November 17, 2008
Malaya

Nueva Ecija GovAurelio Umali denied Sunday that he snubbed the opening of the three-day North Philippines Tourism and Travel Expo 2008 at Clark Freeport Zone Friday afternoon, saying a previous commitment was the real reason why he, together with six provincial governors, including host Gov. Eduardo Panlilio, were absent.

“I sent my representative, may nauna kasi akong natanguan,” Umali said.

Deputy Presidential spokesperson and presidential assistant for Central Luzon Lorelei Fajardo, also a Novo Ecijano like Umali, and the event’s guest speaker, stressed that the event would help raise awareness of the best areas North Philippines can offer in terms of tourist destinations, products and services.

Organizers and participants criticized the absence of the governors. They said this attitude explains why the region ranks only seventh among the 16 regions nationwide in terms of tourism competitiveness despite its being the home region of President Arroyo and the new Philippine Tourism Authority general manager Mark Lapid, and the presence of Subic and Clark and other tourism magnets.

Aside from Umali and Panlilio, also absent at the affair were Amor Deloso of Zambales, Jonjon Mendoza of Bulacan, Victor Yap of Tarlac and the suspended Enrique Garcia of Bataan.

It was only Aurora governor Bellaflor Angara-Castillo who came all the way from her remote hometown of Baler some 250 kilometers away for the expo which gathered together tourism officers from Region 1, 2, 3 and the Cordilleras.

In previous tourism activities, Angara-Castillo was reportedly the only one to bother, with her counterparts preferring to skip the events. The lady governor, who declined to comment on the other governors’ absence, has made tourism a cornerstone of her development agenda codenamed HEALTH which stands for health, education, agriculture, livelihood, tourism and human resource development.

She said she makes it a point to show up in such events because she wants her province to become known not only as a surfing and dive site but also a tourism haven. She said Aurora has even set up a satellite office in Clark to serve as one-stop shop of information for tourists and prospective investors. – Jojo de Guzman

November 12, 2008
The Philippine STAR
San Isidro pushed as ‘heritage town’

This town which became famous for being the seat of the national government and the target of a historic revolt against Spanish rule over a century ago, is being pushed as a “heritage town” by local government officials for its cultural and historical past.

Mayor Sonia Lorenzo said resident of this town can take pride in the significant role their place played during the “Unang Sigaw ng Nueva Ecija (First Cry of Nueva Ecija)” when Filipino revolutionaries, armed only with bolos and pointed sticks, took up arms against Spain on September 2, 1896.

She said the town should also be remembered for being the capital of the Philippines for six months when President Emilio Aguinaldo transferred the seat of the national government here.

“Our town has a vast repository of historical events in our country. Many of the buildings here are a living testament of what happened in the past,” she said, adding the municipal government is lobbying for the national government to grant this town the official distinction as “heritage town.”

The revolt from Spain in 1896, led by Gen. Mariano Llanera of the nearby town of Cabiao, went on for three days and led to the freeing of jailed leaders and members of the revolutionaries.

For its role in the revolution, Nueva Ecija was etched in the annals of history, earning the distinction of landing as one of the eight rays in the Philippine flag. Each ray symbolizes the province that rose up in arms against Spanish rule.

The capital of Nueva Ecija from 1852 to 1912, this town also hosted the Wright Institute established during the American rule, considered the first high school outside of Manila.

The school later came to be known as Nueva Ecija High School.

The municipal government, Lorenzo said, has preserved the house used by Aguinaldo, Gov. Gen. James Wright and Col. Frederick Funston. - Manny Galvez

November 11, 2008
The Philippine STAR
Comelec urged to resolve Ecija vice mayoralty protest

Some 2,000 supporters of vice mayoralty bet Roseller de Guzman of Guimba have called on Commission on Elections Chairman Jose Melo to expedite the resolution of the election protest he lodged against his rival, incumbent Vice Mayor Angelita dela Cruz and to install the former as duly elected winner.

In their two-page letter addressed to Melo, the petitioners, who identified themselves as the Mamamayan ng Bayan ng Guimba urged the Comelec chief to intervene in the election protest filed before the poll body by De Guzman.

