Call center opens in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 11, 2009) – The e.AXZ Communications, Inc. has opened a business process outsourcing contact center in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.

The contact center, which opened on Saturday in the village of Tetuan, has about 50 call agents that cater to international clientele, but the company, which is owned by local investors, would eventually be expanded to 200 within a year.

e.AXZ Communications boasts of multi-lingual capability and is equipped with the latest fiber optics technology. Its services include Lead Generation, Website Development, Inbound Call Center, Outbound Call Center, Appointment Setting.

Last month, the Dapitan Exponent Shared Services also opened its contact center in Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte province. It also plans to hire up to 500 call center agents to fill up its requirements.

The call center, located inside the seven-hectare Gloria de Dapitan Park, is considered the first contact center in Zamboanga Peninsula. (Mindanao Examiner)

The Mindanao Examiner Newspaper in Zamboanga del Norte

In the island community called Alinguay off Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte province, the Mindanao Examiner newspaper remains the source of print information for many villagers. (Photo by Jung Francisco)

Huge Welcome Awaits Filipino Solon's Return

DAPITAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 07, 2009) – Residents of this beautiful coastal city in Mindanao are jubilant over reports that Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Romeo Jalosjos may be released soon from prison.

Jalosjos, a known philanthropist in the Philippines, has been in jail the past 16 years after being convicted with raping an eleven-year old girl. His supporters maintained that Jalosjos was innocent and that he had been framed up and that the charges against him were politically motivated.

A court sentenced the politician to serve life in prison, but was granted executive clemency by President Gloria Arroyo in 2007. In prison, Jalosjos showed good conduct and is looked upon by inmates as a model because of his kindness to others and his being generous.

The Bureau of Corrections has already recommended the release of Jalosjos from the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa City.

It was the second time that prison officials recommended his release. In December 2007, Jalosjos was freed, but the order was taken back after his political opponents and women’s rights activists opposed and questioned the order.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said he has received a letter from the prison officials about their recommendation. Friends and relatives were said to be preparing for Jalosjos’ return to Dapitan City in the province.

"We are waiting for the return of our Manong Romy. We love him so much," said Saturnino Co, a local supporter of Jalosjos. (Mindanao Examiner)

Handuraw 2008: Rendezvous at Dapitan for Rizal’s memoirs

Dapitan City Mayor Dominador G. Jalosjos (left) is being assisted by Councilor Apple Marie Agolong during a recent awarding of drum and lyre competition held at Dapitan's Plaza Rizal, site of many activities of the forthcoming Handuraw 2008. (Photo by Allan Carlos)

DAPITAN CITY, Philippines - Planning has begun in earnest for Dapitan’s Handuraw Festival 2008, when the city commemorates the fruitful stay of the country’s National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, while in exile here following political persecution against him by the Spaniards from 1892 to 1896.

Set to start on the 27th until 29th of December, this year, the City of Dapitan in the Zamboanga Peninsula Region is currently having collaborations with a select set of established institutions to invite talented individuals do their share in art, painting, essay, sculpture, drama, and fashion – just a few of Jose Rizal’s many genial interests and talented skills.

Handuraw Festival is Dapitan’s way of reviving the historical trail of Dr. Jose Rizal, who stayed in Dapitan City for four years, leaving wonderful memories in the lives of the people here.

Handuraw, which is a Visayan term that means recollection or flashback, was started in 2006 by the City Government of Dapitan led by Mayor Dominador G. Jalosjos. Since then, the City Government of Dapitan, together with various civic groups and business organizations, has continued to embark on a plan to better enhance the city's tourism industry by restoring Dr. Jose Rizal's historical heritage.

The plan to restore and promote Rizal's historical trail and legacies in Dapitan included the construction of "Punto de Desembarco de Rizal en Dapitan Landmark or Rizal's Landing Site and Sta. Cruz Marker, which is almost completed.

Rizal landed on the beach of Sta. Cruz, Dapitan, at 7 p.m. on July 17, 1892, to begin the life of an exile in Dapitan. It came to be known as Rizal's Landing Site later. With the help of the townsfolk, Rizal rebuilt the town's Plaza, In front of St. James Church. They also made the "Relief Map of Mindanao" out of stones, soil and grass.

Rizal helped the residents put up the lamp-posts at every corner for Dapitan's first lighting system, which consisted of coconut oil lamps covered with glass.

Among his contributions to Dapitan was the establishment of an association of Dapitan farmers to improve farm products, obtained better harvests, construct more markets for them, collected funds to buy their products, and helped the producers and workers by putting up stores.

