Let's take a break for the travels for a while. Let's talk about the latest buzz in the SEO world in which many Filipino practitioners are involved with. It is about "oes tsetnoc". It may be a bizarre word, but for the SEO professionals, it is a gold mine, either financial or for the prestige it would bring.
It is actually a SEO contest sponsored by Promo Junkie Webmasters Forum with the key phrase "oes tsetnoc", just the reverse of SEO Contest. It started last September 10, 2009 and is going to culminate on December 15, 2009. The winner is going to receive $1000, runner-up is $300 and the third prize is $200.
Although the monetary reward is not that big, the contest has generated a lot of interest from the SEO practitioners in the world. That makes the competition real tough. The best in the world converge and compete to the top of the SERPs and beginners like me find it very hard to climb to SERP ladder.
Nevertheless, there are Filipino participants who are now in the top ten and are holding on to their spots. They are the SEO gurus in the Philippines namely Bleuken, Lloydi and Redirection (their aliases). My entry so far has crawled up to the 13th spot but the closure of Geocities.com has affected its rank and it is now (as of this writing) in number 21.
My goal originally was to be in the top 20, and I will be very happy for that. But upon seeing my entry to the 13th spot, it gives me enthusiasm to work more for my entry. In fact, the drop in ranking happened when I was in vacation for three weeks (vacation to a place that has no internet at all).
In my return, I would be doubling my time to work for this even of I am also working for my other sites. With the way my site performs against the best SEO practitioners in the world, I have proven that my SEO strategies are working even if I am going to go against the best. I have even edged some of the famous SEO people in seo.ph website. There are a lot of Pinoys in the contest and so far, those three mentioned above have climbed their way to the top 10 and there's one I think in the top 20 as of this writing.
I am confident that my entry can climb back to the to p20 and hopefully can crawl up to the top10. If it can go to tthe top 10, then it will surpass my expectation and it will be a good finish for a SEO newbie like me.
Fort Ilocandia
Note: The Department of Tourism now considers laoag as one of the anchor destinations in the country.
The panoramic historical sights and the city's natural charm make it ideal for everyone. As you visit Laoag's many sights, Fort Ilocandia Resort and Casiino can be your home during your travel. And with the hotel under the management of Fort Ilocandia Development Corporation, the Old Glory of the hotel can be brought back through the accomplishment of the retrofitting and renovation and development program.
The renovation of the first wing, which is the hotel B wing with some restaurants, signifies the completion of the first stage of the renovation. The second stage will commence on the whole wing of hotel A, the golf course and teh beach bar, is targeted to be completed. As attractions for hotel guests, a lot more recreational facilities and activities were installed like archery, jet ski, mini zoo, all-terrain vehicles, and more. And for you to be more relaxed, you can pamper yourself in the spa or practice your swing in the 18 hole golf course.
The dedicatoin of the investors to become a prioritized destination is evident trough the chartered flights that started since December 2000. The flights are via Philippine Airline and with a frequency of Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays direct from Manila to Laoag then Hongkong and vice-versa.
The sights, sounds and special delicacies of the province can be well experienced through Philippine Airlines Day Tour packages. Special packages for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibits were conceptualized in order to meet your corporate needs.
Bukidnon
BUKIDNON sits atop the mountain range in the heart of Northern Mindanao. It is considered as the "Food basket" of Mindanao because Bukidnon is rich in Agriculture, poultry, fishery and meat products. In fact, when the rice shortage in the Philippines hungered almost all Filipinos, it was Bukidnon that was least affected. It even supplied its neighboring provinces not only with rice but also includes other agricultural products.
Aside from those products mentioned above, Bukidnon is also the major producer of pineapples, bananas and sugarcane in the whole Philippines. These products are distributed all over the countyr and the large bulk of these are exported to other countries all over the world.
Bukidnon, as it is located in the heart of Mindanao, has no seaports. Once, it had an airport but due to some circumstances, it was closed permanently. Bukidnon is reached by riding a bus from Cagayan de Oro City to any point in Bukidnon. Rural Tours has its buses routing to almost all points in Bukidnon from Cagayan de Oro City and vice versa.
Due to its beautiful scenery, Bukidnon has been a location for some Filipino movies and the latest is the movie of Angel Locsin and Piolo Pascual titled "Love Me Again".
