tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46428706065915068012024-03-13T18:28:53.627-07:00Philippines: The Pearl of the Orienta humble effort to promote culture of tourism among our peopleRommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-35205431385846659772016-01-27T22:04:00.000-08:002016-01-27T22:27:59.774-08:00ASEAN tourism energized by the Green Core<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.08px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 16.08px;">As part of the concerted efforts of the </span><span style="line-height: 16.08px;">ten <a href="http://www.asean.org/asean/asean-member-states/" target="_blank">ASEAN</a>-member countries--Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR), Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand an</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 16.08px;">d Vietnam--to unify as a single tourist destination, they have considered the standardization of tourism services. This is in view of </span><span style="line-height: 16.08px;">establishing the ASEAN as one integrated economic community. At the heart of these standards is the principle of responsibility for environmental integrity.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmu9fe5-heiwozlKndH8yPzBq-WZgtaR0ORRKAr6_IP59kYLu7yZU9Af6kGfhgNmo-QQ19SJZH1GVVGqNliE3ixFuy0dCqwi0Uu6AsDvngNGs84gszf65-dL6uL16_Qsx3DPOqpGj_yM/s1600/Asean_Green_Award.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmu9fe5-heiwozlKndH8yPzBq-WZgtaR0ORRKAr6_IP59kYLu7yZU9Af6kGfhgNmo-QQ19SJZH1GVVGqNliE3ixFuy0dCqwi0Uu6AsDvngNGs84gszf65-dL6uL16_Qsx3DPOqpGj_yM/s320/Asean_Green_Award.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This ASEAN logo is used for both the green hotel and the homestay awards. The flower resembling lotus means inducing luxurious enjoyment, peace and beauty; the petals enfolding the ASEAN logo signify resilience of member-countries; and the different shades of green symbolize protection of environment, fertility, growth, increase of production in tourism industry. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 16.08px;">The ASEAN Green Hotel Award</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 16.08px;">The ASEAN Green Hotel Award is a ceremony by the ASEAN-member states in recognition to hotel industry players who qualified for their compliance to the </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 16.08px;">ASEAN Green Hotel Standard, which is succinctly defined as an ASEAN standard respectful of sustainable resources consumption. It establishes a professional green hotel operation such as environmental plan, green product, human resource and environmental management, which will enable environment and communities to benefit from a collective approach to operational professionalism. Each winner is awarded with a plaque and a certificate of ASEAN Green Hotel Award valid for three years.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There are 11 criteria for this award, namely: (1) environmental policy and actions for hotel operation, (2) use of "green" products, (3) collaboration with the community and local organizations, (4) human resource development, (5) solid waste management, (6) energy efficiency, (7) water efficiency, (8) air quality management (indoor and outdoor), (9) noise pollution control, (10) waste water treatment and management, and (11) toxic and chemical substance disposal management.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 16.08px;">Now on its 5th year, the ceremony was held in the Philippines, during its successful hosting of the <a href="http://atf2016.com/" target="_blank">ASEAN Tourism Forum 2016</a> held in 18-22 January 2016. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 16.08px;">In each member-country, the national tourism organization (NTO) appoints a national body to assess candidate-hotels, which are then nominated by the respective member-state to the ASEAN. For the Philippines, 10 hotels were awarded, namely: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Amarela Resort, Amorita Resort, Baguio Country Club, Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan, Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort, Fundacion Pacita Batanes Nature Lodge, Pearl Farm, The Bellevue Resort, The Manor at Camp John Hay.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhba2tyyHH7rSVRbZcolaD5xHyXwjo5q5_kGBXR8hqrJq71e2-J0uUquInehO6MZqCouquo7Z0n0GjUdcSsznowqEJMhcZlYD6DDkYolzodhOQGk9a67GZA2tIfRLKyLHzzobk1YHHj-os/s1600/ASEAN-Green-Hotels-Awardees_Philippines_byRANatanauan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhba2tyyHH7rSVRbZcolaD5xHyXwjo5q5_kGBXR8hqrJq71e2-J0uUquInehO6MZqCouquo7Z0n0GjUdcSsznowqEJMhcZlYD6DDkYolzodhOQGk9a67GZA2tIfRLKyLHzzobk1YHHj-os/s640/ASEAN-Green-Hotels-Awardees_Philippines_byRANatanauan.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. (at the centermost, standing) is flanked by the hotel-awardees, namely: Amarela Resort, Amorita Resort, Baguio Country Club, Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan, Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort, Fundacion Pacita Batanes Nature Lodge, Pearl Farm, The Bellevue Resort, The Manor at Camp John Hay.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The ASEAN Homestay Award</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 16.08px;">All over the ASEAN region, homestay program is a form of alternative tourism in which tourists are given the opportunity to experience the way of life with local community. The experiential nature of this form of tourism is becoming increasingly popular with foreign tourists.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Establishing the ASEAN Homestay Standard provides an opportunity to standardize a base-level understanding of what a homestay is and to establish a minimum standard across all ASEAN-member states. The standard facilitates a coordinated approach encouraging partnership with the relevant stakeholders and creating a positive environment while revitalizing the rural economy effectively reducing poverty incidence in the countryside. It aims to create higher quality homestays to appeal to discerning tourists.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The standard focuses on the host, accommodation, activities, authenticity, management, location, safety and security, marketing and sustainability principles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="line-height: 16.08px;">The awardees will benefit from marketing programs being implemented by related government agencies and the ASEAN organization most especially from the branding of ASEAN Standard Homestay, which is internationally recognized, as well as free training programs.</span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: normal;">For the Philippines, the five ASEAN Homestay Awardees are Agan's Homestay, Ates Homestay, Estelita Homestay, Xylla's </span><span style="line-height: normal;">Estelita Homestay, and Daval </span><span style="line-height: normal;">Homestay, all from Siquijor Island.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Rzo_QPGsyyWxoQmLcoqOv9R_TQjBbREu0ta_aSGK3ut4caVvmpxHSvxBCPDHowQ-mfCeLIa90Rt3qqdN3L24UgDHTHI4zxguTKK8X-00Fg9rdBY4ukJ7_esVh1mVD-pM3XRojAnDt1M/s1600/ASEAN-Homestay-Awardees_Philippines_2_byRANatanauan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Rzo_QPGsyyWxoQmLcoqOv9R_TQjBbREu0ta_aSGK3ut4caVvmpxHSvxBCPDHowQ-mfCeLIa90Rt3qqdN3L24UgDHTHI4zxguTKK8X-00Fg9rdBY4ukJ7_esVh1mVD-pM3XRojAnDt1M/s640/ASEAN-Homestay-Awardees_Philippines_2_byRANatanauan.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Sandwiching the tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. (4rth from left, standing) are the five ASEAN Homestay Awardees, namely: Agan's Homestay, Ates Homestay, Estelita Homestay, Xylla's Estelita Homestay, and Daval Estelita Homestay.</span></td></tr>
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Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0Philippines12.879721 121.77401699999996-2.8284714999999991 101.11971999999996 28.5879135 142.42831399999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-76162611776576683822014-05-19T23:52:00.001-07:002014-05-19T23:52:06.566-07:00The Global Water Crisis: How Much Water Do We Really Use Everyday? ⎢Take...Sustainable tourism requires responsible use of water on a daily basis, 24/7. Start becoming a responsible consumer of this natural resource that many parts of the world doesn't have that much. Reuse water for other suitable applications. Example, use a basin to collect water while washing your hands then used it to clean toilet bowl.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/On9WRrFHVjY" width="480"></iframe>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-36499678289924237542014-04-23T04:17:00.000-07:002016-01-27T22:29:00.711-08:00ECOTOURISM: The Philippine's Under-Explored Pearl of Great Price <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><a href="http://philippines-pearl-of-the-orient.blogspot.com/2012/09/ecotourism-philippines-under-explored.html" target="_blank">In continuation (click to view the previous)...</a> </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Located
at the northeastern tip of Luzon, the Peñablanca Protected Landscape [3] is
known for its countless caves and lush, fertile land. It is a verdant junction
to some of the region’s greatest landscapes—the Cordillera and Sierra Madre
mountains lie on its western and eastern borders, providing the perfect setting
for some truly intense eco-adventures. Try your limbs at spelunking in some of
the best-preserved caves this side of the province.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Get your
feet wet, literally, in white-water kayaking expedition. Should you wish to
keep your feet dry, there is also a host of less-hectic activities for the
eco-tourist.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/260577_213128835391513_10683_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/260577_213128835391513_10683_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pinacanauan River is lined with the mountain edge of the Peñablanca Protected Landscape in Cagayan Valley, which houses the seven-chamber Callao caves.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the seven chambers of Callao cave.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Gran
Central Cordillera mountains [4] is a vast, 23,000 sq. km. portion of
mountainous terrain in Northern Luzon mystified by cool foggy weather and made
majestic by rice terraces. It is essentially a landlocked region with its lush
valleys, and pine-covered summits making it one of the Philippines’ most popular
destinations for mountaineering and other related activities. The </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;">Cordilleras
are home to numerous ethnic communities—around eleven of them are in the highlands,
all of them possessing their own unique cultures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Everything
that excites a mountaineer is in there—a vast terrain reaching out to the
horizon, dotted with hills, mountains, streams, and rocks of all sizes from
pebbles to boulders even bigger than the size of cars. Then there’s the
ubiquitous sand spewed from the mouth of Mt. Pinatubo decades ago, getting into
everything and everywhere else. Finally, there’s the journey itself—sixty
minutes of bouncing, crushing “4x4” action, followed by three hours of
trekking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rugged
yet stunningly glorious on top, Mt. Pinatubo [6] is not for the faint of
heart—you have to pay with your profuse sweat and bold guts. Devastating
Central Luzon in 1991, it ejected tons of ashes and vomited raging rivers of
lahar and ferocious lava but gave birth as well to tons of livelihood
activities in addition to its being an ecotourism site.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFguKZVQxCteO3m96sXnKXu_Djg_LH1vbrSmOpwAJzw1ppqk5dboi9hi8tcr5BKac0Yyc7pyIASNwQC_MimLVTJlfAyypP_JcEDpk0iCxoTS62pCSmHE6hLlGTImMsJ6c4sH4VP2Bq1s/s1600/26.+Region+III+-+Mt.+Pinatubo+Crater+Lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFguKZVQxCteO3m96sXnKXu_Djg_LH1vbrSmOpwAJzw1ppqk5dboi9hi8tcr5BKac0Yyc7pyIASNwQC_MimLVTJlfAyypP_JcEDpk0iCxoTS62pCSmHE6hLlGTImMsJ6c4sH4VP2Bq1s/s1600/26.+Region+III+-+Mt.+Pinatubo+Crater+Lake.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">The aerial view of the crater of Mt. Pinatubo</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOGUWkRtM6m3w_zx1Bo67oXwMAz66XsJ0360CW5zTYj6jQsim-9Eyh9Rg9aosH7oHfHRjG0hiso0-D-zKNdGHCnqJZKx5OtLfmjy3ivYWQG2JTBAjQz-z5fVhHNwXxlowD4qKVl5uRd8/s640/hundred-islands-maku-pangasinan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOGUWkRtM6m3w_zx1Bo67oXwMAz66XsJ0360CW5zTYj6jQsim-9Eyh9Rg9aosH7oHfHRjG0hiso0-D-zKNdGHCnqJZKx5OtLfmjy3ivYWQG2JTBAjQz-z5fVhHNwXxlowD4qKVl5uRd8/s640/hundred-islands-maku-pangasinan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hundred Islands, Pangasinan</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt;">The
Hundred Islands National Park [5] is Pangasinan’s provincial pride, consisting
of a small archipelago off the coast of Alaminos. Often referred to as a tiny
