Travel and Tourism Industry [Archive] - Page 53

reign

August 13th, 2011, 07:22 AM

World's top triathletes return to CamSur
By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star) Updated August 13, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (0)

SHARE: facebook yahoo! buzz

Wilfred Uytengsu (third from left), president and CEO of Alaska and president of Sunrise Events, Inc., discusses the mechanics of the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Phils., during the launch of the event at CamSur Watersports Complex. Others in photo are (from left) men’s elite defending champion Pete Jacobs, CamSur Gov. L-Ray Villafuerte and Katya Meyers. JUN MENDOZA
| Zoom PILI, Camarines Sur, Philippines – The country’s No. 1 tourist destination has opened its doors to the third Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines.

For the next two days, 1,100 bets from 28 countries will test the warm waters and the sun-baked roads in and around the CamSur Watersports Complex.

“If you feel the heat, let me say that it’s actually the warmth of the people of this province,” said Camarines Sur Gov. L-Ray Villafuerte yesterday.

He welcomed the top professionals from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Hawaii, the United States and the Philippines during a press conference.

CamSur is the best place for triathlon in the country, and the latest from the Department of Tourism is that it’s the country’s top tourist destination today.

In 2010, it recorded a total of 2.3 million tourist arrivals, edging out Metro Manila with its 2.2 million and Cebu, the Queen City of the South, with its 1.7 million.
The CWC, which has developed into a perfect weekend hideaway even from those from Metro Manila, will host the event for the third straight year.

Spicing up tomorrow’s Cobra Ironman 70.3 is today’s Alaska Milk Ironkids Triathlon, a showroom for the future of Philippine triathlon.

It’s the brainchild of Alaska Milk Corp. president and CEO Wilfred Uytengsu, who’s also here as a competitor in the Ironman 70.3 itself.

Leading the pros are defending champion Pete Jacobs, who is expected to be crowded by Cameron Brown, Jesse Thomas, Luke Gillmer, Justin Granger, Dan Brown and Erich Felbabal for the crown.

In the women’s side, it’s Australia’s Belinda Granger, Amanda Stevens, Bree Wee and ex-supermodel Katya Meyers who will make the heads turn.

Neil Catiil and Monica Torres will carry the heavy load for the hosts.

Manila-X

August 13th, 2011, 03:20 PM

Lim, tourism body exec trade barbs on 990 AM interview

By Chona Yu
Radyo Inquirer 990
7:54 pm | Saturday, August 13th, 2011

MANILA, Philippines—It was envisioned to be a productive partnership between the government and the private sector, but on Saturday outgoing Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim and Tourism Congress (TC) vice president Jaime Cura traded strong accusations that bared what apparently has been ailing the tourism sector since last year.

According to Cura, Lim “ignored and snubbed” the Tourism Congress, a private body created under the Tourism Act of 2009 to help the government formulate policies on tourism. The Congress’ members included national associations of tourism enterprises such as hotels and resorts, travel agencies, airlines and transportation companies.

Lim denied this. ”I invited them to my consultation, and they invited me to their meetings. But when I turn my back, they say something else. Medyo insecure sila,” he said.

Lim admitted that the criticisms were hurting his family. “Yes, it was a pressure, especially on my family,” said Lim, who has resigned as tourism secretary effective August 31.

Cura and Lim were interviewed on Radyo Inquirer 990AM.

Lim denied he ignored the TC. The problem, he said, was that some of their members resented his decision to revise the Internal Rules and Regulations or implementing guidelines of the congress.

Lim also said the officers of the TC were elected under the IRR which he wanted to revise. He said of the 1,300 to 2,000 members of the Tourism Congress, only about 50 were able to attend the first election.

“These people who are criticizing me, they are scared about losing their positions,” Lim said in Filipino.

Lim said the problem with the IRR has been there since the time of his predecessor, Ace Durano. “I only inherited the situation,” he said.

Cura, however, said the problem was in Lim’s management style.

“Hindi siya mahilig sa consultation. He is aloof, snobbish. He is thorough and educated, but not friendly,” Cura said.

Cura accused Lim of siding with a travel agency which questioned the IRR of the Tourism Congress. “Lim listened to this small company at the risk of alienating the rest of us,” Cura said.

Cura said the Congress was not pushing for any personality to take over from Lim, but just someone who can be an “inspirer, motivator and unifier” in the tourism industry.

Lim said he was able to create over 400,000 jobs, championed the open-skies policy and prepared a national tourism development plan which he will turn over to his successor.

In the meantime, Lim said he will take his family on a vacation in Bohol

wynngd

August 13th, 2011, 03:56 PM

rbegxDpJolg

This is the first of the 3 Pilipinas, Tara Na! music videos

Pilipinas, Tara Na! v.1

Two Thumbs Up!

rubiopr27

August 13th, 2011, 08:31 PM

rbegxDpJolg

This is the first of the 3 Pilipinas, Tara Na! music videos

Pilipinas, Tara Na! v.1
Words by: Rene Nieva
Composed by: Mike Villegas and Rico Blanco
Arranged by: Angelo Villegas

Mas maganda pa rin yung isang video nito. Sabi nga ni Carlos Celdran " Why use money/time on the SAME thing? No new ideas?"

Ekweng

August 14th, 2011, 10:42 AM

Link please?
Here's the link:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=808960&page=15

post #286 is it Pearl Farm Samal Island?
post #287 is it Naidi Hills, Basco, Batanes? here's the link of the photographer http://colloidfarl.blogspot.com/2009/01/going-organic-in-batanes.html

pi_malejana

August 14th, 2011, 10:50 AM

^^ :rofl: haha natawa ako dun...:bash:

kita mo naman kasi ung nagpost: "Master of disguise"...:ohno:

Ph Man

August 14th, 2011, 11:50 AM

chanced upon an interesting feature from BBC:
http://www.bbc.com/travel/gallery/20110812-southeast-asian-ideal-in-the-philippines

Manila-X

August 14th, 2011, 12:00 PM

Here's the link:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=808960&page=15

post #286 is it Pearl Farm Samal Island?
post #287 is it Naidi Hills, Basco, Batanes? here's the link of the photographer http://colloidfarl.blogspot.com/2009/01/going-organic-in-batanes.html

Has anyone of you reacted in that thread?

xxxriainxxx

August 14th, 2011, 12:10 PM

Ph Man

August 14th, 2011, 12:13 PM

rbegxDpJolg

This is the first of the 3 Pilipinas, Tara Na! music videos

I wish there's a version of this that shows only the tourist destinations. After all this is a promotion of the places not of the artists. :)

anak_mm

August 14th, 2011, 12:22 PM

pthfndr19

August 14th, 2011, 01:38 PM

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c124/alfinsky/palapag.jpg

pthfndr19

August 14th, 2011, 01:43 PM

I replied na. Gag0 yun ah.

^^oo nga hehe.

anak_mm

August 14th, 2011, 02:07 PM

lol yung batanes, disyerto daw

Ekweng

August 14th, 2011, 02:28 PM

Though Tourism Malaysia got criticized by Indonesia for using their aspects of their culture.

I think Indonesia should not react like that. Their culture is so rich, that it even reached places like Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines. It happened during the time when kingdoms ruled the world and it's already part of our history and heritage. Middle eastern countries like Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and UAE have very similar cultures. They even have the same national costumes, but does one of them bother to say "hey, it's should be ours"?. Singapore too borrowed their culture from the chinese right?

I just don't get it when some countries always wants be unique. cultural fights between Thailand and Cambodia is also one example.

anak_mm

August 14th, 2011, 02:53 PM

pomperadz@yahoo.com

August 14th, 2011, 05:33 PM

Mas maganda pa rin yung isang video nito. Sabi nga ni Carlos Celdran " Why use money/time on the SAME thing? No new ideas?"

ay kala ko another abs cbn station id na naman to..sa DOT pala..looks like they were concern more sa artists than sa beautiful sceneries of Philippine Island! At maka PAMILYA pala ang DOT ha.:D:D:D

Another "tae" of DOT!

MatudNilaBaby

August 14th, 2011, 06:01 PM

ay kala ko another abs cbn station id na naman to..sa DOT pala..looks like they were concern more sa artists than sa beautiful sceneries of Philippine Island! At maka PAMILYA pala ang DOT ha.:D:D:D

Another "tae" of DOT!

dot should have put up a contest for the public to come up with something unique like this one for sun star daily " i love cebu" project

this entry has the dot "tara na" phrase
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmdiU0ZeoJU

Ekweng

August 15th, 2011, 02:29 AM

And who could he be? drum roll please...

Tourism Congress vows to support new DOT chief

abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 08/14/2011 2:39 PM | Updated as of 08/14/2011 7:38 PM

MANILA, Philippines – Following Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim’s resignation on Friday, Tourism Congress hopes that the one who will be appointed as the next department chief would be able to unite all tourism stakeholders in the country.

Tourism Congress External Vice President Jaime Cura said this is essential so the Philippines could be globally competitive in the tourism industry.

Cura also said members of the Tourism Congress respect Lim’s resignation and they are ready to support his successor.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Friday said the President is already searching for a possible replacement who will take over Lim’s post. – Report from Charlie Mendoza, DZMM

Ekweng

August 15th, 2011, 02:36 AM

Noy ally willing to serve as tourism chief; Zubiri endorsed
By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star) Updated August 15, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (28)

MANILA, Philippines - An ally of President Aquino who lost in the May 2010 senatorial race has offered herself as possible replacement for outgoing Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim or any other vacant Cabinet post.

“President Aquino didn’t offer the tourism chief post but any Cabinet post is welcome,” former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel recently posted in her Facebook account, a popular social networking site.

Hontiveros ran under the Liberal Party of then senator Aquino, but lost in the elections. She and several other allies have been waiting for their possible appointment to government posts, following the lapse of the one-year ban on losing candidates.

The most successful to land a government post was Aquino’s former running-mate Manuel Roxas II - who lost to Vice President Jejomar Binay in the 2010 polls - after he was designated transportation chief, replacing Jose de Jesus.

Rumors

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said all the names that are being floated as Lim’s replacement are “all speculations” since only Aquino knows who he will appoint as the next secretary of the Department of Tourism.

“At this point, it’s all speculations until the President tells us that this is the person that will replace Secretary Lim. And that would be final,” she told government-owned radio dzRB.

Among the names that have since been mentioned as contenders for the DOT portfolio are that of advertising executive Ramon Jimenez, defeated LP senatorial bet and former Muntinlupa City Rep. Ruffy Biazon, and talent manager Eugenio “Boy” Abunda Jr., a columnist of The STAR.

Hontiveros, according to Valte, only wanted to help the Aquino administration.

‘Why not Migz?’

Meantime, in Davao City, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ the Name Above Every Name is pushing for former senator Juan Miguel ‘Migz’ Zubiri to be the next tourism chief.

“The former senator has the vision and the charisma for the job as tourism head. He fits well being tourism chief,” Quiboloy said.

Quiboloy made the statement after Zubiri guested in his ‘Give Us This Day’ television show last Friday night where text messages also poured in describing how charismatic and good-looking Zubiri is, which would make him suitable for the job as the country’s No. 1 tourism promoter.

“It is not only the good looks. But Zubiri also has the brains and he knows what to do with the department. He has the vision for the country. His being tourism secretary would really do good for the nation. We hope President Aquino would also consider him (Zubiri) for the tourism job,” Quiboloy said.

Zubiri appeared on Quiboloy’s TV program in an effort to thank his supporters and the rest of the Filipino people for understanding why he opted to resign from office.

Zubiri disclosed that he sought Quiboloy’s guidance and blessing before he reigned as senator last week.

Zubiri said he would embark on an environment and tourism-related series of activities in the next months.

The former senator likewise said he is already at peace with himself now that he resigned from office.

“No regrets. I am very okay. In fact, I am offering myself and my services should Koko (Senator Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III) need me for anything. I would be glad to be of help,” Zubiri told The STAR. – With Edith Regalado

xxxriainxxx

August 15th, 2011, 04:18 AM

^^oo nga hehe.

I deleted na my post as the dude deleted that post and apologised. :)

Manila-X

August 15th, 2011, 04:53 AM

^^ its a rivalry, because their of their similarities, theyre like the only ASEAN countries (except brunei) who can understand & curse at each other :lol:

i always see them call malaysia.. malingsia.. maling i guess means thief..

The name "Malaysia" itself is new considered that this name was brought up during the late 1950s. Before the country was called "Malaya"

Manila-X

August 15th, 2011, 05:15 AM

Hong Kong keeps travel ban on Philippines

By Jerry Esplanada
Philippine Daily Inquirer
6:34 am | Monday, August 15th, 2011

Hong Kong has turned down the Philippine government’s repeated appeals to lift the Special Administrative Region’s nearly one-year-old ban on travel to Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
The foreign office had “made representations with Hong Kong several times to have the travel ban lifted,” said Raul Hernandez, DFA spokesperson.

“The Department of Tourism (DOT) is also working to do this,” he told the Inquirer.

Positive outcome

Hernandez said both the DFA and DOT had not given up though. “We will continue with our representations and hope that a positive outcome will result from them.”

On Aug. 23 last year, Hong Kong’s Security Bureau raised to black its Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for the Philippines after eight Hong Kong tourists were killed and seven wounded in a bus hijacking perpetrated by a dismissed Filipino police officer.

For over 10 hours, Rolando Mendoza held a bus full of Chinese tourists hostage in a desperate bid to get back the job he had lost over corruption charges. He was killed in a police assault on the tourist bus.

Severe threat

In its OTA, the Hong Kong government declared a “severe threat” in the Philippines, which meant that all travel to the country should be avoided.

The OTA system “aims to help people better understand the risk or threat to personal safety in traveling to 80 countries that are the more popular travel destinations (of Hong Kong residents).”

