Boracay hailed as one of the Best Island’s in the World

The sandy shores of Boracay Island in Aklan have once again been recognized internationally, this time when Travel + Leisure Magazine ranked it as the fourth best island in the world in its annual “World’s Best Awards.”

In Asia, Boracay is ranked second to Bali in Indonesia.

It was the first time that Boracay was recognized by the magazine.

The survey was conducted from December 2010 to March 2011. Readers voted and decided through Travel + Leisure magazine and the TravelandLeisure.com, the magazine’s official website.

The top choices are featured in the magazine’s August issue.

Islands were evaluated according to their natural attractions, activities, sights, restaurants and food, visitors and natives, and their value for money, according to the website.

The island wasn’t alone in receiving praises from the travel magazine.

Discovery Shores in Boracay was also included in the list of 10 best hotel spas worldwide and listed the best in Asia. Hotel spas were evaluated according to their ambiance, treatments, service and value.

Meanwhile, TripAdvisor.com, a travel site that collates user-generated content, ranked the island the best beach in Asia and second worldwide in their 2011 “Traveler’s Choice,” which is based on reviews submitted by travelers.

“As long as you visit during dry season, you’ll agree this is one of the best beach destinations in the world,” said TripAdvisor.com.

In February this year, Boracay and Cebu were among the top destinations for Chinese tourists, according to the Department of Tourism.

Boracay is a favorite destination of local and international celebrities alike, with “Glee” star Mark Salling as one of the island’s more recent Hollywood visitors.

Pinay artist wins in US Democracy Photo Title

Young Filipino artist Mikas Matsuzawa’s picture of a young boy walking on a pot-marked dirt road carrying a red “parol” was chosen as one of the winners in the State Department’s Democracy Photo Challenge.

The State Department launched the contest to highlight the International Day of Democracy.

The Photo Challenge asked people around the world to complete the phrase “Democracy is…” in an image.

Matsuzawa chose what could be a typical Philippine countryside image to deliver her theme that “Democracy is…accessible and quality education for all. It is education as a right”.

In her Facebook account, Matsuzawa thanked all those who helped her entry win the event.

“Maraming salamat sa lahat ng bumoto sa entri ko sa Democracy Photo Challenge. Ang photo ko ay isa sa 12 winners ng nasabing kompetisyon,” she said.

Matsuzawa is also the president of the Japanese-Filipino children’s group, Batis-YOGHI or Youth Organization that Gives Hope and Inspiration.

“Salamat sa suporta! Itaguyod natin ang edukasyon bilang karapatan. At itaguyod ang karapatan ng mga bata sa accessible at de-kalidad na edukasyon,” said Matsuzawa.

The other winners are Kaylene George of South Africa; Mike Mitchell of Benin; Venkatesh Hamyanaik of Australia; Mehman Huseynov of Azerbaijan; Dino Peric of Bosnia & Herzegovina; Kaveh Baghdadchi of Iran; Mohamed Kaouche of Algeria; Mustafa Kia of Afghanistan; Jun Krishna Joshi of Nepal; Ian Cunningham of the United States; and Wladia Drummond of Brazil.
The winning photos were put on display in the South Lobby of the United Nations today.

They were selected from nearly 3,000 entries from 131 countries.

The State Department release said an independent jury narrowed the submissions to 36 finalists representing each region of the world.

The online public then voted for their favorites. The State Department said more than half a million people took part in the voting.

“The State Department established the ‘Democracy is…’ initiative to engage people around the world in a global conversation on democracy. The initiative’s goal is to empower a global audience to share views on democracy,” the press release said.

Ifugao artist wins Switzerland Sculpture competition

A Filipino sculptor from Ifugao won the top two prizes in an international sculpture symposium which ended Sunday in Switzerland.

Gilbert Bergano Alberto won the Silver Award and the Prix du Public (Audience Choice Award) at the 10th International Sculpture Symposium held this year in Morges in Geneva.

The 45-year old Gilbert, a native of Hapao, Hungduan, Ifugao province, was one of the 30 artists from around 20 countries invited to showcase their talents at the annual stone sculpture competition.

The participants worked on a uniform-sized block of limestone weighing around 300 kilos for eight days at the gardens of Morges Castle along the Geneva lake.

Gilbert won the Silver Award for his sculpture entitled: “A sitting old Igorot Man playing a Gong.”

