9th Philippine Bird Festival in Zamboanga City: Birds Fly Without Fear, Without Worries

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Bird watching as an activity for tourists has become prominent all over the world. In the Philippines, major milestones contributing to its growth are the coming together of Filipino bird enthusiasts forming the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and the release of Volumes I and II of the book ‘Birdwatching in the Philippines’ which made a significant contribution in the promotion of bird watching in the country.

Birdwatchers are a group of people who have a peculiar passion of observing birds in their natural habitat. They find satisfaction in watching birds in the wild while making a compendium of birds personally encountered in their natural environment. They operate on the value of honesty in compiling their respective list of birds seen in their lifetime. They have the tendency to be challenged, racing among themselves to the top by having the most number of birds encountered. Since their activities involve travelling to far flung and remote areas, birdwatchers mostly belong to an affluent group who finds pleasure, not only in their hobby, but also in the culinary offerings of the places they visit.

Seeing that local and international birdwatchers are a potential niche market for ecotourism destinations such as Zamboanga city, the Department of Tourism -Regional Office 9, after participating in the 8th Philippine Bird Festival held in Manila last December 2012, pitched for the hosting of the 9th Philippine Bird Festival with the main objective of promoting tourism in Zamboanga city.

The Philippine Bird Festival annual event, organized yearly by the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, has been hosted in different places in the Philippines – previously in Dumaguete, Cebu, Puerto Princesa, etc. Now on its 9th year, it will be co-organized by the Department of Tourism - Regional Office 9 and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Ajinomoto Umami Culinary Challenge Winning Teams

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Every year since 2009, the Ajinomoto Umami Culinary Challenge (UCC) gathers the Philippines’ most creative and innovative culinarians. The event is now one of the country's biggest intercollegiate culinary competitions.

This year, Ajinomoto UCC attracted thousands of visitors and hundreds of HRM and Nutrition students from 51 Universities and Colleges, not just coming from Metro Manila and nearby provinces, but as far back as Ilocos, CAR and Visayas.

Distinguished judges during the event included culinary experts Chef Bruce Lim, Chef Dino Datu, Chef Sau del Rosario, Chef Rosebud Benitez and nutrition experts Dr. Veritas Luna, Dr. Zenaida Narciso and Ms. Joan Sumpio to name a few. There were four (4) competition categories that included the Best Filipino Umami Dish, Umami Bento Meal, My Eat Well, Live Well Plate and My Own Umami Creation.

Neymar Jr is the New Face of Police 2014 Eyewear Campaign

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Neymar Jr, the new hope of international football and budding style icon, is the new face of the Police S/S 2014 advertising campaign.

Shot by globally renowned fashion photographer, Rankin, the new Police campaign portrays Neymar Jr in a number of minimalist shots with an urban finish; enhancing the charismatic style of the talented Brazilian footballer. The result is a series of genuine and spontaneous portraits, each brimming with character and perfectly reflecting Neymar Jr’s personality.

The 2014 Police eyewear collection combines the brand's traditional hallmarks with modern finishes. The bold and contemporary design of the Sun and Optical ranges adhere to the brand’s strong identity and urban roots.