Government Agencies Team Up with ABSCBN, Ateneo for Eco-Tourism Program

(L-R) Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, ABSCBN President Charo Con-
cio, ABSCBN Foundation Managing Director Gina Lopez, DENR Secretary
Ramon Paje, and Acting Ateneo VP Evangeline Bautista formally kicked off
the Bantay Kalikasan Green Initiative. Rommel Natanauan

The Department of Tourism (DOT), together with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with media conglomerate ABS-CBN and premier academic institution Ateneo De Manila University to launch Bantay Kalikasan’s Green Initiative.

A joint program involving ABS-CBN Foundation's Bantay Kalikasan, the government, media, and academe, Green Initiative responds to protect and nourish the country’s natural biodiversity, while alleviating poverty and enriching the lives of people through various livelihood projects. 

Under the MOA, each signatory is to implement strategies that are geared towards improving the quality of life in the grassroots. The DOT, for its part, is tasked to facilitate the investment of tourism infrastructure and complementary facilities through convergence projects with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), paving the way for more tourism opportunities. DOT will also take the lead in promoting the projects as prime tourist destinations in the country. 

On the other hand, ABS-CBN commits to manage and ensure the media exposure of projects, with the support of Miss Earth Foundation in public relations and marketing aspects. 

“My conviction is that we would not only alleviate poverty but also drive in a new paradigm of thinking, one that benefits the environment and the community,” ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc. Managing Director Gina Lopez said. 

The DOT has been a long-time partner of the ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan in promoting and positioning the Philippines as a world-class ecotourism destination. Some of the joint projects in the past are the ecotourism sites of Sibuyan and Cobrador Islands in Romblon, Puerto Princesa City and Brooke’s Point in Palawan, and La Mesa Ecopark in Quezon City. 

“The complex issues of climate change and biodiversity are some of the biggest challenges facing society today. Going green is no longer just a fad, no longer for a small slice of the population. Going green has rather become a necessity and lifestyle in which we all must participate for the welfare of future generations. The Philippines is uniquely positioned to lead the way, and the DOT remains supportive of programs such as the Green Initiative. With the protection of the environment as one of the major thrusts of tourism, our role in DOT is to generate positive awareness and create demand for these ecotourism destinations. Through convergence programs with partner agencies and private sector, we are working very hard so that infrastructure is built to ensure seamless travel and that sustainable practices are implemented in these areas,” Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. shared.

Singapore Comes to Pasig via Spring Singapura

Some of us crave for Singaporean cuisine, but I know going to the Lion City will cost us much. Never to worry. Spring Singapura brings Singapore into your tummies. Located along the Metrowalk in Pasig, it's a new resto serving Singapore's well-known food.

First, I and my crew were treated to a sumptuous appetizer of Laksa, a spicy noodle soup similar to that of South Korea's Jjampong.

Then in came the main courses. Spring Singapura has a lot of seafood and meat dishes to serve your cravings. I went on to eat Hainanese Chicken...

...and some Coffee Pork Ribs. Yes, they used coffee as a flavoring!

And as a testament that Spring Singapura serves the best Singaporean dishes, the chef of the restaurant is a Singaporean himself!

Those are just some of the dishes you will expect at this Singaporean restaurant. For more of their food array, visit its place. Spring Singapura is located at the ground floor of the Metrowalk, Meralco Ave. cor. Ortigas Ave., Pasig City. You may call SS at (+632)5701739.

Photo Credits: Sef Tiburcio

Three-Day Sale Rocks Megamall, Other SM Stores

The SM Stores at SM Megamall, SM Harrison, SM City Novaliches, SM City Baguio, SM City Bacoor, SM City Batangas, SM City San Fernando, SM City Naga, SM City Davao, SM City Consolacion, and SM City Delgado will be having a 3-day sale on May 3, 4, and 5. You shoppers will enjoy big discounts on your favorite items come the weekend. 