version of the Philippines, it has more than 200 green vegetation-topped, white
sand-ringed islets set amidst a brilliant backdrop of deep green-blue waters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Climb
the world’s smallest volcano or simply view it from the cool foggy slopes of
nearby Tagaytay City. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Aside
from being fairly challenging and rugged climb, Taal Volcano [9] is a major
lesson in earth science. Situated among red oxidized soil and smoking vapour
vents in the main crater, which houses a small lake of sulfur and water. Up
there, the wind is cool, atmosphere calm and the view breathtaking. Such a lovely
sight, one might say, belies this land’s awesome and yet violent nature.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“The
Whale Shark Capital of the World” is Donsol [12], one of the 14 municipalities
of Sorsogon, because of whale sharks or butanding, the largest living fish
species, taking a haven in the waters of this town during summer months. It is
the biggest marine attraction in the Philippines that turned Donsol into a
world-class tourist destination. Whale shark interaction despite the assurance
of the presence of a BOI, butanding interaction officer, and the knowledge of
its being amiable will give you a formidable emotional combination of fear and
thrill—an unforgettable experience you won’t forget.</span><span style="font-family: , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmU3MuyEFYPh45YY4tIHHymin82_OHvu8ULTc5j-h-J5vThCwmys6EcPxOT3S68tVawFBlI5S3W0Pd9xT4PH1S8ZdqwWIc3-aQYPc_NoVjdeouAY5cOOgD4CtAwn3JqsXUaPH4wsjwAQ/s1600/TaalView_JosephineRestaurant_fotoRommelNatanauan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmU3MuyEFYPh45YY4tIHHymin82_OHvu8ULTc5j-h-J5vThCwmys6EcPxOT3S68tVawFBlI5S3W0Pd9xT4PH1S8ZdqwWIc3-aQYPc_NoVjdeouAY5cOOgD4CtAwn3JqsXUaPH4wsjwAQ/s1600/TaalView_JosephineRestaurant_fotoRommelNatanauan.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taal from the point of view of Tagaytay.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BQAHGjhHfWnx5w-Y2NOQXJ7332X53UG6rK3A94Z0tdBxxfG5I0ZR2tNQZOV7sJdVYhXGCeUvqv3684qXhH-YeUppRDOdVARmFsgnG6VRQqMFgEAEj0zatGi0wJoXXEXYHa70rI7LPFI/s1600/TaalCrater1_fotoRommelNatanauan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BQAHGjhHfWnx5w-Y2NOQXJ7332X53UG6rK3A94Z0tdBxxfG5I0ZR2tNQZOV7sJdVYhXGCeUvqv3684qXhH-YeUppRDOdVARmFsgnG6VRQqMFgEAEj0zatGi0wJoXXEXYHa70rI7LPFI/s1600/TaalCrater1_fotoRommelNatanauan.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crater lake of Taal Volcano</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXG5RF-yM6WtYF_-FBaD73oTfff64hIQrW1A7IMwZ7vBwlK-UkaHGjtw6Oy0MpryVTr9W546KyAUvjM42NZBjHhDvlRoE6ezqv_eFFwXFTQ_PjQ5ssHG66mIamRxkAoCPeW0PvJuNlLA/s1600/underwater_Nico+Cartalla7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXG5RF-yM6WtYF_-FBaD73oTfff64hIQrW1A7IMwZ7vBwlK-UkaHGjtw6Oy0MpryVTr9W546KyAUvjM42NZBjHhDvlRoE6ezqv_eFFwXFTQ_PjQ5ssHG66mIamRxkAoCPeW0PvJuNlLA/s1600/underwater_Nico+Cartalla7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butanding interaction in Donsol.</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><span style="color: red;">To continue..</span>.</i><span style="font-family: , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></div>
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<br />Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-31608938744953699662014-03-12T01:33:00.002-07:002014-03-12T22:10:18.413-07:00Where Are We Going After the 5th World Ecotourism Conference?<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">With the theme “Marine and Coastal Ecotourism: Oceans of Uncertainties, Waves of
Opportunities,” the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Malaysia-based DiscoveryMICE, an affiliate of the </span>United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO),<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> organized the 5</span><sup style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">th</sup><span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> World Ecotourism Conference held on February 20-22, 2014, in Cebu's RadissonBlu Hotel.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Among the topics discussed were the
impacts of ecotourism in both the natural and the cultural environments, the socio-economic aspects of the industry such as development of
destinations, management of marine ecotourism spots, marketing, and the
elimination of poverty through sustainability.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">During the conference, the
DOT and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) bared and launched the nine-year National Ecotourism Strategy (NES) and Action Plan, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">2013-2022</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">. The </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">DOT is represented by </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">no less than its </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Secretary, Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. and the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">DENR, also its Secretary, Ramon J. P. Paje, co-sharing the chairmanship of the National Ecotourism Development Council.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 19.277999877929688px;">During the launching ceremony, Secretary Jimenez said that the Philippines is the perfect host to this year's conference since part of the country's National Tourism Development Plan, he says, "is to develop competitive and sustainable products and destinations which will provide economic opportunities and protect the environment." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.277999877929688px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.277999877929688px;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.277999877929688px;">It is important for the Philippines to take the lead in involving local communities and government units in (marine) conservation work, especially that the livelihood of many Filipinos are linked to the seas," </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.277999877929688px;">he added.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0px;">Meanwhile, Secretary Paje said that due to the recent disasters devastating some parts of the country </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in;">the government is </span><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">compelled to step up its campaign for sustainable tourism practices that promote conservation of protected natural areas at the same time also benefiting </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0.5in;">the </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0px;">local economies.</span></span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">The conference was attended by about 400
people in the government, the civil society, the business sector, and the academe
from all over the world to discuss, share and learn sustainable development strategies they adopted in their own fields of interest and business and development activities.</span></span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Envisioning the Philippines as a globally competitive ecotourism destination with its wealth of natural beauty and cultural richness, conscious of the need to conserve, enhance, sustain and develop these assets and ensure equitable sharing of benefits among its people, the NES is aimed at "environmentally and socially responsible development that safeguards the integrity and diversity of its natural resources, provides education and enjoyment to visitors and delivers larger and more widely distributed income and employment opportunities to the local communities and their constituents, especially the women, youth, indigenous peoples, and the vulnerable groups."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Achieving its purpose begins with awareness, appreciation, and conviction on the values of pursuing ecotourism as a strategy of sustainable tourism--both in its tangible and intangible benefits in relation to achieving inclusive growth for the country. What do we need to do--what else other than to launch an information, education, and communication (IEC) campaign starting with the </span></span><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-align: justify;">concerned</span><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">policy and decision makers--the DMUs--in the ecotourism sites? </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tou</span>rism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. addresses the attendees with opening remarks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje delivers his piece.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The representatives of various government agencies--international, national and local--and non-governmental organizations, involved in the organizing of the conference.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAE6ShbX6QedRSDUNUCo_-D2A0nKNYFlUmiXoyAm3DQd0GQmdYo4h05Q1m-tCaPiG6_qxnSgkwiPQ45W6EOnujBAWGUucqyrxsRfwo4gnD4P8wtGLxKdwjTsKXvIytKtA_hnONoKKdyM/s1600/img157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAE6ShbX6QedRSDUNUCo_-D2A0nKNYFlUmiXoyAm3DQd0GQmdYo4h05Q1m-tCaPiG6_qxnSgkwiPQ45W6EOnujBAWGUucqyrxsRfwo4gnD4P8wtGLxKdwjTsKXvIytKtA_hnONoKKdyM/s1600/img157.jpg" height="387" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The book inscribing the NES & AP 2013-2022, a collaborative work between the DOT and the DENR in consultation with various stakeholders.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right--DOT Asec. Rolando Cañizal, USec. Daniel G. Corpuz, DENR Sec. Ramon J.P. Paje, DOT Sec. Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr., DENR USec. Ernesto G. Adobo, Jr. and Director Theresa Mundita s. Lim of Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, DENR.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The conference participants</td></tr>
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Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-16101679894252930302012-09-05T19:17:00.001-07:002014-04-23T04:19:33.084-07:00ECOTOURISM: The Philippine's Under-Explored Pearl of Great Price<i><a href="http://philippines-pearl-of-the-orient.blogspot.com/2012_07_01_archive.html" target="_blank">In continuation (click to view the previous)...</a></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In recognition of the country’s great potential to compete with the world’s established ecotourism sites, Executive Order No. 111 was issued calling for the formulation of the National Ecotourism Strategy (NES)1, in order to provide an integrated management plan for the development of ecotourism in the Philippines. The NES identified key sites for ecotourism development classified as banner, emerging or potential sites (Figure 1, in bold are the banner sites). Banner key sites are envisioned to serve as models for developing ecotourism. On the other hand, emerging key sites are those that are already in the initial phase of development while potential key sites are those that have not yet undergone any development and are not suitable for promotion. Brushing off the conceptual discussion of ecotourism, let us look into what the Pearl of the Orient Seas has to offer by exploring these under-explored key sites.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_Hgx0NYVJtZcTAAbWuVOtpe56rby-96LfTNrM8A7EP1W-TLjk3yzhnUx3jVeaSglDyb2KbjKZL5WAWz6SJUKhFqoCS-gfM5aHYLO7GS5UnV94O3eLahdtxopMlFvbg6NG_zhR08L7Ek/s1600/SavidugRuins,Sabtang,Batanes_byRommelNatanauan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_Hgx0NYVJtZcTAAbWuVOtpe56rby-96LfTNrM8A7EP1W-TLjk3yzhnUx3jVeaSglDyb2KbjKZL5WAWz6SJUKhFqoCS-gfM5aHYLO7GS5UnV94O3eLahdtxopMlFvbg6NG_zhR08L7Ek/s400/SavidugRuins,Sabtang,Batanes_byRommelNatanauan.png" height="265" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ruins in Barangay Savidug, Sabtang, Batanes. Photo by R.A.Natanauan</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Batanes group of islands [1] <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJN8rS1sM04&feature=player_detailpage">(click here for a video)</a>—a jagged, rocky home to the kind Ivatans—is the northernmost tip of Luzon lying some 180 kilometers from the mainland. Being isolated from the mainland is its most endearing quality. Batanes has its share of old Spanish churches and villages strewn with traditional stone houses well-adapted to its windy climate and an abundance of beautiful sceneries.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCmsndsRMJxW8a5X5KvGlWGzLWmBN2H_jMG5Uoq2u41SXO4QqlAcqutOeyQmU8TFIh_iu_uSLrxP6NknjRPsJDPbCoGJVVkZi0GoVUj715KliV8N6SPkeAe6txI7rmS70YH_a8alCv2M/s1600/BascoLighthouseRolling+Hills,+Batanes_byRommelNatanauan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCmsndsRMJxW8a5X5KvGlWGzLWmBN2H_jMG5Uoq2u41SXO4QqlAcqutOeyQmU8TFIh_iu_uSLrxP6NknjRPsJDPbCoGJVVkZi0GoVUj715KliV8N6SPkeAe6txI7rmS70YH_a8alCv2M/s640/BascoLighthouseRolling+Hills,+Batanes_byRommelNatanauan.png" height="428" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Basco Lighthouse and the Rolling Hills of Batanes.
