Wind farm seen to boost Aklan tourism

The proposed 50-megawatt wind farm project in nearby Nabas town is expected to further boost the already flourishing tourism industry in the province of Aklan.
Chito Peralta, general manager of the Aklan Electric Cooperative (AKELCO), said that the proponent, the publicly listed PetroEnergy Resources Corporation, will be spending around P5 billion for the construction of the modern wind farm project in the province.
The AKELCO in November last year entered into an agreement with the PetroEnergy for the construction of a transmission line for the Nabas Wind Project. Under the agreement, the AKELCO will serve as distribution franchise for the province.
"In mid 1900s when the wind farm project was introduced in Ilocos it drew tourists to the area. How much more when a wind farm using the available technology would be put up in the area of an already flourishing tourism industry," Peralta said.
But the AKELCO manager clarified that it will not be contracting the PetroEnergy to supply electricity to the province.
"The AKELCO already serves the right to be prioritized by the wind farm project in case we need them. But for the sake of practicality we urged them to supply the electricity to the national power grid so that all power consumers in the country would be able to have access to them," said Peralta.
PetroEnergy said that it would start constructing the wind farm within the year.

Midterm election will be credible-Maceda

The conduct of the forthcoming May 2013 midterm election would be more credible compared to the previous administration says former Senator Ernesto Maceda.
Maceda was here Tuesday afternoon as guest speaker of the conference of the barangay executives in Cavite province.
"Although we have some doubts that the Aquino administration may use government machinery to ensure winning the election, we still believe that we in the opposition will get sense of fair play," Maceda said who is running under the banner of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
Maceda said that at present they are preparing for the grand proclamation rally of UNA candidates on February 12 in Cebu City.
"We have chosen Cebu because Governor Gwen Garcia has promised us 50,000 audience to participate in the grand proclamation rally," he added in an interview.

Marathon hearing set for British raped in Boracay

The Kalibo Trial Regional Trial Court has set a marathon hearing for the British national who complained of having been raped by her Filipino companion during a drinking spree in this resort island over the weekend.
The RTC Branch 5 has mandated both the defense and the prosecution not to delay the court proceedings in the said case. Because of this,the defense lawyer has been mandated to cancel other appointments and ordered to prioritize the case.
A day after the case had been filed, the court already set an arraignment, a pre-trial and a presentation of evidence. Because of this, a promulgation of the case is expected to happen soon.
The 23-year-old British national claimed that she was with the suspect and was raped after she was intoxicated. She was raped in her rented room in a hotel here.

Chinese tourism execs arrive in Boracay for promotional tour

Around 13 Chinese tourism executives from Beijing and its nearby provinces are in this resort island as part of the Philippine promotions to lure more Chinese tourists.
Tim Ticar, officer in charge of the Department of Tourism-Boracay (DOT), said the Chinese tourism executives who arrived Tuesday will be embarking on a tourism mission.
The Chinese delegation is headed by leader James Jiang of the Philippine DOT based in Beijing. They are being guided by Gigi Liwanag of the DOT Manila.
"The purpose of their visit is to have a familiarization tour in Boracay and other tourism destination in the country. With this, the DOT is expecting more tourists to visit this resort island this year that will help the office meets its projected target of 1.5 million in Boracay at the end of 2013," Ticar said.
The Chinese tourists, including Taiwanese, ranked as the second largest in terms of arrival in this resort island in 2012.

British national complains of rape in Boracay

A 23-year-old British national has complained of having been raped by her Filipino boyfriend in this resort island over the weekend.
Provincial Prosecutor Maya Bien Tolentino said the victim filed the formal complaint against the suspect on Monday. The victim then sought legal assistance at the British embassy to pursue her case in court.
"The constitution mandates us to resolve the case within 24 hours upon receipt of the complaint. We are confident we could do this because the suspect has been arrested," Tolentino said.
The victim testified that she went out to drink with her boyfriend, who took advantage of her when she became drunk.
Boracay police operatives immediately arrested the suspect after the victim filed the rape to the police.
"Even though we should resolve the case within 24 hours we are careful in working on such case because this is the first time we handled a case wherein the victim is a foreigner," said Tolentino.