Aside from the sale, the SM Store will also be having a 3-Way Save on the same period. You can get more discounts through this promo. First, if you own an SM Advantage Card, you can get an additional 10% off if you bought your items within the first two malling hours of Friday. Second, for every PHP2,000 single-receipt purchase you made on Saturday and Sunday, you will get a PHP100 shopping coupon free. Lastly, if you shopped for the entire duration of the sale using your BDO credit card, you can get a 5% rebate.

Also, you can have a chance to win one of seven IPad Minis to be given away in the raffle promo. Each IPad Mini comes with a free Globe prepaid SIM with free Powersurf 99. Every PHP1,000 worth of purchased items entitles you to a raffle coupon for a chance to win an IPad Mini. What are you waiting for? Shop now at SM Megamall, SM Harrison, SM City Novaliches, SM City Baguio, SM City Bacoor, SM City Batangas, SM City San Fernando, SM City Naga, SM City Davao, SM City Consolacion, and SM City Delgado! Per DTI-NCR Permit No. 7190 Series of 2012 and DTI-NCR Permit Nos. 0311, 0345, 0560, and 0566 Series of 2013.

Movie Review: Iron Man 3

Tony Stark had to start all over again to defeat The Ten Rings group in this
installment of the Iron Man saga.

Beware: You will see some spoilers here, so read at your own risk.

This is the first time I'm gonna do a movie review for Stu Traveled. I was invited to watch Iron Man 3 through a bloc screening sponsored by AppLabs right on my birthday, which happens to be the first screening day of the said movie.

The third installment of the Iron Man franchise started with a flashback scene featuring Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) at a New Year countdown party with Dr. Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), who was into a botanic research on regeneration. They met a certain Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who wanted to work together with Stark for what would become the Extremis virus. Fast forward to Christmas, a certain The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) of The Ten Rings terrorist group initiated a series of suicide bombings which curiously left not even a speck of the bombs in the sites. Stark issued a public challenge on The Mandarin to attack his mansion, which, as seen in the trailer, The Mandarin accepted. Presumed dead, Stark actually escaped from the attack and found himself in Rose Hill, Tennessee, where a bombing prior to the latest one (the scene where Tony's friend Happy Hogan [Jon Favreau] was severely hurt) took place. At Rose Hill, Tony, with his Iron Man suit crushed in the attack, had to start from scratch to get back at The Ten Rings, which happens to be led by Aldrich. Maya, whose research helped form the Extremis, was working beside Killian to create more viruses that turned ex-soldiers into suicide bombers. Add to the problems Tony faced was the anxiety disorder he got due to the events in The Avengers (if you haven't watched The Avengers, better grab a Blu-ray disk of the flick to get an idea about what happened to him). Thanks to a kid named Harley (Ty Simpkins), he and Stark repaired the suit, in time the terrorist group turned their attention on the President (William Sadler) and Tony's girlfriend Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow). Tony and Rhodey (Don Cheadle) aka War Machine/Iron Patriot (whose suit was used by Aldrich's henchman Eric [James Badge Dale] to kidnap the president) went to battle sans the latter's suit. In the end, Rhodey got his suit back and escorted the president to safety, and Tony, thanks to a barrage of suits, beat Killian.

At first, I didn't have an idea about the significance of the opening scene. I knew Aldrich had a significance in the movie, but it was until the latter part of the film where it became clear that he wanted to show Tony what he just passed up. Also, I laughed out loud at Tony's conversations with Harley. It's a heartfelt moment to see the billionaire Stark talking to a kid that casual. The final scene was kinda intriguing to me because after the surgeons successfully removed the Extremis virus on Pepper (she was injected with the virus by Aldrich), they turned to Tony to finally remove the shrapnel that was inside his chest. The arc reactor at the middle of his chest, as we all know, is powering the electromagnet that is keeping the memory of the explosion that we saw in Iron Man 1 from piercing his heart. With the shrapnel removed, so is the electromagnet and so is the arc reactor. Tony, after marrying Pepper, threw the reactor to the sea. With that being the trademark of Iron Man, the final scene is suggesting that the Iron Man saga will end there. It left me some questions leading to Avengers 2. Will we see Robert Downey Jr. play Iron Man minus the arc reactor there? The only thing I know is that Marvel, Paramount, and Disney are still considering an Iron Man 4.

