Maniolas

Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat temples complex stands in Siem Reap province, some 230 kilometers (143 miles) northwest Phnom Penh, Cambodia. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines expects to benefit significantly from proposed Asean-themed tours, as the program will not only boost international arrivals but will also spur more investments in the local tourism industry. Aileen Clemente, executive vice president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, said the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will offer starting next year four themed tours for international visitors who are looking to travel within the region. Also to be offered are intra-Asean packages involving travel to three or four countries in the region depending on the tourist’s preferences, as well as arrangements for airline and hotels. “It will be a diverse set of packages that will focus on the collective strength of Asean member countries. We have always maintained that instead of competing for tourist arrivals, we should be cooperating with each other to maximize the potential of each destination,” Clemente said. Apart from boosting arrivals and investments, Clemente, who is also the president of the Asean Tourism Association, said this new tourism scheme is expected to improve and widen the  The Marina Bay Sands hotel and the Supertrees at Gardens By The Bay covered in haze. AP FILE PHOTO manpower base, and promote more environmentally sound programs. There will be four themes that will be made available to tourists, namely Community Based Tourism (CBT), Nature Based Tourism (NBT), Cultural Read More …

Ebola health care workers carry the body of a middle aged man that they suspected of dying from the Ebola, on the outskirts of Monrovia, Liberia, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014. AP MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang vowed on Sunday to step up efforts against the Ebola virus following a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing that nearly half of Filipinos had only partial or little knowledge of the deadly disease, which has killed 4,960 people mostly in West Africa. Presidential Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma cited the need for “correct and sufficient information” so the public could take the necessary measures and avoid panicking, as governments has been working to prevent the entry of the virus in the Philippines. Coloma noted that the SWS survey conducted from Sept. 26 to 29 showed that 73 percent of the respondents said they were aware of the disease. But 44 percent of them said their knowledge of the virus was partial or little. The Department of Health earlier put up an online “Ebola Resource Center” (http://www.healthpromo.doh.gov.ph/ebola/) containing updates on the virus, which has infected a total of 13,268 people, mostly in West Africa, as of Nov. 4. Most of the cases were recorded in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, where authorities have been trying to contain the outbreak. In the Philippines, Coloma cited the DOH’s “preparedness plan” containing guidelines on “case detection and reporting, outbreak management and response, surveillance at points of entry, case management, interagency coordination, planning, and resource allocation.” Filipino peacekeepers arriving from Read More …

China’s President Xi Jinping delivers an opening speech for the APEC CEO Summit as part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014. AP BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping offered the world a vision of a Chinese-driven “Asia-Pacific dream” on Sunday, echoing his oft-quoted but never clearly defined “Chinese dream.” “We have the responsibility to create and realize an Asia-Pacific dream for the people of the region,” the Chinese Communist chief told the opening in Beijing of the Apec CEO Summit, a gathering of business and political leaders that precedes the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ gathering. Such a dream, he said, was “based on a shared destiny of all of the Asia-Pacific” and incorporated peace, development and mutual benefits. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation area includes 40 percent of the world’s population, almost half its trade, and more than half its GDP. China would focus on “managing its own affairs well” while looking to “bring more benefits to the Asia-Pacific and the world with its own development,” Xi said. As “China’s overall national strength grows,” he told his audience, it would be able and willing to offer “new initiatives and visions for enhancing regional cooperation.” “China wants to live in harmony with all its neighbors,” he added. But Beijing is embroiled in enduring territorial disputes with Japan over islands in the East China Sea, and several of the countries around the strategically vital South China Sea. Under Xi Read More …

OLONGAPO CITY, Zambales, Philippines—If there is any group here that is elated to know nine American ships have canceled their port calls, it is the organization that works to save bar workers and women in the city from prostitution. Members of the Buklod Center Inc., a drop-in center for women who used to be involved in the sex trade, said having no American troops around will reduce the number of women exploited and lured into prostitution. Alma Bulawan, Buklod executive director, said she felt relieved that nine US ships scheduled to visit Subic this month and in December have canceled port calls. “If they will not come here, women, especially those working in night clubs, will not be abused or exploited,” Bulawan told the Inquirer on Monday. Bulawan said her group, which was established in 1987, has been working hard over the years to erase Olongapo’s image as a “sin city,” acquired through its red light district that catered for decades to thousands of us soldiers stationed on the former US Naval Base or US warships calling at port to resupply and afford their crews rest and recreation. “When the Americans left their naval base here [in 1992], we’ve proven to the world that we’re better off without them,” Bulawan said. The Americans left their military bases in the country after the Philippine Senate rejected the extension of the Philippine-US military bases agreement in 1991. The former American-controlled naval base here and the Clark Air Base in Pampanga province have Read More …