On its web site, the Security Bureau noted that “when there are signs of threat in a place that may affect the personal safety of Hong Kong residents, the Security Bureau will assess and consider the need to issue an OTA, taking into account such factors as the nature, level and duration of the threat.”
Black travel alert

Aside from the Philippines, Hong Kong has issued a black travel alert for Syria, where a more recent prodemocracy uprising has left close to 2,000 people dead.
Hong Kong has also urged its nationals to “avoid nonessential travel” to the following countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon and Japan, specifically Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki and Iwati prefectures.

It also advised its citizens to “exercise caution” when flying to the following destinations: Albania, Belarus, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Thailand and Tunisia.

--------

Despite of that, lot of HKers still do come to The Philippines!

xxxriainxxx

August 15th, 2011, 06:10 AM

First AirAsia Philippines Airbus A320 Coming Home.....
From the factory of Airbus in Toulouse France, we fly our new aircraft to its home in Clark International Airport, Pampanga, Philippines. Our arrival date is on Monday, August 15 at 11:00AM! !

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/262568_200559253337293_119566078103278_580249_6354931_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/292983_200559323337286_119566078103278_580252_5010952_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/226078_200559346670617_119566078103278_580253_7108305_n.jpg

From: https://www.facebook.com/AirAsiaPhilippines

:cheers:

DesertEagle091

August 15th, 2011, 06:19 AM

Id like to visit Thailand one day

xxxriainxxx

August 15th, 2011, 06:27 AM

Id like to visit Thailand one day

I think that would be a more appropriate post in the Thai thread so they can help you realise that dream. ;)

amigo32

August 15th, 2011, 06:28 AM

Id like to visit Thailand one day

Yup, you should visit Thailand one day. Nice beaches there like Boracay, El Nido, and Caramoan:lol:

Ady001

August 15th, 2011, 06:38 AM

I'd like to visit Batanes one day, no, make it three days.

xxxriainxxx

August 15th, 2011, 06:40 AM

I dreamt of this last night;

Coron
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2195/2263825403_b1b29dee82_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/innovatronix/2263825403/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/4770707.jpg

El Nido
http://v4.lscache5.c.bigcache.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/5734515.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_A7-0hnYPJa4/TMS_Sqf7YUI/AAAAAAAADO0/DFe_OS3MgKI/s1600/elnido.jpg

from http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=314462&page=136

amigo32

August 15th, 2011, 06:43 AM

me? one day and 3 nights:D

xxxriainxxx

August 15th, 2011, 06:46 AM

-dp-

xxxriainxxx

August 15th, 2011, 06:48 AM

I'd like to visit Batanes one day, no, make it three days.

Not enough... Make it at least 4.

xxxriainxxx

August 15th, 2011, 06:51 AM

Siargao Islands - part of Surigao Province, Philippines Set3
Siargao is well known as "The Surfing Capital of the Philippines" with a reputation among surfers within the Philippines and the International scene.

Approaching Naked Island, Siargao, Philippines
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1369/1kapproachingisland7644.jpg
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1369/1kapproachingisland7644.jpg
Naked Island, Siargao, Philippines
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2070/1lisla1knd76siargao.jpg
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2070/1lisla1knd76siargao.jpg
http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/4535/1matisland7644siargao.jpg
http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/4535/1matisland7644siargao.jpg
Approaching Guyam Island, Siargao, Philippines
http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/2154/1napproachingguyamislan.jpg
http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/2154/1napproachingguyamislan.jpg
Siargao Islands Set1 pictures could be seen on The Philippines - some photos per post - General Photography Thread
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1393406&page=8

Stunning. Exceptionally stunning.

r0mm3l

August 15th, 2011, 07:09 AM

Island hopping in a Philippine paradise
http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20110812-island-hopping-in-a-philippine-paradise

http://static.bbc.co.uk/wwtravel/img/ic/304-170/131316045027773343738_1.jpg
Island-hopping tours in the Philippines' Bacuit peninsula take you to isolated beaches, where you can swim, snorkel or just relax. (Kate McGeown)

Life does not get much better than when you are island-hopping near the town of El Nido, on the island of Palawan in the far west of the Philippines. Sheer limestone cliffs encase beautiful white sand beaches, waters teem with brightly-coloured fish and pink sunsets provide the backdrop for seafront barbecues.

The Philippines has, for the time being, avoided the tourist influx invading its South East Asian neighbours, like Thailand and Vietnam. But for those who venture there, the beaches and scenery rival anywhere else in the region, yet with far fewer visitors. El Nido is the classic example. It is perhaps best known as one of the settings for the Robin Crusoe-themed game show Survivor.
It is not quite off-the-beaten-track, but compared to Thailand’s Phuket or Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, the archipelago of islands surrounding El Nido offer the increasingly rare opportunity to find yourself alone on a palm-fringed beach.
To get to these islands, you can either hire your own boat or take one of several tours from the town. Once there, you can easily spend your days lazing around on the white sands and dipping into the crystal-clear waters, or messing about in motorboats and kayaks, stopping to have lunch in an isolated cove.
Some tours take you to the rocks where locals make their living by collecting birds’ nests for the manufacture of birds’ nest soup (a Chinese delicacy and how El Nido, Spanish for “the nest”, got its name).
One of the draws of Palawan lies under the water; divers will see colourful reef fish, corals and perhaps turtles, dolphins and white-tipped sharks.
North of El Nido are the Calamian islands, with a number of wrecks to explore. As an amateur, most of my experience has been confined to purposely-sunk fishing boats in easy-to-reach locations, but in the Calamians, even fairly inexperienced divers can navigate their way inside World War II Japanese warships sunk by the US Navy in the 1940s. On the second deck of one ship, I floated past an old car. It had folded in on itself and there was a little clownfish swimming out from the chassis.
El Nido has so far escaped the tourist hordes because getting there takes time and effort. There are direct flights from Manila to Coron in the Calamians, but then it is another six or seven hours to El Nido by boat. Alternatively, you can fly from Manila to Puerto Princesa -- Palawan’s largest city -- but it is another five hour taxi or bus ride up from there.
The exclusive resorts use several small airline services linking Manila to a little airfield overlooking the bay. Although the flights are available to non-guests, that option, like the resorts themselves, is pricey (about 6,400 Philippine pesos one way), while the Coron/Puerto Princesa alternatives are often less than 2,000 pesos). It may be worth it though, for the amazing aerial views of the archipelago.

wino

August 15th, 2011, 07:47 AM

me? one day and 3 nights:D

haha posible ba yun?!

Parchie

August 15th, 2011, 08:03 AM

haha posible ba yun?!

Pwede!
Malay mo, may sariling chopper siya at pupunta lang bandang hapon at dun na siya magdamag. Bilang mo lang ang 'nights' na nandun siya! Hehehe

P're, pahiram minsan ng chopper mo ha?:jk::jk::jk:

flymordecai

August 15th, 2011, 09:12 AM

I just read that Paris Hilton just recently arrived in the Philippines and already lost two iPads? WTF? Our image is bad enough as it is, and this had to happen when probably one of the biggest socialites in the world visits the country? More bad press for the country. I swear, it's the few bad eggs that make us look really bad. But I'm starting to think there are more bad eggs in the Philippines than other places...

xxxriainxxx

August 15th, 2011, 09:17 AM

Manila-X

August 15th, 2011, 09:19 AM

Kintoy

August 15th, 2011, 09:23 AM

wino

August 15th, 2011, 09:33 AM

kalbongdad

August 15th, 2011, 11:37 AM

wow....excited over the visit of a socialite to the PH ....hahaha wtf :lol::nuts:

pau_p1

August 15th, 2011, 11:38 AM

hayyy... that's one sad thing na kapwa pinoy pa natin ang umiisip na ang kapwa Pilipino lang ang laging kawatan... kahit madaming ibang tao sa paligid or posible din na kapabayaan din mismo ni Paris ung pagkawala na yun....

like nung one time nasa singapore ako at nadukutan ng celphone sa MRT... nung kinwento ko sa mga Pinoy kong kaibigan sa Singapore... nagulat sila kasi napakababa ng crime rate dito pero ang bilis nila mag-accuse na 'Malamang Pinoy ung nandukot' sa akin... it's very sad to hear na tingin natin sa kapwa natin pinoy eh mga magnanakaw... we should be ashamed of ourselves lalo't kung alam mong Pinoy ka rin...

no offense ha... opinion ko lang yun in general and not to a single person... peace!

kalbongdad

August 15th, 2011, 11:43 AM

so much ado about PH...siguro dahil nakaapak na si PH sa PH legit na cool place na ang PH dahil kay PH.....:lol: parang utak upwardly mobile mga pinoy ano....:lol: oo utak social climber....:lol: o ang mag react social climber...:lol:

xxxriainxxx

August 15th, 2011, 12:38 PM

This was clarified already. The tablets were returned to Ms. Hilton, although it wasn't clear whether it was found on her seat or while in transit in DUBAI.

amigo32

August 15th, 2011, 12:59 PM

ayan, si Paris naka iwan sa kubeta ng eroplano:D

mwg12a

August 15th, 2011, 01:14 PM

whats so special about mixing kalamansi, guava and pomelo? kailangan pa bang chef ang gagawa nyan?

Siyempre, piniga ang katas galing sa kanyang kamao, baka naman may vodka na halo kaya ganoon unless virgin kalamansi, guava at pomelo mix :lol::lol::lol:

Fraulein

August 15th, 2011, 02:07 PM

sc4

August 15th, 2011, 02:15 PM

The name "Malaysia" itself is new considered that this name was brought up during the late 1950s. Before the country was called "Malaya"

When Singapore joined the then Federation of Malaya, "Malay-sia" was officially named to include the Malaya Peninsula, Singapore, Sabah & Sarawak.....

saintm

August 15th, 2011, 02:25 PM

http://www.pixelhubcreative.com/work/pangasinan/facebook-pangasinan-final.jpg

The Official Facebook Page of the Province of Pangasinan and its People. (http://www.facebook.com/pangasinan.gov.ph?sk=app_208281765881992)

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/263368_199380970119941_170063383051700_510940_3774578_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/268685_226828454005872_213989668623084_824794_8013764_n.jpg

http://www.dagupantourism.com/ (http://www.dagupantourism.com/)

:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

amigo32

August 15th, 2011, 02:28 PM

parang nalulunod yung mga tao sa logo nila at kakainin na ng pating:D

Mercato

August 15th, 2011, 02:32 PM

hindi nga pating ang itsura e. mukhang bangus ... :D :D

amigo32

August 15th, 2011, 02:35 PM

aah, yung bangus kakainin na nila:D

xxxriainxxx

August 15th, 2011, 02:35 PM

Muntik na akong malunod sa Hundred Islands, buti na lang nasave ako ng mga Bantay Dagat.

amigo32

August 15th, 2011, 02:43 PM

hindi ka marunong lumangoy?:D

xxxriainxxx

August 15th, 2011, 02:44 PM

hindi ka marunong lumangoy?:D

Napulikat ako.

wino

August 15th, 2011, 03:36 PM

^^ LOL

one thing i won't forget sa hundred islands... are swimming with the crabs lol
ang daming "itim na alimango".. natakot nga ako masipit! haha

saintm

August 15th, 2011, 03:56 PM

saintm

August 15th, 2011, 03:57 PM

‘Transform tourist spots into world class attractions’ -Gov Espino to Architects
by Amado Totaan Espino Jr

http://saguntostar.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/PangSP1.jpg
Select dept heads, staff and representatives of SP members, BM Von Mark Mendoza, VG Ferdie Calimlim listen as Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) officials brief Pangasinan Officials. Positioning Pangasinan as the preferred investment destination.

LINGAYEN–- (http://saguntostar.com/2011/08/pangasinan-positions-itself-as-investment-destination/)Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. has urged members of the United Architects of the Philippines Pangasinan-Dagupan Chapter (UAP-PDC) to take an active role in developing the cultural and economic potentials of Pangasinan.

Speaking before the UAP members at their 37th induction and turn-over ceremonies last July 29 at the Star Plaza Hotel in Dagupan City, Gov. Espino asked the UAP-PDC to build livable communities for Pangasinan’s fast growing population, transform tourist spots into world-class attractions and develop the province’s economic zones and industrial estates into attractive investment locations and generators of worthwhile economic activities and employment opportunities for Pangasinenses.

Gov. Espino said the provincial government has remained focused on exerting best efforts to deliver the best possible service to the people as he said that “we are inspired to keep going because there are organizations such as the UAP that are ready and willing to go with us all the way.”

“Excellence is crucial factor for survival in this global village,” the governor said citing with pride the various achievements gained by the provincial government that made Pangasinan an acknowledged regional leader in the local governance following the receipt of awards as top winner in the recently concluded competitions launched by the Regional Development Council where Pangasinan emerged winner in 7 out of categories in local governance.

Towards this end, Gov. Espino thanked the architects for their loyalty and continuing support to the common vision of making Pangasinan as the “best place to invest, work, live and raise a family” even as he stressed the important role of the UAP in the collective effort to pursue the present administration’s proclaimed mission to make Pangasinan number one.

“It is such a relief that in the midst of the overwhelming demands for coping with this fast-paced, highly competitive world, you have managed to make room for service as the basic orientation of architecture,” the governor said.

As this developed, Gov. Espino reiterated his call to the UAP-PDC to continue to find creative ways and means to help transform and maintain Pangasinan as the best place to invest, work, live, and raise a family.

“Indeed, everyone including the UAP, has a unique role to play and can contribute significantly in this tedious task to develop and realize our collective dreams and aspirations for our province,” the governor said.