Dr. Rizal became the town doctor during his time. Opening a clinic and hospital, he treated non-paying patients as well as those who could pay. He gave away medicine to the poor.

He also opened a school where he taught Spanish, English, Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra and Correct Behavior.

Dapitan City Councilor Apple Marie Agolong said the collaborations for this year’s Handuraw Festival offer another chance to showcase Rizal’s works and memoirs to supplement Filipinos’ knowledge and understanding of the country’s great hero.

“This year’s opening salvo on December 27 is a Parade of Floats, representing the five historical influences of Rizal in Dapitan. It will be followed by a tree planting activity in deference to Rizal’s environmental interest, and, later at the famous Gloria de Dapitan, a fashion show, representing Dapitan’s heritage as a famous and important Filipino settlement during the Spanish and American regimes,” Agolong, chair of the Committee in Tourism, said.

Agolong said the second day (Dec. 28) of the festival will showcase how Dapitanons follow the footsteps of Rizal’s works in the line of painting, sculpture, and also writing through the conduct of an Essay Writing Contest. It will be followed by a conference on Rizal’s works and later with a fluvial parade from the Rizal Shrine to Gloria de Dapitan, apart from the chorale and rondalla invitational contest at the Cultural Center of Dapitan.

This year’s Handuraw will be capped on Dec. 29 by painting and sculpture exhibit and to be highlighted by the launching of the book “Jose Rizal’s Life and Legacies in Dapitan, at the Dapitan City Resort Hotel.

Dapitanons consider Dr. Rizal as a cultural icon during his time because of his deep involvement with the daily affairs of the community around him, expressing his deep-seated love of country and people, and lived out what were to become the last of his adventures. He was said to have expressed his genius in practical, down-to-earth ways here.

Dapitan City holds the Handuraw Festival every year in a bid to also promote its historical heritage and boost its tourism potentials to local and foreign visitors. Dubbed as the Shrine City of the Philippines, Dapitan is envisioned to become an eco-tourism destination and heritage center of the South.

Other plans of the city include the restoration of the official residence and administration building of the politico-military Governor of the District, Gov. Ricardo Carnicero, or the Casa Real, where Rizal lived from July 17, 1982, up to March 1983.

Another restoration project is the Rizal's Shrine, the major historical landmark of the city and the hero's home during his exile. Rizal bought this estate in 1892 from a prize he won in a lottery. It has an area of 16 hectares. It contains Casa Quadra, Casa Redondo, Casitan Hospitales, Casa Redonda Pequeña, the Aqueduct, Mi Retiro Rock and the Amphitheater.

In history, Dapitan was already a famous and important Filipino settlement before the arrival of Legaspi in Dapitan and in the early years of the Spanish domination. In 1607, Fr. Pascual de Acuña, the Jesuit Chaplain of the squadron headed by Juan Juarez Gallinate, stayed two months in Dapitan and converted two hundred natives from panganism to Christianity. The Spanish government was established in Dapitan, where it allowed the same local form of government to continue functioning, with some changes and improvement. It was of course, under the absolute control of the authority.

Dapitan was founded by Boholanos before or after the coming of the first Spaniards. The name Dapitan means a place of rendezvous or meeting place of some 800 families. “Dapit” in Bisayan means “to invite”. Hence, as a continued tradition, Mayor Jalosjos and Vice Mayor Patri Chan, chair of the Committee on Handuraw, and the entire officialdom of Dapitan City invite everyone to come and rendezvous with Dapitanons for the Handuraw Festival.

No Peace Talks With MILF, Arroyo Says

DAPITAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 19, 2008) - Filipino leader Gloria Arroyo on Thursday again campaigned for dialogues and community consultations, focusing on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration as the new peace paradigm in negotiating with insurgents, including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group.

"We remain committed to the peace process. We have negotiated in good faith with our Muslim brethren to keep the peace these last seven years and also to look for lasting peace for generations to come," Arroyo said during a two-day Local Peace and Security Assembly here.

She accused the MILF of failing to surrender three rogue commanders blamed for last month's deadly attacks in Mindanao. Arroyo suspended the government's peace talks with the MILF because of the attacks in North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Sarangani provinces that killed dozens of people.

"We will not negotiate with a gun pointing at our heads," Arroyo said.

The MILF said it will not return to the negotiating table unless Arroyo honors the Muslim homeland deal that peace negotiators initially signed in July.

