What are top places to go when visiting the Philippines?

 

By Datu Ulap

Philippine Deep Dive

The Philippines has much to offer when it comes to exploring, adventuring and learning about cultural heritage.

Banaue - one of the most interesting places to learn about indigenous culture in the country. Rice terraces built centuries ago dominate the landscape, while villages of houses built in the traditional style sit in the middle of the large fields. The ethnic groups here are very proud of their heritage, and many still wear traditional clothing. Take a trek to Batad Rice Terraces, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country.

I begin with Banaue because I believe very strongly that the cultural heritage of the country needs to be highlighted just as much as the beach getaways and island hopping.

Sagada - another interesting spot in the Northern Philippines. Here you can visit more indigenous sites such as the hanging coffins. You can also trek rice terraces and explore caves.

Palawan - the most popular of the islands to visit and for good reason. Island hopping here is just incredible. The Underground River is a UENSCO World Heritage Site. El Nido and Coron have some amazing lagoons, islands, rock formations and beaches. Port Barton is another village that is known for its laidback lifestyle.

Siquijor - another amazing island, known for its waterfalls and beaches. The island is also known for its sorcery, as many shamans still practice here. Folk beliefs are still common.

Tubbataha Reefs - another UNESCO World Heritage Site known for having some of the best preserved coral reefs. Located in the Coral Triangle, diving here means you’ll be swimming in a biodiverse hotspot.

Siargao - a teardrop shaped island known for its natural beauty. Palm trees, beaches and more islands. It’s also a great surfing destination.

Bohol - the chocolate hills are the main draw to this place, as are the tarsiers. There is also plenty of cultural heritage here, including Baclayon Church, a colonial era structure made of coral stone, making it unique.

Vigan - a well preseved colonial era town in the Philippines, also granted UNESCO World Heritage. The heritage homes here combine native, Spanish, and Chinese architectural influence. Kalesas ride down cobblestone streets and you get a sense of the amount of history that this place holds.

Davao - a city in the south where you can try Mindanao specialty food, as well as learn a bit about indigenous culture in the region. You can also visit the Philippine Eagle Sanctuary. Lake Sebu would make a great day trip to visit the T’boli people.

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DoT reintroduces PH Tourism Awards

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco. PHOTO BY J. GERARD SEGUIA

By Moises Cruz, Manila Times

THE Department of Tourism (DoT) relaunched the Philippine Tourism Awards (PTA) to promote the growth of tourism in the country and to encourage local government units to use tourism as a tool for economic development.

"The PTA aims to recognize tourism-related establishments and individuals whose seasoned expertise and commitment have innovatively and creatively projected the Filipino culture and the Filipino brand," Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco said.

The five main categories for the Philippine Tourism Awards are Institutional, Creative, Individual, Destination of the Year, and Special Awards.

Every category will have a matching subcategory.

The institutions that are deemed to be the greatest in their fields in knowledge, professionalism, and the caliber of their facilities and services will get Institutional Awards.

The purpose of the Creative Awards is to recognize the expertise and insights of people and organizations in their marketing, advertising and promotion activities while taking into account the originality and factual presentation of information.

Individual Awards are given to people working in the industry directly or indirectly who uphold high standards of customer and client satisfaction.

The Destination of the Year Award will be given to a specific travel destination in recognition of its commitment to the growth and marketing of the tourism sector via the collaborative efforts of the business and local government sectors.

The Special Awards, on the other hand, will be presented to an individual or a private entity that has advanced the interests of the tourism sector and whose contribution has improved travel in the Philippines.

Marcos pledges to reboot tourism

"Through the Philippine Tourism Awards, we will also be identifying the best practices of local government units, to further encourage them to adopt tourism as a means to stimulate the local economy and herald our distinct culture and heritage," Garcia-Frasco said.

The PTA marks the beginning of the tourism sector's resurgence as the country anticipates fewer travel and health regulations in the near future.

