From Mabuhay Miles e-Connections ( Philippine Airlines)

50 POUNDS OR 23 KILOS LIMIT PER PIECE OF CHECKED-IN BAGGAGE TO AND FROM USA (INCLUDING GUAM) AND CANADA

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Following the lead of most airlines flying trans-Pacific routes, Philippine Airlines will start implementing for all tickets issued or re-issued starting 01 July 2008 a limit of 50 pounds (23 kilos) for each of the two pieces of free baggage on flights to and from the United States, including Guam and Canada. The Civil Aeronautics Board approved the reduction of the baggage allowance last 12 June 2008.

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Tickets issued before 01 July 2008- but for travel from 01 July 2008 onward - still entitle passenger to the erstwhile free baggage weight limit of 70 pounds (32 kilos) per piece.

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PAL is constrained to take this step as a consequence of record-high fuel prices that have adversely impacted the airline industry worldwide. The International Air Transport Association has forecast a massive global industry lost of $6.1 billion for 2008. In response, most major carriers have reduced free baggage allowance or imposed new fees for checked baggage as a way of easing operational cost.

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The 50-pound limit allows smoother connections for PAL passengers traveling to and from interior points in the U.S. and Canada, where domestic flights have already applied the new weight cap. Also, most U.S. carriers have limited free checked baggage allowance to only one piece, while some have eliminated it altogether, charging $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second.

Note:

As part of the Elite level privileges, Mabuhay Miles Premier Elite members and Million Milers can carry one (1) extra piece of luggage (not exceeding to 50 pounds or 23 kilos) when flying to and from the USA (including Guam) and Canada on Philippine Airlines.

Visit www.mabuhaymiles.com for more program news and promotions.

In a partnership with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Delta Airlines has launched paperless mobile check-in. The new service is currently only available for domestic travel that departs from their main terminal at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

This means you can now check in and get past the TSA screeners using nothing more than your web-capable mobile (so keep it charged up!).

How it works:

Customers traveling in the U.S., checking in at LaGuardia may simply download their boarding pass to their mobile devices via delta.com and proceed directly to the airport security screening area.

Customers checking bags should drop their bags at the baggage drop counter location prior to proceeding to the security checkpoint.

At the security checkpoint, TSA will scan the electronic boarding pass, check the customer’s ID and process the customer through security.

Customers can then proceed to their departure gate, present their electronic boarding pass to the gate agent at boarding time and board with their designated zone.

Airlines are now either decreasing or removing free check-in luggage allowance.

Philippine Airlines has announced that effective 01 July 2008, based on ticket issuance or reissuance, transpacific luggage allowance will be decreased from 70lbs per piece to just 50lbs per piece.

China Airlines and EVA Airways have already implemented a similar luggage allowance limit effective June 2008. Other Airlines, including, but not limited to, United Airlines, American Airlines and US Airlines, have also amended their free luggage allowance policy.

Please call your airline or visit their website to get more information on their luggage allowance before your flight.”

Staying up late to make a difference!

Blogathon Vancouver 2008 July 26 - 27, 2008

Ive read about it last year. I even planned to join and blog about it. But this year im doing more than just reading and planning. This year im doing something about it by actually joining the Blogathon Vancouver on July 26 -27, 2008. My beneficiary will be my high school alma mater since it will be a special year for our batch this 2008. Im actually working on the 26th of July so this will be pretty interesting on how i can update my blog every 30 minutes.

Well, readers and passerby check back on July 26-27, 2008, since ill be doing the Swing Shift ( July26 10pm - July27 10pm)

Blogathon is 24 hours of blogging every 30 minutes for a cause. Since the official system and administrators will be taking a year off, that leaves 2008 in our hands.

The Day of Blogs will mostly be picking up where Blogathon left off, however under their guidance I would like to organize a Vancouver chapter, although if you are not in the city please feel free to participate by adding your name to the Sign Up Page.

How to Participate

• For bloggers: Write a blog post every 30 minutes for 24 hours straight. This is a ‘thon so it comes with personal sacrifice (of sleep, mostly) but the idea is to give 24 hours of your time so that your readers can pledge/donate to your cause of choice to keep that steady stream of content going.
• If you don’t have a blog then you can participate by spreading the word and checking in on Blogathon’ers during the event. Leave comments and keep us going!
• Go to the Sign Up Page and click “Edit” to add your info, make sure to include your “shift”:
  • Sunshine Shift: 7/26/08 0500 GMT (10:00pm PT Friday until 10:00pm PT Saturday)
  • Swing Shift: 7/26/08 1200 GMT (5:00am PT Saturday until 5:00am PT Sunday)
  • Moonlight Shift: 7/27/08 0400 GMT (9:00pm PT Saturday until 9:00pm PT Sunday)

Regarding Charities

• All bloggers will be responsible for contacting and tracking their non-profit of choice. As I do not encourage any blogger to accept payments or payment info directly, I would strongly suggest that you choose a non-profit with an online donation page that you can link or contact them to see what can be setup.
• Please make sure your non-profit of choice is not a hate group or a political organization, we’d like to keep things as fun, happy, and neutral as possible.

