’s glass-bottomed suites. Waves break against Sri Lankan architect Ismail Murad’s striking over-water villas, while at Al Barakat, the open-air restaurant, underwater lights keep guests entertained while they dine on aromatic mezzes and succulent chicken couscous with cinnamon, chickpeas, and raisins.

What to Do
Take an underwater tour with one of the resort’s six resident marine biologists, who oversee endeavors like the 200-plus coral propagation trays that enhance the island’s lagoon. Snorkel deeper into the Indian Ocean in search of butterfly fish and white-tail unicorn fish, or strap on a tank and dive with mantas and sharks.

When to Go
The best time to view underwater life is between December and April, when the sea is calm and clear. Manta rays and whale sharks are seen in their highest numbers from July to November.

Luhuitou Bay
Hainan Island, China
Hainan Island, China’s southernmost province, may be best known for its Yalong Bay resorts, but nearby Luhuitou Bay has won us over for its crowd-free strip of white sand. Backed by foothills, the beach borders calm, clear waters that offer some of the best diving on the island.

Where to Stay
Opened in 2008, the Banyan Tree Sanya Resort & Spa (86-898/8860-9988; banyantree.com; doubles from US$249) offers 49 villas, each with private plunge pools, landscaped gardens, and outdoor bathtubs. The decor is smart and minimal, with an earthy palette offsetting the tropical surrounds. Four open-air restaurants and bars look out to the South China Sea, where fishing boats ply the waters in search of your next meal.

What to Do
It may not have its own dive center, but the Banyan Tree can arrange scuba expeditions in a snip. On dry land, make the most of the resort’s village tours, or tee off at the nearby Sanya Luhuitou Golf Course. Recuperate at the Banyan Tree’s sprawling spa, where traditional Chinese medicine is paired with state-of-the-art hydrothermal facilities.

When to Go
The rainy season hits the island between May and October and can turn the sand into sludge. The best time to visit is between November and March, when temperatures are in the mid-20s.

Nihiwatu Beach
Sumba, Indonesia
Around 400 kilometers east of Bali on the southwest coast of Sumba Island, this pristine strand is a popular pilgrimage site for surfers, who descend to hang ten on theoffshore wave known as “God’s Left.” But when they pack up their boards come evening, you’ll have the entire 2.5-kilometer-long stretch of sand to yourself.

Where to Stay
The Nihiwatu (62-361/757-149; nihiwatu.com; doubles from US$490) resort’s sea-facing villas include a sprawling three-bedroom hilltop chalet with private pool overlooking the Indian Ocean. The thatched-roof rooms are outfitted with Sumbanese textiles and a host of modern amenities.

What to Do
In the interest of surfer safety, a strict policy limits wave riders to nine at a time, but there is plenty to keep you entertained otherwise. The resort organizes activities like fishing trips (the area is famed for its Spanish mackerel, wahoo, and trevally), snorkeling and scuba diving, and boat excursions to the three seashell-strewn coves of Konda Maloba Bay, an hour’s journey to the south. At low tide, staff leads tours to nearby villages, where you chat with locals and pick up beautiful handicrafts.

When to Go
The best breaks wash ashore from April to December, after which the monsoon season descends. The Nihiwatu resort is closed from January 10 to February 28.

Radhanagar Beach
Havelock Island, India
One of only a handful of India’s far-flung Andaman Islands where tourism has a toehold, Havelock fulfills the pristine-beach dreams of no more than 10,000 visitors a year. Those who make the journey will be rewarded with a stunning two-kilometer ribbon of footprint-free sand along Havelock’s west coast. Radhanagar, unofficially known as Beach No. 7, backs onto dense rain forest, where coconut palms reach out from a thick mesh of ferns and cast shadows over the translucent, sandy-bottomed cove.

Where to Stay
The island’s best digs, Barefoot at Havelock (91-319/228-2151; barefootindia.com; doubles from US$80) is a rustic, low-impact resort with 18 thatched-roof cottages built from bamboo and palm fronds. Some come with air-conditioning, but a better way to cool down is with an Iyengar yoga class by the water. Even the most jaded globetrotters will fork over the considerable fee to have their photo taken underwater with Rajan, the resort’s 58-year-old swimming elephant—his trunk is his snorkel.

What to Do
Lionfish and Napoleon wrasse abound in the 15 dive sites off Radhanagar. Snorkelers will be enthralled by the vibrant hues of the lagoon’s coral gardens, just meters from the sand. Visitors can also kayak through surrounding mangroves in search of monitor lizards and crocodiles, trek into the canopied forest (home to 150 animal and plant species unique to these islands), or go deer-spotting along the beach at sunrise.

When to Go
Rajan remains on land during the monsoon season, from May to October. To avoid the downpours, and to glimpse turtle hatchlings, visit between December and March.

Siargao Beach
Siargao, Philippines

Siargao Island, a tiny islet 800 kilometers southeast of Manila, is another site that surfers flock to on a regular basis. The waves at Cloud 9, a notorious break off the island’s eponymous beach, are said to be the best in the Philippines, and the white sands they curl towards are powder-soft.

Where to Stay
The brand-new Kalinaw Resort (63-921/320-0442; kalinawresort.com; doubles from US$136) is the only luxe accommodations on the island. Kalinaw (which translates as “peaceful” in Visayan) features a series of design-oriented cottages with dark-wood floors, free Wi-Fi access, and beach views.

What to Do
If you’re not tackling Cloud 9’s barrel rolls, take to the water and explore the nearby Sohoton Caves, a beachfront nature reserve hemmed by wild forest cliffs with semi-submerged caves. Alternately, ask the resort to pack you a picnic hamper and spend the day paddling between the shallow reefs.

When to Go
The best waves are to be had between July and November, although these months do coincide with monsoon season. To avoid the rain, visit between November and May.

Sunrise Beach
Koh Lipe, Thailand
One of the 51 islands that constitute the Tarutao National Marine Park in the Andaman Sea, off the southwest coast of Thailand, the tiny isle of Koh Lipe is as popular for its sand as it is for its sea. Of the island’s four main beaches, Sunrise catches the early morning rays, casting silhouettes of coconut palms over a stretch of soft sand.

Where to Stay
One of the newest hotels on the island, the Idyllic Concept Resort (66-81/802-5453; idyllicresort.com; doubles from US$83) is set amid tropical gardens that end in ocean-facing bungalows overlooking Sunrise Beach. Sixteen airy villas are minimal in design, but come with mod-cons including flatscreen TVs and broadband Internet access.

What to Do
The petite island is easily explored on foot, but Idyllic can also organize bikes and motorcycles. While the reefs immediately offshore abound with aquatic life (the 2004 tsunami had little impact here), divers should not miss the opportunity to explore Tarutao, Thailand’s first marine park, covering some 1,490 square kilometers. These waters are home to dolphins and sperm whales, as well as an incredible 25 percent of the world’s tropical fish species.

When to Go
The best, albeit busiest, time to visit Koh Lipe is in December, when the weather is relatively cool and the rainy season has passed. Diving is optimal in March and April, when the water is still and clear and tourist numbers have subsided. Daily ferries connect Koh Lipe with surrounding islands from November to May, with weekly crossings between May and November.

Teluk Dalam Kecil Beach
Redang Island, Malaysia
Set at the northern tip of Redang Island, off the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, this idyllic beach is lined with powder-soft sand surrounded by rain forest. Splash about in the turquoise waters of the sheltered lagoon, or swim out to Aziz’s Reef, 100 meters offshore, where you’ll find an underwater menagerie bursting with marine life.

Where to Stay
The best lodgings on this sparsely populated strip of sand are the new hillside villas at the Berjaya Redang Beach Resort (609/630-8888; berjayaresorts.com; doubles from US$265), replete with private patios and unbeatable lagoon views. What to Do It’s hard not to spend day after lazy day on the beach. But if you must take shelter, pull up one of the resort’s padded sunloungers, set under thatched umbrellas. There’s always a game of volleyball on the go, and the Berjaya’s marine centre is fully equipped to take out divers of all experience levels. On-land adventure seekers can trek into the rain forest towards Teluk Dalam Besar Beach, equally idyllic and often deserted.

When to Go
Redang is blessed with blue skies for most of the year, except between November and January when the monsoon strikes.[/QUOTE]
hhhh

TeslaCoil

July 13th, 2009, 03:47 AM

^^ Siargao has always been underrated. Aside from surfing, there are so many things that you can actually do in that place. DOT should give emphasis to its other attractions such as snorkling, island hopping, etc.

amigo32

July 13th, 2009, 04:00 AM

TeslaCoil

July 13th, 2009, 06:26 AM

^^ Siargao is not all big waves :lol:

That island has vast mangroves forest too:)

swatch69sg

July 13th, 2009, 08:14 PM

Share ko lang po from Travel+Leisure Magazine.

