Feature

Duyong Golden Beach

Photo credit to Sherpi.com

By Pepin

Wanna get into the waters this holiday break? Duyong Golden Beach in the Municipality of Pandan, Antique offers an uncomplicated vacation experience and of course a white sand beach.You can also witness the golden sunset and a panoramic view of Duyong Mountain Ranges and Batbatan Island.

Feature

Christmas  around the city

Photo credit to the News Today

By Pepin

You do not have to go somewhere else to witness spectacular lights and lanterns. Iloilo city already has scenic Christmas spots that you can visit for the holidays.

Agelicum School in Jaro is one of the popular places to visit this Christmas. The annual “Sigaboom” event that starts in mid December showcases an impressive display of colorful lights on the Lizares Mansion.

The Festival of Lights at Central Philippine University turns this century old institution into a Christmas theme park with sparkling lights hanging on trees and lining the edges of buildings. You can also take pleasure on the nightly concert being held at the football field or pick your treats from food stalls around the campus.

If you are looking for a holiday dinning experience, Plazuela de Iloilo offers you some of the best options with the finest restaurants. The mini park at the back is also an exciting site to chill and enjoy good music from a live band.

Since it was renovated, Molo Plaza has been a favorite Christmas attraction of the Ilonggos. Aside from the flamboyant lanterns hanging on trees, you can also enjoy native delicacies being sold around the corner. Puto and bibingka are some of these mouth-watering holiday treats.

If you are looking for a church for your “simbang gabi” experience, you can consider St. Clement’s Parish in Lapaz. Aside from enjoying a sight of twinkling lights outside and inside the church, the nine-day novena mass will give a lot of meaning on your Christmas celebration.

Iloilo City has a lot to offer this holiday season. You do not need to travel to distant places to experience Christmas because the there are many activities that are already in store for you here.

Feature

Voluntourism for Capiz

By Pepin

Photo credit to nonoying.com

Capiz is one of the hardly hit provinces when typhoon Yolanda made land fall in the country. Many municipalities were severely devastated. Families were displaced and millions were lost for damaged properties.

Now the local government is encouraging tourists visiting the province to spare some of their time to help in the post-typhoon rehabilitation thru the Voluntourism program. It aims to let tourist have a sense of fulfillment on their vacation by rebuilding the lives of people who were severely affected by the disaster.

Some activities that tourists can lend their helping hand to are coastal clean-up, house and school building, tree planting, livelihood training for women and indigenous groups, and clearing operations.

Interested persons or parties can contact the Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs office (PTCAO) at (036) 621-00-42 local 133 or (036) 621-29-35, or thru email at capiz.tourism@yahoo.com. Official Facebook page is at facebook.com/CapizTourismAndCulturalAffairs.

Announcement

I Am Iloilo Video Contest

Photo credit to http://www.iloilocity.gov.ph 

In collaboration with The Iloilo City Tourism Council, the promotional I am ILOILO video contest kicks off this December.

Categories 
-3-minute feature 
-30-second teaser/ad 

Dynamics 
1. Contest is open to all video enthusiasts. 
2. Each category will have a winner; 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place 
3. The producers of the winning entries will receive cash prizes and their winning entries may become official promotional videos of the city to be loop-played in terminals, airport and ports. 4. Copies of the promotional material will be made available to the public. 

Selection Process 
1. From among the entries, 5 from each category will be selected for public airing. 2. Finalists will have a public airing in a strategic location/s in the city to solicit text votes. 3. The winners will be selected from the finalists in each category and will be judged by a group of industry practitioners carefully selected by the organizer. Part of the judging will be determined by votes from the audience who will text in their votes during the airing of the video. 

Contest Guidelines 
1. All entries should revolve around Iloilo City’s new battle cry “I am Iloilo, Proud to be Ilonggo! “ This is open to all, including the province. “I am Iloilo” is a passionate declaration that there is nothing else like Iloilo – it is claiming ownership of the place and personifying it in one’s being. It is a statement that embodies what Iloilo is all about – its rich history and culture, heritage houses and mansions, majestic river, colorful festivals, warm people, sumptuous cuisines, grand churches, among other tourism attractions. 

2. The length of the entry should be strictly observed: a. a 3-minute category should not exceed 4 minutes but not less than 3 minutes and b. 30-second entry should not be more than 30 seconds. 