Malay council wants faster processing of business permit renewals

 The local government of Malay, Aklan wants the renewal of business permits especially for those investors in this resort island to be faster.
Councilor Rowen Aguirre, Sangguniang Bayan of Malay, said that he received reports coming from the investors that the releasing of business permits from the municipal hall is slow.
"Among the factors involved is that both the municipal government and the barangay involved are asking too many requirements which are unnecessary. I hope this could be resolved immediately," Aguirre said.
Because of this, the local council of Malay plans to issue a resolution in extending the deadline of business permit renewals for a month. The renewal of business permits had expired January 21.
One of the reasons why there is a delayed renewal of business permit is that the local government enforce this year a mandatory clinical check up for all the employees in Boracay.
Also, the council of Malay plans to review the ordinance on requirements for business permit renewal to be implemented next year.
"In this way, we hope we could prevent similar delay of processing of business permits next year," Aguirre said.

Hope to pass Boracay Bill dims

Aklan Congressman Florencio Miraflores admits of losing hope for the passage of his controversial Boracay bill before he steps down in his last term as representative of the lone district.
Miraflores said that there's only a week left before Congress will close in time for the forthcoming midterm elections.
"Although it has already been approved in Congress, by then some members of the senate still do not agree of passing the bill into a law this present time," Miraflores said.
The House Bill 1109 known as "Establishing a Mechanism for the Sustainable Management and Use of the Island of Boracay" was yet passed in 2008.
"The said bill hopes to correct the flaw in the state ownership of Boracay. It is considered a road map to Boracay development by legitimizing land ownership and giving the landowners free patents to those alienable and disposable lands (in Boracay)," Miraflores said.
He added that the Boracay bill could have solved some of the environmental problems now currently faced by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
"I just hope that it would still be passed and will finally become a law by the next Congress," he added.

Boracay island hosting 25th Neil Pryde Boracay International Funboard and Kite Surfing Cup

The 25th anniversary celebration of the Neil Pryde Boracay International Funboard and Kite Surfing Cup started Monday at the Bulabog Beach here drawing professional windsurfers and kite surfers from around the world. The silver anniversary will culminate on Jan. 25 while the Jan. 21 activities considered as practice day. Succeeding days will be the competition proper subject to wind and tide conditions. This year's competition also introduces a new category dubbed as Cabrinha Boracay Big Air Challenge. In 2010, the event was considered by the CNNGo.com as one of the top "52nd Weekend Events Destination in the World." The Asia Spa Magazine also listed the Cup among Asia's Top Ten Participant-Friendly Sporting Event. In addition, the Hong Kong-based Action Magazine also considers the Boracay Fun Board Cup as Asia's Best Boardsailing Blast.Participants in this year's Cup comes from the countries of Oceania, Asia and Europe.

Korean saved from drowning

A Filipino ticket seller of a local carnival here who claims he does not know how to conduct beach rescue was able to save a Korean national from drowning Thursday morning.
Police report said that an undisclosed name of a Korean female tourist sought help at the front beach. The incident happened at around 5:30 am.
"At first, I thought the two Korean females were just excited in swimming. After a few minutes, I noticed that one of the female Koreans at the beach was crying and when I asked her why, she said that her friend was drowning," said the rescuer Ian Antin.
Because of this, Antin despite admitting he has no knowledge in life-saving struggled 15 meters from the beach shore against soaring waves to rescue the victim.
As soon as Antin brought the unconscious victim to the beach, a group of volunteers from the Boracay Rescue Team resuscitated her. The victim then was revived after a few minutes.
Antin said he was at the beachfront during that hour as he could not sleep.

DENR urged to name resorts to be demolished in Boracay

The local government of Malay, Aklan is urging the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to give them the names of resorts that will be affected by a possible mass demolition in March.