For this film, Happy Hogan, i.e. Jon Favreau, who actually directed the two prequels, passed the torch to another director, Shane Black. Black, for me, responded to Favreau's call. He even made IM3 more entertaining than at least IM1, something we should be expecting in the final part of a trilogy. He also succeeded on developing an Iron Man suit-less Tony Stark in the movie, showing another side of him. The Stark we saw in the film is almost like the pre-Iron Man Tony we saw in the first comic books. Black showed the lighter side of Stark, and he succeeded in not compromising the Iron Man we know.

On a scale of 1-10, I will give the perfect 10. That's how you should end a saga.

QC Comedy Bar Celebrates Anniversary Through Awesome Show

Two performers danced to the beat of "Harlem Shake" while doing a "The
King and I" themed number.

The Fahrenheit Cafe along E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave. in Quezon City celebrated its 10th anniversary with a dance-comedy show featuring the comedy bar's line of performers.

The show, entitled "A Decade of Fantasy", kicked off with an entertaining dance number followed by impersonations of various singers like Charlene, Sharon Cuneta, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga.

Also, the members of the Fahrenheit Cafe and Fitness Center were in full force in watching the show alongside a good number of walk-ins.

The anniversary show was a way of Fahrenheit of expressing gratitude to those who continue to patronize the said comedy bar and gym.

Sunset Party at Venice Piazza Sizzles People's Summer

Flow artists showcased their talents. Venice Piazza

The Venice Piazza in McKinley Hill in Taguig gave a summer treat to the partygoers through the Venice Sunset Party: Summer Spindependence in the said venue.

The beach-inspired free concert party at the Venice Piazza's open area was filled up with people from sunset even until late night as world-class flow artists displayed their stuff to kick things off. The Katribu Kolektib Drum Community also made sounds in the party with their reggae beats.

The summer party was highlighted by performances from Pedicab, Urbandub, Sandwich, and Franco. The four bands performed their hits like "Ang Pusa Mo", "First of Summer", "DVDx", and "Happy Days". Pedicab's lead vocalist Diego Mapa and fellow DJ Diego Castillo, who make up the duo The Diegos, added some more beats with their party music skills to pep up the late night.

DOTC Moves Laguindingan Airport Opening for Passenger Convenience

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) today announced that it has decided to push back the transfer of the gateway to Northern Mindanao from the old Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City to the new P 7.8-Billion Laguindingan Airport by one-and-a-half months to June 15, 2013 in order to avoid disrupting passengers’ travel plans over the summer.

The Transport Department has conducted a walk-through at the Laguindingan Airport and was very pleased with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ (CAAP) preparations for the intended April 30 opening.  However, CAAP has received requests from airline companies to postpone the transfer until after the summer peak season, because the April 30 opening would require the cancellation of several daily trips.

According to the airline companies, their representatives were encountering difficulties in reaching a substantial number of passengers who had already purchased tickets for flights in April and May, to inform them of changes in their flight itineraries.

“It is in the best interest of the government and of the airlines to deliver safe and convenient services to the public,” said the DOTC. “As we took stock of the assessment of both CAAP and the airline companies that the Laguindingan Airport is already a safer alternative to the Lumbia Airport, we again listen to their inputs saying that postponing the transfer will be better for passenger convenience.”

“The postponement will give the airlines ample time to inform their customers of their new flight schedules at Laguindingan Airport.  This will lessen the possibility of disrupting travel plans and causing inconvenience to the riding public,” added the DOTC.

The airlines which operate at Cagayan de Oro are Cebu Pacific Air, Philippine Airlines, PAL Express, and Zest Air. They serve a combined total average of over 2,000 passengers daily.  

The Laguindingan Airport is a key infrastructure project which is crucial to unlocking the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor to more tourism- and agriculture-oriented activities.

The government has previously announced that it will be temporarily operated by CAAP using Visual Flight Rules (VFR) until its air navigation equipment is fully in place by May 2014.