Another 10 beautiful Philippine Islands that aren't BORACAY

Top 10 most famous and most beautiful islands in the Philippines that aren't Boracay- Overnight Camping Experience

Just because Boracay is closed for 6 months, doesn't mean that your trip to the Philippines should be cancelled

The Philippines has just closed its best-known holiday island Boracay to tourists for six months over concerns that the once idyllic white-sand resort has become a "cesspool" tainted by dumped sewage.

Here are 10 other islands you can explore instead.

Caramoan Island is a rugged piece of land. It is very rich in greenery and has a large diversity of flora and fauna. It boasts perfect white sand beaches, tranquil lakes, deep caves, coves and rich marine life.

El Nido Palawan is famous for its white sandy beaches as well as coral reefs. A perfect paradise to snorkel and see hundreds of fish species.

Panglao Island, Bohol used to be a very sleepy area. Very quiet. It has now been awakened by travellers looking for amazing beaches. The island offers a diverse array of water activities, like dolphin watching, snorkelling and whale watching just to name a few.

Malapascua Island, Cebu is a charming and small isolated beach paradise. Their resorts are mostly beach bungalows, making you feel like you’ve left the whole world behind.

Malamawi Beach, Basilan Island, Western Mindanao. off Basilan Island, is dubbed a “hidden paradise” of  the ancient settler the Subanen Tribes is no longer hidden today. This is where you can find silky fine, white powdery sand (and a shade of pink sand too, according to CNN). From Zamboanga city you can reach this beautiful island in a 30-minute speed boat.  From Isabela City on the island province of Basilan (nearly twice bigger than Singapore) the resort can be reached in 10 minutes via boat at less than $1 per person. There’s a zip-line adventure and island-hopping adventures, too. There’s a rubber tree plantation on the island too.

Animasola Island, Masbate is one of the most beautiful islands of Burias. The small island is located at the north eastern side of  San Pascual. It’s a remarkable destination for travelers.

Guyam island, Siargao. This island is so tiny, that it takes you about 3 minutes to walk along the entire circumference. It’s not usually an island that you stay on, rather island hop to from a nearby larger island. Siargao Island is a Surfing Capital of Asia.

Malcapuya island, Coron, Palawan. Beautiful beige sand, clear waters and corals reefs. The beaches are home to a long line of coconut palm trees. It is just picturesque and beautiful.

Cambugahay Falls, Siquijor. Siquijor is a beautiful yet tiny island province famous for waterfalls, diving, caves and forest walks. Most areas of Siquijor are great for snorkeling, so all you have to do is find the nearest beach and dive in.

Linapacan  Island, is a stunning medium sized island which rarely sees a tourist, because it’s pretty tough to get to. There is no public ferry or air travel. You will have complete tranquillity and peace if you ever end up there.

Read more in: The Gulf News

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President Duterte at the Ground Breaking of ₱27 billion Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway in Cebu Philippines

Ground Breaking of Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway

Around 300 officials in Central Visayas joined with  President Rodrigo Duterte in the groundbreaking ceremony for the ₱27 billion Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway.

The event will take place in Cordova town at 3 p.m. but prior to that, Duterte will hop on a chopper to inspect from the air the site in Cebu City where the other end of the bridge will land.

Jonjie Gonzales, chief of staff of Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino, said Dino will join the President during the aerial inspection.

During the groundbreaking, Secretary Adelino Sitoy, the Presidential Adviser on Legislative Matters, will deliver the welcome message, which will be followed by speeches from Cebu City Mayor Tomas and Manuel Pangilinan, chairman of the Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corporation.

From Cordova, Duterte will proceed to Waterfront Mactan Airport Hotel and Casino to induct the new officers of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry at 5 p.m. The President is expected to speak at the gathering.

He is scheduled to fly to Davao after the event.
Meanwhile, Pangilinan together with Rodrigo Franco, president of MPTDC, Osmeña, Cordova Mayor Mary Therese Sitoy-Cho and former Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy are expected to media briefing on the bridge at Radisson Blu in Cebu City.

Pilipog Bridge
(Pilipog is a binisaya term which means "small kind")

Because the groundbreaking ceremony is just a few meters away from the Pilipog Bridge in Cordova, the bridge will be closed to all vehicles from 12 noon until 4:30 p.m., said the Cordova Response Emergency And Traffic Enforcement (CREATE).

The bridge connects Cordova and Lapu-Lapu City.

All vehicles from Lapu-Lapu City can travel up to the Tacan market area in Babag 2 while those coming from Cordova town proper can travel to the corner of Barangay Ibabao.

Motorists going to and from Cordova are advised to take the Gabi Bridge in going to and from Lapu-Lapu City.

New Route

Spanning eight kilometers, CCLEX will connect Cordova to Cebu City and will serve as an alternate route in going to and from the Mactan Cebu International Airport.

