Category: General

MANILA: Thailand is hoping to sign within the year a tourism deal with the Philippines that would jumpstart the ‘two-country, one-destination’ initiative, its top diplomat in the Philippines said Friday.

Under the concept, the two governments will ramp up promotions and encourage foreign tourists visiting either of the two states to have the Philippines or Thailand as their second stop.

In an interview on the sidelines of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) Ambassadors’ Lecture Series, Thailand Ambassador Tull Traisorat said the document could be signed by June during the Philippine-Thailand tourism ministerial meeting or ‘even before if there’s a high-level visit’.

‘The two-country, one-destination concept is reflected in the implementation part under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on tourism cooperation between Thailand and the Philippines,’ he said.

‘This one is the implementation agreement under that MOU. So, the two sides will work even more closely together,’ he added.

Given the distance bet
ween the two neighbors, Traisorat also emphasized the need to work on establishing a direct flight between the two states’ popular destinations.

‘Phuket-Cebu direct flights’

Currently, the envoy said stakeholders are in talks for a possible direct flight between Cebu and Phuket.

‘It’s in the making. I’ve talked with all relevant airlines already, including Thai Airways, PAL (Philippine Airlines), Cebu Pacific, Thai VietJet Air, and AirAsia as well to promote this. It’s a key to promote tourism between our two countries,’ he told reporters.

Once established, Traisorat said the Philippines could get a share of Thailand’s steadily growing number of foreign tourists.

In 2023 alone, Thailand received about 28 million international travelers, eight to 10 million visited Phuket via the more than 100 weekly direct flights from Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and China.

‘If there’s direct flight between Phuket and Cebu, if the Philippines could tap at least 10 percent, it’s near one million already. So, a
direct flight is key in promoting tourism and attracting more tourists,’ Traisorat said.

‘The key is attracting those from the outside- those who come to Thailand- to continue here in the Philippines, particularly those who love diving,’ he added, citing the world-renowned diving destinations in the Philippines.

On top of arrivals, Traisorat also mentioned the growing presence of Thai brands in Philippine hospitality such as the Dusit Thani.

‘They are planning to have one more in Iloilo and one more in Boracay,’ he said.

‘But this one, except the one in Manila, which is owned and managed by Dusit Thani, the rest is owned by a Filipino and managed by Dusit Thani. So, the owner has to negotiate the management agreement with Dusit Thani,’ he added.

Apart from Dusit Thani, Traisorat said the Erawan Group, which operates the Hop Inn Hotels, is also expanding well.

These developments come as Thailand and the Philippines mark their 75 years of diplomatic relations on June 14.

Aside from tourism, cooperation b
etween Manila and Bangkok continues to grow in trade, culture, education, and agriculture, among others.

Source: Philippines News Agency

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVhISTA: Some 5,770 household members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in Antique have availed of the electricity lifeline or subsidized rate program.

Jeffrey Gabucay, 4Ps Antique Provincial Link, said the electricity discount availed by indigent beneficiaries somehow alleviated their situations.

‘The household beneficiaries availing of the discount can use their money, supposedly to be paid for their electric bill, to meet their other needs,’ he said in an interview on Friday.

Antique Electric Cooperative, under General Manager Neal Peter Veñegas, said the lifeline rate program mandated by Republic Act 11552 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act 2001 provides discounts ranging from 20 percent to 100 percent in their monthly dues.

In a forum on Thursday, Pantawid Division Chief Belen Gebusion said Antique has the highest enrollees for the program in Western Visayas based on the Department of Energy data.

Regionwide, there are 34,969 household beneficiaries.

Gebusion, meanwh
ile, said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has also disbursed PHP7.09 billion in cash grants to 368,141 active members in Western Visayas.

‘There are also 82,041 household beneficiaries that have graduated and exited from the program in Western Visayas as of March 7 this year,’ she added.

From Antique, 10,248 beneficiaries graduated and exited the program after they were found self-sufficient and had no children of up to 18 years monitored in schools.

The DSWD also disbursed as of March 19 over PHP1.09 billion as social pension for 182,108 indigent senior citizens in the region; 22,878 came from Antique for the first semester of 2024.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Quang Tri: Two Hatinh langurs (Trachypithecus hatinhensis), a critically endangered primate species, have been spotted in Huong Phung commune, Huong Hoa district, the central province of Quang Tri.

Locals reported the appearance of the langurs near the natural forest in Cop village, Huong Phung commune on March 21.

According to Forest Protection Department of Huong Hoa district, one of the two langurs attacked a local resident, resulting in a slightly injury in his back. Upon receiving the information, the department reported the incident to the district People’s Committee to seek measures to protect the two primate individuals and ensure safety for local residents.

Hatinh langurs live on limestone mountains in the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Quang Tri as well as in the Lao border provinces of Khammouane and Savannakhet.

In Quang Tri, Hatinh langurs are recorded in the Bac Huong Hoa Nature Reserve.

