By Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:17:00 05/20/2009
Filed Under: Racism, Celebrities, Media, Diplomacy
MANILA, Philippines—United States Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney refused to comment on the latest purported slur against Filipinos, this time by actor Alec Baldwin, but she acknowledged that marriage with Filipinos has helped enrich the American culture.
"We have strong laws on marriages and we respect those enormously," Kenney said when asked to comment on Baldwin's recent statement that he would like to get a mail-order Filipina bride because he was already 51 years old, a joke that spurred outrage among Filipinos.
In an interview on the “Late Show with David Letterman” last May 12, the star of 30 Rock said he thought of getting himself a Filipina bride.
“I think about getting a Filipino mail-order bride at this point or a Russian one. I don’t care, I’m 51," Baldwin told the host David Letterman, who responded in jest and said he would like one as well.
Kenney said she could not apologize for Baldwin for he is a "private citizen" as she noted successful intermarriages between the two cultures.
"Of course a lot of Americans have married Filipinos and vice versa and that’s a great contribution to our culture," she added.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunset Bay Beach Resort San Fernando La Union Philippines
Sunset Bay Beach Resort is situated in the northern province of La Union - close to San Fernando City and Buaung, over looking the Luzon Sea. The Resort is well within reach of San Juan for surfing, Baguio, Vigan and Laoag as well as the mountain provinces. In its own well established tropical gardens, this small secluded resort fronts onto a safe white sandy beach, which is for the most part deserted.The sea is crystal clear, ideal for snorkeling. A coral reef extends about 100 yards from the shore, an ideal place for both young and old to explore the wonders of nature, particularly at low tide. Boat trips can be arranged for visiting nearby beaches or fishing. For those who prefer it an infinity pool provides cool relaxation with its jacuzzi and waterfall.We pride ourselves on our personal service - friendly, tranquil and relaxing surroundings. A home from home!
www.sunsetbayphilippines.com/Links.htm
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Hotels, Resorts, & Travel Reservations
Thunderbird Resorts - Poro Point. Our Mediterranean-inspired hotel boasts of world-class services & amenities such as an active boardwalk by the sea and a golf & beach club that locals and tourists can enjoy during their stay.Whether it's sunbathing on long, white-sand beaches, golfing on a scenic lake-view course or simply ending each day with a celebration of life – Thunderbird Resorts is the place to be.Nestled on a peninsula in over sixty-five hectares of prime property, Thunderbird Resorts – Poro Point is a Mediterranean-inspired hotel that offers the exciting atmosphere of an international casino, a challenging round of golf and the serenity of a beautiful seaside landscape.
link : www.asiatravel.com/philippines/launion/launion.html
Cebu now RP’s top tourist destination
By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Inquirer Visayas
First Posted 21:53:00 05/10/2009
Filed Under: Tourism
ILOILO CITY, Iloilo—Cebu has become the country’s top tourist destination based on tourist arrivals, according to the Department of Tourism.
The province led 14 other key tourist destinations in the country, including the world-famous Boracay Island in tourist arrivals from January to March.
Inquirer Visayas
First Posted 21:53:00 05/10/2009
Filed Under: Tourism
ILOILO CITY, Iloilo—Cebu has become the country’s top tourist destination based on tourist arrivals, according to the Department of Tourism.
The province led 14 other key tourist destinations in the country, including the world-famous Boracay Island in tourist arrivals from January to March.
