'Philippines one of top holiday hotspots for 2011'

MANILA, Philippines - An Australian travel website considers the country as one of the must-see destinations next year, primarily because of its untapped pristine beaches.

Travel.com.au has released a list of top holiday hotspots and airlines for 2011, citing travel trends and statistics. Other countries included in the list are Brazil, India, United States and New Zealand.

"While affordable airfares and its rich culture were the key factors for Brazil's selection, interest in India continues to rise as well as the Philippines, which is becoming increasingly popular due to the political unrest in Thailand and its untapped beaches," reportednews.com.au.

The Australian travel website is also expecting a change in holiday patterns as travelers start to book months in advance to get cheap seats. Among the carriers to watch out for in 2011 are Singapore Airlines, V Australia, Asiana Airlines, Emirates, Thai International Airlines and Korean Airlines.

A small Philippine island was recently named by Travel and Leisure Magazine as one of the world's most romantic travel spots. Pamalican island, more popularly known as Amanpulo, is said to provide couples with "luxurious seclusion" with its 40 pitched-roof traditional villas and a pristine beach with sand "so white it's blinding."

Other islands that made it in Travel and Leisure Magazine's list are Rangali Island in Maldives, Santorini in Greece, and Harbour Island in Bahamas, among others.

Aside from Amanpulo, other popular tourist destinations in the Philippines include Boracay island, Bohol, Camarines Sur and Ilocos. A recent Boracay visitor is Mark Salling who plays "Puck" in the hit TV musical series "Glee."

Photo of Amanpulo courtesy of amanresorts.com

Giant mushrooms found in Davao

MANILA, Philippines - Three giant mushrooms were found in Davao City this week.

Eddie Rezon was surprised to see the three big mushrooms inside their compound in Silka, Matina Pangi, Davao City.

One mushroom's "umbrella" measures 15 inches across, its trunk was 3 inches, and its height was 14 inches. It is so big one can put a cellphone on top of it.

The mushrooms were at first mistaken for goats because of their width and color.

Rezon would not let people touch the mushrooms as they may be poisonous.

In 2009, a giant fungus covering 2,200 acres was found at the Malheur National Forest in eastern Oregon. It is considered "the largest living organism ever found."

Prior to this, an organism with the scientific name Armillaria ostoyae covering 1,500 acres was found in 1992 in Washington state near Mt. Adams. -- Report from Elric Ayop, ABS-CBN Southern Mindanao

NBA Wrap:Wade's 40 help Heat beat Knicks, 106-98

MIAMI (AP) No blowout this time for the Miami Heat. They can beat the Knicks with a grind-it-out finish, too.

Dwyane Wade scored 15 of his season-high 40 points in the fourth quarter, LeBron James and Chris Bosh each finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and the Heat held off a late comeback to beat New York 106-98 on Tuesday night, Miami's 15th win in its last 16 games overall and its seventh straight over the Knicks.

Wade hit a step-back 3-pointer with less than 2 minutes left to stop one New York run, and James essentially sealed it by blowing past Danilo Gallinari for a layup and seven-point lead with 40 seconds remaining.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 14 points and added 10 rebounds for the Heat, who won by 22 in New York on Dec. 17 and led this one by 22 as well - then held off a big challenge down the stretch.

"I told the guys, a 22-point lead against the Knicks is similar to a seven- or eight-point game against a normal team," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They kept on coming ... and that's what they do."

Amare Stoudemire scored 30 points for the Knicks, who lost for the fourth time in their last six games. Wilson Chandler scored 21 for New York, which got 15 from Raymond Felton, 13 from Gallinari and 11 from Toney Douglas.

"These guys are playing as well as anybody," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said of the Heat before the game, "if not the best."

At times Tuesday, those words rang particularly true.

Stoudemire had a tip-in to make it 97-93 with 2:02 left, and Spoelstra drew a technical for arguing from referee David Guthrie that it should have been offensive interference. Felton hit the free throw and suddenly, it was a one-possession game.

Wade wasn't worried.

His 3-pointer made the lead six again, and about a minute later, he went to the floor to collect a key rebound. James went left and past Gallinari with ease on the ensuing possession, and Miami held on.

Boozer, Deng help Bulls beat Bucks

CHICAGO (AP) Carlos Boozer and Derrick Rose stuck to the simple game plan in the fourth quarter that helped make Boozer a star in Utah.

Boozer had 24 points and nine rebounds, Luol Deng scored 24 points, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks 90-77 on Tuesday night.

Derrick Rose had 18 points, 12 assists and six assists for Chicago, who has won 11 of its last 13 games.

Milwaukee was clogging up the lane for most the game, so the Bulls used the pick-and-roll to spread the floor in the fourth quarter.

"We just started to do the pick-and-roll, we stopped doing the rest of our stuff," Boozer said. "We mixed it up through the course of the game, we realized that we had a good matchup with D-Rose and I on the pick-and-roll and we just kept going to it."