Travel+Leisure (http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2009/results.cfm?cat=islandsasia) Magazine ranked Cebu as one of the best island in Asia for 2009.

Here is the ranking:

RANK '08 NAME SCORE
1 1 Bali 87.41
2 - Maldives 84.43
3 - Phuket , Thailand 80.93
4 - Cebu , Philippines 79.68
5 - Ko Samui , Thailand 79.29

* "-" means that the property was not among the top-ranked in this category last year.

Whereas, DestinAsian (http://www.destinasian.com/issuedet.php?id=916), a Hongkong-based magazine, recognize Siargao Island as one of Asia's best island beaches.

Siargao Beach
Siargao, Philippines
Siargao Island, a tiny islet 800 kilometers southeast of Manila, is another site that surfers flock to on a regular basis. The waves at Cloud 9, a notorious break off the island’s eponymous beach, are said to be the best in the Philippines, and the white sands they curl towards are powder-soft.

I have to correct some information above. DestinAsian is not a Hong-Kong based Magazine, in fact it is an Indonesian-based one. If you have read some of their past issues, you will know that it is Indonesia-based because almost every issue has feature about different places in Indonesia. I should know, because I have bought some past issues of it. And another proof is that, just go to their website and click their contact and it will give you below's office address in Jakarta:

DestinAsian Magazine
Menara Batavia, 11th Floor Jl. KH. Mas Mansyur Kav. 126
Jakarta 10220, Indonesia
Tel 62-21/573-7070
Fax 62-21/574-7733

Also, flip through one of their issues and look at the writers and you will see Indonesian sounding names from editor-in chief to their lowest ranks.

On the other hand, the Travel+Leisure "Southeast Asia" is Bangkok-based. Just look at the writers and most if not all are Thai sounding names. That would explain why Thailand always got a very big share/space of the write-ups in most of their issues.

TeslaCoil

July 13th, 2009, 08:31 PM

^^ So hindi credible ang ranking nila :lol:

I don't really believe sa rankings na yan unless proven reputable ang surveyor.

skyscraper100

July 13th, 2009, 08:43 PM

swatch69sg

July 13th, 2009, 09:03 PM

^^ So hindi credible ang ranking nila :lol:

I don't really believe sa rankings na yan unless proven reputable ang surveyor.

Kaya nga siguro dun sa Travel+Leisure Ranking...2 ang islands dun ng Thailand..hahaha..:)

Sleepwalker

July 14th, 2009, 03:24 AM

I have to correct some information above. DestinAsian is not a Hong-Kong based Magazine, in fact it is an Indonesian-based one. If you have read some of their past issues, you will know that it is Indonesia-based because almost every issue has feature about different places in Indonesia. I should know, because I have bought some past issues of it. And another proof is that, just go to their website and click their contact and it will give you below's office address in Jakarta:

DestinAsian Magazine
Menara Batavia, 11th Floor Jl. KH. Mas Mansyur Kav. 126
Jakarta 10220, Indonesia
Tel 62-21/573-7070
Fax 62-21/574-7733

Also, flip through one of their issues and look at the writers and you will see Indonesian sounding names from editor-in chief to their lowest ranks.

On the other hand, the Travel+Leisure "Southeast Asia" is Bangkok-based. Just look at the writers and most if not all are Thai sounding names. That would explain why Thailand always got a very big share/space of the write-ups in most of their issues.

Thanks for this information and for the correction.

For us, we are just happy that they recognized the existence of Cebu and Siargao as desirable destinations.

Don't worry...we will not dwell on those rankings... :)

Manila-X

July 14th, 2009, 03:37 AM

Philippines should create an Asian travel magazine as well and put Boracay, Palawan and such as the top 5 places.

marlowe_cano

July 14th, 2009, 04:02 AM

Sleepwalker

July 14th, 2009, 04:04 AM

Philippines should create an Asian travel magazine as well and put Boracay, Palawan and such as the top 5 places.

if they can do that, we can do that too... i believe we need top20, top5 will run short for us! :banana:

I am with you, guys... Hehehehe

Anyway, our country is starting to pick up as far as tourism is concern. Let's hope for a good future... :cheers:

swatch69sg

July 14th, 2009, 09:57 AM

I am with you, guys... Hehehehe

Anyway, our country is starting to pick up as far as tourism is concern. Let's hope for a good future... :cheers:

Yes!...Slowly but surely...we're picking up...In fact the latest Destinasian (June-July 2009) issue has a very good write up about Batanes Island..its around 5-6 pages with lots of pictures and tales written by a white foreigner about his unusual experiences in Batanes, a worthy read.

Animo

July 14th, 2009, 06:18 PM

http://images.inquirer.net/media/sports/articles/images/pic-07140650190734.jpg

http://images.inquirer.net/media/sports/articles/images/pic-07140650440272.jpg

By Marjorie Gorospe (http://sports.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view/20090714-215453/Dagohoy-legend-inspires-Bohol-adventure-tour)
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — The island province of Bohol is looking to attract tourists seeking greater adventure other than climbing the Chocolate Hills or taking a peek at its rapidly depleting population of tarsiers.

The municipality of Danao wants to become known as a destination for extreme sports enthusiasts through its "Eco/Extreme Adventure Tour" (or shortened to EAT Danao), with activities like wall climbing, river kayaking, and zip line that locals fondly call the "suislide".

Danao has its place in Philippine history, its mountains and caves providing refuge for national hero and Bohol native Francisco Dagohoy, who is credited for leading the longest revolt against Spanish rule.

Interestingly, Dagohoy's travails in Danao have inspired local officials to transform the place into a haven for adventurers and nature lovers.

Lumen Gonzaga, the municipal accountant who oversees the EAT Danao tours on weekends, said Danao has become one of the must-visit destinations in Bohol since they started promoting extreme sports.

“Danao gives tourist a different side of Bohol," said Gonzaga, noting the municipality has seen tourism earnings grow to more than P6 million this year.

“It was really a big help for us as tourism has always been the source of income here. It’s nice to know that people not only come here for history but also to be part of history by doing these extreme sports activities we prepared for them,” she said.

These activities are roughly patterned after how Dagohoy lived and survived during the Spanish revolt. Legend has it Dagohoy had "anting-anting" or supernatural powers.

"Tthe truth is he can go inside the caves easily and cross the mountains and climb the roots (of trees) for survival and that very experience is what we offer now,” she said.

Though she admits it could be risky, he assured as tour operators, they have taken steps to ensure safety for those taking the tour. Danao is building a "sky walk" as an added attraction, which should be completed in about six months, said Gonzaga.

terrapinoy

July 14th, 2009, 10:08 PM

Concierge.com (http://www.concierge.com/ideas/hotspots/articles/500184?page=6) (Conde Nast Traveller Magazine) lists Central Philippines on its "It List for 2009"

The It List 2009
by Ondine Cohane

Central Philippines

Kelly Slater is only one of the world-class surfers obsessed with the blessed isolation and huge rolling waves of the Central Philippines. Siargao Island is the area's focal point, with its famous "Cloud Nine," named one of the world's top-ten breaks by the surfing crowd. Though C9 (as locals call it) should only be attempted by professionals, there are countless friendlier breaks nearby, all accessible by boat. Nonsurfers won't be bored: The islands are home to white-sand beaches and lovely islets like Guyam, La Janoza, and Daku. Insiders head straight to the Kalinaw Resort, owned by two French émigrés who came here to get away from it all. The rooms are located in thatched-roof bungalows with beautiful, minimalist interiors. After settling in, we suggest hiring a local fishing boat to help you search for an undiscovered cove, picking up your catch of the day along the way. Divers will find watery homes on the isle of Boracay, which has not only amazing beaches but healthy reefs with aquariumlike conditions and teeming tropical fish. In early 2009 Shangri-La Hotels is opening a resort on the island. All 219 rooms and villas will come with ocean views, the restaurant will be perched on a cliff overlooking the sea, and the spa will take up more than 60,000 square feet. Happily, the company maintains an eco-friendly ethos—setting an honorable example in a region sure to catch the eye of more developers.

