MATAKAW DAW !!!

To: greennature@yahoogroups.com, environmentalleaders@yahoogroups.com, philecotour071909@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, September 21, 2009, 8:15 AM
from forwarded email, please forward to Philippine Customs and Department of Tourism


This was written by a Pinoy couple who now live in the US .

Would like to share with you what we found out as the reason why cruise ships of the big cruise companies skip Manila . My wife and I are regular cruisers and we always talk to the Filipino crew. When we took the 12-day Mediterranean cruise I asked the Pinoy waiters (because we are in a big group, we usually request for Pinoy waiters to be assigned to us) why all their Asian cruises skip Manila when they go to all the neighboring countries of the Philippines .. Tanong ko bakit ba wala sa itinerary ninyo ang Manila .

Ang sagot sa akin. Noong una ho may cruises kami na humihinto sa Manila but masyadong hong matakaw ang mga taga Customs sa atin kaya ang management ho namin nag decide na skip na ang Manila. When inspection time comes upon our arrival and departure, yung mga Customs inspectors ho kasama ang mga pamilya nila para kumain ng libre sa ship namin. Tapos bago mag bigay ng clearance para maka depart ang ship namin maraming hinihingi ng sigarilyo at mga alak. Sa Manila lang namin na experience ang ganoon kaya nahihiya ho kaming mga Pinoy dito sa ship. Sa ibang ports sa Asia wala hong nanghihingi.

The new cruise ships have an everage of 2,000 to 3,000 passengers. Imagine the loss of tourism revenue for the Philippines because most cruise ships do not go to the Philippines . WHY???

This is now a global world. What we do - and we don't do is circulated and has an impact on our community, province, nation, and the world.

Related to this -- is the prices of gasoline in Batangas City and vicinity.

People can easily just go to Lipa, Calamba or Manila and gas up there. So, if the stations in Batangas City suffers diminishing gross sales, they only have themselves to blame.

With the entry of the Wilcon Builders in Batangas City and the opening of 168 (Divisoria) Mall at Fiesta World Mall on Oct. 16, Batangueno traders have to re-think their age old formulas and learn to compete fair-and-square.

We hope this will really benefit the consumers who should be enjoying cheaper prices due to the ever-increasing competition. Batangueno traders should start to diversify and look into the new opportunities at the International Port, manufacturing, production and cottage industries.