Philippine Travel Stats that you need to Know

If you love the Philippines and want to know some important facts of our local tourism industry, I have discovered a published article research compiled by Kate Pedroso of Inquirer.

• There are 276,809 total of tourists who arrived in the Philippines in February this year.

• We have 2, 419 total number of domestic flights per week

• There are around 285,533 number of available seats in domestic flight per week

• There are 55.6 percent of Filipinos who traveled within the country to visit their relatives or friends in 2005.

• Filipinos spend in an average of P1,200 in domestic travel accommodation in 2005

• 9 million are estimated number of households that received visitors between April and September in 2005

• In Bicol region, there are 4.1 percentage growth of the influx of tourism from 2006 to 2007

• There are 411,285 total numbers of domestic tourist who visit Camarines Sur in 2007

• There are an estimated 5,000 plus numbers of Korean transients in Baguio as of March 2008

• 35 homestay facilities in Pagudpud has been accredited by the Department of Tourism

• 128 percent influx of Russian tourist arrival was recorded in 2007

• An estimated 7,000 number of guest who visited Marinduque for the Moriones Festival in Holy Week of 2007

• There are already 38 number of hotels and resort in Marinduque

Cebu: The ICT Capital of the Philippines

Cebu City as we all know, is the queen city of the south. The home of the famous Sinulog fiesta, dangit and beaches. Today, Cebu offers more than that and is going beyond as it surge to the next level and making its wave in the 21st century as it transformed itself into a new hub for ICT. Cebu is now a famous venue for an International Conferences and recently, host to the first International Philippine Open Source Summit that PinoyExplorer had attended last July 23-24, 2008. This time, It reunites all IT practioners who advocate on the use open source softwares.

"Open source” refers to software or application whose users need no license to operate or use. Open source is not popular in the Philippines and one of the summit's aim is to unite its supporters and spread the news about it. CICT Chairman Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua also supported the campaign and looking forward for a government and private sectors cooperation in propagating open source awareness among Filipinos and use it as alternative against proprietary software. He pointed out during his speech at the Plenary Hall of Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) the government had also choosen the open source software when it implements ICT projects such as the e-Governance, iSchool and eSkwela projects. Private institutions, NGO's and universities were already starting to use open source software in the development of their own projects. One good project was the initiative being done by Vibal Foundation in opening educational resources over the internet. Their projects such as the WikiPilipinas, an open encyclopedia, Filipiniana.net, a digital library, Philippine Online Chronicles (POC), free news resource for new breed of readers and currently the E-turo project which provide teacher's and learner's resource materials for free were running using open source softwares.


With these development in IT, Cebu moves forward through the leadership of the Summit organizer by planning to organize an organization that will finally unite all open source practitioners and developers. This organization shall represents the country and make a mark in the International open source community.

For your information, Philippines becomes the 7th in the outsourcing business. Cebu is now taking the lead and pushing its initial initiative to put the Philippines in the map of another area of information technology. No wonder that every time I went to Cebu's IT park to treat myself a brewed coffee, I saw group of yuppies coming back and forth from those newly established high rise buildings in the vicinity on the rush or taking their breaks. Some of them works in the outsourcing business and some in the software development companies. This is also shows that Cebu is becoming the new hub for more foreign investors and a lot of business related projects that would help our own economy.

Cebu's CICC now becomes the symbol of a new economy in the southern part of the Philippines. With this particular event and by recognizing that Open Source is one huge wave of the future in the field of ICT, the CCCI now turns its focus to bring together the world-renowned players of various global Open Source initiatives.

Father's Day 2008

It been 3 years and a half already and enjoyed myself for being a father of a very cute boy I named Chadmartin. But did I really enjoyed him as he grow day by day? Sad to say that I really missed some monumental events of his life. Like his first time to draw a cat, first time to hear him recite his mathematical skills and his first day in a nursery school this year. I'm guilty about it and I'm so blessed that I have a very understanding wife who really work hard and took care of our little boy.

This picture reminds me during his first year of life. Taken by my wife while we visit the Sampaloc lake in her home town in Laguna. Nevertheless, as a father, I see to it that every time I finished my projects in the office, I took time to give them my precious time and treat them in a place where we can enjoy as a family. And today, its Father's Day again and so glad that I have already reserved myself to be with them this very day. I gonna treat them to Manila Ocean Park and let my boy wonder the big fishes that he always seen on National Geographic Channel. :)