Microsoft, Department of Tourism and Tourism Promotions Board Launch Windows 8 Apps for Tourism

Wazzup Pilipinas!

With ease of technology, more Filipinos are relying on their mobile devices and apps for their important activities such as banking, tracking of courier packages and even for computing electricity consumption among others. The gadgets they have in hand have become their partners as well in planning their travels from looking for the best local destinations to visit to organizing their itineraries. Tourists need one-stop shop apps that can provide them the information and features they need when they travel around the Philippines.

In line with this, Microsoft Philippines (Microsoft), the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) formally sealed their partnership today to enable Windows 8 users with information and features they need on the country's best local destinations through a series of local apps. Microsoft, DOT and TPB are proud to announce that the set of More Fun Series apps is now available for download in the Windows Store.

The More Fun Series is a group of apps which aims to highlight the country’s 25 key tourist destinations including their interesting overview, exciting activities, famous sites and itinerary builder among other features. Furthermore, these free apps feature commercial information coming from the official website of DOT including but not limited to accredited restaurants, spas and souvenir shops to complete the travel experience of every tourist. 

7 Groups Qualify To Bid For The Mactan-Cebu International Airport Project – DOTC

Wazzup Pilipinas!

All seven (7) groups vying for the first airport project to be bid out under President Benigno S. Aquino III’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program have been successfully prequalified, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) disclosed on Thursday (May 16, 2013).

The announcement, which was made four (4) days ahead of schedule, signifies that the P 17.5-Billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Passenger Terminal Building Project will be contested by the following groups:

• AAA Airport Partners, led by the Ayala and Aboitiz groups and Houston airport operator ADC&HAS;
• Filinvest-CAI Consortium of the Gotianuns and Singapore’s Changi Airport;
• First Philippine Airports of the Lopez group and New Zealand’s Infratil Asia Limited airport operator;
• GMR Infrastructure and Megawide Consortium, which includes India’s Delhi Airport’s operator;
• MPIC-JGS Airport Consortium, composed of the Pangilinan and Gokongwei companies, as well as France’s Aeroports de Lyon;
• SM-led Premier Airport Group, which includes Switzerland’s Zurich Airport operators; and
• San Miguel-Incheon Airport Consortium, led by the SMC conglomerate and the operator of South Korea’s Incheon Airport.

DOTC Calls For Technology-Based Proposals To Solve Illegal Bus Operations

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Seeking to solve wide-ranging issues caused by the illegal operations of buses and other public utility vehicles, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Land Transportation Franchising & Regulatory Board (LTFRB) are resorting to modern technology, in line with a strong Anti-Colorum campaign.

In a Request for Information (RFI) published earlier this week (May 14, 2013), the DOTC called for proposals from the public regarding “available technology-based solutions” such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Global Positioning System (GPS), and Smart Cards.

The RFI indicated that the primary purposes for this effort are to monitor the movements of both registered and unregistered or unauthorized public utility vehicles, to apprehend illegally-operating vehicles real-time, and to maintain a database containing relevant information on traffic violations, among others.