7,107 ISLANDS: THAT'S THE PHILIPPINES BUT NOT ALL

Come to the Philippines!

7,107 islands—that’s the Philippines but not all. The truth is…the Philippines is more than that—more than the usual.

A tropical archipelago in Asia, the Philippines is among the most diverse ecosystems the world over making the country as the world’s home of splendid and exotic terrestrial and subterranean flora and fauna.

A convergence of the East and the West, the Philippines boasts of a mélange of finest cultural expressions that finds easy acceptance even among the world’s most discriminating tastes…in any category of art—from fine arts to fashion, from architecture to performing arts, from culinary to music.

Home to many ethnic groups and tolerant to any belief and color, the country never runs out of creative ways to amuse themselves and welcome visitors—every town has its own festival centering on community spirit that culminates in food sharing. This is where greatness is not measured by one’s material wealth but by the kind of hospitality that one offers to a visitor. This is where and when being visited by a guest without invitation is an honor. This is where the community that receives you will not force you to speak its language but will try to communicate with you even by using body language and, if that still fails, will offer you its best delicacy instead with, of course, the side dish of crisp and warmest Filipino smile.

Being diverse, every destination offers a unique mix of activities—diving, surfing, mountain trekking, and white-water rafting adventures, spa massage of various styles, beach excursion, cultural or scientific exploration, or even shopping galore and gastronomic escapades of local or international cuisines or a fusion of both. Of recent development, spa resorts are mushrooming all over the country especially in premier tourism destinations offering a variety of world-class massage services. Side-by-side with spa service industry, Philippine hospitals are in tune with international standards of medical treatment offering one of the world’s most competitive healthcare services.

Health experts say that stress is the number one culprit of the world’s most expensive illnesses. Stress can lead you to obesity, alcoholism, or chronic smoking that in turn leads to failure upon failure of various vital organs. Stress management is as crucial as earning your daily sustenance. There is no better way to relieve you of stress than by taking a break from your complacent daily routine of sedentary lifestyle—your sarcophagus of digital world and fast-food and chemical dependence. Before it’s too late, take a break and enjoy a better social life! Visit the Philippines, your wellness destination. Or, if you’re broke already, the Philippines also offers you global medical expertise side-by-side with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities that can cater to your most sophisticated treatment needs—but more than that, our top-notch hospitals will provide you healthcare with a heart.

Take a virtual tour of the country and the healthcare services that our hospitals offer through our website (upcoming)—this is your portal to the world’s best healthcare services…healthcare with a heart.

Come to the Philippines…your 7,107 islands of beyond the usual health and wellness indulgence.

A Thought

"And it is baffling for a country with highly trained people, western culture, all natural resources and we are not in the same league as the developed countries. That is something I find very disturbing and we cannot point our finger on us as to why," said Mr. Albert MG. Garcia, the president and CEO of Whealth, Inc., who was born in Manila, grew up in Madrid, schooled in Manila (La Salle), lived in Sydney, and back in the country for good after realizing that there is more he can do for his native country.

That's what I read today from Manila Bulletin, page B-5. And, that's pretty true.

Last Thursday, August 7, The Manila Times featured Klink's article entitled "Singapore's Model for Success was Philippines" based on his interview with Singapore President S. R. Nathan. "We had nothing except people," he explained on the inconceivability of the success of Singapore today as it does not have natural resources. When Klink asked him about what other countries can learn from Singapore success story, the President said, "When we started, you (the Philippines) were the model." Probably because, in 1965, the Philippines was one of the most promising countries in Asia that today Singapore leads.

Singapore has no natural resources to boast of and yet one of Southeast Asia's economic giants. In tourism, it's monumental--10.3 million visitors from January to December 2007. Compare that to the Philippines' a little bit more than 2 million last year despite the fact that we have 7,107 islands and millions of pesos that the government spends for promotion. That's a dismal figure since we have a lot to offer--a lot more which Singapore does not have. Instead of complaining, maybe it's about time to start doing our part.

Let's then begin telling the world...