As he congratulated the newly elected officers of the UAP led by Joel F. Santos as new chapter president, Gov. Espino left the architects with a challenge as he said, “just remember that if you do not become the best performing chapter of the UAP, you will be guilty of dragging the entire province down with you. For if you do not become number one, then Pangasinan will not become number one.” (PIO/ Angeline D. Villanueva)

SOURCE: Facebook page of Gov. Espino (http://saguntostar.com/2011/08/pangasinan-positions-itself-as-investment-destination/)

Ekweng

August 15th, 2011, 05:52 PM

Tvx6jWU2OAk&feature

The official MTV of the Province of Zambales

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 03:57 AM

^^ LOL

one thing i won't forget sa hundred islands... are swimming with the crabs lol
ang daming "itim na alimango".. natakot nga ako masipit! haha

Hehehe

kalbongdad

August 16th, 2011, 04:53 AM

Coconuts raw po yun hugis kamay... :lol::lol::lol::lol:

tagal na ako parini parito sa dagupan hindi ko nakikita ang lugar na ito....san parte kaya ito ng dagupan

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 05:06 AM

Camiguin Island, Philippines - White Beach Island from above
http://i53.tinypic.com/hrn71y.jpg
-----------------------------------
Some damn Breathtaking Philippines Travel Pictures
http://philippines.forumsland.com/philippines-about2-0-asc-0.html

Beautiful. Been there about 2 years ago.

hackmanjkk

August 16th, 2011, 05:51 AM

WOW . amazing

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 06:33 AM

I remember stopping over here and making friends with a carabao (Philippine buffalo).... Batanes, always breathtaking....

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6026/5880704518_97e7f8c745_o.jpg

(Photo rights belong to the owner of the photo)

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 06:38 AM

I can't wait to shop here.... my favorite mall!

Greenbelt in Makati, Philippines
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/3968/i4eq6q.jpg
Photo from
http://www.visitphilippines.com.hk/photo.html

Mercato

August 16th, 2011, 06:49 AM

amigo32

August 16th, 2011, 07:04 AM

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 07:18 AM

^^ awesome. Ganda na pala ng new Greenbelt. jejeje. Pero favorite mall ko pa rin ang Alabang Town Centre kasi more relaxed & at home ang atmosphere, oks lang undergoing some renovation naman lately rin.

Layo ng ATC eh!

Eto, nilalakad ko lang to galing sa dating apartment ko..

Nice.

Bihira ako makakita ng lugar sa Pinas na walang nyog o mga punong kahoy.

Meron yan pero sa coastline... :D

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 07:19 AM

I think time for a new thread? :) Wanch?

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 07:21 AM

Almost Santorini...

Poro Point, La Union, Philippines
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2542/4231922763_4b19515c95_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4366760792_526c7444f3_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4394997410_c6152301b1_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2798/4366760802_2e3950db6d_o.jpg

-----------------------------------
Some damn Breathtaking Philippines Travel Pictures
http://philippines.forumsland.com/philippines-about2-0-asc-0.html

flymordecai

August 16th, 2011, 07:38 AM

This was clarified already. The tablets were returned to Ms. Hilton, although it wasn't clear whether it was found on her seat or while in transit in DUBAI.

sus... wala nmang sinabi sa balita na sa PInas nawala...

don't jump to NEGATIVE CONCLUSIONS.

:lol: Sorry, I was a little down on the Filipino people yesterday after hearing about a relative's business ventures in the Philippines gone awry due to politics and some of the negative aspects of Filipino government/culture. Then in the evening I saw this news on Inquirer.net and I overreacted :nuts: Apologies for blowing up and getting baited by obviously tabloid material!

Manila-X

August 16th, 2011, 08:03 AM

It is about time The Department of Tourism should get its act and lure in more tourists especially foreign ones.

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 09:06 AM

flymordecai

Sorry, I was a little down on the Filipino people yesterday after hearing about a relative's business ventures in the Philippines gone awry due to politics and some of the negative aspects of Filipino government/culture. Then in the evening I saw this news on Inquirer.net and I overreacted Apologies for blowing up and getting baited by obviously tabloid material!

I hear you mate. No worries.

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 09:08 AM

Welcome to the Philippines.

Yohoho Lagoons and Island, Siargao Philippines
http://i47.tinypic.com/vfxrt0.jpg

To see more Philippines 7000 PLUS islands paradise in pictures. Visit this website Philippines travel pictures.

http://philippines.forumsland.com/philippines-about2-0-asc-0.html

Actually its a backup copy of the thread that I started a year a go in this forum. "Some damn Breathtaking Philippines Travel Pictures"

http://i47.tinypic.com/2pq5e2x.jpg

chrismartin02

August 16th, 2011, 09:27 AM

^ Ganda. Surigao is my mother's hometown and yet hindi pa ako nakakapunta dyan sa Yohoho Lagoon and Islands. :D

amigo32

August 16th, 2011, 09:32 AM

I like the name:D

Yohoho:D

wala bang gogogolo island din?:D

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 09:36 AM

Often overlooked...

http://i36.tinypic.com/2l9pqqc.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/2vct7bs.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/muaooz.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Ph_locator_map_camarines_norte.png/250px-Ph_locator_map_camarines_norte.pnghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Ph_locator_camarines_norte_vinzons.png
Photos by Kent Balbino

ipur

August 16th, 2011, 10:00 AM

^ Ganda. Surigao is my mother's hometown and yet hindi pa ako nakakapunta dyan sa Yohoho Lagoon and Islands. :D
I'm a surigaonon too now living in luzon, pero kahit nasa harapan lang ng town namin ang siargao island, hindi ko pa rin napuntahan :bash::bash::bash: mahirap kasi ang transpo dati sa island na yan unlike now.

I like the name:D

Yohoho:D

wala bang gogogolo island din?:D

locally, this island is also named Caub Island... I heard na japanese daw ang nagpangalan dyan an Yohoho...:lol::lol::lol:

Mercato

August 16th, 2011, 10:12 AM

^^ Are you sure the origins are Japanese? :D :D :D Or Pirates of the Caribbean? They did attack Spanish galleons as well in the old days.

http://www.privateerdragons.com/caseys_shiphold1a.html

Yo Ho Ho (and a Bottle of Rum)
Lyrics and Music by Allison and Waller
based on Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson

Fifteen men on a dead man's chest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

Drink and the devil had done for the rest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

The mate was fixed by the bosun's pike
The bosun brained with a marlinspike
And cookey's throat was marked belike
It had been gripped by fingers ten;
And there they lay, all good dead men
Like break o'day in a boozing ken
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

Fifteen men of the whole ship's list
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

Dead and be damned and the rest gone whist!
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

(click on the above link it's a reaaaaally long drinking song for pirates) :lol:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Man's_Chest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzcv5TJkJBA

nzcv5TJkJBA

ipur

August 16th, 2011, 10:29 AM

^^ I did not say that the origins of the word Yohoho is Japanese. But rather, the one who named the Island are the Japanese who occupied Surigao before. That's the story of my fellow Surigaonons.:)

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 11:01 AM

Soon... I am coming back...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Makati_skyline_mjlsha.jpg/960px-Makati_skyline_mjlsha.jpg

(source: Wikipedia)

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 11:03 AM

Colors of the Philippine seas:

Underwater photography at Apo Island near Dumaguete; Dauin, Oriental Negros Province, Philippines.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2625/4184222088_c50311be7f.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2681/4184216868_f3ed2198b8.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2714/4183462387_2b8172204d.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2598/4184225106_c1b1d87195.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4184218398_6fcd12207f.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4183458743_e2327e3a9b.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/muaooz.jpg

Photos by Tommy Schultz

amigo32

August 16th, 2011, 11:30 AM

Pinoy ba si Nemo?:D

sya yung nawalang isda eh:D

Nice pics.:D

amigo32

August 16th, 2011, 11:31 AM

Soon... I am coming back...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Makati_skyline_mjlsha.jpg/960px-Makati_skyline_mjlsha.jpg

(source: Wikipedia)
Nice Hongkong pic:lol:

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 12:13 PM

Nice Hongkong pic:lol:

Sira. Makati yan. Hahaha....

Btw, si Nemo ay PINOY. Dude...

e1Z3EMb7WG8

Mercato

August 16th, 2011, 12:46 PM

^^ I did not say that the origins of the word Yohoho is Japanese. But rather, the one who named the Island are the Japanese who occupied Surigao before. That's the story of my fellow Surigaonons.:) :lol: I hear ya. By the Japanese occupation, do you mean WWII era Japan? Or a more ancient visit by the Japs? Interesting... :D :D

I remember Capt James Cook explored the West and Southwest Pacific that was why Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the rest became British occupied. Pirates or Buccaneers came from the ranks of renegade British navy personnel. And their favourite targets were Spanish galleons for the so-called Spanish gold. Could it be possible that some buccaneers or privateers turned that island into a clandestine pitstop for their activities?

But Okidoki, if your fellow surigaonons say so, then perhaps the Japs did name it, I can hand them that. At least it's the Japs, not the Chinese again. :)
.
.
.
*Thinkin out loud to myself* this isn't for you dude. :)
Incidentally, Surigao was occupied far longer by the Sri Vijayans, a now forgotten (don't ask me why but thanks largely to the Sinocentric northern historians we got up there in the capital who insist everything we have was Made in China that's the reason why we're havin trouble with the hegemonistic red lizard these days - it HAS to be Made in China Always ... but I digress :lol: :lol:) part of our Southern heritage. Proof of our Sri Vijayan glory can be found at the Ayala Museum's The Surigao Gold, the richest of its kind anywhere in Southeast Asia. But again, thanks to our Sinocentric historians and learned academics, even Hindu artworks are attributed to the Chinese for heaven's sakes. :lol:

habagatcentral1

August 16th, 2011, 12:49 PM

When it comes in promoting domestic tourism, why do I find this station ID of ABSCBN Regional Network Group more enticing than the recent video of DOT?

Z8XhAqKK5H8

Mercato

August 16th, 2011, 12:49 PM

Happy trip! :colgate:
Soon... I am coming back...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Makati_skyline_mjlsha.jpg/960px-Makati_skyline_mjlsha.jpg

(source: Wikipedia)FCe6Nw3KoXA
:dj:

rain34

August 16th, 2011, 01:18 PM

FASAP wants Hontiveros as Tourism chief (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/08/16/11/fasap-wants-hontiveros-tourism-chief)

abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 08/16/2011 12:46 PM | Updated as of 08/16/2011 4:45 PM

MANILA, Philippines - The Flight Attendants' and Stewards' Association of the Philippines (FASAP) wants former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros to handle the Tourism portfolio.

In a statement, FASAP President Bob Anduiza said: “Her track record as a person of integrity and credibility, not to mention her overflowing love for our country and the people, will surely be a major plus for the Philippine Government.”

Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim will leave his post on August 31.

Lim resigned for “personal reasons,” but some say this is due to pressure against his "open skies" policy.

“We honestly believe that a dynamic and credible person who loves the Philippines, such as Risa Hontiveros, can competently put the Philippines in the world map as a major tourist destination. This brings hope, to our otherwise wanting tourism industry, and our beloved country,” Anduiza said.

Malacañang has yet to announce a replacement.

Narnian_King

August 16th, 2011, 01:27 PM

Skyprince

August 16th, 2011, 02:31 PM

Wao that beach in Camarines Norte is for real ?? Why should I travel far to Hawaii or spend alot in Maldives ?

kalbongdad

August 16th, 2011, 03:08 PM

Ewwww :lol:

double ewww......anong kinalaman nya sa tourism....nisuka na nga sya ng taong bayan....tapos kukunin pa.....si dick gordon na lang wala naman prohibition na...balik WOW PH

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 03:11 PM

Wao that beach in Camarines Norte is for real ?? Why should I travel far to Hawaii or spend alot in Maldives ?

Calaguas is for real bro.

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 03:16 PM

More on Calaguas Island, Camarines Norte:

http://i35.tinypic.com/1z1qxjs.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/9pwcu9.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/fktru0.jpg

No facilities on the island AFAIK. People camp there.

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 03:21 PM

I am going here very very very soon. In fact I just got my voucher from El Nido Resorts today. Yay!

;58795241']Malapacao Island, El Nido, Palawan
by indiaguapa (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41465596@N06/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2586/3823043053_b5fd66b6e7_o.jpg

xxxriainxxx

August 16th, 2011, 03:22 PM

Probably one of the most beautiful volcanoes in the world.

;59636301']Mayon Volcano
Albay, Philippines

http://fr.academic.ru/pictures/frwiki/80/Ph_locator_map_albay.png

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4737873547_a8db8325f2_b.jpg
by Ian Lorayes (http://www.flickr.com/photos/biskwit/)

LuckyLady

August 16th, 2011, 04:42 PM

wino

August 16th, 2011, 05:48 PM

sus hontiveros.... naglalaway maigi sa pwesto...

Manila-X

August 17th, 2011, 03:56 AM

If Hontiveros becomes tourism secretary, lets see what she can do.

kalbongdad

August 17th, 2011, 05:19 AM

If Hontiveros becomes tourism secretary, lets see what she can do.

ano yan pag i-experimentohan ang dot.....we need people with track records now....not people who will be ang OJT and learn the ropes of the agency they are assigned to....kulang na tayo sa oras...para sa mga trial and error approach...get experienced people and with good track record....por dies por siento....pati ba mana ito pagiisipan pa ng pangulo....ganun na ba kahina ang faculties nya to take a lot of time in deciding appointments....golly...kaya pala ang bagal ng galaw ng gobyerno ngayon....walang sense of urgency....:bash: pa petiks petiks....:ohno:

Manila-X

August 17th, 2011, 06:01 AM

amigo32

August 17th, 2011, 06:26 AM

oo, kasi pinagpipilian pa sila ni Boy Abunda:D

rain34

August 17th, 2011, 06:49 AM

Philippines’ ‘Category 2’ status losses reach P66.3B (http://business.inquirer.net/13341/philippines%E2%80%99-%E2%80%98category-2%E2%80%99-status-losses-reach-p66-3b)

Philippine Daily Inquirer
11:28 pm | Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Forgone tourism revenues as a result of the country’s being placed on Category 2 status by the United States Federal Aviation Administration have reached more than P66.3 billion over the past two years, prompting local travel agencies to appeal to the government to do something about the situation.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Philippine Travel Agencies Association president Aileen Clemente said the country’s Category 2 status, which prevents local carriers from expanding their flights to the US, has stunted tourism growth.