PH commits to comply 27 int’l conventions, seeks continued EU-GSP+ status

by Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat, MB

The Philippines committed to comply with the 27 international core conventions on human rights, labor, environment, and good governance as it sought to maintain its duty-free privilege for the country’s exports under the EU-Generalized System of Preferences+ (EU-GSP+).

Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary Allan B. Gepty, who represented the Department of Trade and Indusry during the One Country, One Voice virtual consultation on the EU-GSP+ on Wednesday, Oct. 19, made this commitment as the country is facing strong headwinds from the EU in its petition to maintain its status in the EU-GSP+ scheme. 

The EU, particularly members of the EU Parliament have been very vocal in their criticism against the Philippines, particularly on alleged human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, freedom of the press, freedom of association and labor rights, red tagging, and pending bills such as the death penalty. Compliance to these are major issues in the 27 international conventions is a major criteria for a beneficiary country’s continued status for duty-free benefits of its exports.

“The enjoyment of GSP+ is anchored on the country’s compliance with the 27 international core conventions on human rights, labor, environment and good governance, and the Philippines remains committed in making good its commitments under these international conventions. Our policy direction is clear on these areas, and the Philippines can well serve as a strategic and reliable partner of the EU in the region,” said emphasized.

He reiterated that the Philippines is open to work closely with the EU (EU Commission, EU Parliament, and EU Council) to ensure compliance with international core conventions.

Gepty noted that EU is one of the major trading and investment partners of the Philippines. Through the EU GSP+ scheme, Gepty said, local stakeholders as well as foreign investors get to enjoy preferential market access in the EU market for qualified products.

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“This arrangement gives our stakeholders comparative advantage and we want to maintain this,” Gepty stressed.

Gepty cited the benefits the EU-GSP has provided to the Philippine economy via its GSP+ program since December 2014. The Philippines’ current status in the EU-GSP Plus, which grants zero duty on 6,274 tariff lines, including the country’s top major exports such as tuna, processed fruits, and garments.

The EU Commission is currently evaluating the Philippines and is expected to come up with the report for the 4th Monitoring Cycle in the fourth quarter this year. The expected report will also be used as a springboard for the new assessment when the Philippines reapplies to the new GSP+ scheme in 2024.

Gepty further emphasized that he continuation of EU GSP+ is beneficial for the Philippines and the EU in driving inclusive growth and sustainable development.

As such, he said, “issues and concerns against the Philippines must be received with utmost circumspection, clarified, and contextualized.”

With EU as a big export market and as a key investment partner, the Philippines intends to continue availing EU GSP+ to boost inclusiveness for businesses, among others. Gepty also noted that the government and the business sector are calling for the resumption of the PH-EU FTA negotiations. 

In addition, Gepty said the Philippines can be the EU’s reliable and strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific region.

Philippine exports to the EU has been improving since it started enjoying the GSP+ scheme. Total Philippine exports to EU in 2015 reached 6.68 billion euros reaching a high of 7.63 billion euros in 2019, but it declined to 6.2 billion euros in 2020 due to the pandemic. The country’s exports to EU registered a strong rebound in 2021 to 7.77 billion euros.

In terms of EU-GSP+, data from the Eurostat showed that the country’s duty-free exports under the program reached 1.60 billion euros in 2015 and steadily climbed to 1.95 billion euros in 2019 before declining to 1.6 billion euros in 2020. The country’s GSP+ exports recovered hitting an all-time high of 2.03 billion euros in 2021.

Data also showed that of the country’s high utilization of the program from 68.3 percent in 2015 to 76 percent in 2021, making the Philippines 6th largest export market globally.

The GSP+ has saved 150 million euros in duty annually for Philippine exports.

PAL passes US airport security protocols

by Ariel Fernandez, MB

The Philippine Airlines (PAL) has passed a quality control inspection conducted by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (US TSA).

In a statement, PAL said the inspection includes how it handles airport operations that cover passenger and baggage handling as well as catering procedures.

