Category: General

Hanoi: Alongside a promising growth in tourist numbers, Vietnam’s destinations are also highly acclaimed by international media, helping them reach a wide range of global travelers.

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald published an article on the importance of sustainable tourism, presenting a list of 20 experiences with positive impact on the environment, ecology, and livelihoods of local residents. Among them, trekking tours through the UNESCO-recognised Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark in Vietnam’s northern province of Cao Bang made it to the list.

Previously, the Readers’ Choice Awards 2024 for the Asia-Pacific region by DestinAsian magazine named Phu Quoc at 6th place among the top 10 islands in the region. The destinations were voted based on expert and tourist evaluations, considering criteria such as appeal, experiences, local friendliness, cuisine, transport, infrastructure, convenient flight connections, and prices.

The 2024 Trav
elers’ Choice Awards – Best of the Best Destinations by TripAdvisor honoured Ha Long Bay (3rd place) and Sapa (5th) on its list of the top 25 destinations worldwide.

Meanwhile, the Yahoo! Finance website named Hue in the central province of Thua Thien Hue as one of the top 20 most underrated travel destinations throughout Asia.

Not only places, but some Vietnamese dishes have also been mentioned by the international media. Among them, Banh Mi (bread) topped the Top 100 sandwiches in the world) announced by the culinary website TasteAtlas last month./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

SEPANG, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook is expecting tens of thousands of passengers to flood Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminals 1 and 2 starting tomorrow until the eve of Aidilfitri.

He said the peak travel time for passengers returning to their hometowns via air transportation will begin tomorrow and Sunday, as many have taken leave for the Aidilfitri celebrations expected on April 10.

‘Saturday and Sunday are expected to be the busiest as many have taken the opportunity to take leave on Monday and Tuesday. Most flights are already fully booked until April 9,’ he said.

He told newsmen this after overseeing the departure of the first fixed-rate late-night AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Miri at KLIA2 today.

Loke noted that all three airlines – AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines and Batik Air have seen high demand with full capacity flights since three weeks ago, especially on routes from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur to Tawau.

He also commended aviation sector wo
rkers, including technicians, for sacrificing their time and holiday to ensure smooth operations during this period.

Loke said AirAsia’s late-night flight initiative will benefit some 22,000 passengers to Sarawak with a fixed fare of RM298 one way, while for Sabah, it is priced at RM348.

He said a total of 122 AirAsia late-night flights will operate from today until April 14, not only to ensure sufficient flights for the Aidilfitri celebration but also to provide passengers with affordable fares.

Meanwhile, AirAsia Aviation chief executive officer Bo Lingam said the additional late-night flight initiative reflects AirAsia’s commitment to ensuring affordable fares for all, especially during festive seasons.

‘The Aidilfitri period is one of the busiest times for AirAsia, with over 500 daily flights departing from all AirAsia hubs,’ he said.

He expects all AirAsia hubs to experience an influx of 75,000 passengers starting tomorrow, with 40,000 passengers at KLIA Terminal 2.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR: Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia today reminisced fond memories of the special Ramadan nights when she was a schoolgirl living with her parents and siblings in her hometown of Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

In her heartfelt Hari Raya message, Her Majesty said living in a sleepy little town, what she found exciting and fun during Ramadan was always the last 10 nights when the town welcomed and celebrated ‘Malam 27’ (considered to be one of the ten blessed nights of Lailatul Qadar) with a competition for the best lighted-up house.

‘My older sister would drive us to see all the houses adorned with colourful twinkling lights. We each would try and guess which house we thought looked the best and would win!

‘We loved to go out into our garden at night too, to play with our ‘bunga api’ or sparklers. We’d stare at the sparks of the little firework stick in our hands and felt as if we had become magicians.

‘We would move our arms up and down and around, and made the ‘bunga api’ dance against
the night sky!’ Her Majesty said in a post shared on His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim’s official Facebook page today.

Raja Zarith Sofiah also noted that spending time in the garden was preferable to watching television then, as there were only two channels available during the 1960s and 1970s.

‘There was no Astro, no Netflix, no Youtube, no Apple TV.

‘Life was simpler; perhaps because we did not have the entertainment choices which we have today, but we were truly happy and content with what we did have.

‘However exciting our lives may be now, I would never trade the simple joys of my childhood’s Ramadan nights in my little hometown of Kuala Kangsar with more spectacular ones,’ Her Majesty said.