Malay councilor Rowen Aguirre said that while the DENR has been telling the media of its planned demolition, the local government authorities are still in the dark on the list.

"The DENR considered the local government unit of Malay, Aklan to be part of the demolition order yet we do not know who will be affected by this," Aguirre said.

The DENR earlier indicated that around 200 firms will be affected by the demolition if they would not adhere to the environmental requirements of the DENR. The DENR also does not provide the list to the media.

It is believed that those to be demolished are expanded structures at the front beach. These structures include massage tents and beach rest areas, among others.

Uniform tariff for Boracay island hopping pushed

The local government of Malay, Aklan is seeking for a uniform tariff for island hopping services in this resort island.
Malay Councilor Jupiter Gallenero said the rate on island hopping here varies depending on the profit-making abilities of middlemen that are times too steep which turn off foreign and local tourists.
"We hold a consultative meeting with the Boracay Island Hopping Association (BIHA). It is then that we have affirmed the need for a tariff to be approved by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)," Gallenero said.
Because there is no uniform tariff rate, he said the freelance agents are earning much higher than banca operators.

HK investor wants underground tunnel in Boracay

 An investor from Hong Kong has expressed interest in putting up an underground tunnel that will connect this resort island to the mainland Malay, Aklan.
Malay Councilor Dante Pagsuguiron,in an interview on Thursday, said that the undisclosed investor would be willing to finance the proposed underground tunnel.
"I have already submitted the proposal to the local council and all the council members expressed interests in the said multi-million project," Pagsuguiron said adding that he has a direct contact through e-mails to the investor.
The council is expected to request the investor to come personally to Boracay and explain his detailed plans on the project. The council,however, is yet to receive a formal expression of interests from the investor.
The council also would like to know if the proposed underground tunnel would be environmentally safe for Boracay.
"If in case the council would be satisfied then we would likely endorse it," Pagsuguiron said. 

Beach nourishment solution to Boracay environmental woes - Aklan gov

The Aklan Provincial Government on Wednesday urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to consider its recommendation of beach nourishment in this resort island.
"The beach nourishment is simply we quarry back the white sand from the sea to the beach. This way we could solve the legal complication of the existing environmental laws.Beach nourishment's are already being done in too many tourism destinations in the world," said Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez.
This developed after the DENR announced that it would start the demolition of illegal structures owned by more than 200 establishments in Boracay by March of this year.
"On the part of the Aklan provincial government, we believed that the planned demolition is a complicated issue. The DENR must also consider the effects of the sea level rise in this resort island," said Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez.
Report said, the sea level rise in the province including Boracay Island, reaches 0.2 meters high during high tide.
Marquez said they already have submitted their position paper for the beach nourishment to the DENR Central Office and that the department is already carefully studying the document. 

DOT lauds Boracay resort for garnering international award

The Department of Tourism (DoT) lauded a resort in this resort island for garnering an international award.

Tim Ticar, officer in charge of the DoT in Boracay, said the Ambassador in Paradise Resort here won the gold category for the Century International Quality Era Award from the Business Initiative Directions (BID) which is based in Spain.

The award will be presented in recognition of companies or organizations in countries throughout the world that further their reputation and position by implementing and promoting quality culture.

“The award recognizes and encourages the contribution of companies and organizations to quality, continuous improvement and customer satisfaction as well as improving relations with employees, suppliers and all those associated with the company,” Ticar said. He said the resort will received the award on March 10 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Gold Category will be given to the Ambassador in Paradise Resort for its unique and quality practice in the hospitality industry.

Business  Initiative Directions(B.I.D) has awarded companies and professionals from 178 countries since 1986. Every year, the mass media  broadcast the news items concerning the Convention tom the benefit of award winners and the companies which they represent.  B.I.D organizes events and publishes news papers, books, magazines and television in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian.  The focus is on company policy in the areas of quality, national and international commerce, new products and financial resources in industry and the service sector. B.I.D. clients range from large corporations to companies with a local market.