Other places on the "It List for 2009"

The It List 2009

Tel Aviv, Israel
Bolivia
Utah
Acapulco, Mexico
Vilnius, Lithuania
Central Philippines
New York City
Rajasthan, India
Toronto, Canada
Beirut, Lebanon

TeslaCoil

July 14th, 2009, 10:13 PM

^^ Wow galing! Eto ang credible magazine!!! Btw, Conde Nast also owns Vogue, GQ et al.

filcan

July 15th, 2009, 01:57 AM

RonnieR

July 15th, 2009, 03:49 AM

at PAGCOR airport
http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/Photo304.jpg?t=1247622259

RonnieR

July 15th, 2009, 03:53 AM

FYI, Bali has been ranked not only "Best island in Asia" but "Best island in the world" almost every time in recent years. Bakit kaya?

I've been to Bali few times...yes, it is unbeatable - the culture, you feel the Hindu influence in Indonesia (90%++ Islam), the serenity of the place, the night life is good, the hospitality of the people, so many 5 star hotels including Hard Rock Cafe Hotel, presence of hostels for budget travelers, an international airport, etc. In Asia, yes, I'm not sure if compared to the world as I have not been to other beautiful islands in Europe.

RonnieR

July 15th, 2009, 03:57 AM

^^ Wow galing! Eto ang credible magazine!!! Btw, Conde Nast also owns Vogue, GQ et al.

i agree to this, Conde Nast is credible....congrats to Boracay and Siargao...:cheers:

icarusrising

July 15th, 2009, 02:04 PM

San Vicente: The 'next big thing' in Philippine tourism? (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=485881&publicationSubCategoryId=87)
KRIPOTKIN By Alfred A. Yuson Updated July 12, 2009 12:00 AM

How big is big? That’s the first question. Second: Do you know the way to San Vicente?

Well, now I do. It’s a 3.5-hour drive north from Puerto Princesa. The first two hours are on a good concrete road built by a South Korean contractor, a good part of it still within the city’s boundaries, albeit as a national highway — until one reaches Roxas town, still on the eastern coastline. The rest of the way it turns rough, veering off northwest to cross the breadth of the island, up and down a mountain to the west coast, where El Nido is also located farther north.

The first-class municipality of San Vicente is 194 kilometers from the humongous capital. The last 50-something kilometers wind through verdant forest, where one slows down on a mostly dirt road with patches of mirage-like concrete here and there. In the rainy season it turns muddy, with rivulets running down from hillsides. Parts are being upgraded by work crews. The plan is to have it all cemented to cut down travel time to 2.5 hours.

For some years now, we’ve heard of San Vicente as yet another relatively unknown destination touted as “the next Boracay.” In fact those who have a stake in the area contend that it’ll surpass Boracay when it does get developed. The prime boast is the fabled 14-kilometer Long Beach of white sand — the gently undulating coastline between barangays New Agutaya and Alimanguan.

If you Google “San Vicente, Palawan” you’ll find most of the entries leading to websites making various pitches for real estate. One objective commentary has it: “And what does sleepy San Vicente have? Well, it has a long stretch of beach... No hotels. No resorts. No restaurants. Nothing. Only raw land, pure and simple... (It’s) all so far just a real estate play.”

A 2.5-hectare beachfront property is being peddled online for a discounted P17.5 million, while a whopping P37.5 million is the tag price for a 1.5-hectare lot with a 60-meter beachfront directly facing Imuruan Bay, said to be only 10 minutes from the new airport.

Indeed, ground has been broken for an international airport, with backhoes and bulldozers already leveling hectares of former rice fields close to the town proper. The powers-that-be reportedly managed to convince most of the rice farmers to sell and move out, while a few have remained adamantly in place despite continuing pressure.

Presently, everything seems to point to a grand conundrum for the future of San Vicente. While it’s touted as “the next big thing” for Philippine tourism, environmental issues appear to be hounding its planned development.

At least a couple of artist-friends have established idyllic havens in the area. One is the painter Diokno Pasilan, who with his Scottish-born wife purchased a 150-meter-long beachfront at Kabantagan 10 years ago, and built a large wooden house cum terrace that rests two meters above ground on large poles.

Red squirrels frolicking on coconut trees at sunrise and spectacular sunsets are daily fare. Now that the couple is based in Australia with their seven-year-old son, the solar-powered house may be rented at a modest P1,500 a day or P7,500 a week. It comes with a caretaker, an outrigger, drinking water from a waterfall nearby, an LPG-powered ref, and beds and linen for six.

In 1988, Ma. Mercedes “Ditchay” Roxas leased 11 hectares of shore and forest in Daplac Cove in Boayan Island, the largest of the outlying islands off San Vicente. For 21 years now, she and her family have lived in harmony with the fisher folk, pioneering efforts to conserve and protect the ecosystem of a prized habitat of endangered species: the Tabun Bird, white Philippine cockatoos, green sea turtles, and fragile species such as Palawan hornbills, eagles, falcons, kingfishers, parrots and giant pigeons, monitor lizards, the bearded wild boar, and rarely seen sea otters.

Her house of no walls, fences or barriers has been featured in various magazines. It has hosted Palawan officials as well as a Tourism undersecretary, who lauded her fine example of land stewardship. For her pains as an assiduous caretaker, now her family has been declared illegal occupants of timberland, with criminal charges filed against them. Why? Because Daplac Cove is being eyed as a satellite resort development to complement the big plans for San Vicente.

But a robust brava! for Ditchay, who’s fighting back the best way she knows, appearing in environmental forums, writing in provincial publications and leading a crusade by way of the Internet. She argues eloquently that the campaign against her is simply “to pave the way for a huge real estate and resort development project of a well-known Manila-Boracay resort group... Once again money and greed are buying up huge tracts of land, displacing people and destroying the inestimable natural capital of the public for the sake of private interest.”

What price development? The question has been asked countless times in our islands, no less so in Palawan, which as a lovely last frontier faces serial tug-of-war on such issues as logging, mining, quarrying, and unabated commercial development.

Last month, on the occasion of the week-long Baragatan festival, the opportunity presented itself for the long drive to San Vicente to check out fabled Long Beach. Little did we know that our small party would be in for quite a shock.

We saw the airport site clearing operation, and surmised that the “visionaries” behind it must have rendered quite a sales pitch to have successfully included San Vicente as part of the President’s Super Region Growth Corridor in Western Visayas. Puerto Princesa already has an international airport, and completing the highway for a 2.5-hour ride to San Vicente seems more feasible, let alone cheaper. Presently, the town only enjoys four hours of electricity, so that concerns are raised over the viability of a future power plant.

And yet the airport a-building is scheduled to open by next year, or 2012 at the latest, with rosy predictions of direct flights from Bali, Kota Kinabalu and Bangkok, so that San Vicente can compete with Phuket, Pattaya and Bali, “and will make Boracay a small congested dot in the local tourism arena.”

That boast is part of the ongoing sales pitch for real estate, similar to what follows: “Price of properties, particularly beach front properties, has steeply risen in the past two years due to the construction of the new airport that can handle an Airbus 300-320 and Boeing 737-400... Property prices now range from P2,000 to P3,500 per square meter for beachfront property in Long Beach. As soon as the first airplane lands on or lifts off the runway, property price will also skyrocket up to P10,000+ per square meter. The minimum price of Boracay’s beachfront property now is P20,000 per square meter. Act now before it is too late. Invest in San Vicente and watch your investment grow in a matter of 4 years.”

Hmm. So is Long Beach all that great to attract investments and impel concerted growth?

We stepped on the beach and marveled at the shimmering stretch north and south, as far as the eye can see. The sea was calm and rolling in gently. The usual aroma bushes and a few coconut trees dotted the foreshore. The sand was soft and powdery, but it certainly wasn’t dazzlingly sugar-white, rather cream-ish pink, conceivably golden at magic hour. Nor was the beachfront as wide and of the gentlest slope as in Boracay.

The feeling was not unlike being in Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte, except that there it was an extended crescent beach marking a large bay. Long Beach is definitely enticing, as one can look up and down the coast and feel so minute as an intruder.

There are actually over 50 kilometers of non-contiguous white beaches in the area, inclusive of bays and coves and outlying islands. The next big thing in Philippine tourism? No one can close the door to the idea, but what a grand vision and strategic plan it’ll take. Maybe in 20 years it will be set in place, albeit we hope that not too many transgressions against both habitat and habitués would have been committed.

That hope is instantly dashed when on another road back to the poblacion, we’re confronted with the sight of a mountain that’s been chopped off. The site called Logpond in Sitio Panindigan is in full view of the town proper. We drive right to the location, and indeed, despite the signs we’ve seen posted around town warning against any quarrying, this mountainside has been dug up, trees and all, and all the soil apparently relocated to what looks like a vast flatland across the road.