Photo by R.A.Natanauan</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh0Ep-Qqkzw&feature=player_detailpage"><img border="0" src="http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs/site_0502_0002-500-281-20090923162620.jpg" height="222" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Crisologo Street, Vigan.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Vigan [2] <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh0Ep-Qqkzw&feature=player_detailpage">(click here for the video)</a>, being a remnant of all that was Spanish in the north, is a perfect epitome of an enduring cultural heritage earning the UNESCO’s World Heritage City title. Getting there is like a back-to-the-past experience, a culture-shock in 18th century Spanish Philippines. Vigan’s most popular attractions are, of course, its centuries-old houses, antiques, stone-paved streets, clippety-clop calesas and baroque churches, which have survived the ups and down of Philippine history. It is eight hours, 400 kilometers away from its walled version—the Intramuros.</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://philippines-pearl-of-the-orient.blogspot.com/2014/04/ecotourism-philippines-under-explored.html" target="_blank">To continue (click to view the continuation)...</a></span></i>
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Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-50418657791826076442012-07-24T05:19:00.002-07:002012-09-05T19:40:07.457-07:00ECOTOURISM: The Philippine's Under-Explored Pearl of Great Price<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbn9zoesmDXNvRZ67i2D4cj0dyrivrcdZpwbqIdZJSGIEev11h6RXsyz-54aJYhOT2FRmX_1djvNNFT08S_sQH5r74pwHXROhBWxdZ12Eba6SFFZcALWXfzpv3bKm39muoLmpf9OYeKrY/s1600/ecoptourismface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbn9zoesmDXNvRZ67i2D4cj0dyrivrcdZpwbqIdZJSGIEev11h6RXsyz-54aJYhOT2FRmX_1djvNNFT08S_sQH5r74pwHXROhBWxdZ12Eba6SFFZcALWXfzpv3bKm39muoLmpf9OYeKrY/s320/ecoptourismface.jpg" width="279" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ecotourism is a significant tool of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">development that sustains both the natural </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and cultural resources of the country. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In fact, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the tourism industry, in general, thrives and prospers </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in so far as these resources are properly conserved </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and responsibly developed. The Bohol Congress in </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1999, following the Global Agenda 21 and its local </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">counterpart the Philippine Agenda 21, adopted the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">concept of ecotourism as a form of sustainable </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">tourism within a natural and cultural heritage area </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">where community participation, protection and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">management of natural resources, culture, and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">indigenous knowledge and practices, environmental </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">education and ethics, as well as economic benefits </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">are fostered and pursued for the enrichment of host </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">communities and the satisfaction of visitors. The </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">as a responsible travel to natural areas that conserves </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the environment and improves the welfare of local </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">people. It is therefore more of an attitude, a way of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">life, than an industry striking a balance between the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">preservation of cultural heritage and environmental </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">integrity and the pursuit of economic growth </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">beneficial for both the host communities and the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">visitors.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.taragis.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/new-species-nembrotha-nudibranch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://www.taragis.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/new-species-nembrotha-nudibranch.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A new species of Nembrotha nudibranch (also known as sea slug) that was discovered during the California Academy of Sciences' 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition. These brightly colored mollusks don't need shells for protection--instead they produce powerful toxins to keep potential predators at bay. Photo Credit: Terry Gosliner / California Academy of Sciences</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bestphilippineattractions.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/best-philippine-attractions-baguio-natives.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://bestphilippineattractions.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/best-philippine-attractions-baguio-natives.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">The original inhabitants of Baguio are the Igorots, Kankana-eys </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">and </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Ibalois. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">These are Igorots in a street dancing </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">competition </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">during </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Panabenga Festival.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With 7,107 islands, the Philippines is the world’s </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">second largest archipelago making it unsurprisingly </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">rich in both natural and cultural resources. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Philippines, together with Malaysia, Indonesia, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Borneo and Papua New Guinea, forms the Coral </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Triangle, the most diverse marine habitat of the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">tropics with more coral reef fish diversity than </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">anywhere else in the world—37% (2,228) of the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">world’s coral reef fish species (6,000), and 56% of the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">coral reef fishes in the Indo-Pacific region (4,050). It </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">has 15 regionally endemic coral species, which is </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">found nowhere else in the world, and shares 41 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">regional endemic species with Asia . The reefs of Sulu </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and Sulawesi seas are home to about 580 of the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">world’s 793 species of reef-building corals, compared </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">to just 50 in the Caribbean and 300 in the Great </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Barrier Reef. There are over 19 identified species of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">marine mammals and 1,200 varieties of reef fish, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">including the plankton-feeding whale shark, the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">world’s largest fish. The natural resource base for </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ecotourism encompasses seascapes, rivers, lakes, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">wetlands, volcanoes, caves, and cliffs harboring a rich </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">variety of plants and animals. In the forest, fields and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">mountains about 500 species of birds have been </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">recorded, of which 172 species are found only in </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">these islands. The Philippines is considered both a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">mega-diversity country and one of the world’s highest </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">priority hot spots for the conservation of nature. The </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">country is culturally as diverse as its natural resources </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">being home to over 180 indigenous ethnic groups, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">over half of which represent unique linguistic groups, </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and countless non-indigenous groups who are of </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hispanic, Chinese, American, Arab, Indian, Japanese, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Vietnamese, Korean and other groups of foreign origin </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Wikipedia, 2009). These diversity brought about </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">distinct, unique and enumerable blends of creative </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">expressions—from fashion to culinary, from visual to </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">performing arts, from architecture to artifacts, from </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">rituals to festivals—within and beyond the boundaries </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">of ethnic communities. While it is true that the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">country is a melting pot of the West and the East, it </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">has traditional villages all over the archipelago with all </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">their unique cultures fully intact—these fusions and </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">conservation form into a beautiful cultural mosaic </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">that is distinctively Filipino.</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://philippines-pearl-of-the-orient.blogspot.com/2012/09/ecotourism-philippines-under-explored.html">To continue...</a></span></i></div>
Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0Manila, Philippines14.5995124 120.984219514.5380484 120.9052555 14.660976400000001 121.0631835tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-82825867635757453422012-07-18T21:36:00.002-07:002012-07-18T21:40:02.493-07:00Tourism promotes brotherhood among peoples of diverse cultures<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/536037_389311177773277_265880395_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/536037_389311177773277_265880395_n.jpg" title="Dragonair aircraft" width="296" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The Dragonair aircraft. The airline was voted as the<br /><span style="line-height: 17.27272605895996px;">"Best Regional Airline – SE Asia" in the survey in 2008 and<br />“World’s Best Regional Airline” in 2010 and 2011.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: justify;">E</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: justify;">stablished in 1985, the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: justify;">Hong Kong-based airline Dragonair, a member of the Cathay Pacific Group, now operates in the Philippines linking the country through Clark and Hong Kong obviously setting aside the tragic Luneta hostage incident in 2010 as a closed issue. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">This operation was launched in</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> an inaugural ceremony and send-off of the service’s first passengers at the Clark International Airport, Clark, Pampanga, last May this year.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">“The introduction of the Clark service is a significant and timely milestone for Dragonair in terms of airline development as it marks its further expansion in the Philippine market, which is a very important passenger segment in the Asia-Pacific region,” Mr Yam said.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">He added, </span><span style="background-color: white;">referring nothing to the tragedy, </span><span style="background-color: white;"> that the new service would help boost tourism and business in the Philippines. “We hope to strengthen our ties with the Philippines and support its fast-growing economy and rapidly-expanding tourism market by providing travelers the opportunity to visit and explore other nearby top destinations and business districts in this country. Meanwhile, with the extensive global network of Cathay Pacific, travelers are also offered with more options in flying from the Philippines to Hong Kong or more than 160 worldwide destinations via Hong Kong hub.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Indeed, tourism is an agent of understanding promoting brotherhood among peoples of diverse cultures. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">This blogger believes in the power of tourism<br />for the country's sustainable development.<br />"South China Sea or West Philippine Sea?<br />Let's have it handled by the DFA.<br />Tourism is our way."</span></td></tr>