Raja Zarith Sofiah also wished Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin to those celebrating Raya soon.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

LABUAN, The annual Hari Raya exodus commenced today, witnessing a surge of passengers flocking to Labuan’s two terminals, namely the roll on-roll off (roro) ferry terminal and passenger boat terminal.

Preparedness was evident as management companies for the terminals geared up for the anticipated rush, offering both online ticket sales and over-the-counter services.

Labuan’s roro ferry operator, Labuan Mainland Link Sdn Bhd (LML) chairman, Datuk Chin Hong Vui assured travellers of smooth sailing experiences, saying that the four ferries were primed for journeys from Labuan to mainland Sabah.

‘The ferries are well-maintained and fully crewed…we remain committed to providing better services, especially during festive seasons,’ Chin told Bernama today.

LML operates four ferries – Putrajaya 1, Goodwill Star, Kimanis 2, and Joy Star, and the flagship ferry, Putrajaya 1, boasts a capacity of 85 vehicles and 500 passengers, while Goodwill Star accommodates 85 vehicles and 420 passengers.

Kimanis 1 and Joy Star
each cater to 55 vehicles and 220 passengers.

Highlighting the importance of timely arrival at terminals, Chin urged travellers to ensure prompt immigration clearance to avoid any inconvenience.

Meanwhile, Labuan Point Enterprise, responsible for ferry ticketing for LML, initiated ticket sales two months prior, witnessing sold-out tickets for the Labuan-Menumbok-Labuan route from April 5 to 9.

Its manager, Robert Ling Song Shieng, said additional trips were applied to accommodate the high demand.

Labuan Marine Department Director Alimuddin Amirudin disclosed the approval of 19 extra trips to two Labuan ferry operators – LML and Juta Bonus Sdn Bhd.

Juta Bonus, operating the Galaxy and Blue Ocean ferries, is increasing its trips to meet the surge in demand from April 5 to 9, with the aim to provide four to five trips daily.

In parallel, passenger speed boat services are also ramping up operations.

Labuan International Ferry Terminal management company, LDA Holdings Sdn Bhd, announced a boost to 40 daily
trips from Labuan to Menumbok starting April 5, anticipating a surge on weekends.

Its chief executive officer, Noor Halim Zaini, assured the company’s continuous commitment to ensuring safety of travellers, citing last year’s successful operation despite exceeding initial trip targets.

LDA Holdings caters to travellers heading to Menumbok, Sipitang, Sabah, Lawas and Limbang, Sarawak and Muara Brunei.

‘We are dedicated to facilitating Labuan travellers in celebrating Hari Raya with their families,’ Nor Halim said, underscoring the round-the-clock efforts to ensure seamless services.

‘With 13 passenger boats currently operational, Labuan International Ferry Terminal is poised to facilitate the influx of ‘Hari Raya balik kampung’ travellers in the coming days,’ he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

MANILA : The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has partnered with the government’s fiscal oversight bodies on the adoption of sound public financial management measures to ensure improved performance and efficient delivery of basic services by local government units (LGUs).

DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and representatives of the Secretaries of the public financial management (PFM) oversight agencies – the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the departments of budget and management (DBM), finance (DOF) and human settlements and urban development (DHSUD) – signed Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) 1 s. 2024 on Public Financial Management (PFM) in simple rites in Quezon City on Wednesday, the DILG said in a news release Friday.

‘Effective public financial management is the backbone of our governance framework and vehicle in driving inclusive growth and sustainable development in the country,’ Abalos said.

He also noted that sound fiscal management, including the impr
ovement of the tax regime, is outlined as one of the goals in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028.

Abalos said the JMC aims to strengthen the adoption of a more evidence-based approach to service delivery of LGUs, ensuring that local programs and projects to be budgeted and implemented are truly responsive to the existing situation and needs of local communities.

The joint memorandum was designed to harmonize and align the DILG, DHSUD, NEDA, DBM, and DOF’s respective PFM policies, implementing guidelines, tools, programs, and projects with key cross-cutting concerns in local governance.

‘We envision a stronger partnership and convergence of efforts among all the PFM Oversight Agencies in continuously providing guidance, developing relevant systems and tools, and in building capacities of LGUs in the implementation of effective and efficient PFM in their respective localities,’ Abalos said.

He also assured that the DILG would implement efforts to uphold the practice of fiscal discipline and sus
tainability, transparency, and accountability in the use of public funds at the local government level.