Ms. Clemente said American tourists accounted for 17 percent, or about 600,000, of arrivals last year. These excluded visitors from Guam. American tourists usually stayed an average of 18 days in the country, each spending P2,600 a day.

Had local carriers been allowed to expand their services to the US, she said the country would have gotten an additional 1.4 million American tourists from 2009 to the present. This only considered Philippine Airlines’ possible addition of 42 new flights a week and excluded those flights that rival Cebu Pacific Air could have operated.

With the Category 2 status in force, PAL is limited to flying 33 times a week to various destinations in the US, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Guam, and Las Vegas via Vancouver.

“(The US) is already an established market that we believe has more room for expansion. We did not just lose a substantial number of tourists from the US over the last two years. The government also lost the opportunity to provide jobs to 150,000 of our countrymen,” Clemente noted.

The US FAA downgraded the Philippines to Category 2 safety status in January 2008, effectively banning local carriers from expanding their operations in the US.—Abigail L. Ho

LuckyLady

August 17th, 2011, 06:56 AM

what is the reason for this downgrades? i hope our gov't officials would address this issue asap...

Manila-X

August 17th, 2011, 07:02 AM

what is the reason for this downgrades? i hope our gov't officials would address this issue asap...

Simple, airports such as NAIA is in need of improvement.

Anyway, NAIA is already a hopeless case. Better move the gateway airport to DMIA with modern equipment plus more space.

Other than that, Indonesia is also Cat 2

hakz2007

August 17th, 2011, 07:27 AM

Ang Spratlys ba ay kasama na sa 7,107 islands of the philippines?

hakz2007

August 17th, 2011, 07:35 AM

P-Noy still looking for next DOT chief
Malacañang yesterday urged the public to give President Aquino more time to choose the next tourism chief even as sources revealed he had already spoken with an advertising man as possible replacement for resigned Secretary Alberto Lim....

Also yesterday, Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte was added to the list of those supposedly being considered for the post. Villafuerte supported defeated presidential bet Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. in the last elections but was being credited for boosting tourism in his province.

Other candidates include former Akbayan party-list representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel and television host and talent manager Boy Abunda.More: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=716532&publicationSubCategoryId=63

dancethingy

August 17th, 2011, 07:58 AM

ano yan pag i-experimentohan ang dot.....we need people with track records now....not people who will be ang OJT and learn the ropes of the agency they are assigned to....kulang na tayo sa oras...para sa mga trial and error approach...get experienced people and with good track record....por dies por siento....pati ba mana ito pagiisipan pa ng pangulo....ganun na ba kahina ang faculties nya to take a lot of time in deciding appointments....golly...kaya pala ang bagal ng galaw ng gobyerno ngayon....walang sense of urgency....:bash: pa petiks petiks....:ohno:

Kalbongdad you're so straighforward and coarse :) tell us how you really feel?

I agree, the DOT position is not an experimental position in which you can assign anyone to. Boy Abunda is a celebrity so i guess he is very knowledgable about aesthetics, luxury, and artistic presentation. But can he actually carry out the more executive tedious work that is required of a tourism chief.

Then Ms. Hontiveros??? What experience does she have in tourism??? In fact she has participated in unruly protests to oust Arroyo in the past, im sure that didn't attract a lot of tourists. Hontiveros is an activist, i wouldn't want her as DOT for fear that she might use the position to advocate certain platforms that don't pertain to tourism.

LuckyLady

August 17th, 2011, 08:02 AM

Kalbongdad you're so straighforward and coarse :) tell us how you really feel?

I agree, the DOT position is not an experimental position in which you can assign anyone to. Boy Abunda is a celebrity so i guess he is very knowledgable about aesthetics, luxury, and artistic presentation. But can he actually carry out the more executive tedious work that is required of a tourism chief.

Then Ms. Hontiveros??? What experience does she have in tourism??? In fact she has participated in unruly protests to oust Arroyo in the past, im sure that didn't attract a lot of tourists. Hontiveros is an activist, i wouldn't want her as DOT for fear that she might use the position to advocate certain platforms that don't pertain to tourism.

:okay: that is why i can only see Gordon as the man most suited for the position...others for me would just turn out to be OJT's as per kalbongdad:cheers:

Manila-X

August 17th, 2011, 08:09 AM

:okay: that is why i can only see Gordon as the man most suited for the position...others for me would just turn out to be OJT's as per kalbongdad:cheers:

I do hope this gets to Aquino's head the fact Gordon isn't KKK.

pi_malejana

August 17th, 2011, 09:44 AM

Simple, airports such as NAIA is in need of improvement.

Anyway, NAIA is already a hopeless case. Better move the gateway airport to DMIA with modern equipment plus more space.

Other than that, Indonesia is also Cat 2

it's not really the airports.. problems have been found mainly on the supervision and regulation of the civil aviation such as the licensing, safety checks, training, etc...

that is why ATO was abolished and CAAP created

xxxriainxxx

August 17th, 2011, 10:05 AM

Vigan. UNESCO World Heritage City.

so beautiful......
http://www.karliky.ru/Smallcountries_files/16.jpg
http://www.fotoart.org.ua/albums/userpics/philipines.jpg

kalbongdad

August 17th, 2011, 01:53 PM

been here twice at least papaganda ang vigan...yung ibang site kasi pag binalikan mo mukhang nag di deteriorate....ang Vigan papaganda....na dagdag pa ang Baluarte...ni Singson....:)

mwg12a

August 18th, 2011, 05:12 AM

xxxriainxxx

August 18th, 2011, 05:40 AM

^^ Check out tourism-philippines. look for the Ilocos Sur article. :)

Manila-X

August 18th, 2011, 05:43 AM

Have you checked out

http://www.asiarooms.com

Kintoy

August 18th, 2011, 04:24 PM

Is there any list online for hotels around Vigan? I don't seems to find anything that would lead me to one, only half assed ads here and there so far. Any of you can recommend some that are decent. Not necesarily the real expensive ones.

try Vigan Plaza Hotel, it's right next to Plaza Burgos.

http://kintoy.blogspot.com/2009/02/vigan.html

Ekweng

August 19th, 2011, 12:10 PM

The rise of design Existential
EXISTENTIAL BLABBER By Kara Ortiga The Philippine Star Updated August 19, 2011 12:00 AM

It seems today is really the age of design. The value of the arts and good design are beginning to be recognized since the push for a bill by Senator Teofisto Guingona III suggesting the creation of a Design Council of the Philippines, with hopes that it will utilize design as a tool for economic growth and social innovation.

The mantra of “design for social change” is not new. I have heard this elsewhere recently, from Clara Balaguer, president of The Office of Culture and Design, whose main business involves cultural projects with social angles through arts and design. She noted that we have an incredible amount of talent and resources in the Philippines, but the problem is that no one is investing in it. She pinpointed China, whose ventures into architectural design have changed their country’s face before the world, thereby positively affecting their economy. We spoke about this last April.

Cut to present time and I find out a bill is already being processed for the creation of a design council, to be funded by the government, with goals of lasting social change. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, or maybe it’s really due time for the rise of design.

Design Para Sa Lahat

It’s an overcast Tuesday afternoon in Manila on the way to the first Senate hearing to discuss the proposal for the Design Council of the Philippines. Arriane Serafico, creative communications officer of Senator Guingona, says progress is moving fast in the government machinery. Some renowned local designers and strong advocates of the bill such as Amina Aranaz-Alunan, Kenneth Cobonpue and Brian Tenorio are present, alongside some representatives from various design and arts colleges, and some from government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), and the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).

It’s amazing how the Design Council concept all started with a tweet from Jowee Alviar, co-founder of Team Manila. “How can we collaborate with the Senator for the local creative industry?” he asked Arriane, 23, in less than 140 characters. And the rest, as they say, is history.

“In other countries, design is being tapped as a strategic tool to improve life, be it in delivering better health services, more sustainable urban design, better and more cost-efficient infrastructure for public areas and slums. Right now, in the Philippines, the beneficiaries of design are still largely confined to the business sector such as companies and enterprises. But I believe what needs design solutions the most is our government,” says Arriane.

The draft of the Senate bill states that the Design Council’s functions would include: spreading culture nationwide; the use of design as a tool for problem solving in the country; boosting the competitiveness of our design industry; and building a national identity.

Brand Conscious

Brian Tenorio, creative director of the Asian Development Bank, cites that one important function of the Design Council would be to establish our Philippine brand, for the sole reason that we do not really have one. “If you Google ‘Philippine brand,’ the first thing that will come out is the Philippine Brand mangoes being sold at Wal-Mart in the United States,” notes Brian in frustration. He adds that the Philippines’ rank has gone from 35 in 2009 to 68 in 2007 in the Futurebrand index. “Our country brand, the ‘Philippine brand,’ is attached to our professionals and manpower sent abroad. It’s also attached to our products and our islands, which tourists visit. The Filipino brand is an asset, just like any corporation or any business entity would have.” He says that having a Design Council would set a clear vision and roadmap for the creative sector and design industry in the Philippines, a massive move never attempted at this scale, but one that will also promise big changes.

Portents Of Change

As for proof that design can truly create social change, designer Amina Aranaz-Alunan uses the example of the story of Rags2Riches Inc., a for-profit social enterprise making recycled fashion pieces out of those rainbow weaved rags. “These floor mats made out of scrap fabrics once sold for P50 each, could suddenly be sold for up to P3,000 each. In just three years, 30 women of Payatas grew to 450 women who were given a steady source of livelihood, income, pride and self-worth. This is an example of the transformative power of design and innovation. Imagine what we could achieve, and how many lives we could improve, if we could systematize this and replicate it a hundredfold?”

Jowee Alviar adds that the visual power of artworks has a stronger effect on society today. He notes how Team Manila created poster campaigns of different tourist destinations during the time of the “Pilipinas kay ganda” controversy, and how these well-designed graphics became viral and could’ve helped the Department of Tourism. He also adds how Team Manila helped the COMELEC communicate their voters’ education program more effectively. Jowee also states how Team Manila’s infamous image of Jose Rizal wearing sunny aviators printed on T-shirts “inspired a new wave of nationalism among the youth.”

The push for the creation of the Design Council and the thought of a working tandem between designers and the government seems to be a timely cause, and one that is long overdue. We live at a time where design and aesthetics are incredibly influential and the idea of art needs to be commercialized in order to create solutions for development. The Design Council will not only be a problem-solving machine, but the progressive national strategy hopes to make us a competitive leader in the ideas-driven economy. It will bring design to the streets, for the people, and become a better communication tool in a country that is so heavily bombarded with useless images every day.

It’s about time that we give way to the rise of design.

filcan

August 20th, 2011, 01:08 AM

^^Yay! no more tacky monoblock chairs! :banana:

MatudNilaBaby

August 20th, 2011, 02:03 AM

wino

August 20th, 2011, 05:59 AM

is anybody here following Mike Corey's travels? (the guy who won 80 days around the world contest with Cathay Pacific)
Click this to view his channel on YOUTUBE (http://www.youtube.com/user/friskyb)

and this is his comment in FACEBOOK....

Jaimee Brown Holdgate
What has been your favorite place so far????
August 8 at 4:22pm
Kick The Grind TV likes this.

Kick The Grind TV Philippines and South Africa!! I could spend all 80 days in either SA or SE Asia easily. Those vids are next on the cutting block!
August 8 at 7:05pm · 1 person

i'm really waiting for his video blogs about the PHilippines :D

xxxriainxxx

August 20th, 2011, 03:35 PM

wino

August 20th, 2011, 05:48 PM

nice, i saw from his facebook picture that he meet up with some Filipino travel bloggers who joined him at the lechon festival in Batangas.

xxxriainxxx

August 21st, 2011, 06:03 AM

nice, i saw from his facebook picture that he meet up with some Filipino travel bloggers who joined him at the lechon festival in Batangas.

As far as I know it was only my friend Anna who went with him to Batangas. He plans to be back in the Philippines to explore it further. ;)

Manila-X

August 21st, 2011, 12:12 PM

Aquino already chose the next tourism secretary but he's not mentioning who for the meantime.

Doesn't that piss you off!

boypad

August 21st, 2011, 07:08 PM

'Tourism industry still reeling from hostage tragedy' :ohno:

By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)
Updated August 22, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The local tourism industry is still reeling a year after the Luneta hostage crisis that scared away Hong Kong tourists from visiting the country’s different destinations.

Tourism Assistant Secretary Benito Bengzon said the tourism industry posted $12 million in foregone revenue as Hong Kong travelers continued to shy away from the Philippines since August last year.

Despite efforts of the government and the private sector to negate the impact of the Luneta incident, Bengzon said the downtrend in the number of Hong Kong visitors has remained irreversible.

“The arrival (from Hong Kong) is still down and we believe that the decrease is still tied with the Aug. 23 bus hostage that led to the imposition of the black travel alert against our country,” he said.

Bengzon explained that the black alert prevents Hong Kong travel agents from selling package tours, thus only those who arrange their own trip can visit the Philippines.

In September 2010 or a month after the hostage taking incident that resulted in the death of eight Hong Kong nationals, Bengzon said arrivals from Hong Kong posted a 17 percent reduction. The figure further went down by 30.7 percent in October last year and then dropped by another 19.5 percent the following month.

According to Bengzon, the market briefly recovered from December to January but went down sharply again by 29.8 percent in February when the Hong Kong coroners report came out.

