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#LaBoracay 2015: Drink, Rave, Clean, Repeat

Every year, Boracay Island is threatened with a variety of issues that have taken a heavy toll on its environment.
Based on the records of the Department of Tourism (DOT), about 1.5 million tourists visited the island last year. This suggests that if every person can produce at least one kilo of trash, around 1,500 metric tons of garbage were accumulated last year. If not collected properly, this scenario can result in several environmental problems in the near future.

In a bid to create awareness and preserve the natural wonders of Boracay Island, Cause for a New Coast campaign was launched to encourage tourists and residents to be more responsible in cleaning up and protecting the Boracay coastline. Through this campaign, Cause for a New Coast volunteers will hold a clean-up initiative for this year’s much-anticipated Labor Day (LaBoracay) weekend event.

According to DOT, LaBoracay is the busiest time of the year in the island. DOT estimates that there were about 50,000 tourists arrived from April 28 to May 4 last year. On May 1 alone, 10,431 tourists arrived in the island to celebrate Labor Day.
This year, DOT is anticipating around 80,000 tourists who will take part in non-stop beach partying events consisting of music concerts, sports events, bazaars, rave parties, and a lot more. Tons of garbage will be expected to be left after these events.
“This Cause for a New Coast campaign was initiated with the intent to help clean and restore the island paradise. Every year, thousands of visitors have left undetermined amount of garbage along the white beach, which gradually affect the natural surroundings, especially after LaBoracay,” says Saki Mirabueno, head of marketing for Boracay Newcoast, Global-Estate Resorts, Inc.

The clean-up initiative will take place from May 1 to 4. There will be multiple venues along the white beach, but the highlight of the event is scheduled on May 4 in which a clean-up activity at the beach will be conducted in the morning.

The clean-up drive will be attended by different volunteers from the local government of Malay, Aklan spearheaded by Glenn Sacapaño, Boracay Island Chief Operating Officer (BICOO) and Solid Waste Manager and other environmental groups in the island.

Partners include Sur Bar located in Station 1 and Epic Bar in Station 2, which volunteers will disseminate plastic bags to encourage partygoers to collect their trash in exchange for free drinks sponsored by the Emperador Distillers, Inc., the leading brandy manufacturer and distributor in the Philippines.

“We will be distributing trash bags on May 1 and May 2 starting at 10am to 6pm to partygoers and we will collect them on that same day at the partner bars in exchange for free drinks. We want them (partygoers) to participate in this one small act but significant solution to the littering problem during LaBoracay caused by parties and events,” says Mirabueno.

The Cause for a New Coast campaign was initiated by Megaworld, the country’s leader and pioneer in developing integrated urban townships, through its subsidiary Global-Estate Resorts, Inc. (GERI).

Megaworld’s GERI is the developer of Boracay Newcoast, which is a 150-hectare master-planned development project that is poised to become the next tourism hub in Boracay Island. The township also plans to institute various environmental initiatives to foster sustainable preservation of the island paradise.

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Business

bai Hotel Cebu named 2024 PH’s Leading Business Hotel at World Travel Awards

bai Hotel Cebu VP Operations and General Manager Alfred Reyes with World Travel Awards Founder and President Graham Cooke.

bai Hotel Cebu has emerged victorious as the Philippines’ Leading Business Hotel at this year’s prestigious World Travel Awards. Standing out among the nine other contenders from across the country, bai Hotel Cebu claimed the coveted title, solidifying its position as a premier business hospitality destination in Cebu.

The award was presented to VP Operations and General Manager Alfred Reyes Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Carlo Rivera in an awarding gala ceremony held last September 3, 2024 at City of Dreams Manila.

Held at the City of Dreams Manila, the award was handed over to VP-Operations and General Manager Alfred Reyes and Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Carlo Rivera last September 3, 2024 at City of Dreams Manila.

This accolade, being the first of many this year, reaffirms bai Hotel Cebu’s steadfast commitment to providing world-class Filipino hospitality. “I would like to thank our guests for continuously supporting and for patronizing bai Hotel Cebu,” GM Alfred Reyes said. “This win is also yours as your loyalty inspires us to deliver the exceptional service bai Hotel Cebu is known for,” he continued.

bai Hotel Cebu’s department heads celebrating its accolade as PH’s Leading Business Hotel.