Cebu has more visitors than Boracay, Davao
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 11:05:00 05/11/2009
Filed Under: Tourism
Cebu has become the country's top tourist destination based on tourist arrivals, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT). The province led 14 other key tourist destinations in the country, including the world famous Boracay Island, in volume of tourist arrivals from January to March 2009. Data from the DOT for the first quarter showed that 422,239 tourists went to Cebu, nearly 3 percent higher than the 410,597 tourists who went to the province during the same period in 2008. Boracay was second with 158,030 arrivals, followed by Davao City (156,468), Camarines Sur (140,220), Zambales (88,718), and Bohol (71,876). The increase reflected the growth in overall tourist arrivals in the country during the period reaching 10.33 percent or a total of 1.3 million from 2008's 1.1 million, the DOT said. Cebu was also the most frequently visited destination by foreign tourists with 184,790 arrivals or drawing nearly
half of the 383,608 foreign tourists that visited the country. It was followed by Boracay (63,903), Zambales (25,252), Camarines Sur (24,976), and Bohol (24,350). Overall, the volume of domestic tourists visiting key destinations grew faster at 13 percent while foreign arrivals
recorded a 4 percent increase in the first quarter. Eduardo Jarque, DOT undersecretary for planning and promotions, credited the growth of tourist volume in the regions to more and cheaper direct flights and better infrastructure including hotels, pensions houses and
ancestral homes opened for tourists. "Manila has become a stop-over for leisure travelers who proceed to the regions like Cebu," Jarque told the Inquirer yesterday Tourism Undersecretary Phineas Alburo gave a similar assessment in an earlier interview.Cebu continues to generate high tourist arrivals because of diverse attractions and more direct flights ensuring
accessibility," Alburo said.Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air have several daily flights to and from Cebu. There are also direct flights from Cebu to Manila, Bacolod, Iloilo, Surigao, Davao, Palawan and Cagayan de Oro, and vice versa among others.There are international flights to Bangkok, Thailand; Osaka, Japan; Incheon, Korea; Hong Kong; Singapore, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and China.Jarque said expatriates and other tourists prefer to the provinces and beaches for a vacation.Cebu has become a center of the tourism upswing because it combines a rich historical backdrop, modern infrastructure and varied destinations, according to Jarque. But he said tourist arrivals in Boracay Island were also growing with more hotel rooms needed because the hotels there were always fully booked. "Everybody who wants to party wants to go to Boracay," said Jarque. Edwin Trompeta, DOT regional director in Western Visayas, said it would be pointless to compare Cebu, a regional hub for the Visayas and Mindanao, and Boracay, a 1,032-hectare island-resort, because the two were meeting two different tourism needs. "Among island-resorts, Boracay remains the top tourist drawer with tourist arrivals growing by an average of six percent annually for the past decade," Trompeta said. In its report, the DOT said room capacity in key tourist destinations for the first quarter expanded with the opening
of new hotels and resorts, which created more jobs. During the period, 1,231 additional rooms were opened costing P8.016 billion and generating 1,286 jobs. These include the opening of the P3.18-billion Imperial Palace Water Park, Resort and Spa in Cebu, which increased the room supply in the province by four percent to 14,792. The San Remigio Beach Club in northern Cebu also opened new facilities costing P8.5 million during the first quarter. This includes a convention facility for international meetings, conventions and exhibitions. Boracay boosted its room capacity with the opening of the Shangri-la's Boracay Resort and Spa, a high-end 217-room resort on the island. The DOT expects 2,315 more rooms to be operational nationwide by the end of the year requiring an additional 1,946 employees. In an earlier interview, Tourism Secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano said foreign tourist arrivals in the country grew by an average of 10.6 percent from 2004-2008, considered one of the best performing destinations in the world. Domestic tourism also grew by an average of 18 percent yearly, he said. /INQUIRER
First Posted 11:05:00 05/11/2009
Filed Under: Tourism
Cebu has become the country's top tourist destination based on tourist arrivals, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT). The province led 14 other key tourist destinations in the country, including the world famous Boracay Island, in volume of tourist arrivals from January to March 2009. Data from the DOT for the first quarter showed that 422,239 tourists went to Cebu, nearly 3 percent higher than the 410,597 tourists who went to the province during the same period in 2008. Boracay was second with 158,030 arrivals, followed by Davao City (156,468), Camarines Sur (140,220), Zambales (88,718), and Bohol (71,876). The increase reflected the growth in overall tourist arrivals in the country during the period reaching 10.33 percent or a total of 1.3 million from 2008's 1.1 million, the DOT said. Cebu was also the most frequently visited destination by foreign tourists with 184,790 arrivals or drawing nearly
half of the 383,608 foreign tourists that visited the country. It was followed by Boracay (63,903), Zambales (25,252), Camarines Sur (24,976), and Bohol (24,350). Overall, the volume of domestic tourists visiting key destinations grew faster at 13 percent while foreign arrivals
recorded a 4 percent increase in the first quarter. Eduardo Jarque, DOT undersecretary for planning and promotions, credited the growth of tourist volume in the regions to more and cheaper direct flights and better infrastructure including hotels, pensions houses and
ancestral homes opened for tourists. "Manila has become a stop-over for leisure travelers who proceed to the regions like Cebu," Jarque told the Inquirer yesterday Tourism Undersecretary Phineas Alburo gave a similar assessment in an earlier interview.Cebu continues to generate high tourist arrivals because of diverse attractions and more direct flights ensuring
