LEGAZPI CITY—Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. has declared Albay as a rising tourist destination in the country after the province pursued an aggressive tourism program that propelled its economic growth.
Jimenez, who was here on Tuesday for the opening rites of Albay’s annual monthlong Magayon Festival, said the investment poured in by Gov. Joey Salceda on tourism programs boosted the province’s economic activity.
Jimenez, citing tourism statistics in 2011, said at least 350,069 tourists came to Albay that year or a 17-percent growth rate compared to the national growth rate of just 15 percent.
In a press conference, Jimenez said at least 3.9 million tourists came to the Philippines in 2010 and 4.6 million in 2011.
Chanting his tourism campaign slogan, he said “It is more fun in Albay” because the people of the province are known for their hospitality.
Albay, he said, has capitalized on people, festivals, history, culture and arts. In tourism, investments on people are needed, he said, because “tourism is a business of the people.”
In the same press conference, Salceda said Albay was now moving toward tourism and agriculture after making its mark in the field of health, education, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
Salceda, adopting “Albay Rising” as the province’s slogan, said the slogan is largely anchored on the development of the tourism industry.
Among the province’s tourist attractions are the active and nearly perfect cone-shaped Mayon Volcano, the historic Cagsawa Ruins and many fine beaches.
The provincial government has prepared a package of 150 events for the Magayon Festival, which is now in its fifth year.
Among the highlights of the festival is the staging of “Dance of the Three Mountains,” a play written by writer Abdon Balde, an Albay native, in the vernacular. The play is about the legend of three sister mountains—Magayon, Masaraga and Malinao—that became the story of Mayon Volcano, too.
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Showing posts with label Summer Philippines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer Philippines. Show all posts
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Moriones, other Lenten specials color Marinduque
BOAC, Marinduque—Marinduque, touted as the country’s Lenten capital, has rolled out the red carpet for foreign and local tourists and devotees for its world-renowned Moriones festival, which kicked off on Holy Monday.
Provincial tourism officials, Catholic church leaders and residents joined the traditional parade of Morions and Samaritanas on Monday morning, featuring people in Morion-inspired costumes or in costumes of biblical characters that morphed Boac, the capital town, into a “small Jerusalem.”
The Morions or masked centurions remained the highlight and crowd-drawer of the festival. A parody of Roman soldiers during the time of Christ, they are dressed in articles fashioned from pieces of cloth, shells, weaves of nito vines and other indigenous materials.
A fierce-looking, often bearded mask made from carved wood or papier-mâché topped by a helmet completes the typical garb of a Morion, who wields a painted wooden sword, spear and shield.
Act of penance
It is believed that becoming a Morion is an act of penance that ensures good health or helps the devotee recover from illness and keeps him out of danger. It guarantees a good harvest and bountiful catch for farmers and fishermen.
For the Morions, their act of penance, thanksgiving or self-cleansing means enduring the hot costumes, hunger and thirst during their long walk around town.
The Moriones originated in the northern town of Mogpog in the 1880s, when a reenactment of the crucifixion was staged by a local priest, Dionisio Santiago.
The part where the centurion, Longinus, who pierced the side of Christ with a spear, but was renewed when his sight was restored, was played out for the first time. Since then, its lasting message of faith and conversion has found a permanent niche in the heart of the Marinduqueño.
Lenten activities
The Holy Week observance in Marinduque does not only focus on the Moriones festival but are also the traditional Lenten activities, such as the Pasyon, cenaculo, Visita Iglesia and the Via Crucis.
Each of the six municipalities will stage any one of these events, strengthening the province’s hold on the title of Lenten capital.
The cenaculo (Passion play) at the Morion Arena in Boac is a series of theatrical presentations, complete with sound and lights, seen or some say “experienced” on the evenings of Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, the morning of Good Friday, and after the midnight Mass of Easter Sunday.
Basically, the presentations reenact relevant passages from the Old and New Testaments, starting with the Genesis, the prophecies, the birth, life and teachings, and the passion and death of Christ up to His resurrection.
The Easter Sunday chapter incorporates the full conversion of the centurion Longinus when he witnesses the rising of Jesus from the grave, his eventual disobedience to Pilate by “spreading the Good News,” his capture and his beheading.
The Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) reenacts the sufferings of Christ while carrying His cross to Calvary. Each Station of the Cross is highlighted as the procession winds its way through the streets of the capital in the morning of Good Friday.
There are also the estacion heneral or makeshift altars mounted in front of selected houses in the poblacion that serve as points for the Stations of the Cross. These are done late in the afternoon from Palm Sunday to Holy Wednesday in all of the towns of the province.
Battle of Morions
The newest attraction of the Moriones Festival, the “Battle of the Morions,” will be held on Holy Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Santa Cruz town plaza.
Various groups will converge and compete with each other through choreographed movements, marching drills, sword and spear skills drills and military formations, along with the beat of percussion instruments, just like what the Roman soldiers did.
Rewards will be given to those who will don the best Morion costumes and masks. Visitors will be able to interact with and witness the hundreds of Morions converging in one area.
The climax of the Lenten celebration will be the Pugutan, Marinduque’s other version of the cenaculo. Depicting the life of Longinus, it is presented usually at night in Santa Cruz (Good Friday), Boac and Gasan (Black Saturday), Mogpog and Torrijos (Easter Sunday), and in the other muncipalities.