Being a toll bridge facility to be built under a private-public partnership (PPP) scheme, the project will enable the LGUs of Cebu City and Cordova to provide its constituents badly needed infrastructure with private sector funding.

The MPTDC, through its subsidiary, the Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation will design, build and operate the bridge.

MPTDC is one of the Philippines’ investment holding companies with proven track record in designing, constructing, financing, and operating toll facilities and expressways.

It currently operates some of the countries’ major expressways such as the North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and Manila Cavite Toll Expressway, paving the way for faster and more efficient movement of transportation, goods and services in central areas of the Philippines. (FREEMAN)

Where to Stay in Cebu?

Book the cheapest to the most elegant hotel in cebu in a very affordable prices. 

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Cebu Travel Bullish: 12 % Up - Chinese Tourists Visiting the Islands

Paradise Island of Cebu, Central Philippines

More Chinese tourists seen visiting Cebu on better ties

The management of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport is bullish that the volume of Chinese tourists coming in the Philippines via Cebu will continue to increase this year, due to much-improved relations between the two countries.

GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. President Louie B. Ferrer said China has proven to be a significant market for the airport operator, as Chinese tourists now make up 12 percent of the total passenger count at the Cebu air hub from just 8 percent in 2015.  “China is a really an important market for us. Our focus is on China because of the opportunity of the Chinese market,” he said. “We expect a lot from the tourism side, and even businesses.”

Currently, there are two Mainland Chinese airlines flying in and out of Cebu: Xiamen Airlines and Sichuan Airlines.  “China Eastern has also signified its interest,” Ferrer said.

As such, the company is hoping that the Chinese government will set up an embassy in Cebu to further support growth in the Queen City of the South.

“Were also hoping to have visa on arrival for Chinese visitors,” Ferrer said.

GMR-Megawide is targeting to breach the 10-million passenger mark for the airport by the end of 2017. The airport clocked in a 11.5-percent increase in passenger volume to 8.9 million passengers in 2016, from 7.98 million passengers the year prior.  The Filipino-Indian joint venture started operating the airport in Mactan in November 2014, after winning the deal to modernize the existing facility while building a second terminal to support projected growth.

Slated to open in June 2018, Terminal 2 will increase passenger capacity to 12.5 million. The new terminal, spanning 65,500 square meters, will not only lessen congestion but will also offer an exciting and wide-ranging retail environment. The architectural design is inspired by Cebu’s island heritage. - Lorenz S. Marasigan Business Mirror

Where to Stay in Cebu?

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Swimming at the Airport? First Resort Airport in the World Kicks off in Cebu Philippines

Mactan-Cebu touted to be first of several world-class airports

PH breaks ground for world’s first resort airport

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) marks another milestone as it breaks ground for the world’s first resort airport – and the Aquino Administration’s first airport public-private partnership (PPP) project – on June 29.

“The kick-off ceremony for the construction of the new international terminal for the country’s second-biggest gateway, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), is touted to be the start of Philippine airports matching the best in the world,” said DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya.

“It will not only cement our place on the global map as a major tourist and business destination, it will boost the local economy and is projected to generate jobs especially in Cebu,” he added.

The project, which is envisioned by concessionaire GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) to be regarded as the first resort airport in the world, covers the construction of a new world-class international passenger terminal building (PTB), as well as the renovation of the existing PTB and its conversion into an exclusively-domestic facility.

Construction of the new terminal will be completed in three (3) years, or by 2018, while the renovation of the existing terminal is slated to be completed in 2019. The airport’s passenger capacity will surge from 4.5 million to 12.5 million per year.

GMCAC won the auction for the 25-year PPP contract last year, after offering the government a premium bid of P 14.4 billion. Operations and maintenance (O&M) of the airport was turned over to the consortium in November 2015.

‘Soft Improvements’ implemented since last year

Immediately upon assuming O&M responsibility, GMCAC began implementing ‘soft improvements’ to the existing terminal, or those improvements which did not require major civil works, to enhance passenger experience at the gateway.

For instance, a centralized security check (CSC) system was opened earlier this month to speed up the processing time for departing guests. It features four (4) X-ray machines that can be used interchangeably, which then doubles the capacity of the final check-in counters.

To further reduce passenger queues, GMCAC also opened additional immigration counters and self-service kiosks wherein passengers can pre-check-in.

Other ‘soft improvements’ included the installation of LED bulbs for brighter lighting; the optimized use of floor space, which included transferring certain offices in exchange for more check-in counters and waiting areas; redesigning seating patterns to increase usage by passengers; and now, offering self-service check-in kiosks for faster processing.

“It is clear to us that GMCAC brings international expertise into running an airport, immediately it has already made substantial improvements without making structural works yet. What it will do now that we are breaking ground is exciting for us, and especially for travelers to and from Cebu,” Abaya remarked. - dotc.gov.ph

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