accessibility," Alburo said.Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air have several daily flights to and from Cebu. There are also direct flights from Cebu to Manila, Bacolod, Iloilo, Surigao, Davao, Palawan and Cagayan de Oro, and vice versa among others.There are international flights to Bangkok, Thailand; Osaka, Japan; Incheon, Korea; Hong Kong; Singapore, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and China.Jarque said expatriates and other tourists prefer to the provinces and beaches for a vacation.Cebu has become a center of the tourism upswing because it combines a rich historical backdrop, modern infrastructure and varied destinations, according to Jarque. But he said tourist arrivals in Boracay Island were also growing with more hotel rooms needed because the hotels there were always fully booked. "Everybody who wants to party wants to go to Boracay," said Jarque. Edwin Trompeta, DOT regional director in Western Visayas, said it would be pointless to compare Cebu, a regional hub for the Visayas and Mindanao, and Boracay, a 1,032-hectare island-resort, because the two were meeting two different tourism needs. "Among island-resorts, Boracay remains the top tourist drawer with tourist arrivals growing by an average of six percent annually for the past decade," Trompeta said. In its report, the DOT said room capacity in key tourist destinations for the first quarter expanded with the opening
of new hotels and resorts, which created more jobs. During the period, 1,231 additional rooms were opened costing P8.016 billion and generating 1,286 jobs. These include the opening of the P3.18-billion Imperial Palace Water Park, Resort and Spa in Cebu, which increased the room supply in the province by four percent to 14,792. The San Remigio Beach Club in northern Cebu also opened new facilities costing P8.5 million during the first quarter. This includes a convention facility for international meetings, conventions and exhibitions. Boracay boosted its room capacity with the opening of the Shangri-la's Boracay Resort and Spa, a high-end 217-room resort on the island. The DOT expects 2,315 more rooms to be operational nationwide by the end of the year requiring an additional 1,946 employees. In an earlier interview, Tourism Secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano said foreign tourist arrivals in the country grew by an average of 10.6 percent from 2004-2008, considered one of the best performing destinations in the world. Domestic tourism also grew by an average of 18 percent yearly, he said. /INQUIRER
Building world's largest solar energy plant
Reuters
First Posted 14:54:00 05/17/2009
Filed Under: Economy and Business and Finance, Alternative e Environmental Issuesnergy, Investments,
SYDNEY--Australia plans to build the world's largest solar power station with an output of 1000 megawatts in a A$1.4 billion ($1.05 billion) investment, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Sunday.
The plant would have three times the generating capacity of the current biggest solar-powered electricity plant, which is in California, Rudd said during a tour of a power station.
Tender details will be announced later in the year, and successful bidders will be named in the first half of 2010. Rudd said the project was aimed at exploiting the country's ample sunshine, which he called "Australia's biggest natural resource".
It was also aimed at helping the country become a leader in renewable, clean energy, he said.
"The government plans to invest with industry in the biggest solar generation plant in the world, three times the size of the world's current biggest, which is in California," Rudd said.
"Why are we doing this? We are doing it in order to support a clean energy future for Australia, we're doing it to boost economic activity now and we're doing it also to provide jobs and much needed opportunities for business as well."
The project should eventually lead to a network of solar-powered stations across the country, Rudd said, with locations chosen to fit in with the existing electricity grid and ensure good access to sunshine.
"We don't want to be clean energy followers worldwide, we want to be clean energy leaders worldwide." Rudd said.
The A$1.4 billion dedicated to this project was part of a wider A$4.65 clean energy initiative by the government, he said.
Rudd also said Australia would become a full member of the International Renewable Energy Agency, which will have its first global meeting in June.
First Posted 14:54:00 05/17/2009
Filed Under: Economy and Business and Finance, Alternative e Environmental Issuesnergy, Investments,
SYDNEY--Australia plans to build the world's largest solar power station with an output of 1000 megawatts in a A$1.4 billion ($1.05 billion) investment, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Sunday.
The plant would have three times the generating capacity of the current biggest solar-powered electricity plant, which is in California, Rudd said during a tour of a power station.
Tender details will be announced later in the year, and successful bidders will be named in the first half of 2010. Rudd said the project was aimed at exploiting the country's ample sunshine, which he called "Australia's biggest natural resource".
It was also aimed at helping the country become a leader in renewable, clean energy, he said.
"The government plans to invest with industry in the biggest solar generation plant in the world, three times the size of the world's current biggest, which is in California," Rudd said.
"Why are we doing this? We are doing it in order to support a clean energy future for Australia, we're doing it to boost economic activity now and we're doing it also to provide jobs and much needed opportunities for business as well."
The project should eventually lead to a network of solar-powered stations across the country, Rudd said, with locations chosen to fit in with the existing electricity grid and ensure good access to sunshine.
"We don't want to be clean energy followers worldwide, we want to be clean energy leaders worldwide." Rudd said.
The A$1.4 billion dedicated to this project was part of a wider A$4.65 clean energy initiative by the government, he said.
Rudd also said Australia would become a full member of the International Renewable Energy Agency, which will have its first global meeting in June.
