Philippine Travel Blog

The Pampanga region has seen the creation of a new travel agency association, as 16 local agencies group together to offer a more standardised service.

Creating the Pampanga Agents Travel Society (Pats), the group will look to offer a similar product line, with even pricing to become standardised amongst members.

“[Pats will] have a functional approach to quality service care that will cultivate harmonious relationship among the members and industry players and to respond promptly to the needs of the travelling public,” said the newly formed group in a press statement.

To be affiliated with the national Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA), Pats has named Danilo Cerdena as President, Prisca Castor, as Vice-President, Lerma Macarayo as Secretary, and Alvin Reyes as Treasurer. Continue reading →

Text and Photos by : Melo Villareal

Philippine Travel Blog together with Byahilo.com and Justwandering.org recently covered the 2008 Pasigarbo sa Sugbo Festival last August 9,2008. Covering Festivals is definitely not new to me. I’ve been covering festivals in different cities and provinces in the country since 2002 but i stopped when i started working early 2006.

When Eric and Nina said that they will be going to Cebu to cover the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo Festival, I immediately said Yes! Im joining. Finally, After more than three years I will visit Cebu again.

The streetdancing competition started at around 2pm in Mandaue City Plaza. We enjoyed the 1.5 kilometer-long walk from Mandaue City Hall to CICC (Cebu International Convention Center) to follow the 34 contingents as they parade with their unique and colorful costumes. Continue reading →

The re-staging of the ‘Voyadores’ is seen to revitalize start of the week-long celebration of the Bicol region’s religious fete, the Peñafrancia Festival, which will culminate 3rd Sunday of September.

Voyadores Festival promises to be colorful as ever as it showcases the Bicolano people’s devotion and faith to Virgin Mary in one of her greatest attributes here, Our Lady of Peñafrancia.

Eye catching costumes, lively street dances for a merriment deeply rooted on rich local arts and culture are among the slew of events during the parade.

Voyadores, being the major event in the week-long festivities has become a draw since it was started in Naga City a few years ago.

It is held in fashion of dramatizing the century-old devotion of the Voyadores (Spanish term for devotees) of the Virgin as they transfer her image from the Basilica Minore to the Metropolitan cathedral.

The dramatization of the image transfer is called Traslacion. This is done through a fluvial procession in Bicol River.

With purely religious undertones, the choreography of dances is a showy presentation of lively mood accompanied with music provided by each participating contingent from various parts of Bicol such as Albay, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon and the island provinces of Masbate, Catanduanes and the seven cities of the region.

FOR new participants in the 3-category Puting Bato “Climbmathon” it will be new mountain trails to be discovered and some sights to behold atop the highest peak of the Island Garden City Of Samal (Igacos) of the Davao Region.

Mount Puting Bato is actually visible from the nearest neighboring city of Davao, just five minutes motorized banca drive from the nearest points from both sides of the dividing channel of the Davao Gulf.

The latest climb will be a three-category event for experts and new climbers and thrill-seeking adventure sports enthusiasts,Rey Sumagaysay, one of Davao’s most experienced climbers and event organizer, announced during the regular Tuesday forum of the Sports Communicators Organization of the Philippines (Scoop-Davao) at the Royal Mandaya Hotel, this city.

Sumagaysay said that open expert category climbers, both male and female, are now getting ready for the latest marathon climb that will have Punta del Sol as its venue for the fellowship night prior to their transport to Barangay Guilon for the start of the 5-kilometer speed trekking, uphill climb to the shining white Puting Bato on Saturday, August 16, 2008. Continue reading →

One of the highlights of the 58th Adlaw Hong Butuan celebration is the Magellan’s Trek (Lumba Pabibo) on July 31 is aimed to re-chart the historical and controversial route of Ferdinand Magellan journey to re-energize the young and olds alike, in terms of historical awareness.

Magellan Trek is basically a sports game involving teen-agers (age 13-16 years old) from various educational institutions comprising 9 members per team’ which would be accompanied by a teacher from the registrant’s school.

Each team must provide their own First-Aid Kit, Scarves and Caps, snacks and water. The Lumba Pabibo (fun run) would start at the City Hall Grounds passing through seven historical sites of the city to finally end at Rizal Park where each team would be given certain tasks which describes best the historicity of the particular site then acted out and performed by the team. Continue reading →

A small, simple invention that reuses the water used to cool ice machine compressors has allowed the Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa to recycle hundreds of thousands of litres of water each year and created huge savings on the hotel’s water bill.

The invention, a simple piping system, is attached to three ice machines in the hotel, capturing the water used to cool the compressors and then sending this ‘grey water’ to be reused in the hotel’s flushing tanks, rather than simply washing down the drain.

The system was created as part of a water saving project led by Hilton Cebu’s Chief Engineer Antonio Dizon and team members Junar Penalosa and Gaspar Pasucal, who were looking at ways to boost the resort’s environmental efforts.

General Manager Harald Feurstein said the engineering team’s effort was a victory for Hilton Cebu’s efforts to be more eco-friendly and it had been well received by guests as well as hotel staff. Continue reading →

The tourism sector is bent on elevating indigenous foods to global standards and become more competitive in the international market because food always goes with tourism

Mary Ann M. Montemayor, managing director of Konkordans, the event organizer of the Mindanao Culinary Festival (MCF) 2008 speaking at the Club 888 Forum of the Marco Polo Davao said that destinations cannot be promoted without food.

She said while Davao already had several indigenous food preparations they need still to bring these local delicacies of food to higher level.

She cited that the fruit Durian has already been elevated to gourmet standard although she said there is a lot of catching up to do.

“We have to sell Durian in a gourmet manner,” she said.

The tuna carting she said was the center stage of the previous MCF and it had been gaining ground. Continue reading →