It turns out that the dumping site used to be a six-hectare fishpond maintained by San Vicente Mayor Antonio Gonzales. Now it’s been filled up with all the ground that’s been scoured off the mountain. The purpose? To convert those six hectares into a marina that will extend from the nearby coastline, to complement a planned “first-class resort.”

Back in Puerto Princesa, we learn that a case has been filed against the mayor for “illegal extraction of quarry and illegal hauling of filling materials,” since the operation that started last April has been conducted without any permit from the provincial government. Last May, the mayor was served a cease-and-desist order from the Provincial Mining and Regulatory Board (PMRB), but he reportedly dismissed the procedure, claiming that the company that owns the 14-hectare mountain site already had an MOA with the DENR with regards tree-cutting, and that even the registration of chainsaws with the Palawan Council for Sustainable development (PCSD) was unnecessary.

Thus, the extraction and disposition of quarry materials continues. After all, it’s in the Mayor’s very own turf. Even more curious, the resort development company is said to involve other Palawan small-town officials as well as a private investor, Michael Gleissner. Now that name rang a bell.

Gleissner made his I.T. fortune in Germany and fell in love with Mactan, where he’s set up his version of “Hollywood East,” the Bigfoot studio and post-production facility training young Pinoy filmmakers besides churning out B-type action movies. A naturalized Filipino since 2006 by act of Congress, Gleissner has reportedly plunked down a billion pesos for the grand plan for San Vicente. But did he know that a mountain would be illegally lopped off as part of the development vision? We doubt it.

Local officials involved apparently ignore environmental laws because they couldn’t care less, save for future profit. Besides, a padrino is a peso billionaire whose name everyone in Palawan knows to have been associated with logging before the ban on the profitable enterprise. Jose “Pepito” Alvarez is a nephew of Mayor Antonio Gonzales of San Vicente. But it’s the uncle, also a Palawan migrant, who is the nephew’s henchman. Pepito Alvarez plans to run for Governor of Palawan next year.

Before we can even talk of so-called ecological viability requirements as the main feature of the Strategic Environment Plan (SEP) for Palawan, per RA 7611, or the Forestry Code or any Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN) zoning plans for the province, maybe we should just put it all down into one re-formed question:

Do we know the way for San Vicente?

federalist

July 15th, 2009, 08:39 PM

Cebu tourist arrivals continue to increase
Updated July 16, 2009 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - Despite the economic crunch and the Influenza A (H1N1) in the country, tourist arrivals in Cebu continue to increase.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said yesterday that tourist arrivals increased by 23 percent during the first six months this year compared to the same period last year.

In yesterday’s meeting of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) board, Garcia said the increase in tourist arrivals also helped increase airport revenues by 14 percent.

“In spite of the economic recession, we continue to see a very marked improvement in our tourism arrivals and income,” she said.

According to Garcia, the international and domestic arrivals for the months of January to June totalled 2.4 million, which is 23 percent higher than the 1.9 million posted during the same period last year.

Garcia said the entire arrivals of the year could surpass the 2008 figure.

The governor said that because of the increase in tourist arrivals, airport revenues also increased by 14 percent from only P475.33 million during the first six months of 2008 to P540.09 million during the same period last year.

Airport’s income for the entire 2008 barely reached P1 billion, she said.

At least 63 international flights leave MCIA per week. These include those bound for Bhusan in Korea, Narita in Japan, Shanghai in China, Taipe, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Doha.

Garcia said a flight to Guangzho, the capital of Guangdung in China, has been opened already.

Korean traffic has also increased, but Garcia did not give figures.

She also said that even domestic flights are now very high.

At least 370 flights leave MCIA to other parts of the country each week, including 21 daily flights to Manila.

Garcia said the economic recession and the Influenza A (H1N1) scare did not affect tourism arrivals because “we have projected a very positive image in the region and the world.”

“Cebu itself is already an attraction. The culture that we have, the heritage and the beaches are an attraction. In my trips abroad, Cebu is in everybody’s lips,” Garcia said. — Garry B. Lao/LPM (THE FREEMAN)

TeslaCoil

July 15th, 2009, 09:55 PM

^^ Congrats Cebu! Pero sana ayusin nyo ang road and other infra. Last time I was there parang ang sikip at medyo may trapik.

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

July 16th, 2009, 04:08 AM

^^

pls. come back when we have our BRT installed! wala na kaming magagawa sa mga masikip naming mga daanan kasi ganyan na yan dati pa. naunahan kasi ng rapid development ang cebu bago yung infrastructure.

if you were to ask sino dapat ang may kasalanan, we cebuanos know already, we have discussed it here we all have agreed with it and baka kung ano pa ang masabi ko na hindi maganda para sa iba, ako na naman ang magmukhang kontrabida dito! hehehe.... so hindi ko na lang sasabihin sayo unless if your a cebuano or even though your a cebuano, you know what i mean. :naughty:

BRTs are the only way we can lessen traffic on our already narrow and crowded streets.

GO BRT! :okay:

Sleepwalker

July 16th, 2009, 04:13 AM

^^I don't want to whine anymore.... :lol:

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

July 16th, 2009, 04:19 AM

^^

im sick and tired too....:lol::lol::D

P.S. unless if its necessary! why not, im healthy pa! :lol::lol::naughty:

zeos

July 16th, 2009, 08:00 AM

^^ Congrats Cebu! Pero sana ayusin nyo ang road and other infra. Last time I was there parang ang sikip at medyo may trapik.

actually, hindi sya parang, talagang masikip ang roads sa cebu at hindi lang medyo kundi meron talagang traffic, not as bad as manila's though but it has been a problem for a while now. that is why meron nang measures na pinag aaralan ang local government. you can try browsing the BRT thread to know how serious the local government is in finding a novel solution.

dvbaicrviser

July 16th, 2009, 09:15 AM

Maganda rin siguro kung i-consider ng Cebu ang tranvia. Hindi naman ata binabaha diyan saka maganda pa tingnan.

http://bafomet.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/tranvia.jpg

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

July 16th, 2009, 09:50 AM

^^

umh, meron mga baha sa metro cebu pero hindi gaanong kalala kompara sa MM. above sea level pa ang cebu. hehehe....

may plan nuon maglagay ng kaparehong concepto ng tranvia, ang metrotram ang prenopose ng mga ilang chinese-filipino community dito.

RonnieR

July 16th, 2009, 06:48 PM

MAKANSUTRA at Manila Ocean Park was featured in Channel News Asia, Singapore :cheers:

Scrumptious Asian street food attracts crowds in Manila

By Channel NewsAsia's Philippines Correspondent Christine Ong | Posted: 04 July 2009 0020 hrs
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/eatndrink/view/440203/1/.html
MANILA: Asian street food at its finest has been grouped under one food village, aptly named "Makansutra", at the Manila Ocean Park.

"Makan" means "eat" in Bahasa Indonesia, while "sutra" is a Sanskrit term for "guide" or "lessons".

Renowned Singapore food expert KF Seetoh – chief executive of Makansutra – and five of Singapore's top hawkers have readily shared their secrets with over 40 local chefs to prepare various delectable cuisines from around the world.

At the Makansutra Asian Food Village, there is a wide array of sumptuous Asian dishes from 14 kitchen stations, such as Singapore's Hainanese chicken rice, India's roti prata, Thailand's tom yam soup and the beef shank soup from the Philippines.

"It's not just about teaching them how to cook the dish. It's teaching them to understand the culture of the dish. A sense of food culture, a sense of their world, a sense of the culture and heritage behind the food – that is a definitive culinary souvenir that you can bring from an eatery like this," said Seetoh.

"You can't even find a concept like this in Singapore. You find food courts, but you can't find an open performance kitchen, run by one culinary team."

Indeed, it is these interactive kitchen stations that are attracting patrons to come back for more.

"Very good variety of food! You don't have to fly to Singapore to feel Singapore, and the prices are extremely reasonable," said Alex Tanjuatco.

Greg Atienza said: "It's great! There's a great variety, so there's something for everybody. This place is even better than the hawkers plaza in Singapore because it's air conditioned."

"I am from Chicago which is one of the best eating cities in the world, and I have not found these dishes there. So I am very excited about this. I am glad to be able to find all these in one place," said James Tomell.

By end-July, Makansutra Asian Food Village will also be opening a food museum for an ultimate multi-sensory dining experience and interaction.

- CNA/so

FlashCollider

July 16th, 2009, 09:40 PM

sana matuloy ang BRT ng CEBU and I want to come back and see it for myself.

Askal82

July 17th, 2009, 02:31 AM

jaygold06

July 17th, 2009, 04:10 AM

^^masubukan nga ito minsan.:)

RonnieR

July 20th, 2009, 01:31 PM

My visit to Club Mwah in Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong last weekend- a bit upscale entertainment place, Las Vegas type shows - lady boys (most) but they say there are also real girls in the group.