3. Contest Schedule and deadlines. 
Registration deadline is on December 7, 2013. The video submission deadline is on December 18, 2013 Pre-screening of ICTC committee is on December 16, 2013. Public viewing of finalists is on December 16, 2013. Announcement of winners is on December 31, 2013 (during the New Year’s countdown).

4. Follow copyright laws. Be sure that you have permission to use any music, video, or animation that appears in your video. 

5. All final outputs must include in their credits a listing of the major and minor sponsors of the competition. The list is going to be provided by ICTC. 

6. All entries should be in HD DVD format. 1DVD per entry. 

7. No commercial content is permitted. No branding should be included in any part of the video. 

8. Photos or footage of any politician in any part of the video is not allowed. 

9. Audience. The audience for these videos is the public at large so the use of English is encouraged although portions may be in the target language. All content should be appropriate for all ages. No abusive, obscene or vulgar language or scene is allowed in any video. 

10. All final outputs of winning entries must include in their credits a listing of the major and minor sponsors of the competition. The list is going to be provided by ICTC. 

11. All entries should not be uploaded prematurely in the net. Violations of this rule shall disqualify the contestant. 

12. All winning entries will become the official property of the Iloilo City Government. 

Judging Criteria 
1. All videos in all categories will be judged on the following criteria 

Content (30%) 
Is the "message" engaging and appropriate to the theme of the contest?
Creativity (30%) 
Is the idea shared innovative and creative? Is it original?
Execution (30% ) 
Is the use of technology effective and used appropriately to get the message across to the audience.
Effect: (10%) 
Was the overall effect achieved in communicating to the audience? This will be determined by votes from the audience during the public airing

2. Finality of Decisions. All decisions are final and binding in all matters relating to this competition.

Prizes 
1. Prizes for "The Video Competition" winners for all categories are as follows:
1st Place: PHP 10,000.00 with a plaque of recognition 2nd Place: PHP 7,000.00 with a plaque of recognition 3rd Place: PHP 5,000.00 with a plaque of recognition
2. Most Popular Video for each category: PHP 2,000.00 plus plaque of recognition
3. All finalists will get a plaque of recognition.

Feature

Iloilo was prepared

By Pepin

When typhoon Yolanda hit Iloilo, people were expecting that the flood control effort would save the province from the devastation, and it did. The people were more prepared to face the super typhoon after the incident with Typhoon Frank left unfathomable wreckage back in June 2008.

It can be remembered that a lot of families were displaced, properties were destroyed, and lives were lost when Frank smashed the province with strong winds and heavy rains that caused flooding in many areas, including the metropolis. The aftermath was just inconceivable with major roads blocked with bulky sludge and people scouting for food, water, and shelter.

The local government learned a vital lesson from that tragedy and conceptualized strategies to secure the community. Different sectors were able to contribute for the planning and implementation of those strategies.

The flood control system cost quite a sum of money, but it was able to effectively contain flood water that rushed from the highlands when Typhoon Yolanda hit the province. As a result, potential damage to properties was avoided and lives were spared.

However, the government and private sectors should still continue to work together to address flooding in some low-lying areas and to train people on disaster management. The public should also proactively participate in protecting the environment. One of the best things to do is to keep sewage and water paths clear of garbage and prohibited constructions.

Keeping people informed on how they can be able to help themselves and the rest of the community when calamities strike can save more lives. 

Feature

For Sale at Antique Province

Produkto Antikenyo is a small group that aims to promote the local products from the Province of Antique. The group has already launched a Facebook account to help market the goods.

This fan shaped sling bad is only one of the many products that can be purchased online. Other goods are fashion accessories, gem stones, loom weaved cloths, and herbal teas. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/ProductsOfAntiqueinfo

Feature

Iloilo Zombie Run 2013

Highlights

Video credit to Simply Iloilo

Feature

August in a Glance

By Pepin

The month of August has been spectacular and extra challenging for the Ilonggos with various social and cultural activities celebrated by the city. Here’s a recap of some of these events:

The month kicked-off with a mission of wellness thru the 37^th National MILO Marathon last August 4, with

nearly 15,000 runners participated.

Councilor Nielex Tupas organized a mass baptism project on August 8. This is one of his priority project that aimed to help poor children to be baptized. 

On the second week of the month, Iloilo City started the week long celebration of its 76^th Charter Day. Several activities, such as sports tournament and cultural presentations, were held. A city-wide parade took place on August 24. On the same week, Iloilo city won the regional TESDA Award and qualifies for the national finals. The city was also eyed to host two ministerial meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Convention in 2015.