This is post was taken from the Arab News.

Imagine a world without Filipinos Abdullah Al-Maghlooth | Al-Watan, almaghlooth@alwatan.com.sa

Muhammad Al-Maghrabi became handicapped and shut down his flower and gifts shop business in Jeddah after his Filipino workers insisted on leaving and returning home. He says: “When they left, I felt as if I had lost my arms. I was so sad that I lost my appetite.”Al-Maghrabi then flew to Manila to look for two other Filipino workers to replace the ones who had left. Previously, he had tried workers of different nationalities but they did not impress him. “There is no comparison between Filipinos and others,” he says. Whenever I see Filipinos working in the Kingdom, I wonder what our life would be without them.Saudi Arabia has the largest number of Filipino workers — 1,019,577 — outside the Philippines. In 2006 alone, the Kingdom recruited more than 223,000 workers from the Philippines and their numbers are still increasing. Filipinos not only play an important and effective role in the Kingdom, they also perform different jobs in countries across the world, including working as sailors. They are known for their professionalism and the quality of their work.Nobody here can think of a life without Filipinos, who make up around 20 percent of the world’s seafarers. There are 1.2 million Filipino sailors. So if Filipinos decided one day to stop working or go on strike for any reason, who would transport oil, food and heavy equipment across the world? We can only imagine the disaster that would happen. What makes Filipinos unique is their ability to speak very good English and the technical training they receive in the early stages of their education. There are several specialized training institutes in the Philippines, including those specializing in engineering and road maintenance. This training background makes them highly competent in these vital areas. When speaking about the Philippines, we should not forget Filipino nurses. They are some 23 percent of the world’s total number of nurses. The Philippines is home to over 190 accredited nursing colleges and institutes, from which some 9,000 nurses graduate each year. Many of them work abroad in countries such as the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Singapore. Cathy Ann, a 35-year-old Filipino nurse who has been working in the Kingdom for the last five years and before that in Singapore, said she does not feel homesick abroad because “I am surrounded by my compatriots everywhere.” Ann thinks that early training allows Filipinos to excel in nursing and other vocations. She started learning this profession at the age of four as her aunt, a nurse, used to take her to hospital and ask her to watch the work. “She used to kiss me whenever I learned a new thing. At the age of 11, I could do a lot. I began doing things like measuring my grandfather’s blood pressure and giving my mother her insulin injections,” she said. This type of early education system is lacking in the Kingdom. Many of our children reach the university stage without learning anything except boredom. The Philippines, which you can barely see on the map, is a very effective country thanks to its people. It has the ability to influence the entire world economy. We should pay respect to Filipino workers, not only by employing them but also by learning from their valuable experiences. We should learn and educate our children on how to operate and maintain ships and oil tankers, as well as planning and nursing and how to achieve perfection in our work. This is a must so that we do not become like Muhammad Al-Maghrabi who lost his interest and appetite when Filipino workers left his flower shop. We have to remember that we are very much dependent on the Filipinos around us. We could die a slow death if they chose to leave us.

On our way to Iligan City, we stop and had breakfast at this restaurant along the shores. Freash food, fresh air what more can you ask for?

Seen going to Agusan.

I first heard about Camiguin from Manang Miggy. She told us stories about how beautiful Camiguin is, how she climbed the tall coconut trees and how much she loves swimming and making sandcastles in the amazing Great White Island.

All along all these are stories until i visited Camiguin Island last summer for my Biyaheng Mindanao, Summer Road Trip 2008.

Camiguin can be reached from Manila , you can take direct flights of Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, or Air Philippines to Cagayan de Oro City. Flying time approximately takes one hour and 20 minutes.

From Cebu, Cagayan de Oro City is even nearer — a mere 30 minutes away.

From Davao, you can travel by land through Cagayan de Oro approximately 6 -8hours drive passing through Bukidnon.

Then from the Cagayan de Oro City airport, you can take a cab to the bus terminal located at the Agora Market and get on a bus for Balingoan, a town 88 kilometers outside the city. At Balingoan, take a ferry bound for Camiguin Island approaching Camiguin by sea. The trip usually takes an hour before you reach Benoni Wharf of Mahinog, which is 17 kilometers from the capital town of Mambajao.

It was past lunch time when we reached Camiguin Island Port, we headed to a restaurant about 5 mins drive from the port. Though it took almost 45mins for our food to be prepared it was worth the wait. The prices of the seafood isnt that bad compared to the seafood in Davao.

After lunch we went to look for a place to sleep for the night. First stop was Bahay Bakasyunan in Camiguin. It was a quaintly beach resort but the price is a little off our budget. Mukhang maganda pa naman sana doon.

A few miles away from Bahay Bakasyunan is another resort named, Paras Beach Resort. Originaly built as a private beach house of the Paras family. It opened last March of 1995, and since then the resort had been a place to both local and foreign tourists. They have free wifi accesss in their restaurant and resort lobby. And we were welcomed by a homemade lei and fresh pineapple drinks.

Overlooking the lobby, you can see the pool and across the pool is the resort bar. The service is ok and the food is palatable. There are places of interests near the resort. We went to The Sunken Garden Cemetery which was about 15mins drive from the resort.

