The municipality of Mabinay won as Best in Activity Booth and Best in Façade at the Agri-fair booth at the Sidlakang Negros Village.

They also won as the Best Booth among the eight local government unit booths at the Capitol grounds.

Mabinay received a total cash prize of P150,000 for the three awards.

Uy said the concept of the booth was created by Tourism Officer Gary Caceres by putting together the best tourism destination of the town.

They also featured the Mabinay Spring swimming lagoon and the newly installed zip line.

According to Provincial Tourism officer Myla Mae Abellana, the Mabinay booth is one among the most visited booths during the duration of the Buglasan Festival.

Abellana said the caving experience gives thrill and excitement to the visitors because they will have an idea of how the Mabinay cave looks like.

The Mabinay cave is one among the best caves in the province being the most develop and equipped with properly trained guides.

According to Mayor Uy, aside from the cave they now have other offers at the Mabinay spring.

The municipality has purchased new sets of kayak paddle boats and established foot trails around the forest of the Mabinay spring.

He said the award will be used for additional development of the different tourism destinations in Mabinay. (PNA)

This is my very first post for the year 2012. Please accept my apologies as I haven’t blogged for a very long time because of work-related reasons. I have become a career woman and I never regretted that I chose this path. There are disadvantages with the job I have now, like, for example, I work 10 hours a day; 12 hours or more on busy periods which is March-June and September-December; which means, sometimes, I only have 5-6 hours of sleep. But the advantages weigh more because, for example, I get paid to do what I like. Apart from the salary, I also earned new friends that I share common interests with. Like, we all  love to travel, go to the movies,  have sparties and taste good food. Speaking of food, we just had our nth get-together. We chose to dine in one of the most kept secrets of Cebu – 10 Dove Street.

This little restaurant inside Sto. Nino Village has just celebrated their 10th year, which proves that this one’s top-of-the-line variety. Upon entering the restaurant, you will only see a few tables (about 6), that is why calling up the restaurant beforehand to reserve a table is very important. Inside, they have homey decorations like ceramic plates, cake recipes framed on the wall, and other nifty stuff.

Once seated, you will be handed a menu. Now this is a bit tricky. For 190 pesos, you get to have a full meal that consists of soup, salad, sandwich, and a cake of the day. You might think this is a light meal or kind of a merienda, but you will be surprised. After 2 hours of eating while conversing with friends, and taking a few snapshots, we had to walk it off because our tummies were so full.

In the menu are the names of soups, salads and sandwiches. Underneath the names are description and ingredients used in the dish. There are no pictures of the dishes, so you will be surprised if you were handed something that you thought you didn’t order. But each dish was a lovely surprise and we enjoyed every minute of our time there. I will definitely bring my family next time they’re in Cebu.

By the way, here’s what I ordered:

Chicken and Asparagus soup

Fandanggo

Lettuce, orange, croutons, walnuts, cheese with cranberry sauce

California Dreamin’

Wheat bread (you can choose either wheat bread or white bread for the sandwich) with bacon, cheese, tomato, cucumber, lettuce and mayonnaise

Cake of the day – Mango-Ube cake

This October, expect bigger and grander surprises as PELÍCULA, the largest presentation of Spanish cinema in Asia and Pacific is turning 10. Screenings of all films will take place from October 5 until 16 at the Greenbelt 3 Cinemas. For complete information on the schedule and films, visit the festival website www.pelicula.ph

Oslob Church

This town called Oslob is located in the south of Cebu. The first time I went there, I was on a History class fieldtrip way back 2002. 9 years later, I thought of this place when my cousin and her boyfriend went to Cebu for a short vacation. I thought they might like to go to the south to see some historical towns and also for me to get away from the metro for a day.

Spanish Cuartel

It took us roughly 3 hours to reach the town. The people there were very friendly, giving us directions on how to find the church. I actually didn’t know how to go there because when I went there in 2002, I was a school fieldtrip and I relied solely on our bus driver. In a way, it was an adventure.

It was a great day! We saw an unfinished military barracks called cuartel; the Oslob church; the park facing the shoreline; and a watchtower ruin. The church doors were closed so we didn’t get to see the inside the of it. The park was a sight to behold. It’s an ideal place for a picnic or afternoon walks. The 3-hour bus ride was worth it.

Philippine Tourism industry experiences a new breed of representation through free mini-postcard guides.

First Innovi Corporation does it again! The provider of YOCard, the first and only brand of free postcard advertisement in the Metro, expands its freecards success to our country’s growing tourism industry with the launch of Pocket Philippines. Pocket Philippines are mini-postcard guides that provide tourists information on where to go, what to do and how to experience the spectacle that the Philippines has to offer.

Pocket Philippines kiosks holds postcards, maps, event calendars and pocket-sized information cards that serve as a tool for the perfect amount of information tourists need. The design, structure and appeal of each mini-postcard was custom-made to go straight to the pocket of each consumer; a convenient and handy source of need to know subjects.

Launched in 2007 with only 50 topnotch outlets, First Innovi Corporation’s primary brand, YOCard, has produced freecards of the hippest and most happening brands, establishments, events and adventures in the Philippines. And now, the venues has grown to 250 locations where both brands are present.

