Surfing is one of the world’s most popular sport which is being promoted by DOT Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano who himself is an avid sportsman.

Also supporting are the Sport Climbing Association of the Philippines, Sunken Pleasure Ultimate Frisbee Club, Progressive Volleyball Center and Power Up Climbing Gyms.

The top three winners in climbing, volleyball and frisbee will represent the country in the next Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia.

“This is also in line with the DOT’s attracting tourists in still undiscovered places all over the Philippines. It will give the locals to do promotional activities and sustain their activities the whole year round for economic activities,” said Leni I. Pajarillo, tourism operations officer of the OPRD.

At least 400 participants are expected to register for P500 for the clinic and competition, excluding other charges for individual clients.

Professional surfers from the Philippine Surf Academy will be around to teach local and foreign participants who are taking up surfing for the first time.

Surf instructors from the local surfers of Bagasbas beach which has a very good safety management are eager to help out.

Other activities such as sport climbing, beach ultimate frisbee and, beach volleyball will also be offered to the registrants.

What’s more, lifeguards and instructors who have undergone accreditation with the Australian Surfing Institute are eager to welcome surfers with plenty of surfboards, courtesy of OPRD and DOT Region 5.

Aside from that, entertainment of reggae music and ska will be offered to outdoor enthusiasts.

For help on directions on places to stay at the beach or in town, the Camarines Tourism Council could be contacted at 054-7213087 or Provincial Tourism Officer Edgardo Reyes at 09165783096.

Further details for the six-hour trip from Manila and transportation information can also be obtained by calling up Paolo at cell phone no. 091758278 or the DOT office at Kalaw Street, just beside Rizal Park. (PNA)

Masskara Festival
every third weekend of October nearest October 19 (Bacolod City)

Hinulawan Festival
12th day of June (Toledo Cebu)

Palawod Festival
Last week of June (Bantayan, Bantayan Island)

Babaylan Festival
19th of February (Bago City, Negros Occ)

Bonga Festival
9th of August (Sibonga, Cebu)

Kanyon Festival
5th of November (Bago City, Negros Occ)

Tribu Paghida-et of Iloilo Dinagyang Festival

“One Visayas we will be, One Visayas we can be,
Always proud of our History, together strong and FREE”

Karansa Festival of Danao, Cebu

Mantawi Festival, Cebu

Pahinis de Laua-an of Antique

Danao’s Karansa Festival

One Visayas is a brainchild of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and was launch last October 2009. The 2010 One Visayas brought together 20 provinces from 3 regions in a 4-day summit full of activities that will focus mostly on tourism issues and the role of the whole Visayas as a super region when it comes to tourism concern.

It was really a fun-filled Opening day for One Visayas. We were treated to a dazzling street dance parade of some of the best festivals in Central Philippine regions. The parade started from the City Plaza going to the Villareal Stadium, where they performed and showcased their respective festivals for 5 to 10 minutes choreographed dances.

Then at the finale all of the Festivals were united as one in singing and dancing the One Visayas song. And then everyone celebrated and was singing or whistling to the tune of the song. I had an LSS for days. Well, it’s really nice to be able to be a part of this celebration where everyone is united with one common goal – for Visayas to soar high.

Toledo’s Hinulawan Festival

One Visayas, One People, One Destiny!

The answer better be yes as world-famous fashion brand Havaianas kicks off its new Happy Soles campaign. This campaign celebrates the fact that Havaianas has been both a witness and a reminder of Filipinos’ happiest moments. A constant companion on everything from beach trips to food trips, Havaianas has trekked up mountains, walked down wedding aisles and danced under the pale moonlight. For many happy soles, Havaianas is a daily reminder of moments spent with friends and filled with laughter – moments that define who we are.

And in an effort to be present in even more unique life experiences, Havaianas kicks off the Happy Soles campaign with a creative competition titled “Happy Soles Will Travel to Brazil.” Answer the question “If anything was possible, what would you do to make the world happy for a day?” as creatively as possible and you could get the chance to win an all-expense-paid vacation for four to the land of sunshine, Brazil.

HOW TO JOIN?
1. Submit a viddeo entry answering the question “If anything was possible, what would you do to make the world happy for a day?”

