Category Archives: Tourism

Business, Economy, Entertainment, International, Science and Environment, Tourism

Underwater Disneyland To Rise In The Philippines’ Benham Rise

1 Comment

image.pngANAHEIM, California  (The Adobo Chronicles, Los Angeles Bureau) – It is known as the Benham Rise, a 13-million- hectare, seismically active undersea region located east of Luzon, and is 35 meters underwater at its shallowest point off the provinces of Aurora and Isabela. It is said to be wider than Luzon, Samar and Leyte combined.

In April 2012, the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) recognized and officially approved the Philippines’ claim that Benham Rise is part of its continental shelf and territory. With that, the Philippines’ territory has increased to 43 million hectares from 30 million hectares.

Today, a big announcement from Disneyland: it will build the world’s first underwater theme park on Benham Rise. The park will feature a replica of the Titanic, several snorkeling arenas, a natural aquarium and swimming pool, submarine rides, shops, restaurants and other unique attractions — all under water!

Disney’s announcement is just one of living proof of foreign investors’ confidence in the incoming administration of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte. It is part of the mayor’s overall strategic plan to create jobs for Filipinos, promote Philippine tourism, and create a smoke-free environment that can be enjoyed by domestic and foreign tourists alike.

Duterte also hinted at creating several underwater livable communities at Benham Rise as a way to disperse the overcrowding of Metro Manila and other urban cities, and to solve the nightmarish traffic problems of the country.

Change is coming to the Philippines!

image

Government, International, Tourism, Travel

‘Bad Luck’ Update For Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport: Shattered Glass And Collapsed Ceiling

Leave a comment
Latest NAIA bad luck incident; inset: Honrado
Latest NAIA bad luck incident; inset: Honrado

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – As far as Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Jose Angel Honrado is concerned, all the unfortunate things that have happened at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) can be blamed on “bad luck.”

Past “unfortunate” events include collapsed ceilings, flooding during a heavy rainstorm, airconditioning units inoperable, the laglag bala extortion scheme, disappearing luggage, brownouts, etc.

Well, Honrado is happy to announce that  yet another incident at NAIA — this time in Terminal 1 — just proves his point.  He feels vindicated.

A glass partition at the pre-departure lounge near Gate 10 shattered at around 2:40 p.m. Tuesday, just after passengers had passed. No one was injured.

Renz Caldejon of the airport’s operations division, who is in charge of the aerobridges, claimed that two airplanes at gates nine and 11 started their engines at the same time, causing the glass partition to vibrate and shatter.

At around 10 a.m. yesterday, sales clerks from the Duty Free Shop’s perfume section got a fright when part of the ceiling, made of gypsum board, collapsed.

A black plastic bag, left behind by workers when the ceiling was being renovated, fell through the hole.

According to a sales clerk, water dripping from the air conditioning system weakened the ceiling and caused it to collapse.

At least, we now know that Honrado was not lying about the “bad luck.”

image

Business, International, Tourism

Why Disneyland Is Not Coming To The Philippines

3 Comments

imageANGELES CITY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – It would have been an iconic proof of foreign investor confidence in the Philippines as has been constantly touted by the Aquino administration, but alas, Disneyland is, after all, not coming to this country in Asia.

In the past few weeks, Filipinos were filled with great excitement after hearing the news that Disney investors have agreed to build a Disneyland resort in the province of Pampanga, former site of the U.S. Clark Airforce Base.

Today, however, Disney told The Adobo Chronicles that the multi-billion company has nixed the idea of a Disneyland in Pampanga.

It has been reported that President Aquino has been wooing Disney as part of his administration’s campaign to increase foreign investment and promote world tourism in his country.

The Chronicles learned that Aquino gave Disney two conditions that needed to be met before it can build the theme park in the Philippines:

1. That the park be built in Tarlac, instead of Pampanga.  Tarlac, of course, is the hometown of Aquino, while Pampanga is the hometown of his nemesis, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

2. That the park be named NoyNoy Aquino Disneyland.  It was Aquino’s last-ditch effort to seal his legacy, and in keeping with major infrastructure being named after his family, including the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the 22-kilometer paved road network, the Cory Aquino Highway, which will connect the Cagayan Valley to Ilocos Region via Solsona town in Ilocos Norte.

Disney, however, said that Tarlac, unlike Pampanga, was not an ideal site for the theme park because of the presence of the controversial Hacienda Luisita (owned by the Aquinos).  It also said it didn’t want to politicize its business ventures by naming its park after political dynasties.

So for now, Filipinos can visit Disneyland in the U.S. — if they can get a visa — or Japan, where it is much easier to get one.