EVENTS/FESTIVALS
Kaamulan Festival
- Kaamulan Festival is the most famous festivals in Bukidnon which is held every February to March annually. Kaamulan is a cultural festival which showcases the indigenous culture of Bukidnon. Customs and Traditions of the seven Bukidnon tribes, namely the Bukidnon, Umayamon, Tigwahanon, Matigsalug, Manobo, Talaandig and higaonon, is the theme of the annual celebration of Kaamulan.
Tourists, local and foreign, are swarming Bukidnon in every Kaamulan event due to its uniqueness in showcasing the province's indigenous culture. Here, the real natives are given their numbers and showcase their culture in their own unique way. Their custumes, dances, songs, prayers and their other unique traditions are given life to the tourists and the viewing public in general.
Other activities in teh Kaamulan festival are the Civic Parade which is participated by different sectors of the government and community, the Street Dancing Competition which is paticipated by different provinces from all over Philippines, the Laga Ta Bukidnon - a beauty pageant showcasing the beauty and brains of the Bukidnon lads and the Ethnic Dance Clinic.
Kaamulan Festival not only show talents and culture of the Bukidnon tribes but also products in every municipality of the province of Bukidnon. Some of these are the Garden Show, Food Fest, Agri-fair, Kaamulan Bazaar and Livestock show. Additional attractions are the Motocross, Off-Orad Competition, Rodeo, Amateur Boxing, Basketball and other crowd drawing activities.
BUKIDNON HOTELS/ACCOMMODATIONS
There are fine hotels in Bukidnon that will make your visit comfortable and relaxed. There's a wide range of hotels in Bukidnon from first class accommodations to budget inss and lodges. Some of these are the Hotel Valencia, Pine Hills Hotel (which became so popular when Piolo Pascual and Angel Locsin stayed here during their shooting in Budkidnon), Haus Malibu, Plaza View Tourist Inn, Quadra, Small World Travellers Inn, Bukidnon Travellers Lodge and 1st Avenue Apartell/Inn.
There are also fantastic resorts which you can stay while in Bukidnon: Waig Crystal Spring Resort, MGM Mountain Resort and RR Family Resort all of which are in Maramag, Bukidnon.
TOURIST SPOTS
MGM Mountain Resort
- MGM, located in Maramag, bukidnon, is one of the first resortst that were built in Bukidnon. It features kiddie polls with colorful slides, adult swimming pool and closed cottages located in its contoured area.
WAIG Crystal Spring Resort
- WAIG is perfect for nature lovers. It covers a 3.6 hectares of land and crystal clear flowing water that makes it the favorite swimming resort of most families in Bukidnon. It is located at Barangay North Poblacion, Maramag, Bukidnon.Mangima Spring Resort
- Mangima Spring Resort is a government initiated project which comprises more or less 6 hectares of land area. It has four swimming pools which is ideal for family outings and recreations. Travellers from Bukidnon to Cagayan de Oro City usually stop-by at the Mangima Spring Resort to rest and relax for the long travel since Mangima Spring Resort is just a walking distance from the highway.
Edlimar Spring Resort
Edlimar Spring Resort is another "must-visit" resort in Bukidnon. It is frequented by water loving folks of Bukidnon and tourists due to its abundance of flowing spring water that supplies its pools. It has almost 10 hectare land area and several pools for adult and children. It also has slides for its pools and other recreational areas like a mini park and a fish pond where many enjoyed fishing.Edlimar Spring Resort is located in Barangay Tubigon, Maramag, Bukidnon.
Luan-Luan Spring Resort
Luan-Luan Spring Resort is located in Quezon, Bukidnon. Before other resorts like the Waig, RR and Edlimar came to existence, Luan-Luan was the favorite venue for family picnics in Bukidnon. Folks from the Northern part of the province even made their way to Luan-Luan due to its clear and clean water that come from the mountain.
Ver Overview and Nature Park
It is located at Kipolot, Barangay Palaopao, Quezon. Here you can view almost the entirety of Bukidnon. The rolling hills and plains provide a scenery that relaxes you mind while enjoying the fresh air from the mountains. It is a favorite stop-over by the travellers going to Davao from Bukidnon and vice versa.
Paiyak Cave
Paiyak Cave is located in mountains of Sumilao, Bukidnon. It is famous with its beautiful stalagmites and stalactites as others say they were like arts carved by nature.
