Preparations underway for the 14th Boracay Body Building Championship

Preparations are now underway for the 14th Body Building Championship (BBC) in this resort island on December 16.

Georgen Dela Cuesta, event organizer of the BBC and who manages the Muscle Tribe Fitness Center-Boracay, said that body builders coming from around the country are gathering for the said wellness competition. For several years, foreign body builders are also joining.

The venue of the said tilt this year is the Ambassador in Paradise Resort at Station 1 Boracay Island.

The said competition is recognized by the Philippine Committee of Bodybuilding and Fitness (PCBF).

"The PCBF is the governing body for bodybuilding and physique competitions in the country. The PCBF is the only bodybuilding federation in the Philippines affiliated with the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB).

The IFBB has over 190 country affiliates. It organizes most prestigious competitions in the world including Olympia Weekend and the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival.

Malay includes TB in HIV/AIDS info drive

Tuberculosis (TB) awareness will be included in the HIV/AIDS information campaign during the World AIDS Day observance on Dec. 1.

This year’s theme is “Creating Alliance and Strengthening the Fight to Stop TB, HIV and AIDS,” said Arbie Aspiras, health and educational promotion officer of the Municipal Health Office of Malay, Aklan.

“There is now around 34, 999 cases of HIV/AIDS all over the [Philippines],” said Aspiras. “Cases of TB are growing, too.”

Municipal health officials also urged locals and tourists to avail themselves of free HIV/AIDS testing and other medical screenings at their offices here and in mainland Malay.

TB is the leading cause of death among people living with HIV worldwide, according to the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, TB usually affects the lungs but can also affect the brain, kidneys, spine, or other organ systems, the CDC said. It can cause serious health problems, including death, if left untreated, it added.

TB is a serious threat, especially for people living with HIV/AIDS, because both infections can work together to make a person very sick, an article on the American advocacy website AIDS.gov stated.

Due to the health risks for TB and HIV coinfection, the CDC recommends that all HIV-positive people should be tested for TB, while those who test positive for TB should begin treatment immediately, the article stated.

The risk of developing TB is estimated to be between 26 and 31 times greater in people living with HIV than among those without HIV infection, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In 2014 there were 9.6 million new cases of TB, of which 1.2 million were among people living with HIV, the WHO said.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) causes AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). 

More Chinese tourists expected to visit Boracay

More Chinese tourists are expected to visit Boracay for the year 2017 due to the growing friendly relations between China and the Philippines, a official said on Tuesday.
Niven Maquirang, Caticlan Jetty Port administrator, said he had already received notifications from the travel agents of China.
"This is part of the visit of President Rodrigo Duterte recently in China to promote Philippines," Maquirang said.
In 2015, Chinese tourists comes in second most number of tourists arrivals in Boracay with 177,926. Boracay has been named as the 16th favorite tourists spots by the Chinese.
"Chinese usually comes to Boracay via direct plane flight from the Kalibo International Airport and some through the chartered cruise ships," Maquirang added.
The Caticlan Jetty Port is considered as the main gateway of tourists coming to Boracay. 

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Aklan province starts preparation for ASEAN Summit

Aklan province and the municipal government of Malay are now starting to prepare for the Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) Summit in 2017.

Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores said that the National Organizing Council (NOC) of the ASEAN has already conducted initial ocular inspection for Boracay as a summit venue.

Report said Boracay will host at least four separate meetings on January and February of 2017.

"We still had to receive information on what topics would be discussed in the ASEAN meet in Boracay," said Miraflores.

The Aklan provincial government is confident that the anticipated ASEAN summit in Boracay would be done peacefully and successfully.

"We had already hosted series of international events in this resort island such as the Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) and the ASEAN Summit on Chief Justices. It will be easy for our security officers to initiate enforcement as they had already done it before," Miraflores said.

Boracay ‘endo’ forum

The campaign of the Duterte administration to put a stop to end of contract (endo) system has kicked off at the world-famous Boracay Island in Aklan.

Undersecretary Dominador Say of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) led a recent forum on endo, which was attended by 299 representatives from hotel and resort managements.

“This forum is only to discuss among owners in this resort island regarding the legal aspect of the implementation of the no endo policy. I hope they should not wait for its full implementation,” Say said.

For the endo to be legitimate, contractors must clearly specify in the contract the specific job of the worker, he said.

Say reminded that once the contract expires, the company must either let the worker go or regularize his or her contract.

For her part, DOLE Western Visayas Regional Director Salome Siaton said her office has started the endo campaign in other areas of the region.

Clampdown on human trafficking

The entry ports to Boracay Island in Malay town, Aklan are beefing up security measures against human trafficking.

Niven Maquirang, administrator for the Caticlan and Cagban Jetty Ports, said it recently launched its anti-human trafficking campaign in time for the Christmas season.

The country’s premier beach destination, Boracay attracts workers from all over Western Visayas as well as the rest of the country.  Among them are women who were offered lucrative jobs but ended up as prostitutes instead.

Last March, 24 women forced into prostitution in Boracay were rescued by the Aklan Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office and the Philippine National Police.

Boracay however has lost its luster as a tourist hub. It expects to reach its target of 1.7 million tourists this year.

From January to October 31, 1.46 million foreign and domestic visitors flocked to Boracay.