Ms. Josefina Manalo Andaya Ms. Josefina Manalo Andaya, school owner and  the President of the St. Raphael Montessori School, believes in dreaming big and doing something about the big dream. “If you want to achieve something bigger, you must take the first step forward,” she said during the ground breaking ceremony for  t he Lyceum of Northern Bulacan held on July 31, 2015. Located in Daang  Maharlika, San Roque, San Rafael , Bulacan, it is a new school which promises to bring world-class education with its state-of-the-art facilities to serve the Elementary, High School and College levels. Before the ground-breaking ceremony, a thanksgiving mass was offered, officiated by Rev. Fr. Vicente Lina, Jr. (Parish Priest and Rector of the Diocese Shrine and Parish, Sacred Heart of Jesus in Cruz na Daan, San Rafael). Rev. Morisuke Yamakura, a Shinto Priest led everyone in the Japanese purifying rituals while Hon. San Rafael Vice Mayor Edison Veneracion led the l...

Relaxing at the ATV with the full view of Daragang Magayon! Traveling for two decades as a travel journalist, Bicol has always been on my bucket list. I want to see the world-famous perfect-coned Mayon Volcano for myself up-close. But the nearest I could get to Bicol was a travel in Daet, Camarines Norte back then when Mayor Tito Sarion was still single and a certified bachelor. Thus, when the chance to travel to Albay for free finally came – through the invitation of the office of Gov. Joey Salceda , the Daragang Magayon Festival Committee, and the local Department of Tourism -- I readily grabbed the opportunity despite some odds at work and in the homefront . In fact, I willingly shouldered the re-book of my fare ticket at P3200+ because I came quite late and the Cebu Pac staff who assisted me wasn’t good enough. Traveling alone for the first time Anyway, I made it to the 12:30 pm flight, and that was the first time that I travel by plane alone. Despite some glitc...

Lush greens, mountains and virgin forests, majestic and natural caves and rock formations, breathtaking views of the seas and islands and islets, vast body of inland fresh water, rare birds and other species – this is Samar. A short visit to Samar mid April gave this writer these impressions – and the hope that it should be promoted along with the country’s popular destinations. Good thing, the provincial government of  Samar has poised it to become Visayas region’s prime tourist destination. Taking advantage of the Department of Tourism’s “Visit Philippines 2015” campaign as well, the province recently launched its own brand of tourism campaign. Samar's tourism billboard featuring Marabut, Paranas and Basey The ambitious tourism launch branded as Spark Samar brought in celebrities, media and government officials together at the Capitol Park of Catbalogan City on April 18 with a thanksgiving mass followed by a cultural presentation of songs and dances of the Sam...

Manila is now officially one of the locations of the prestigious Boffi concept stores in the world.. Located at the Ground Floor of The Residences at Greenbelt, San Lorenzo Tower in Esperanza Street, Makati City, the new Boffi Studio serves as a valuable resource for architects, designers, as well as clients as it will showcase the brand’s full product line. The showroom will feature some of the brand’s most iconic and successful lines- from the simple and warm Aprile kitchen, to the industrial looking Xila; to the space smart K14 and K20;  for the bathroom, the subtle and graceful Sabbia bathtub to the high-impact Pipe shower; for systems, the Anthea partition systems to the St. Germain walk-in closet. Present at the launch were Boffi top executives led by CEO Roberto Gavazzi, Niccolo Gavazzi (Asia-Pacific Director) and Daniela Borgonovo (Export Manager), as well as Focus Global, Inc. management Stephen Sy (President), Loli Sy (Vice President), and Aline Lopez ...