“Since February, the downtrend continued with a recorded 24.9 percent decline in March, 13.4 percent in April then 30 percent in May and 29.9 percent in June,” the tourism official disclosed.

As a result of the continuing decline in arrivals from Hong Kong, Bengzon said the local tourism industry also posted some $12.04 million in possible earnings.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has been negotiating with the Hong Kong government and quietly meeting with Hong Kong travel agents in an effort to lure back Hong Kong visitors.

Bengzon added that the DOT is now preparing for the holding of security training and familiarization tours for Hong Kong travel escorts and media as agreed upon with the Hong Kong government.

“The idea here is to provide the participants, mainly travelers and media, to see the actual situation in the Philippines and that it is safe, enjoyable and absolutely no reason why foreign visitors should not visit here,” he pointed out.

mwg12a

August 22nd, 2011, 03:09 AM

^^ Check out tourism-philippines. look for the Ilocos Sur article. :)

Have you checked out

http://www.asiarooms.com

try Vigan Plaza Hotel, it's right next to Plaza Burgos.

http://kintoy.blogspot.com/2009/02/vigan.html

Salamat sa lahat.

xxxriainxxx

August 22nd, 2011, 05:50 AM

HSMA Meeting 18 August 2011. Check this presentation.

Tourism Overview and Directions 2011-2016 (http://www.slideshare.net/janettetoral/philippines-tourism-overview-and-directions-2011-2016)

Some notable stats:

Repeat visits are expanding. Meaning more people who visit the Philippines comes back to visit again.

Tourism arrivals increased, but relatively smaller than other countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore.

Average Filipino travels twice in 6 months for tourism purposes. Spends at least 2,000++ Pesos a a day.

Russia, Korea, and China are some of our biggest markets. Germany tops the number of tourist source worldwide.

More and more visitors are getting information fromfriends and business associates • USA, Japan, Hong Kong, Russia depend on word of mouth from friends and pears who have visited PH • Korea, China and Taiwan solicit info from travel agents • Australia, Canada and India secure info from internet • USA, Australia, Canada and HK are less dependent on travel agents for information

Manila-X

August 22nd, 2011, 05:58 AM

Recently, Manila improved its tourist police branch of The PNP. And they are mostly present in key tourist areas of the city. Saw some of them last Sat.

Tourist cops in hot spots
By ISABEL C. DE LEON
August 19, 2011, 6:26pm

MANILA, Philippines — A new Tourism secretary by the end of the month. A stake in the New 7 Wonders of Nature (N7WN) by way of Palawan’s Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR). What’s next for Philippine tourism? A beefed up and more courteous tourism police, it appears.

The Department of Tourism (DoT), Philippine National Police (PNP), local government authorities and volunteers are considering beefing up and retraining the country’s tourist police to make it at par with those found in Thailand, Greece, and other tourism-heavy countries.

The DoT’s Tourism Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TOP COP) initiative is in full swing, with training sessions already completed and units deployed nationwide since its re-launch last December.

“The TOP COP program is fully operational, and we hope to encourage more tourists to visit the country with this added commitment to their safety and security,” said Secretary Alberto A. Lim.

TOP COP is a special unit under the PNP trained in ensuring the security of tourists. The DoT has completed Phase I of the TOP COP training courses, benefitting 1,226 police officers nationwide. Phase I covers topics on tourism orientation and basic customer relations.

Phase I of the training program, conducted between November, 2010 and May, 2011, focused on the police assigned in top destinations, namely Metro Manila, Cebu, Albay, Baguio City, Bohol, Boracay Island, Cagayan Valley, Davao City, Ilocos Norte, Negros Oriental, Northern Mindanao (Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin), Puerto Galera, Puerto Princesa City, and Zambales. Additional trainings were also held in Caraga, General Santos City, and Eastern Visayas as well as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Aviation Security Group.

Tourist police have since been deployed and are currently visible in tourism zones in Metro Manila, Baguio City, Boracay Island, Bohol, Donsol in Sorsogon, Dumaguete, and Embarcadero in Legaspi.

Phase II, which started in July until November this year in the same top tourist destinations, will cover topics on police matters, crisis management, and first aid.

Under the tourist protection program, Tourist Assistance Centers (TACs) in every unit or police station in tourist areas stand ready to immediately give appropriate security and related public safety services to both foreign and local tourists.

In addition, the DoT foresees a wider implementation of Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 19-2011 which provides for the establishment of night courts dedicated to resolving criminal cases involving tourists.

Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Roberto Rongavilla, Manila Police District (MPD) director, assured Friday tourists visiting the country that Manila is still generally a safe place for tourists.

Rongavilla reminded everyone that last year's tragic hostage-taking incident at the Quirino Grandstand was just an isolated case and changes were now being implemented since the incident.

“Manila, generally, is still a peaceful city. We welcome you,” he said.

One year after the hostage incident, Rongavilla said his men have been conducting daily police visibility not only in the Quirino Grandstand and Rizal Park area but in all tourist spots in the city.

At the Rizal Park alone, he said that the MPD has deployed at least 75 policemen in the area.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) also said it can now cope better with any crisis situation.

Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr., PNP spokesman, said the police organization has upgraded equipment and training as well as enhanced its capabilities.

“The new policies and procedures we have adopted are part of a continuing process,” said Cruz.

To improve the PNP's capabilities in handling crisis situations, a total of P166.9 million from the PNP Capability Enhancement Program (CEP) was earmarked to equip the Crisis Action Force (CAF), an elite unit primarily tasked to respond to hostage-taking incidents and emergencies. (With reports from Leonard D. Postrado and Elena L. Aben)

wino

August 22nd, 2011, 06:31 AM

As far as I know it was only my friend Anna who went with him to Batangas. He plans to be back in the Philippines to explore it further. ;)

there were at least 5 Pinoy's who followed him to THAILAND though! :lol:

look at his FB page.. dami niang tropang Pinoy ngayon haha

pi_malejana

August 22nd, 2011, 07:13 AM

Aquino already chose the next tourism secretary but he's not mentioning who for the meantime.

Doesn't that piss you off!

haha pansin ko to kay PNoy... last time sabi nya may 2 cabinet members na nagpapasakit sa ulo niya, di naman sinabi ang pangalan nagbigay lang ng hint... mahilig yata sa tsismis...:D

Bosnyboy

August 22nd, 2011, 07:36 AM

haha pansin ko to kay PNoy... last time sabi nya may 2 cabinet members na nagpapasakit sa ulo niya, di naman sinabi ang pangalan nagbigay lang ng hint... mahilig yata sa tsismis...:D

Nasa dugo yan.

xxxriainxxx

August 22nd, 2011, 10:08 AM

there were at least 5 Pinoy's who followed him to THAILAND though! :lol:

look at his FB page.. dami niang tropang Pinoy ngayon haha

Yeah, mga sumabit yan when I put out a call for Pinoys using my Tourism account on Twitter to meet and help him around Manila. ;)

xxxriainxxx

August 22nd, 2011, 10:19 AM

Bertie has done his homework
DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco (The Philippine Star) Updated August 19, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (6)

It is a pity that resigned Tourism Secretary Bertie Lim is leaving now, just after he has done the planning and thinking part of his homework. I have seen the power point presentation he made before a group of private sector stakeholders and it is clear he now has a road map to revitalize our ailing tourism sector.

I was expecting to finally see some action. It is a pity that he did not have a chance to present his plans to P-Noy. It is also a pity that it took him quite a bit of time to get the elements together. But whoever succeeds him has a well articulated game plan to follow. So, Bertie’s successor will have no more excuse not to show movement right from the start.

In fact, it is a good idea to still let Bertie present his tourism plan to P-Noy with Bertie’s successor in attendance. On the chance that his successor ends up being Mon Jimenez, a veteran advertising and marketing communications man, I have arranged for him to get a copy of the same presentation materials I have just in case he hasn’t seen it yet.

From the many names I have heard as potential Tourism Secretary, I am totally in favor of Mon J getting the job. He represents a fresh view of the challenge. I have worked with Mon J when I selected Ace Saatchi to handle the advertising assignment for Petron some years ago. He was great to work with and he delivered.

Funny how some people say Mon J is just an advertising man without the necessary management experience. They obviously know little about Mon J. He set up his own advertising agency from scratch and made it the number one agency in the country. You can’t do that without management expertise.

Trying to keep clients like Procter and Gamble and Nestle happy takes a lot of management skills. Trying to keep quirky advertising creative hot shots happy certainly takes unusually great management skills. I just hope Mon J has the patience to handle the bureaucracy and the politicians that make government service a living hell.

Going back to Bertie, it is a pity he is only starting to speak his mind now, after he has resigned. I was largely supportive of him and only became critical in recent weeks in the hope that it would get him challenged enough to show the country what he is made of. Alas, he had been a shadow of his MBC spokesman’s self.

But in fairness to Bertie, he did work in the shadows to lay the foundation of a good and very workable five-year action plan. Bertie’s plan can be immediately implemented. It is not like one of those conceptual plans of past tourism secretaries that just mouths generalities and platitudes.

The plan takes into account the fact that the Tourism Department by itself, can do nothing. For our tourism sector to flourish, we need several government agencies working with DOT. Its budget only covers manpower costs and a minuscule amount for promotions that could hardly buy a day’s worth of advertising on CNN. It is also over staffed by political appointees (like Mark Lapid) but undermanned, with few experts who can be useful.

In Bertie’s comprehensive program, he emphasized the role of many government agencies. Indeed, I know for a fact that he had been meeting with DPWH, whose budget he needs to build tourism related infrastructure like tourism access roads. He has also met with Mar Roxas of DOTC to solve the NAIA and other airport and seaport problems.

It is unfair for some sectors to say that Bertie’s only accomplishment is Open Skies and that had been a failure. Given how past efforts to enforce Open Skies failed, finally getting the pocket Open Skies EO signed by P-Noy is indeed, accomplishment enough.

But the ability of Open Skies to deliver higher tourism statistics depends on many other things happening as well... like visa on arrival for Indian and Chinese tourists. We still have to address the concerns of airlines, budget or legacy, such as the common carriers tax, the forced contribution to the overtime fees of customs, immigration and quarantine officers and a lot more efficient airport services to allow them to turn flights around quickly.

Unfortunately, Bertie was unable to convince Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima on the common carriers tax. Hopefully, Sec Purisima sees the light or at least, gives the tourism people the benefit of the doubt and allow the lifting of the tax for a reasonable period so we can see if it will encourage more airlines to avail of pocket open skies or not. It just might work.

As for the forced contribution to CIQ overtime, the Supreme Court has already ruled that providing CIQ services is a responsibility of government. It is a matter of proper scheduling of manpower so that there will be officers assigned 24/7 to our various airports. This is something the private sector routinely does in call centers, hospitals and yes, newspaper, radio and television operations.

As for airport efficiency, P-Noy should eventually realize appointing friends and retired air force generals to NAIA and CAAP is a grievous mistake. He must look for professionals with experience in world class airport management and air regulation instead.

Getting that branding program and its marketing communications component up and running is an important priority for Bertie’s successor. But the new Tourism Secretary still has some more homework to do before buying the first column inch or minute of advertising.

He or she will have to get the TIEZA (the tourism body that grants BOI type incentives for investments in hotels and other tourism infrastructure) organized with professionals on board and ready for business. We need a clone of PEZA’s Lilia de Lima who must also have a good experience on the business side of tourism enterprises to head TIEZA. Appeal to Mark Lapid’s sense of patriotism to take a job elsewhere where he can do the least harm.

Another priority is to develop and promulgate national tourism services standards to address the complaints about the inconsistent quality of our tourist facilities and services. A 5 star facility in Palawan should be the same as any 5 star facility in Manila. Indeed, insufficient tourist facilities and services have been a major stumbling block to getting more tourists in the country.

The strategic vision of Bertie’s plan is to make the Philippines the “must experience” destination in Asia. The GOAL is to have an environmentally and socially responsible tourism that delivers more widely distributed income and employment opportunities as indicated by 6.6 million international arrivals and 34.8 million domestic travelers generating P1,759 billion in total expenditure, contributing 6.78 percent to GDP and employing 6.5 million people by 2016.

The program identifies the priority tourism markets: key markets (large stable or expanding markets) Japan, USA, South Korea, China. The strategic markets offering immediate growth potential: Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Canada. The opportunity/niche markets - emerging markets with strong mid term growth potential: India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia, European countries specially UKI and Germany.

So, what will make the tourists come?

Improved infrastructure is on top of the “things to do” list. Improve market access and connectivity. Rapidly expand capacity of secondary international airports. Then, expand connectivity between PHL and its key growth markets. Implement a strategic access infrastructure program between secondary international airports and strategic destinations.

In this regard, improve, rehabilitate, and expand 23 domestic airports; improve, rehabilitate, and expand 21 seaports; improve, rehabilitate, and upgrade 28 strategic connecting roads with total distance of approximately 850kms.

Also important in the “to do” list is the need to institutionalize roles and responsibilities of DOT and LGUs; develop a competent well motivated and productive tourism workforce and improve governance in the area of safety, security and in dealing with tourists. The nationwide coverage of the Tourism Police is a step in this direction.

Under local infrastructure, the plan seeks provision of power, water and water treatment facilities and solid waste management facilities in tourism areas as well as the design and construction of tourism information centers and support infrastructure such as transport terminals.

The plan envisions linking local communities to the tourism value chain created by the major mix use tourism complexes and upgraded tourist sites in their vicinity. They will also review regulations that impede new product development (e.g. retiree, medical tourism) and amend accordingly.

