No stopping ‘summer’ fun in the Philippines, DOT says

 Tara Yap, Manila Bulletin

by Alexandria Dennise San Juan, Manila Bulletin

Summer, as they call it, has come but as the threat of the coronavirus disease remains, would it still be more fun in the Philippines? Yes, according to Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

“There is no stopping summer. Marami nang tourist destinations ang nagbukas ngayon — nagbukas na ang Boracay, Puerto Princesa — marami nang pwedeng puntahan ngayon (There are so many tourist destinations that reopened like Boracay, Puerto Princesa — there are many sites to visit now),” said Puyat said in an interview over DZRH on Saturday, March 6.

The national government, along with the Local Government Units (LGUs), is even trying to revive the economy via tourism as more areas have started to open their borders and also eased the travel restrictions like cancelling the Travel Authority and Medical Clearance Certificate as requirements.

Several destinations also have no age restrictions which are perfect for a quick getaway with the whole family including grandparents and children.

“Ang pamilyang Pilipino malungkot ang bakasyon kung hindi kasama ang buong pamilya. Ito na ang pagkakataon na ang buong pamilya ay magkasama-sama at ma-enjoy nila nag napakagagandang beaches sa Pilipinas (Filipinos want to travel with their families. This is the opportunity for the whole family to get together and enjoy the beautiful beaches in the Philippines),” Puyat said.

Aside from the opening of favorite vacation spots in the country, Puyat said that the streamlining of required travel documents will also encourage more tourists to visit these destinations.

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved last month a uniform set of travel protocols for land, air, and sea across the country while keeping strict health protocols in place.

These include the scrapping of the mandatory coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing, except when required by the local government unit (LGU) of destination, as well as the need to go on quarantine unless the traveler shows symptoms.

“When we travel sinusunod namin yung mga travel requirements as respect na rin to the LGUs kaya nararamdaman namin kung gaano kahirap kapag maraming hinihinging documents. At least ngayon mas simple na ang requirements (we follow the travel requirements as respect to the LGUs so we know how hard it is when there are many documents needed. At least now, the requirements are simpler),” Puyat shared.

While many people are now confident to travel amid the pandemic, the tourism chief reiterated the need to strictly follow the minimum health protocols even during a vacation such as wearing face masks and face shields, maintaining physical distancing, and practicing proper hand hygiene.

“Kailangang meron pa rin na minimum health and saftey protocols lalo na ngayon na dumating na ang vaccine. Mabuti nang mas maingat para we are good to go (Following the minimum health and safety protocols is a must even during vacation especially now that the vaccine already arrived. It is better to be more careful),” she added.

Tourists were also reminded to always book with accommodation establishments and tour operators that are accredited by the Department of Tourism to ensure their health and safety during their trip.

Puyat said tourists from Metro Manila can still avail of its subsidized RT-PCR test at the Philippine General Hospital for as low as P900 to help reduce travel costs.

Philippine Travel Mart Exhibition

The provincial government through the Tourism Office joins the Philippine Travel Mart together with the other provinces in the Region sponsored by the Department of Tourism at SMX Convention Center from August 30-Sept.1, 2019.  This is the longest-running travel trade exhibition in the Philippines and Comval is part of the highlighted pavilion being next year's dive and climb caravan feature on the 2020 Visit Davao Summer Fun. (Tourism, PLGU COMVAL )

Enjoying Lazy Days

ENJOYING LAZY DAYS

My column for BusinessWeek Mindanao

An exciting week is still ahead! Several meetings and seminars with business people are waiting. And another great event. I am blessed and very happy looking forward to the Tagum City Musikahan Festival - engaging the world through the language of the soul. Thank you so much Honorable Mayor Allan L. Rellen for the invitation.

Indeed, you don't get anything for nothing in life. This is our life's main motto. This is our biography's epigraph - whether we like it or not. Many times, I stressed this already in different write-ups in distinct publications.

I am on my veranda as I write this, and although the month of March has just begun, only a few people seem to be in summer mood. Yes, also today the sky is cloudy and looks like rain. But a wonderful summer (?) breeze is around me, more and more flowers in my big garden are blooming. Summer or not - I am thinking again about some lazy days -somehow somewhere in future ... !

Hurray, doing nothing is really something. No, I am not talking about those people, who just hang out day-by-day and week-by-week by doing nothing and -maybe- just fed by someone. No, I mean doing nothing is really something great after a period  of really hard work. By the way, it doesn't matter, if it regards us or our children. 

Talking about our children: School vacations are coming soon, and yes, children also deserve several lazy days. If I talk about my nephews and nieces here, I am surprised to learn: summer school vacations are not equal to three months total laziness. There are dance-, gymnastic- or piano lessons as well as summer classes. Great, guys! I like that!