Pocket Philippines is now providing tourist with information in the following hotel and tourism-related locations: Adriatico Pensionne Inn, Ayala Museum, Best Western La Corona, Berjaya Manila Hotel, Intramuros, Copacobana Apartment Hotel, Creekside Amorsolo Hotel, CSB Hotel, DOT Office, Garden Plaza Hotel, GO HOtels, Greenhills Elan Hotel, Hotel Las Palmas, Lancaster Hotel, Lourdes Suites, Makati Palace Hotel, Malacanang Museum, Malate Pensionne, Malvar Hostel, Manila Hotel, NAIA 1, NAIA 3, National Museum, National Arts Gallery, Ninyo, L&B Suites, Pan Pacific Hotel, One Roman Suites, Sentro, The Sulo Riviera, Team Manila, The Contemporary Hotel, The Copa Businessman’s Hotel, Tiara Oriental Hotel, Travel Cafe, Vargas Museum and Yuchengco Museum.

For more information about Pocket Philippines or other related inquiries, please call (02) 376-5357 or email info@pocketphilippines.com.

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“Domino’s International is very excited to make a big landing in the Philippines,” emphasized Tong Hong, the President and CEO of Domino’s in the Philippines. “Pizza is a US$35 billion per year industry, and Filipinos are well-known pizza lovers. Precisely because it is such a good fit, our company is confident that we will be able to fully develop and expand in this market at a very good pace,” he added.

Within the pizza industry, Domino’s has invented – or been the first to use – most of the equipment and systems that are now considered standard practice. These include the fiberglass tray for pizza dough, the corrugated pizza box, and even the 3-D car-top sign used in delivery vehicles. These continuously updated innovations will be adopted for the Philippine market, as well as its patented Domino’s Heatwave delivery bag, which uses proprietary technology.

“Each heated hot bag contains a patented disc that is warmed by electricity,” explained Hong. “Once inserted into a special bag, this technology creates a portable oven that minimizes heat loss during delivery. The outer material of the bag is made with water-repellent nylon, and the interior is lined with a special material called Thinsulate, which eliminates moisture and keeps the pizza both hot and fresh,” he further said.

In overseas markets, Domino’s is best known by their 30-minute guarantee, which aims to provide a high quality, freshly prepared, hot meal delivered at the customer’s door within half an hour. Domino’s Philippines has invested heavily in its delivery infrastructure in order to fulfill the same promise.

“Our business model has been clear from the start, and it is fully aligned with Domino’s worldwide. We are not a fast food joint, we are not a restaurant – we are a pizza delivery service. This is who we are, and this is what we do best,” Hong summarized.

The menu is wide and varied, featuring bestsellers like the Domino’s Deluxe, Potato Pizza, Extravaganza, Shrimpus, and Hola Spain. Aside from pizza, Domino’s also carries Buffalo Chicken Wings, Meaty Bolognese, Creamy Alfredo Spaghetti, Cheesy Bread, Garden Salad and Chocolate Lava Cake.

With its first branch in Makati barely a month in operation, plans are already being finalized to open a second outlet in the Ortigas area within the following weeks.
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Just say the tongue twister 3 times fast, “How much bourbon could a chicken drink if a chicken could drink bourbon?”, claim your coupon, print, and get a FREE Chicken Bourbon Sandwich sampler from Delifrance. Simply log on to www.delifrance.com.ph/chickenbourbonchallenge for more details.
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Here on a two-day national summit for watershed management, Pichay said that because of the dynamic and active government and non-government organization partnership to protect, conserve and preserve Puerto Princesas and Palawan’s natural environments, it is not impossible for more domestic and foreign tourists to come.

“All your efforts to protect your environment will not go to waste. Soon enough, domestic and foreign tourists will hear about the good news of what you’re doing here and they will come to generate a lot dollars for your city and province,” Pichay said.

He added that although there are many sites to visit in Puerto Princesa and Palawan, they will not matter if their environments are not protected and preserved.

“Continue to help your local officials in protecting your environment because without it, your economy will not improve. Everybody benefits from a prosperous economy,” he furthered.

In Puerto Princesa, the tourist sites that gain the most number of visitors yearly are the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park at Sitio Sabang, Barangay Cabayugan and Hunda Bay in Barangay Sta. Lourdes. The newest tour activities that have been added recently are dolphin watching at the Puerto Princesa Bay, trek to Ugong Rock in Barangay Tagabenit, and firefly watching in the Iwahig River.

In the province, the most visited municipalities are Coron in the Calamianes Group of Islands, and El Nido for its attractive island getaways and panoramic landscape of karst and limestones. (PNA)
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For P1, 000 or P5, 000, The Mind Museum will light a star or a constellation in its website. Sponsorship could be done online via credit card and eventually through the ATM as well. The goal is to reach 2 million pesos to help light the night sky of The Mind Museum in the form of a Star Cloth in the Universe Gallery. The Museum will show its appreciation to donors by sending an electronic certificate of donation, and by posting on the donors’ FaceBook wall, if they have one. Donors’ names will also appear by their chosen star or constellation in the Museum’s virtual night sky, and they will also be recognized in a donors’ marker in the Universe Gallery.

In a few weeks, the Mind Museum will also be offering more virtual exhibits such as the sponsorship of elements and their products through its Chemical Kitchen exhibit. With the launch of this online campaign, The Mind Museum hopes to get more people to embrace the cause to complete our collective dream of telling the story of science to Filipinos.

By helping build The Mind Museum, we help build imaginative minds — we help inspire future scientists, engineers, doctors, etc., that would help build our country. (Research shows that a country’s progress in science and technology is directly correlated to economic progress).
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