Frequented by foreigners, expats and locals, too. Entrance is P750 with no drinks. San Mig Light is P150/bottle.

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto16.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto17.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto18.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto19.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto12.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto13.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto14.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto11.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto9.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto7.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto6.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto5.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto2.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto3.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto1.jpg

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/clubmwahphoto10.jpg

PhilUk19

July 20th, 2009, 03:03 PM

chocolato1000

July 20th, 2009, 03:37 PM

mhek

July 20th, 2009, 07:22 PM

hindi ba "mangan" yung kain??

Askal82

July 21st, 2009, 03:56 AM

absinthe_888

July 21st, 2009, 04:12 AM

^^ Jai ho! :lol:

amigo32

July 21st, 2009, 04:14 AM

^^ Jai ho! :lol:

oi si askal, tumahol laban sa estranghero:D:lol::lol::lol:

Askal82

July 21st, 2009, 04:27 AM

My know-it-all powers are working against them. It's a form of flame deterrent or fire extinguisher. I am more than happy to lend my services to SSC Philippine forums for that. ;) :rofl: :rofl:

wynngd

July 21st, 2009, 04:39 AM

^^hehe, baka naman kasi dinala nya ung friend nya sa BASECO or sa may Payatas... Ang layo naman ng Manila sa India kahit ngayon...

RonnieR

July 21st, 2009, 05:12 AM

:bash::bash::ohno::ohno::ohno:Tourism in the Philippines will never take off until the give the country a big deep clean and people take pride!!

My friend who came there with me compared it to india in the 70's smelly dirty and full of squatters not only in manila!!! He was put right off and i think after one visit tourist will not come back this thread is useless brcause no matter how many nice attractions there are the underlying problems always show in a big way!!!!!!!

A new thread should start on the Great Philippine Clean up or rather the great philippine litter problem!!:ohno::ohno::ohno::bash::bash:

I understand that you’re a newbie here. My position is consistent - I don’t support city vs. city, country vs. country (CvC) argument however, I hate people with crab mentality.

Don’t compare our country with India since all financial data – economic such as GDP per capita, GDP PPP, world competitiveness or social data such as UN Human Development Index , poverty rate and slums: all point to a better Philippines. This is based on facts. On the issue of slums, there is positive development that is happening in M. Manila. All the squatters along the railroad tracks have been cleared, this is a 36 km. long that cut across several cities/districts of metropolis. This is also visible to the eyes of the foreigners.

Another factual information. Despite the travel warnings issued by other countries against the Philippines, the threat of terrorism in Mindanao, the bias or wrong perception about the Philippines, our country has been positively bringing in more tourists since 2001. In that year, Philippines got only 1.7 million foreign tourists, fast forward, we had 3,091,993 foreign tourists in 2007 and 3,139,422 in 2008. It is a feat not to be unnoticed considering also that the Philippines has no border city/country. Out of these numbers in 2008, 1,665,692 came from Asia. (South Koreas numbered 653,000).

In case you’re not aware, top tourism destinations in the Philippines are not the cities that comprise the Metropolitan Manila but the regional cities/areas. The top 5 destinations by foreign tourists:
1. Cebu
2. Boracay
3. Subic/Zambales
4. Bohol
5. Camarines Sur
http://www.tourism.gov.ph/dot/statistics.asp

However, we should not discount the potentials of the National Capital Region – we have great old and new places to boast of: Intramuros, Roxas Boulevard strip, Mall of Asia – San Miguel by the Bay, Bonifacio High Street or BGC as a whole, Greenbelt, Rockwell, Manila Ocean Park, Eastwood, La Mesa, Harbor View, ORtigas Metrowalk, huge malls, cheap food, great nightlife, wide variety of restaurants – Western and Asian, cheap food., etc. Yes, I admit there is still a huge work to be done in terms of addressing poverty and infrastructure but I’m positive that the Philippines can do “it”.

^^ sa ilocandia at cordillera region, MAKAN means food. wala lang, napansin ko lang yung similarities ng mga wikang Filipino sa Bahasa (malaysia at indonesia). siguro kung islamic state din ang Pinas ngaun, malamang Bahasa rin ang salita natin.

so many words in Bahasa Indonesia are found in Visayan, Ilocano, Tagalog....even the numbers are quiet similar...satu, dua, etc. also, siku (siko), mata, telinga (tenga), muka (mukha), sama sama (together), etc.

Askal82

July 21st, 2009, 05:17 AM

^^hehe, baka naman kasi dinala nya ung friend nya sa BASECO or sa may Payatas... Ang layo naman ng Manila sa India kahit ngayon...

Sa tingin ko pareho lang silang may eyesores. Sumikat lang ng lalo ang isa dahil naisapelikula na buong mundo ang nakapanood. Pero sa bagay, mas maigi-igi na nga ngayon kesa nung 1970's :lol::lol:

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

July 21st, 2009, 05:25 AM

:bash::bash::ohno::ohno::ohno:[FONT="Arial Black"]Tourism in the Philippines will never take off until the give the country a big deep clean and people take pride!!

My friend who came there with me compared it to india in the 70's smelly dirty and full of squatters not only in manila!!! He was put right off and i think after one visit tourist will not come back this thread is useless brcause no matter how many nice attractions there are the underlying problems always show in a big way!!!!!!!

all i can say about this, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Manila-X

July 21st, 2009, 07:59 AM

Planning Democracy

July 21st, 2009, 08:16 AM

^^hehe, baka naman kasi dinala nya ung friend nya sa BASECO or sa may Payatas... Ang layo naman ng Manila sa India kahit ngayon...

:lol:

Eh kaya naman pala sha na turn off maski ko di ko pupunta dun e :lol:

Sandali, may nakapunta na ba sa inyo sa India? Baka mamaya jan yung idea natin about India eh yung mga jolog din nila pero baka may maganda sila na places dun sa laki ng lugar.

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

July 21st, 2009, 09:42 AM

^^
basta ang alam ko pag india, maraming bombay. baho baho diba?! :nocrook::lol::lol::nuts:

Maxxclip

July 21st, 2009, 09:53 AM

marlowe_cano

July 21st, 2009, 10:31 AM

all i can say about this, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

yun yon eh! :applause: :laugh:

marlowe_cano

July 21st, 2009, 10:35 AM

Metro Manila looks so much better compared back in the 80s,90s.

Anyway, yes the metro has some nice attractions but some of the attractions you mentioned can only be travelled by car like Eastwood City or High Street. The LRT/MRT doesn't travel through these areas.

La Mesa Eco Park is also a nice attraction but how can foreign tourists go there? What bus should they take?

What Manila needs is a tourist map/guide like the ones you see in HK where you can get a map right at the airport.

i agree on this,, lahit localities shold avail of this map, like me a laking PROMDI workingnow in Makati.... But still I don't know how to go to Quiapo, Binondo-Chinatown from home... I don't know how to go to Bonifacio High Street using my car from home.... well, it's worth the signages I guess... But still,, go, go Maps! for local & foreign tourists!:)

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

July 21st, 2009, 10:43 AM

^^

OT: SOLAMENTE UNA VEZ. hehehe....just remember a spanish song.

amigo32

July 21st, 2009, 11:57 AM

What Manila needs is a tourist map/guide like the ones you see in HK where you can get a map right at the airport.

Alam mo meron akong nakitang libre na map sa NAIA. Shopping destination, LRT/MRT lines, etc...
Kumuha nga ako ng 2, nasa bahay, pag di ko nakalimutan, I'll scan and post it here.

concern

July 21st, 2009, 02:37 PM

RP now a preferred "Survivor" location
By Ehda Dagooc Updated July 21, 2009 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines – The Philippines is now starting to gain ground as a preferred location for reality TV show “Survivor” with more and more countries, especially in Europe, wanting to shoot its Asian tour episode in the country.

Department of Tourism (DOT) undersecretary for planning and promotions Eduardo Jarque Jr. recently announced that two more “Survivor” productions will be shot in the Philippines this year, following France, Sweden, and Israel, which featured “Caramoan” as its location in Camarines Sur.

Jarque said “Survivor Bulgaria” is currently shooting its own TV production on the island, to follow will be same TV productions for the countries of Turkey and Serbia.

Jarque said featuring the Philippines as these countries’ location for the widely viewed and globally popular reality-TV program has helped the promotion of the Philippines to other countries, as noted in the significant increase of French arrivals to the Philippines after the program was shown in France. The “Survivor: France” which was shot in the Philippines will be aired in France until September.

