May 1, 2010 regular holiday moved to May 3, 2010

It looks like we'll have a long weekend after all. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today said, "In view of the yearly observance of Labor Day, the Malacañang Palace had instead declared May 3, 2010, a Monday, in lieu of May 1, a Saturday, as a regular holiday nationwide."

Proclamation No. 2043 signed today (April 28, 2010) cited that R.A. 9849 provides among others, that Labor Day “shall be observed on a Monday nearest May 1, which happens to be May 3, 2010.” This supersedes Proclamation No. 1841 where May 1 (Saturday) was declared a regular holiday.

The Proclamation stressed that “a longer weekend encourages families to get together and strengthen their relationship towards a more productive environment, as well as promotes domestic tourism, and enables employers to plan their schedules effectively and efficiently, resulting in improved productivity.”

For other holidays check out Philippine holidays and long-weekend schedule for 2010.

* * *

MALACANANG

Manila

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

PROCLAMATION NO. 2043

DECLARING MONDAY, MAY 3, 2010 AS REGULAR HOLIDAY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY

WHEREAS, Proclamation No. 1841 dated July 21, 2009, declared the Regular Holidays, Special (Non-Working) Days and Special Holiday for the year 2010;

WHEREAS, Republic Act (RA) No. 9849 dated December 11, 2009 amended RA 9492 dated July 24, 2007, which in effect supersedes Proclamation No. 1841 where May 1, 2010 (Saturday) was declared as a Regular Holiday;

WHEREAS, RA 9849 provides among others, that Labor Day shall be observed on a Monday nearest May 1, which happens to be on May 3, 2010;

WHEREAS, a longer weekend encourages families to get together and strengthen their relationship towards a more productive environment, as well as promotes domestic tourism and enables employers to plan their work schedules effectively and efficiently, resulting in improved productivity, which is achieved whether the holiday falls on a Friday or Monday;

WHEREAS, RA 9849 allows the modification of the Regular Holidays and Nationwide Special Days by law, order or proclamation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I LEANDRO R. MENDOZA, Executive Secretary, by authority of Her Excellency, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, do hereby declare Monday, May 3, 2010, as regular holiday throughout the country.

The Department of Labor and Employment is hereby directed to issue appropriate circular to implement this Proclamation for the private sector.

Done in the City of Manila this 28th day of April, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Ten

By authority of the President:

LEANDRO R. MENDOZA
Executive Secretary

By the Executive Secretary:

AGUSTIN S. DIZON
Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs

Ivan Henares celebrates 25 years of traveling & travel writing

While looking through my old stuff, I found a travel journal which I made in 1985 about our family trip to Japan and Taiwan. I was five at that time and after the trip, my mom encouraged me to write about the trip which was bound into a scrap book called My Trip to Japan and Taipei: April 15-24, 1985.

The photo above is my family at Zojoji Temple with Tokyo Tower in the background, a testament to the fact that despite their push for modernity and progress, Japan prides itself in its heritage and puts in a lot of effort for its preservation.

Zojoji Temple, the chief temple of the Jodo Buddhist sect, was founded in 1393. Tokyo Tower on the other hand was built in 1958. Modeled after the Eiffel Tower, it is 1092 feet high and broadcasts most of Japan's TV and radio stations.



I even made my own illustrations to accompany the hand-written text of the scrap book. It took me several months to complete it, October 1985 to be exact. But it was my first attempt at travel writing.




In Japan, we visited the 1985 International Exposition in Tsukuba, Tokyo Disneyland and the different districts of Tokyo such as Ginza and Akihabara.


There's also a drawing I made of the subway system which really wowed me as a young kid. I'm sure even as adults, we're still impressed with the very efficient public transportation system of Japan today.


After Japan, we spent an additional four days in Taipei before returning back to the Philippines. We got to visit the Taipei Zoo and the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall among other attractions in Taipei.

Twenty-five years ago, who would have thought I'd be traveling and writing like this now? It's fun to look back at where it all started, and why I continuously yearn to visit other places and experience different cultures even more.


Ivan About Town just turned five!
I didn't realize it either that my blog turned five this month too! I wrote my first blog entry on April 19, 2005 in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. As the first line of my first entry went, "What a way to start my blog, writing about my journeys in some really exotic place!"

It was my first backpack trip. And I thought, instead of having to repeat my stories to my friends when I got back, I'd just update them through a blog. So that's how Ivan About Town was born. Hope to visit Kota Kinabalu again this year!

Metro Manila: Nasi Lemak serves authentic Singapore food in Robinsons Galleria!

Because of my frequent visits to Singapore and Malaysia, I've been regularly introduced to the local dishes there. As a result, I crave for the food every now and then. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised to find out that all my favorite Singapore, Malaysian and Chinese dishes were being served at Nasi Lemak in Robinsons Galleria!



There's Char Kway Teow which is stir-fried flat rice noodles with light and dark soy sauce, chili, belachan, tamarind juice, whole prawns, cockles, bean sprouts and Chinese chives. Another favorite is Bah Kut Teh or pork bone tea which is a popular dish in both Singapore and Malaysia, where the Teochew and Hokkien versions are served respectively.

Other favorites in the menu include Singapore Laksa, Malaysian Chicken Curry, Sizzling Tofu Pork Mince Sauce and Kang Kong Sambal Blachan. I'm coming back for more.

Nasi Lemak is located at Level 2 of Robinsons Galleria beside Krispy Kreme.

Makati: Hotel Celeste, Makati's newest boutique hotel

Hotel Celeste is the newest haute couture hotel in Makati. I was lucky enough to stay a night in this really classy and avante-garde botique hotel. While the rooms may seem pricey, when you get to see them, you'll know why it's a hit among many foreign business travelers. In fact, I had a hard time getting a booking since almost all the rooms were fully-booked.


There are five elegant suite rooms named after French queens namely Marie Antoinette, Eleanor, Catherine, Blanche and Isabella. Each room has its own character, all generous in size with wonderfully hand-painted interiors. The 25 deluxe rooms also have surprises of their own.


Each room has a 32-inch LCD TV with cable and an iPod dock among others, while bathrooms are sticked with L'Occitane bath amenities. And the hotel is conveniently tucked beside Greenbelt and Makati's financial district, at the entrance of San Lorenzo Village.

Hotel Celeste
02 San Lorenzo Drive cor. A. Arnaiz Ave. (Pasay Road)
San Lorenzo Village, Makati City
(02) 8878080 / 8878088 (fax)

Bataan: Anvaya Cove in Morong, Bataan

Last month, I got the chance to visit Anvaya Cove in Morong, Bataan. While the group left early in the morning, I had to finish some meetings in the office. So I said I would follow.

I missed the tour of the Anvaya Beach and Nature Club and the Nature Camp. But I arrived just in time for the spa treatments at Veda Spa! The spa facilities are one of the best I've seen in the country. Plus the massage treatment was really refreshing. Too bad we only stayed for a night.

Dinner, plus breakfast and lunch the next day was at Bamboo Cafe. I particularly enjoyed the Asian inspired buffet lunch which featured dishes from Japan, Korea and other Asian countries.


While Anvaya Cove is mostly a residential area, there are rooms, lagoon terraces and suites which you could book at. But you'll need to know a member to be able to make a reservation.

We got to explore the development the next day, particularly the residential areas which I found really classy. Before leaving, we were given the chance to walk around the beach and the pool area. I wasn't able to stay for long since I had to catch a graduation in Tarlac where I was commencement speaker.

Anvaya Cove
(02) 8415769 / 8485000
ask@ayalalandpremier.com