Dental Tourism in Asia

The world economic crisis moves people to look for more ways to save money, especially when it comes to their dental needs.

Dental tourism has already proved itself to be one of the best solutions for this purpose.

It’s easy, accessible, and interesting for most persons. There are some leading countries who have already shown their efficiency in this emerging field.

Emerging Developing Countries
Dental tourism is a subset of the medical tourism, when a person travels abroad to have the necessary dental treatment. Usually, developing countries are being chosen. They are cheaper and the quality of service is high. In fact, saving money is the main purpose. 95% of persons who take advantage of dental tourism have confirmed this. However, when it comes to choosing which clinic to visit, quality still remains first.

Dental tourism can help you save from 30% to 70% on dental treatment. The final result depends on the country you choose and the quantity of work that is going to be done. It’s simple: the more teeth you are going to treat, the more money you are going to save, especially when you don’t have dental insurance.

About 50% of the American population does not have dental insurance and that reflects on the population’s dental health. That’s another reason people look for alternative methods of tooth treatment, considering that U.S. clinics are too expensive. Besides, it’s a perfect occasion to travel and see the world. Some dental tourism destinations, like the Philippines or Thailand, are really beautiful countries.

In the Philippines you may visit this site http://dentistphilippines.webs.com

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Sweet pepper as a money-maker

By ZAC B. SARIAN
August 26, 2009, 4:05pm

The September issue of Agriculture Magazine features sweet pepper as a favorite money-maker of many high-value vegetable farmers. Of course, they have good reasons for preferring to plant this crop.
For one, there are now new hybrids that are not only fruitful, they could also be grown throughout the year because they are more resistant to the usual pests and stresses during the rainy season. Another reason is that the productive period of sweet pepper is longer than most other vegetables given the right cultural and management requirements.
Also one good reason is that the sweet pepper usually fetches a high price.
Wilfredo Rios of Brgy. Lao in Ormoc City is one satisfied grower of sweet pepper. He usually rotates it with other crops so that build up of pests and other problems are avoided. One time, he planted 3,000 seedlings of the Emperor variety. He harvested fruits from this particular crop for several months, averaging a sale of P13,500 per week.
The September issue also features the latest developments in sweetpotato research at the Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center (PhilRootcrops) based at the Visayas State University in Baybay, Leyte. Also featured is the vast potential of banana “rejects” in Mindanao which could be made into banana meal as ingredient in animal feeds, food grade banana flour, bananaketchup and others.
You will also read about the new glutinous rice varieties as reported by Adrielle Solsoloy of the Philippine Rice Research Institute. These include NSIC Rc13, 15, 17 and NSIC Rc 19.
Also featured are the success stories of a pilot who does his own brand of organic farming, the couple who started the “Pagkain para sa Masa” program in Mindanao, a Mindanaoan who brought improved farming practices to Mindoro, and others.