DOT, for its part, is giving assistance to the crew of each country in setting up at their specific location shoots, specially in Caramoan, which can only be accessed through a private air transportation. DOT is spending its own money for the logistical support, Jarque said.

What fuelled the interest of these countries to pick the Philippines, especially CamSur’s Caramoan Island, is the local government unit’s (LGUs) willingness to build its own facility designed for the requirement of the world-known reality TV.

Aside from Caramoan, DOT is also readily dishing out other locations in the country that the reality show might be able to feature.

“We are looking for a secluded island or group of islands in the Philippines that will be the next location of “Survivor” shooting. A destination can only be used once as a site for “Survivor.” We have to continually look for alternative sites to sustain this interest,” Jarque said.

This kind of activity in our islands does not only boost the country’s popularity as a tourism destination but also helps bring in money. For a three-month production alone, the production outfit spends at least P40 million.

Jarque hopes that the Philippines will be able to discover another site for more “Survivor” production location that is very secluded and can house at least 30 crew members and talents.

“The place must be balanced, it is isolated but can offer world-class accommodation for the crew,” Jarque said.

The reason why Caramoan Island in CamSur has become the favorite of overseas’ production outfits specifically Survivor, because the area has strings of islands, and world-class resort villas that have been built by the CamSur Provincial government initially for this purpose.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=488589

in_a_rush

July 21st, 2009, 04:34 PM

Alam mo meron akong nakitang libre na map sa NAIA. Shopping destination, LRT/MRT lines, etc...
Kumuha nga ako ng 2, nasa bahay, pag di ko nakalimutan, I'll scan and post it here.

meron din ako nun. sponsored yun nung manila tours na ala hop on hop off yun nga lang medyo taga kasi 700pesos yung day tour.. anyway, dapat may dedicated na buses for tourists. bakit hindi for a start magkaroon ng buses na umiikot sa Chinatown-Intramuros-Rizal park-MOP-Baywalk-Malate/Robinsons Manila-Manila Zoo-BSP-CCP complex- Seaside/bluewave-MOA complex tapos balik ulit ng Chinatown. meron ding dapat unloading station sa EDSA station ng LRT at MRT. paikot-ikot lang sa ruta na yan tapos tourists has the option to take the corregidor cruise sa harbour square sa CCP or pasig river cruise sa Intramuros station. If they want to go to mAkati,ortigas or other parts of the metro, bababa lang sila sa MRT/LRT station.. dapat competitive naman yung price para kahit pinoy maka-afford. :):):)

PhilUk19

July 21st, 2009, 07:54 PM

shyaman

July 22nd, 2009, 01:03 AM

CGYanon

July 22nd, 2009, 02:37 AM

Go Bohol!

The World's Most Astonishing Landscapes
By Larry Olmsted (http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-28962370;_ylc=X3oDMTF0MDFyb2F1BF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEX3MDMjcxOTQ4MQRzZWMDZnAtdG9kYXltb2QEc2xrA2FzdG9uaXNoaW5nLTctMjEtMDk-)

Chocolate Hills, Philippines

The name of these unique mounds comes from the fact that the green grass covering them turns deep brown during the annual dry season, but is does not hurt that they bear a striking resemblance to Hershey Kisses. The stunner is how perfectly uniform each of the conical hills are, and inevitably, first-time visitors simply cannot believe they are not man-made. However, the scale of this construction project was best left to Mother Nature: There are too many of the hills to count — estimates range from over 1,200 to 1,700.

http://l.yimg.com/a/p/fi/23/74/53.jpg

Askal82

July 22nd, 2009, 05:06 AM

Some people in this forum need to take their head out of the clouds!! The point i was making is that the authorities mainly mayor lim and the mmda and all local authorities down to the sk need to clean the place before investing so much in tourism!!
So when tourist come without a shaparone they have no excuse to say its dirty or there is litter around it will just be more pleasant for them!! it makes me sad when people compare it to singapore inwhich they will always do whether we agree with comparison or not!! lets rise up and do it!!!

To ronnier your a little condecending! i may be a newbie to posting but not to the threads i have been reading them everyday for 2 years!! and i am also of filipino blood that has visited many times twice last year and 1ce this year!!

To get good tourism the root causes need to be fixed and that is by voting in a pres that will empower the poor the govt never invests in the poor which causes the litter and the kids begging which i have experienced being followed by about 10 children asking for money this is not good for tourists now is it!!?? even the kapit bising para sa ilog pasig is a private sector incentive and not funded by the govt!!

anyways maybe this is the wrong thread to discuss maybe we shud start a new one and carry on its interesting!! esp in light of the upcoming pres election!!

I will always love PHIL!! i hope one day it will get it act together and knock Thailand out of the water which is overrated and the people are 1/10 as nice as the Filipino's!!

However, you still can't say that Metro Manila is like India in the 70's. The metro itself is substantially better now than before in terms of cleanliness although not to the level you would expect.

On MMDA, they actually played a significant role in improving the waste and sanitation, road conditions and traffic problems all over MM from meager resources without the help or even full cooperation of MM mayors. Go here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=264800) if you want to see their latest developments.

On tourism issues, it goes side by side with sanitation and development. Why take step 1 then step 2 when you can have both of them at the same time whenever job, investment and other economic opportunities are waiting to be realized from promoting the country's tourism industry.

Planning Democracy

July 22nd, 2009, 05:11 AM

Some people in this forum need to take their head out of the clouds!! The point i was making is that the authorities mainly mayor lim and the mmda and all local authorities down to the sk need to clean the place before investing so much in tourism!!
So when tourist come without a shaparone they have no excuse to say its dirty or there is litter around it will just be more pleasant for them!! it makes me sad when people compare it to singapore inwhich they will always do whether we agree with comparison or not!! lets rise up and do it!!!

To ronnier your a little condecending! i may be a newbie to posting but not to the threads i have been reading them everyday for 2 years!! and i am also of filipino blood that has visited many times twice last year and 1ce this year!!

To get good tourism the root causes need to be fixed and that is by voting in a pres that will empower the poor the govt never invests in the poor which causes the litter and the kids begging which i have experienced being followed by about 10 children asking for money this is not good for tourists now is it!!?? even the kapit bising para sa ilog pasig is a private sector incentive and not funded by the govt!!

anyways maybe this is the wrong thread to discuss maybe we shud start a new one and carry on its interesting!! esp in light of the upcoming pres election!!

I will always love PHIL!! i hope one day it will get it act together and knock Thailand out of the water which is overrated and the people are 1/10 as nice as the Filipino's!!

The city isn't a good place to visit, it's gonna take a long time before you can clean it up. And you can't solve poverty simply by electing a new president.

However that doesn't mean you should stop spending for tourism because we have other assets which are far from the city such as the beaches and other undiscovered spots here.

Tourism brings in money which can help alleviate poverty here in the Philippines. So it's not a case of cleaning up your act before tourism comes in, tourism can come in and may help in getting the country's act cleaned up.

Besides, the facts speak for themselves, tourist arrivals have greatly increased here in the Philippines in spite of all those beggars.

RonnieR

July 22nd, 2009, 05:17 AM

Some people in this forum need to take their head out of the clouds!! The point i was making is that the authorities mainly mayor lim and the mmda and all local authorities down to the sk need to clean the place before investing so much in tourism!!
So when tourist come without a shaparone they have no excuse to say its dirty or there is litter around it will just be more pleasant for them!! it makes me sad when people compare it to singapore inwhich they will always do whether we agree with comparison or not!! lets rise up and do it!!!

To ronnier your a little condecending! i may be a newbie to posting but not to the threads i have been reading them everyday for 2 years!! and i am also of filipino blood that has visited many times twice last year and 1ce this year!!

To get good tourism the root causes need to be fixed and that is by voting in a pres that will empower the poor the govt never invests in the poor which causes the litter and the kids begging which i have experienced being followed by about 10 children asking for money this is not good for tourists now is it!!?? even the kapit bising para sa ilog pasig is a private sector incentive and not funded by the govt!!

anyways maybe this is the wrong thread to discuss maybe we shud start a new one and carry on its interesting!! esp in light of the upcoming pres election!!

I will always love PHIL!! i hope one day it will get it act together and knock Thailand out of the water which is overrated and the people are 1/10 as nice as the Filipino's!!

Have you been to India? I have been to New Delhi in 2006 thru a business trip...I don't want further comments as I said earlier, i don't agree with CvC argument. The malls, the streets, the surroundings, the choices of restaurants, after the trip, I loved the Philippines so much.

