El Nido wins 'responsible tourism' award

MANILA - A posh tourist destination in Palawan, Philippines won this year's Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards - the first awards series of its kind in the region.
El Nido Resorts, a hotel complex built near a beach cove and surrounded by lush forests, won the "Mid to Small Accommodation" category at the Wild Asia awards program last October 28.
Other 2009 Responsible Tourism Award winners are the ITC Mughal in India for the "Large to Mid-Size Accommodation" category and the Sunderbans Jungle Camp also in India for the "Community-based to Homestay Operators" category.
The winners are suggested by "green travelers" around the world who have to rate a destination based on Wild Asia's Responsible Tourism checklists.
Responsible Tourism indicators include: employing 70% local staff and giving them good living conditions, serving regional food, building on locally-owned land, supporting local conservation projects, or having efficient energy consumption.
The Responsible Tourism Awards aims to "support the creation of sustainable destinations in Asia."
Nature love
The El Nido resort, located about 438 kilometers southwest of Manila, was hailed for its environmental protection initiatives.
El Nido is a protected area, with over 800 fish species in coral reefs and 100 endemic bird species.
The resort reportedly has a sewage treatment plant facility in place that prevents waste water from the hotel from contaminating surrounding water systems.
It also holds tree-planting activities to protect surrounding watersheds and skills training for local communities in El Nido municipality.
The El Nido Resorts also offers a variety of nature activities for guests like kayaking, snorkeling, diving and outdoor dining.
Fully-furnished and upscale suites and cottages at the resort cost anywhere from P13,000 to P22,000 depending on the season.
The establishment has won other citations before, including the Best ASEAN Conservation Effort Award in 1995, and the PATA Green Leaf Award in 1997. El Nido was a finalist in last year's Responsible Tourism Awards for the "Mid-range category", but the Alila Manggis resort in East Bali won instead.
Wild Asia is an organization that works for environmental conservation by encouraging the region's businesses to adopt sustainable environmental practices. abs-cbnNEWS.com. Photo from www.elnidoresorts.com.

Read more...

Pacquiao graces Time cover

MANILA, Philippines – Boxing greats Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Frazier, Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali.
And now Manny Pacquiao.
The Filipino ring icon is the latest fighter to make it to the list of professional boxers to be featured in the cover of well-respected magazine Time — and only the second non-heavyweight fighter to do so.
This also makes Pacquiao the second Filipino to grace Time’s cover after former President and democracy icon Corazon Aquino, who was named the magazine’s "Woman of the Year" in 1986.
Apart from heavyweights Louis, Schmeling, Frazier, Ali and middleweight Robinson, other boxers who had made it to the magazine’s cover include heavyweights Jack Dempsey, Primo Carnerra, Gene Tunney and the controversial Mike Tyson.
In its latest Asia edition issue, Time pays homage to the General Santos City-based southpaw in a story titled “The Meaning of Manny,” which branded the Filipino spitfire as “the latest savior of boxing.”
The story delves into Pacquiao’s stature as the Philippines’ favorite son, his humble beginnings, recent ring accomplishments, among others.
The same magazine previously included Pacquiao in its list of 100 most influential people in the world, with former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis providing a brief write-up on him.
Pacquiao is set to collide with Puerto Rican bomber Miguel Cotto for a record seventh world title in as many weight classes. The fight, dubbed “Firepower,” is scheduled on Nov. 14 (Nov. 15 in Manila) at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. - By Dino Maragay (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Read more...

Are you a Facebook addict?