Mandarin Airlines sets direct flights to Kalibo, Aklan

More Taiwanese tourists are expected to visit the Philippines this year as Taiwanese carrier Mandarin Airlines is set to offer direct charter flights from Taichung to Kalibo starting on Oct. 16, one of several new charter flight offerings from Taiwanese carriers.
Antonio I. Basilio, Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) managing director and resident representative, said the new flights will benefit the Philippine travel and tourism industry as charter services are proving to be a driver for tourism growth.
Mandarin Airlines is not the only Taiwanese carrier that has introduced direct charter services to the Philippines top holiday destinations.
China Airlines (CAL), Taiwan’s No. 1 carrier, launched charter services to Cebu from Taipei and Kaohsiung last April and July respectively.
This month, CAL launched regular charter services to Kalibo. The carrier flies to Aklan from Taipei every Tuesday and Friday.
“These charter services are expected to bring in thousands of Taiwanese visitors to Boracay, one of the Philippines leading destinations. It’s a win-win for the community and the industry,” said Basilio.
Basilio said MECO in Taiwan is targeting four consumer segments for its tourism offerings: “Double income with no kids households, honeymooners, diving associations, and group tours.
“Although the honeymooners market may not be as big as the other market segments, it remains a potentially lucrative business for our industry suppliers and Taiwan’s destination management companies. This is a low-volume but high-yield market for us,” said Basilio.
MECO Tourism Center Representative Rene Reyes said that Taiwan’s double income no kids households or DINKS is another sub-segment that is driving the travel market.
“DINKS are comprised of young couples, usually between the ages of 30 and 40.They have both the means and the time to take overseas leisure breaks,” said Reyes. Reyes said Taiwan’s vibrant dive travel consumer market is another priority segment for the Philippines..
“There are about 400,000 licensed divers in Taiwan, not to mention the hundreds of other consumers who want to sign up for diving lessons. The Philippines is a good diving destination because of its mild tides. During the last quarter of the year and during the winter months, Taiwanese divers look for alternative diving sites. That’s an opportunity for us since the Philippines offers excellent year-round sites for divers,” said Reyes.
Package group tours remain the Philippines top market segment according to Reyes.
“This segment relies heavily on the quality, price and the popularity of the destination being marketed,” said Reyes. “Fortunately, our industry partners from tour operators and airlines to destination management companies “offer value-for-money products to Taiwan’s holiday travelers,”said Reyes.

Bohol in Taiwan's ice cream ad

The pristine white beaches, crystal-clear waters, and historical landmarks, are among the attractions of Bohol that captivated the makers of DuRoyal, the number one ice cream brand in Taiwan, which led them to make it the location for their ad campaign shoot for 2009.
Every year, DuRoyal spearheads a unique promotional drive for their summer months, and this year they chose Bohol, Philippines for their main location. The campaign also includes a raffle that would entitle one hundred lucky winners to a dream trip to the country.
According to Secretary Ace Durano of the Department of Tourism (DoT), whose team hosted the crew for the duration of their shoot, “The country’s exposure in an international commercial for a successful ice cream brand reaffirms our country’s position as a best-selling summer destination. Our partnerships with leading companies continue to strengthen the Philippines’ international marketing links.”
Durano added that at the recent visit of DuRoyal executives in Bohol, they were impressed with the hospitality of the Boholanos as well as its serene and appealing environment.
Eduardo Jarque, Jr., Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions, also noted, “The producers commented that Bohol was the perfect choice for their ice cream brand’s latest ad campaign, to be launched in time for the summer holidays in Taiwan.”
DuRoyal was declared as the number one ice cream brand in Taiwan, according to Breakthrough Magazine, their country’s leading publication, and the International Center of Photography (ICT) Marketing Year Book.
Aiming at providing quality ice cream to the Taiwanese market because of its strict selection of the world’s finest ingredients for their products, DuRoyal maintains the highest standards.
In fact, DuRoyal’s bestselling product Crunch Pie overtook McDonald’s and Coca Cola as the leading consumer product in the Taiwanese market.
Their packaging design was awarded the Taiwan Packaging Star for five consecutive years, also receiving theWorldstar Excellence in the international competition.
Dir. Rica Bueno, Marketing Head for DoT Team Asia Pacific, said,“One of the highly-regarded consumer brands in Taiwan choosing the Philippines as the main highlight of their campaign is a privilege we are grateful for.”
The TV commercial is part of the joint promotions campaign of the DoT and DuRoyal to feature the RP's attractions through its ice cream product line.