You've seen the beggars in Malate - this is the only place where beggars are tolerated, thanks to Mayor Lim. During Atienza's time, they were nowhere or negligible. Compare these to the beggars in India...

It's nice to know that you still love the PHilippines.

RonnieR

July 22nd, 2009, 05:19 AM

shyaman

July 22nd, 2009, 05:31 AM

The World's Most Astonishing Landscapes
By Larry Olmsted (http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-28962370;_ylc=X3oDMTF0MDFyb2F1BF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEX3MDMjcxOTQ4MQRzZWMDZnAtdG9kYXltb2QEc2xrA2FzdG9uaXNoaW5nLTctMjEtMDk-)

Chocolate Hills, Philippines

http://l.yimg.com/a/p/fi/23/74/53.jpg

The photo is somehow heavily photoshopped? It looks too good to be real, comparing it with photos I've seen so far of Chocolate Hills. Can you post a bigger photo?

But indeed, Chocolate Hills is a sight to behold. I missed the opportunity of seeing it last January.

amigo32

July 22nd, 2009, 05:39 AM

The photo is somehow heavily photoshopped? It looks too good to be real, comparing it with photos I've seen so far of Chocolate Hills. Can you post a bigger photo?

But indeed, Chocolate Hills is a sight to behold. I missed the opportunity of seeing it last January.

depende nga daw sa panahon, kung tag-init nagiging brown, pero kung tag-ulan green. mukhang papuntang brown na yan sa pic na yan:D:lol:

crappypants

July 22nd, 2009, 05:50 AM

^^ I think what irked some forumers was your statement that the Philippines of today is as dirty as the 70s India, a sweeping statement that's not really true. I could even say that Manila's streets are generally cleaner than most of India's large cities nowadays. Not a first-hand experience comparison coz I've never been to India but mainly based on films and photos I've seen of the country, the latest of which is Slumdog Millionaire.

But the thing is, India still captures a large market of foreign tourists despite the filthy surroundings. Just recently, I've seen an episode of a TV travel show featuring Mumbai. Dirty city streets are sometimes in the background but they were bypassed by the hosts' impressions. They even show some disgusting practices on the city streets like someone to clean your dirty ears for a pay or those street 'dentists' doing tooth extractions using unsterilised tools. The hosts find the practices unusual but find it part of India's unique culture.

How I wish all foreign tourists in the Philippines can look beyond the dirty surroundings and be more impressed with our culture and natural beauty.

By the way, Thais being 1/10 as nice as Filipinos is way underrated. Generally, I find them as nice, and at some instances better than Filipinos. :)

It is because of the culture and maybe Indian food, it's the trend nowadays, so they can overlook the filthy surroundings in exchange of the exotic culture. for us I guess we are much westernized so we have to think of other ways to entice them and highlight our advantage like hospitality of people, awesome PRISTINE nature and maybe value for money. So I understand PhilUKS point, if we cleaned up our surroundings it's another plus on reasons why tourists should visit the PHils. We can work on the food and also organization and ease of reaching destinations.

in_a_rush

July 22nd, 2009, 06:24 AM

yung picture ng chocolate hills parang sa ibang planeta! :lol:

aggressive naman kasi ang India sa tourism advertisement nila. when i was in singapore las month. yung escalator at walls ng isang MRT station dun.. pininturahan ng advertisement ng India. for sure sobrang mahal ng gastos dun! I have a friend who is base now in India and he said na walang-wala daw ang India sa Manila pag-dating sa kalinisan at kaayusan. :)

shyaman

July 22nd, 2009, 07:10 AM

depende nga daw sa panahon, kung tag-init nagiging brown, pero kung tag-ulan green. mukhang papuntang brown na yan sa pic na yan:D:lol:

Kaw naman I know that the color turns brown during the dry season or summer in particular kaya nga chocolate eh. What I mean is parang enhanced masyado ang pagkabrown nito in contrast to the green background. Tapos parang may thick fog pa despite the moon being way up the heavens pa :D.

Overly enhanced photos kasi can sometimes backfire. Tourists normally expect to see what they saw in photos. It will not be good if they will be disappointed later on with what's reality.

RonnieR

July 22nd, 2009, 07:48 AM

Palawan river in new 7 world wonders finals
By Redempto Anda
Inquirer Southern Luzon First Posted 10:44:00 07/22/2009

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — The Underground River of Puerto Princesa City has made it to the final 28 in the ongoing global search for the new seven wonders of nature.

After competing with over 400 nominees in an Internet-based voting process that was started two years ago by a Swiss-based organization where over 1 billion Internet votes were cast, the island province's main tourist draw has hurdled the final selection process that will determine the official new Seven Wonders of the World.

"This is an extraordinary achievement and the eyes of the planet will be upon the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and the Philippines for the next two years. We look forward to an exciting and record-breaking final race, with the whole world coming together to choose the Official New Seven Wonders of Nature," Bernard Weber, founder and president of New7Wonders Foundation said in a statement released Tuesday night.

Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn vowed to bring the city government's campaign to solicit votes for the Philippines’ lone entry to the international level, tapping into Filipino communities abroad and seeking support from multilateral agencies that have supported the underground river.

"This is the crucial stage of voting and we have made it this far even with very little resources and relying only on friends and visitors who have seen the underground river. Now is the time to rally behind our country's best bet to be included in the new Seven Wonders of the World," Hagedorn said in a text message sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

A panel of experts chose the 28 finalists from 77 nominees that were selected in the previous stage.

The panel of experts includes: panel president Prof. Dr. Federico Mayor, Dr. John Francis (United States environmentalist, social activist, author, and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador to the World's Grassroots Communities), Simon King (Kenya/United Kingdom documentary filmmaker), Ana Paula Tavares (Brazil/US senior vice president and vice president of development of the Rainforest Alliance), Bernard Weber (Canada/Switzerland global voting campaign expert, photographer, filmmaker, and author), Prof. Jan Zima (Czech Republic biodiversity scientist) and Rex Weyler (Canada environmental journalist, activist, and founder of Greenpeace).

The underground river is the main feature of a vast protected area that was declared a World Heritage Site as early as 1995. Located 50 kilometers north of Puerto Princesa City, it features a two kilometer navigable river underneath a karst (limestone) mountain formation with centuries old stalactites and stalagmites.

Organizers said that as one of the 28 finalists, Puerto Princesa's Underground River will be included in an international road show that will seek to draw global attention to the place and encourage people all over the world to vote for their choice.

Votes are cast over the internet using a person's existing email address. The site where votes may be cast here.

amigo32

July 22nd, 2009, 09:56 AM

RonnieR

July 22nd, 2009, 10:05 AM

^^ is that available in all terminals?

RonnieR

July 22nd, 2009, 10:11 AM

Chocolate hills
congrats Bohol for making it to Forbes Travelers Astonishing Landscapes of 2009.

http://www.forbestraveler.com/best-lists/landscapes-2009-slide-9.html?partner=playlist&thisSpeed=25000

Chocolate Hills
The name of these unique mounds comes from the fact that the green grass covering them turns deep brown during the annual dry season, but is does not hurt that they bear a striking resemblance to Hershey Kisses. The stunner is how perfectly uniform each of the conical hills are, and inevitably, first time visitors simply cannot believe they are not man made. However the scale of this construction project was best left to Mother Nature: There are too many of the hills to count—estimates range from over 1,200 to 1,700!

amigo32

July 22nd, 2009, 12:44 PM

^^ is that available in all terminals?

Sa T3 ko lang nakita yan, basta dinampot ko na lang noong nakita ko free maps:lol:

shyaman

July 22nd, 2009, 01:42 PM

this is the map, the map, the map. dora the explorer said:lol::lol::lol:

malaki yan, yan lang kasya sa scanner kaya, yan lang papakita ko.:)

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a325/cbuilt/Untitled-1.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a325/cbuilt/Untitled-3.jpg

Why is Carlos Palanca St in the middle of Pasig River? And there is no Ayala Bridge across the river. :?
Mukhang namali yata yung pagkulay nung upper right hand side - naging blue instead of light orange, nagmukha tuloy napakalaking ilog yung Pasig River. :D

Ok na sana... :ohno:

PhilUk19

July 22nd, 2009, 02:41 PM

My point was at the beginning that someone said this to me that it was like india and i was shocked and we had an arguement!!! I just want to stop people saying this about manila and phil!!!

It was embarrasing and in the UK where i live the phil does not have a good rep coz of all the bad tv shows about it its so FRUSTRATING!!! i just want them to be perfect so people cant say f*!? all bad about manila and phil coz i know its inner beauty but tourists without filipino blood are more fickle!!!