Arroyo disbanded the government peace panel and scrapped the territorial deal with the MILF. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Kinabayo Festival In Southern Philippines

Subanon indigenous people show their best at the recent Kinabayo Festival in Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte province in the southern Philippines. The annual celebration is being held in honor of Saint James, whom Catholics say defended Christian settlers in Dapitan City during an invasion by Muslim warriors in the 18th century. The festival coincided also with the 1st National Media Summit on Eco-tourism held in Dapitan's Dakak beach resort. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

Dapitan City Holds 1st National Media Summit On Ecotourism

DAPITAN CITY, Philippines (July 9, 2008) - The Peninsula Media Network, in collaboration with the local government of Dapitan City under Mayor Dominador Jalosjos, will hold the “1st National Media Summit on Ecotourism” at the posh Dakak Beach Resort in Dapitan, the Shrine City of the Philippines. The summit is scheduled on July 24 and 25.

Journalist Cheng Ordoñez, lead convener of the Summit and head of the Peninsula Media Network, said the two-day media gathering of national and provincial journalists will serve as a large-scale campaign to promote ecotourism in the countryside.

The Summit adopts the theme “Responsible, Sustainable and Conservatory Travel Through Ecotourism,” and aims to promote ecotourism with support from media industry, academe, research communities, and tourism-related agencies. “The summit's goal is to initiate awareness among media practitioners all over the country on the potentials of ecotourism in the countryside.

Ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, is a form of tourism that appeals to the ecologically and socially conscious individuals.”

“Generally speaking, ecotourism focuses on volunteering, personal growth, and learning new ways to live on the planet; typically involving travel to destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions,” Ordoñez said in a statement.

He said responsible ecotourism includes programs that minimize the negative aspects of conventional tourism on the environment, and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. “Therefore, in addition to evaluating environmental and cultural factors, an integral part of ecotourism is in the promotion of recycling, energy efficiency, and water,” he said.

A research conducted by PMN shows that for many countries, ecotourism is not simply a marginal activity to finance protection of the environment but as a major industry of the national economy. Ecotourism represents a significant portion of their gross domestic product and economic activity, it said.

The same study shows that, although academics disagree about who can be classified as an “ecotourist” and there is precious little statistical data, some estimate that more than five million ecotourists - the majority of the ecotourist population - come from the United States, with others from Western Europe, Canada, and Australia.

With its great potential for environmental protection, the United Nations celebrated the "International Year of Ecotourism" in 2002.

“In the continuum of tourism activities that stretch from conventional tourism to ecotourism proper, there has been a lot of contention to the limit at which biodiversity preservation, local socio-economic benefits, and environmental impact can be considered ‘ecotourism’. For this reason, not only environmentalists but the media, as a special interest group, must know the real definition and concept of ecotourism,” Ordoñez stressed.

Ecotourism experts that will speak during the summit include head of a national ecotourism organizations and top officials of line agencies promoting tourism.

Councilor Apple Marie Agolong, chairperson of Dapitan City Council’s Committee on Tourism, said aside from media practitioners, key players in the ecotourism summit from the private and public sectors are also invited to the event, where participants have the chance to visit tourist spots within Zamboanga del Norte, including the famous Rizal Shrine in Dapitan City and the internationally renown Dakak Beach Resort.

Councilor Agolong said the participants will be doubly treated because the media event coincides with Dapitan’s Kinabayo Festival, an annual festivities visited by local and foreign tourists for its unique communal and religious week-long celebration.

“A big surprise awaits participants who are particularly interested with historical developments appertaining vintage travel,” she said.

Ordoñez said those interested to join can call the Peninsula Media Network Secretariat at telephone number (062) 922-2120.

Police Arrest Ex-Lawmaker After Daring Prison Walkout

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 23, 2007) – Police rearrested a former Filipino lawmaker who walked out of prison in Manila and flew by plane to his hometown in Zamboanga del Norte province.

Former Representative Romeo Jalosjos, convicted to serve two life terms for raping an 11-year girl, was granted executive clemency by President Gloria Arroyo after serving 13 years in prison.

But Arroyo’s decision drew wild protests and human rights advocates and women’s groups have criticized her for commuting Jalosjos’ double-life sentence, saying, the politician should have not been freed from jail. And government now wanted him back in jail.

Jalosjos was first released on Dec. 16 from the national penitentiary in Manila and even attended a mass with family members. But he was forced to return the next day after the Philippine media reported about his release.

On Saturday, Jalosjos arrived in Dapitan City where hundreds of supporters welcomed him like a hero. They also threw a party for Jalosjos, once an influential politician politician in the province.

Policemen escorted Jalosjos on Sunday to Zamboanga City where he would probably stay at the San Ramon Penal Colony unbtil his case is finally resolved. Jalosjos insisted he is a free man and his supporters blamed politics for the fiasco.

“He is freed. He is a free man. Leave him alone. This is all politics,” said Juanito San Diego, a supporter of Jalosjos.

Jalosjos is said to be eyeing this early to run for Congress again in the 2010 national elections. But with this latest development, his political plan may be at risk.

It was unknown why was Jalosjos allowed to leave the penintentiary despite a strict order from the government to hold him.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales has also ordered an investigation into this. It is up to Gonzales whether to bring back Jalosjos to Manila or let him stay in Zamboanga City, just several hundred miles away from Zamboanga del Norte province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Dapitan City Fast Becoming Major Tourist Destination In Mindanao

Gloria De Dapitan is fast becoming a famous entertainment converging place for both local and foreign tourists in the Shrine City of the Philippines – Dapitan, where the national government sets its eyes on in terms of developing Mindanao's next tourism potential.

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, Philippines – More than P100 million have been poured in development projects in Dapitan City in the southern Philippines, where the country’s national hero Dr Jose Rizal was exiled by the Spaniards in 1982.

Known as the "Shrine City of the Philippines," Dapitan is now fast becoming a major tourist destination in the Philippines, a former Spanish colony.

Mayor Dominador Jalosjos Jr., said they are developing sites where Rizal had first landed and already spent more than P3 million for the project located along Sunset Boulevard. He said they still need P25 million more to complete the project.

While in exile, Rizal – who was implicated in a rebellion against the Spanish government in the Philippines -- built a school, a hospital and a water supply system in Dapitan.

Rizal spent his last four years in exile in Dapitan. His original estate in Dapitan has been declared a national shrine and is being administered by the National Historical Institute, hence, the city moniker, "Shrine City of the Philippines."

By the year 2020, Dapitan is poised to become the Dr. Jose Rizal Heritage Center of the Philippines, owing to the wealth of Rizal memorabilia and memorable places associated with the hero.

“We are planning to conduct a unique and the one and only activity about Rizal's life,” Jalosjos said, even as they have yet to decide whether to make the dates of Rizal's arrival or departure significant with the foreseen completion date of the project.

Jalosjos said it would be followed by the development of the famous boulevard and construction of a 20-kilometer road connecting it to the major thoroughfares in the city.

Owners of the “Gloria de Dapitan,” which stood on a three-hectare lot along Sunset Boulevard, have earmarked another P100 million fresh investments for the expansion of the commercial and a leisure park.

The prime commercial complex of Dapitan City, “Gloria de Dapitan” was opened on December 3, 2005. “Gloria de Dapitan” houses various business establishments including sports and recreational amenities.

It features among others a full air-conditioned 8-lane bowling center, a gym computer arcade, internet café, billiards and dart halls, disco pub, coffee shop and bakery, a high-salon, boutique, souvenir shops, pharmacy, foreign exchange and various food outlets.

It also boasts of side attractions like the carousels, bump cars and a carnival, all within the fenced perimeter with parking area monitored by 24-hour security.

Maria Consuelo Locop, general manager of the “Gloria de Dapitan,” said part of the expansion is the construction of two 300-seater cinemas with a huge supermarket at the basement. Locop said they would also add 10 more lanes to the Exodus Bowlodrome to qualify for the hosting of the duckpin bowling national tournament.

Emilio Ubando Jr., local tourism officer, said pension houses have began expanding their establishments to accommodate more visitors.

Vice Mayor Patri Chan has laid down the annual plan for the series of activities for the Kinabayo and Handuraw Festivals. Chan said these activities, observed annually from July 19-25, will lure tourists to stay longer in the city.

"Whenever tourists come, we have tour packages ready for them and so they stay longer in Dapitan and enjoy the serene beauty of the beaches, the good food and friendly people. Our place is truly a paradise,” Chan said.

He said the Kinabayo Festival, a revelry that attracts thousands of Catholic devotees, tourists and Filipinos abroad back home, is the most awaited of all the festivities in Dapitan because of its religious past.

Councilor Apple Marie Agolong, chairperson of the City Council’s tourism committee, oversees major events of the annual celebration in an effort to promote the local tourism industry.

Agolong said locals and tourists flock Dapitan yearly because of famous Christian festival “Patnunob” at St. James Church followed by the “Sinug” procession that goes around the city.

Dapitan is a 2nd class city with a population of 68,178, according to the 2000 Census. The largely Catholic city is politically divided into 50 villages.(Allan Gail Carlos)