Inday Loren Receives Datu Sumakwel Award from Antiqueños

Senator Inday Loren Legarda recently received the “Datu Sumakwel Award”, the highest recognition conferred by the Bugal Kang Antique Awards held at Eagle’s Hotel in San Jose, Antique.


The Datu Sumakwel Award is given to an Antiqueño or juridical persons in recognition of their service for the development of Antique.

Legarda, who was nominated by Antique Vice Governor Edgar D. Denosta, was conferred the highest award for her outstanding accomplishment in the fields of Governance and Public Service, Arts and Culture, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Environmental Protection.

“I strongly believe that she encompasses the epitome of a true Antiqueño public servant for all her numerous outstanding achievements and invaluable contributions not only to the progress and development of Antique, but also to our country, and the world,” said Denosta in his nomination letter.


Legarda, a three-term Antiqueña Senator who chairs the Senate Committees on Finance, Foreign Relations and Climate Change,  is a known environmental advocate, a women and children’s rights champion, and an arts and culture advocate. She has authored many of the country’s landmark laws in her 20 years as senator and has been recognized many times nationally and globally.


In her acceptance speech, Legarda thanked her fellow Antiqueños for supporting her in the programs she has been providing the province and assured them that she will lead Antique towards progress.


“Antique’s progress is unstoppable. Now, our dream of seeing Antique rise and be great, if not greater than our sister provinces, will come into fruition because we can do it, we have the means and we should have the strong will to turn our dreams into reality,” said Legarda.


“While I am humbled to be recognized as a pride of Antique, I dare say that we should all strive to be Antique’s pride, which is not measured by any award but by the passion and heart to serve our people and our province,” she stressed.


Legarda is a child of Antique. Her maternal grandmother, Carmen Gella Bautista, is from Pandan. Her great grandfather, Ariston Gella, was the first pharmacist of the province and a member of the Malolos Congress that crafted the first Philippine Constitution. Her great grandunlce, Vicente Gella, opened the first and only secondary school in Antique during the Spanish period and became Governor of the province. Pedro Gella was a Mayor of Sibalom, while Bartolome Gella was head of the Army’s Medical Corps during the revolution.


In the past few years, Legarda has brought the much needed support for Antique with the goal of not only being on a par with neighboring provinces but also to uplift the lives of her kasimanwas.


She has provided programs for livelihood and additional support for fisherfolks, farmers, weavers, artisans, homemakers, and micro, small and medium enterprises; for quality and free education up to tertiary level through the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education law which she authored; and for medical assistance especially to indigents in all government hospitals and the upgrading and improvement of hospitals and rural health units.


She has ensured that infrastructure projects are in place, even reviving the airport in San Jose and bringing back Philippine Airlines flights to Antique. At the same time, she is also able to greatly contribute in protecting the environment and promoting Antique’s culture and heritage. The construction of the Pandan Arboretum and Eco-Park, the Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Rehabilitation Program, the Sibalom Natural Park Conservation and EcoTourism Development, the restoration of the Gabaldon School Buildings, and the establishment of Kinaray-a Center and language marker for Kinaray-a are some of her projects dedicated to preserving the beautiful culture, heritage, and environment of Antique.

Legarda Sees Boost in Trade and Tourism with Antique Airport Improvement, PAL Direct Flights

Senator Loren Legarda today said that the improvement of Antique airport and the Philippine Airlines' (PAL) direct flights to Antique will spur local economy as it will boost trade and tourism.



“Today, as we welcome the inaugural flight of Philippine Airlines in our newly renovated airport, I can proudly say that: Antique’s progress is unstoppable,” said Legarda in a speech read by Governor Rhodora Cadiao during the inaugural flight of PAL to Antique airport.



“We are ready to welcome more tourists in our province and we are excited to share our products to more Filipinos and tourists outside the province. Our expanded and upgraded airport will be our gateway and PAL will be our partner in this endeavor,” she added.



It was through Legarda's efforts that PAL is now servicing direct flights to Antique.



Starting December 16, PAL Express flies to Antique twice a week, on Sundays and Tuesdays. It will depart from Clark International Airport at 6:00am and arrive at Antique Airport in San Jose de Buenavista at 7:20am. Return flight leaves Antique Airport at 7:40am and arrives in Clark International Airport at 9:00am.



“Antique has so much potential for growth. This is just the beginning of many more successes for our beloved province,” Legarda concluded.

Boracay business group may retract opposition to cruise ship operators

The Boracay Foundation Inc. (BFI) is reviewing its earlier position on cruise ships making a beeline to this resort island.

BFI President Maylynn A. Graf said the business organization has been opposing the cruise ship industry after authorities cited Boracay’s environmental degradation.