Henry Sy leads list of richest Filipinos

By ANGIE CHUI
August 28, 2009, 6:06pm

Tycoon Henry Sy, owner of the SM Group of Companies and the Banco de Oro universal bank, leads this year’s Forbes Asia Top 40 richest Filipinos, retaining his position from last year and increasing his wealth by $700 million to $3.8 billion.
In a s tatement , Forbes Asia said beer and cigarette magnate Lucio Tan is a far second with $1.7 billion, increasing his wealth by $200 million.
Ayala Corp.’s Jaime Zobel de Ayala remains at number three with $1.2 billion, with no significant changes to his earnings from the previous year.
Also in the top 40 is Andrew Tan, whose $850 million comes from his control of high-end developer Megaworld Corporation and real estate holdings that include Resort World Manila and $1.35 billion joint venture with Malaysia’s Star Cruises which launched last month.
Another retail magnate, John Gokongwei Jr., founder of the JG Summit business conglomerate, also entered this year’s list by posting $720million due largely to the 300 percent increase in shares of his stock since December last year.
Tony Tan Caktiong is the first representative of the food business in the top 10. Caktiong owns the popular Jollibee Foods chain which is found in 1,800 locations and nine brands in 11 countries. The firm seeks to establish 200 more branches this year in Asia and North America.
Eduardo Cojuanco Jr., chairman of Southeast Asia’s largest food and beverage conglomerate, San Miguel Corp., is the seventh richest in the land this year at $660 million. SMC is seeking to buy Dole Foods assets in Asia and is in negotiations to sell part of its branded food and alcohol operations.
At eighth is Enrique Razon Jr. with at $620 million. The billionaire also runs port operator International Container Terminal Services, Inc.
Senator Manuel Villar also made it to the list with $530 million in wealth from his real estate business. He owns a majority stake in Vista Land and Lifescapes and Polar Property Holdings, whose stocks have risen steadily.
Banker George Ty, owner of Metrobank, the country’s second largest lender, rounded the Top 10 with $515 million largely attributed to a rise in Metrobank profits for the first quarter of the year.
Manila Bulletin Chairman Dr. Emilio T. Yap follows closely with $510 million. The businessman, at 83, remains a force to reckon with in the business arena. Among his current projects include the renovation of the landmark Manila Hotel, while holdings in Philtrust Bank continue to boost his income.
Among the newcomers in this year’s list are Robert Coyiuto Jr. at No. 18. He heads a petroleum exploration firm and recently became part of a group that bought the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.
Benjamin Romualdez, a relative of Imelda Marcos, also entered the list at No. 30, and Marian Rosario Fong, at Number 40.

More elderly-friendly facilities needed for retirement tourism

THE PHILIPPINES needs more lodging facilities for elderly retirees, as this type of specialized infrastructure makes up only a small portion of the total mix of amenities currently available, the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) said yesterday. These are especially necessary, as the active foreign retirees aged 35 to 60 who make up a bulk of the total in the country will need such facilities soon, PRA Chairman Edgar B. Aglipay said. "Sixty-five percent of [the 20,000] retirees here are active. We are preparing for [when they] get old," Mr. Aglipay said.

Stem cell bank, fertility center eyed to promote medical tourism in RP

Manila Bulletin

A stem cell banking facility and a fertility center are envisioned to be put up in the Philippines which will promote medical tourism and health research investments locally.
The government has been scouting for models in nearby Asian countries like Malaysia on stem cell banking and fertility centers to support its plan to set up a similar facility, according to officials of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
"We're looking at the possibility of setting up stem cell banking. It may be put up together with a fertility center which is the most logical thing to do," said NIH-Institute of Human Genetics (IHG) Asst. Director Eva Maria Cutiongco-dela Paz in an interview.
NIH officials have earlier visited Kuala Lumpur which has already set up a stem cell storage center. A stem cell bank will attract investments in health research and perhaps even in pharmaceuticals research specially as these two facilities attract also attract medical tourism patients globally.
Markets for a stem cell storage house are hospitals that are linked with universities like the Philippine General Hospital which is associated with the University of the Philippines (UP) and the UST Hospital, linked with the University of Sto. Tomas.
"It can have a pay for service (operation)," said Cutiongco. "It will be a resource for students and faculty to do research and for other hospitals in the Philippines for others to use as pay for service thing."
While the United States has been in a quandary for some time in its stem cells research policy until President Barack Obama approved a few months ago funding for this, certain aspects of the use of stem cells has been a recognized safe and successful treatment (specially bone marrow stem cell transplant) which can attract medical tourism patients, according to local medical experts.
Fertility centers can also attract medical tourists as Filipino couples themselves seek for services offered in fertility centers or medical institutions in the United States and other countries.
Cutiongco said the establishment of a stem cell storage center will also have an impact on investments in research in the country.
"We've not had research yet on this because we don't have the facility," she said.
And yet the Philippines is not yet too late in this sector since Kuala Lumpur has just put a stem cell storage center but has not yet carried out any therapy program on this.
"I just recently visited facilities in Kuala Lumpur. This is from the initiatives of the university (UP), and we looked at their stem cell banking. Their stem cell banking is quite advanced, but their stem cell therapy is not in place yet," said Cutiongco.
Dr. Gisela P. Concepcion, Vivotech Lab Inc. and cosmetic-nutraceutical product maker Biomart Asia founder, said a research collaboration between hospitals and the universities on the molecular biology and cell culture technology aspects would enhance the country's potential in this industry that can also offer affordable treatment for Filipinos.