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</span>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-84580317716284897592012-01-11T00:25:00.000-08:002012-01-11T00:25:02.053-08:00Raise the Flag! It's More Fun!<div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: justify;">Switzerland's 1951 "It's More Fun" tourism campaign had lost its timeliness. In fact, its current campaign pitch is "Switzerland. get natural."</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OA6W6kqFZiZkHrSlLnY9PIats4K1jkTngBAd2-7JrsKT1P0S_BZ1vPL9GtS5RPlP7gkpKa5FRBbimJZVN_-XHID9Fr-LNvfpfziEQ2x-CdZBOldeuVeuayQaioDZ-qqvPp1VTgRAb1k/s1600/swizlogo-2012.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OA6W6kqFZiZkHrSlLnY9PIats4K1jkTngBAd2-7JrsKT1P0S_BZ1vPL9GtS5RPlP7gkpKa5FRBbimJZVN_-XHID9Fr-LNvfpfziEQ2x-CdZBOldeuVeuayQaioDZ-qqvPp1VTgRAb1k/s400/swizlogo-2012.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Current campaign logo and slogan of Switzerland.</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since, Switzerland is no more claiming to be more fun compared to the rest of the world, it's now our take, our time to claim against the rest of the world, including Switzerland, "It's more fun in the Philippines!"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_998635858"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhd_Uj_ts-nL2FVBCGqsHc2AXaH8RDCB03nZNVKwseNorbrNgbXGe4TUSE4BNgRgKA6kMD5Tt6-TnhodJHnjdvFry2k80ivcafEO8WNttjjMZ_Lu_XF0QsBSnXwCyElanLDcsf11wq_Fc/s400/MoreFunLogo.png" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/">New tourism campaign logo and slogan launched on January 6, 2012.</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: justify;">I touted </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> "</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Should it not be--It's most fun in the Philippines?"</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: justify;">for a while because of Switzerland's 60 year-old slogan that suddenly surfaced a few hours after the launch. Convinced of the zest of the "fun" to drive in tourists, the logical action would be to claim the superlative "most". But, as I've pointed out above, it's now our time to claim "It's More Fun".</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let's </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">rise from deep slumber, face the storms unperturbed and, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">with the flag of our honor and hope raised sky-high,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">shout to the rest of the world...it's more fun in the Philippines!</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpK1BBuiauYbYNiy0ZtAF6DzmGr5FjYXk3Jj-mbA4OudlW6ThIHTkaxgYlfg74CT2aP6V3lbUcT9OBIZ-1jG1YCQ062_PcUoBcJkSsB1ZWBmqedCMAXkk6Vgd8Zc7q-Spw2-bzjdvVuo/s1600/flag+raising.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpK1BBuiauYbYNiy0ZtAF6DzmGr5FjYXk3Jj-mbA4OudlW6ThIHTkaxgYlfg74CT2aP6V3lbUcT9OBIZ-1jG1YCQ062_PcUoBcJkSsB1ZWBmqedCMAXkk6Vgd8Zc7q-Spw2-bzjdvVuo/s400/flag+raising.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://itsmorefuninalbay.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-more-fun-in-albay-philippines-photo.html">In rescuing a Philippine flag, the 12-year-old Janela Lelis of Malinao, Albay, <br />
braved the flood and strong wind at the height of tropical storm Juaning.</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-64305416385760135012012-01-09T02:44:00.000-08:002012-01-09T02:46:14.556-08:00It's More Fun in the Philippines!<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We, Filipinos, know how to make fun even in unlikely situations. Resilient, we can adapt in any environment--we can learn the languages of the world and are great at mimicking the peculiarities of world cultures, a chameleonic adaptability so to speak. Our coping mechanism is so tremendous that other nationalities are tempted to look at us as masochists or aponiacs. To say that Filipinos are more fun to be with is not overstatement but simple truth. Match that with the beauty of 0ur 7,107 islands each unique...you'll have 7,107 reasons to be proud of our country to bring in more tourists saying...7,107 islands. It's more fun in the Philippines!</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQr_kneZttqkPhoqJjsDG_1ZK_PJAvSF2xxSPW40EtW3fwUjzK056ErW3ehtlJIAa60bvlp6X-_nDHJsxFghqHzxcb3FBlEO19ix9xw0_ScYXWm7mgomsbgRuEd2-JY_gMlDqOlbWXjkQ/s1600/MoreFunLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQr_kneZttqkPhoqJjsDG_1ZK_PJAvSF2xxSPW40EtW3fwUjzK056ErW3ehtlJIAa60bvlp6X-_nDHJsxFghqHzxcb3FBlEO19ix9xw0_ScYXWm7mgomsbgRuEd2-JY_gMlDqOlbWXjkQ/s640/MoreFunLogo.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"It's more fun in the Philippines," was launched by the Department of Tourism in January 6, 2012, for international campaign. Far from being insensitive, it is timely as it reminds us of the cherished truth about ourselves--ability to cope and have fun even in the midst of miserable and dangerous situations, which we often find ourselves confronted with but we face with the courage of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">David </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hope </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">of Job.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bITYeAUUhTqESZZqpwGzQQcrqWYYMOtbpxoJGzAceWoJ4YFu_Yd2SeP4oJhnypOWpDUfkWIRGPA3zcq2aKKMcv0u6q5Sz0oxER4oIZq6aBbHrJTmhZWd6M-llfNlqVKwQzMTL2np-BA/s1600/0294356555085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bITYeAUUhTqESZZqpwGzQQcrqWYYMOtbpxoJGzAceWoJ4YFu_Yd2SeP4oJhnypOWpDUfkWIRGPA3zcq2aKKMcv0u6q5Sz0oxER4oIZq6aBbHrJTmhZWd6M-llfNlqVKwQzMTL2np-BA/s320/0294356555085.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIzS1-9kQq_ZQ2ILefDxpfbT52av3Zt2qlXjPQpk5nKpcMA15pjSas3S_A9ZamcMC-MSm39EIuPpqlH1OQCJNeG1Zw6gaHIeg6InYwUGOia6xe_gOI3dUciQSqNr9QHT7sRKOLyezgi4/s1600/funflood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIzS1-9kQq_ZQ2ILefDxpfbT52av3Zt2qlXjPQpk5nKpcMA15pjSas3S_A9ZamcMC-MSm39EIuPpqlH1OQCJNeG1Zw6gaHIeg6InYwUGOia6xe_gOI3dUciQSqNr9QHT7sRKOLyezgi4/s320/funflood.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Soon after it was launched, a watermarked digital copy of a vintage Swiss ad published in a newspaper in 1951 that says "It's more fun in Switzerland" began circulating rapidly in the social media like a wild fire. While many suddenly became critical of the new slogan, not a few were also defending it for the simple reason that it speaks out, loud and clear, the truth about ourselves, as Filipinos, aside from the fact that it was a very old ad--60 years old at that.<br />
<br />
Until now it stands.<br />
<br />
No typhoons, no floods, no earthquakes, no tidal waves can ever shaken and take away that simple truth about ourselves for as long as we cling--<i>kapit-tuko</i>--to it with faith and hope in God who strengthens us.<br />
<br />
Spread the good news. It is more fun in the Philippines!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHyhZ1bT2BbakTa3yjN0zMGsHQqS50HkXrhVkKQn6_IyHWuwhhej-mqUeMKbDmnceuNyS6f47mJTuXTimvUM1hrJN8VL2qQ5svfLTyAG-M70Rysuj6EQ4-MNN1S6iYolQnAyHmAa2gu4/s1600/FJBUF47FGZEMH81.MEDIUM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHyhZ1bT2BbakTa3yjN0zMGsHQqS50HkXrhVkKQn6_IyHWuwhhej-mqUeMKbDmnceuNyS6f47mJTuXTimvUM1hrJN8VL2qQ5svfLTyAG-M70Rysuj6EQ4-MNN1S6iYolQnAyHmAa2gu4/s320/FJBUF47FGZEMH81.MEDIUM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">Note: all photos were taken from the net.</span></div>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-53316471684126022442011-12-27T23:51:00.000-08:002011-12-28T00:01:46.869-08:00Adobo, a Filipino Icon<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0LwDdUe2crk5JvLo7CK_5HPeZuuRXxhCXkFOrCYCmxB1q0tNnMLaV3LqGpX7MF9If2yJqvChPzbZ2GrwXmG6e3SM9AN-jwSxHK73CWcvkHzLpMsd0KPaCsULuCLxJPU1HudEGqPWDMM/s1600/garnished+chicken-pork+adobo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0LwDdUe2crk5JvLo7CK_5HPeZuuRXxhCXkFOrCYCmxB1q0tNnMLaV3LqGpX7MF9If2yJqvChPzbZ2GrwXmG6e3SM9AN-jwSxHK73CWcvkHzLpMsd0KPaCsULuCLxJPU1HudEGqPWDMM/s320/garnished+chicken-pork+adobo.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garnished chicken-pork adobo</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3QQcmyHusj7n4Kraj9F-TbBoTANAXvizUmVNd_GxDKId1Vm5HeFKqRe8fOg69XrThFYo8M7cuIO46xV_039QvtUfXOkmVsJHOaVzMoBqBl01leE8qIfxUYYfYKwh4G83MNwdq1Rgj_c/s1600/chicken-pork+adobo+being+fried+in+a+pan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br />
</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Adobo, which is Spanish for marinade, sauce or seasoning, refers to a food cooking process that involves the immersion of raw food into a preparation, in the form of a sauce, of different components, including paprika (from red peppers), oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar, which are mixed according to the place of origin and the food with which it is intended to be served. The concoction is primarily used to preserve and enhance the flavor of food. The cooking technique is native to Spanish cuisine, which became widely used in Latin America, and was subsequently adopted in other countries, such as the United States. Adding tomato, corn, avocado, and potato in adobo is of Mexican influence. On the other hand, Venezuela has its own version of adobo, which refers to a concoction of salt with various spices, technically known as sal condimentada (seasoned salt).</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <br />
When Spaniards ruled this country in 16th century, they encountered a local cooking procedure that involved stewing with vinegar and called it adobo. Since then, dishes cooked that way have been called adobo and the local term, if ever there was, was forever lost to history.<br />
<br />
The Filipino adobo cuisine involves usually pork or chicken or a combination of both that are marinated and slowly simmered in soy sauce, vinegar, crushed garlic, minced ginger and black pepper, taken out once the meat becomes tender and then fried in a pan to get the desired crisped edges and brown color. Afterwards, the sauce is poured back for gentle simmering a little while and then the dish is garnished. Being a Filipino dish, it is served as a viand paired with rice, the staple food in the Philippines. In visiting northern Luzon, particularly Nueva Vizcaya, I found out that adobo is not confined to either chicken or pork or a combination of both or seafoods, which are universally served and accepted in all parts of the country with an exception—Muslim communities consider pork adobo as unacceptable. In Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya, there is a restaurant offering bizarre and creepy adobo dishes—of frogs and of bugs, which I relished along with other exotic dishes.<br />
<br />
In the present-day style of cooking adobo, potato, beans or pineapple chunks are sometimes added for variation and flavor catering specially to the health-conscious. Creative chefs use deep-fried rice noodles, oregano leaves, and a long-variety of chili for garnishing. </span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
<br />
This dish is commonly served in local restaurants for lunch and dinner. It is the favorite packed meal by Filipino mountaineers and travelers because of its relatively long shelf life without refrigeration, which is due to its vinegar ingredient inhibiting the growth of bacteria. <br />
<br />
Whenever there is fiesta in any town or an engrande celebration of birthdays, weddings or anniversaries of wedding or even of death, adobo is always part of the menu composed of pansit and its variations—canton, bihon and sotanghon—and an array of pork-based cuisines ending in “do”—menudo, igado, estofado, embutido, mechado and hamonado—served for guests lined-up and in batches specially if you are in the Bicol region. <br />
<br />
There was even a film bearing this name, <a href="http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=American_Adobo">American Adobo</a>, featuring actress Cherry Pie Picache, the central character, the star cook whose signature dish is Filipino adobo—a metaphor of the complicated relationships between friends and family in a foreign setting. <br />
<br />
Simply said, adobo, despite the origin of its name, is a Filipino icon, diversified and yet delightful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When you decide to have fun in any of the 7,1o7 islands of the Pearl of the Orient, don't forget to have fun eating Filipino adobo--of chicken, of pork, of beef, of shrimps, or even of bugs and frogs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> <br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
</span></div>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-39658482669839602092011-12-08T02:04:00.000-08:002011-12-14T23:37:44.482-08:00The Philippines, the Organ Capital in Asia<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">The Philippines, being colonized by Spain, has become the only country in Asia blessed with an organ patrimony since 1581 with Bishop Salazar’s bringing along a portable organ when he set up the Diocese of Manila. This first organ, however, was destroyed together with the nipa-built church in a fire two years later. The three centuries of Spanish colonization is also the glorious era of pipe organ acquisition and building in the country—not only in Luzon but also in the islands of Visayas and Mindanao. It is safe to assume that all Spanish-built churches in the country before World War II have organs in support of Tridentine liturgy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b><span lang="EN-US">Structure</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