Earlier, many Hatinh langurs were detected in Huong Lap commune, Huong Hoa district in Ju
ne 2020. The langurs chased and attacked motorbike drivers passing by. Therefore, the authorities built a 2.5m-high and 800m-long net fence along the road connecting Cha Ly and Se Pu villages and western section of Ho Chi Minh Highway to prevent the langurs from entering the road, but it was in vain. In some later attacks by the langurs, more than 20 local residents were injured./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Ninh Binh: Cuc Phuong National Park in the northern province of Ninh Binh on March 21 held a consultation conference to collect opinions on its plan for developing ecotourism in the 2023-2030 period and to introduce a set of mascots for the run Jungle Paths 2024.

Under the plan proposed by the national park, environmental protection and biodiversity conservation are considered the most important tasks of the park and the central point to develop tourism services and environmental education on the park’s biodiversity, wildlife, and endemic species.

The proposed plan also includes measures to promote cultural and historical values to diversify tourism products and experiences.

Speaking at the conference, Director Nguyen Van Chinh said that the park, established in 1962, is the first national park in Vietnam that has successfully provided tourism services with programmes and products promoting forest values.

However, new social contexts and trends require concerted access to ecotourism products, nature-exper
iencing activities, indigenous community culture, and environmental protection messages.

Director of the Forest Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Chinh Nghia said that Cuc Phuong National Park has been well coordinated with the local community, particularly those living in the buffer zone in forest protection, biodiversity conservation, and tourism development.

He emphasised that it is necessary to minimise the impacts of tourism activities on the ecosystem and the wildlife in the park and ensure balance and harmony between tourism development and environmental conservation.

Also at the conference, the park launched the set of mascots used in the Jungle Paths 2024 Run, which are stylised images of wildlife animals including keeled box turtle (Cuora mouhotii), Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), Cuc Phuong red-bellied squirrel, white-rumped langur, and clouded leopard./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: Residents in the National Capital Region, particularly those who live in villages and condominiums, are asked to minimize the use of water to mitigate impacts caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

In a news release on Friday, National Water Resources Board (NWRB) Executive Director Ricky Arzadon issued NWRB No. 003, calling all village heads and condominium property managers to institute water conservation efforts as levels in dams continued to drop because of the effects of the weather phenomenon.

Arzadon advised property managers to postpone any swimming pool maintenance work that requires replacing of water in the pool.

The use of pails and dippers in washing cars, cleaning driveways, watering lawns, and other similar activities is also encouraged.

These measures, he added, are all in compliance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s instructions to manage the impacts of El Niño.

In January, Marcos issued Executive Order No. 53 directing concerned government agencies to develop a comprehensive d
isaster preparedness and rehabilitation plan for El Niño and La Niña to provide ‘systematic, holistic, and results-driven interventions’ to help the public cope and minimize their devastating effects.

Earlier, the board announced that it will slash water allocation for Metro Manila to 48 cubic meters (cms) per second from 50 cms starting mid-April as a mitigation measure.

The water level in Angat Dam is expected to drop to 190 meters by the end of this month.

The agency is trying to avoid the Angat Dam water level dipping to 180 meters or lower as this may cause a water deficit.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ILOILO CITY: Emergency employment provided under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) has helped Iloilo City sustain its cleanup campaign.

Gabriel Felix Umadhay, Public Employment Service Office (PESO) manager for Iloilo City, said they target to provide emergency employment to about 6,000 displaced workers this year.

“They are the ones that usually augment the cleanliness efforts of the city throughout the year,” he said in an interview on Friday.

He noted that every time there are disasters and calamities, those employed under TUPAD are the ones helping in the cleanup activities, fast-tracking the clearing operations.

For this year, the first batch of beneficiaries consisted of 900 displaced workers who rendered service during weekdays from Feb. 21 until March 7.

They received their payment of PHP4,800 each during the payout on Monday.

The payout was attended by Senator Ramon Revilla Jr., who facilitated the release of funding for the project in Iloilo City throug
h the Department of Labor and Employment and Mayor Jerry P. Treñas.

“They were deployed in their respective barangays. We deployed them in their respective barangays to clean their surroundings and public places near them like esplanade, plazas, and sidewalks,” Umadhay said, adding that the emergency employment helped beneficiaries provide for their family’s daily needs.

Other beneficiaries are those who temporarily stopped schooling so they could earn and save up money for their school fees.

“Through this program, we help our beneficiaries to jumpstart and go back to their economic activities through Bayanihan. They help the city government and the city also helps them,” he said, expressing hope that they would be able to secure more support from legislators to sustain the program in the city.

Last year, more than 17,317 displaced and disadvantaged Ilonggos availed of the program.

Umadhay said the PESO is focused on providing short- and long-term employment.

Those availing of short-term employment can
secure long-term opportunities through the monthly job fair of PESO so they need not rely on government assistance, he added.

Source: Philippines News Agency