Megaworld enters Ilocandia with P15 B Laoag township
By J.Lo
“We are already present in Central and Western Visayas, two fastest growing regions when it comes to local economy, and now it is time to be in Ilocos to complete our presence in three fastest growing regions in the country today,” Megaworld president Lourdes Gutierrez-Alfonso said property developer Megaworld Corp. is bringing its residential expansion to north of Luzon by investing P15 billion to build township on coastline of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
Megaworld is putting up 84-hectare mixed-use, beachfront estate on western end of Laoag, to be called Ilocandia Coastown once completed in 10 years.
Aside from residential feature, Ilocandia Coastown will boast of its own 1.4 kilometer beach line, including area for sand dunes Laoag is famous for.
Likewise, township will stand close to five-star hotel Fort Ilocandia and is 15 minutes away from Laoag International Airport, main gateway to Ilocos Region. Also, property is less than hour’s drive from tourist spots in Ilocos Norte like Paoay Church.
Alfonso said developer decided to expand in Laoag to take advantage of its economic spurt. Based on data from Philippine Statistics Authority, Ilocos Region where Laoag is located was third fastest growing region in 2023.
Central Visayas registered quickest growth of 7.3 percent, followed by Western Visayas’ 7.2 percent. Megaworld is already present in these regions.
Moreover, Laoag is listed as part of Digital Cities 2025 under Department of Information and Communications Technology, identifies prospective areas ripe for information technology and business process management investments.
Based on final design, Ilocandia Coastown will feature upscale units, shop house district and commercial district, with town center in the middle that would serve as its focal point. It will draw inspiration from Filipino and Spanish architecture for its general design.
Ilocandia Coastown will be Megaworld’s 34th township development. History is also made for the company, marking first time that Megaworld has set foot in Ilocos Region.
Megaworld’s parent Alliance Global Group Inc. believes expansion to Laoag would bring in business opportunities for the company, particularly in tourism.
For 2024, Megaworld has allocated P55 billion for its capital expenditures, to be spent on putting up new projects and completing existing developments.
“This combination of modern healthcare and time-honored traditions makes Philippines unique and appealing destination for those seeking complete wellness experience,” Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said Department of Tourism (DOT) seeks to position Philippines as hub for affordable healthcare and wellness services, expanding beyond its renowned beaches, islands and mountains to attract wider range of tourists.
Philippines hosted second International Health and Wellness Tourism Congress, featuring exhibit of local businesses offering products and services designed to promote relaxation through taste, scent and touch.
Frasco, in her keynote address, said travelers today seek more than just fun and adventure. Tourists are increasingly looking for meaningful experiences enhance well-being and improve quality of life, she added.
In response, DOT is enhancing health and wellness tourism by integrating country’s medical services with traditional Filipino healing practices, such as Hilot massage technique, while also incorporating organic products into its offerings.
Frasco said primary offerings include preventive care, cosmetic procedures, dental services, ophthalmology, orthopedics, spas and nature retreats.
According to Frasco, country also attracts tourists with its affordable yet high-quality services. Medical Tourism Index reported medical procedures in the country are 40-80% cheaper compared to Western countries.
“Pricing of Philippines is very competitive in terms of its ability to offer health and wellness tourism packages…and most importantly, Filipinos’ hospitality is really second to none,” she said.
Tourism department is also working to establish Tourist First Aid Facilities in Boracay, Panglao, Siargao, and El Nido, along with Medical Tourism Concierge at Manila’s international airports.
Frasco added initiative benefits economy by creating additional tourism jobs for Filipinos, in addition to generating revenue from country’s status as tourism hotspot.
In his opening speech, Agora Group CEO Hadi Malaeb emphasized five pillars Philippines must strengthen to become key player in health and wellness tourism sector: world-class infrastructure, accreditation, talent development, holistic wellness experiences, and public-private partnerships.
This is why DOT is concentrating its efforts on ensuring local hospitals, wellness centers, dental clinics and other medical facilities meet international quality standards.
According to Paulo Tugbang, DOT director for product development, Philippines ranked 24th out of 46 countries in 2020-2021 Medical Tourism Index, placing third in Southeast Asia.
