Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Philippines Hosts ASEAN Transport Meetings

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Philippines, through the Department of Transportation (DOTr), will host the 42nd Senior Transport Officials Meeting (42nd STOM) and the 22nd ASEAN Transport Ministers Meeting (22nd ATM).

The high-level meetings to be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Manila from November 14 – 18, 2016 will gather transportation officials from the 10 ASEAN Member States. More than 200 transport officials and delegates will convene to discuss various transport initiatives and policies that will improve connectivity and enhance cooperation in the region.

The STOM leaders, working under the direction of the ASEAN Transport Ministers (ATM), are expected to review the implementation and establishment of transport agreements as set by the ATM. Among the projects to be discussed is the Kuala Lumpur Transport Strategic Plan (KLTSP), which is the transport vision and blueprint for 2016 – 2025. The KLTSP, an important pillar of the ASEAN Economic Integration, aims to make the ASEAN community more integrated, competitive, and resilient.

Other transport initiatives to be discussed include the establishment of the ASEAN Single Shipping Market and the ASEAN Roll-on Roll-off Shipping Network, which are both designed to facilitate trade, reduce transport costs, and provide easier access to key markets in Southeast Asia through a more connected maritime transportation network. Liberalization of air services, building safer road networks and efficient railway systems, and promoting sustainable and green transport initiatives are also part of the agenda.

The ATM will convene from November 17 -18 and are expected to consider and adopt STOM recommendations.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Leg five starts off with a flight from Phuket to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam where teams make their way to Thanh Da, an indoor fishing pond to receive their next clue. Here, they find their first Fast Forward in the Race.The first team that finishes the Fast Forward challenge can skip all tasks and head directly to the Pit Stop.

Eric & Rona and Treasuri & Louisa are huge fans of The Amazing Race Asia and they conclude that previous teams that had gone for Fast Forward usually end up last, so they immediately opt for the challenge.

At Thanh Da, teams put their angling skills to the test and catch four prawns from the indoor pond before receiving their next clue. As teams settle down to wait for their catch, Tom & Anita decide to take the risk and head to the Fast Forward task.

In this Fast Forward task, teams must break potentially hundreds of clay bowls containing steamed, sticky rice. Only one bowl contains a coin that is the golden ticket to the Pit Stop. However, teams must break one bowl at a time and eat the rice before they can continue their search.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

With a Vietnamese partner who has been successful in the restaurant business in Western Australia for more than 20 years, Michael "Mike" Ang decided to bring the Tra Vinh brand to the Philippines so that Filipinos could also have a taste of the fabulous Vietnamese cuisine that has been awarded many times for its best and freshest produce.

We have to thank Van Chien Ho for agreeing to share his authentic Vietnamese cuisine recipe through Mike for the Filipino people. True enough, the phenomenal dishes are something to rave about by every foodie out there.

Faithful from their original recipe, the Tra Vinh Vietnamese Restaurant has caught the attention of foodies from all over the Metro. I took the extra effort to go there even though it's located at a neighborhood I am not so familiar. Since I'm based in Pasig city, the Banawe, Quezon City area is relatively too far for me. However, the lengthy travel was definitely worth it!

We did an exclusive lengthy video interview session with the owner so he could explain in details about the dishes served to us. This is where we have learned that Tra Vinh is a place in Vietnam where Van Chien Ho's wife lived which most probably has a sentimental value for the creator of the Tra Vinh brand.

Please do watch it here or at our official YouTube channel at http://www.YouTube.com/user/wazzuppilipinas