I think i resign to that fact and say if you dont like it sod you!! because i do and come on PHILIPPINES TOURISM!!!!!

Juan Pilgrim

July 22nd, 2009, 03:56 PM

^^There was a time when this was a problem in the U.K. itself...

There was no organized means of disposal of the by-products of these industries. Much offal and garbage was simply slopped into the streets, along with the contents of the chamber-pots. Walking under the jutties (the old wooden houses that projected out over the streets) one constanly had to be aware of the shout of "gardyloo!" (= gardez l'eau. Watch out for the 'water') which preceded the splash. Streets that had proper drainage usually had a channel in the middle of the street (unlike the more modern system of a gutters each side). Other large cities were no different ....

This not an excuse for Manila not to be clean.
But every great cities somehow goes through these changes...

:horse:

in_a_rush

July 22nd, 2009, 08:13 PM

Sa T3 ko lang nakita yan, basta dinampot ko na lang noong nakita ko free maps:lol:

sa T2 ko naman nakuha sa akin. last time na nasa T1 ako, wala ako makita.

Askal82

July 23rd, 2009, 12:43 AM

PhilUk19

July 23rd, 2009, 01:27 AM

:banana::banana::banana: the website for the hop-on-off tourist jeepney looks really good and clear!!!!!!!!!:banana::banana::banana:

:banana:http://www.jeepneytours.com/:banana::banana::banana:

shyaman

July 23rd, 2009, 02:12 AM

I checked out the site. It's good alright. But take a look at one of their itineraries:

Intramuros Heritage Tour
8:00 a.m. Pick up time from the hotel
8:45 a.m. Running tour of SM Mall of Asia, CCP Complex,
Harbour Square and Rizal Park
9:00 a.m. Light and Sound Museum
10:00 a.m. San Agustin Church and Museum
10:30 a.m. Fort Santiago
11:00 a.m. Shopping for souvenir and local products at Mananzan Handicrafts
11:30 a.m. Lunch at Barbara’s Restaurant
12:30 p.m. Depart from Intramuros
1:00 p.m. Expected time of arrival at the hotel

Running tour of MOA, CCP Complex, Harbour Square & Rizal Park in 15 minutes? San Agustin Church & Museum in 30 minutes? Shopping at Mananzan Handicrafts in 30 minutes?

That's a very tight itinerary! I think tourists won't enjoy a tour as fast as this. They should have made it a whole day tour.

amigo32

July 23rd, 2009, 03:40 AM

Wow, it looks like Grayline. :D

grrrrrrrrrrr, bowowowowowowowow!

I checked out the site. It's good alright. But take a look at one of their itineraries:

Intramuros Heritage Tour
8:00 a.m. Pick up time from the hotel
8:45 a.m. Running tour of SM Mall of Asia, CCP Complex,
Harbour Square and Rizal Park
9:00 a.m. Light and Sound Museum
10:00 a.m. San Agustin Church and Museum
10:30 a.m. Fort Santiago
11:00 a.m. Shopping for souvenir and local products at Mananzan Handicrafts
11:30 a.m. Lunch at Barbara’s Restaurant
12:30 p.m. Depart from Intramuros
1:00 p.m. Expected time of arrival at the hotel

Running tour of MOA, CCP Complex, Harbour Square & Rizal Park in 15 minutes? San Agustin Church & Museum in 30 minutes? Shopping at Mananzan Handicrafts in 30 minutes?

That's a very tight itinerary! I think tourists won't enjoy a tour as fast as this. They should have made it a whole day tour.

baka may adjustment yan sa actual, hindi namn puede iwanan ang turista habang namimili pa:D:D:D

mAiNsTrEaMhunter

July 23rd, 2009, 04:10 AM

^^There was a time when this was a problem in the U.K. itself...

This not an excuse for Manila not to be clean.
But every great cities somehow goes through these changes...

:horse:

maswerte lang sila pinanganak sila ng maaga. hehehe... i mean UK is so lucky all our problems right now were problems they had long before there was internet and colored pictures. hehehe

dinabaw

July 23rd, 2009, 10:20 AM

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/3490/dsc0652m.jpg

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5804/campsabroskapatagandigo.jpg
Camp Sabros, Kapatagan Davao

dinabaw

July 23rd, 2009, 10:22 AM

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/7740/dvo13.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/38/dvo21.jpg

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/3924/dvo23.jpg (http://img20.imageshack.us/i/dvo21.jpg/)
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/5479/dvo45.jpg

dinabaw

July 23rd, 2009, 10:25 AM

Philippine Eagle Center (http://www.philippineeagle.org/index?pageval=thepecenter)

Philippine Eagle Center (http://images.google.com.ph/imgres?imgurl=http://www.philippineeagle.org/_images/chick1_index.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.philippineeagle.org/&usg=__zB0ge4L9Lt9zuAjL5TR28v-FsUw=&h=211&w=179&sz=47&hl=en&start=75&um=1&tbnid=H7HA8dcCoC6pbM:&tbnh=106&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dphilippine%2Beagle%2Bcenter%2Bphotos%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D60%26um%3D1)

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/1279/25667581655cba1485eebnr8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2029/2509728825b62bfb40eawe3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5043/3179342018f7587c13a1.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=3179342018f7587c13a1.jpg)

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/394/3179338870c022b164b7.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=3179338870c022b164b7.jpg)

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/7865/81297711988ee5a8dfc.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=81297711988ee5a8dfc.jpg)

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6132/davao09.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=davao09.jpg)

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6950/610xgly.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=610xgly.jpg)
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/3337/610xy.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=610xy.jpg)
In this photo released by the Philippine Eagle Foundation shown is a newly hatched Philippine Eagle chick at the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao city in southern Philippines on Friday December 7, 2007. Laid by one of the natural eagle pairs, Tsai and Princess Maasim, the chick is the 22nd eagle bred and hatched in captivity by the Philippine Eagle Foundation and weighs 155.9 grams.

The Center is home to 36 Philippine Eagles, 18 of which are captive-bred. It also houses 10 other species of birds, 4 species of mammals and 2 species of reptiles. Simulating a tropical rain forest environment, the Center offers the visitor a glimpse into the country’s forest ecosystem. Although the exhibits are used primarily to help educate the Filipino people on conservation, the facility is also considered a major tourist attraction in Davao City.
How to get there
The Philippine Eagle Center (PEC) is about an hour drive from the city and can be reached either by private or public transport. Buses going to Calinan depart every 15 minutes from the Annil Terminal located at corner Quirino and San Pedro Extension. Bus fare is at P30. From Calinan, take a pedicab going to the PEC. The ride is about 10 minutes and will cost you P6. Before entering the PEC premises, the Davao City Water District will collect an entrance fee of P5 for adults and P3 for kids. PEC entrance costs P50 for adults and P30 for youth, 18 years old and below. Tour guiding and the use of kiosks are free of charge.

Entrance Fees
Guests are charged a nominal fee to enter the facility. The proceeds are used to support in situ and ex situ conservation actions of the PEF.

Adults - P50
Youth (18 years old and below) - P30

Traveling time from the City Proper to Malagos
45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on traffic

Tours and Reservations
Tour guiding at the Philippine Eagle Center is free of charge. It is advisable that visitors call the PEF office and book in advance to ensure the availability of tour guides during their visit.

School groups with at least 30 students will be given a 10% discount. However, the group must have to pre-book their visit and must pay in advance at the PEF Office (see Contact Page) to avail of this offer. Family groups of 10 are also provided with the same privilege.

The Philippine Eagle Center is open from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon daily, including holidays.
Lecture on the following(optional)
Philippine Eagle Foundation and its programs
Conservation Breeding Program
Field Research Program
Community Based Program
Conservation Education Program
Captive Breeding Techniques

Special Education Program
The Philippine Eagle Center offers educational programs for visitors such as:

Keeper Talk
This activity is offered at a specific time. The bird's keeper or caretaker will talk about the bird's biology, characteristics, interesting facts and life at the Center. This activity gives the visitors an opportunity to interact with the keeper and its ward. It also helps the visitors have a deeper understanding of the bird's life cycle and environment.

Falconry.
This activity is a guarantee that visitors will never forget their trip at the Center. This time, the guests will not see the birds in their enclosures but on the air. Keepers will allow their wards to take flight to delight and impart knowledge to the viewers.

Open Classroom Project.
This is a fun way of knowing the eagles and learning about life science. With games and enjoyable activities, students will definitely take pleasure in learning. Modules and themes are specifically designed to suit

Philippine Eagle Center (http://www.philippineeagle.org/index?pageval=thepecenter)