ILOILO: HEART of the PHILIPPINES

Professional pilot and wildlife photographer Floyd Pison Bermejo is set to display his photographs in his first one-man photo exhibit entitled 'Flight' at the North Point of SM City Iloilo from May 1 to 8, 2023. The exhibit will feature Floyd's passion for bird photography with the main highlight being his most renowned photo in the Philippine eagle in the 1000 peso banknote.  The 'Flight' exhibit is a tribute to Floyd's profession as a pilot and his passion for bird photography. The exhibit will reveal his best works featuring the beauty of birds in their natural habitats. Through his photographs, Floyd hopes to inspire others to appreciate the beauty of nature and join him in protecting it.  "Nature conservation is the main reason why I am passionate about wildlife photography. Images are powerful. They can inspire evoke beauty and make people value what they otherwise would not see in person for not having the opportunity" said Bermejo.  ...

2GO Travel advocates for local tourism through its unique content creator program. The 2GOKada Creators Cruise will gather over 100 content creators, dubbed the 2GOKada, for three days of workshops, activities and a concert onboard MV 2GO Masagana from May 20 to 23, 2023. The 2GOKada Creators Cruise is a campaign that champions tourism via sea travel in partnership with Department of Tourism (DOT) to encourage young travelers to explore the wonders of the Philippines and invite their followers to discover the country themselves. This cruise-like experience will be making its way to Iloilo and Bacolod for a stopover tour, showcasing a few of the major tourist spots in Western Visayas as part of the activity highlights. Apart from DOT, 2GO Travel also partners with Careless Music, an independent record label that manages up and coming artists from around the country, to perform and TikTok Philippines, short-form mobile video social media platform, to sponsor a workshop du...

MW Group cements itself as one of Iloilo’s innovative and leading food companies by launching a Filipino-Spanish restaurant PEPE in Oton. PEPE will be the latest addition to the MW Group’s companies – Mrs. Wharton Cakes, Scones and Clotted Cream, Lazy Susan, and Casa Riviera. MW Group, a leader in the local food industry, first founded Mrs. Wharton Cakes, well-known for its mouthwatering whole and mini cakes for all occasions. Its cakes are available in Scones and Clotted Cream, an MW Group brand located at the food hall of SM City Iloilo’s north wing. Nearby in the same food hall is MW Group’s Lazy Susan, which serves popular Taiwanese food such as Sichuan Noodles, Lu Rou Fan, Pork Bao, Spicy Beef Noodles, and Pepper Buns, to name a few. Meanwhile, PEPE is located inside Casa Riviera, a heritage house founded by Wharton’s grandmother Lola Consing Rivera in San Antonio, Oton. It features furnishings, fixtures, and walls that are over 100 years old. The establishment was renovated and r...

Charmi Margaret Fernandez – Hofileña chose SM Foundation Inc. (SMFI) as her benefactor for her education and was the right choice she made for her future.  “ Our decision in life is one significant influence for what we would become tomorrow. “ It was her own decision to help her parents so they won’t get worried about her college education.  “ Our dreams are influenced by our experiences and fueled by that fire to succeed and have a better quality of life. “ An alumna of University of the Philippines Visayas as a BS in Accountancy graduate, Hofileña is now a successful accountant.   “I wouldn’t be where I am now without SMFI. SMFI helped me by providing for my financial needs from tuition fees to allowances. SMFI molded me to become a responsible person and mature enough to deal well with my problems,”  she shared.  Charmi recalled that she had to find ways to augment her college education especially when her father stopped working and it was only her...

Preparations for the 14th Regional Development Council-Private Sector Representatives National Convention (RDC-PSRs NatCon) are gearing up with the RDC of Western Visayas as host. This is the second time since 2014 for the region to organize the said affair and the first face-to-face RDC-PSR national event since the pandemic. The three-day NatCon will run from April 26 to 28 at the Iloilo Convention Center at the Megaworld Business Park in Iloilo City. The event carries the theme, “Festival of H.O.P.E.: Harnessing Opportunities, Participation, and Empowerment.” Invited resource persons will talk about harnessing opportunities and highlighting experiences on Filipinnovation and Start-Up development, harnessing participation and highlighting experiences on festivals as a strategy for growth, and harnessing empowerment of people and communities and empowering creative industries through culture recovery and resiliency programs. The annual RDC-PSR National Convention aims to encourage unit...

DID YOU KNOW that your favorite adobo has become one of the must-visit stops in Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington? Locals have come to love Filipino food, thanks to the Oriental Mart which has been a mainstay of the market since the 1970s. This three-generation, family-owned business offers a wide selection of traditional Asian spices, sauces and grocery products. At the back of this grocery store, there is an 18-seat lunch counter serving authentic Filipino dishes and other novelties. Yes, the world-famous adobo in a world-famous market that attracts millions of tourists every year with unique and unforgettable experiences on food, culture and history. Here are top three interesting and inspiring milestones about Pike Place Market. From a fisher’s village to commerce and creative hub        The market was established in 1907 to provide a central location for farmers to sell their produce directly to consumers. Since then, it has widely grown with more new sta...

The Medical City (TMC) Iloilo treated its patient partners in the Province of Antique to its experiential exhibit on April 1 at Robinsons Place Antique.   Dubbed “Health Day Out”, the said interactive exhibit features various booths that let the participants enjoy, learn about the various services of TMC Iloilo, and at the same time, assess their health.     TMC Iloilo’s Health Day Out in Antique features different challenges that the participants need to complete in order to get freebies and prizes.      The highlight of the interactive exhibit is the TMC Iloilo Heart Disease Risk Calculator, an online assessment tool to know one’s risk of having a heart disease. It could be accessed for free by logging on to   http://themedicalcityiloilo. com/heart-risk-calculator/ .      “We are happy to bring this event to Antique as part of our roadshow series to reach out to our patient partners in the different provinces outside Iloilo,” said TMC ...

Like most places in the Philippines and the Catholic places around the world  during  Semana Santa  or Holy Week , it is customary is to make  pasos  adorned  with large wooden statues of  Jesus   Christ  depicting scenes prior, during and after his crucifixion.  A “ paso ” is an elaborate float made for religious processions. They are carried by the faithful on staves and are usually followed or escorted by a band.  Other “pasos” during this procession depict the  Virgin Mary ,  saints  and biblical personalities from the Passion of Christ. It has been an age old tradition in Santa Barbara, Iloilo to have a procession of these “pasos” every Good Friday. It circles around town passing by “kapiyas” symbolizing the stations of the cross and complemented by the singing of “pasyon” at each stop.   Here are some of the “pasos” in the town of Santa Barbara, Iloilo for Holy Week 2023. Passion of Christ   Other...