For tonight’s special presentation on Straight from the Sky, we bring you a local government-private sector partnership that promotes good governance. It is the eGWEN and RAFI Partnership, Rowing (Bugsay) towards a Better Future. This is a partnership between the Province of Cebu and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. where the various municipalities of Cebu will now be scored on many points, like cleanliness, peace and order and its promotion of a clean environment and tourism. This program has triggered a motivational race that inspired the local government officials to tap their citizens to participate in their plans for their localities.
This program is now a year old and has produced surprising results, which will be discussed during the show by Provincial Board member Agnes Magpale, Program Manager of eGWEN, Ms. Dominica Chua Chief Operating Officer of RAFI, Ms. Rowena Alensonorin Exec. Director RAFI-Center for Integrated Area Development, Dr. Gerard Sol, Education Supervisor DepEd and Mayor Cynthia Moreno of the Municipality of Aloguinsan on SkyCable’s channel 15 at 8:00PM tonight.
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By the time this article comes out, we’ll be back from our familiarization trip to Dubai. It is a very amazing, if not very remarkable city. We learned from Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Mr. Mansoor Junaid Bawazir the history of Dubai. This department was established in 1989. He showed us a photo of Sheikh Zayed roadway in 1990 and there were a few small buildings in that area. To think that’s just a year before super typhoon “Ruping” struck Cebu!
Today, Dubai has become one of the fastest growing cities in the world. In fact, when we arrived last Wednesday evening, it was during the grand opening of the Dubai Metro by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). It is their light rail transit that was splashed in all the United Arab Emirates newspapers and even featured on CNN! During a visit to the Kemspinski Mall, they conducted free 3D video showings about this project to entice people not to use their cars and take the driverless train to their work, or back to their homes and even for shopping.
Now why does Dubai need a light rail when gasoline prices cost barely $2 for a gallon of gasoline? That’s the vision of Dubai ruler, his highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Maktoum for clean energy transportation especially when the oil runs out! The hotels that have sprouted in Dubai today has actually become a tourist attraction in their own right, thanks to being featured several times by the National Geographic Channel.
We went to the famous Palm Jumeriah Island, the only piece of human engineering that can be seen from outer space, where the fabulous Atlantis, The Palm was situated. Their Ambassador Lagoon or seaquarium was full of marine life, like a gentle Whale Shark where its creators have erected the supposed remains of the Lost City of Atlantis. Its Poseidon Suite was three floors going below sea level with its own special elevator. You get an undersea view from your room, something that no other hotel has.
Turn off the lights and you literally sleep while the fishes, the stingrays or the sharks pass quietly by your bed. To be honest, it’s difficult to describe the feeling if you checked into this over US$4,000 a day suite. The experience is exhilarating and totally unforgettable!
We also visited the World’s Most Luxurious Hotel, the Burj Al Arab. This hotel is actually off limits to anyone who just wants to drop by for a look and see as it is where the world’s most famous celebrities stay when they come to Dubai. Mr. Marcus Gonzalez is the Events Sales Coordinator ( he is the grandnephew of former Cebu City Mayor Dr. Florentino Solon). There is no doubt; this hotel is an architectural marvel that only has suites that are two floors! The two-bedroom suite with a loft only cost 10,000 Dirhams per night, roughly around US$5,000! So expect only people with royal blood and oil money to check into the world’s only 7-Star hotel.
We also visited the Tamani Hotel, the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the Crown Plaza Hotel at the Sheikh Zayed Road. And yes, we also went to the Fairmont Hotel where Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) stayed the last time she was in Dubai, where she had one of the Imperial Suites with a loft.
But what makes Dubai very comfortable to Filipino tourists is the fact that you bump into Filipinos almost anywhere and everywhere. At the Carrefour at the City Center Shopping Mall, most of the store attendants were Filipinos and most of the customers there were also Filipinos! Filipinos are not living in hovels in this very clean city and they like to live here.