BLOGGED PHILIPPINES

A magnitude 6.7  earthquake rocked the region of Cebu-Negros Philippines at noon time today ( 11:49:16 AM ,  February 6, 2012 ) according to the report of the United States Geological Survey (USGS ) . The epicenter of the earthquake is located 71 km (44 miles) SSE of Bacolod, Negros, Philippines. View Feb. 6 Visayas Earthquake in a larger map The tremor caused a little panic in Cebu with reports of people collapsing due to frightening situation. Buildings were also vacated immediately as soon as the shaking stopped. No damage or casualty was yet reported. Have you felt the shaking? Share your experience by commenting.

Image via Wikipedia Cebu Pacific has announced that they are will be taking on the long-haul flights starting on the third quarter of 2013. The company will be leasing 8 new Airbus A330-300 aircraft capable of up to 11 hours of non-stop flight.  The largest airline in the country also said that the new planes will allow them to lower down the long-haul fares by as much 35% lower than what other airlines are offering. On seat sale promos, the figure can be up to 85%. Although the destinations where Cebu Pacific will serve is not yet finalized, Lance Gokongwei said in the press release that they are exploring areas where many Filipinos are located such as Europe, Middle East, Oceania and the USA. He also mentioned one specific example, Saudi Arabia, where many Filipinos still fly on non-continuous flights. A Revolution in International Flight Market? Cebu Pacific has the known reputation of being a trendsetter in terms of marketing ...

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has launched a new campaign to further boost the tourism industry of the country. Their new campaign is entitled: It's More Fun in the Philippines . The new slogan showcases the fun culture of the Filipino people. In its official website  www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com , DOT features the fun atmosphere of the Philippines by saying, "Wherever you go in the Philippines, it's the Filipinos that will make your holiday unforgettable. Just ask anyone who's been here. In fact, Lonely Planet guidebook calls us 'among the most easygoing and ebullient people anywhere'." DOT will be using the Social Media to spread the campaign and as of today, we can already see the positive effect. The internet is now abuzz with this new campaign and the new logo. In twitter (as of this time), terms such as #1ForFUN ,  # ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines ,  More Fun In The Philippines , and  DOT  were trending locally. DOT's New Campaign Lo...

Image via Wikipedia There's so much talk today about the January 2012 cover photo of MEGA Magazine . The cover girl is none other than Jinkee Pacquiao , the wife of renowned world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. The buzz about her cover shot was trending on Twitter Philippines. Twitter citizens were apparently arguing about the allegation that the photo was "photoshopped" to make her really sexy and beautiful. Some say that it was indeed edited while others disagree. Anyway, judge by yourself. Here's the link to the cover photo: http://yfrog.com/z/esa9lmj

Tom Cruise (Image via RottenTomatoes.com) Tom Cruise is back in yet another action-pack movie, Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol , the latest among the series of Mission Impossible movies. Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, an agent of IMF and with his team, they tried to stop a nuclear extremist from igniting the war between the United States and Russia. I watched the film in IMAX here in SM Cebu and my verdict: so so story but impressive stunts and panoramic scenes. I particularly enjoyed the scene when Ethan Hunt climbed the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world located in Dubai. Using just a pair of gecko-like gloves, the suspense is at its climax when at many instances, Hunt almost fell out. I also appreciate the sound effect that kept my adrenaline level at high. Several explosions caught me off-guard and I actually shook in my seat. The IMAX surround sound was outstanding and impressively complemented the movie action pack plot. Tom Cruise al...

Image via Wikipedia Proclamation No. 298 signed by Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa Jr declares Thursday, December 8, 2011 as a special non-working holiday in the City of Taguig. The Proclamation states that the declaration will allow Taguig residents to celebrate the Foundation Day of Taguig City along with appropriate ceremonies. Those who will be required to report for work on that date shall receive appropriate compensation based on existing Labor Rules set by the Department of Labor and Employment.

For consumers, the more options they have, the better. Now, here's a great news on that topic. The popular smartphone from Apple, the latest version of which is the iPhone 4S will be heading to the two largest networks in the country - Globe and SMART. Yesterday, Globe  announced that the reservation for an iPhone 4S has begun. And now, after a day, SMART announced that iPhone 4S will be coming to them as well on December 16 and reservations has already started. [ Read : iPhone 4S Coming to SMART on December 16 ] [ Read :  iPhone 4S Comes to Globe – Reservations Now Open ] iPhones Not Anymore Exclusive to Globe It appears that the exclusivity contract (if there is) between Globe and Apple Inc has already expired. In the previous years, way back to the original first gen iPhone, the popular smartphone was exclusively available via Globe Telecoms. After more than four years since the launch of the first iPhone, the celebrated Apple produc...