Pilipinas, Tara Na, for Local Philippine Tourism

The new Pilipinas, Tara Na! Music Video was shown to DOT Secretary Alberto Lim last month or a week before it was officially unveiled last August 05 before the DOT officials, media and invited artists. He was very happy with the result of the songs, and thankful for the effort that was put into making the video by the Perceptions team and all the artists who've given time and talent to remake the song and video.



After its launch in Manila, the video was brough to the MICE Conference in Cebu City, which was played in the DOT Booth and unveiled to both the Cebu and foreign crowd attending the conference.

We released the trailer or a preview of the actual thing days before it was actually released last Friday noon, through the Pilipinas, Tara Na! Facebook page and the Department of Tourism Facebook page. You can view the preview and the actual music videos here:





Local tourism is one of the big factors that contribute to our economy, in fact around 900 billion pesos was contributed to our economy by it. There are 28 million local travelers, as of date. With what's happening in the US and in the international scene, local spending will help us get through, and cushion us from financial crisis.

LIKE. SHARE. INSPIRE. PILIPINAS, TARA NA! :)

RIZAL@150: Travel the Philippines in Jose Rizal's Footsteps

Heritage and Culture with Local Tourism. That's the main thrust of the Department of Tourism's latest project, the Lakbay Jose Rizal @ 150. In celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Philippines' national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, on June 19, the DOT, together with the National Parks Development Committee, Intramuros Administration, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Heritage Conservation Society and Cebu Pacific, launched this heritage trail project, and the heritage trail map at the Rizal Park Manila.



Starting June 19, 2011 to June 19, 2012, everyone (locals and foreigners) can try and visit all 27 Rizal sites all over the Philippines, and get a chance to win prizes from Cebu Pacific and the Inter-Agency Committee, when they get to complete all the stamps in their Lakbay Rizal Passports, which are available at the DOT and the DOT Regional offices (soon). Mechanics for the Lakbay Jose Rizal @ 150 Heritage Trail Project may be found here.




The National Parks Development Committee redesigned and converted the old Philippines Relief Map in Rizal Park to be the new Rizal Heritage Trail Map, a guide and a glimpse of all the 27 Rizal sites from all over the Philippines, for those who don't have the means to travel all around the country.



Last week members of the Media, and some bloggers, got to experience going to different Rizal sites in Metro Manila (like the Rizal Monument in Rizal Park, Fort Santiago, where he was jailed, and Paco Park, where his remains were brought right after his death), and had their Lakbay Passports stamped. We also got to taste some of Rizal's favorite food, like Adobo and Tinola. :)



I think that it is important that we Filipinos get to explore and appreciate the beauty of our country first before heading out to explore the world. As I always say, every Filipino must be an ambassador of and for the Philippines. Who else would we depend on but ourselves. We live in a naturally beautiful land, now it's up for its naturally beautiful people to live its beauty. "Huwag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan."

Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim visits Siargao

Siargao, a prime Philippine tourism destination, is part of the province of Surigao del Norte. It is one of the islands in the Philippines which faces the Pacific Ocean, making it one of the spots in the country where the sun rises and sets first. I went there recently for an assignment, and I easily fell for its insanely great scenery, awesome waters, and hospitable people. This post will feature my photos and coverage on the visit of Tourism Secretary Alberto A. Lim to Siargao. I will definitely write a different post on Siargao soon! Siargao, I shall return! ;)



Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim visited Siargao Island for the 1st Lip-Lipan Festival or the Billfish Festival and the 4th Siargao International Game-Fishing Tournament held last April 28 to May 1. He was welcomed by Congressman Lalo Matugas, Governor Sol Matugas, and the Mayors of Siargao. Secretary Lim arrived at Siargao Airport in Del Carmen with Department of Tourism (DOT) Region XIII Director Leticia Tan, Surigao City Mayor Ernesto Tinio Matugas, and his first lady, Tita Carla.



Upon arrival, we immediately went to the opening of the 1st Lip-lipan or Bill Fish Festival, where the people performed dances their dances and cheers, to give thanks for good catch all year 'round. They also opened the 2nd Siargao Island Agri-Aqua Trade Fair and Exhibit, where the Secretary and his wife were able to see Siargao's produce. Their products (vegetables, seafood, etc) are notably really big and fresh.