<span lang="EN-US">These organs was constructed with trumpets structured horizontally, divided keyboard and without pedal board typical of Spanish organs. They were usually placed not in the middle of the choir loft but at the side of the nave instead. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Repair</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87Qh3hD3D2w-90xz2BYrdyZ0J0EkchSc3aD3759OCwdsniyPmaTitWkWGqWtGX0FFVTU8ceIYr4eLDnzODbep90Y-pGuTvYQDHsAqxwpnbQstsPIgnzNXXMXPXcMuxQdpNANqdoLsBDo/s1600/san+agustin+organ.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87Qh3hD3D2w-90xz2BYrdyZ0J0EkchSc3aD3759OCwdsniyPmaTitWkWGqWtGX0FFVTU8ceIYr4eLDnzODbep90Y-pGuTvYQDHsAqxwpnbQstsPIgnzNXXMXPXcMuxQdpNANqdoLsBDo/s400/san+agustin+organ.png" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Agustin Church, Intramuros, Manila</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span lang="EN-US">Of these countless historical—a hundred years old or more—pipe organs in the country, only 15 managed to survive the test of time. Six of these were restored—thanks to a scholarship program introduced in Las Pi</span><span lang="EN-US">ñ</span><span lang="EN-US">as in support of its annual <a href="http://www.bambooorgan.org/">Bamboo Organ Festival</a>. The famous bamboo organ itself needed repair and was brought to Bonn, Germany in 1973 and stayed there until 1975 while the St. Joseph Church is also undergoing renovation. The repair ushered the new dawn for Philippine organs. Many of these organs were in such condition that it is almost impossible to have them reconstructed as some of the parts are somewhere else if not totally wrecked and many of which are so small that only seasoned organ craftsmen would be able to identify. Strict restoration procedure is employed like the use of original materials and joining techniques. Some parts are made of materials that cannot be found locally; they had to be imported.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
<b><span lang="EN-US">Inventory<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
<span lang="EN-US">The country’s inventory of historical pipe organs includes those in Manila—in the churches of San Agustin (restored in 1998) and San Sebastian; in Las Pi</span><span lang="EN-US">ñ</span><span lang="EN-US">as—the bamboo organ in St. Joseph Church (restored 1975/2004); in Cebu—Argao, Boljoon and Dalaguete; in Negros Oriental—Bacong (restored 2008); in Bohol—Baclayon (restored 2008), Dimiao, Garcia Hernandez, Loay (restored 1999), Loboc (restored 2003), Loon and Maribojoc, in Zamboanga del Norte—Dapitan; and in Misamis Oriental—Jimenez (restored 2011).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Actors in the Restoration<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAiH7_eiQ8ZlI6j2nC7oyJh0kfqf0Cnim-bJEAPw6mUg_uf3KKX4EpDUvIuSxGOAczRIpTu98J9qlVBZuoYRO74CuNzeE8fusHcktPAEzLeKvPMhLuL6w7oyNh1R5N8tgbbPE6munD04/s1600/san+agustin+organ1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAiH7_eiQ8ZlI6j2nC7oyJh0kfqf0Cnim-bJEAPw6mUg_uf3KKX4EpDUvIuSxGOAczRIpTu98J9qlVBZuoYRO74CuNzeE8fusHcktPAEzLeKvPMhLuL6w7oyNh1R5N8tgbbPE6munD04/s400/san+agustin+organ1.png" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy Bovet, the Swiss organ master.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span lang="EN-US">The restoration of the pipe organs does not end in repair making them playable again. It would be useless and meaningless without Filipino organists to play these instruments; hence, there is a training program for would-be organists composed of young Filipinos who come from the different parts of the country where these priceless gems are located. Swiss organist <a href="http://www.guybovet.org/curriculum_en.html">Guy Bovet</a> thought of recording his own recitals using the restored organs around the country to come up with CD collection project entitled as “Historical Organs of the Philippines”. For every purchase, a contribution would be made for the said training program.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">The <a href="http://dcob.diegocera.com/">Diego Cera Organbuilders, Inc</a>., is the only company of its kind in the Philippines. Founded in 1994 by Filipino Cealwyn Tagle, the second recipient of such scholarship, after six years of study and training with master organ craftsmen in Austria and Germany, it is responsible for the restoration and maintenance of the country’s six historical organs. With this Filipino organ builders and the training of organists in place, the survival of our organ patrimony is ensured.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><b>Patronize!</b></o:p></span><br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsIvq11yrvqvuvmx8oSgwYAfY4DWUpsnf5ma3pyyN32K2RCasKd3neQxMDEbpRQP6WyBMQvsItESp7il-rWYd2D2jblT_35oMRhyphenhyphenO11qPY4iMYwZZ9fY0zyYjUjl06xI3w1ZSSgL8iLI/s1600/organ+n+cd.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsIvq11yrvqvuvmx8oSgwYAfY4DWUpsnf5ma3pyyN32K2RCasKd3neQxMDEbpRQP6WyBMQvsItESp7il-rWYd2D2jblT_35oMRhyphenhyphenO11qPY4iMYwZZ9fY0zyYjUjl06xI3w1ZSSgL8iLI/s200/organ+n+cd.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author holding Mr. Bovet's CDs</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span lang="EN-US">The locus of these historical organs in Philippine tourism is that they form part of our cultural heritage that places our country in a unique and advantageous position among Asian nations. Hence, the Department of Tourism encourages and supports the preservation and restoration of constructions of historical significance such as these. Definitely, local communities should contribute in these efforts, if not by direct financial assistance, at least by supporting the creative expressions of these gems for as long as we patronize them today they will live on tomorrow for our posterity to enjoy and share with their guests...reinforcing the Philippines: the Pearl of the Orient. </span></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-59428765441339998182011-10-20T23:54:00.001-07:002011-10-27T20:35:23.603-07:00Ecotourism Adventure in Cagayan’s Grandiose Callao Cave<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Welcome to the caving adventure capital of the Philippines: the Pearl of the Orient--Cagayan Valley!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;">Cagayan is home to more than 300 cave systems, which are mostly unexplored, and the most famous of these caves is Callao Cave, named after the native bird frequently seen in the vicinity.</span><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5Cj-HVayYiv9L3bn00rHLUPVI7NXzCNdB-xhva32Q-v8n6dVknbLuT07WP6oT2Vmhv20QtYyIZeXYhbnUyoKCx3zKPLwDUyb0Trt8VXI8S1gsMC7Tb4uIVTkIwR2yGeWwCo5iiZ7hp8/s1600/callao+cave_from+inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5Cj-HVayYiv9L3bn00rHLUPVI7NXzCNdB-xhva32Q-v8n6dVknbLuT07WP6oT2Vmhv20QtYyIZeXYhbnUyoKCx3zKPLwDUyb0Trt8VXI8S1gsMC7Tb4uIVTkIwR2yGeWwCo5iiZ7hp8/s400/callao+cave_from+inside.jpg" width="400" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Callao Cave, </span></span><span class="style31"><span style="line-height: 115%;">about 30 minutes ride from Tuguegarao City,</span></span><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> is a seven-chamber cave system located in Peñablanca, Cagayan Valley. But, it is not simply a cave of stalagmites and stalactites. It has a chapel for religious activities and its awesome dome-shape chambers are like cathedrals with penetrating </span></span><span class="style31"><span style="line-height: 115%;">skylights, especially at noontime, adding more grandeur to this </span></span><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;">wonder of nature</span></span><span class="style31"><span style="line-height: 115%;">.</span></span><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Moreover, the cave had been home to prehistoric humans. In 2007, a human </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">foot bone<span class="fbphotocaptiontext"> was unearthed in this cave. </span>This relic, dated at 67,000 years old using the uranium-series ablation method, was named <span class="fbphotocaptiontext">Callao Man, after the cave’s name, and predates the </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tabon Man in Palawan by 20,000 years and the </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Mongo man of Australia, 17,000 years. As such, Callao Man is the oldest proof of human existence and civilization found in Asia-Pacific Region. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oPLkr7IOF0mriZUwND_X6E8y0hhCsZdOSmp2p2xVUaDvJI7bzP8FQTQvRi4SrjN_n27v0i9dOfKnSuizO98DUQX8RcI8176S1U_UnDTetipKwgLsHfsCZ8DzxGsJgrqsWtRs72fIXuo/s1600/callao+cave+chamber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oPLkr7IOF0mriZUwND_X6E8y0hhCsZdOSmp2p2xVUaDvJI7bzP8FQTQvRi4SrjN_n27v0i9dOfKnSuizO98DUQX8RcI8176S1U_UnDTetipKwgLsHfsCZ8DzxGsJgrqsWtRs72fIXuo/s640/callao+cave+chamber.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Before exploring the cave, you have to register at the tourist center, which will provide you a guide as needed. The center has facilities for the visitors’ immediate needs while affordable overnight accommodations are available in Tuguegarao City.<span> </span>Then, you have to climb a</span> stair with 187 <span>steps</span> in the mountainside before you can get in.<span style="line-height: 115%;"> The chapel is in the first chamber illumined by skylight. Stay awhile in this chamber and savor the cool air to refresh you after climbing the stairs.<span> </span>As you go on traversing every chamber to the next, observe dripstone formations that look like a lion or an elephant’s head or a praying angel or any look-alikes limited only by your imagination.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj968pzf0AyEFADGHsF0B9SybLTYncgUxtpAYc_FzmWhkFyB0Yuwbev5PZlfL7SiyuXSrUFTAMX9DmqHJjNQVr9jhL37yNozU4_uh_Gug89CeFa7UfzuOEXENOweBukfZFItxnrhWSC_Bk/s1600/270408_213135112057552_100000831947106_520066_4882503_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj968pzf0AyEFADGHsF0B9SybLTYncgUxtpAYc_FzmWhkFyB0Yuwbev5PZlfL7SiyuXSrUFTAMX9DmqHJjNQVr9jhL37yNozU4_uh_Gug89CeFa7UfzuOEXENOweBukfZFItxnrhWSC_Bk/s400/270408_213135112057552_100000831947106_520066_4882503_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;">River cruising, bat-and-bird watching and <span class="fbphotocaptiontext">fresh-water swimming in </span></span><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Pinacanauan River, which is just by the side of the cave,</span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> <span lang="EN">complete the visitors’ experience of spelunking in Cagayan</span></span><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;">. <span> </span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;">For boating escapade, motorized boats are for rent and each is good for 10 persons.<span> </span>The river, clear and moss green, is flanked by limestone cliffs partly covered with emerald vegetation. Rock islets and bars of sand and polished stones serve as docking areas for you to luxuriate in its cool waters. While waiting for the dusk and the thrill of watching live demonstration of the food chain between bats and hawks, leisurely swimming is the most relaxing must-do. Or, enjoy watching brown hawks soaring high and low near the cave at the side of the limestone wall waiting to fest on their prey, the bats, to fly out in multitude.<span> </span>At twilight, get awed by the circadian flight of millions of bats, which are being snatched by swooping hungry hawks. These bats are supposed to look for insects, their prey.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYZWL9963MnLBG5eIQ5Ok4wgOVmpZRm9zaQ_uVNDBi1dGNClddsNCDKopYkCivi8erLxXvjXl0nb9glDdX-xWqeUd3WRH04Q4KXZFHmQCpWklvjlsikHGpPkR2qa7xU-CpDRBXqSzwTE/s1600/river+cruise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYZWL9963MnLBG5eIQ5Ok4wgOVmpZRm9zaQ_uVNDBi1dGNClddsNCDKopYkCivi8erLxXvjXl0nb9glDdX-xWqeUd3WRH04Q4KXZFHmQCpWklvjlsikHGpPkR2qa7xU-CpDRBXqSzwTE/s400/river+cruise.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">In the month of July, when I visited Cagayan Valley, the weather each day was unpredictable. Luckily, my spelunking adventure in Callao Cave was blessed with perfect weather—clear and blue sky.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Of course, before or after caving, never to be missed in Tuguegarao City is indulging in its own version of noodles, the delightful <i>pansit batil-patung</i>. </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">The name of this famous noodle cuisine<i> </i>is coined from the <i>pansit</i>, the beaten (<i>batil</i>) egg soup and another sunny-side up egg as a garnish on top (<i>patung</i>) of the mound of noodles—this, I missed in this journey.</span><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="fbphotocaptiontext"><span style="line-height: 115%;">For a seamless ecotourism spelunking adventure, contact Tourism Promotion Officer Fanibeth Domingo of Cagayan Valley Region, Department of Tourism, at her email address </span></span><a href="mailto:fanibethdoms@yahoo.com"><span style="line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none;">fanibethdoms@yahoo.com</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"> or contact numbers: cell phone 0917-6990796 and landline </span>(6378) 844-1621</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdELxnK-qLINdXU1B8pJHYh7PJotEQYhWrtybbmJnpax9QpemLaEDol41upz3rdl4sMmbfiJXl1WxL1SDkrHmgTmYSZjNb0GDSN_bNMb_094vd2UBU03hmnjCXPFvoDG9vS0YrfAdoX-M/s1600/hawks+preying+on+bats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdELxnK-qLINdXU1B8pJHYh7PJotEQYhWrtybbmJnpax9QpemLaEDol41upz3rdl4sMmbfiJXl1WxL1SDkrHmgTmYSZjNb0GDSN_bNMb_094vd2UBU03hmnjCXPFvoDG9vS0YrfAdoX-M/s400/hawks+preying+on+bats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0Peñablanca, Philippines17.713497150692408 121.8160089080657817.567971650692407 121.60026340806579 17.85902265069241 122.03175440806578tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-4276274360296438962011-05-13T19:16:00.000-07:002011-05-13T19:54:47.736-07:00PANAGBENGA 2011 - The Flower Festival<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92QvEO0xFTu4cYnm81uOuD8KEJAa0ixn3S3BMM3G73zb_m_qY-9UWo2Zy5Yz44cf9o3eYwN8t2rEo7_JAR9OaUq-k6h8crQMUKWgPuQ8Or3paryUJNUVo_52gyDFEcMgqrq_B6bcYUSQ/s1600/spectators_float+parade.