Medical Tourism Index is published by Medical Tourism Association and ranks countries based on quality of care they provide and attractiveness of their destinations for medical tourism.
Malaeb also said Philippines could position itself as “leading destination” in health and wellness global market, catering to average of 80,000 tourists annually.
“So right now, figure is around 80,000 arrivals per year, and are mainly from surrounding areas here in neighboring counties. … jn the future, some experts predict that within next five or ten years, this number can jump to around half a million,” Malaeb told reporters.
While Agora Group reported 80,000 annual arrivals, Department of Tourism clarified their data shows over 250,000 tourists visiting Philippines yearly.
Frasco said Philippines has attracted buyers from 38 countries who are considering investing in the country’s health and wellness tourism sector.
The 2nd Health and Wellness Tourism Congress is two-day event themed “Aruga,” highlighting Philippines’ commitment to care and nurturing.
“While using child’s first language in instruction is consistent with theories in pedagogy, it has been difficult to implement due to highly centralized structure of DepEd,” Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) in its Year One report led filing of bill discontinued use of mother tongue instruction from kindergarten to Grade 1.
Government’s axing of mother tongue instruction for kindergarten to grade 3 has drawn protests from education experts and advocates, who assailed officials for simply ditching policy rather than fixing its funding and implementation issues.
Two faculty members of University of the Philippines Diliman specialize in language studies and education, as well as Filipino advocacy group Tanggol Wika, believe recently passed law discontinuing use of mother tongue in early education has stymied program’s potential benefits before they could be fully realized.
Bill downgrades mother tongue instruction as option in class, lapsed into law last week without president’s signature.
For years, debates over value of nationwide policy compelling use of mother tongue (language first learned at home) in classrooms have drawn rare divide in education sector.
Studies on the program show mixed results. Data Department of Education (DepEd) presented in congressional hearings found no evidence mother tongue education benefited multilingual classes with diverse home languages. In contrast, research on monolingual classes all students share home language painted opposite picture.
Very inclusion of t mother tongue in K to 12 curriculum was not without basis. Briefer from DepEd itself in 2016 cited experiments in Iloilo and Rizal from 1948 to 1966 show students taught in their native language mostly outperformed those taught in English.
Consensus among education experts, even before passage of law removing mother tongue policy, was DepEd was simply ill-prepared to implement it on national scale: structure-wise, personnel-wise and budget-wise.
Under soon-to-be-defunct Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE),legislated through passage of K to 12 law, DepEd used 19 languages. This includes Tagalog, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Iloko, Bikol, Ybanag, Sinugbuanong Binisaya, Hiligaynon, Waray, Bahasa Sug, Maguindanaoan, Maranao, Chavacano, Ivatan, Sambal, Akianon, Kinaray-a, Yakan and Sinurigaonon.
“Top-down, DepEd assigned official mother tongue for each area without language mapping and allowing flexibility and giving guidance to multilingual areas,” said Mercedes Arzadon, faculty member of University of the Philippines College of Education.
Arzadon, has long specialized in mother tongue education research, also pointed to lack of specialists in the department to lead overall implementation of MTB-MLE.
“There has been no champion or expert for Multi-Language Education ,MLE from within system…for long time, it was led by someone in position without any real power… I wish there could have been at least consultant,” Arzadon said.
She stressed that former regional director and undersecretary who studied principles of the program after leaving the department “said it’s his first time to understand the program.”
“If only there had been funding, they could have created task force like they are doing now with PISA… would have allowed for development of materials appropriate for language and for training teachers,” Arzadon said, adding only Grade 1 teachers were trained in 2011.
Amid criticisms DepEd was too centralized in its approach to mother tongue education, Arzadon said department could have created supervisor positions focused solely on mother tongue instruction. Instead, policy became “extra work” for Filipino and English supervisors.
She also noted long hours DepEd’s MLE focal persons put into creating primers on using mother tongue to bridge to Filipino and English. “They just finished, and it takes time to implement,” she said.
In 2008 report aimed to build on momentum of growing pushback against “pro-English proponents” in education, then-Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino Chairman Rolando Nolasco set out four conditions he said would guarantee mother tongue education’s success.
“One, there has to be good curriculum, one that is cognitively demanding…two, we will need good teachers who are competent in required language, content and methods, three, there must be good teaching materials , error free… four, community support and empowerment must be present ,” Nolasco said.
Over decade later, in Senate hearing in 2022, DepEd bared only 78,872 of its targeted 305,099 educators were trained for use of mother tongue as medium of instruction.
State think tank Philippine Institute of Development Studies also found in study less than 10% of over 16,000 schools it analyzed had fully complied with main aspects of MTB-MLE implementation, namely in orthography, grammar, learning resources and dictionary.
This is why Tanggol Wika sees “abolition” of MTB-MLE as step backward, when documented evidence of DepEd’s shortcomings had long been public knowledge.
“Any shortcomings in implementation of MTB-MLE from 2013 to 2023 should not be blamed on the program itself but on lack of funding for education system,” Tanggol Wika said.
Lack of learning materials and insufficient training for teachers “results directly from failure of Malacañang” to make once-celebrated policy success, Tanggol Wika added.
“Previous DepEd secretaries did not address reasonable demands of teachers concerning MTB-MLE and entire education system… positive impact of MTB-MLE would have been more significant if government had fully funded all necessary components for its proper implementation since it began in 2013,” Tanggol Wika said.
Removing mother tongue instruction, for Aldrin Lee, linguistics professor published open letter on the matter, was tantamount to subjecting students to “forced use of English” already seen in several facets of public life.
From attending court hearings to applying for jobs, Filipinos are forced to use English, language not their own, he said.
“New ideas they conceive and develop using our language require them to think about how to translate them into English, leading many to simply abandon their thoughts if it seems too difficult,English is significant barrier to growth of Filipino knowledge.”
While new law appears to favor Filipino, Tanggol Wika said it is “closer to maintaining status quo of English-centric language policy” as it does not require use of Filipino outside of subjects where it is already used.
“Initiatives related to MTB-MLE have been lifeline for several endangered languages in the Philippines; thus, murder of MTB-MLE seems like murder of these endangered languages as well,” Tanggol Wika said.
Arzadon believes four conditions Nolasco set for mother tongue education to be success is happening, “but it takes time because situation is broad and diverse.” She added: “For example, in Benguet, many people were initially angry about changes but later accepted them.”
“Maybe it’s about community support and empowerment because you can’t rely on DepEd alone for such radical change..’. there needs to be strong support for multilingualism from government, media, and other sectors,” she added.
The way forward now is for regions and provinces “worked hard to make it happen,” such as Bicol Region and Western Visayas, among others, to hopefully continue implementing the program, Arzadon said.
Whether or not schools and teachers will on their own and without impetus to do so build on their gains remains to be seen.
But unspoken loss is clear: Philippines was first in Southeast Asia to have law explicitly calls for use of mother tongue education.
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‘Genuine self-restraint’ called after Chinese attack on Viet fishers
By Nidz Godino
“Philippines has consistently denounced use of force, aggression and intimidation in South China Sea, and emphasized need for actors to exercise genuine self-restraint,” Foreign affairs department said Philippines has reaffirmed its position against use of force in disputed South China Sea after Chinese law enforcement personnel reportedly attacked Vietnamese fishermen over the weekend.
Department of Foreign Affairs said Philippines was “aware of serious incident” occurred on Sunday, September 29, “involving Vietnamese fishermen and Chinese maritime authorities.”
“It is paramount obligation to ensure safety at sea of vessels and their crew, especially fisherfolk,” it stressed.
This comes after Vietnam on Wednesday, October 2, condemned what it called “brutal behavior of Chinese law enforcement forces” against Vietnamese fishermen intercepted near contested Paracel Islands in South China Sea.
Resource-rich Paracel Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, but Beijing has controlled islands since seizing it from South Vietnam in 1974 conflict.
Ten Vietnamese fishermen were reportedly attacked with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars’ worth of fish and equipment.
China’s foreign ministry said Vietnamese fishing boats were illegally operating in the waters around Paracel Islands without permission from Beijing, prompting authorities to take action to halt their activities.
Chinese forces’ latest actions “seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty,” according to Vietnam’s foreign ministry.
DFA stressed need for disputes in South China Sea China claims in its near-entirety “to be managed peacefully and in accordance with international law, particularly UNCLOS.”
Violent incident comes weeks after Chinese army Lieutenant General He Lei said Beijing would “crush” any foreign incursion into its sovereign territory, including in South China Sea.
Beijing has typically taken softer stance on Vietnam’s attempts to advance its claims in South China Sea compared to its sharp rebukes of Philippines’ presence in disputed waters.
Vietnam and Philippines are one of several claimants to parts of South China Sea and themselves have overlapping claims to Spratlys Islands.
Both Vietnam and Philippines ramped up their defense cooperation and had forged key defense pact in August that focuses on humanitarian and disaster response at sea, among others
Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024
Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party
Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance
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Rapper Michael Pacquiao, son of Manny, up for GenSan councilor
By Cynthia Montojo
Rapper Michael Stephen Pacquiao, is eyeing one of the 12 councilor seats in General Santos City as member of party Manny founded, People’s Champ Movement.
Second son of boxer-politician Manny Pacquiao, is following his father’s steps by dipping his toes in the political scene.
Leading local contingent of party is Michael’s aunt and incumbent mayor Lorelie Pacquiao wife of Manny’s younger brother Alberto or Bobby , expected to go up against former mayor Ronnel Rivera.
Lorelie’s running-mate is councilor Jose Orlando Acharon. Bobby is also councilor while another Pacquiao brother Rogelio is governor of Sarangani.
Pacquiao cousins Zyrex and Mark are Maasim, Sarangani mayor and Sarangani legislative board member respectively, while Manny’s brother-in-law Russel Jamora, brother of wife Jinkee, is on Sarangani’s provincial board and all are seeking reelection.
Younger Pacquiao replaced former councilor Shandee Llido on the party’s local slate as Llido will return to her previous position of city administrator, while incumbent councilor Virginia Llido remains on the slate.
Manny, for his part, is planning senatorial comeback after failed presidential bid in 2022.
Actress Jessy Mendiola expressed her full support for her husband Luis Manzano’s intention to run for vice-governor in Batangas despite it not initially being on cards.
Luis filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) at the Commission on Elections’ office at Batangas Provincial Capitol along with his mother and fellow actor Vilma Santos-Recto, who is seeking comeback as Batangas governor.
Vilma was Batangas governor from 2007 to 2016, then Representative of the province’s 6th district until 2022, where she served as Deputy Speaker during her second term in Congress.
This will be Luis’ first foray into politics. Apart from his mother, his father, host-actor Edu Manzano, previously served as Makati vice-mayor.
Luis’ half-brother Ryan, Vilma’s son with politician Ralph Recto, also filed his COC to be the Representative of Batangas’ 6th district.
Following family’s COC filing, Jessy posted photos of Luis on her social media accounts, starting off caption with “this wasn’t part of our plan but God had other plans for us.”
Jessy praised Luis as one of the most diligent, caring and generous people she knows who has always put other’s needs first.
“Mahilig kang tumulong at makinig sa iba kahit pa walang kapalit na ano pa man, hindi mo gustong binabanggit yung pangalan mo o pinapaalam pa sa taong tinutulungan mo,minsan tumatanggap ka ng trabaho kahit na pagod na pagod ka na dahil may pinangakuan kang tutulungan,” Jessy continued.
The actress reiterated participating in the elections wasn’t part of couple’s plans but assured Luis she would support him, even calling it good, massive change in their lives.
“I am extremely proud of you for choosing this path, the path to help make change and extend help to others…you are made for this,” Jessy ended.
Vilma recently defended Luis and Ryan for entering politics, pointing out other families were doing same and hers is offering genuine service.
“Star for All Seasons” also pointed out that Luis and Ryan would represent Ralph in public when he was pre-occupied with duties as Finance Secretary. “Ngayon nararamdaman nila ‘yung mga totoong buhay na ng mga tao, at nararamdaman ko, may puso na sila doon…at saka lumaki na sila sa amin,dito na rin sila lumaki, sa public service na nakita nila sa amin, at naranasan nila iyon nang magsilbi sila at magbigay ng mga financial distribution,”Violma concluded.
Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024
Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party
Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance
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‘OUTSIDE’, Netflix Ph’ 1st zombie feature thriller with drama
By Cynthia Montojo
“OUTSIDE,” succinct zombie flick delivered with Filipino drama tropes. in true Netflix fashion, they would not just give you basic jump scare film that one would expect. Instead, they are offering the film
It is by Pinoy filmmaker Carlo Ledesma, known for his work in both feature films and short films, including “The Tunnel” (2011), Australian found-footage horror film that gained recognition for its innovative distribution method through online platforms.
Carlo is also known for directing several award-winning short films, including “The Haircut” (2014), won accolades at international film festivals.
His work often blends suspense with social commentary, showcasing his ability to create engaging narratives with limited resources.
In “Outside,” he weighs in on idea if skeletons in one’s closet are as scary as horde of zombies dominating outside world. He also maximized cinematography and production with what he had got, which turned out nice. Joining the cast is equally versatile Beauty Gonzales, who plays his wife Iris.
Beauty was that she had zero inhibitions when executing character. She was focused on delivering scenes well with such emotional depth.
Moving along, joining characters of Sid and Beauty in on harsh adventure are sons Josh and Lucas, played by Marco Masa and Aiden Tyler Patdu, respectively.
Kids were also impalpable and it just shows how talent of Filipino actors is top notch. Just keep going on like this in local film industry with casting that goes beyond commercial notion of actor and stick with who fits best for the role, and in this case, it is really Sid and Beauty.
Because of this, their onscreen family delivered intelligible and well-thought-out performances throughout film that made storytelling seamless.
More than anything as well, love how streaming platforms nowadays give importance to churning out original local titles. It entices producers to keep on making films, and it plays important role in preserving and promoting Filipino culture by bringing local stories, traditions, and values to a global platform.
Through diverse genres ranging from historical epics to horror and romantic comedies Filipino narratives gain international visibility, highlighting richness of Philippine history, folklore, and everyday life. These stories foster cultural pride, while also allowing Filipino filmmakers to reach wider audiences.
Netflix Philippines brings Filipino title “Outside” to global platform on Oct. 17.
Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024
Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party
Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance
No to Divorce!!!
Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez
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PM for any hospital discharge problem
Alice Guo’s Ph passport cancelled
By Nidz Godino
Acquired through fraudulent means Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has canceled Philippine passport of dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo.
In statement DFA said it received certification issued by National Bureau of Investigation biometrics of Alice Leal Guo in passport database match biometrics of Guo Hua Ping in NBI files.
DFA received certification dated Aug. 24 on Sept. 18 and immediately issued cancellation of Guo’s Philippine passport effective Sept. 30.
DFA said Guo’s passport was canceled on grounds that the same was “acquired fraudulently, tampered with or issued erroneously.”
Guo’s camp said she is scheduled to file her certificate of candidacy (COC) next week, expressing confidence that she will win reelection, “as many are pushing for her to run,” Guo’s legal counsel Stephen David said.
David has announced that Guo will still file her COC despite being detained at Pasig City Jail amid cases filed against her.
He stressed 2025 election will also prove that Guo is still loved by people of Bamban.
David maintained question on nationality of Guo is not yet final and is still pending before court.
Guo is also facing graft charges before Valenzuela City Regional Trial Court Branch 282. Jailed tycoon and self-confessed Chinese spy She Zhijiang documentary also claimed Guo is Chinese spy.
Bureau of Immigration (BI) started its hearing to determine if Shiela Guo, alleged sister of Alice Guo, would be deported.
Board of special inquiry chaired by Gilberto Repizo from BI would find out if Shiela should be held liable for misrepresenting herself as Filipino.
During hearing, she stood beside photos of her Philippine passport and her three alleged Chinese passports.
While Shiela denied allegations, Repizo has initially formed “reasonable opinion” on what she could possibly hide.
However, he said on-the-spot comparison of her facial features with those on four passports “will not itself determine outcome of the case,” with more documents expected to be presented.
BI gave Shiela’s camp seven days to reply.
Alice Guo might also undergo similar hearing, Repizo said.
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