Then there’s the Great White Sand, only 2kms from the Resort. The Tausan Falls, A natural swimming pool lies at the base of the 30m high falls, Gui-ob Church Ruins, Remnants of the 1871 eruption of Vulcan Daan then the Vulcan Daan, About 13kms west of Mambajao, a trail of life-size statues depicting the “Stations of the Cross” marks the path of the summit.

Camiguin is very rich in culture and history. I bet my Manang Miggy will be proud that ive come to visit her hometown and had a great time.

As they say, “Huwag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan.”

Next stop Butuan City in Agusan!

That is the Kadayawan 2008 theme for this year which means “Flourishing Indigenous Heritage, Protecting Ancestral Nations”

The Kadayawan celebration this years is from August 17, 24, 2008.

Aside from the annual Floral parade and Indak indak sa dalan, other events are the :

Agro-Industrial Trade Fair & Floral Exhibit
August 8-31, 2008, SM City Grounds

Ka-an Dawet
Food Festival of the Food & Beverage Industry of Davao City
August 18-24, 2008, Palma Gil Street

Davao Tourism Office also launched for this years Kadayawan festival the Kadayawan Tour Packages inviting all Dabawenyo balikbayans as well as visitors to come and visit Davao City this coming August 2008.

Often called the festival of all festivals, Kadayawan sa Dabaw, pays tribute to the indigenous people in Mindanao. It is a week long thanksgiving celebration for the bountiful harvests and as well as paying tribute and acknowledging the rich culture of the different tribes that composes the indigenous communities in Mindanao.

For this year’s Kadayawan 2008 celebration, an official Kadayawan website was launched last May 2008. For the most recent news and updates for this year’s Kadayawan 2008 please visit, Kadayawan 2008.

17 August • Sunday

Evening:

• Moda Mindanaw: Designer’s Cut(Gaisano Mall)

More after the jump!

18 August • Monday

Morning:

• Festival Press Launching
• Hulagway sa Kaliwatan: Indegenous Peoples Visual Arts Exhibit Opening (Museo Dabaw)

Afternoon:

• Dayaw:Kadayawan Festival Opening(Peoples’ Park)

Evening:

• LumadnongKasaulogan: Indigenous Peoples Festival Opening
• Lumadnong Bantawan: Tribong Tagabawa (Rizal Park)

19 August • Tuesday

Morning:

• Kaan Mindanao and Lumadnong Gama (Rizal Park, until evening)
• Lumadnong Bantawan: Tribong Sama
• Hulagway sa Kalitawan

Afternoon:

• Lumadnong Bantawan:Tribong Matigsalog (Rizal Park)
• Tribal Mass Wedding

Evening:

• Hiyas sa Kadayawan: Search for Festival Symbol (CAP Auditorium)

20 August • Wednesday

Morning:

• Kaan Mindanao and Lumadnong Gama (Rizal Park, Until evening)
• Lumadnong Bantawan: Tribung Ata Manuvu
• Hulagway sa Kaliwatan

Afternoon:

• Lumadnong Bantawan: Tribung Tausug

Evening:

• Lumadnong Bantawan:Tribung Maranao (Rizal Park)
• Tunog Mindanao: Worl Music Competition (NCCC Mall)

21 August • Thursday

Morning:

• Kaan Mindanao and Lumadnong Gama (Rizal Park, until evening)
• Lumadnong Bantawan: Tribung K’lata
• Hulagway sa Kaliwatan

Afternoon:

• Lumadnong Bantawan: Tribung Ubo-Manobo

Evening:

• Lumadnong Bantawan: Tribung Kalagan

• Sayaw Mindanaw: The Mindanao Dance Competition (SM City Davao)

22 August • Friday

Morning:

• Kaan Mindanao and Lumadnong Gama (Rizal Park , until evening)
• Tugtogan: Indegenous Music Festival (Victoria Plaza Mall)
• Hulagway sa Kaliwatan

Afternoon:

• Tugtogan (Rizal Park and Peoples’ Park)
• Dawow: Tubod sa Sinugdan (Davao River Festival)

Evening:

• Tugtogan (Rizal Park and Peoples’ Park)
• Moda Mindanaw: Fashion Night (The Venue)

23 August • Saturday

Morning:

• Kaan Mindanao and Lumadong Gama (Rizal Park, until evening)
• Hulagway sa Kaliwatan

Afternoon:

• Indak-indak sa Kadalanal: Street Dancing and Festival Showcases (Street Performance)

Evening:

• Indak-indak sa Kadalanan: Street Dancing Festival Showcases (Showdown Performance)

24 August Sunday

Morning:

• Kaan Mindanao and Lunmadnong Gama (Rizal Park, until afternoon)
• Pamulak Kadayawan: Floral Float Parade and Competition
• Huklagway sa Kaliwatan

Afternoon:

• Kalasikas: Music and Dance Concerts (Rizal Park and Peoples’ Park)

Evening:

• Pahalipay ni Mayor sa Kadayawan (Rizal Park)
• Pasalamat: Dinner and Fellowship of Kadayawan 2008 Team (The Venue)