Secretary Lim was happy to see that there were tourist police around Siargao. He immediately asked me to snap a shot of him with the DOT-PNP's Tourism Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TOPCOP) "graduates." Apparently, they just had their seminar and "graduated" last month in Surigao City.



"Stress Relief." The photo below is taken around 4pm from one of the Department of Tourism (DOT) Home-stay Program houses, which the Secretary visited before going to the opening of the Game-Fishing tournament. Since there are no hotels in Siargao (maybe just a few resorts in General Luna), the Department of Tourism used the Home-stay program to host tourists when they stay in the island.

The program also gives the locals livelihood and exposes them to different kinds of people. For around 1,200 pesos, guests will be able to enjoy a room, with air conditioning, towel, toiletries, and 3 meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner). I tell you, it's all worth it because usually, they serve you really fresh fish, crabs or lobsters.



He was able to meet, dialogue and consult with the Siargao local government officials, and tourism officials regarding tourism sites and development in the area and the region.

“We would like to promote different kinds of tourism based on natural endowments, our strengths. Sports tourism and adventure tourism is one of those new forms of tourism that we have a particular endowment for, especially in the island of Siargao,” says Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim.



The next day, the Secretary was able to visit General Luna, the Surfing Capital of the Philippines, and maybe of Asia, where the famous Cloud 9 and its perfect waves, are voted one of the best by surfers all over the world. Mayor Jaime Rusillon was gracious enough to tour us around Cloud 9. Definitely, the platform built many years ago needs upgrading and needs an upkeep so that more tourists and guests may be able to enjoy and watch surfers hit the waves.

Apparently, Siargao will be hosting the National Surfing Cup on September 17-20, the Billabong Pro-Junior Championship Tour on September 21-28, and the Siargao International Surfing Cup on September 29 to October 03. It will also be the venue of the first ever South East Asian Games surfing tilt. 26th SEAGAMES here we come!



Gerry Degan, and his wife Susan, of Sagana Resort in General Luna, Siargao welcomed Secretary Lim in his resort. Too bad the Secretary wasn't able to try and learn how to surf (because it was low tide). Instead, he was able to try to hold a surfboard, and pose with it. This photo, I like very much! :)


(L-R: Surigao Governor Sol Matugas, Gerry Degan, General Luna Mayor Jaime Rusillon, Carla Lim, Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, and Surigao del Norte Congressman Lalo Matugas)

From the resort, he went straight to Del Carmen, met with Mayor JR Matugas Coro, and back to Manila through the Sayak Airport in Siargao.

Siargao still needs a lot of help not only from the government but also from the private sector. Investing in Siargao will definitely go a long way. If only I had that much money, I would put it there! Siargao has a lot to offer, not only does it have the best waves in the region, but also it has one of the best environment for relaxation, sports, and nature-tripping, if you ask me.

Pilipinas, Tara na sa Panagbenga sa Baguio City

Panagbenga is the annual flower festival of Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines. It has become well known not only within the region and its neighbors, but internationally as well. I had to miss this wonderful reception of my cousin, Stephanie Tan-Kingsu (Congratulations!!!), and the regular cousin photo-ops we do because I had to go to Baguio and cover the 2011 Panagbenga Festival and Secretary Alberto Lim. I am not complaining. Hmm, In the service of the Filipinos, I did what must be done. :)))

The official Panagbenga website would paint its origins to be like this, while my colleague at the Department of Tourism would tell me a different story. Miss Aleli said that it was during the time of Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor when the flower festival was commissioned as a replica of Pasadena's Rose Parade. She said that the winner of the flower festival float contest back then was shipped and included in the Rose Parade. The people who rode the float were the Philippines' pride and glory, the Miss Universe title holder(s) and beauty queens. How does she know? She was the one who did the paperwork back then, according to her. Now, I would have to research and delve more into this if there is truth to what she told me. :p

The highlights include the Grand Street Parade on Saturday, which I missed because I had to be in the wedding of my cousin, and the Grand Float Parade on Sunday. Here are some photos of the street parade. Officials in attendance were DOT CAR Regional Director Molintas, Baguio Vice-Mayor Daniel Farinas, Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, Baguio Mayor Mauricio Domogan, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr., and Baguio Congressman Bernardo Vergara.



Secretary Lim and other Tourism officials went to one of the newest tourist attractions added in Baguio City, the BenCab Museum, where they were toured by the National Artist Ben Cabrera himself. Sec. Lim cited museums like this and other cultural displays as possible new tourist draws. He also mentioned wellness and adventure as additional pegs for tourism in Northern Luzon.



After the tour, the Secretary was the main guest of honor at the opening of the new Department of Tourism Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) office in Baguio. In his speech, he took the opportunity to share the Department’s thrust in appealing to “high-value tourists”, especially in international tourism promotion. “It is not the number of tourists we get that matters," Sec. Lim says, "but the amount of money they spend and the length of time they stay," he points out. "What we want to do is spend our promotions money targeting the high-value visitors like the MICE market,” Sec. Lim said.

The Department’s soon-to-be-launched “Pilipinas, Tara Na!” domestic tourism campaign is likewise a joint undertaking, this time with the private sector. Sec. Lim said a remake of the 2004 “Tara Na, Byahe Tayo” music video will be rolled out in time for the Holy Week rush. ABANGAN! :)



I arrived 2am in Baguio, in time for the 8am Grand Float Parade, which showcased 22 huge colorful floats covered with all sorts of floral arrangements and designs. It was a little bit commercialized as the floats represent different companies, but overall, it was very well attended by tourists from all over.

The photos below show the "making" of the Department of Tourism Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)'s float, where Secretary Alberto Lim, National Parks Development Committee Juliet Villegas and DOT CAR Director Pura Molintas rode in during the Grand Float Parade along Baguio's Session Road.

Pilipinas, Tara na sa Panagbenga sa Baguio City! :) DOT CAR Float, with Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, and myself ;)

All photos courtesy of Jahzeel Cruz of the Department of Tourism :)

16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival in Pampanga

Pampanga once again hosted an international festival after the successfully concluded Giant Lantern Festival in San Fernando Pampanga last December. After work last Friday, we braved the traffic and headed north (through NLEX) to Clark, Pampanga to attend the 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival. We arrived at Marlim Mansion Hotel in Clark, Pampanga around a little past 11pm. We settled in our room, freshened-up, set our alarms at 3am, and decided to catch some sleep before the main event.



Even with 4 alarms set, we all failed to wake up! A little before 5am, we rushed to the event to catch Secretary Bertie Lim riding the Hot Air Balloon scheduled at 6am. The traffic going to the field was congested, thankfully, parking was not as bad as I expected.

Jahzeel Cruz, Pauline Volpe, Yuri Lao, Mon Maningding and Barbie Perez

Unfortunately though, we missed Secretary Lim. His balloon was the first to fly, according to Department of Tourism Region 3 Director Ronaldo Tiotuico. He said that after 1-2 hours, the Secretary will be landing and be brought back to the base to visit the DOT booth. He landed in Porac, so we waited.




We decided to roam around the area first, and look for anything that would catch our interest. We really wanted to ride a balloon, but it was too late to do so. We weren't as lucky as Secretary Bertie Lim and Anna Oposa, who were able to ride the balloon :( So maybe next time? Besides the main attraction (which was the hot air balloon set-up and flight), there were exhibits of the air force, and the armed forces, booths where you can buy souvenirs, eat, and play games.



"The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air balloon created by the Montgolfier Brothers." This anecdote is inscribed on the Hot Air Balloon Festival shirt produced by the Department of Tourism Region 3. According to our French intern/trainee Pauline, in France, the hot air balloon is called montgolfière, named after the Montgolfier brothers who built the first practical versions. :)



I saw these really nice chocolate bar covers. The chocolate bars are on sale for 35 pesos each. They were made by the deaf people of Pampanga.



After some time, Secretary Lim arrived at the Department of Tourism booth inside the grounds. He met with regional director Ronaldo Tiotuico, who escorted him to the hot air balloons on site available for the public to ride and experience flying. Secretary Bertie Lim was asked to try it as well :) Finally, I was able to take shots of him in a balloon!



After riding the balloon and inspecting the grounds, Secretary Lim went ahead to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport and Nayong Pilipino in Clark to inspect the facilities. As for us, we left the hot air balloon festival headed to a new adventure.



All photos were taken using a Sony NEX-5 camera. I would like to thank DOT Regional Director Ronaldo Tiotuico and his team, Miss Jops of Clark Development for the accommodation and assistance they have extended to us. Also, last but not the least, thank you to Caltex Philippines, Laz, and my wonderful friends :)