Of course, time off should be really time off. Days by the beach - with family or alone. Let's stay outside and do absolutely nothing structured. I love to do drawings, more write-ups (that's not work for me!) or reading. There are still books in my library, which need to be 'discovered'.

I still remember several lazy summer days, sitting in the blazing sun (shouldn't be done anymore of course!), eating a Popsicle, getting all sticky, and running away from the bees. Of course, while still in Germany, those old lazy summer days turned into lazy winter days too. Lazy days shaped and characterized my whole (especially professional) life until now.

Relaxation, meditation and reinvigoration are needed. Life, affected by the "burnout syndrom" needs to reanimate with energy. So let's rest for a while to acquire new energy. HAPPY SUMMER DAYS!

Summer Adventure Awaits Tourists in Samal Island

By: Vina Araneta, ABS-CBN News

• Facebook
• Twitter
• GPlus
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest

DAVAO CITY - The Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte is known for its beautiful beach resorts, the main reason why tourists frequently visit the island.

However, there are other ways that tourists can enjoy Samal this summer. 

One is through an extreme water adventure. Visitors can try the giant water slide and water blob at Maxima Aqua Fun Resort in Barangay Peñaplata.

According to Erma Hagnaya, during her firsts attempts, she got scared. But eventually she found them quite funny and enjoyable. 

"Scared at first but if you have tried it, it's fun," says Erma.

You can also ride the banana boat, drive a jetski, and of course, go scuba diving. Samal has a rich marine life. There are different varieties of corals, colorful fish and giant clams.

Samal also has a new attraction: Johnny's ride, which is similar to an open cable car. 

A 30-foot high and 30-foot long canopy walk is also a must-try. At the finish line, you will have an adrenaline rush because of the super drop! 

But if you want to experience nature trip, trek and swim at Hagimit falls. Hagimit actually has nine falls. Tourists keep on coming back because of its clear and cold water, which is perfect for summer.

Your itinerary would not be complete if you will not visit the Monfort Bat sanctuary in Babak, Samal, which is home to more than 2.5 million bats.

In fact, it holds the title of the Guinness World Record of largest colony of Geoffroy's Rousette fruit bats.

Tourist guide Analyn Baldoza says the area used to be a hiding place for Samal residents during the World War 2.

There are about 70 bat caves in Samal. No wonder Samal is considered as the bat cave capital of the Philippines. 

Samal Island can be reached through a motorboat or a ferry at the Sta. Ana Wharf or at Km 11 and 12 in Sasa. 

Summer Beach Sports Fest Highlights Drive to Mitigate Climate Change Impact

 

 

NABUNTURAN, Compostela Valley (May 11) -- The province’s Summer Beach Sports Festival this year, will center on the contribution of its tourism program to the campaign to mitigate the future impact of climate change on the eco-tourism resources of Compostela Valley.

 

The province’s beach sports festival is held all weekends of May along the coasts of Mabini and Pantukan at the northern edge of ecologically fragile Davao gulf, a key biodiversity area (KBA) in the Philippines listed as one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots.

 

In 2014, the MPLS Protected Area  Management Board conducted a coral reef assessment at the site. Based on the assessment, 53.40% of the seascape’s live coral cover percentage is in good condition. It also identified 46 scleractinian coral genera.  Only 110 genera of scleractinian coral have been identified worldwide, 72 of which are found in the Philippines.

 

Christine Dompor, provincial tourism officer, explained the annual summer beach sports festival was conceptualized in 2008 as a tourism promotion campaign and a mechanism to raise awareness on protecting, preserving, and conserving the endangered marine ecosystem of the gulf particularly within the 3,433-hectare Mabini Protected Landscape and Seascape (MPLS).

 

Dompor said the twin objectives may not be enough now because of climate change. In 2014, she noted, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its fifth Assessment Report that predicted that oceans would rise more than three feet by 2100, a little less than 90 years from now.

 

“What would happen then to our coastal areas … to our ecotourism industry if the waters of Davao gulf rise? We will never know if this, in fact, will happen but it is better to be prepared. It is better to contribute to minimizing the impacts of climate change,” the provincial tourism officer said.

 

She thanked the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office of Maco and MPLS Protected Area Supervisor Julie Español for the 150 mangrove seedlings and the Month of the Ocean tarpaulin that will be displayed on different festival sites.

 

The tourism officer said on May 21, a Saturday, students, soldiers from the 10^th Infantry Division of the province, beach resorts owners and workers, and coastal villagers among others will dozumba at Omandac Beach View Resort in Brgy. Pindasan, Mabini at 5:00 a.m. then proceed to nearby Sitio Casilac in Brgy. San Antonio for the mangrove planting at 6:30 a.m. to be followed by a clean-up of the coastal area. 

 

Mangrove planting is a regular activity of the beach festival to augment the existing mangrove forests of the seascape.

