ILOILO: HEART of the PHILIPPINES

Cebu Pacific (PSE: CEB), the Philippines’ leading carrier, is set to launch direct flights between Iloilo and Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport, offering travelers from the City of Love a faster and more affordable way to explore Thailand. Starting March 31, 2025, CEB will operate flights between Iloilo and Bangkok-Don Mueang three times a week – every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This will make CEB the only airline to offer non-stop flights between Iloilo and Bangkok. Bangkok is the third international destination that CEB will fly to from Iloilo. Aside from this, the airline also offers direct flights from Iloilo to Hong Kong and Singapore. “We are thrilled to offer more travelers the opportunity to explore the majestic city of Bangkok. Strengthening our Iloilo hub allows us to connect even more passengers from the Western Visayas region to exciting destinations across our international network,” said Xander Lao, CEB President and Chief Commercial Officer. To make this rou...

A cheerful Mrs. Emma Caballero greets us at the gates of Tagbac Elementary School in Oton, Iloilo. She excitedly announced they got a funding from Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. for a new computer facility, on top of the new classrooms being built. So how can a small school from (an almost far-flung) barangay was able to receive such big grants from the government and private donors? Ma’am Emma tells her story…  When she became part of the school back in 2003, it was the most dilapidated in Oton. “ We have no electricity, we had poor water facilities and a non-functioning toilet. ” she recalls. “ But our worst problem was most of our students were slow readers - some even non readers. ” she laments. Despite the remedial classes she offered, the problem persisted. She then found out that most are children of poor farmers that go to school without breakfast on top of having poor nutrition. “ Malnutrition seemed to be the root cause, so I decided to cure the st...