The meaning of the BID Quality Award, offers a media plan for the company to obtain the maximum benefits to achieve an excellent international image in order to transmit it to the clients, employees, shareholders, officials and everyone else in the company field. The BID Award allows the company to launch a leadership campaign to be on a competitive edge in the business market where brands offer similar advantages and have reached market saturation.

The importance of B.I.D is growing year by year in the world of business communication, shown full-page appearances in leading business publications. In fact, the newspaper Cinco Dias, publisher of a daily section of the Wall Street Journal, featured three full pages and on double page dedicated to B.I.D., with Bill Clinton, 42^nd President of the United States of America.

The Conventions are part of the BID Quality Awards Annual program, created to recognize the prestige of the featured companies, organizations and entrepreneurs. The ceremonies are attended by companies of countries, together with leaders of many business sectors, professional of the world economy, arts and corporate image, quality experts as well as academics celebrities and diplomatic representatives. The event will be coverage by journalists, TV cameras, videographers and photographers to appear in publications and on the broadcast media.

For attaining the qualification of the Century International Quality Era Award by Business Initiative Directions, the Gold Category has been awarded to Ambassador in Paradise Resort, for its uniqueness in the field of hospitality industry. For having Excellent in Leadership, in exceeding customer satisfaction, practicing total quality management, Brand name Prestige, Innovative and building harmonious relationship among employees, suppliers and all those associated with the company.

The Ambassador in Paradise Resort is located in prime station one beachfront, Boracay Island. It is a brand new resort completed November 2009, and is of modern tropical desogn. The resort is all high end, all the rooms have an ocean view, and have quality furnishings and even personal butler, The Ambassador has a great beachfront loaded with coconut trees, beach lounge chairs, and a great swimming area. Triple A Resort.

The Gala dinner and Awards Ceremony will take place at the international Convention Hall in Geneva, Switzerland on March 10, 2013 at exactly 18:30.

In Geneva, during the Convention March 9 and 10, B.I.D. is pleased to offer a full service staff inside the International Geneva Hotel, from 10 am to 6 pm to aid in the convention registration as well as the hotel accommodation.

East Asians top Boracay tourist arrivals in 2012

Tourists from East Asian countries topped the number of foreign tourists who visited this resort island in 2012.
In a document released by the Aklan Provincial Tourism Extension Office Friday, South Korean tourists continue to top foreign tourists arrivals here.
Statistics revealed that both foreign local and foreign tourists reached an unprecedented record of 1,206,252. Of this number 473,286 were foreign tourists arrivals; 690,872 were domestic and the remaining 42,094 were overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Korean tourists ranked number one with 156,445 followed by Taiwan with 92,209. Mainland China were at the third spot with 82,358.
All of the three top foreign tourist arrivals were from East Asia countries.
Tourists from the United States of America came fourth with 18,283; fifth from Australia with 14,473 tourists; sixth were Russian tourists reaching the records of 13,725; Sweden came seventh with 8,382; Hong Kong reaches 7,439 at the eight spot; and Germany was ninth with 7,407.
Japanese tourists ranked tenth with 7, 327.
The provincial tourism targets 1.5 million tourists this year 2013 anticipating an increase of tourism arrivals coming from China and Russian countries.

Boracay business group warns of fake online reservations

The Boracay Foundation Incorporated (BFI) has warned tourists of the emerging fake travel online reservations using the names of different hotels based in the resort island.
This developed after a group of European tourists recently reported to the Boracay police that they made an online reservation to a travel agency but were not accepted by the resort.
It was learned that the resort already blacklisted the travel agency since October 2012.
The resort had to accommodate the European tourists despite their full bookings during New Year’s eve.
"With this incident, we urged tourists wanting to go to Boracay to be cautious on dealing with online reservations. We in the BFI are currently studying such case and determine how we could be able to prevent it from happening again," Jony Salme, BFI president said.

New Year in Boracay