Missing : Domnino P. Liston , 73 yrs old

Name: Domnino Pugay Liston

Age: 73 years old

Date missing: September 2007

available pictures :13 years ago pa po eto so, he was 60 years old then.

Kung sino man pong makakapagbigay ng impormasyon sa kinaroroonan ni Mr. Domnino Pugay Liston ay ipagbigay alam po lamang sa mga sumusunod na contact numbers:


Metro Manila (02)542-3164, 0915-973-6493

CKC81 +63920 466 8000

email: eddumayas@yahoo.com

ckc81-owner@yahoogroups.com

Sana'y Muling Makapiling GMA Television

Name: Emile D. Dumayas Location: Sucat, Paranaque

Subject: Lost Father-in-law June 28, 2008 11:48 AM

Good day to you, hope you could help us.last year, about September 2007, my father-in-law got out of our house and was missing ever since. He has no ID'S or anything that could identify him and also "ulyanin na". my wife had gone to GMA to ask for help also and has submitted a picture. His name is Domnino P. Liston, about 72 years old. Any information that we could receive will be much appreciated. Thank you, and again, hope you could help us.

keywords: Domnino Pugay Liston, eejay, ej, emile dumayas, etang, lik, lost, margarita, missing person, sucat paraaque, ulyanin

Suicide bomber lightly injures senior Saudi prince

By ABDULLAH SHIHRI,
Associated Press Writer Abdullah Shihri,
Associated Press Writer


RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – A suicide bomber lightly wounded a senior prince largely credited for Saudi Arabia's anti-terrorism campaign when he blew himself up just before going into a gathering of well-wishers for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the state news agency said Friday.
It was the first known assassination attempt against a member of the royal family since Saudi Arabia began its crackdown on al-Qaida affiliated militants eight years ago following the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States.
The militant who attacked the assistant interior minister, Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, late Thursday at the Ramadan gathering in Jiddah had previously expressed his intention to give himself up to the official, the Saudi Press Agency quoted the royal court as saying.
It is customary for senior members of the royal family to hold regular open gatherings where citizens can air grievances, seek settlement of financial or other disputes or offer congratulations.
Upon hearing news of the attack, King Abdullah swiftly headed to hospital, according to the agency. It said the prince, who is the son of Interior Minister Prince Nayef, was discharged from the hospital and nobody else was seriously injured.
The Interior Ministry has spearheaded the kingdom's aggressive campaign against terrorism, one that has intensified since militants first struck in the kingdom in May 2003. The country is the birthplace of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and was home to 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers.
On Aug. 19, authorities announced the arrest of 44 suspected militants with al-Qaida links in a yearlong sweep that also uncovered dozens of machine guns and electronic circuits for bombs.
Last month, Saudi officials said a Saudi criminal court had convicted and sentenced 330 al-Qaida militants to jail terms, fines and travel bans in the country's first known trials for suspected members of the terror group.
The 330 are believed to be among the 991 suspected militants that the interior minister has said have been charged with participating in terrorist attacks over the past five years.