The Charter Day is also a celebration of Ilonggo pride. The annual celebration paved way for the launching of the “I AM ILOILO” Movement, which encouraged every Ilonggo to embrace their identity and to foster cooperation in working towards progress. Wearing yellow shirts, thousands of Ilonggos marched on the streets to show their support for the project. Netizens also participated by spreading the battle cry of the Ilonggos thru social media.

“Fast and Furious” best describes the 2^nd Frank Drilon Dragon Boat Competition held last August 24 at the Iloilo River. Ten teams joined the race with thousands of spectators came to witness the event. At the end it was the Boracay All Stars who paddled for gold. 

After winning the Red Orchid Award for its Smoke-free campaign, Iloilo City is up for another challenge as it vies for the Healthy Lifestyle Award. The city has been shortlisted for the Local Government Unit-City Category of Outstanding Healthy Lifestyle Advocacy Awards (OHLAA) 2013 to be held in Manila this September.

August has truly been a rewarding month for Iloilo. As more and more Ilonggos are enticed to work hand-in-hand for progress, it will soon achieve its dream to become a premier city. 

Photo credit to Iloilo City Government’s Official Facebook Page

Events

Gowns at Iloilo Designers Week 2013

 

    Angellete Borja-Ragus/Ayan Jorda

Binky Pitogo/Eric Delos Santos

Jaki Penalosa/Jet Salcedo

John Montinola/Jun-g Candelario

Paul Conte/Poli Abastillas

Sidney Eculla

Photo credit to Iloilo Designers Week Official Facebook Page

Feature

Taking inspirations from 

“Aunt Terry”

Photo credit to Panay News

By Pepin

Thousands of Filipinos dream of working in Singapore as domestic helpers, but only one can be an inspiration.  Teresita Sajonia, or popularly known as “Aunt Terry” has been making headlines when a film about her notched top honors at the Cannes film Festival.

A native of San Miguel, Iloilo, Aunt Terry flew to Singapore to seek a good life. She was employed by the Chen family as a household helper and cared for three children, including Anthony Chen, the director of the award-winning film, Ilo Ilo. 

Her life abroad has never been easy, but jam-packed with challenges and difficulties. Though she would earn more by working in foreign land, a big share of her income would usually be sent back home to suffice the needs of her relatives. But despite the hardships, she took pleasure in taking care of the kids, who became attached to her.

After eight years, Aunt Terry decided to go back home. With little money left from her wages, she put up a small farm and poultry business. On a small piece of land, she built a tiny shelter out of used pieces of wood and tarpaulin. Her day-to-day routine would include waking up early to feed her ducks and chickens, and go to the market to sell small produce from her farm. It seemed that her life became more intricate after she left Singapore for good. 

But she was never forgotten by the children whom she has dedicated her life to. Sixteen years after, Anthony Chen, made a movie about their experiences with her and how she helped shape their lives. The movie gained positive reviews and eventually hailed as the best film at Cannes Film Festival.

The movie itself opened doors for the children to be reunited with Aunt Terry. They have requested her to take a break from her life back home and fly to Singapore to attend the premier of the movie there. She was overwhelmed after she got the invitation and she was pretty much excited to see the Anthony and his siblings, whom she used to cuddle and play.

Though Aunt Terry is becoming frail and hard to go back to work, she is more than happy that she became an inspiration to the children, who all grew up as professionals and men of values.   

Feature

Feature

Cast your nets away

by Pepin

Photo credit to iloilocapitolnews.com

Illegal fishing practices have been hitting the headlines lately. Many people still do not understand that this in

fact is against the law.

A number of illegal fishing activities in Northern Iloilo and Guimaras have been identified since January this year, and this only shows that some people are fearless of the law. No matter how tough the government in implementing its policies, these greedy fishermen always try to sneak in their unwarranted intentions just to earn easy money. 

So what should the local government do? The best solution is to become more firm in implementing illegal fishing ordinances and to impose a higher fine and heavier penalties. Let no one be exempted from the law. It’s about time to get more serious about this matter. 

Our region should be a leader of good fishing practices as we are known to have flourishing marine resources. If Illegal fishing practices continue to persist, we might lose our reputation and time will come that there will be no more fresh catch for the day.