The 2nd Philippine Creative Tourism Congress takes place at the Oakridge complex along A.S. Fortuna on Nov. 13-14, 2025. Also on sked there till the 16th are the Visayan Art Fair, the Bodega Design Caravan and the Blue Mango Awards.
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Plantation Bay brings out that exciting Christmas-y feel by offering the traditional favorites of the season. Dubbed the Filipino Holiday Trio, the goodies include Puto Bumbong, Bibingka and Torta. PB’s lovely ladies, officer-in-charge Colleen Barcelona and public relations officer Charene Borres happily announced that they will be available from Nov. 21 to Jan. 19, 2026. Yes, these staples of the season will definitely enhance the Christmas spirit in this marvelous and well-loved resort in Mactan.
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Innovative designer Dexter Alazas has come up with the Maria Cacao Collection inspired by the Cebuano folklore about this mountain goddess. The collection features one-of-a-kind Neo-Jusi kaftans hand-painted with the legendary Maria’s image against a background of native scenes.
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Over in far-away Germany, Cebuana writer Cecilia Manguerra Brainard basked in the limelight during the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025 with the celebration of 14 foreign translations of her three novels, “Magdalena,” “When The Rainbow Goddess Wept” and “The Newspaper Widow.” It was a proud day for Filipinos and Cebuanos in particular because Baby (as we know her) was born and bred in Cebu.
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A Sports Tourism group has recently seen the light of day through Administrative Order 38 approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Called the National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee (NST-IAC), it is headed by Patrick Gregorio, Chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission. The group has been tasked to manage and oversee the development, promotion and implementation of sports tourism initiatives.
Meanwhile, Charles Lim, the president and chief executive officer of Sports Turismo Alliance Inc., commented that this development is most welcome. As a staunch supporter of sports tourism, he first conceptualized the educational planning workshop series Sports Tourism Forum which has held about 20 fora for local governments and Department of Tourism regional offices. He is also the founder and chairman of the Philippine Sports Tourism Awards.
Sports Turismo Alliance Inc. is an organization from the private sector whose aim is to play a vital role in Sports Tourism. It is a member of the London-based International Association of Event Hosts.