 

Mabini, approximately 70 kilometers away from Davao City, is located in the southeastern section of the province of Compostela Valley.  The Protected Landscape and Seascape includes Kopiat island and Lunod island.

 

Kopiat island, host of the multi-million peso international standard resort Lubi Plantation of Lapanday Properties Inc., is the staging point of the region-wide almost a kilometer Kopiat swimming challenge. This year’s challenge finishes at Omandac Beach View Resort and falls on Sunday morning of May 22.

 

All of the five marine turtle species in the Philippines found in Davao Gulf are the Hawksbill, Oliver Ridley, Green Sea, Loggerhead, and the Leatherback turtles. Two – the hawksbill and the leatherback turtles – lay their eggs on the coasts of  Kopiat island.

 

The Philippine Environmental Governance Project 2 (EcoGov),   a technical assistance project in the Philippines funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), identified Davao Gulf as a feeding ground to 11 species of cetaceans including sperm whales, killer whales, and bottle-nose dolphins.

 

A number of these species regularly swims the channels between the islands and mainland Mabini to feed on the seascape’s seagrasses, rich planktons and krill. But sightings of these endangered marine mammals have become rare in the last years.

 

Beach sports line-up

 

The lined-up beach sports of the festival are: beach volleyball for male and Black Light Party on May 14 and beach volleyball for female on May 15 at Beach View Resort; fire dance, reggae band competitions, and zumba also at Beach View on May 21;

 

Mangrove planting and coastal clean-up at Sitio Casilac in Brgy. San Antonio, Mabini also on May 21; Cheer dance competition, Kopiat Swimming Challenge from Kopiat Island to Beach View Resort, and kite flying in Pantukan on May 22; 

 

On May 28, Water volleyball and Amazing Beach Race at Welborn Beach Resort, Body Painting at Seaworld Oasis, Hip Hop Grand Prix at Jeinos Beach Resort all in Pantukan;  and Frisbee competition at Magnaga Waters Beach Resort. (jpa/pgo-tss/ids)

 

 

 

Photo Caption:

 

Flying, sexy but fierce. Beach volley belles perfectly described last Sunday's Beachfest event. The event is part of the Summer Beachfest Event sponsored by the Provincial Tourism Office of Comval. Other fun activities  are scheduled all weekends of May.(Photo Credits: Comval Tourism/ids comval)

Land With No Summer Months

By Dexter A. See 

NATONIN, Mountain Province —Rain poured daily for the past 24 years on this mountain town in the rugged Cordillera Region in the northern Philippines, children gave up praying “rain, rain go away” and elders look misty-eyed at lowland areas sweltering under the burning sun,  a senior town official said on Friday.

Mountain town. A panoramic view of rice terraces
in Natonin. DEXTER SEE

Mayor Matteo Chiyawan said the town never experienced summer season in more than two decades and the government could not build and put up  infrastructure projects such as roads and school buildings on the soft ground.
“No development because of the rain. I pity our people for being exposed to too much rain,” Chiyawan said.
Natonin, a fourth class municipality, nestles on the slopes of the Cordillera mountain ranges and have little level ground. The town is surrounded by jungles and rain forests.
The sun shines on the 12,000 Igorot population for about three hours at least four times a month. People earn a living from rice terraces farming, fishing for eels in the rivers, and hunting wild animals such boars and deers.
Chiyawan said too much water in the soil and threat of soil erosion make it difficult for workers to compact the land and implement government public works projects.

A waterfall in one of the rain
forests in the area. DEXTER SEE

He said it takes several hours travel from the provincial capital of Bontoc to Natonin over 74 kms of rough and muddy national highway that winds on the side of the mountain.
Agriculture production has suffered because farmers could not dry their palay and rotting grains became one of the major causes of heavy losses, Chiyawan said.
“The old generation performed rituals to stop the rain with a sequence of prayers together with several animals butchered, but the practice has stopped in the past several years,” Chiyawan said.
The rain forests contribute to the abundant rainfall in Natonin, making its rivers suitable for operation of mini-hydro power plants, which could offer employment opportunities to people in the area.
Gov. Leonard Mayaen said the provincial government has on stand-by heavy equipment for use of Natonin during landslides and soil erosion caused by water saturation on the road.
He said he was ready to respond to any calls for assistance from Natonin municipal officials have handled the situation well and “no problems have been brought to our attention.”
“I am proud of the resilience of the people of Natonin because they are able to survive the prevalence of too much rain and still pursue their own sources of livelihood like raising of heirloom rice, hunting wild animals and being involved in food processing and weaving,” Mayaen said.
Officials appealed on the Department of Public Works and Highways to fast-track concreting of the unpaved portion of the Natonin to Paracelis road to connect the town to Santiago City in Isabela and open new business opportunities for residents.

(C) 2014 Manila Standard