Flagellants doing penance at the old cemetery of Gasan are also expected to draw attention on Good Friday.
Provincial tourism officials, Catholic church leaders and residents joined the traditional parade of Morions and Samaritanas on Monday morning, featuring people in Morion-inspired costumes or in costumes of biblical characters that morphed Boac, the capital town, into a “small Jerusalem.”
The Morions or masked centurions remained the highlight and crowd-drawer of the festival. A parody of Roman soldiers during the time of Christ, they are dressed in articles fashioned from pieces of cloth, shells, weaves of nito vines and other indigenous materials.
A fierce-looking, often bearded mask made from carved wood or papier-mâché topped by a helmet completes the typical garb of a Morion, who wields a painted wooden sword, spear and shield.
Act of penance
It is believed that becoming a Morion is an act of penance that ensures good health or helps the devotee recover from illness and keeps him out of danger. It guarantees a good harvest and bountiful catch for farmers and fishermen.
For the Morions, their act of penance, thanksgiving or self-cleansing means enduring the hot costumes, hunger and thirst during their long walk around town.
The Moriones originated in the northern town of Mogpog in the 1880s, when a reenactment of the crucifixion was staged by a local priest, Dionisio Santiago.
The part where the centurion, Longinus, who pierced the side of Christ with a spear, but was renewed when his sight was restored, was played out for the first time. Since then, its lasting message of faith and conversion has found a permanent niche in the heart of the Marinduqueño.
Lenten activities
The Holy Week observance in Marinduque does not only focus on the Moriones festival but are also the traditional Lenten activities, such as the Pasyon, cenaculo, Visita Iglesia and the Via Crucis.
Each of the six municipalities will stage any one of these events, strengthening the province’s hold on the title of Lenten capital.
The cenaculo (Passion play) at the Morion Arena in Boac is a series of theatrical presentations, complete with sound and lights, seen or some say “experienced” on the evenings of Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, the morning of Good Friday, and after the midnight Mass of Easter Sunday.
Basically, the presentations reenact relevant passages from the Old and New Testaments, starting with the Genesis, the prophecies, the birth, life and teachings, and the passion and death of Christ up to His resurrection.
The Easter Sunday chapter incorporates the full conversion of the centurion Longinus when he witnesses the rising of Jesus from the grave, his eventual disobedience to Pilate by “spreading the Good News,” his capture and his beheading.
The Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) reenacts the sufferings of Christ while carrying His cross to Calvary. Each Station of the Cross is highlighted as the procession winds its way through the streets of the capital in the morning of Good Friday.
There are also the estacion heneral or makeshift altars mounted in front of selected houses in the poblacion that serve as points for the Stations of the Cross. These are done late in the afternoon from Palm Sunday to Holy Wednesday in all of the towns of the province.
Battle of Morions
The newest attraction of the Moriones Festival, the “Battle of the Morions,” will be held on Holy Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Santa Cruz town plaza.
Various groups will converge and compete with each other through choreographed movements, marching drills, sword and spear skills drills and military formations, along with the beat of percussion instruments, just like what the Roman soldiers did.
Rewards will be given to those who will don the best Morion costumes and masks. Visitors will be able to interact with and witness the hundreds of Morions converging in one area.
The climax of the Lenten celebration will be the Pugutan, Marinduque’s other version of the cenaculo. Depicting the life of Longinus, it is presented usually at night in Santa Cruz (Good Friday), Boac and Gasan (Black Saturday), Mogpog and Torrijos (Easter Sunday), and in the other muncipalities.
Flagellants doing penance at the old cemetery of Gasan are also expected to draw attention on Good Friday.
| Summer Philippines |
AirAsia’s all-in low fare promo for summer
MANILA, Philippines—AirAsia, the country’s newest low cost carrier, further heats up competition in the local airline industry with its “red hot” all-in promo fare of only P799 one-way for Clark-Kalibo (Boracay) and Clark-Puerto Princesa (Palawan) routes.AirAsiA also offers an all-in low fare of only P999 one-way for the Clark-Davao trip.
Its “red hot” all-in promo of P799 for Kalibo and Puerto Princesa and P999 for Davao includes base fare, fuel surcharge, processing fee and government mandated fees such as aviation security fee and value-added-tax, the airline said in a statement on Tuesday.
The promo period will be from April 2 to April 8, 2012 and guests will be able to travel from April 10 to July 31 2013 with these all-in fares which are available online at www.airasia.com, via mobile at mobile.airasia.com and via AirAsia applications for Blackberry, iPhone and Android phones.
“Summer Philippines is now more fun with AirAsia’s awesome connectivity,” AirAsia’s chief executive officer Maan Hontiveros said.
“Local and international tourists now have easy access to Philippine’s hot destinations such as Pearl Farm in Davao, Boracay beach and the famous Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan,” Hontiveros added.
AirAsia’s new service to Puerto Princesa from Clark, the statement said, will provide the accessibility to visit Calauit Island Wildlife Sanctuary, The Coron Reef, Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park, the famous Puerto Princesa Underground River, which has been voted as one of the seven wonders of nature.
| Travel Philippines |
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