“Our airline remains compliant with all requirements for our flights between Manila and the United States, as with other routes. The men and women of our flag carrier shall continue to uphold the highest standards of safety and security to protect the flying public,” said PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Capt. Stanley K. Ng. 

The inspection was conducted by the US TSA from August 11 to 12 this year.

PAL operates regular flights from Manila to U.S. destinations like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, New York and Guam.

Ng said they continue to collaborate with the Office for Transportation Security (OTS), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) in order to enhance the security and safety posture of the Philippines’ main airport gateway.

“We continue to liaise with local and foreign regulators to invariably manage and prepare for risks arising from identified vulnerabilities and evolving and emerging threats,” he said.

Super American Circus to thrill fans during the holidays

by Manila Bulletin Entertainment

Shout out to all the circus fans out there!

Get ready for exciting and breathtaking performances from Super American Circus! The two-hour show will feature industries’ world-famous acts with death-defying aerial stunts that will surely entertain everyone.

During its media launch at the Golden Bay Restaurant last Oct. 18, Super American Circus video teaser was shown by the circus ringmaster and CEO of Global Entertainment Tuffy Nicholas. 

Different acts such as aerialists, acrobats, motorcycle madmen, live music, and talents from around the world will come together in this breathtaking and jaw-dropping show to give Filipino fans another once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Aside from Tuffy, Super American Circus official Artistic Director and Choreographer Elaine Alcorn and one of the performers, Mario Espana were present via zoom.

According to her, the show will have 20 main act performers that will include families and other group acts. Since the show will run during the holiday season, they will also include a Christmas special during the show.

Cerah Hernandex, co-hosting the Super American Circus media launch (Facebook)

“Because of the Christmas season, we are going to put little Christmas songs in our show for that period of time,” she mentioned during the interview.

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During the media launch, Mario also revealed why they chose the Philippines to bring their Super American Circus show.

“We were in the Philippines a few years back, and Tuffy, our producer, likes to travel and take the show as far as we can from our hometown, so we like to show our traditional American circus and talents for the rest of the world,” he said.

The Super American Circus show will run at the Newport Performing Arts Theatre in Newport World Resorts from Dec. 21 to Jan. 8, 2023. (Carissa Alcantara)

1B kids at extreme risk from climate change

By Agence France-Presse October 20, 2022 

SOME 1 billion children are at "extremely high risk" due to climate change harms, a rights group warned on Wednesday, adding that youths' living standards failed to improve in the last decade.

The KidsRights index, based on figures supplied by UN agencies, also said more than one-third of the world's children, some 820 million, were currently exposed to heat waves.

Water scarcity affected 920 million children worldwide, while diseases such as malaria and dengue affected some 600 million children, or 1 in every 4, Dutch NGO KidsRights said.

The KidsRights Index is the first and only ranking that measures how children's rights are respected annually, ranking Iceland, Sweden and Finland as the best for children's rights, and Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Chad as the worst, out of 185 countries.

Of the top three nations, only Sweden's ranking changed from the previous year, moving to second from fourth place.

Marc Dullaert, founder and chairman of KidsRights, described this year's report as "alarming for our current and future generations of children."

"A rapidly changing climate is now threatening their futures and their basic rights," he said.

"There has been no significant progress in the standards of children's lives over the past decade and on top of that their livelihoods have been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic," Dullaert added.

The Covid-19 pandemic had a severe impact on children, who were unable to get food or medicine due to disruptions and the closure of clinics, leading to some 286,000 under the age of 5 years dying as a result, KidsRights said.

For the first time in two decades, the number of child laborers has risen to 160 million, representing an increase of 8.4 million over the last four years, said the KidsRights Index, which is compiled together with Rotterdam's Erasmus University.

KidsRights highlighted Angola and Bangladesh, saying the two countries significantly improved their scores in regards to children's rights.

Angola has more than halved its under-5 child mortality, while Bangladesh has reduced the number of underweight children under 5 years by almost half.

But the report also slapped Montenegro for low vaccination numbers, ranked 49 on the index.

The survey uses UN data to measure how countries measure up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.