ILOILO: HEART of the PHILIPPINES

In Pavia, Iloilo, Halloween comes with lots of mystery and ghostly attractions, plus an excellent choice of celebration, the annual Tigkaralag Festival that take place every 30th of October. The town invites everyone who fancy about experiencing thrilling and terrifying moments to their annual Tigkaralag Festival.  The town has been crazy about festivities and activities related to Halloween and its peculiar customs that fanatics in adrenaline rush and dread would gather around its municipal plaza as witches, ghosts and zombies roam around the area changing the whole scenery. Tigkaralag Festival is a tiny sample of the excitement and the passion that this charming agricultural town has in store for such an event. Thus, its annual celebration confirms that the town has not stolen its reputation as one of the best Halloween destinations in Iloilo every 30th of October. Although Pavia does not celebrate Halloween with the lavish fanfare like in other p...

A harvest festival in Sitio Barusbos in Balcon Maravila, Guimaras showcased the local produce of farmers who are some of the beneficiaries of SM Foundation Inc.'s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (SMFI-KSK)project. The foundation recognizes livelihood development as a key component in improving lives in communities.  Since 2007, SM Foundation's Farmers' Training Program (Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan) has been helping marginalized farmers become self-sufficient by equipping them with updated knowledge in doable agricultural technology. And after 12 weekly sessions wherein SMFI-KSK scholars were trained on the proper way of planting through lessons in modern farming methods and technologies, these farmer-scholars graduated in a ceremony held at SM City Iloilo lat Oct. 25, 2019 making them the 211th batch of graduates in the said farmers training program. The KSK Program is in partnership with Harbest Agribusiness Corporation, the Department of Social Welfare a...

Ford Philippines is bringing back its Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) program in Iloilo City! Now on its second year in Iloilo, Ford DSFL aims to educate more Ilonggo drivers to become safer and more responsible while on the road. The DFSL will be held on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at the Iloilo Convention Center, Megaworld Boulevard, Mandurriao, Iloilo City with three (3) training sessions at 10:00am, 12:30pm, and 2:00pm. Ford Philipines first brought this safe driving program in Iloilo last year, training close to 500 private and public utility drivers, student drivers, and traffic and road management personnel. The participants learned more about the benefits of smart, safe, and fuel-efficient driving as well as the necessary driving skills to help minimize road accidents, altercations, and traffic congestion. This year, Ford is looking to partner with taxi, bus and transport network vehicle services (TNVS) companies as well as with traffic management b...

Partnering for a sustainable environmental initiative, one of Iloilo's largest real estate developer, Property Company of Friends, Inc. (PRO-FRIENDS) partners with local mall player GT Town Center Pavia and Justine's Scrap to lessen the global problem on waste management.  Dubbed as "Garbage to Treasure", the said initiative was officially launched at the GT Town Center Pavia on October 26 together with the Pavia LGU headed by Mayor Luigi Gorriceta. "Garbage to Treasure" is a brainchild of GT Town Center's Vice President for Real Estate and Land Development Allan Ryan Tan who is an advocate of environmental preservation through proper waste disposal.  "I am geared towards the preservation of the environment ever since. I always practice waste segregation. In fact, I built my own compost pit at home. With the global environmental problem that we are facing at present, I think it's high time that we involve the community...

Regional Director Richard Osmeña of the The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Region 6, together with his team, has started the Phase 3 - Visayas leg of the Modern PUV Caravan in SM City Iloilo, 25 October 2019. The program started with a welcome speech from LTFRB Regional Director Richard Osmeña while Iloilo City Mayor, Hon. Jerry P. Treñas representative Mr. Reyland Hervias, Mr. Rex Fernandez of Guimaras, and Committee on Transport City Council Rep - Atty. Rommel Duron all delivered inspirational speeches to rally the stakeholders present. A highlight of the event was the awarding of one (1) Provisional Authority (PA) to Southwest Tours Boracay, Inc. The Iloilo City leg of the Caravan saw almost 200 attendees from 10 cooperatives from across the Region. The program also included an open forum for cooperatives, operators and drivers, to share and clarify their concerns on the program and encourage discussion between government and stake...

Your kind of perfect is now within your grasp! Enjoy Globe’s different payment options for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. If you still haven’t heard, Globe is now accepting pre-orders for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.  More good news for authentic, uncompromising creators as Globe is offering several payment options for new and existing postpaid customers. Here are some more affordable ways you can get your hands on the new iPhone 11:  36 months, 0% interest   Available for both new and recontracting customers, you can pay in fixed monthly installments for up to 36 months with 0% interest using your BPI Credit Card.  This means that if you are getting the iPhone 11 with ThePLAN 1799, you just need to pay PHP 533/ month if you are up for contract renewal, and PHP 600 if you are a new customer.  Globe’s Handset Installment Plans If you don’t have a credit card, you can opt to pay for yo...

SM Foundation scholars in Iloilo, Bacolod and Roxas City have gathered for their very first general assembly last October 20, 2019 at SM City Iloilo. The general assembly is an annual event for all college and technical vocational (techvoc) scholars under SM Foundation to interact and get to know one another, and to meet up with their mentors and benefactors. The gathering began with a morning mass in SM City Iloilo’s main entrance, the venue where the regular Sunday mass in the mall is held. After the  mass, SM Foundation Executive Director for Education Carmen Linda Atayde addressed the crowd, including the regular mallgoers in the mall, and emphasized that The SM Foundation's Scholarship Program was established by the late Henry Sy Sr. because he believes that education is the best weapon to alleviate people from poverty. Added Atayde, SM Foundation already has over 3,000 college scholars and over 2,000 technical-vocational (tech-voc) scholars nationw...

Fleur de Liz Inn is located at Bangga Dama, busy intersection in Sta. Barbara, which is the gateway to the Iloilo International Airport, which is just 10 minutes away. It offers almost 30 rooms (as of Feb. 2014), as of now, ranging from single or double accommodations to dorm type rooms with a capacity of 10 persons.  The pool open to everybody is located at the back of the complex. It has a charming lobby that connects guests to the pool, the shop of imported goods and the shopping complex outside. The stairs led to the second floor with a frame window letting natural light in at the same time offering some views of the surroundings. The scene below is dominated by the pool with its inviting azure blue water. The kiddie pool may somewhat bring out the child in you, Greeting guests on the second level is a common area where they can lounge and interact. Two hallways then jut out and lead to the rooms with a view of the pool. Or those facing the hust...