Interview w/ SILVANA RAUCH, Mutya ng Pilipinas Central Luzon 2018 & Miss Subaraw Festival 2019

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Interview w/ VOLTAIRE ZALAMEA, Central Luzon's Top Events Specialist

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The Philippines' City of Angels - Angeles City

Angeles City is an independent city in the Province of Pampanga. It is highly-urbanized dubbed as the City of Angels. It is a 1st class city that is continually progressing. Angeles City is one of the most go-to places outside Metro Manila.

Thanks to the effective management by the current as well as past administrations, the city has maintained its image of a bustling enclave not only for gastronomic purposes but for those who want to retire and make it their home.

With all the amenities that one can enjoy in a big metropolis like Metro Manila, Angeles City has its share of shopping places not only for the local but for foreign tourists as well. Big malls as well as their local counterparts enjoy good business since the city is a melting pot of coming from the whole province as well as neighboring towns and cities.

Kapampangans and Angelenos are known to be good cooks. It is of no wonder why there is a proliferation of good restaurants that serve to clients of varied tastes. Aling Luzing's is known to be the best sisig maker in town. The Nepo Quad offers a wide array of restaurants that people can enjoy. Food parks are also being built such as the Muceno Open Food Park for everyone's delight.

The Tigtigan Terakan Queng Dalan is an annual food and booze festival that is usually celebrated coinciding with the city's fiesta and is usually held in the Balibago District which is the main artery going to the city center.

With the influx of tourists to the city due to its proximity to the Clark International Airport, hotels have mushroomed these past years. With the opening of the new airport to accommodate more tourists, Angeles City answers the call for the need to add more hotel rooms.

Being the center of everything in the province, it is to no surprise that it is also an educational hub. The City College of Angeles, Holy Angel University and Angeles University Foundation are but some of the best in terms of education. There are other schools, colleges and universities that have main campuses in the city.

 The Angeles City Hall, the Angeles City Hall of Justice and the Angeles Medical Center have been upgraded to serve the people more effectively and efficiently. These are just three of the many improvements done by the city for the service of its people.

The Angeles Heritage District is one of the many attractions of the city. It is where the Sto. Rosario Church, Museo ning Angeles and the Museum of Philippine Social History (formerly Pamintuan Mansion) can be found.

A must-visit in the area is the Clark Freeport Zone where many multinational companies and resorts are headquartered. Another interesting place to go to is the Korea Town where many Korean-owned establishments have opened up. The Samgyupsal restaurants are must-trys.

In the field of fashion, I am friends with three of the best Kapampangans in the industry. Philip Torres is the proponent of Pidayit fashion. Marlon Tuazon is the double winner of the first Ternocon sponsored by Bench. Manny Ocampo is one of the city's prolific bridal and debutante designers.

Soon to rise is the Rockwell Center Nepo which will have many facilities and amenities that will be enjoyed by Angelenos. There is already the Newpoint Center where a mall and several call center offices are housed.

With all these, Angeles City is not just a city of angels. It is a haven for everyone who wants to enjoy the good life.

Credit to the owners of the photos.

Is Clark Going to Be the Next Capital of the Philippines?

Clark, formerly a U.S. military facility, is found in the provinces of Pampanga and Tarlac. It is known as the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone. It is a 314 square kilometer property which was placed under the Philippine Economic Zone Authority in 2006 granting tax and duty exemptions to export company locators operating in the said economic zone.

It has seen the boom in construction of different locators which house factories, warehouses, offices and technological establishments that made Clark their hub. In recent years, there has been an increased number of locators from other countries in the said economic zone. Some have even transferred their main offices to Clark.

Of course, local companies are also given slots to cater to the needs of the public. There is the Laus Group which caters to the automobile needs of the people in nearby provinces. There are also malls in the property, the most prominent of which is SM City Clark which sits near the entrance gate in going inside Clark.

The Clark International Airport was once the hub of the American military when it was still its base. Now, the said airport has become a hub to Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air and Air Asia Philippines. They fly from Clark to many destinations locally and internationally. Several international airlines ply the Clark route from their respective countries and the capacity of the airport is nearing its maximum. In a few months, the Clark International Airport Terminal 2 is set to break ground to accommodate the growing number of passengers utilizing the airport.

In earlier days, two leisure parks cum resorts were established namely the Mimosa Leisure Estate and Fontana Leisure Park and Resort. They provided time sharing amenities which included the use of villas for a short period of time, the use of resort facilities, casinos, use of golf courses, seminars & conventions and the like.

Now, several 4 and 5 star hotels have mushroomed for the influx of tourists who now frequent Clark. Most of these establishments have casinos and offer different events to the delight of their guests. Hotels such as Park Inn, Quest Hotel, Midori Hotel, Marriott Hotel and others are for everyone to choose from.

In an effort of the Duterte administration to decongest Metro Manila, the Department of Transportation initiated its main office to Clark. Expectedly, other offices will follow the footsteps of DoTR.

Clark's hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games is a proof that the government is serious in its bid to make it as a major player in the country's economy and other activities. With the world-class stadium, aquatics center and athlete's village built for the said Southeast Asia biennial sport spectacle, other events will soon follow.

Recently, artists came up with scales on where Clark goes into the future and how it will look like. It is intended to become the government center of the Philippines and eventually, become its new capital. With the current problems we are experiencing in Metro Manila, I would not mind if Clark City will come into fruition.

Credit to the owners of all the photos.