There are other interesting points in the plan but suffice it to say that it looks like a good road map which the new tourism secretary will hopefully implement rather than spend time redesigning again. Bertie has done his homework… the fieldwork can finally begin.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=718204&publicationSubCategoryId=66

xxxriainxxx

August 22nd, 2011, 01:48 PM

Bantayan Island, Cebu. (rights belong to the owner/s of this photo)

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/5581/bantayanislandbudyongbeih9.jpg

hugodiekonig

August 22nd, 2011, 02:41 PM

Kintoy

August 22nd, 2011, 03:46 PM

amigo32

August 22nd, 2011, 04:22 PM

ang bagal ng roadmap nya:D

ano yan digitized roadmap ba yan kaya matagal mag load sa Pentium classic?:D
o dahil yan sa matagal na research ng "pinay kay gandah" o di vah:D

Magaling pa rin si Ace at Gordon, kay sa kay bagal Lim:D

chrismartin02

August 22nd, 2011, 04:33 PM

can we just move on now? enough of bertie lim and his incompetence. tapos na yun, move on na. :D

wino

August 22nd, 2011, 06:33 PM

some people here would still say that credit still belongs to Ace or whoever before Bertie Lim :banana:

what credit? be more specific

Manila-X

August 23rd, 2011, 04:25 AM

I'm sure foreigners will think Philipenis gay ganda!

mwg12a

August 23rd, 2011, 10:08 AM

I'm sure foreigners will think Philipenis gay ganda!

Actually, alot of them thinks that already. They impression is that there are so many trannies in the Philippines just like Thailand. Atleast, here in the US and Canada, I am not sure about elsewhere.

xxxriainxxx

August 23rd, 2011, 10:29 AM

What's a manly tranny?

Ekweng

August 23rd, 2011, 01:08 PM

Arabs think all filipinos are gay, really.

icarusrising

August 23rd, 2011, 01:55 PM

Immigration: Foreign tourists staying longer in PHL
08/23/2011 | 06:05 PM
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/230301/business/immigration-foreign-tourists-staying-longer-in-phl

Good news for the Philippine tourism industry: foreign tourists want to stay longer in the country — with some even staying beyond the date originally authorized in their visas.

According to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Philippines is becoming a favorite destination among tourists in the Asia Pacific region.

“It appears that foreign visitors become more attracted to our country after arriving here to the extent that many of them would decide to prolong their stay instead of leaving before the lapse of their authorized initial stay or visa," Immigration commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said Tuesday.

David also clarified that foreign tourists may extend their stay in the country as long as they do the necessary paper work before their authorized length of stay lapses, stick to the conditions of their stay and pay the necessary fees to the BI.

Data from the BI showed that tourist visa extensions peaked in January to June, with 13,000 applications on average filed and approved monthly, These were at the lowest in July when only 9,000 applications were filed and approved.

Over 81,287 visa extensions applications were processed and approved by the BI from January to July of 2011, compared to the 20,804 applications processed and approved in the same period last year.

BI Visa Extension Office chief Rodelio Sapian said that under existing rules foreigners who don’t require visas are allowed in the country for 21 days while visa-required foreigners are given an initial stay of 59 days.

Tourist arrivals in the first four months of the year hit more than 1.3 million, according to the Tourism Department. The figure is a 13.33 percent increase compared to the 1,153,198 tourist arrivals during the same period in 2010.

Most of the foreign tourists, the department noted, came from East Asia — in particular, South Korea and Taiwan.

American and Canadian tourists came in second while Southeast Asian tourists were the third biggest chunk of Philippine tourists.

Top destinations

Earlier, the DOT reported that Cebu and Boracay were on top of the list of favorite destinations for Chinese tourists celebrating the Spring Festival Week with over 3,500 Chinese nationals visiting Philippine shores.

Last month, Boracay Island in Aklan was also hailed as the fourth best island in the world in Travel + Leisure Magazines’ annual “World’s Best Awards." — BC/VS, GMA News

Kintoy

August 23rd, 2011, 03:40 PM

^^

Salamat kay Ace at Mark Lapid!

amigo32

August 23rd, 2011, 03:48 PM

pasalamatan din natin si B Lim sa Pinays kay gandah o diva:D

wala pa syang ginawa nyan ha, paano pa kaya kung meron na:D baka dito na titira ang mga turista:D

METROPOLITAN_ILOILO

August 23rd, 2011, 04:31 PM

Something to think about....

Why tourists skip the Philippines

Posted by neilthewanderer on April 3, 2011 · 4 Comments

In one of my travels, an Australian friend asked me what it is that he will see if he ever decides to visit the Philippines.

I came up with various possible destinations in my head, but before I could give him a rundown of possible must-see attractions, he had already waved his hand dismissively, saying that it was just a hypothetical question and that he has no plans of visiting the country whatsoever.

Now before I get accused of being a bad ambassador of my country, I must make it clear that I tried to give him options like Boracay, Siargao, Bohol, and Palawan , and I asked him why he won’t consider them. Again, he dismissed the question, stressing that if he would give me reasons why, then he would end up explaining well into the morning. He’d rather not waste a beautiful evening and a beach party that was just about to start.

I’m sure that there are a lot of other Australians who would love to visit the Philippines, but this episode really got me thinking why most travelers end up skipping the country, even when they are already touring Asia.

Now the government would argue that this is not true and that Philippine tourism is in fact about to fly. They might even parade documents showing the 3.52 million foreign tourists who supposedly visited the country in 2010. This number, is such a fantastic achievement for government officials, that they started patting each other’s back.

I really don’t want to burst their bubbles, but hey guys, 3.52 million is a far cry from the tourist arrivals of other countries, and what makes it so depressing is that the Philippines has so much more to offer.

Just so they know, in 2010 alone, Hong Kong said 36 million tourists arrived in its territory, while Malaysia reported 24 million tourists with $53.4 million tourism receipts. Thailand, despite prolonged political tension, managed to attract 15.6 million tourists.

Singapore, attracted 12.5 million. Indonesia’s tourist arrivals reached 7.002 million with tourism receipts amounting to $7.6 billion while Vietnam attracted 5 million tourists.

Now, I may not be a tourism genius but I think that by looking at these figures, you can surmise that 3.52 million is just too low and that, despite the government’s parade, there are obviously reasons why, in spite of all the marketing campaigns we do, the tourists remain uninterested.

To be fair, East Asian countries like South Korea and Japan are interested, reflected by the fact that they are the Philippines’ top two sources of visitors. However, there are even reports and insinuations that they are not visiting as travelers, but as English students and wife-hunters.

I don’t want to be someone who just keeps on complaining without doing something, so I embarked on an informal tourism survey among travelers and tourists from why or why not they are interested in visiting the Philippines. I wanted to get the perspective of actual travelers not the sanitized excuses of the local travel and trade leaders.

I asked if they heard about the Philippines (scary), and if yes, were they interested to visit it? why or why not? I sent these questions to my Facebook friends from Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Canada, US , Indonesia eand I also created a forum in my Lonely Planet page, which received 200 views and 25 replies in one day.

Our tourism geniuses who crafted the “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” campaign may just totally ignore it, but what the heck, I’m still giving it a try.

“It’s Like America”

Apparently, in the eyes of foreigners, the unique style, culture and identity of the Philippines and its people are fading what with their best attempts at sounding, looking and feeling American. Unique Filipino architecture is just lost in the flurry of tall buildings, Starbucks, and shopping malls in its capital city Manila. They smoke Marlboro, they wear Gap and Guess and now Zara (Spanish), and they try to hard to get that American accent. “It’s funny, other Asians are not trying to sound American at all. The only thing that they are not trying to copy from America is cleanliness,” says one comment.

“Want a wife? Go to the Philippines”

Now this will really hurt. Though we try to deny it, chances are, few will listen to us, because for many travelers (especially among young Westerners), the Philippines is a retirement haven for old geezers who want to find themselves toys for the night, or in many cases, a wife. This very negative image turns away young travelers who are out for adventure sports and trekking. They feel that they will also be targeted.

To be fair, I think many Filipinas are up to the task. Once in an internet cafe, I saw two women talking and flirting to a Caucasian guy, old enough to be their grand dad.

In Boracay, can you honestly tell me that you haven’t seen an old foreigner with a young Filipina in tow? No more explanation needed.

Here’s a direct quote from an Austrian Lonely Planet member. “I think it has a bit of an unfortunate reputation as being more a place for sleazy old ex-service personnel, sex tourists and wife hunters,”

“Imperial Manila”

Listen tourism officials. Here’s a very valid question.

In this age of budget travels, easier connections and too many options, why do travelers have to pass by to Manila, in order to travel to more touristy areas such as Boracay, Palawan and Bohol. In the case of Bohol, you even have to travel to Cebu first before taking a ferry.

This seeming lack of flight options to the supposedly famous tourist attractions, is just a deal breaker. Instead of spending additional money on a connecting flight, travelers would rather use that to go to another country.

And if you insist that they should also visit Manila, well, they are not that interested because as they said, it’s just like America. Another Lonely Planet member said that “My biggest gripe about the Philippines is that all the best islands are located somewhere else and you need to take another internal flight from Manila, which I am not too keen to go in the first place.

“Drab food”

I am such a fan of Filipino food so this came as a surprise. One traveler asked me if I see a lot of Filipino restaurants abroad. He asked if I can honestly say that Filipino food is as famous as that of Chinese, Thai, Viet or Japanese. I didn’t answer, but you can.

He says no, because Filipino food are not as tasty. Local cuisines are either salty or sweet and sweet foods are not exactly come ones to travelers, unless they are for dessert. It reminded me of an Ecuadorian CEO who now lives in the Philippines who complained of his sweet spaghetti.

Expensive but shabby hotels

Unless you stay in the really expensive five-star hotels, travelers say that you will have to contend with the shabby and not so clean hotels in the Philippines. What’s ironic is that hotel prices in the country are really expensive compared to other Asian countries. This I can attest having stayed at hotels in countries Bangkok, Cambodia, Bali and Hong Kong.

One traveler said, “Filipinos want to earn so much quickly by charging expensive rent, without thinking that they place is not all that great”

Guys, these are just comments from actual travelers so please bear with me if they sound snappy and honest. I didn’t want to sugarcoat them because it will defeat the purpose of why this informal survey was done in the first place.

I don’t agree with all of the comments above but I agree with some.

Why do you think tourists skip the Philippines”

SOURCE (http://www.pinoyblogosphere.com/2011/04/03/why-tourists-skip-the-philippines/comment-page-1/#comment-355311)

xxxriainxxx

August 23rd, 2011, 04:49 PM

This Australian loves the Philippines, Manila, food, everything and he is not an old geezer.

Philippines 101 – Origin of Myth
Posted by Scott Allford on Apr 19th, 2010
Filed Under: Walkabout Pinas

While writing about the media’s negative portrayal of the Philippines in my article ‘Viewing the Philippines in a Different Light’, I was “baffled as to why [The Philippines] has been branded in such a negative way by the International media.” Since then I have come to realize that a lot of negativity towards this beautiful country comes out of misinformation, uninformed opinions/ideas and perhaps a little prejudice. After months of reading blogs and articles it became clear that these common themes were the root of most ‘anti-Pinoy’ commentary online. So it’s time to look at the facts and examine some of the negative myths that surround this country.

Philippine Geography

Last night I was online and got a message from a relative in Australia asking if I was okay after the bombing in Basilan. I replied that Basilan is over 1,000 kilometers (well over 600 miles) from Manila and is just off the coast of Malaysia. She then replied that she really needs to get an atlas. Most people around the world need to not only get an atlas, but also read it when it comes to the Philippines.

Just to help those who don’t know -The Philippines is the 12th most populated nation on Earth and is made up of 7,107 islands which stretch over 2,000 kilometers (Well over 1,200 miles) from Batanes in the north to Tawi-tawi in the south. Politically the country is divided into 80 provinces, 17 Regions and 3 Island Groups: Luzon in the north (where Manila is), Visayas in the centre and Mindanao in the south.

The Geography of Danger

It seems that many people overseas think that the whole of the Philippines is constantly experiencing problems with terrorist attacks. However, most of the troubles of this nature in Philippines are in the south western portion of the island of Mindanao which is over 1,000 kilometers to the south of the Philippine capital of Manila. Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines and the 19th largest in the world making it just over 1.5 times the size of Tasmania.

Speaking of Tasmania, let’s focus on one problem I have. Back in 1996 in Port Arthur, Tasmania when Martin Bryant went on what was at the time the world’s worst killing spree and shot 35 people who were mostly tourists; massive numbers of people didn’t suddenly cancel their trips to Australia or even the cities of Hobart and Launceston in Tasmania. Yet last year in November when the Maguindanao Massacre happened (57 killed in a politically motivated attack) people suddenly cancelled tours around Manila and jumped on the next plane back to their home countries. Maguindanao is literally on the other side of the country from Manila. It would be like people cancelling tours in New York when the LA riots happened, ridiculous.

This ignorance of Philippine geography is not only prevalent amongst foreign travellers but also amongst some Filipinos and some expats living in the Philippines. Many times I hear from people in Manila that Mindanao is dangerous and a no go zone. I went to Northern Mindanao last year and had a great time. I also met a lot of really friendly locals who helped me as much as they could on my travels. I travelled by taxi, tricycle, ferry, local (non air conditioned) bus, multicab, a friendly stranger’s brother’s van and also just walked. There was no point along the way that I felt like I was in danger. I also hear from foreigners who live in or travel in the more notorious parts of Mindanao, that they had similar experiences to mine. Perhaps it just comes down to having some good old fashioned street smarts when you travel.

http://tourism-philippines.com/images/origin-myth1.jpg
The family we met in Mindanao who gave us a lift to our hotel. Thanks again guys!