Evidence mounts recession's grip on economy easing

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER,
AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger,
Ap Economics Writer


WASHINGTON – Evidence is mounting that the longest recession since World War II is losing its grip on the U.S. economy.
The latest hint is due Friday when the government releases data on consumer spending and income for July.
Personal spending is expected to have posted a modest gain last month, driven higher by the popular Cash for Clunkers program. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect personal spending rose 0.2 percent in July after a 0.4 percent gain in June.
Economists believe that personal incomes, the fuel for future spending increases, probably rose 0.2 percent as well, following a 1.3 percent decline in June.
On Thursday, a report confirmed that the economy shrank at an annual rate of just 1 percent in the spring.
Many analysts say growth likely returned in the current quarter. Smaller dips in consumer spending and other areas during the April-June period led some economists to raise their forecasts for the July-September quarter.
But with unemployment aid claims stubbornly high, Americans may benefit little from a recovery if jobs remain scarce and spending stays too low to fuel a strong rebound.
The Commerce Department estimated that the U.S. gross domestic product, the broadest gauge of economic health, shrank at an annual rate of 1 percent in the second quarter. The new estimate of the nation's output of goods and services was the same as an earlier estimate released last month.
The negative figure marks a record fourth consecutive quarterly decline. But it was far smaller than the nosedive the economy had taken during the previous two quarters.
Businesses did slash inventories at an even greater rate than had been expected in the spring. But economists were encouraged by upward revisions to consumer spending, exports and housing construction. Analysts had expected the second-quarter economic figure to show a drop of 1.5 percent.
"The big surprise in this report was that there was enough spending in the consumer sector and elsewhere to offset all the loss from inventory reductions," said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight.
Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of total economic activity, fell at an annual rate of 1 percent in second quarter. It was a slight improvement from the 1.2 percent decline reported last month.
Gault predicted the economy will gain momentum in the current quarter and final three months of this year as businesses switch from trimming stockpiles to rebuilding inventories. He expects the GDP to jump to above 3 percent in the July-September quarter, boosted by the Cash from Clunkers auto program.
Growth likely will remain around 3 percent in the fourth quarter, Gault said. But then it could slip in the first half of next year as the support from inventory rebuilding begins to fade. Consumers, faced with bleak job prospects, won't likely be able to take up the slack, he said.
Unemployment is not expected to peak until next spring, probably somewhere above 10 percent. The jobless rate is now 9.4 percent.
White House economic adviser Christina Romer earlier this week said the unemployment rate is likely to hit 10 percent this year. Economists think the unemployment rate will inch back up to 9.5 percent for August, with 220,000 more jobs lost, down a bit from 247,000 in July. That report is scheduled for release next week.
The 1 percent dip in GDP in the April-June quarter followed declines of 6.4 percent in the first quarter and 5.4 percent in the final three months of 2008, the sharpest back-to-back declines in a half-century. The four straight quarterly declines in GDP mark the first time that has occurred on government records dating to 1947.
The recession that began in December 2007 is the deepest as measured by the drop in GDP, which is down 3.9 percent from its previous peak.
Even though economists expect the economy to start growing again in the current quarter, signaling the end of the recession, that won't mean the end of job losses. Businesses likely will continue to keep tight control over labor costs until they see more evidence that the recovery will not falter.
Some analysts worry the country could face a double-dip recession in which growth returns for a while, only to falter again as beleaguered consumers remain reluctant to increase spending.
First-time unemployment claims fell to a seasonally adjusted 570,000, from an upwardly revised 580,000 the previous week, the Labor Department said Thursday. The number of those continuing to claim benefits dropped to 6.13 million from 6.25 million, the lowest level since early April.
The weekly figures remain far above the roughly 325,000 claims that analysts say is consistent with a healthy economy. New claims last fell below 300,000 in early 2007.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said last week that the economy appeared to be "leveling out" and was likely to begin growing again soon. President Barack Obama appointed Bernanke to another four-year term Tuesday.