Graf noted cruise ships included Boracay as a stop after Aklan Gov. Florencio T. Miraflores signed in 2015 a memorandum of understanding with the Miami, Florida-headquartered Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

“Right now, since Boracay is already environmentally safe, we are considering to support the cruise ship tourism. We are, however, still studying if we could officially support it,” Graf said.

Graf said BFI’s review comes after Boracay was reopened to tourists on October 26, six months after it was closed for rehabilitation. She also noted reports saying a cruise ship will be arriving in Boracay on December 18 bringing some 3,000 tourists.

Earlier, Niven Maquirang, Caticlan and Cagban jetty port administrator, said they are expecting some 28 cruise ship port calls at Boracay next year.

Legarda Partners with DOT to Bring PHL Harvest to Antique

In a bid to further promote tourism and the products of Antique, Senator Loren Legarda has partnered with the Department of Tourism (DOT) to bring the Philippine Harvest to the province.



Dubbed as Antique Harvest, it is the first in Western Visayas and aims to promote culinary heritage and tourist destinations in the 18 towns of Antique. It will be held on December 14-16, 2018 at the Expansion Area of Robinsons Place Antique.



“The DOT’s Philippine Harvest promotes the culinary heritage of different regions in the country. I wanted them to do the same for Antique so we can showcase the local food and tourist destinations of all the municipalities. It is a way to boost the promotion of Antique destinations, cultures, and values through food and other Philippine Tourism products,” said Legarda.



The Antique Harvest will have twenty-two (22) exhibitors featuring farm tourism sites, destinations, local food and travel agencies that promote sustainable travel.



There will be a Central Setting where weaving demonstrations will be conducted featuring artisans from weaving centers in Tibiao, Bugasong and Pandan, all of which have been receiving support from Senator Legarda.



“I want to boost tourism and trade in Antique through the Antique Harvest, which will coincide with the inaugural flight of Philippine Airlines to San Jose on December 16. These are efforts to promote our local products and tourist sites. Once there is greater demand for these products and sites, there will be more livelihood opportunities for Antiqueños,” said Legarda.



“This is only the beginning of many more initiatives for our province. We have many other collaborations with national government agencies and even the private sector to bring their programs to Antique,” Legarda concluded.

Boracay exceeds tourist capacity for a day

For a day, this island resort exceeded its daily tourist arrival cap by a few hundreds.

Tourists who visited Boracay on Nov. 30 reached 6,772, a monthly summary of tourist arrivals courtesy of the Municipal Tourism Office of Malay town showed.

The Department of Tourism previously said the island can accommodate only 6,405 tourists on a daily basis.

Most of those who went to Boracay on Nov. 30 were domestic tourists (4,845).

The foreigners among them numbered 1,888 while there were 39 overseas Filipino workers, the summary showed.

For the president of the Boracay Foundation, Inc., an organization of local businesses, the numbers prove how naturally attractive the island is to tourists.

That the number of tourists exceeded the limit even just by a few hundreds “shows the desire of many to visit” Boracay, said Maylynn Graf.

“We anticipate the influx of tourist arrivals in Boracay during the Yuletide season,” said Graf.

In April the government ordered Boracay closed to visitors for six months to give way to rehabilitation efforts. The island was reopened on Oct. 26./

85% of Boracay road revamp finished, says DPWH’s Villar

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is assuring the public that the current road upgrading efforts for the circumferential road of this island destination is nearing completion.

DPWH secretary Mark Villar revisited Boracay this week to inspect the circumferential road, explaining that construction has largely been delayed due to the recent series of inclement weather.

With the start of the six-month Boracay closure in April, the DPWH began its road upgrading of the 4.1-kilometer circumferential road. Another 3.5 kilometers in new circumferential roads are expected to be paved next year.

“Currently, we already have finished 85 percent of road upgrading including the sidewalk,” Villar told reporters.

DPWH has also constructed a 204-meter reinforced concrete pipe culvert, to fill a missing gap in the island’s drainage facility. It will have five catchment basins, a 22-meter cross drain, and 130-meter cut-off wall for installation of curb and gutter.

Other improvement activities in Boracay include the clearing of illegally placed structures and the construction of a road network leading to and along Bulabog Beach.

Boracay Halloween celebration simple

Halloween traditions in this resort island on October 31 had been made simple as the national government banned beach parties. This is a far cry from the celebrations that marked this resort island before it was closed on April 26.

Both tourists and residents enjoyed frolicking and swimming at the beach, eating and shopping. Foreigners and residents also dressed in scary costumes in line with the Halloween traditions.

Halloween costume parties were also held in bars and night clubs far from the beach.

Ramel Buncalan, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Kalibo, noted President Duterte fulfilled his promise to open Boracay after six months.

Businesses in Kalibo were also affected, some were closed, according to Buncalan. He noted that the closure of Boracay, which is several kilometers away from Kalibo, also caused the displacement of employees in Kalibo.