Official Misinformation

Earlier this week, I was looking at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s travel advisory website and was surprised to learn that their level of caution for the Philippines is exactly the same as Thailand. Thailand has bombings in the south just like the Philippines but that’s about where the similarities end. Thailand also has border skirmishes with Cambodia, Bird Flu, the Thai Government has declared a state of Emergency and people are dying on the streets of Bangkok amidst grenade attacks, shootings and the current protests by the Red Shirts. I was also surprised to learn that the site warns about the eruption of the beautiful Mayon Volcano in the Philippines. This volcano did have a small eruption back in December (concerned relatives in Australia asked if I was in danger even though Mayon is about 450 km away from Manila) and tourists actually flocked to Albay Province to take pictures of the streaming lava at night. It has since died down and I took my mother there last month and it really didn’t seem like a “hazardous magmatic eruption” was going to happen, as the DFAT suggests. In fact, PHILVOLCS agrees with my observation stating:

“This is a notice for the lowering of Mayon Volcano’s status from Alert Level 2 (evidence of magmatic intrusion that could eventually lead to an eruption) to Alert Level 1 (no hazardous eruption imminent).”

Even though PHILVOLCS issued this update on March 2, 2010, the DFAT website currently states that their advice on the danger of Mayon erupting “…is current for Friday, 16 April 2010.” It is sites like this which present a dangerous Philippines that just doesn’t seem to exist in reality.

Is it safe?

On our Tourism Philippines Facebook Fanpage (www.facebook.com/TourismPhilippines) the other week an American man asked if it was safe to come to the Philippines. Here is my response in which I quoted http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php :

“For murder per capita (US #24/Philippines not in top 62), rape (US #1/Philippines not in top 84), burglary (US #1/ Philippines not in top 68), executions (US #7/Philippines not on the list) the US is far more dangerous than the Philippines.”

http://tourism-philippines.com/images/origin-myth2.jpg
The beautiful Mayon Volcano back in March 2010
Photo by xxxriainxxx

The question of safety in the Philippines has to be one of the most common ones I hear and I believe it is so prevalent due the spread of misinformation and uninformed opinions that have spread across the internet and the media in general.

I have asked many people in the Philippines if they think it is dangerous here and the most common responses are either “No.” or “It’s no more dangerous than any other country, you just need to be a little street smart.” I totally agree with these comments. I wouldn’t walk down a street in a bad area I’m not familiar with at 3am in Manila. I also wouldn’t do the same in London, New York or Sydney for that matter. I’m also not the kind of traveller who arrives in a destination without knowing anything about the place. As travellers we must have some personal responsibility. On landing in Hanoi back in 2006, I hadn’t read up on the best way to get from the airport and was quite sleepy so my internal currency converter wasn’t working well. As a result, I was majorly ripped off by an unlicensed taxi driver. Ultimately, it was my own fault for not being prepared.

Crab Mentality / Tall Poppy Syndrome

After my previous article on the Philippines being portrayed negatively in foreign media was posted on countless blogs, a lot of people had their say about what I wrote. While a lot of the feedback was positive, there were also countless negative responses. One Filipino referred to Manila as a “festering sore” and others focused on corruption in the Philippines or poverty. While I have never stated that the Philippines has never had problems, I do feel that the over promotion of the negative aspects of this country has managed to squash most of the good that comes out of the Philippines. I also view this as a vicious cycle which gradually diminishes the pride of country that Filipinos have and erodes the international image of this nation further. I say this because it is exactly what I witnessed on the blogs. I wrote something good about the Philippines and many Filipinos ignored the positives and went back to saying how terrible the country is.

Our own Worst Enemy

Jojo A. Robles wrote on this in the Manila Standard in response to my article stating that:

“no one can out-criticize Filipinos like the Filipinos themselves, as we do every single day in our own media……. if we are to stop people in other countries from thinking that we live in a hopelessly corrupt, poor and dangerous country, perhaps we should begin by ending our own persistent and oft-stated belief that we do so in the first place.”

Last December when I took a walk through Quiapo in Manila with Carlos Celdran, I saw many of the things that may lead a person to think of Manila as a ‘festering sore’, however, I really enjoyed the experience and actually went back the following month. The culture and history of Quiapo is really quite amazing and all you have to do is walk down Hidalgo Street or around the occult stalls beside Quiapo Church to see it for yourself. I guess that one man’s trash can truly be another’s treasure and to quote Carlos Celdran, “You can’t change the way Manila looks, but you can change the way you look at Manila.” This country really needs a vast number of its citizens to change their perspectives in order to create a better image of The Philippines on the world stage.

http://tourism-philippines.com/images/origin-myth3.jpg
Quiapo- Noise, pollution, chaos and culture. Incredible experience
Photo by Scott Allford

What it all boils down to in the end is that no country is perfect, but each is unique and beautiful in its own way. Sadly, the image of the Philippines has been under attack from all angles for quite some time. Nevertheless, many Filipinos and foreign visitors are starting to discover that while the Philippines does have many problems, it also has so many amazing experiences to offer if you’re willing to seek them out. As more people experience this country and word gets out, the perceptions of both locals and foreigners are becoming more informed. Ryan Buaron recently posted on our Facebook Fanpage (www.facebook.com/TourismPhilippines): “When we see something amazing in the Philippines, we usually exclaim “Parang hindi sa Pilipinas! (Looks like it’s not in the Philippines!) – WRONG. It should be – “Ang ganda talaga ng Pilipinas!” (The Philippines is really beautiful!).” As a result of this change in thinking, Pinoy Pride is slowly on the rise and the astounding ecological and cultural beauty of the Philippines and the warmth of its people are starting to become more than dull whispers to travelers around the world.

http://tourism-philippines.com/philippines-101-origin-of-myth/

Too American? Too Western? Sorry we don't fit your usual description of Asia.

wino

August 23rd, 2011, 04:49 PM

pasalamatan din natin si B Lim sa Pinays kay gandah o diva:D

wala pa syang ginawa nyan ha, paano pa kaya kung meron na:D baka dito na titira ang mga turista:D

+1 :lol: :lol: :lol:

^^ nice article

few points that i really liked.. and I'm guilty at some level..

we Pinoys are "Our own Worst Enemy"

Carlos Celdran, “You can’t change the way Manila looks, but you can change the way you look at Manila.”

Ryan Buaron recently posted on our Facebook Fanpage (www.facebook.com/TourismPhilippines): “When we see something amazing in the Philippines, we usually exclaim “Parang hindi sa Pilipinas! (Looks like it’s not in the Philippines!) – WRONG. It should be – “Ang ganda talaga ng Pilipinas!” (The Philippines is really beautiful!).”

saintm

August 24th, 2011, 01:24 AM

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/300821_10150264860843602_134441078601_7647261_2386837_n.jpg (http://facebook.com/pangasinan.gov.ph)

Ipanengneng yo ed mondo ya ♥ yo so Luyag na PANGASINAN! Like and share http://facebook.com/pangasinan.gov.ph!

hugodiekonig

August 24th, 2011, 05:27 AM

hugodiekonig

August 24th, 2011, 05:32 AM

Something to think about....

A wake-up call to our Tourism Industry

Ephesus29

August 24th, 2011, 05:46 AM

Just got back from a three week Bohemian Tour in Eastern Europe and 9 days in St. Pertersburg-Novgorod-Moscow. While watching the English TV, on their network, I've never seen any "Tourism Ads" about the Philippines at all. Pity!!.While the rest of SEA countries had their ad quite frequently. I was completely aghast for not seeing even a single second of ad about the Phil.. What is going on with the "Ministry of Tourism" in the Philippines. I understand that there are a lot of Tourists coming to the Philippines, but I am not impressed with the numbers compared to the rest of SEA countries.

While we were in Pushkin, an hour drive out of St. Petersburg, my wife and I met few young lad who sells souvenirs. They apparently heard about the Philippines while visiting Phuket in Thailand. I right away made a pitch, that they should visit the Philippines and spend sometimes in Boraccay, Pagudpud and in Bohol. They got my email-ad and would happily lassist them in anyway I can, where to go in the Philippines. I am proud about our "Tourists Attractions" in the Philippines and I always talke about it to other people everywhere I can. :)

hugodiekonig

August 24th, 2011, 05:50 AM

Just got back from a three week Bohemian Tour in Eastern Europe and 9 days in St. Pertersburg-Novgorod-Moscow. While watching the English TV, on their network, I've never seen any "Tourism Ads" about the Philippines at all. Pity!!.
While the rest of SEA countries had their ad quite frequently. I was completely aghast. What is going on with the "Ministry of Tourism" in the Philippines. I understand that there are a lot of Tourists coming to the Philippines, but I am not impressed with the numbers compared to the rest of SEA countries.

While we were in Pushkin, an hour drive out of St. Petersburg, my wife and I met few young lad who sells souvenirs. They apparently heard about the Philippines while visiting Phuket in Thailand. I right away made a pitch, that they should visit the Philippines and spend sometimes in Boraccay, Pagudpud and in Bohol. They got my email-ad and would happily lassist them in anyway I can, where to go in the Philippines. I am proud about our "Tourists Attractions" in the Philippines and I always talke about it to other people everywhere I can. :)

even at international broadcasting channels, i could not see any ads about Philippine Tourism. Malaysia, Thailand and even Indonesia are the most frequent in the ads.

Philippines is already a favorite by Russian tourists. It is good that you have contributed to the Philippine Tourism. Great Job!:banana:

amigo32

August 24th, 2011, 07:13 AM

Parchie

August 24th, 2011, 09:43 AM

Carlos Celdran, “You can’t change the way Manila looks, but you can change the way you look at Manila.”

I think this guy, Carlos Celdran is good at words and phrases. But I don't believe in what he is saying. It is not even near to any semblance of truth. To say you can't do anything to change how things in Manila are is a defeatist stance.

How Manila looks is relative to who's looking but moving things around and making systems work in Manila is better. Looking is passive, doing things to improve the city is best. If many Manilenos think like this guy, then we can say this city will die in its natural way in the future.

jbkayaker12

August 24th, 2011, 09:55 AM

Filipinos love to talk the talk but when someone tells it like it is contrary to their views, Filipinos attack the messenger personally. Isn't that correct amigo.......:cheers::lol:

amigo32

August 24th, 2011, 10:20 AM

Filipinos love to talk the talk but when someone tells it like it is contrary to their views, Filipinos attack the messenger personally. Isn't that correct amigo.......:cheers::lol:

mali:lol:
basta galing sa bunganga mo mali:D
pa bleach ka muna at patangusin ang iyong ilong:lol:

jbkayaker12

August 24th, 2011, 10:22 AM

mali:lol:
basta galing sa bunganga mo mali:D
pa bleach ka muna at patangusin ang iyong ilong:lol:

See post #87.:cheers:

pi_malejana

August 24th, 2011, 10:30 AM

sana ganito lahat ang mindset ng mga turista sa atin...:okay:

http://www.gmanews.tv/video/88618/sona-tourist-police-kamustahin

i watch nyo lang ung first part; pagka nakita nyo ng ung mukha ni Lim, itigil nyo ung video...:lol::nuts:

icarusrising

August 24th, 2011, 10:35 AM

This is good. At least tourists are enjoying our beautiful spots and hospitality that makes them stay longer here in our country

Marami siguro sa kanila mga Koreano at iba pang Asyano na nag-aaral ng Inggles. Di siguro agad matuto kaya kailangang dugtungan ang panahon ng kanilang pananatili sa bansa. :)

pau_p1

August 24th, 2011, 11:16 AM

good gawin mong times 1000 ang effort mo kasi mabilis din manira ang ex-filino at iba pa:lol::lol::lol:

tumpak... kapwa pinoy din naman ang naninira sa Pinas... with sensationalism pa pag minsan!

Kintoy

August 24th, 2011, 11:47 AM

Thanks to Ace Durano and Mark Lapid!

kalbongdad

August 24th, 2011, 12:22 PM

oi hindi ha...thanks to bertie lim nagawa na daw nya ang trabaho nya nag resign na siya....:lol: salama sa pilipinas kay ganda.....:lol: pa hold departure order ko kaya..... :)

hugodiekonig

August 24th, 2011, 12:25 PM

Marami siguro sa kanila mga Koreano at iba pang Asyano na nag-aaral ng Inggles. Di siguro agad matuto kaya kailangang dugtungan ang panahon ng kanilang pananatili sa bansa. :)

paano ba mag-count ng turista ang DOT? iniinclude pa ba yung mga nag-aaral for example ng English na mga Koreano for example?

icarusrising

August 24th, 2011, 01:04 PM

paano ba mag-count ng turista ang DOT? iniinclude pa ba yung mga nag-aaral for example ng English na mga Koreano for example?

Sa passport yan based so lahat ng mga pumapasok sa bansa na ibang pasaporte ang gamit kasama na rin ang mga Pinoy na may dual citizenship pero pasaporte sa ibang bansa ang gamit. Yung mga mag-aaral dito dapat magparegister ng Special Study Permit sa Bureau of Immigration pero alam ko mas marami ang hindi kumukuha niyan kasi di naman sa school nag-aaral yung iba. Meron din sigurong data ang mga schools kung ilan ang non-Filipino students nila.

Kintoy

August 24th, 2011, 01:40 PM

si Ace Durano ang gumagawa nyan... :D

xxxriainxxx

August 24th, 2011, 05:18 PM

xxxriainxxx

August 24th, 2011, 05:28 PM

I think this guy, Carlos Celdran is good at words and phrases. But I don't believe in what he is saying. It is not even near to any semblance of truth. To say you can't do anything to change how things in Manila are is a defeatist stance.

How Manila looks is relative to who's looking but moving things around and making systems work in Manila is better. Looking is passive, doing things to improve the city is best. If many Manilenos think like this guy, then we can say this city will die in its natural way in the future.

You haven't met Carlos do you? You don't expect him to do Lim's job right?

