Residents of the New York metropolitan area can get a sneak peak of the Philippines and first-hand experience of some of the tropical paradise’s more alluring qualities – such as its delectable cuisine and soothing spa treatments at booth number 352 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

Renowned for unique spa treatments that combine indigenous techniques and elements of spirituality, the Philippines is most famous for hilot, a traditional Filipino-style deep tissue massage performed by an authentic manghihilot who uses mysticism and incantations while kneading the muscles to remove aches and pains.

An ancient Filipino art of healing, Hilot employs chiropractic manipulation and massage for the diagnosis and treatment of musculoligamentous and musculoskeletal ailments. Those who stop by the Philippine booth will be treated to a very special demonstration by a New York licensed masseur and masseuse.

Award-winning chefs and cookbook authors Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan of Cendrillon Restaurant in New York will be giving a talk on Philippine cuisine at 11:30am on Saturday, February 7. Food tasting with ube pan-de-sal filled with sumptuous pork & chicken adobo and the native ensaymadas will be available immediately after the presentation.

Entrance to this session is on a “first-come-first served” basis. The popular San Miguel beer and juices from the local mangoes, guyabano and kalamansi (tiny lemon-lime-like fruit rich in Vitamin C) will be available for tasting after the cooking demonstration.

The Philippine Department of Tourism will also be offering samples of “mangorind” – a candied puree of mango and tamarind – from booth 352. It is a special treat considering the world’s best-tasting mangoes are found in the Philippines.

“Our unique cultural background has given us an opportunity to excel in service-oriented areas,” said Emma Ruth Yulo, Director of the Philippine Department of Tourism in New York, noting that most cruise lines and many international five-star hotels and restaurants favor Filipino workers to ensure their discerning guests’ satisfaction with personable hospitality and superior attention to detail.

“Nowhere is this more true than in the pampering one receives at our luxury spas where soothing treatments blend with our tranquil atmosphere to create pure bliss and relaxation,” added Yulo, encouraging attendees from throughout the US and Canada to experience the Filipino philosophy on hospitality first-hand in the paradise where it originated.

Culture is an important element to any Philippine vacation as architectural marvels such as the Banaue Rice Terraces (pictured left), still preserved by the same indigenous Ifugao rice farmers who built it by hand more than 2,000 years ago, provide fascinating insight into the spirituality, pride and dedication of the Filipino character.
“The rice terraces are but one of eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites in our the country,” noted Yulo, urging visitors to include some of country’s historical treasures in their journey.

The Philippines is home to many luxury hotels and resorts throughout cosmopolitan Manila and many of its smaller tropical islands such as the beach-lined Panglao and Boracay, as well as Cebu, the Philippines’ oldest city where one can seek plantation-style accommodations with ultra attentive pampering at Plantation Bay Resort (right image).
All luxury hotels within the Philippines offer exceptional spa services, including beachside huts in many cases for the ultimate relaxation.

Five Shangri-La properties in Manila, Cebu and Boracay offer special Filipino treatments at the Chi Spa (first image in press release), while others, such as Panglao Island Nature Resort on the southwestern tip of Bohol, utilize locally-gathered ingredients to rejuvenate the skin and muscles while relaxing the body.

Private-island resort paradises abound in the Philippines with some of the most notable being El Nido Resorts (pictured left) and Amanpulo Resort in Palawan, and Badian Island Resort & Spa (bottom right image) on the southwestern coast of Cebu. These resorts offer an assortment of blissful and holistic spa packages, as well as other serenity-inducing programs such as yoga and meditation sessions for mental well being.

For the adventurous, the Philippines is home to the eerily beautiful Mount Pinatubo, site of the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, where both hot and cold springs are a gateway to euphoria and spa treatments utilize mineral-rich volcanic ash from the crater. Of particular interest is the mud-spa skillfully administered at the Mr. Pinatubo Spa Town in Clark, Pampanga (location of the former US Air Base).

The MediSpa housed at SM City Davao has forged a Partnership with Tianshi Philippines, Inc. said Ryann Arao, the spa marketing manager saying they will carry the services Tiens.

She said among the services they will offer on top of their line of products are the Tiens Health Mattress, Acumagic and Acupoint Pressure even as she said that they will also carry other products distributed by Tiens.