Blue Water Cave
Blue Water Cave, as its name implies, contains water and can be considered as an underground river. It is located at Purok 17, San Jose, Quezon, Bukidnon. It has an underground source of water that flows towrads the Pulangi River.
EPIC OF BUKIDNON
Bukidnon is also rich in literature and art. A lot of Bukidnon epic songs and dances are being kept by most of the Bukidnon natives and passed them to the current generation.
In fact, in the early part of 2009, a modern epic writer Telestero S. Sungkit Jr. from Kisolon, Bukidnon launched his epic novel "Batbat Hi Udan" (The Story of Udan) and this was considered by scholars in the University of the Philippines institute of Creative Writing in Diliman as a "historical novel".
The author said this Bukidnon epic novel is the Philippine version of "Lord of the Rings" due to the adventures of Udan in the story. Telestoro Sungkit Jr. is considered as the first writer from Bukidnon who has written a full-length epic novel.
Cagayan de Oro City
Cagayan de Oro City is known as the "City of Golden Friendship" and that distinction is one of the reasons why Cagayan de Oro is frequented by tourists both local and foreign. Cagayan de Oro, also known as CDO, is undoubtedly the fastest booming city in Mindanao today due to its strategic location and peace and order stability.
CDO got the monicker "Gateway to Northern Mindanao" due to its location wherein it humbles its state of the art sea port and a domestic airpot. All products and people alike travelling from Bukidnon and other provinces in Northern Mindanao are going to use these facilities of Cagayan de Oro when going to Manila, Cebu and other places in the Philippines.
"ICT Goldmine in the Philippines" has been also given as distinction for Cagayan de Oro City due to the number of ICT infrasructures and businesses mushrooming in the city and providing job oppurtunities for ICT personnels in the city and the surounding provinces.
Due to the rapid growth in the city's economy, Cagayan de Oro City is given another distinction as "A City in Bloom, in Blossom and in BOOM!". Despite the global financial crisis the world is experiencing in 2008 and 2009, you can see infrastructures built all over the city and businesses are also booming.
EVENTS
Kagay-an Festival
Kagay-an festival is the city's celebration of its patron Saint Agustine of Hippo. The event is held every 28th of August but usually it is a one week celebration until its culmination in the 28th.
One of the highlights of the event is the street dancing competition which features colorful attires and cultural dances of the Higaonon tribe. This competition draws national attention as competitors come from all over the Philippines.
Another highlight is the Miss Kagay-an Tourism, a beauty pageant presenting the native beauty of Cagayan de Oro lads.
The Golden Float Parade and Lambagohan Fluvial Parade are also events enjoyed by tourists and visitors from all over the world.
Kagay-an Agro-Trade Fair also features the native products of the city/province particularly agriculture products.
Charter Day
It it the city's celebration of it's cityhood established in 1950. The original name of the city was Cagayan de Misamis until 1950 when it was changed to Cagayan de Oro in virtue of Republic Act No. 521 which was signed by then Philippine President Elpidio Quirino. The city's status was made possible due to the efforts of then Congressman Emmanuel Pelaez, who eventuallly became the Vice President of the Philippines.
Holy Week Trek
This event is the city's Catholic devotees's observation of the Holy Week. It is a three kilometer trek that ends to the Corsillo retreat House in Malasag.
Kumbira
Kumbira is a culinary Show and Exhibit started in 1996 by local hoteliers and restaurants. It has been evolved over the years and it now hosts a culinary competition among students and preofessionals all over Mindanao.
The competition is divided into students and professionals where Hotel and Restaurant Management shools and professional chefs compete against each other in their respective categories. The event usually lasts up to four days.
Cagayan de Oro City Hotels
Hotels in Cagayan de Oro City are at par with the world's best hotels. As a matter of fact, you can see good reviews for the city's hotels in different travel sites in the internet.
National conventions are also held in the city since accomodation is not a problem here and good feedbacks are always heard from the participants.
There are four star hotels in the city namely the Koresco Hotel and Pryce Plaza both of which are know for foreign tourists. Those hotels are conveniently located in the highlands ovelloking the city and near the domestic airport.
The hotels within the city are Maxandrea hotel, VIP Hotel, Casa Crystalla, Nature's Pensionne, Grand City Hotel and others which are conveniently located in the heart of the metropolis.
Other hotels are the Discovery Hotel, Mallbery Hotel, Southwinds Hotel, Pearlmont Hotel, Marco Hotel and others.