• All entries should begin with the phrase “Hi, I’m <__name__> and I’m a Havaianas Happy Sole” as opening statement.
• All answer should begin with the phrase “To make the world happy for a day, I would…”
• All entries should end with the phrase “Make me happy, take me and my friends to Brazil! Please vote for me!” as closing statement.
  ***Note: Contestant should refrain from mentioning brand names other than havaianas.

Happy Soles video sample

2. Answers to the contest question, excluding the opening and closing statements, should only be a maximum of one (1) minute.
3. Entries may be submitted in three(3) easy ways:

• In person by going to a roving video booth which will be set up in key malls around the Philippines. contestants must fill up the official entry form provided on location and answer the question by recording their own video in the Havaianas video booth.

• Via the internet by visiting Havaianas Happy Soles Official Website and attaching a properly filled-out downloadable official entry form.**E-mail entries need to attach a properly filled out application form (download here). The video must be attached as a video file (.3gp, .mpeg4, .wmv, .avi or .mov format only) and be less than 10 MB.

Roving Video Booth Schedule

Feb. 8 to 14 - SM City Lipa Batangas
Feb. 18 to 28 – Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City
Mar. 8 to 14 – Ayala Center Cebu
Mar. 22 to 28 – Limketkai Mall, Cagayan De Oro
Apr. 1 to 3 - Station 1, Boracay Island, Aklan*
Apr. 5 to 1 - Gaisano Mall of Davao
Apr. 19 to 25 – Robinson’s Place Bacolod
Apr. 30 to May 2 – Trinoma Mall, Quezon City
*Video booth will be replaced by roving crew
**Schedule may change without prior notice

4. Entries may be submitted from January 26, 2010 until 10PM of May 2, 2010 only.

Another video sample for the contest

WHO CAN JOIN?
1. The contest is open to all Filipino citizens who are:

• Of legal age, at least 18 years old
• Permanent residents of the Philippines
• Fit to travel

2. Contestants who enter MUST

• Possess a valid passport

WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?
A 12-day, all-expense-paid vacation for a group of four (4) to Brazil. A travel essentials kit for the winner and his/her friend containing the products from Havaianas, Sony (HandyCam camcorder, Vaio laptop and Walkman MP3), David and Goliath and Aloha Board Sports. And the remaining shortlisted shall receive consolation prizes from Havaianas.

Judging:
A panel of judges will shortlist ten (10) entries based on the followowing criteria:

• Presentation: 35%
• Ceativity of answer: 35%
• Possession of Havaianas Brand Personality: 30%

For more information and complete contest details on Happy Soles Will Travel to Brazil contest please visit Havaianas Happy Soles Official Website.

Roving Video Booth Schedule

Feb. 8 to 14

Feb. 18 to 28

Mar. 8 to 14

Mar. 22 to 28

Apr. 1 to 3

Apr. 5 to 1

Apr. 19 to 25

Apr. 30 to May 2

SM City Lipa Batangas

Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City

Ayala Center Cebu

Limketkai Mall, Cagayan De Oro

Station 1, Boracay Island, Aklan*

Gaisano Mall of Davao

Robinson’s Place Bacolod

Trinoma Mall, Quezon City

*Video booth will be replaced by roving crew
**Schedule may change without prior notice

Yes! The Pyromusical will be a perfect setting for you and your date. Watching those beautiful fireworks light up the sky and dances to the beat of the music. Not only that, it would also be perfect for family bonding and I know it will bring out the child in all of us.

Well, there are 8 participants for this competition, namely, Australia, United Kingdom, China, France, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and U.S.A. On the competition proper, the participants will be given 18-minutes to showcase their pyromusical entry. While team Philippines as a host country, is not allowed to join the competitiong but don’t fret for they will still showcase its fantastic fireworks display on the opening and closing ceremony of the show.