The petitioners sought the installation of De Guzman as the duly elected vice mayor of the town based on the decision promulgated on Nov. 29, 2007 by the Guimba Regional Trial Court.

The petitioners expressed fears that the will of the electorate would be defeated by the continued non-assumption of De Guzman. The accused De la Cruz’s camp of allegedly spreading rumors that De Guzman would not be able to assume his post because the former has “strong connections” with Melo and the Comelec.

“While we do not believe that they have strong connections with you, we nevertheless call on you Chairman Melo to give justice to the duly elected vice mayor and resolve this election protest with dispatch,” they said.

The petitioners made their appeal following reports that the election case has been submitted for resolution of Comelec in April but has gathered dust since. -Manny Galvez

Elite Army force opens Ecija camp for eco-tourism

“Unconventional warfare training starts here’” reads a sign at the entrance of the Ben Fe Complex, home of the elite Special Forces School inside the sprawling Fort Ramon Magsaysay in Palayan City in Nueva Ecija.

But now, this camp not only trains the so-called “Green Berets,” but the youth, on environmental consciousness after it opened its doors to students from different schools for the “Lakbay Kalikasan,” a program that aims to raise awareness on the protection and conservation of Mother Nature through actual interaction.

Lt. Col. Monico Batle, a seasoned Special Forces officer who heads the training facility transforms from a strict commandant into a cheerful tour guide, orienting visitors with the various features of the camp and flora and fauna found inside.

Aside from that, soldiers mount capability demonstrations, including jungle survival and rope courses, to give tourist a glimpse of rigid training being undertaken by Special Forces soldiers, who are all :airborne” qualified.
The visitors, as part of the tour, get the chance to plant trees near the Fernandez Hill, the part of the camp memorable to all graduates of the Philippine Military Academy, because it is here where they undergo their field training exercises before they could graduate.

About eight kilometers from Fernandez Hill, is Mount Taclang Damulag, which is also being maintained and taken care of by the elite unit.

Tourist would also get the chance to see the newly improved headquarters of the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne), which was done during the tenure of decorated Army Brig. Gen. Arturo Ortiz, who is now chief of the Army’s Special Operations Command that also has jurisdiction over the equally elite Scout Rangers and the US-trained and equipped Light Reaction Battalion.

“It’s SFR(A) headquarters now boasts of hotel-like quarters for its officers, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool that now attracts civilians from Nueva Ecija.

“It’s about time that we open up our doors to the public, to give them an idea what military life is about,” Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner, Army spokesman and a “full-blooded” Special Forces officer, said in an interview.

Brawner said that the idea of allowing civilian visitors inside the Special Forces facility started last year during the Girl Scouts jamboree in Fort Magsaysay, where they hosted thousands of scouts from all over the country.

“At the start, there were debates due to some security concerns, but after addressing that, we have decided to allow tourists to also show them that their Army is not hiding anything from them’” he said, citing several controversies wherein soldiers were accused of being involved in cases of abduction and killing of activists and militant leaders.

Brawner5 said that by letting tourists into their “home,” they are teaching young people to take care of the environment as well as to develop a deeper understanding of the life soldiers have.

