FROM THE JAPANESE, to the Koreans and now, the Chinese.
Cebu’s international tourism arrivals are expected to soar even higher with the introduction of China Southern Airlines’ new twice weekly charter flights from Shanghai to Cebu next month.

In an exclusive interview with Tourism Regional Director Dawnie Roa, she informed What’s On & Expat that the airline will be first utilizing the 180-seater Airbus for the first few months since more flights will be added in the next few months.

“From two charter flights a week in June, the airline management said they will increase the frequencies to five a week by September 2007. They are that confident on the tourism assets and landmarks of Cebu,” she proudly stated.

She expects the Shanghai market to be more of the high-end crowd since Shanghai is known as the financial center of China. “The Makati of China,” as she puts it.

Roa added that a consortium of Chinese tour operators, whose local counterparts are Cebu-based, have guaranteed full payment of the plane rentals no matter what the passenger load is.

This makes China Southers Airlines the eighth foreign airline to fly direct to Cebu. The others are Mandarin Airlines, Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Silk Air, Asiana Airlines, Koreana Airlines, and Cathay Pacific.

Local counterparts are PAL, Cebu Pacific and Asian Spirit. There are presently a total of 70 international round trip flights a week from Cebu to several countries.

ITCM
Earlier, Roa mentioned that she and a collection of Cebu-based properties flew to Shanghai last month to attend the three-day China Incentive Travel Convention & Meetings (ITCM) held in an exhibit hall.

It was an unexpected all-Cebu show all the way as the delegation consisted of Plantation Bay Resort & Spa, Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa, Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort & Spa, Marco Polo Plaza Hotel Cebu, Worldwide Travel, Global Link, and Cebu Holiday Travel.

Media representatives included Dax Martin of Philippine Star and Lisa Osorio of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI).

“I also dwelt on the demographics of Cebu; the number of international flights, hotel rooms, tourism attractions, arrivals, etc. We also held talks with leading officials of China Southern Airlines in order to firm up the arrangements of the charter flights,” she said.

David Xu of Shanghai Yeexing E-Business Co. Ltd. served as the point person and facilitator of the upcoming travel arrangements between the two cities of Shanghai and Cebu.

Other countries in attendance during the ITCM included mainly chain hotels from Brunei, Macau, Singapore, Thailand and other countries.

Balo-I, USAID improve road in Lanao del Norte

The town of Balo-i in Lanao del Norte, like all agricultural communities, relies on farm-to-market roads to transport products and produce to markets quickly and efficiently. In the recent past, however, farmers and traders, particularly in the barangays of Sigayan and Caromatan, had a difficult time transporting their goods due to the extremely poor condition of the only access road.

The two barangays have a population of 2,400, the majority of whom are farmers. The old road was narrow, unpaved and muddy during rainy season. The situation has improved dramatically now that the road has been upgraded through a partnership between the municipal government of Balo-i and USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program. Aside from the one-kiometer road improvement, GEM also installed pipe culverts for better drainage.

Widened road in Lanao del Norte means broader opportunities for the province.

According to Muks Rasul, municipal planning and development coordinator, the upgraded road has increased the productivity of farmers and has lessened the transportation costs of products.

Transporting corn, for example, now costs 10 cents per kilo, reduced from 30 cents per kilo prior to the road improvements. Since its completion, medium-sized vehicles have also been using the road to bring copra to the town center.

By August this year, GEM, in collaboration with local governments, will construct 815 barangay infrastructure projects and 40 regional infrastructure projects throughout the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. All are designed to enhance peace and accelerate economic development in Mindanao. GEM is implemented under the oversight of the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo).

Continued protection for migratory birds

Mindful of the beauty of migratory birds that regularly flock to the Philippines, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo T. Reyes vowed to take steps to protect their continued migration by removing threats brought on by global climate change.

Reyes acknowledged that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has the responsibility to safeguard major bird sanctuaries by protecting a network of protected areas, specifically wetlands and coastal waters that are of the utmost importance to migratory birds.

A rise in sea levels caused by climate change has severe consequences for migratory birds, he said. “It causes the loss of essential bird habitats, changes migration patterns and increases the competition for food between migrating birds and residents,” he said.

According to DENR, the effect of climate change on migratory birds are equal to the total of all other human threats they face. At least half of these problems will be caused by changes in water distribution, rainfall and sea levels.

The World Migratory Bird Days (WMBD) were observed last May 12 to 13. WMBD 2007 tries to focus world attention on the plight of migratory birds and to highlight the way they are being affected by climate change in the same way as al other living things.

Climate change is any significant and lasting change in measures of the earth’s temperature, precipitation or wind that is brought about by human activities, such as burning of fossil fuels and the alteration of land surface through deforestation, urbanization and desertification. It can also result from natural factors such as changes in the sun’s intensity or slow changes in the earth’s orbit around the sun or changes in ocean circulation.

Reyes airs climate change impact on biodiversity

The Environment and Natural Resources Department (DENR) announced the Philippines’ participation in celebrating with the global community the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDBD). This year’s celebration goes with the theme “Biodiversity and Climate Change” focusing on the alarming concern of how climate change affects our environs.

Meanwhile, DENR Secretary Angelo Reyes stressed that the point of debating on the existence of climate change has been long over and done with and it is high time for government and the rest of society to join hands and have a shared responsibility in helping address the situation.

“Climate change is inevitable and in fact has already caused significant problems in biodiversity and wildlife across the globe,” explained Reyes.

“What we now have on our hands is real. And our task in government is, first and foremost, to limit the extent of (the adverse impact) climate change,” added the environment secretary.

Our country’s IDBD celebration starts on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, and will end Saturday, May 26, 2007. Among the IDBD celebration activities include a forum on “Climate Change and its Impacts on Biodiversity,” a Biodiversity Exhibit at the SM Mall of Asia, SM North EDSA and at the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) grounds; ceremonial release of herons and planting of Nilads at the Manila Bay area.