MANILA - Facebook users beware. Psychologists are now probing a new kind of addiction called Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD).
Psychologist Dr. Michael Fenichel, who has published numerous writings on FAD online, describes it as a situation in which Facebook usage "overtakes" daily activities like waking up, getting dressed, using the telephone, or checking e-mail.
"The amazing thing is that, like cellphones, nobody seems to notice the vast amount of time and energy - at work, at home, and now while on the move - people are devoting to Facebook. It has become a given," Fenichel writes in an online post titled "Facebook Addiction Disorder- A New Challenge?"
FAD could be classified under the more broad "internet addiction disorder" or internet overuse.
Academic papers have already posed theories on internet addiction and social networking addiction, and even less, cellphone addiction.
"Like most activities, moderation and integration are key. Those that may seriously label and treat FAD as a behavioral addiction will clearly need to use context in determining if a behavior has become demonstrably harmful to overall social, work, or face-to-face interpersonal efficacy," Fenichel added.
You are a Facebook addict if...
According to Joanna Lipari, a clinical psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles who was interviewed for a CNN report, here are some signs that you are addicted to Facebook:
1. You lose sleep over Facebook. When using Facebook becomes a compulsion and you spend entire nights logged on to the site, causing you to become tired the next day.
2. You spend more than an hour a day on Facebook. Lipari said it is difficult to define how much is too much when it comes to Facebook usage, but that an average person need only spend half an hour on the site.
3. You become obsessed with old loves or exes you reconnect with on Facebook.
4. You ignore work in favor of Facebook. This means you do not do your job in order to sneak time on Facebook.
5. The thought of getting off Facebook leaves you in cold sweat. If you try going a day without Facebook and it causes you stress and anxiety, this means you need help.
According to the same report by Elizabeth Cohen, Senior CNN Medical Correspondent, Facebook addiction is not yet an actual medical diagnosis.
However, the report notes that several therapists in the United States have noticed a rise in the number of clients who get hooked on social networking, to the point of social dysfunction.
Facebook fun
Facebook, launched by the world's youngest billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, has over 300 million users worldwide, half of whom log on to the site every day.
Further, about 2 billion photos and 14 million videos are uploaded on various Facebook pages a month and about 6 billion minutes are spent on Facebook a day, worldwide.
According to Willis Wee, founder of the social media and marketing blog Penn-Olson.com, this is twice as much time that people spend on Google.
The global social networking website allows users to post and share content (like photos, links, videos, and notes), play casual games and applications, and interact with friends and family through messaging and chat. abs-cbnNEWS.com. With reports from CNN.com.

Read more...

Jericho Rosales denies dating Cristine Reyes

MANILA - Hunk actor Jericho Rosales shot down speculations that he is romantically involved with sultry actress Cristine Reyes.
In an interview with abs-cbnNEWS.com during the launching of his newest album titled "Change," Rosales stressed he is not dating Reyes whom he worked with in ABS-CBN's "Kahit Isang Saglit."
The actor admitted he and Reyes hang out, but with their friends and insisted that the actress is just a good friend.
"No, no. We don't. We go out kaming magkakasama. I invited her sa birthday ko sa Magnet all of my friends," Rosales said.
The actor’s clarification stemmed from reports that he and Reyes are now constantly dating.
Reports also said that Rosales was with Reyes the night before tropical storm Ondoy devastated Metro Manila on September 26.
"Yeah actually ako ang nagsabi noon kasi magkakasama kami ng kaibigan namin sila Mark Nicdao. Lumalabas lang kami, kami nila Gabriel and wala namang ibig sabihin na. Hindi naman. Wala kaming relationship," Rosales explained. Asked if there's any possibility that his relationship now with Reyes could go beyond friendship, Rosales replied: "Not for now."
In a separate interview with abs-cbnNEWS, Reyes also brushed aside the rumors.
"Hindi siya nanliligaw nakakahiya naman sa tao," the actress said. She even denied reports that she and the actor are constantly dating.
"Well hindi naman date kasi group. I don't call it a date kasi kung date kaming dalawa lang," she said.
Reyes said Rosales is just a good friend and stressed that she's enjoying her life being single.
The actress said she and Echo are going out with their friends but nothing is so special about it. Back with Heart
Rosales also denied reports that he and former long-time sweetheart Heart Evangelista have reconciled and are now back in each others' arms.
"I saw Heart a couple of months ago. 'Yon ang inakala nila. ‘Yon ‘yong nag-ayos kaming talaga. Pero really and truly I’m single not naman lonely. Well dating? I can date, pwede akong mag-date pero wala pa. I'm open to the idea na hindi siya ‘yon," Rosales said.
Aside from promoting his album under Star Records, Rosales is also busy taping his newest series "Dahil May Isang Ikaw" with former ex-girlfriend Kristine Hermosa. Rosales, who is now known for his heroism when he rescued some of his neighbors in Marikina during the onslaught of Ondoy, again helped typhoon victims through his endorsement Extra Joss. The energy drink company on Wednesday (October 14) donated P1 million to Sagip Kapamilya Foundation.
Rosales said the money will be used to help radio DZMM's free shower project dubbed as "Kapamilya, Shower Na!"

Read more...