Fortune Tellers to Invade SM City Clark! An esoteric tribe of tarot card-bearing fortune tellers or ‘manghuhulas’ will invade the event centre of SM City Clark on November 14-16, 2008 in time for the 3rd North Philippines Travel and Tourism Expo 2008. This was the announcement made by Regional Director Ronaldo Tiotuico of the Department of Tourism – Region III in a press statement issued recently. Tiotuico said that the organizers of the travel mart decided to invite at least four (4) of the most popular fortune tellers in Central Luzon, particularly in Nueva Ecija, to provide a unique brand of Filipino tradition in managing one’s future thru the practice of tarot card-reading and palmistry. These fortune tellers are said to have a large following on account of their track record in providing “possibilities foreseen”. They are said to have provided relief and hope to one’s dilemma. The fortune-telling event will highlight the annual tourism event which features myriad of tourist attractions and tourism products offered in the four regions of the north, namely Cordilleras, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon. Fortune telling has been a favourite pastime of Filipinos since the early 1900s when these so-called ‘travellers on foot’ started knocking on doors of neighbours in the hope having their future foretold. Most of these fortune tellers dwell on the aspects of love, career, and business. History indicates that fortune telling may have some bearing on recovered lost objects, success in bringing together estranged couples or control over some dark forces in the horizon. In Quiapo alone, a steady stream of clients, both sceptics and believers, come to find remedies for their physical or emotional illness. Some eighty (80) exhibit booths and craft demo corners are expected to give the more than 40,000 daily shoppers over the weekend a tapestry of cultural events like street dancing, cultural music and dances plus mega-sale of indigenous arts and crafts from the North Philippines. The travel expo is one of the biggest annual events sponsored by the four regional offices of the Department of Tourism thru the Central Luzon Tourism Council and the Philippine Exhibition and Themeparks Corp. (PETCO). ========================================================================================== DOT launches 3rd North Phils. Tourism and Travel Expo ‘08 The four (4) regions of the North Philippines are set to launch the 3rd North Philippines Tourism and Travel Expo ‘08 on November 14 – 16, 2008 at the SM City Clark, Pampanga with a bigger and better marketing drive that features the Cordilleras, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon regions as a wholesome one-destination-one product package. The North Philippines tourism corridor is headed by the following regional directors, namely Purificacion Molintas for the Cordilleras, Martin Valera for Ilocos, Blessida Diwas for Cagayan Valley and Ronaldo Tiotuico for Central Luzon. This was the announcement made by host regional director Ronaldo Tiotuico of the Department of Tourism – Region III in a press statement issued recently. Tiotuico said that the biggest marketing event of the year happens at a time when the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTex) is readily open to the travelling public from Manila which is the biggest source market for the four regions. The travel mart is expected to draw thousands of potential buyers, stakeholders and major players from both the domestic and international travel industry like big-ticket tour operators and travel wholesalers from around the country to do business calls on their travel-related counterparts in the north. Millions of pesos worth of tour packages is expected to change hands during the three-day event. This year’s event is organized by the Central Luzon Tourism Council, Inc. led by its regional chairman, Ms. Lydia Co, and Philippine Exhibits and Themeparks Corp. (PETCO) led by Ms. Edith Collado. Some twenty (20) provinces and major cities in the north are expected to showcase their tourism packages, destinations and attractions during the event with an even equal number featuring their cultural and indigenous lifestyles and heritage. Some 100 exhibit booths and pavilions will be occupied by both the private and government institutions to highlight their own unique tourism products. Also to be invited to the event are the regional destinations of the Visayas and Mindanao whose role in positioning the country as one country, one destination is quite crucial to the overall marketing effort of the tourism department. Expected to attend the all-important event are DOT Secretary Ace Durano, all the governors and local chief executives from the north, travel wholesalers and tour operators, including special-interest players like adventure travel specialists and health and wellness executives. This year’s theme is “Go North! A Wellspring of Diversity” speaks well of the north’s image as a diverse destination yet creating a unique blend of the new and the traditional, from a serene and soft environment to a rugged yet exotic places to go to. For further details, please contact the Department of Tourism – Region III, Hilaga Village, City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Tel. Nos. (63 45) 961-2612/477-2499/479-6490 or Angeles Sub-office, Marlim Mansions Hotel, Balibago, Angeles City, Tel. Nos. (63 45) 625-8525/477-2498 Email: celtour@yahoo.com Website: wwwvisitmyphilippines.com or contact Philippine Exhibits and Themeparks Corp. (PETCO), Pasay City, Tel. Nos. (63 2) 832-9303 to 05 Email: northphilexpo@gmail.com
link: www.visitmyphilippines.com

November 2, 2008
MANILA BULLETIN

Candles selling like hot cakes in Cabanatuan

Candle makers here are making a virtual killing as this city celebrates All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Candles in varied shapes, colors, and scents are selling like hot cakes. Ordinarily, candle would cost only a few pesos, but on this occasion, the item “costs an arm and a leg.” Designer-item candles which bear sculpted designs were lighted in past years to mark tombs. A reminder to all cemetery-goers, flower-or candle-bearing or simply on-lookers: Say earnest prayers for the dearly departed. It helps to say a prayer for the kindred souls. Especially for those in limbo. (Magtanggol Vilar)