Operating since 2018 with 668 rooms, 8 restaurants, and over 13 function halls, bai Hotel Cebu has established its presence in the industry having just been awarded as Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Tourism Standard Awards – ASEAN MICE Venue (Meeting Room Category).

We also extend our heartfelt congratulations to the country’s Department of Tourism headed by Secretary Hon. Christina Garcia Frasco for being recognized as Asia’s Leading Marketing Campaign award for its “Love the Philippines” campaign and as Transformation Leadership in Tourism Governance.

Based in London and established in 1993, the World Travel Awards is dubbed the Oscars of the travel industry that acknowledges, rewards, and celebrates excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. It is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Events

A Feast for the Senses

Crimson Chefs - Masahiro Kinoshita, Naoki Eguchi, Daniel Johnston, Javier Garcia, Allan Barios, Andrew Simpson

By Joanna Cuenco

June 8 – Mactan, Cebu | For one of its biggest dining events of the year as part of the highly anticipated Cebu Food and Wine Festival, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan curated an epicurean journey that brought guests on gastronomic flights of fancy, fine cuisine. A Feast for the Senses showcased the creativity and excellence of the resort’s culinary team through a dine-around event at its four dining destinations that invited guests to sample the best that each restaurant had to offer: international cuisine at Saffron, Spanish at Enye by Chele Gonzalez, Japanese at Aka by Naoki Eguchi, and desserts and more drinks at Azure Beach Club.

Maria Paz Perdices, Ambra Anzani, Ema Onda,Kate Anzani, Kumiko Onda, Daisy Barns

Tamsin Booth, Didier Belmonte, Frances Siao, Celeste Miranda, Bert Miranda, Bob Booth

Spirits were high and beverages flowed freely the whole evening, thanks to Philippine Wine Merchant, A Wine Company, The Wine Club, Don Revy, Sommelier Selection, Engkanto Brewery, M. Lhuillier Food Product Inc., Future Trade International, Happy Living Philippines, Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation, and Bauhinia Brewery.

Allan Barios at Saffron dessert station

Ulysse Jouanneaud

Margarette Lhuiller and Perl Jacalan

For the after-party and entertainment at Azure Beach Club, renowned mixologist Ulysse Jouanneaud took over the bar, crafting cocktails with Bacardi, Don Papa, Cointreau, and Sula Brands. Chef Allan Barrios presented a dessert spread that included key lime pralines, vanilla bourbon truffles, honey coconut cryos, and tiny flower-potted bamboo shoots that turned out to be made of pistachio. These little works of art were planted alongside vibrant green foliage, smooth stones, and a faux fog effect that created a tropical rainforest diorama out of the dessert table.

Lechon belly station at Saffron

Dessert display at Azure Beach Club

Yellowfin tuna tataki

Grilled mackerel with laksa boullabaise

The night sky and the distant lights of neighboring islands were the perfect backdrop for a high-energy LED dance performance and fantastic fireworks display that left guests in awe and applause.

Rose Hudson

Chele Gonzalez

Brava potato with chorizo at Enye

LED and Tron Dance

Aka Private Room

The Cebu Food and Wine Festival is supported by the Department of Tourism – Philippines, Visit Central Visayas, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cebu Business Month, and Cebu Pacific Air.

Events

The First NUSTAR BALL

Janine Taylor, June Alegrado, Jackie Lotzof, Frances Siao, Ina Ronquillo and Christine Pelaez

The NUSTAR Ballroom, a magnificent venue at the NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu, sets the stage for last night’s first-ever NUSTAR Ball.

Black was the color of night at the Zee table.

Glamorous guests from Manila and Cebu converged at the NUSTAR Ballroom, an exquisite venue within the NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu. The evening unfolded with a seated 5-course dinner. The opulent feast started with Beetroot Salmon Gravlax, adorned with caper berries, caviar, set with delicate edible flowers; and a main course of Compressed Pork Belly with Crackling Skin and Baby Scallops. Another highlight was the auction of coveted items like Dior and YSL handbags, a limited-edition Bulgari watch, and an exclusive 2-night stay in Nustar’s opulent 3-bedroom villa—complete with a private pool and a dedicated butler. The charity evening benefited the Cameleon Association, an NGO based in Iloilo City created in 1997 that developed a global approach to act on the causes and effects of sexual violence against children.