“Everyone is a seed with much potential for greatness in it. Still, that potential, like a seed, needs elements to trigger its sprout and coax it to mature and bloom to its fullest. My sculpture may reflect such growth. It may inspire or communicate, or touch one’s life,” said Gilbert in explaining his works to the public.

Gilbert also won the public’s choice, the Audience Choice Award.

Anny Misa Hefti, one of the numerous Filipinas who viewed the symposium, said one of Gilbert’s winning attributes which endeared him to the audience and judges was his unassuming personality.

“Gilbert is an epitome of humility. He mingles well without being boisterous. He is friendly in a shy way and he won the public in this manner,” said Hefti.

Gilbert meanwhile, commented that he was amazed at the tools used by many of the artists at the competition, saying he only used four sculpting tools.

He also gave thanks to the support of the Filipino community, including many members of the Bibak-Switzerland, a women’s group with roots from the Bontoc-Ifugao-Benguet and Kalinga-Apayao provinces in the northern Philippines.

Team Pilipinas wins 1st ASEAN Cheerleading competition

Team Pilipinas bagged gold in the 1st Southeast Asian Cheerleading Open held at the Singapore Sports Schools complex in Singapore.

Team Pilipinas, composed of members of Poveda College, Holy Spirit, Assumption, Saint Paul Pasig, and Taguig Science High School, bested squads from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Chinese-Taipeh, and host Singapore to win in smashing fashion in front of a capacity gym.

The All Girls Premier division is one of the most coveted divisions in the international competition, which include COED elite, partner stunts, and group stunts..

The team also took home a silver in the All Girls Group Stunts division.

The contingent also included members of Team Pilipinas Coed, which also earned a silver medal.

Judges from the International Cheerleading Union (ICU) were flown in from the United States, along with other judges from around the region.

Team Pilipinas was formed out of an open try-out held last year conducted by instructors from the National Cheerleading Championship (NCC), the country’s biggest cheerleading organization.

The NCC is a member of the Philippine Cheerleading Alliance (PCA), the governing body of the sport. The PCA is sanctioned under the International Cheerleading Union (ICU), the world governing body for cheerleading.

Philippine dragon boat team wins Gold in Tampa Bay

The Philippine Dragon Boat team splashed its way to a third world title in the biennial International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) 10th World Dragon Boat Championships by winning the Premier 1000m event (small boat) in Tampa Bay, Florida Friday.

On the final round of, the Filipinos’ 4:57.13 clocking set a new world record for the event.

Australia won the silver medal (5:00.09), while Hungary captured the bronze (5:03.71) in the race no. 27 in day two of the 10th Worlds.

The win in the 1000m Premier event (small boats) is Philippines’ first gold medal at the 2011 Worlds thus far.

A small boat in dragon boat parlance has up to 10 paddlers while, a standard boat has up to 22 paddlers.

The Philippines won two gold medals at the 2009 Worlds in Prague, Czech Republic in standard boats (not small boats, as reported earlier by this contributor)—the 200m Premier Mixed and 200m Premier Open categories.

It was reported that the Filipinos will compete in small boat events—and not on standard boats, which means the the paddlers will not defend their world titles in the 200m Premier Mixed and 200m Premier Open categories using standard boats.

But a schedule of the races, though with many blanks yet to be filled, found on the Internet showed that the Philippines is competing in small boat events.

In the preliminary round (race no. 24 of scheduled races for the day), the Philippines topped the race with a 4:50.79 clocking with Australia (5:02.59), and Hungary (5:09.87) behind.

Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, Palawan

It’s home to over 300 coral species and 400 species of fish. It is currently ranked number 5 on the list for the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Tubbataha is a reef ecosystem made up of two atolls located in the middle of the Sulu Sea. It is a sanctuary for marine life. The reefs lie on the Cagayan Ridge, a line of extinct underwater volcanoes which starts from the north at the Sultana Shoal and it ends in the south at the San Miguel Islands. It was proclaimed as a National Marine Park on August 11, 1988 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1993, in recognition of its outstanding universal value in terms of marine life species diversity and richness.

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan

It boasts of the world’s longest navigable underground river. This site is currently ranked number 8 on the list of New Seven Wonders of the World.

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The underground river is reputed to be the world’s longest navigable. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water’s edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.