He added that the DILG’s Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) includes LGU Financial Administration and Sustainability, as one of the areas being assessed to foster a culture of good governance among LGUs amid the challenges in the local government landscape.

Boosting food security

In a related development, the DILG has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with an Israeli agricultural center to provide intensive training and education to selected local agriculture students on modern food security solutions.

Abalos and AgroStudies chief executive officer (CEO) Yaron Tamir signed the MOU in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Tuesday.

Under the pact, the DILG will collaborate with LGUs in the selection of eligible students to participate in the 11-month AgroStudies program in Israel, focusing on various aspects of agriculture, including crop cultivation, livestock management, and agricultural technology.

A
grostudies is an international training center that provides a program for agricultural education to interns from developing countries around the world.

Abalos thanked the Israeli Embassy and the center for their friendship and partnership, noting that this would be a great boost to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision of ensuring food security under the Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines) brand of governance.

‘We thank our partners for this continuous partnership of you transferring the technology and best practices to our Filipino farmers,’ he said.

Abalos also cited the agency’s Halina’t Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay (HAPAG) Program, which complements the national government’s food security measures, and the KADIWA ng Pangulo program, which provides access to quality and safe food items at affordable prices.

Meanwhile, Tamir said the Philippines was the first partner country of Israel over the past 20 years, with about 8,000 Filipinos as scholars in this program, the largest among 15 partner countri
es in the AgroStudies internship program.

‘Our purpose is for the students and farmers to learn modern technologies in Israel and engage in businesses in the Philippines. I promise that as long as I am the CEO, the Philippines will have the highest quota,’ he said. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

The North Cotabato provincial government on Friday began distributing PHP53.3 million worth of social pension to 8,898 senior citizens here in scheduled payouts until April 10.

Based on the record, 8,898 senior citizens stand to receive PHP6,000 each from the payouts, which is equivalent to their monthly stipend of PHP1,000 for the first semester of this year.

The assistance primarily benefits disadvantaged senior citizens.

‘This is another way of expressing the government’s care and gratitude, and on your part, kindly take care of yourselves as we experience the effect of the El Niño phenomenon,’ North Cotabato 1st District Board Member Roland D. Jungco, who represented Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, said during the payout activity at the municipal gymnasium here.

Personnel of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office and the Provincial Treasurer’s Office are facilitating the payouts from funds downloaded through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 12 (Soccsksargen).

‘
We can use this fund to buy our maintenance medicines and other necessities needed at home,’ a certain Nanay Oling of Barangay Poblacion said after receiving the financial aid.

Social pension is one of the flagship initiatives of President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr. through the DSWD. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

At least 31 cases of pertussis have been recorded in Eastern Visayas this year, prompting the Department of Health (DOH) regional office here to heighten its surveillance and monitoring against this highly contagious respiratory tract infection.

Of the total, one was a confirmed case based on a laboratory test, and the rest are still awaiting confirmation from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

Jean Marie Egargo, DOH Eastern Visayas assistant regional director, said the confirmed case is a three-month-old boy from Pastrana, Leyte, who has already recovered.

The suspected cases include 18 from Leyte province, four from Tacloban City, six from Eastern Samar, and two from Southern Leyte.

‘Most of the suspected cases, or 25 of them, are not vaccinated against pertussis. Vaccination is safe and effective against the infection,’ Egardo said.

Boyd Roderick Cerro, chief of the DOH regional epidemiology and surveillance unit, said that of the 31 cases, only one is an adult (27 years old), the rest are
minors, and most of them are under one year old.

‘Young children are highly vulnerable to this infection. They can catch whooping cough from their parents, adult caregivers, or other children,’ Cerro said.

Pentavalent vaccines will be available in rural health units by June.

‘Even if we don’t have stocks of vaccines now, we can still combat the infection since there are available medicines in our health facilities,’ said Chiradee Claridad, regional coordinator of the DOH national immunization program.

The DPT (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccination administered to children as part of their primary routine immunization helps prevent the possibility of severe pertussis.

Infants as young as six weeks may already be given this vaccine for free at government health centers.

Pertussis is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, resulting in a highly contagious respiratory infection that is transmitted through person-to-person respiratory droplets or contact with airborne droplets.

Symptoms incl
ude a persistent cough that lasts for two or more weeks, a mild fever, and a runny nose. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency