The 11th Worldmaster International Travel Mart (2nd Leg) in Quezon City

 

We just had the pleasure of covering the Worldmaster International Travel Mart 2023 which is currently celebrating their 11th year. It's a business to business forum for international and domestic travel professionals wherein they can connect with legitimate travel agencies in the Philippines. The Philippines is currently in a revenge travel state and the inamiable thirst to see more places around the world and in the country has been much higher than anticipated. This has been heavily supported not just by different travel organizations, but by the Department of Tourism and the local government of Quezon City which this was also held. This is the second leg after doing it in Clark Pampanga last May 8th which was highly successful and it will also happen tomorrow May 12th at the Dusit Thani Residence in Davao City.

As you can see much of the international sellers include those companies that offer trips to the Holy Land (Jordan, Israel, Egypt), plus destinations like Taiwan, China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and a surprise was the scenic route to Russia among others. Aside from the international destinations, the Philippines had offers to Bohol, El Nido + Coron in Palawan, Boracay, Cebu, Southern Tagalog, the Visayas Region and Mindanao. This is a place where legitimate agencies would be able to work out arrangements from companies so the travel agencies would be able to offer them to travelers like us!

 We were also able to talk to Mr. Noi Alunan of Great Getaways (a travel agency who participated in this year's WITM B2B meetings) where he lauded WITM and how it has benefited the company he represents and the entire travel industry in the Philippines.

The Worldmaster International Travel Mart has been founded by Dr. Leilani Agana and has benefited businesses around the world and the local tourism industry. Dr. Agana was there personally meeting the companies, business owners and travel agency representatives and held a talk about the tourism industry. Representatives from the Department of Tourism and several travel groups also asked questions in a short Q and A to give us a glimpse of the future of travel in the Philippines and how Filipinos could take advantage of the various tours they offer. Part of the questions I asked about the Holy Land tours were graciously answered by Sir Noi, which means there will be more taking interest in doing their own revenge travels very soon. They also emphasize the importance of only doing reservations and arrangements with reputable businesses so they don't get scammed online.

WITM will continue with their Davao leg tomorrow and perhaps, a 12th Worldmaster International Travel Mart next year won't be too far. If you are interested, please check out their Facebook page as updates have been regularly posted there.

Can't wait to see more of the world after this! Congratulations to the men and women behind this event and to Dr. Agana who has been working so hard to make this all possible!

 

TaskUs Holds Job Fair in Bohol

After letting us experience this about two years ago, the good people at TaskUs continued to spread their Ridiculously Good Culture, this time to the heart of Philippine islands called Bohol. It's capital Tagbilaran was the venue for the Grand Career Fair held at Metro Centre Hotel.

This is what TaskUs meant as "going where the talent is" as their company continues to grow despite global challenges caused by the pandemic. This was attended and supported by different Bohol educational institutiions, local government and non profit organizations, plus other training institutes aimed to employ talented Bol-anons this side of the world. Ms. Regina Aguila says "We have a different work culture at TaskUs and provide very competitive health coverage, wellness programs (free), career advancement opportunities. We call them teammates, and have always known how it positively impacts their work. This goes the same with the service they render for customers and the community."

TaskUs started in the developing city in 2019 and has made Lizzy's Playground an iconic workplace to be in this region. This is part of their "Work Hard, Have Fun" mantra that makes working in the company even more exciting. If you missed their job fair, fret not as you can show your intentions to join them via their website TaskUs.com/careers or their recruitment hubs.

Fun Finds at Estancia Summer Toy Fest!

When I found out that a toy fair was happening at Estancia Mall in Capitol Commons, I took the road less traveled and tagged along my blogger friends too. I'm up for nostalgia so when I heard they were having some items from my generations sold, I took the chance and found some good deals this side of town.

There were probably a little over thirty merchants and collectors who joined the Summer Toy Fest, they were laid out on the bridge way of the mall and occupied one space on the left side for a full Tamiya Race Track where competitions were held.

This wasn't a small production because they also had Iron Man and Thanos appear for mall goers. They had 50% of the mall audience taking selfies for posterity. Maybe they'll live to see it on social media. Kids had so much fun!

I had a few things in my mind, Dragon Ball Z memorabilia was abound and the Goku, Klilyn and Vegetta Lego pieces were so awesome to see!

Lest we forget the one who started it all, Master Roshi taught Goku and Kililyn martial arts, but had them work for it when they were kids. Naughty but he did good in the recent inter universe tournament eh?

Ms. Kris Aquino should have attended the event because she'll love the Carebear stuff being sold for cheap in one or two stalls.

They also had something good for Hotweels collectors, huge trucks which are not so commonly sold in malls these days.

When I saw this rack in one of the stalls, I knew I had to have em all! Well I could see some MegaMan, Super Mario, Digdug keychains that only cost 50 pesos each, got them and put it on my bag so it wouldn't look boring. It did the job, you'll see later!

Since it is Avengers season, it's the right time to buy DC toys because they will be relatively cheaper, I was looking for unique Batman toys too but most of it was already in my boxes at home. They have the whole Justice League for 500 though. Good deal for collectors.

Nostalgia was provided by Plastic Man, if you don't know what that cartoon is, ask your older parents or friends, they are going to tell you how popular these were in the 80's.

One of my favorite things to see was Slimer, made of retromutagen ooze, he still eats a lot in Ghostbuster movies.

If you're not fond of heroes, you can get Joker or Penguin. Don't worry if they provide nightmares because Batman will surely save you!

I went home with a pretty good set of keychains on my back, too bad not a lot of folks know who or what these characters represent, because if you were a gamer during my time (I felt old saying that lol) you'll love how cute these things are now while hanging on my boring black leather backpack.

Make sure you check out events in Ortigas and Co. malls like Estancia, Robinson's, or Greenhills because as soon as they put out their toys for sale, you're sure to get some pretty good bargains. 

Just look at my haul, you can't find much of that in commercialized events these days! Thanks to Estancia Mall and to the people behind this event, I got my stuff easy!

The SHOPEE Beauty Fair Event

I’m not about to change my blog niche but here’s a bit of good news for women who would like to shop. SHOPEE the famous shopping app just partnered with leading beauty brands Maybelline, Palmolive, and a lot of others to celebrate women empowerment, and tons of sale in the app. This will happen from June 21st and will last the whole week so make sure you do download the app before they run out of products to sell. At the launch event, they got Youtubers Martha Jante, Kristine Roces of RealAsianBeauty, and Helen Payawal of Helen on Fleek.

They also had us see KC Concepcion and 2013 Miss World Megan Young who talked about their lives being girl bosses and how they have been able to empower themselves in their respective platforms. Beauty isn’t just looking pretty, they also shared how they wanted to change beauty standards, and use it for good.

Head on to the SHOPEE app and get as much as 90% OFF on beauty products. This is their commitment to also empower Filipina women across the country. The SHOPEE app can be downloaded off Google Play and the App Store so there’s no excuse!

I just bought me a lot of stuff today LOL!

KUMAGCOW

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8 Awesome Reasons To Travel North Luzon Now!

 

Now I'm no travel expert but I guess I'm a person hard to please. When it comes to traveling, sometimes I don't like places that I go to because it's too far, too crowded or the food sucks. Traveling North Luzon made me think about how this place is a little under appreciated, so I'm going to list down a few things that makes this an awesome travel spot for those who haven't done it yet!

1. The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)

Photo Bocaue Tollgate from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Luzon_Expressway)

It's easy to travel North now because the North Luzon Expressway made traveling faster and more efficient. The roads are perfect for long drives because it's maintained properly. The tollgates have EC cards which you can get prepaid so you don't have to queue. Compared to regular roads that can take you several hours to go to the north, this will cut the travel time enormously. The view is also spectacular and just needs a short turn to go to towns along it. It made everything freaking easy, I suggest you come along with friends so you can save up gas and toll fees. It'll be worth it!

2. The Festivals

7107 International Music Festival

If it's a FIESTA made for  a town's patron saint or a FIESTA made for thanksgiving, or a full pledged Music Festival with International acts no matter what genre it is, the North Luzon provinces are full of it! Our country is at least celebrating one fiesta per day, now imagine that done all throughout the year! This is the Philippines so we make it BIG!

3. The Old Churches

 

There's nothing even greater than seeing and believing in Churches as the house of God. For those who are religious, you'll be surely blessed by visiting these century old or more churches to renew faith and learn a little more about the country's history as we are around 80% Roman Catholic. You'll meet the locals in and around towns that are centered in these areas. The architecture, the details of the walls are all heavenly... surely it's something that should be seen!

4. Some of the World's Best Beaches 

You can have a view worthy of postcards even without leaving the island of Luzon. The spectacular beaches of Pagudpod of which some remains untouched and has got less commercialization just spells paradise. It's also windy up here so the Windmills of Bangui can get you electricity and supply the great part of the province without the need for other power sources that's nature friendly and safe. The water is cold while the weather is hot, perfect combination to relax in a hammock tied between coconut trees and have a beer on hand. Isn't that the perfect summer?

5. The Food

Taking a guiltless pleasure on some of the most unnoticed dishes in the country like "Dinengdeng" (Local Vegetables in Grilled Fish broth)  or the oh so crunchy "Bagnet" (Deep Fried Crispy Air Dried Pork) which is so good. Aside from that, they've also got Ilocos Empanada done in so many ways from Vigan to other cities in this province. The famous Vigan Longganisa also is the best thing for breakfast in the country. I could have kilos of this in one sitting and still want more. Do not hesitate to taste this and more when you visit the region. 

6. Cheap Accommodations

Azalea Residences Baguio City

North Luzon has varied rates for accommodations. You can opt for hotels or huge residences like this one or get cheap ones in bus terminals. You can also opt for transient homes in the suburbs for better chances to meet locals too. Just stay nice and friendly as they will return the smiles back at you. They are ample enough for those that are just passing by or to spend a few days in these provinces. It's a good thing to immerse yourself in the culture and live with the locals so you can experience what it's like in the North Luzon path. Some are cold, some humid, but all in all a spectacular place to be in when in the lovely cities you get lost in. Everyone speaks a little or more English so it's not a big deal to say you've got language barriers.

7. Vigan Vies for 7 Wonder Cities of the World

 They have now been able to get into the final 21 cities and they are vying for the final 7. Vigan has got lots of history. They have some of the most picturesque cobbled stone streets and tourist spots not seen in any Asian country. To learn more on how to vote for them, please read my article here.

8. NLEX "Tara Na Sa Norte!" (Let's go to the North!)

Going to the North is definitely one thing that anyone should try when in Luzon. Now it's going to be made even better as they'll showcase deals in travel, accommodation and their products in one venue right here in Manila. From July 25-27, 2014 they'll set up shop at the Glorietta Activity Center in the city of Makati. There will be over 100 vendors offering the best hotels, products, restaurants, small and medium enterprises from the best in the region on these dates. This is put up by the Manila North Tollways Corporation and co presented by the Department of Tourism Regions 1, 2 and 3 plus the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). This is also supported by Ayala Malls, North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB), the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Clark Development Corporation, Maynilad, PhilHydro, Cebu Pacific and the Philippine Daily Inquirer. 

Now if that isn't enough reason to go to the North of Luzon, I don't know what will!

For more information about their event:

Tara Na Sa Norte!

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TESDA Emergency Job Fair

congrats!

Over 2,500 people joined the jobs assistance and training fair that the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) held in Taguig City. Among the ones who joined the job fair were the displaced workers’ and OFW, local workers and other jobless people.

Heading the job fair was President Arroyo herself and the and it was attended to by Labor Secretary Marianito Roque, Trade Secretary Peter Favila and TESDA Director General Augusto Syjuco. The emergency job fair aims to help those who are greatly affected by the economic crisis.