Here’s the schedule for the 1st Philippine International Pyromusical Competition 2010:

February 14
-7:00pm – Philippines (Platinum Fireworks, Inc.) – Opening Presentation
– 8:00pm – Australia (Howard and Sons)
February 21
– 7:00pm – United Kingdom (Jubilee Fireworks)
– 8:00pm – China (Liuyang Jinsheng Fireworks Company)
February 28
– 7:00pm – France (Brezac Artifices)
– 8:00pm – Japan (Tamaya- Kitahara Fireworks Co., Ltd.)
March    07
– 7:00pm – Singapore (RedHub Entertainment)
– 8:00pm – Malaysia (Pyro Splendour Services)\
March    14
– 7:00pm – USA (PyroFire Display)
– 8:00pm – Philippines (Platinum Fireworks, Inc.) – Closing/Exhibition

Two (2)Teams representing their countries will perform every sundays.

Ticket Prices : P1500, P500, P300, P150, P100

For inquiries, please call (63 2) 359-1486, (63 917) 811-4001 or (63 922) 884-8799. For Ticket Inquries : please call Ticketnet at (63 2) 911-5555 and Ticketworld at (63 2) 891-9999.

This is made possible by SM Mall of Asia and Platinum Fireworks, Inc.

Well, this is the final leg of the baby blue whale Asian tour. The blue whale are the largest creature to ever inhabit the earth. They are bigger than the greatest dinosaurs, weigh up to 200 tons and are longer than a basketball court. To be specific they extend up to 30 meters long. The blue whales have no teeth but eat four tons of seafood a day, the equivalent of 64,000 hamburgers.

The Big Blue exhibition will run in five different venues on the following dates:Glorietta 5 on Nov. 17-26; Trinoma Mallon Nov. 28-Dec. 11; Alabang Town Center on Jan. 4-17; Market! Market! on Jan. 18- Feb. 2; and Greenbelt Mall on Feb. 3-17.

***

A Journey With The World’s Largest Animal

It is the largest creature to ever inhabit the Earth, but we know precious little about them.

National Geographic joined an international research team in a unique journey to film the first blue whale documentary – Big Blue. During the 28 days of expedition supported by the National Geographic Society, we captured the first underwater footage of a blue whale calf, and other major but little-known facts of blue whale through never-before-seen underwater cinematography, computer generated images, satellite imgaing and insights form experts, all to be shown first in this groundbreaking documentary.

Scientists used National Geographic’s CRITTERCAM technology to follow a population of blue whales from California to the Costa RIca Dome, and deployed satellite tags for the first time to follow the epic migration, and listened to hydro-microphones to unravel the complex communication of blue whales.

Big Blue will investigate why these gentle animals have become one of the world’s most endangered species – as a result of threats from humans caused damages to the sea – making the future of the entire species uncertain. Today, fewer than 2,000 blue whales are left in what was the largest-known concentration on Earth – the Antarctic.

Buzzy Budlong waving the Philippine flag

After paddling 3300 miles across 50 provinces in 100 days through three typhoons, two daring adventurers are about to make one dream come true – establish the first kayak trail in the Philippines.

The Friendship Kayak Team of Singaporean adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow and Filipino explorer Buzzy Budlong of Team Habagat has finally landed at the shores of Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte and reached the end of their extraordinary expedition.

“As this expedition is also a celebration of the 40th year of Filipino-Singaporean diplomatic relations, I’m very happy to be part of this historic event for the Philippines,” says Khoo Swee Chiow, who is a Guinness World Record Holder with an Adventure Grand Slam – conquering the seven highest summits in each continent – under his list of achievements.

Swee Chiow says historic as this is the first time that a team has attempted to link the islands of the Philippines through a course that took them from the south-central regions of Mindanao moving north to Luzon’s most celebrated locales.

Khoo Swee Chiow

Mindanao: Maiden Voyage
Swee Chiow and Buzzy started paddiling from Sarangani in Mindanao. Predominantly a coastal province in the southernmost tip of the Philippines, Sarangani has a 230-kilometer coastline lined with inspiring coves and jaw-dropping rock formations. Afterwards, the team headed to Davao del Norte and then to Davao del Sur.

Visayas: Navigating Endless Coastlines
For the second leg of the kayak expedition, Swee Chiow and Buzzy departed from the historical province of Leyte. Witness to many monumental events in history such as the landing of General Douglas McArthur in 1942, it is also home to largely undeveloped white sand beaches along the coasts of Libertad, Capoocan, Leyte and Puro Island. This was followed by a beach-buffet that begins with Bohol, Cebu, surfing Mecca Siargao and top tourist destination Boracay.

Buzzy Budlong takes a breather while Arnel Gabutero paddles on

Luzon: Lovin’ Luzon

Just as with any other journey, the final stretch is the most difficult one. Who would want to leave an island destination rated by the National Geographic Traveler magazine as the 13th Best Island Destination in the World in 2007 because of its ‘incredibly beautiful and natural seascapes and landscapes’? And to complete the expedition, Swee Chiow and Buzzy traversed the open waters to Pangasinan and finally to its final destination at Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte.

For Buzzy, who is now the first Filipino to  (traverse) the Philippines aboard a kayak, says the only thing that kept him going was looking over the horizon. “Everytime I feel like giving up, I tell myself that there is something waiting for me at the horizon, a new beginning,” says a contemplative Buzzy. “And I feel more motivated to just get there as fast as possible.”

Swee Chiow with his family

While Toby Martin, Expedition Manager, says that all the team’s hard work has finally paid off. “The success of Swee Chiow and Buzzy meant a new beginning for the sport of kayaking here in the country.” He also says this will not have been possible without the help of the Department of Tourism, the Local Government Units in each of the provinces they visited, Primer Group of Companies through Columbia Sportswear and R.O.X. for sharing and believing the team’s vision.

“The combined efforts of all the entities involved is truly a testament to the core of this expedition; camaraderie and teamwork” says Roel Chan – AVP for Marketing, Primer Group of Companies.
“This expedition is just part of DOT and Recreational Outdoor eXchange effort to further promote world class athleticism and adventure tourism” added Ruby Palma – AVP for R.O.X.

The expedition is also supported by Habagat, Cebu Pacific, Shangri-la Hotels, Kayak Asia, Bloodred, Banana Boat, Oakley, Perspectiv Technologies, Watercross, Energizer, Traders Hotel, Temasek Polytechnic, Changi Sports Medicine Center, Tahe Marine, Shuqun Primary, Bukit Panjang Government High School Singapore and the Singaporean Embassy.

It may be time for the Friendship Kayak Team to put their paddles down, but they’re hoping that their expedition has inspired more Filipinos to pick theirs up and paddle on.

Every child with special needs has a right to an educational program that is suitable to his/her needs. Having the right education and the right tools is crucial in ensuring that a child fully realizes his/her full potential for development, both as an individual and as a member of the society.

It is for this reason that our company, Etera Events, is initiating a Special Education Expo on December 1, 2009 at the newly renovated Glorietta Activity Center. Simultaneous to the exhibition is a Special Education forum, storytelling, games and performances by celebrities.

The Special Education Expo 2009 is the first fair on special education to be held in the country. With the theme “A World of Possibilities”, this event aims to bring together parents of special children, special education schools, therapy centers, toy manufacturers, suppliers of special tools and equipment, specialized food sellers, book publishers, and other SPED industry practitioners like teachers, doctors, therapists, among others.

The goal of the event is to create awareness on the needs of special children and provide options for these individuals to ensure they live a happy and normal life.

By contributing to make this event happen, you are helping improve the quality of life and dignity of more than 5.4 million Filipinos who are in need of special education products, equipments and services. Proceeds for the said event will be given to Support and Empower Abused Deaf Children, a non-profit organization dedicated at defending the rights of deaf children who are victims of sexual abuse and maltreatment.

One of the event’s major sponsors, World Vision, will be bringing celebrity endorsers to do intermission numbers, storytelling and other activities.

September 23, 2009, 8:00pm
@ Eastwood Central Plaza

Everyday, 12 Filipinas die from cervical cancer- sad statistics considering the disease is preventable!  Help spread the word and help save lives as we raise awareness for cervical cancer prevention. Let’s rock against cervical cancer with Astrojuan, US-2 Evil-0, Brigada, Imago and Pupil! Plus a super cool fashion show with specially designed Laban ni Maria clothes in cooperation with the Francis M. Clothing Company =)

*Admission is free so please, invite your friends and family!