DOT Signs ASEAN Tourism Agreement Anew

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Tourism (DOT) recently signed an ASEAN Tourism Agreement (ATA) with other member states, establishing among others a Regional Secretariat that will oversee and facilitate the full implementation of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on Tourism Professionals, which was previously signed in November 2012.

The said ATA underlines cooperation of member states in facilitating travel into and within ASEAN; further cooperation in the tourism industry among ASEAN member states in order to improve efficiency and competitiveness; less restrictions on trade in tourism and travel services among member states; the development and promotion of ASEAN as a single tourism destination with world-class standards, facilities, and attractions; enhanced mutual assistance in human resource development and cooperation in developing, upgrading and expanding of tourism and travel facilities and services in ASEAN; and the creation of favorable conditions for the public and private sectors to engage more deeply in tourism development, intra-ASEAN travel and investment in tourism services and facilities.

The MRA on Tourism Professionals, on the other hand, aims to facilitate the mobility of tourism professionals, the exchange of information on best practices in competency-based education and training for tourism professionals, and to provide opportunities for cooperation and capacity-building across ASEAN member states. It was established by ASEAN as an active response to the booming tourism demand in the region, raising the bar in the quality of service delivered by tourism professionals. At present, there are thirty-two (32) work positions covered under the MRA, ranging from housekeeping, front office, food and beverage services, and food production for hospitality, to travel agencies and tour operator for tourism enterprises, among others.

Celebrity Chef Boy Logro Demonstrates How to Cook Panlasang Norte Pinoy Dishes

Wazzup Pilipinas!

This is a portion of the cooking demonstration done by GMA 7 Kapuso celebrity Chef Boy Logro at the Pilmico Foods Mahalin Pagkaing Atin Panlasang Norte event held at Mercato Centrale night food market.

The Mercato Centrale food market which offers varied food stalls located under one roof at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig is owned by UNO Editor-in-Chief RJ Ledesma and popular Food Blogger Anton Diaz. They also have other food markets located at other areas within Metro Mnaila. Their food markets has also been the venue for many events catering to food-related launches, initiatives and programs especially those that are owned or managed by the small and medium sized (SMEs) Pinoy entrepreneurs or startups.

Chef Boy Logro has become a household name due to his popularity in hosting a GMA-7 television cooking show. His show is frequented by celebrity guests who helps him out in his many delightful cooking demonstrations highlighted by his unusual flair for creativity and taste.

We see Chef Boy Logro cook up a few popular dishes at the event but we only get to show you one for now. The entire cooking demonstration for this particular dish is divided into three parts averaging 10 minutes in length.

GOAB 3 Awards International Pitching Competition Winners Led by Near Circles

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The 1st day of the Geeks on a Beach 2015 ended with the grand photo ops of all participants who were all requested to gather together upfront to immortalize this moment, together with the winners of the International Pitching Competition, everyone gave their best smiles to the many photographers and members of the media who are covering this event.

There was supposed to be a drone to fly and take our photos from the air but due to some technical difficulties in getting a signal, the drone had to flew manually thanks to this guy who took the initiative to "fly" the drone around the crowd. Lol!

We would like to congratulate the winners of the Geeks on a Beach 3 International Pitching Competition led by the grand champion and even a winner of special prizes - Near Circles represented by Suresh.

Coming in second place is Mobkard, and Protees positioned in third place.

Special prizes from Venture Labs goes to Mobkard and Iskwelahan, while Smart awards their special prizes to Iskwelahan, Mobkard and Near Circles.

There were originally 28 applicants for the pitching competition. 10 got shortlisted and even shortened to 5 who pitched on August 20, 2015!

Our judges in the pitching competition were @alquemiepartner @e27co @ICTOffice @tchae @BikeshL & Paolo Azzola @PayMaya