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92QvEO0xFTu4cYnm81uOuD8KEJAa0ixn3S3BMM3G73zb_m_qY-9UWo2Zy5Yz44cf9o3eYwN8t2rEo7_JAR9OaUq-k6h8crQMUKWgPuQ8Or3paryUJNUVo_52gyDFEcMgqrq_B6bcYUSQ/s320/spectators_float+parade.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As early as five o-clock in the morning, despite the freezing breeze, thousands of people of all walks of like, of all ages, with their hats, bonnets and sweaters on, were lining up along the side street of Session Road waiting with great excitement for the Panagbenga 2011 Grand Street Parade on February 25 and Grand Float Parade on February 26, in Baguio City, north of the Philippines, the Pearl of the Orient.</span></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Yearly celebrated, the theme for this year is</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"> “The Environment and Community in Harmony,” articulating the need for harmonious relationship between humankind and the environment to sustain life.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3eu-yKL2oHdsBTm8NUku9C_d0m1KyAJkhL8hpErmxAqq4SoswiLm_0g2Ft6x9wzWnZuduQB8gCJqIuS_61FyWzcWoeIFLbee1cQd6tQz1Q7fG3w9BdRCTPAjgYGvM_2AFuJoAykPCB0/s1600/streetparade.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3eu-yKL2oHdsBTm8NUku9C_d0m1KyAJkhL8hpErmxAqq4SoswiLm_0g2Ft6x9wzWnZuduQB8gCJqIuS_61FyWzcWoeIFLbee1cQd6tQz1Q7fG3w9BdRCTPAjgYGvM_2AFuJoAykPCB0/s400/streetparade.png" width="260" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Grand Street Parade, participated in by government offices and various civic groups, colored the streets of Session Road, Magsaysay Avenue and Harrison Road with bright colors of red and yellow featuring Igorot street dancing by different school-contingents, martial arts demonstration by the city’s Korean community, and performances of several drum and bugle corps with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bastoneras</i>‘ showing off their skills for twirling flag-batons while marching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The street dancing ended in a competition of Igorot dancing and drum and bugle corps at Athletic Bowl. Surprisingly, one of the participating groups is a delegation from Daet, Camarines Norte, Bicol Region, with its banner implicitly promoting Pinyasan Festival. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;">The crowd favorite, six-year old Joseph, the son of the assistant baton leader of one of the participating drum and bugle corps, was p</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;">laying a soprano piston trumpet among grown-ups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He never missed to amaze the crowd at every instance of his corps’ performance.</span></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2GILHPIM16gKUnzjzExbZIn9Ejx6oy3LUpEdyf92CVV8jWgB5kZ1EE-4g_BDhmom-AjzIBbHgsADmx688s2r-cPqtPuqWvEQ_qeik4Bmw1rMzfymvYBOmYnxw6q5F4jGDVSoqw8FegA/s1600/secLimonfloat1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2GILHPIM16gKUnzjzExbZIn9Ejx6oy3LUpEdyf92CVV8jWgB5kZ1EE-4g_BDhmom-AjzIBbHgsADmx688s2r-cPqtPuqWvEQ_qeik4Bmw1rMzfymvYBOmYnxw6q5F4jGDVSoqw8FegA/s400/secLimonfloat1.png" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;">As expected, the Grand Float Parade was bedecked with celebrities and business-sponsored floats of flowers arranged according to different themes. The most amazing of them all was the last one inspired by the Avatar movie and enshrined with a local religious icon, the Sto. Niño.</span></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The parade of floats that bedazzled thousands of spectators for almost five hours also wound up at Athletic Bowl for the final showdown.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5O8xmMeKyR8ngHn6rXdsxvotiivk1kwLQ9BRKhTaJjFCNAGFhY17XDjbVKR64bWQ8mVdtzrUZVL0VmLzZoCmDuA3ZYBLfqIP5AVtne0ELaWt2jjJVz5rw0OggnuI3xOIxePNNuDbnGkM/s1600/joseph.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5O8xmMeKyR8ngHn6rXdsxvotiivk1kwLQ9BRKhTaJjFCNAGFhY17XDjbVKR64bWQ8mVdtzrUZVL0VmLzZoCmDuA3ZYBLfqIP5AVtne0ELaWt2jjJVz5rw0OggnuI3xOIxePNNuDbnGkM/s400/joseph.png" width="400" /></a></div></div>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-77482036394261088092011-03-07T22:37:00.000-08:002011-03-22T23:06:01.872-07:00Where There Is Logging, There Is No Bird!<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Wild bird watching is one of the activities lined up by the </span><a href="http://www.visitmyphilippines.com/index.php?title=RegionXIIICARAGA&func=all&pid=42&tbl=0"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Department of Tourism Caraga Region </span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">for the Wow Caraga 2011, Payanig Sa Bislig, celebrating the 16th founding anniversary of the new administrative region covering the six cities of Butuan, Bislig, Cabadbaran, Tandang and Bayugan, and five provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao de Sur and Dinagat Islands in the southern part of the Philippines, the Pearl of the Orient. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The wild-bird watching expedition team is composed of the Department of Tourism group--Assistant Secretary Domingo Ramon "Chicoy" C. Enerio III, DOT-Caraga Director Leticia Tan, Aleli Guevarra, Gina Velasco, Boyet Sayo, and myself--Rex of Bislig City Tourism Office, one from the Presidential Management Staff, two members of the </span><a href="http://www.birdwatch.ph/"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Wild Bird Club of the Philippines</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">, and Zardo, the guide. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Early morning of February 24, cocks seemed reluctant to crow for it was chilly and the dawn has yet to yawn with its radiant yellow rays. It was unusual for it was four o’clock already when we rode on what locals call jeep, which there is nothing</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pubsUMEjasDpORvBmTP4uGmrzxbB2um8bDiQP32KgRxvOi6JCOlqn-WrsqsJHHs4qsQz1sv-dKU435Urb_xRLRKHgUKZrI1DApgqeFCLncK4KZBrKPrH_jQr-6QTP7yUMOoFyooLPNM/s1600/wild+bird+watching.png"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581662347524367570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pubsUMEjasDpORvBmTP4uGmrzxbB2um8bDiQP32KgRxvOi6JCOlqn-WrsqsJHHs4qsQz1sv-dKU435Urb_xRLRKHgUKZrI1DApgqeFCLncK4KZBrKPrH_jQr-6QTP7yUMOoFyooLPNM/s400/wild+bird+watching.png" style="float: right; height: 274px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> of what looks like those in Metro Manila. From the point of departure, Paper Country Inn, Brgy. Mangagoy, Bislig City, it took us more than two hours of long wobbly ride with a dose of cold breeze that penetrates to the bones before we could reach the crossroad that leads to the wild-bird watching site. While ASec. Chicoy and the two foreigner-looking members of the Wild Bird Club chatted for most of the trip about their bird watching escapades, most of us dozed instead of watching the environs barely lit by the vehicle’s headlamp which I nevertheless did with much delight not so much for the vegetation but for overhearing the depth of ASec's knowledge about birds. He related that in Europe, the market for bird watching is huge. "England has only one endemic bird specie compared to about 200 in the Philippines. This translates to 200 reasons for Europeans to visit the Philippines," he said. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When we reached the take-off point, it was past six already. Still foggy. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">After taking breakfast, we climbed up the road going to the left. Chirping sounds coming from different directions gave us hope that we could see those birds despite their being called wild. Unfortunately even Zardo, our avant-garde tour guide, despite his being famous as someone <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DyJckArkpI7pF10rmkgEKYuHZFW5cSVg70NcosuBdic0bBKjAhTKqStmNCJ0DGhuqTPM55p2sasWaMPNnuGa6k-zd3EbeRMLnwzLIS8ZBfbIKZqlY8iStiCBEbLNQ_O-5ZX9GIHICRg/s1600/flora%2526fauna1.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581663314711711170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DyJckArkpI7pF10rmkgEKYuHZFW5cSVg70NcosuBdic0bBKjAhTKqStmNCJ0DGhuqTPM55p2sasWaMPNnuGa6k-zd3EbeRMLnwzLIS8ZBfbIKZqlY8iStiCBEbLNQ_O-5ZX9GIHICRg/s400/flora%2526fauna1.png" style="float: right; height: 274px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 400px;" /></a>who can summon particular bird species with his gadget, could hardly be effective at many instances. With bare eyes, it was a pain for most of us to celebrate with ASec. Chicoy and the two seasoned wild bird watchers who were using binoculars. Although, they were kind enough to lend us their tools sometimes, we could still hardly see a single bird which they tried to help us to see using their laser pointers pointed to the direction of the trees that are towering high with their leaves sparkling because of the morning dew touched by the rays of the sun rising over the mountain. How could we see such birds, if indeed there were, if their size and color blend with the leaves that reflect the blinding sunlight? Or, are they just too wild to be tamed by our naked eyes for a good view, for a while? If they are, then, we were truly watching wild birds. Or, perhaps, we were just expecting too much to see those birds the way we could in the zoos that made the day frustrating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">T</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">he scarcity, or maybe just the difficulty of seeing the birds, led the whole team to get deeper into the forest. While trekking, we realized that it was not the scarcity of birds that made the activity disappointing. Logs are lined and piled up along the pebbly road. As we went deeper into the forest, it was becoming clearer. The sound of chainsaw cutting trees somewhere nearby made the birds fly away or at least kept them in their hiding place. </span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIkfMQxj-EqDErb-eniiskos4u-r7EyHL1xd2komtrNxcIlf23EWCXKl7vZBE_lvsA-HPV-TzjKfUGI0I3nN7k19PvQcqwGdbFmpY5OW6rRJI7YL8IbYQW349w6c9PojhEFBva60o1Qo/s1600/irresponsible+logging.png"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581664292111084898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIkfMQxj-EqDErb-eniiskos4u-r7EyHL1xd2komtrNxcIlf23EWCXKl7vZBE_lvsA-HPV-TzjKfUGI0I3nN7k19PvQcqwGdbFmpY5OW6rRJI7YL8IbYQW349w6c9PojhEFBva60o1Qo/s400/irresponsible+logging.png" style="float: left; height: 274px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> So, to make the most of the activity, I turned it into a wild flora-and-fauna (dragonflies, butterflies, and bees) watching spree. And, I vowed to have the deplorable logging situation in Caraga brought out to the open--to the cyberworld at least--for a lesson and rectification. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It does not matter if logging in Caraga is legal or illegal. The thing is…Caraga suffered massive flooding every year. This year alone, the flooding victimized <span lang="EN-GB">545,285 people or 111,679 families with damages to infrastructure, farm crops and other agriculture products amounting to P451 million, according to the Philippines' Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The death toll had reached 10 and two people were reported missing as of February 6. <a href="http://www.goldstardailynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=879:caraga-flood-victims-reach-half-million-losses-amount-to-p451m&catid=73:northern-mindanao--x&Itemid=290">Online Gold Star Daily </a>has the full story and statistics. </span></span><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581939403225608594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NIAi6cp-zOz20UbsRlnomJYBB04WcXc16sOcl3BT_Wyyej0vEXIV80Io8RhHUQem2YxB4Jeg372jDxzdfnP-9oSY08GYng5cnYpuAUIDsb-aVXSfLplfSyPcA8o4UFjJBn7eAuDS21A/s400/DSC01061.JPG" style="display: block; height: 139px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 619px;" /> </span><br />