Rose and Boozer are starting to jell after Boozer missed the first 15 games of the season with a broken hand.

"He is teaching me, he knows sometimes he doesn't need to set the pick or he can slip if I just drive at his man and his man stays with me I can just bounce pass and he has his left hand," Rose said. "Everything is coming to us, but we've got to continue to do it."

John Salmons scored 18 points for the Bucks, who shot a season-low 32.1 percent.

"We didn't play very well at the end. We weren't able to get anything going offensively. Somehow we hung in there," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "We couldn't score enough baskets. We couldn't find ways to score."

Trailing 45-44 at the half, the Bulls opened the second half by outscoring the Bucks 9-0. Rose started the run with a 3-pointer and had a basket to make it 52-45.

Chicago pulled away for good midway through the fourth quarter by going on a 16-4 run. Leading 69-66, Rose started it with a jumper and Chicago got consecutive 3-pointers from Rose and Kyle Korver to make it 86-72.

Magic hit 19 3-pointers in 110-95 win over Cavs

CLEVELAND (AP) Orlando's new players are fitting in just fine.

Gilbert Arenas scored 22 points, fellow newcomer Jason Richardson added 20, and the Magic made a season-high 19 3-pointers in a 110-95 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.

"We have shown that at any given moment that anybody can take the game over," said Arenas, who was 5 of 9 on 3-pointers.

Orlando won its fourth straight by breaking open a close game in the fourth quarter with leading scorer Dwight Howard on the bench. Howard went out with his fourth foul late in the third period and didn't play in the fourth as the Magic extended a one-point lead to 102-85 with 4:23 to play.

The Cavaliers lost for the 14th time in 15 games and are 1-13 in December. The 3-pointers allowed was their season high.

Howard wasn't on the floor with the game on the line, but it didn't matter. The Magic scored 35 points in the fourth quarter, hitting 13 of 22 from the field and 7-of-10 3-pointers. Arenas, Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark, acquired in trades on Dec. 18 as the Magic rebuilt their roster, played major roles in the victory.

"We are veterans and we all mesh well," Richardson said. "We all have great personalities and nobody has a bad attitude. We all have the same goal, and that is winning games right now."

Arenas scored nine points, all on 3-pointers, in the fourth quarter. Clark had eight points while Turkoglu added six. All of Richardson's points came in the first three quarters.

Following the game, Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy was able to joke with general manager Otis Smith, the man who pulled off the trades.

"I told Otis on the way in, it took me 32 games, but we finally found our fourth-quarter lineup," Van Gundy said. "It was a great fourth quarter."

Howard also found humor with the way the game played out.

"We found out what the problem was tonight: I was," he said. "Once I stepped out of the game, it flowed a lot better."

Orlando, which attempted 31 3-pointers, had six players in double figures. Richardson made four 3-pointers, while J.J. Redick had 14 points and made all three of his 3-point tries. Jameer Nelson added 13, while Howard and Clark scored 12 points apiece.

Pierce leads Celtics past Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Boston Celtics played like a championship-caliber team for the final 12 minutes on Tuesday, and that was enough against the up-and-coming Indiana Pacers.

Indiana led for all but a few minutes in the first three quarters, but Boston outscored the Pacers 29-16 in the fourth while holding them to 26 percent shooting for a 95-83 victory.

"We just kept playing defense," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "Then all of a sudden, our shots started falling and our defense stayed."

Paul Pierce scored 21 points, Ray Allen added 17 and Kevin Garnett had 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Boston point guard Rajon Rondo missed his fifth straight game with a sprained left ankle. The Celtics improved to 4-1 without him and maintained the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics were coming off an 86-78 loss at Orlando on Christmas that ended a 14-game winning streak.

"You always want to get back on track, especially after a tough loss," Pierce said. "All of these road games are tough, no matter who you're playing because teams are comfortable in their home environment."

Glen Davis scored 14 points and former Pacer Marquis Daniels added 12 for the Celtics. They combined for eight points and two assists during the 13-2 run to start the fourth quarter that put the Celtics in control for good.

Daniels entered the game with his Celtics trailing 60-53 in the third quarter. The 6-foot-6 guard used his height advantage against Indiana's 6-footers Darren Collison and T.J. Ford.

OFWs in Madagascar stage strike vs firm, seek repatriation

Four overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Madagascar arrived home on Sunday, and hundreds more are expected to return, following weeks of strikes against their employer, which they accused of labor malpractices.

In a phone interview, Reynaldo Ubasa, one of the OFWs who returned to Manila told GMANews.TV that he and three other workers of the Kentz Engineers and Constructors in Madagascar were repatriated on Sunday, but that over 50 others are stranded in a hotel in Madagascar waiting for their flight back home.

Hundreds of Filipino workers have also expressed their desire to go home in the next few months if their complaints remain unaddressed, he claimed.

Ubasa is just one of about 2,500 Filipino workers of Kentz in its Madagascar sites, who staged strikes against the company three times since November, complaining of salary delays, non-payment of overtime work, absence of pay slips, poor accommodation, and discrepancies in wages.

