Iloilo City Nominated as UNESCO World Heritage Site

This southern metropolis has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mayor Jerry Treñas announced yesterday the inclusion of the city’s historic street, Calle Real, in the tentative list of nominees for the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. Calle Real, the momentous street located in the downtown area, is known for its well-preserved colonial-era buildings, which date back to the Spanish and American colonial periods.

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Published on 14/03/2024 by puertoparrot
Categories: Culture, History, Leisure, Travel
Tags: Iloilo, Spanish, UNESCO, colonial, heritage

Top 25 Most Spoken Languages in the World 2024

English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi stand out as the world’s most spoken languages, with approximately 1.5 billion, 1.1 billion, and 610 million speakers worldwide. These languages are not only widely spoken but are also experiencing rapid growth.

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Published on 12/03/2024 by puertoparrot
Categories: Communities, Culture, People
Tags: Chinese, English, English language, Tagalog, language

US-based Pinay Cinematographer on the Important Role of DoPs

Some seem to think that cinematography is just about operating a camera. They’re not wrong. But this important aspect of filmmaking goes beyond that as United States-based Filipino cinematographer Bettina Campomanes pointed out.

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Published on 21/01/2024 by puertoparrot
Categories: Culture, Entertainment, Technology
Tags: Cinema, filmmaking

Why It’s More Fun in the Philippines Startup Scene

Googling “the Philippines startup scene” in 2023 turns up very different results. Some platforms proclaim that the country’s “Golden Era of Startups” has arrived. Tech in Asia is particularly excited about the market, and we have a three-part documentary about its startup scene. The country is also next on the roster of destinations for our monthly Founders’ Meetup.

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Published on 22/08/2023 by puertoparrot
Categories: Business, Culture, Technology
Tags: inventors, startup, technology

Is P20/kilo Rice Possible Within 2 Years?

With rice prices increasing in the country, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s election promise of lowering the price of rice to P20 per kilo is seeming more like wishful thinking.

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Published on 22/08/2023 by puertoparrot
Categories: Culture, Environment, Food and Dining
Tags: Rice, economy, production

Cagayan De Oro Candidate Crowned Miss Grand Philippines 2023

Nikki de Moura from Cagayan de Oro was crowned Miss Grand Philippines 2023 on Thursday night. A Filipina-Brazilian, 19-year-old De Moura emerged victorious among 29 other candidates from various provinces and municipalities in the Philippines at the pageant that was held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

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Published on 15/07/2023 by puertoparrot
Categories: Arts, Culture, Recreation
Tags: Miss Universe

DOT Probing Alleged Use of Stock Footage in ‘Love the Philippines’ Video

The Department of Tourism’s (DOT) is probing the alleged use stock footage taken from other countries in its “Love the Philippines” promotion video. The clips from the said video, which supposedly aims to showcase the Philippines’ tourist attractions, were purportedly stock footage from Thailand, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates accessible in Storyblocks, a rapid video creation platform, according to various users online.

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Published on 02/07/2023 by puertoparrot
Categories: Culture, Politics, Travel
Tags: DOT, Eco-Tourism, Tourism

10 Gorgeous Chapels to Book for A Picture-Perfect Wedding

In most cases, newly-engaged couples in the process of planning their wedding find it best to decide on a venue immediately. Every other wedding detail should, naturally, fall into place right after. If you're looking for a unique chapel for that one special day, outside of Metro Manila, we list down the most stunning, heck, even out-of-the-box, options we've seen across our archipelago.

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Published on 30/06/2023 by puertoparrot
Categories: Culture, People, Religion
Tags: Baguio, Church, Ilocos, marriage

Bill Aims to Find and Preserve Marawi’s Lost Cultural Artifacts

COTABATO CITY, Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines — Inside a glass case displayed at the Bangsamoro Museum here, copies of the Holy Qur’an, some of its pages torn and mangled, easily catch visitors’ eyes.

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Published on 29/06/2023 by puertoparrot
Categories: Culture, History, Religion
Tags: Marawi, artifacts

7 Mistakes Tourists to the PH Make on Vacation

The Philippines is one of Asia's top tourist destinations. In 2019, some 8.3 million people visited the country. It's known for its gorgeous natural landscape including white-sand beaches in Boracay, the Chocolate Hills in Bohol, and some of the best dive sites in the world in Palawan. These are just a few of the reasons why so many Americans have chosen to settle down here.

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Published on 21/06/2023 by puertoparrot
Categories: Culture, Opinion, Travel
Tags: Manila, language

Mum 'speechless' After Family Photos Taken 10 Years Ago Found 6,500 Miles Away

A mum has been left speechless after family photos taken 10 years ago in Wales were discovered on the other side of the world. Sharon Worgan, 43, from Conwy County, had no clue they even existed until they were posted on Reddit. The Minolta camera was discovered by Vince Masauding, who lives 6,500 miles away in Davao City in the Philippines, in a thrift shop with the roll film still inside, and he posted the photos online.

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Published on 01/06/2023 by puertoparrot
Categories: Culture, Humor, Travel
Tags: Davao, holiday, photography

Inferno Tears Through Manila’s Historic Central Post Office

A massive fire broke out at the historic Manila Central Post Office in the Philippine capital late Sunday, with teams of fire fighters battling for more than seven hours through the night before it was finally brought under control. The fire started around 11:45 p.m. local time and the situation was raised to the highest fire alarm level just before 6 a.m on Monday before it was brought under control about an hour later, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection.

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Published on 21/05/2023 by puertoparrot
Categories: Culture, History
Tags: Manila, Postal Office

Taiwan to Extend PH Visa Plan

The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) said on Saturday that it is confident the Philippines will retain its visa-free entry privileges in Taiwan, despite a Taiwanese official recently stating it could be renewed annually. The waiver could continue being extended yearly, citing the importance of "people-to-people connectivity".

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Published on 14/05/2023 by puertoparrot
Categories: Business, Culture, Legal, Travel
Tags: Taiwan, visa

Michelle Dee is New Miss Universe PH

PAGEANT veteran Michelle Dee of Makati is the next Filipina to wave the country’s flag at the Miss Universe after she was hailed as the Miss Universe Philippines 2023 at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday, May 13. Dee succeeded Celeste Cortesi as the Miss Universe Philippines. She will represent the Philippines in the next Miss Universe edition in El Salvador.

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Published on 15/05/2023 by puertoparrot
Categories: Culture, Entertainment, Recreation
Tags: Miss Universe

Cebu City Heritage District Proposed

To preserve the rich cultural and historical heritage of Cebu City, Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has proposed to the council the creation of a Cebu City Heritage District. The proposed ordinance also aims to enact policies that safeguard existing cultural assets of the city and “encourage a harmonious blend of old and modern elements.”

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Published on 04/05/2023 by puertoparrot
Categories: Arts, Culture, History
Tags: Cebu, Cebu City, heritage