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In various instances during the Wow Caraga 2011, especially during the Bird Forum at </span><a href="http://wikimapia.org/1093082/De-la-Salle-John-Bosco-College"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">De La Salle Don Bosco College </span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Gym, Surigao del Sur Governor Johnny Pimentel vowed to fully implement Executive Order 23 issued by President Aquino last February 1 declaring a moratorium on the cutting and harvesting of timber in the natural and residual forests and creating an anti-illegal logging task force. Bislig City Mayor Librado Navarro cognizant of the ill-effects of logging industry in his home city also promised to support the policy in view of the new tourism product that he is pushing in his city--wild bird watching.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhiZiGyTRY99DQVdvNA94XS6XREcGtRbXhLz_gDsxxw1dW_SgtNTfeUyfcfDSDNxMdlcmJif9w5rIwzhObtm1jJLCjfEh4yPGVUxT2TZqL3-sFnuua8ww9Q4PClybOchlomw3wOUGBlU/s1600/DSC01316.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581941568856141970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhiZiGyTRY99DQVdvNA94XS6XREcGtRbXhLz_gDsxxw1dW_SgtNTfeUyfcfDSDNxMdlcmJif9w5rIwzhObtm1jJLCjfEh4yPGVUxT2TZqL3-sFnuua8ww9Q4PClybOchlomw3wOUGBlU/s400/DSC01316.JPG" style="float: left; height: 266px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;" /></a></div><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">While their speeches sound promising, there is a real and urgent need for a very strong political will and solid community support considering that, while Wow Caraga 2011 was on stage, logging is still unabated. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Recently, as reported by </span><a href="http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=662855&publicationSubCategoryId=63"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Philstar</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> on March 4, “</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje announced…that chainsaws, bulldozers, graders and other logging tools and implements are now off-limits in natural and residual forests nationwide.” If implemented, this can certainly support the new tourism product of Bislig City—wild bird watching. If not, a suitable replacement is proactive ecotourism--mountain trekking that culminates in tree planting in the </span><a href="http://wikimapia.org/1140316/PICOP-now-PICOP-RESOURCES-INC"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">PICOP</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> site with bird watching merely as a side dish.</span></div><div style="line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I feel strongly for forest protection to sustain ecotourism but, for heaven's sake, the lives of men and women of Caraga are even more important than wild bird watching! In Caraga, more than anything else, it is about human survival!</span></div><div style="line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Stop irresponsible logging in Caraga now! Protect the Philippine forests! Plant trees!</span></div><div style="line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For emulation, worth mentioning is the </span><a href="http://elverde.com/news/?page_id=4"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">El Verde </span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">program of the </span><a href="http://www.camarinessur.gov.ph/home"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">provincial government of Camarines Sur</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">. The program is a magnificent example of a strong political will backed up by solid community support. There is nothing impossible when all stakeholders imbued with a sense of community act together resolutely for a common cause.</span></div><div style="line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Let’s go green! Together, we can!</span></div><div style="line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</span><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gqfB3TMPSG4" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/61tl77vmsSA" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UU-UKczjNYc" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div></div>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-70860174121726462432010-12-21T01:02:00.000-08:002010-12-21T22:05:04.396-08:00Saturday Giant Lantern Escapade<div align="justify">After an hour of waiting for each other, a group of eight including Boyet, the project officer, Aleli, Gina, Gil, and two from the print media—Mike and Louie—and the driver, we finally embarked a van just an hour before lunch from the Lapu-Lapu side of Luneta in front of the renovated Children’s Park going to Pampanga on December 18, 2010.<br /><br />An hour past noon, we arrived at a five-storey full-service Marlim Mansion Hotel, a bit archaic but one of the biggest hotels located at downtown Balibago, Angeles City, for lunch. We were greeted by a robust Peter and a young John, both hospitable staff of Director Tiotuico of DOT Region III. After almost an hour of luncheon meal and rest, we proceeded to the new Nayong Pilipino—one of the side trips for our festival escapade, the Giant Lantern Festival of which the program would start at twilight.<br /><br />Side Trips: Consuelo de Bobo?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdyAezElf4ABn9nXekIG4mymVpZJE38VhqXl6NRz785fN1BITVeztL1siXsBIj4uyjlfCepg52yOrTpoiZrQgXzp1wKyA_wT9_rBx9uXbkZPMpb2X0S6C2Q8xfzcuVnxuw62OnHd3Jns/s1600/ifugao+houses+replicas.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 286px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553064731214883314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdyAezElf4ABn9nXekIG4mymVpZJE38VhqXl6NRz785fN1BITVeztL1siXsBIj4uyjlfCepg52yOrTpoiZrQgXzp1wKyA_wT9_rBx9uXbkZPMpb2X0S6C2Q8xfzcuVnxuw62OnHd3Jns/s400/ifugao+houses+replicas.jpg" /></a>Nayong Pilipino sa Clark is a theme park depicting the history of the Philippines through architecture and cultural shows. It is subdivided into pre-colonial and colonial periods. The pre-colonial subdivide features the houses of different ethnic communities. Since it is impossible to cover all the communities in just half an hour, we decided to focus on Ifugao village with matching lady tour guide sharing with us some facts about ifugao houses of which the shape of the roof identifies the tribe it belongs to. I heard her saying, “rat gard.” I thought it was an Ifugao word. I was mistaken but bothered not to ask for a clarification. “Rat guard,” she said while pointing to a thick disk-shaped wooded provision attached to every column of four that supports the house that stands four to five feet above the ground, “serves as protection against rats trying to climb to the house.” Although, crude as they may<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkzawxmXWMUl1IB0XtUbDSQ2KeeT8zEpMt2C7RRtiifr82obD92ey1DdlexZ7YbWDZeob5lJA89Sq3_qLIhK0nmUhk4vVLHE0DoD9RAJ5HFbZ8LTiwCO-ZG-fSc-u0kCLU07ao6dK5SE/s1600/Spanish-era+houses.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 288px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553065713297869538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkzawxmXWMUl1IB0XtUbDSQ2KeeT8zEpMt2C7RRtiifr82obD92ey1DdlexZ7YbWDZeob5lJA89Sq3_qLIhK0nmUhk4vVLHE0DoD9RAJ5HFbZ8LTiwCO-ZG-fSc-u0kCLU07ao6dK5SE/s400/Spanish-era+houses.jpg" /></a> appear, these houses can amaze even the likes of Palafox at such precision with no power tools and such sturdiness without a single metal nail or bolt. Every house is like a puzzle whose pieces fit together. In this village of four different tribe houses, there is also a souvenir shop of Ifugao products, of course. I decided to buy a key chain worth 15 pesos to benefit the Ifugaos neither that I need it nor that I love collecting that sort of things. It is my pledge that my travel should benefit the destination in exchange for some pollutants that I may, without knowing it, bring to it and leave behind. For lack of time, I just took photos of some houses in other “villages” and in the colonial subdivide.<br /><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 485px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 298px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553069349243310594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVH00HW5fi0LQ7cFTXa_87vjM8KwG7rJ9y2UtnlddHf4OPZWle19533Dr-300R_yjWLRbp5jc2bt9HeKRzuS6RfwsRjpQG2lYtevg4NW31p0A-WAMk83I695QAxo1H6etVtDInYgvV9lM/s400/ClarkMuseum.jpg" /> <p align="justify">Just a few minutes after three-o’clock habit, we found ourselves reminiscing war-time stories at Clark Museum. It features a rare collection of artifacts of the American period—before and after World War II—exhibition of paintings and dioramas of historic events during the period and of Filipino customs.<br /><br />From the museum, we went to Puregold Duty Free for some “stateside” chocolates and cookies, which cost me, Aleli and Boyet a thousand and a half pesos each—worth the price though for once-in-a- blue-moon duty-free shopping. This ended our side trip in Clark—definitely not just a <em>consuelo de bobo</em>, though.<br /><br />The Biggest Giant Lantern Festival: Truly Spectacular!<br /><br />The City of San Fernando staged anew its spectacular Giant Lantern Festival, the biggest ever with each of the participating lanterns measuring 20 feet in diameter compared to last year’s 18 feet. The lantern festival, the only of its kind in the world, earned the city the title of “the Christmas capital of the Philippines.” Locally dubbed as <em>Ligligan Parul</em>, it was held this year on December 18 at Robinsons Starmills.<br /><br />The festival is actually an annual competition of giant lanterns usually with nine competing barangays on a Saturday before the Christmas Eve. Since 1958 the lanterns have been redefined and named as <em>parul sampernandu</em>; however, it finds its roots in what was then Pampanga’s capital—Bacolor—where a simpler lantern activity was yearly held until the provincial capital was transferred to San Fernando in 1904. The predecessor of the modern-day Giant Lantern Festival was actually a religious activity which we know today as “<em>lubenas</em>.” The lanterns measured just two feet in diameter, a far cry from the 20 feet that we see today. These were created in each barrio out of bamboo and other locally available materials. During the nine-day novena before Christmas which is done during simbang bengi (midnight mass) from December 16 to 24, these paruls were brought around each barrio in procession. Before the midnight mass on Christmas Eve, the lanterns, together with the images of the patron saints of the barrios, were brought to the town church (retrieved and updated from <a href="http://en.wikipedia/">http://en.wikipedia</a>. org/wiki/Giant_Lantern_Festival). As the lanterns grow in size from a mere two feet in its early years to 20 feet in diameter this year, the lantern festival also has found its own identity apart from being a mere part of a religious activity into a carnival with its own worth and crowd draw. </p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 495px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 385px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553070409617243250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRjki4qsSQ7ibTTGLuCWSJws3_iOMec3j_b48R8UhdEynh1QAPO1DPGklzsGnOtEbjImYhZnwwzBaQyBeBu_QdNMmS9D5t4t9o7Ks0Gsi2aQh9udxMkGe-nrrRsFSYgi8aRB7Yzbe0KA/s400/9GiantLanterns.jpg" /><br /><div align="justify">An estimated 70,000 spectators, locals and some foreigners, jam packed the parking area in front of Robinsons Seaport Gate for the showdown of giant lanterns composed of more than 8,000 bulbs each. The competition was participated in by the barangays of Dolores, Del Pilar, San Jose, San Juan, San Nicolas, Santa Lucia, Santo Niño, San Pedro, and Telabastagan. This time, Santa Lucia’s lantern, the crowd favorite for the beauty of its design, the color, and the timing of lights and sound, bested the face-off followed by those of Dolores, which championed the last year’s contest, and San Nicolas.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzY3bu_YdnvGVnAjaslw3yHLTX71JKNkK5orwDdbMh3zEnQF8kT7FwQKsNF8OAAYjDF_FVPbAAx5wyp-Vajq3gignjhxEM57KOCzEeL4bMdOeFqmEWahvuXUvpwlG3dl-xnKvL2Ap4L18/s1600/StaLucia-Winner.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 346px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553071742010755858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzY3bu_YdnvGVnAjaslw3yHLTX71JKNkK5orwDdbMh3zEnQF8kT7FwQKsNF8OAAYjDF_FVPbAAx5wyp-Vajq3gignjhxEM57KOCzEeL4bMdOeFqmEWahvuXUvpwlG3dl-xnKvL2Ap4L18/s400/StaLucia-Winner.jpg" /></a>Preceded by a number of folkdances and musical performances, the contest, starting at around eight o’clock, took almost two hours to conclude. It was composed of individual presentations in the first round with seven minutes for each entry, triad face-off in the second round with seven minutes for every group of entries, and simultaneous demonstration of all the nine entries in the last round also for seven minutes.<br /><br />Two hours of way-out-of-this world spectacular experience is worth the trip from Manila of two hours. With side trips in Nayong Pilipino, Clark Museum, and a shopping spree in a duty-free grocery store, a Saturday night with this kind of event is more than enough to give you a dose of an experiencia de gran turismo. Side trips are not just a consuelo de bobo. They are actually an important ingredient in the overall experience—to give you a sense of fullness, a value for the time, effort and money spent. A destination must be as spectacular as that festival to be worth a trip of several hours. Or better yet, when planning a trip for a destination, consider some side trips to complete the equation. </div>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-85346267721344819122010-12-12T20:59:00.000-08:002010-12-28T18:20:43.385-08:00GB3: Clean, Sleek and Sexy<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">When I was working in Makati, over a year, I was always passing by GB3, which by the way is Makati's Greenbelt 3, on my way to EDSA for a bus ride to Tambo, Parañaque. I never cared how it looks except that young people working for WWF annoyed me sometimes with their "panda" not that I don't care about wild life being systematically and politically destroyed by unscrupulous powerful elites but that "panda" doesn't appeal to me. If it's tarsier, which although many Pinoys do not like to symbolize them in a travel logo, I might consider giving them away a fragment of my precious time. But, this post is about GB3 not WWF.<br /><br />Last Thursday night, I made myself invited by one Chad G through a Rex B's change of Friday-to-Thursday schedule of what appeared to be more of a reunion of long lost camaraderie than a rendezvous of career men and woman bragging their accomplishments; thanks that it went that way--a five-head reunion. Way back in college in Aquinas University, these people are among the <span class="hw">crème de la crème--lofty in intelligence and yet down-to-earth--of our Alma Mater. Chad G has made significant improvements in his looks, from bony to meaty; although still rugged in his getup, one can sense a deep sense of responsibility owing to a fact perhaps that he is a husband to one-only beautiful wife and a father to a boy. Emi (once a B now a G) has stunningly maintained her gorgeous looks that can put to shame the likes of historical Cleopatra despite the fact that she is a wife to a husband, a mother to a boy, and a dedicated sales rep to IBM, all at the same time. But what she awed me most with? She is more tolerant to her husband than her husband to himself when it comes to "2 botts" (bottles not "buttocks") escapades. Steve S, whom I thought was the C one when Chad mentioned his name last Dec. 7, has also made improvements in his physique. More meat or fats? I can't tell with his office attire on. An accomplished salesman or maybe a manager of a huge team of salesmen, that I can tell based on his choice of words and concoctions of sentences pe</span><span class="hw">ppered with sales jargon. But in my humble assessment, his secret to success in his career is not his diploma he earned in the College of Business Administration and Accountancy...my apology to our Alma Mater. He succeeds by his own chameleon-like ability to speak like a Korean--from North to South (his Maoish eyes blend well with Koreans though), an Indian (with whom he can blend well with his nose and color except the sm</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/b_r3x/show/"><img style="MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550061668505134450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzeCQg4cEA8_FNeMJmzHctYMDkUWs9RRWkq3_AuXHuM_JjMJ9jsKOT5PJIl8iiYNTZQiJWk9cOYJF8cnYsaWInj7EzWl2u9jCMor4IHTmnsD-2EOOiFLc7xbr8q917VAOciGS63E5pCY/s320/pearl+of+the+orient.jpg" /></a><span class="hw">ell), a British (I don't know if he can do Scottish; but I think, everybody can tell he's fake.), and an American--never mind, that's given. And then, there's Rex B--without his querida named Eos, nothing has changed except perhaps that he now looks better with polo shirts. This man, without his lens, is a slim Filipino version of Genghis Khan without beard. With his glasses and lenses put on, especially his powerful 135 mm, he is a formidable recruit for an infamous group of assassins who mastered the most modern art of spying--he can capture the most minute details of what you are in your most innocent "moment". If the journalists have nose for news, Rex B has </span><span class="hw">lenses for all details. The challenge for this man as a photographer is to capture the backgro</span><span class="hw">und more detailed than his favorites--wome</span><span class="hw">n of all sizes and colors--in Greenbelt...to entice more to go to this place and hopefully replicate the same environment in the likes of Baseco compound.</span> This guys and gal have also something to say about the aborted "Pilipinas, kay Ganda." Like every Filipino who will struggle with any language just to communicate himself (or her self) to a foreigner, they are naturally against it. Unfortunately for my former boss, I shared with their views. But this post is not about it.<br /><br />Greenbelt 3 or GB3 not G3 (which Chad said is Glorietta 3) is perhaps everything that you can wish for your immediate environment--vegetation side-by-side with the architecture of all schools of thought (a representation of Palafox's green architecture) all clean and sleek including the people themselves with high level of sophistication. For a green (eco-friendly) mind, GB3 is sexy--in whatever direction you want to extend its meaning, I leave it up to your own discretion. Visit and stay a while (the equivalent is four hours over two buckets of "light" beer; two bottles will not be enough once you get the feel of the place) in GB3 and judge for yourself. But, that's it--clean, sleek and sexy. Just don't mind the expense.<br /><br />Chad, where did we drink that night? </div>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-88177718996633343542010-12-08T22:31:00.000-08:002011-01-30T16:23:37.692-08:00Christmas Time: Wasting Away, Cleaning Up<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify" align="justify">Christmas time. Divisoria is the busiest business district in Manila whole year round. When Yuletide season is in the air, Divi is even more chaotic. The 168 Mall have expanded its capacity for commercial establishments which, as expected, attracted more stores and patrons of every imaginable toys, gadgets and wares--fashion, bags, jewelry, watches, cellphones, ipads, netbooks, speakers of all sizes, almost everything except we<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu7ZZrkp5eGC78-Ynz1zgpJ_YAsRXu3oGO4HLVSGR_dJtOrNqAVpaviYVhutrYt2pYkDruFus1jyiaHOUpBCsKKC0Pgt21LQJ_M-klgEuTw6h9L_QSqhizN2B7rSzlCPLrKqVPFDOxSg/s1600/divi1.png"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568138831586378706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu7ZZrkp5eGC78-Ynz1zgpJ_YAsRXu3oGO4HLVSGR_dJtOrNqAVpaviYVhutrYt2pYkDruFus1jyiaHOUpBCsKKC0Pgt21LQJ_M-klgEuTw6h9L_QSqhizN2B7rSzlCPLrKqVPFDOxSg/s400/divi1.png" /></a>t goods that<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXRYs0QRXycdS66ZLZNt_cm8CGMa9NXz1h1UXF9aoVqSvRgTn3mcN5ibcZfgWfxnxBHqg2sFRSdYqMDUy1NFhyphenhyphenJBi-uQrQ9n6UzQeclJ7pDdH1cdBsHoPXD9S_1YEYzfzTc_loCokrKM/s1600/divi1.png"></a> you can find outside. People regardless of state in life prefer Divi for value of money, specially those hard-earned.<br /><br />While Christmas certainly stimulates commerce as it inspires gift giving, it also produces tons of wastes, especially plastics that clog drainage canals and eventually results to flooding during rainy days. We know well that flood spoils everything including the economic gains of the season. So, the losses outweigh the gains--this makes Christmas a time of wasting away.</div><div align="justify"><br /><br />A simple action makes a big difference. Bring with you a bag, large enough to contain all you need (not wants) to buy for gift giving. With this you don't need plastic for every purchase that you make--less plastic, less waste. </div>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-9221145519075266132010-12-07T17:37:00.003-08:002010-12-07T18:07:32.306-08:00More About Cleanliness: Judgement Day<div style="text-align: justify;">Today...Judgment Day!<br /><br />Secretary Bertie Lim is on the hot seat. The CA has to make the decision. Will this be another cleanup? If so, the consumers--especially the travelers--will lose advocate for Open-Sky Policy, the positive Pandora's box to boost the speed of the crawling Philippine tourism industry. The local airlines' initiative to lower their rates in the form of promos is not enough to substantially stimulate domestic travel. Aside from low cost of air-traveling, the policy will bring about better services among the local airlines so that they can stay afloat the competition. The perceived losses of these airlines will be eventually compensated in the form of increasing the people's air-travel frequency and the number of people traveling through air. Besides, they can also traverse new routes in the international airways.<br /><br />It is the call of the CA--to make or to break. I am just hoping that cleanups should be based on the gravity of merits and demerits. What is best for the Pearl of the Orient should be of utmost consideration.<br /></div>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-90184652399241862882010-12-06T17:33:00.000-08:002010-12-06T18:08:21.689-08:00Still About CleanlinessI've been busy these past days. But, I'm back on board. My last post was, untitled, about the resignation of then Tourism Planning and Promotion Undersecretary Enteng Romano III. Although an extended meaning, it is still about "cleanliness". <br /><br />The issue that led to his resignation is not about corruption but a simple rejection of his radical idea of promoting the Pearl of the Orient Seas as "Pilipinas, Kay Ganda". That does not worth a resignation. Many in the Department wanted him to stay; perhaps, they are more eager to see "radical" change in his management style, i.e. full transparency of his plans and widest possible consulation with the tourism stakeholders, most especially the DOT career officials and employees who are supposed to be the first to know of whatever plans the new administration has for tourism. He could have introduced novel styles of management out of that mess. Anyway, it is a spilled milk and nothing more we can do but to accept his way of cleaning things up, unfortunately, including himself.<br /><br />We hope that we will see in the not so distant future worse people in positions doing the same...for the sake of our beloved country, the Pearl of the Orient.Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-13036551070166612432010-11-22T23:26:00.000-08:002010-11-23T01:10:17.563-08:00<div style="text-align: justify;">The Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotion Vicente "Enteng" Romano III accepted full responsibility on the branding "<span style="font-style: italic;">Pilipinas, Kay Ganda</span>" during the press conference held at Department of Tourism's auditorium, November 23, 2010. He also tendered his irrevocable resignation this day.<br /><br />Usec. Romano considered the rejection of the brand as a vote of "no confidence" not just for the brand but also for him being the man behind it, the "preview" of which spewed a lot of controversies, like the absence of consultation with industry stakeholders, the alleged plagiarism of the logo being copied from Poland's travel logo, "Polska", and the amount spent for the Preview Event.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">He ended his statement with "Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with a nation so beautiful. <span style="font-style: italic;">Pilipinas, kay ganda.</span>"<br /></div>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4642870606591506801.post-52989092085811527342010-11-21T20:43:00.000-08:002010-12-06T22:28:49.574-08:00Philippines - The Pearl of the Orient<div style="text-align: justify;">This is a private initiative to make the Philippines, the Pearl of the Orient, truly a "pearl" in all sides.<br /><br />The objective of this blog is to support the Department of Tourism's international marketing campaign program by way of strengthening the <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">culture of tourism</span> in the country. No amount of millions of money shelled out and efforts exerted in coming up with marketing strategies will bring good results if local communities are not ready or ill fit to welcome the visitors, which, by the way, include both the domestic and the foreign tourists.<br /></div><br />T<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://philippines-pearl-of-the-orient.blogspot.com"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLtcQnlLJeESnFVnW81Uodg_1zx0nZGCpfPVt_rCCcpQRrrRJZM_eumJtUAGtbwQo3BWDncTT7pRnJzKlbtYzt845eCsUBZOBOUU7SiABrxNzZ1UCCm38bUnCpqwozN6Bjn26DDLES4w/s320/pearl+farm+resort_small.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542243486088717074" border="0" /></a>he first in line is about the basics of <span style="font-weight: bold;">cleanl</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">iness</span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Once, I was able to set on foot in the city of Davao, the most clean city I have ever visited , which may be rivaled by Puerto Princesa. I asked myself, "if in Davao they can do it why not in other cities?" Awed and absorbed by a man's initiative to pick a candy wrapper beside a tricycle, I missed the moment with my point-and-shoot camera. So, the word <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">initiative</span> is a key. I learned later on that the local officials passed an anti-littering law and that it is strictly implemented. And the combo words for that is <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">political will</span>. Initiative begins with the local governments--pass a law, implement the law. That is the role of governments--to govern, to bring about order. Something in between, of course, is <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">communication</span>. You've got to communicate the benefits and worse-case scenarios not just the law with all its penalties. As they say, the letter of the law kills but the spirit gives life. If and when the political will is present and greatly felt by the members of the community only then that their initiative will be spurred and become a culture as long as it is sustained by political will. That is as far as those in power are concerned.<br /><br />Man or woman has the capacity to initiate change without being told. While waiting for such a law, let's put our acts together and begin small--little insignificant acts amount to something when put together. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Don't litter your candy wrappers</span>--keep them in your purses or pockets. Don't litter your cigarette butts--or better still, <span style="font-weight: bold;">don't smoke</span>--the best way to clean up your lungs and the-already-polluted city of yours. Oh, come on...we can do that.<br /></div>Rommel Natanauanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230358956084793310noreply@blogger.com0