GMANews.TV tried to get the side of the management of Kentz in Madagascar, but calls to the number listed on their website went unanswered.

Kentz is a global construction and technical support firm with hundred of clients in the hydrocarbons, infrastructure, process, water, telecommunications, power and industrial sectors. It has been operating for over 90 years, and has some 10,000 employees in 26 countries.

Ubasa said Kentz employs Filipino workers, mostly men, in a refinery or a power plant — the two company sites in that island nation found off the east African coast.

The majority of the workers arrived in Kentz in September this year, deployed by different recruitment agencies in Metro Manila, he added.

Some 600 OFWs are likewise set to be hired by Kentz in Madagascar, which targets the hiring of 3,000 Filipino workers.

“Nakakatatlong-strike na kami. (We’ve held three strikes already)," Ubasa said in a phone interview.

“(Ang) pinakamatindi ‘yung huli kasi matapos silang mangako ‘dun sa dalawang nauna naming strike, wala pa ring nangyayari sa mga reklamo namin (The third one was the last straw because the company did not fulfill the promises it made to us during our first two strikes), he said.

According to Ubasa, workers were forced to work 10 hours a day, sometimes even on Sundays, without overtime pay. Their salaries were also released to them in installment, making them unable to send remittances to their families back home on time.

In a separate statement sent through the militant youth group League of Filipino Students (LFS), Ubasa said that one of their labor union officers had almost been forcibly taken by the company’s security and pressured him to stop the strike.

LFS national chairperson Terry Ridon had met up with the group of workers in O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa’s capital, while they were in transit to Manila.

“We had resisted the companies’ machinations to make us submit and surrender. We did not. In response to the forcible taking of our leader, we prevented the departure of the management vehicles from the work site, " Ubasa said.

As a response to the workers’ protest actions, the company has instituted full-scale repression in the workplace, he lamented.

“The company has totally removed communication with the outside world," Ubasa disclosed.

Access to the Internet has been blocked to prevent us from seeking help from friends and relatives the Philippines, he claimed.

The Kentz management also did this to prevent the uploading of videos showing the force (used) by company security officers against our leader, he said.

As soon as his co-workers arrive in the country, the OFW said, they will troop to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to press charges against Kentz and the recruitment agencies that sent them to that company.

PHL Embassy in Kenya intervenes

Meanwhile, Roger Gonzales, officer-in-charge of the Philippine Embassy in Kenya, which has jurisdiction over Filipinos in Madagascar, assured the workers that he is constantly in touch with Kentz to ensure the resolution of their complaints.

“I have been calling a company representative and he assured me that they will exert their best efforts to make sure the 50 other workers stranded in a hotel will be sent home before New Year," Gonzales told GMANews.TV in a separate interview.

Gonzales said he has also asked the company to address the workers’ other concerns, such as the delayed salaries, crowded accommodation, and failure to give out pay slips.

The company is set to send him a formal letter outlining how it will heed the workers’ demands, the embassy official said.

Despite the labor problems, Gonzales said they have yet to file formal complaints against the company, as they have still to complete their investigation into the issue.

Records from the POEA show that the number of Filipino OFWs deployed to Madagascar began increasing in 2007, when 166 workers were sent there, up from just 23 in the previous year. In 2009, over 1,000 Filipino workers were sent to the east African island nation.

The Commission on Filipinos Overseas estimates that of over 23,000 Filipinos in Madagascar in December 2009, only 77 were permanent residents; the rest were temporary workers.

There are no Philippine government offices in Madagascar. The Philippine Embassy in Kenya — over 2,200 kilometers away from Madagascar — has jurisdiction over Filipinos residing or working in that island nation. —DM/KBK, GMANews.TV

Binay shoulders Faeldon's bail — spokesman

(Updated 10:57 p.m.) Vice President Jejomar Binay has paid for the bail of alleged mutineer Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon, the former Makati mayor’s spokesman said Tuesday. 

Joey Salgado, however, could not cite the reason for Binay’s action, saying Binay and Faeldon were not close with each other.

“As far as I know they haven’t met personally," Salgado told GMANews.TV in a text message.

He said he was not privy about the posting of Faeldon’s bail.

The Makati Regional Trial Court branch 148 had earlier allowed Faeldon to post bail, but Faeldon said he couldn’t afford the P100,000 needed for his temporary freedom.

GMANews.TV tried reaching Faeldon’s lawyer, Trixie Cruz-Angeles, but her phone was turned off.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta was meanwhile quoted in a dzBB report as saying that Faeldon still cannot be released from jail even if he posts bail.

Mabanta said that Faeldon cannot be freed because the alleged mutineer has pending cases before the military court. 

Faeldon is facing trial before civilian and military courts for allegedly participating in two attempts to overthrow the Arroyo administration, one in July 2003 and another in November 2007, both in Makati City.

Binay was mayor of Makati City at the time of the two incidents. - Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK/JV, GMANews.TV