She said they will venture on pain management knowing that many of the Filipinos are suffering from pain due to inappropriate lifestyle behavior.

It may be recalled that diseases of Filipinos are caused by wrong lifestyle behavior where doctors recommend to their patient the modification of their style of living.

Tiens offers high quality lifestyle with health, happiness, beauty and affluence to over 12 million consumers worldwide.

According to Dr. Hector dela Cruz, spokesperson of Tiens during the Davao Business Forum held last Tuesday (July 29), the Tiens products are sold in 200 countries. Tiens is ISO accredited and their products are issued HACCP and Halal Certification. It develops health food, health care, beauty care and home care products.

Tiens meanwhile is a multinational group specializing in retail, tourism, finance, international trade and E-business.

Members of CHWC, particularly those offering hospital and dental services, observed a ’steady flow’ of
inquiries and walk-in patients long before they have formally organized themselves as a group.

They said various nationalities have made different inquiries about various services, such as executive check-ups, heart surgery, organ transplants and cosmetology.

The Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital and Perpetual Succour Hospital, both in Cebu City, have reported having accommodated European, American and Japanese patients

But Cebu will have to compete with long-established medical tourism areas in Asia, such as India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. CHWC said it will take the lead in positioning the province as the ‘ultimate destination for quality medical and wellness tourism.

Medical tourism involves people traveling to other places to obtain medical, dental and surgical care while enjoying the areas’ other attractions.

CHWC chairman Oscar Tuason, also administrator of Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital, said medical tourism revenues reached 40 billion dollars in 2000 in Asia alone.

In 2006, Asia posted about 120 billion dollars in revenues from medical tourism. The sector has a projected annual growth rate of 20 percent.

Tuason, in his presentation during the Tourism Congress at the Cebu International Convention Center, said Thailand recently earned 470 million dollars from 600,000 nationalities from the United States, United Kingdom and the Middle East who underwent cosmetic surgery, dental treatment, eye surgery, kidney dialysis and kidney transplants from various Thai medical institutions.

He said foreign patients prefer medical treatment outside their home country due to lower costs.

He cited heart valve replacement as example. The procedure can cost a patient 120,000 dollars in the US, compared to 9,000 dollars in India, 10,500 dollars in Thailand and 13,000 dollars in Singapore.

Tuason said foreigners can save much more if they come to Cebu. He said a coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), which treats the hardening of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, costs about 18,000 dollars in Cebu but 100,000 dollars in the US.

‘Even if a patient pays about 3,000 dollars for air travel, 625 dollars for a five-day hotel accommodation, 500 dollars for meals, 100 dollars for ground transportation and another 100 dollars for other needs, he will only spend about 22,325 dollars in Cebu,’ he said.

CHWC members said Cebu has good potentials to be a major player in medical tourism. Aside from lower costs, the country’s hospitals are well-equipped and have competent doctors while Filipinos are ‘excellent caregivers.’

Tuason said while Cebu is not putting much emphasis on kidney transplants after the Department of Health passed a memorandum that limits the number of foreigners who can avail themselves of it, Cebu can still offer other medical services, such as cardiac surgery, orthopedic surgery and executive checkups.

CHCW is finalizing its registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Once finalized, its members – hospitals, dental services, spas, travel and tour operators, Department of Health, Department of Tourism, and Department of Trade and Industry – will become part of the health and wellness cluster of the Philippine Exporters

Dr. Neil Oropesa who first practiced his profession seven years ago in Davao City and made good in treating the skin of Dabawenyos opened up 25 other branches all over the country but made a hit in 2006 when he opened 12 branches within that year.

Noting the increasing number of clients that come from other parts of the island and even the balikbayans, he decided to open a hotel where he could offer to clients a place where they could stay.

He acquired a foreclosed property from the bank, the former Hotel Mario along Magallanes Street that stayed idle for ten years and transformed the structure into an attractive edifice in Davao’s old time street.

Beside the hotel is the Gazing Restaurant where it offers its specialty menu – “paksiw na buntot ng tuna”. Hotel guests like foreigners love to hang out in the restaurant not only because of its varied menus but they could also catch the dawn scene of farmers dropping their agricultural produce at the “bagsakan center” just across the street.

Amelda Saramosing Oropesa, mother of Dr. Oropesa, helped in the operation of the businesses and in an interview said they are fulfilled when they find their clients satisfied of the services they offered.

The old Oropesa as far as the hotel operation is concerned even go into the details of selecting the beds and the pillows for the 27 rooms that they operate.

The guest has choices of rooms from suite, family, standard, double, or single. All aircondition rooms are equipped with hot and cold shower, telephone, cable tv and the six floors hotel has a service lift, a function room and fire exit.

She said they never thought this business would click even as she said that they are guided by the principle of good, quality and transparent business.

Right now she said the hotel other than servicing their regular clients also capture new clients for the dermatological procedures done by Dr. Oropesa or to the Oropesa Spa Clinic.

The Oropesa’s, she said is into business since the 70s where her husband Roger manages Radiowealth branch offices which grew to 18 branches during his watch.

She said they are also into Oropesa Marketing where they sell appliances but folded the business in 1982 during the financial crisis.

The Oropesa’s in the early 80s while still into the business were among the victims of the San Pedro Street fire. Though heavy with her second child she went into the store and tried to save some of their records. She failed to gather those records and instead got a third degree burn on her face because of the heat of the fire.

“My face got burned and it was destroyed,” she said.

She recalled hopping from one dermatologists to another in Cebu and in Manila because none was available in Davao that time and they incurred big amount just for her skin treatment. She then ventured into the dermhaus business where she opened an outlet.

The business also was doing well that time until finally the Oroderm Clinic was established.

She said medicine was not the love of Dr. Oropesa because he wanted to become a lawyer. “I did not pushed him to take up medicine but just throw the idea to him. And maybe because of my condition perhaps he was challenged.

Dr. Oropesa in his clinic has over a dozen top of the line laser machines that cost millions of pesos. These high end equipment are the same equipment found in Belo Medical Clinic in Manila.

Transforming professional education:

Health Travel & Medical Tourism: Convention & Exhibition 2008 is a vehicle such as a Framework Convention on Global Health (FCGH) could powerfully improve global health governance. Health Travel & Medical Tourism: Convention & Exhibition 2008 could set achievable goals for global health spending; define areas of cost effective investment to meet basic survival needs; build sustainable health systems; and create incentives for scientific innovation for affordable treatments in Heart Health Travel(Coronary Angiography, Heart Surgery), Dental Tourism, Elderly Tourism, Sports Medicine, Cosmetic Treatment, Wellness Treatment (Spas and Health Resorts), Special Needs Medical Travel & Tourism (Rehabilitative medicine), Genetics disorders and Gene Therapy, Executive Spinal Fusion : A Multifaceted Holistic Approach, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda,Yoga etc.

This is platform for Global Competency in Technology Transfer (Biotechnology-Medicine for the Earth: Biodynamic Preparations) and Halal Healthcare – pharmaceutical & healthcare innovations).

By focusing on the major determinants of health and Asean Asian Millennium Health & Medical Tourism 2008 topics such as Challenges and Opportunities : How to improve the quality and safety of patient care? (Children’’s Health, Women’s Health, Risks, Advices and Finance),the international community could dramatically improve prospects for good health.

Health Travel & Medical Tourism 2008: Convention & Exhibition 2008 would stimulate creative public/private partnerships and actively engage civil society stakeholders from different sectors such as Healthy Family Travels, Medical Device Industries (Risk and Opportunity Assessment), Wellness Spas, Healthcare destinations, High Quality Gastronomic Healthy & Wellness sectors etc.

Experts make recommendations to protect health through High Quality Gastronomic Healthy & Wellness Applications in Cuisine, Wellness- drinks and Water, Drinking Water, and Water Protection (”HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF FLUORIDE IN YOUR DRINKING WATER”).

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: 14-16 October 2008,Malaysia and 25-27 November 2008, United Arab Emirates.

This is the opportunity to discover the best healthcare destination set in a most dynamic Health Tourism and Medical Travel platform. The Organizer firmly believe that multinationals will reinvent the Health Tourism and Medical Travel concept for a better tomorrow during this event. “ARE YOU THERE”? Join us to unlock your business potential.
For more info: convention secretariat: info@aecce.ca
Email: connector@postmaster.co.uk
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