Japan swine flu cases reaches 121--officials
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 09:52:00 05/18/2009
Filed Under: Swine Flu, Health
KOBE--The number of confirmed swine flu cases in Japan soared to at least 121 on Monday after 25 new cases were announced, officials said.
The batch of new cases of the A(H1N1) virus was confirmed in the western Japan city of Kobe, a municipal official said.
Previous figures from the central government put the total number of infections at 96.
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group announced Monday an employee had been infected, although it is not immediately known whether she had been included in the earlier government tally.
She works at the Sannomiya branch in Kobe. The bank ordered its 70 non-managerial employees at the branch to stay at home.
"We have disinfected all ATMs at the branch," a group spokesman said.
First Posted 09:52:00 05/18/2009
Filed Under: Swine Flu, Health
KOBE--The number of confirmed swine flu cases in Japan soared to at least 121 on Monday after 25 new cases were announced, officials said.
The batch of new cases of the A(H1N1) virus was confirmed in the western Japan city of Kobe, a municipal official said.
Previous figures from the central government put the total number of infections at 96.
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group announced Monday an employee had been infected, although it is not immediately known whether she had been included in the earlier government tally.
She works at the Sannomiya branch in Kobe. The bank ordered its 70 non-managerial employees at the branch to stay at home.
"We have disinfected all ATMs at the branch," a group spokesman said.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Teacher nabbed over fake SM investment scheme
By Tina Santos
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:16:00 05/10/2009
Filed Under: Crime
THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation filed charges on Friday against a public school teacher who allegedly lured several people, including fellow teachers, into a fraudulent investment scheme.
Charged with syndicated estafa in the Manila prosecutor’s office was Marites Francisco, a teacher at Malabon National High School and resident of Concepcion, Malabon City.
Francisco was arrested by NBI agents in an entrapment operation and is detained at the bureau jail.
Angelito Magno, NBI Special Action Unit chief, said that sometime in 2005, Francisco convinced the complainants to join an investment scheme that involved the selling of SM gift certificates.
Francisco allegedly claimed she was connected with SM as a sales agent. She promised the complainants a 10-percent monthly profit on their investment payable every 15th and 30th of the month, the NBI said.
SM management, meanwhile, has issued a statement saying Francisco was not in any way connected with them or their affiliates.
One of the complainants, Reynaldo Corvera, also a teacher, told the NBI that from December 2005 to April 2007, the investors received their money from the suspect.
But starting In May 2007, he said Francisco failed to pay them, saying she had no more money to give.
In November 2007, the suspect reportedly took a leave of absence from her teaching job and has not reported back since.
Corvera said he and about 12 other complainants invested amounts ranging from P5,000 to P1 million.
The NBI said they expected more victims to surface.
Corvera said the victims sought NBI assistance after Francisco failed to return their investments despite repeated demands.
Last month, the suspect contacted Corvera and the other complainants again offering them another investment opportunity. This gave the NBI a chance to set up an entrapment operation.
Francisco was arrested as soon as she received the marked money from the complainants.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:16:00 05/10/2009
Filed Under: Crime
THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation filed charges on Friday against a public school teacher who allegedly lured several people, including fellow teachers, into a fraudulent investment scheme.
Charged with syndicated estafa in the Manila prosecutor’s office was Marites Francisco, a teacher at Malabon National High School and resident of Concepcion, Malabon City.
Francisco was arrested by NBI agents in an entrapment operation and is detained at the bureau jail.
Angelito Magno, NBI Special Action Unit chief, said that sometime in 2005, Francisco convinced the complainants to join an investment scheme that involved the selling of SM gift certificates.
Francisco allegedly claimed she was connected with SM as a sales agent. She promised the complainants a 10-percent monthly profit on their investment payable every 15th and 30th of the month, the NBI said.
SM management, meanwhile, has issued a statement saying Francisco was not in any way connected with them or their affiliates.
One of the complainants, Reynaldo Corvera, also a teacher, told the NBI that from December 2005 to April 2007, the investors received their money from the suspect.
But starting In May 2007, he said Francisco failed to pay them, saying she had no more money to give.
In November 2007, the suspect reportedly took a leave of absence from her teaching job and has not reported back since.
Corvera said he and about 12 other complainants invested amounts ranging from P5,000 to P1 million.
The NBI said they expected more victims to surface.
Corvera said the victims sought NBI assistance after Francisco failed to return their investments despite repeated demands.
Last month, the suspect contacted Corvera and the other complainants again offering them another investment opportunity. This gave the NBI a chance to set up an entrapment operation.
Francisco was arrested as soon as she received the marked money from the complainants.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)