Just a disclaimer, Carlos is a personal friend.

wino

August 24th, 2011, 07:25 PM

Bought a yellow Samsonite luggage today. Ready for my Philippines trip! :)

(Yes, I don't care if it looked too 'Cory', it should be easier to find on the baggage carousel at the airport.)

yaaaks!! haha joke :lol: :lol:

inperness.. madali nga ciang hanapin! :lol: :lol:
meron bang neon green na ganyan? haha

FlashCollider

August 24th, 2011, 09:21 PM

Bought a yellow Samsonite luggage today. Ready for my Philippines trip! :)

http://shareimage.org/images/73441wzjhwu6rb3q1deg.jpg

(Yes, I don't care if it looked too 'Cory', it should be easier to find on the baggage carousel at the airport.)

Riain sana lagyan mo ng mga swarovski para may bling. ewan na lang kapag namiss mo pa sa carousel yang luggage mo. hehehehehe

Wala ka bang planong puntahan ang Central Asia?

icarusrising

August 25th, 2011, 02:11 AM

I wonder what's the connection between Malaysia and such cable channels like History, TLC, etc? Their country often gets featured in their shows and put in a good light. While the Philippines gets featured in shows like the Manila Hostage Crisis. :nuts:

jbkayaker12

August 25th, 2011, 02:29 AM

^^^^^@ Pau and Amigo - Crab mentality of Filipinos at its finest!!

xxxriainxxx

August 25th, 2011, 03:57 AM

Riain sana lagyan mo ng mga swarovski para may bling. ewan na lang kapag namiss mo pa sa carousel yang luggage mo. hehehehehe

Wala ka bang planong puntahan ang Central Asia?

Naks, swarovski, I dont wear bling. I dont even wear my watch, or necklace. ;)

Central Asia is on the radar especially Uzbekistan kasi kagagaling lang dun ng mga kaibigan ko, but not sure when yet. Dec next year probably, but pinagpipilian ko pa ang Egypt/Greece; Jordan/Israel; Madagascar or Central Asia. ;)

yaaaks!! haha joke :lol: :lol:

inperness.. madali nga ciang hanapin! :lol: :lol:
meron bang neon green na ganyan? haha

Wala akong nakita. haha. Orange meron pero walang lining sa loob. Hahahaha.

xxxriainxxx

August 25th, 2011, 03:58 AM

Manila-X

August 25th, 2011, 05:53 AM

The Philippines too American? I even find Japan more American than The Philippines :D

Anyway, does The United States have festivals like Ati-Atihan or endless fiestas throughout the year?

MatudNilaBaby

August 25th, 2011, 06:02 AM

The Philippines too American? I even find Japan more American than The Philippines :D

Anyway, does The United States have festivals like Ati-Atihan or endless fiestas throughout the year?

they have powow native american tribes gatherings in different states

Manila-X

August 25th, 2011, 06:10 AM

+1 :lol: :lol: :lol:

^^ nice article

few points that i really liked.. and I'm guilty at some level..

we Pinoys are "Our own Worst Enemy"

Carlos Celdran, “You can’t change the way Manila looks, but you can change the way you look at Manila.”

Ryan Buaron recently posted on our Facebook Fanpage (www.facebook.com/TourismPhilippines): “When we see something amazing in the Philippines, we usually exclaim “Parang hindi sa Pilipinas! (Looks like it’s not in the Philippines!) – WRONG. It should be – “Ang ganda talaga ng Pilipinas!” (The Philippines is really beautiful!).”

I agree with all these statements. The fact I even criticized the "Parang hindi sa Pilipinas" thread years back.

Anyway, Manila is one of the most interesting cities in Asia. It has its ups and downs but it is a cosmopolitan city where old meets new.

jbkayaker12

August 25th, 2011, 06:41 AM

To say you can't do anything to change how things in Manila are is a defeatist stance.

Yes, you can do things to change how Manila is perceived and how it looks in the eyes of everyone not just Filipinos but foreigners as well.

If that guy Celdran thinks Manila is fine the way it is then I hope he does not run for office. He is in extreme denial of everything that is wrong about Manila. It cannot change overnite but it has to change. Manila is filthy and scummy not only in the eyes of Filipinos but foreigners as well.

xxxriainxxx

August 25th, 2011, 06:45 AM

Yes, you can do things to change how Manila is perceived and how it looks in the eyes of everyone not just Filipinos but foreigners as well.

If that guy Celdran thinks Manila is fine the way it is then I hope he does not run for office. He is in extreme denial of everything that is wrong about Manila. It cannot change overnite but it has to change. Manila is filthy and scummy not only in the eyes of Filipinos but foreigners as well.

Another person who makes comments without knowing what he is talking about. Manila is what it is. Carlos, who happens to be a friend, did not say that everything is fine, but you can take a different look at how it became what it is now.

Next time, get off your cab.

Manila-X

August 25th, 2011, 07:06 AM

jbkayaker12

August 25th, 2011, 07:27 AM

Another person who makes comments without knowing what he is talking about. Manila is what it is. Carlos, who happens to be a friend, did not say that everything is fine, but you can take a different look at how it became what it is now.

Next time, get off your cab.

You cannot change what he said. It is what it is.

I remember watching his segment on Daphne's, Urban Zone lifestyle show on ABS CBN. They would film him doing his segments all around Metro Manila, mind you he was such a slob it prompted me to write an e-mail to Daphne. Daphne on the other hand is one classy lady and to put the slob on her TV show was such a let down. After my email he soon changed into a more formal attire best suited for TV, his segment was eventually cut off from Daphne's lifestyle show.

By the way, during my past visits to Metro Manila and beyond, I did a lot of walking and riding the MRT/LRT so I have seen first hand how it is in Metro Manila. Majority of Metro Manila is not pleasing in the eyes of a visitor and residents. It needs to change, it has to change for the sake of its people and visitors.

amigo32

August 25th, 2011, 08:05 AM

^^^^^@ Pau and Amigo - Crab mentality of Filipinos at its finest!!

bakit? Pinay ka ba?

yuck sister isa kang Americana:lol::lol::lol:
tsee:lol::lol::lol:

Parchie

August 25th, 2011, 08:06 AM

You haven't met Carlos do you? You don't expect him to do Lim's job right?

Just a disclaimer, Carlos is a personal friend.

Which Lim are you referring to? Frankie Lim, Gen. Lim, Lim Eng Beng? Lim Pagong? or Lim Ket Kai? Don Carlos what?

Is it okay to say: "Birds of the same feather are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . birds?

Kintoy

August 25th, 2011, 10:12 AM

Next time, get off your cab.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

pau_p1

August 25th, 2011, 10:21 AM

^^^^^@ Pau and Amigo - Crab mentality of Filipinos at its finest!!

ay bakit guilty ka ba? sorry it was a generic comment on my end... I guess 'bato bato sa langit, ang tamaan 'guilty''...

dami ko kilalang Pinoy na nasa abroad na ganyan... yung iba nababasa ko sa mga comments throughout the thread... yung iba friends ko.. yung iba relatives ko pa nga ehh...

Manila-X

August 25th, 2011, 10:42 AM

Why can't we Pinoys get along?

amigo32

August 25th, 2011, 10:45 AM

Why can't we Pinoys get along?

She's not Pinoy:lol:

hugodiekonig

August 25th, 2011, 11:33 AM

wino

August 25th, 2011, 12:29 PM

Why can't we Pinoys get along?

coz we PINOY's love to DESTROY each other!

icarusrising

August 25th, 2011, 12:29 PM

I wonder if Malaysia has news blockout on negative publicity hmmmmm

Hindi naman siguro. Mas malamang they spend a lot to get media mileage that highlights the positive. Napapanood mo rin ba yun sa cable? Yung tipong very innocent yung pagkakasunod noong mga featured shows nila para sa August for example pero somehow maiinis ka- Weird Warfare, IRT The Toughest Roads on Earth, The Manila Hostage Crisis, Ancient Aliens, tapos Celebrating Malaysia... And yes, it's bombarded by ads promoting Malaysia.

wino

August 25th, 2011, 12:31 PM

they pay lots of money for PR campaigns.

they even bribe international shows....

OtAkAw

August 25th, 2011, 12:57 PM

xxxriainxxx

August 25th, 2011, 01:10 PM

jbkayaker12

August 25th, 2011, 01:12 PM

coz we PINOY's love to DESTROY each other!

Crab mentality is alive and well in the Philippines, just read the posts here. Some of the people Filipinos admire are actually the ones who does not think Manila has a chance of changing like Carlos "the slob" Celdran, "You can't change how Manila looks.........".:ohno:

xxxriainxxx

August 25th, 2011, 01:15 PM

That is what you get for a well-oiled PR machine. :banana:

A PR machine we can only dream of. For now.

amigo32

August 25th, 2011, 01:17 PM

A PR machine we can only dream of. For now.

meron tayong PR machine sa taas mo o:D:lol:

xxxriainxxx

August 25th, 2011, 01:23 PM

Crab mentality is alive and well in the Philippines, just read the posts here. Some of the people Filipinos admire are actually the ones who does not think Manila has a chance of changing like Carlos "the slob" Celdran, "You can't change how Manila looks.........".:ohno:

Crab mentality? Wow, look who's talking.

meron tayong PR machine sa taas mo o:D:lol:

Oh yeah, baka kasama na yan sa PR machine ng kabila.

hugodiekonig

August 25th, 2011, 04:21 PM

Hindi naman siguro. Mas malamang they spend a lot to get media mileage that highlights the positive. Napapanood mo rin ba yun sa cable? Yung tipong very innocent yung pagkakasunod noong mga featured shows nila para sa August for example pero somehow maiinis ka- Weird Warfare, IRT The Toughest Roads on Earth, The Manila Hostage Crisis, Ancient Aliens, tapos Celebrating Malaysia... And yes, it's bombarded by ads promoting Malaysia.

Sa History Channel yan diba?

Kawawang Pilipinas :ohno:

Kintoy

August 25th, 2011, 05:02 PM

Thanks to Dick Gordon, Ace Durano and Mark Lapid:

DOT boasts tourism growth in 1st half of 2011

Nearly two million foreign tourists have visited the Philippines during the first six months of the year, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported today.

Outgoing Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said that 1.91 million visitors have visited the country from January to June this year.

“This is 12 percent more than what we had from January to June last year. At this rate, we are looking to outperform our 3.52 million showing in 2010 and hit, if not surpass our 3.74 million target, especially as we forge ahead with our international promotion programs,” remarked Secretary Alberto A. Lim.

Growth in the leading East Asia regional market remained steady at 17.52% with strong gains posted by Korea (429,569 visitors, up 28.76%), China (105,423, up 16.85%) and Taiwan’s (84,979, up 35.81%). Japan registered a modest climb of 5.66% from last year to 181,379 arrivals. These four countries are among the Philippines’ top five country markets in the region while the United States, with 338,020 visitors (up 6.57%), rounds out the list in 2nd place.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=200&articleid=720402

hugodiekonig

August 25th, 2011, 05:05 PM

Aerin

August 25th, 2011, 09:56 PM

I like Manila overall. I guess it's because the city is very lively; even late at night you will still see lots of people hanging around. Now if only something can be done to improve the traffic and decrease the air pollution....

The Philippines too American? I even find Japan more American than The Philippines :D

Anyway, does The United States have festivals like Ati-Atihan or endless fiestas throughout the year?

I think I heard more Christmas music (in english) being played in stores in Japan than their own music. Plenty of Christmas trees on display too.

As for the US, there are festivals (art & wine, jazz, even ones dedicated to a single vegetable eg garlic :) ) and the occasional parades (Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, Gay Pride, Chinese New Year etc), but nothing that matches the scope of festivals in Philippines like Ati-Atihan and Pahiyas where it seems everyone in the city is getting involved, in my opinion.

Mercato

August 26th, 2011, 04:06 AM

You cannot change what he said. It is what it is.

I remember watching his segment on Daphne's, Urban Zone lifestyle show on ABS CBN. They would film him doing his segments all around Metro Manila, mind you he was such a slob it prompted me to write an e-mail to Daphne. Daphne on the other hand is one classy lady and to put the slob on her TV show was such a let down. After my email he soon changed into a more formal attire best suited for TV, his segment was eventually cut off from Daphne's lifestyle show.

By the way, during my past visits to Metro Manila and beyond, I did a lot of walking and riding the MRT/LRT so I have seen first hand how it is in Metro Manila. Majority of Metro Manila is not pleasing in the eyes of a visitor and residents. It needs to change, it has to change for the sake of its people and visitors.Bakit? changing naman a pa'no mo nasabi ya'an. Ikaw nga diyan you admitted your last entry to Manila was 2009 and wala ka nang balak bumalik. Well, good riddance. :wave:

My last entry to Manila was summer 2011, so there. IMHO, I like how the "new" Manila is shapin up. Of course not all, but when one mentions Ortigas, Makati, Alabang, Terminal 3 NAIA (they have a mariott casino ata), yeah you can bet yer ass they're stunning. :lol: (forgive me, peeps rave about Eastwood but I haven't seen that part of the world yet. I dont even know how it looks like 'ala bang pics diyan post naman dito sa tourism thread o, tenk yu) But esp, the new Makati is awesome. :yes:

ANd also BTW, I did a lotta walkin and riding in many European cities and they also have their seedy, grimy & crumbling sides, no? Even Asian cities like Hkg and Sg have the not so nice parts. Wag mong sabihing puro fantastic historical monuments & glitzy buildings ang first world cities coz that aint the whole story. In all cities there will always be that other side, the seedy side. So dont dwell on that.

She's not Pinoy:lol:well, one of our forumers from another part outed him as havin a boyfriend. but @Wonderboy didnt say what race the BF was; baka si mwg may alam ... :D
Crab mentality? Wow, look who's talking.

Oh yeah, baka kasama na yan sa PR machine ng kabila.heck, you're talkin to the biggest crab to walk the face of Nevada - Crabzilla. :lol: :lol: :rofl: