The Stock Market with its pineapple logo used to be operated by Del Monte Philippines. Recently, however, it was taken over by Bistro Group Restaurant Concepts that also manages popular chains T.G.I. Fridays, Italianni’s, and Fish & Co, among others. They renovated the interiors a little and revamped the menu.

I’ve read much about it, so I went in on a rainy Sunday evening. The original plan was just to have an afternoon snack, but it was Sunday, and being lazy is legal on Sundays. Anyway, I got to Bonifacio High Street, and The Stock Market is a little far a walk coming from Serendra. I eventually found out that it is just beside T.G.I. Friday’s in Quadrant B3. Read more…

After spending a day and a half at our relatives’ Llamar Beach Resort in Laiya Beach, our family was invited to Palm Beach Resort at the other side of San Juan, Batangas called Hugom. We had to climb up a hill to reach the place, but as soon as we got there, we were asked to park and were shuttled to a hut near the beach, which is tucked away from the beaches of Laiya.

I am bad with names, but the vice president of the big company that manages the resort welcomed us. She said rooms were fully booked since two weeks ago, so she wasn’t able to reserve a room for us on such short notice. It was all good though, because we couldn’t stay overnight anyway. Read more…

Last May 14-15, we spent the night at Laiya Beach in San Juan, Batangas. Our relatives, who own Llamar Beach Resort, invited us to stay at their beach house. Goodness, it was so hot and humid, that on our first day we just opted to stay inside our rooms with the air conditioning on full blast.

The following morning, however, after a big breakfast at my dad’s friend’s Kabayan Resort, we beach-hopped to Playa Laiya, a resort community still under development by Landco. While the clubhouse and most of the community are still being developed, cabanas are already set up and the beach cleared. There’s an infinity pool and a beach volleyball court too. In other words, it is now open for day trips and those who wish to pitch a tent and camp out. Read more…

Visita Iglesia is a Catholic tradition here in the Philippines that can be directly translated to "church visit." Annually, pilgrims during Maundy Thursday visit either seven or fourteen churches to represent the fourteen Stations of the Cross.

It has been our family's tradition to do a Visita Iglesia every year, but this year, my mom just came home from a trip, so my parents just decided to rest. Since I was spending Holy Week in Los Banos, Laguna, I decided to do a Visita Iglesia of Laguna's heritage churches by myself, however on Good Friday (April 22, 2011). I had the mission to spend under 300php, since I was coming from Los Banos only. Read more…

UPDATE: To celebrate their inaugural flight to Macau, SEAIR is offering Macau fares for as low as PHP 1,099 per way until June 1, 2011. Travel period is from June 2 to October 25, 2011. This can be booked though FlySEAIR.com and through +63 2 849 0100.

Southeast Asian Airlines (SEAIR), the Philippines’ premier leisure airline, once again offers the lowest fares from Clark to the magnificent Macau for as low as PHP 1499 per way all inclusive until May 25, 2011. Travel period is from as early as May 27 to October 25, 2011. This unbelievably low fare can be booked through FlySEAIR.com or at +63 2 849 0100.

Last March, my family and I visited the Special Administrative Region of Macau. We saw its interesting blend of Western and Eastern influences. Of course, we visited the Macau Heritage Sites, which were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005. We also feasted on tasty Macanese treats like egg tarts and porkchop buns. Not to be missed likewise are the death-defying bungee jump at the Macau Tower and dazzling lights of Macau, emanating from The Grand Lisboa, The Venetian, and MGM Grand. For more information, read my Macau series here.

If you want to immerse yourself in rich culture and heritage and see so much more, Macau is for you.

SEAIR also flies to Singapore, Hong Kong, and local destinations, such as the majestic Basco in Batanes, the heritage city of Vigan, El Nido and Taytay in Palawan, Tablas in Romblon, and Kalibo. They offer the fastest flights to Boracay as well. Check FlySEAIR.com or call +63 2 849 0100 for details and bookings. You may also check their page on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Manila Minds is a collaborative effort among Manila’s prime movers and shakers that aims to find creative and sustainable ways to solve the country’s problems. Their brainstorming sessions are hosted by Co[LAB] Manila.

On their session focusing on tourism, they came up with an idea of a Twitter hashtag: #PhilippineFridays. This aims to put forth the country and hence Philippine tourism onto the top Twitter trending topics list and into the global spotlight. 

In the Philippines, there are around four million Twitter users. If enough people would make #PhilippineFridays a top Twitter trending topic, it would generate enough curiosity for tourists to explore the country.

Mechanics are simple: Answer the question every Friday and add the hashtag #PhilippineFridays. This is not limited on Twitter though, as everyone is encouraged to blog about the week’s question too. The question is updated weekly on Brian Ong’s The Philippines and Beyond.

To support this effort, I will be putting up a page, wherein I will also be updating the weekly question. Everyone may also post their answers on the embedded comments box, and I will publish answers on the same page. Find my #PhilippineFridays page here.

Let’s do our share in promoting Philippine Tourism! #PhilippineFridays

Makati is such a fine city to live in. We have a robust healthcare system, efficient social services, and good support to senior citizens, among others. It's very accessible too, as we are direct neighbors to Manila, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Taguig, and Pateros, and it isn't too far a drive from the rest of Metro Manila and the nearby provinces.

Meanwhile, what draws people to Makati are not only the high-rise buildings that give employment but also the Makati lifestyle that one can either love for its finesse or hate for its pretentiousness. Either way, this Makati lifestyle has not only attracted people who wish to live the life but also the country's creative minds. Read more…

Photo by Arvin Santiago

The Franciscan order, founded by St. Francis of Assisi, came to the Philippines on a group of 15 friars in 1578. They henceforth began to evangelize Laguna, Morong, Tayabas, and Bicol.

In the second part of this series, I will feature three churches built by the Franciscans, the churches in the towns of Lumban, Pagsanjan, and Pila. I did this tour and took the photographs last Good Friday, April 22, 2011. Old photographs of the churches were retrieved from the online archives of OFM Archives Philippines. Read more…

Laguna is a province in the immediate south of Manila. In 1571, Captain Juan de Salcedo and his troops conquered Laguna with its surrounding areas, and in mere seven years, two Franciscan friars by the names of Juan de Plasencia and Diego de Oropesa began evangelizing the province. This explains the good number of Franciscan heritage churches in Laguna, which are popular among pilgrimages.

In the first part of this series, I will feature three churches built by the Franciscans, the churches in the towns of Pakil, Paete, and Kalayaan (Longos). I did this tour and took the photographs last Good Friday, April 22, 2011. Old photographs of the churches were retrieved from the online archives of OFM Archives Philippines. Read more…

Wikang Filipino by ~LacerationLove

I always correct people when they say "Tagalog" is our national language. While a majority speak it, I believe to say Tagalog is our national language is outdated, and in my opinion, Tagalog and Filipino should not be used interchangeably.

Here's what I always point out: Cebuanos are offended. Well not only them, but also the natives of other regions.

But having traveled a lot, I've observed that Cebuanos are most protective of their dialect. Talk to them in Tagalog; they'd talk back to you in English. After all, theirs is the most prominent among the Visayan dialects. I've observed this numerous times, and here are two examples:

At a Jollibee in Colon St., Cebu City:
Me: Ate, pwede pong humingi ng plastic para dito? (Can I ask for a plastic bag for this?)
Cashier: Do you want a plastic bag for that, sir?

At Ayala Center Cebu:
Me: Kuya, paano po pumunta ng Casa Verde galing dito? (How do I get to Casa Verde from here?)
Security Guard: Sir, go two floors up then turn right.

In those two times, I felt embarrassed. I was not embarrassed because I can only talk broken Cebuano, but I was embarrassed that they had to learn Tagalog to adjust, and yet we sometimes fail to acknowledge the richness of other dialects in the Philippines including theirs. By saying Tagalog is our national language, we are culturally insensitive to the Bicolanos, to the Ilonggos, to the Chavacanos. Language is a tremendous part of culture, and luckily for this archipelago of 7,107 islands, our culture, by number of different dialects spoken alone, is truly rich and diverse.

So the next time, always say that Filipino is our national language. Don't say Tagalog. Be proud that our country is a melting pot of cultures.

Note: I posted this after a debate on Tumblr if Filipino and Tagalog can be used interchangeably. Your thoughts are most welcome on the comment box.

I've read that South East Asian Airlines has partnered with one of Asia's largest low cost carriers, Tiger Airways, and this collaboration has resulted to new affordable flights from Clark to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau. Starting this July, they will fly to my two favorite cities, Cebu and Davao!

SEAIR will fly up to ten times to and from Cebu and up to six times to and from Davao. Best news is, to jumpstart these new Airbus jet routes, they are offering a super low fare of 499php per way to Cebu for travel on July 1 to October 29 and only 999php per way to Davao for travel on July 2 to October 29. These fares can be booked at FlySeair.com and tigerairways.com, or by calling +63 2 849 0100. Read more...

One of the Beaches of Cebu (Photo from the Department of Tourism)