Cebu Pacific gets flak for refusing to carry special child
Cebu Pacific horror stories are in the air again. On Facebook and Twitter tonight, Cebu Pacific is getting some flak from online denizens for refusing to carry a special child. In this case, a child with global developmental delay.
The reports are sketchy as of yet, but online folks are crying foul to this move by Cebu Pacific which takes pride in its slogan “Now Every Juan Can Fly.” This time around, the budget airline is being compared to its rival PAL (Philippine Air Lines) which reportedly has a more humanitarian policy toward senior citizens and persons with disability.
It appears from the tweets that an unnamed Cebu Pacific flight compelled the special child to get off the plane due to his/her disorder and because there was another special child onboard. They can only accommodate one special child, not two. This of course made the affected parents fume with anger and pass on the word online, and virally.
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Coron, Palawan travel tips and mini guide
Truth to tell, Coron in Palawan was the most memorable place I visited this year, especially if you count the uber-turbulent flight we had there on bad weather. I also couldn’t forget this place since this is where we made Baby Z, tee hee. I guess it was the powerful combination of nature and nurture that did us in 
Coron foremostly entices you with its lush beauty. One major activity here is island-hopping where you can enjoy the sea, the mountains and the islands in their full splendor. Must-visits are the some of the town’s famous nature spots:Siete Pecados, the Twin Lagoon, Cayangan Lake, Barracuda lake and Maquinit Hot Springs.
For a fee of P1,300 or so, a boatman and his team will take you to the islands for a day on an outrigger boat. Be prepared to shell out extra because entering each island will set you back another P100-200 which they charge to tourists as “environmental fees.” Before setting off to the sea, you can also choose to have the boatman buy fresh fish and produce in the wet market, and they will grill it for you when you have your lunch stopover (we ate in Banol Beach, a small stretch of a beach maintained by the Tagbanuas, a native tribe.)
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Latest service from Cebu Pacific: a Travel Fund for cancelled, rebooked and rescheduled flights
Most passengers find it a hassle to rebook, reschedule or even cancel their flights. But a new service from Cebu Pacific solves the problem by giving travelling Juans new options. This is in the form of the Travel Fund it introduced effective December 1. The Travel Fund works like a cellphone load or virtual wallet where flyers can store the value of their unused airline tickets, to be credited for later use.
Also under the airline’s new rules, a person who is unable to use his/her airline ticket can now transfer it to another person, but will be charged with the corresponding name change fee.
In a meeting with travel bloggers, Cebu Pacific’s corporate communications team led by Ms. Viveca Singson said the travel fund program gives CebuPac customers more options. The idea of an electronic wallet is actually practiced by other low-cost carriers in the world but Cebu Pacific now holds the distinction of being the first one to introduce it in the country.
Some of the terms and conditions in the program:
US Embassy Manila updates travel warning for Mindanao
If there’s one thing in common that the US State Department (through the US Embassy) and the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office share, it’s the fact that their travel advisories to their citizens contain travel warnings for Mindanao.
In a parallel post in Barrio Siete, I’ve pointed out how the travel advisory by two influential countries in the world has dire implications for Philippine tourism and investments. It’s a pity that a region which boasts of the richest, most unspoiled tourism spots in the country suffers from negative first impressions, simply because there exists in some areas a rash of kidnappings, terrorism threats and civil war for decades. And most recently, there is of course the shock brought about by the utter violence of the Maguindanao massacre.
As of November 24, 2009, the US Embassy Manila – through its embassy warden system – updated its old travel warning to Mindanao to include the Maguindanao incident:
” Travelers should exercise extreme caution if traveling in the central and western portions of the island of Mindanao, as well as in the islands of the Sulu Archipelago. Recent violence in Maguindanao resulted in the Government of the Philippines declaring a state of emergency in the provinces of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat and the city of Cotabato. The state of emergency includes road checkpoints conducted by the Philippine military and law enforcement. If U.S. citizens travel to Maguindanao despite this Travel Alert, they should understand there are heightened tensions and there will be a significant military presence. They should carefully research restrictions imposed upon travel and follow the instructions of officials with regards to limitations on movement.”
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A great vacation in Pearl Farm Beach Resort, Davao
I really enjoyed our business trip to Davao City last July and what clinched it was our overnight stopover at the scenic Pearl Farm Resort in Samal Island. It’s a must see when you’re in Davao because it’s out there as one of the top resorts in the Philippines. Our time in Pearl Farm, no matter how short, surely gave us time to unwind and shoo the work blues away. Most of all, the ultra-refreshing views made us forget the sullen landscape of the city.
How can you probably sulk when you open the bedroom window to something like this?
Hooray for the launch of the Philippine biometric passport or ePassport
Amid a deluge of political news – good and bad, I was happy to read about the launch of the much-awaited Philippine biometric passport in today’s papers. It is the high-tech way to travel since it is now in use in more advanced countries. The e-passport uses an integrated circuit or microchip already embedded within the document which contains not only the personal data of the holder but also his/her biometrics (face recognition, fingerprints, iris scan), a unique chip identification number, and a digital signature.
Apparently, this kind of passport is now the international standard and is being required by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Travellers not affiliated with human traffickers or Osama Bin Laden should be able to welcome this as it will speed up their clearance at immigration points. Moreover, the new system now makes it impossible to tamper and reproduce vital travel documents.
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Day trip to Mt. Pinatubo: the once-raging volcano is such a beauty
A daytime trek to Mount Pinatubo -with a starting point in Capas, Tarlac – is highly recommended if you’re looking for an activity you can do in one day. An overnight stay is also good if you’re one who likes camping out. Overall, this was one trip I totally enjoyed this summer. It had the right combination of sightseeing, physical exercise and adventure, such as our rough ride in the those make-shift four wheeler jeeps – only in the Philippines!
Viewing Pinatubo’s magnificent crater lake for the first time was a breathtaking experience. It was like being transported to paradise after the trouble of waking up at the crack of dawn, riding the four-wheelers on rough roads for one hour and trekking just to reach the foot of the mountain. The ultimate reward is the sight of this beautiful sulphur lake…..
Tokyo memories 2005
In 2005, I was able to set foot in one of my dream countries, Japan, and one of my dream cities, Tokyo. “Lost in Translation” had quite an effect on me and I was more than happy to absorb Tokyo’s glittering lights, even though we didn’t have much of a night life to speak of.
My pics of this trip was also misplaced in another Flickr account and it was only recently that I found it. Picture quality isn’t so great either. Around this time, I was still lugging around my first digital camera which was a Kodak Easyshare (officially stolen). Still, they’re good enough for keeping my fond Tokyo memories alive.
A lovely spring day at a park in Ueno. In search of the cheapest box of Cup Noodles to bring home as pasalubong, the Pinays told me to go to Ueno. I went there alone, even though I couldn’t read much the signages at the train station.
At the train, I took a shot of this woman garbed in traditional kimono. She gamely posed for the camera, a far cry from riding the train in New York where I was warned not to look at people in the eye.
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LP 52: Paboritong Litrato (Kalikasan)
Mahirap ang tema ng Litratong Pinoy ngayong linggo na ito kasi kailangang pumili ng paboritong photos. Mahirap kasi halos apat na libo na rin ang mga larawan ko sa Flickr, at ang iba namang paborito ko ay hindi na inabot ng digital age. Katulad ng mga coup d’etat nung late 80s at ang pagguho ng mga gusali sa Baguio. Kasagsagan pa yun ng aking mga coverage sa dyaryo. Sayang di ko iningatan kaya nawala na ang mga yun.
Ipapakita ko na lang ang ilang pictures sa mga paboritong lugar na napuntahan ko sa Pilipinas. Kung lalabas lang din tayong mga taga-Maynila ay masasabi nating pinagpapala pa rin ang Pilipinas sa angking ganda. Heto ang ilang magagandang tanawin:
Us-usan Sandbar sa Guimaras. Di ko makalimutan ang lugar na ito kasi hanep sa pagka-birhen ang beach. Hindi rin dinadayo mg madlang people kaya heaven talaga pag pinuntahan mo.
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World’s safest airlines
Continuing this travel series, here’s a listing of some major airlines with no fatalities resulting from accidents and other causes, so far. Some of my favorite airlines are unfortunately not listed here 
Enclosed in parenthesis is the year the airline was established:
Air Macau (1994)
Dragonair (1985)
Emirates (1985)
EVA Air (1990)
Jetstar (2002)
Hawaiian Airlines (1941)
Qantas (1920)
Qatar Airways (1993)
Oman Air (1993)
Royal Brunei Airlines (1974)
Ryanair (1985)
Shanghai Airlines (1985)
A more complete list here
Blogging since 2004 and recently married to Mr Z. I can't live without coffee....and brown sugar.
