LOS ANGELES- Philippine Consulate General Los Angeles (PCG-LA) launched the 9th Ambassadors, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour (ACGTDT) to the Philippines on Thursday, February 13.
The launching event began with a welcome address by Consul General Maria Hellen Barber-De La Vega, followed by a media presentation on the tour.
Philippine Department of Tourism – Los Angeles (PDOT-LA) Deputy Director Manny Ilagan said that the ACGTDT campaign has been successful because of the support of the Filipino community. The tour has also been very helpful in boosting the Philippine economy.
During the program, PDOT-LA Director Annie Cuevas discussed the two ACGTDT options: a basic tour, which will run from July 28 to 31; and an optional tour, which will run from July 31 to August 2.
The basic tour package (which costs $ 1,950) includes a three-night stay at Dusit Thani Hotel-Manila in Makati City, daily buffet breakfast, two dinners with special entertainment, historic wreath-laying ceremony at Rizal Park in Luneta, meet-and-greet with Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, lunch at Malacañang Palace, and many more.
Cuevas said that she is hoping that there will be more participants to the 9th ACGTDT, especially since the Philippines was inundated with natural disasters in 2013.
According to PCG-LA, there were more than 500 participants from the Philippine consulates/embassies in the US and Canada joined the 2013 Ambassadors Tour [100 of them came from Los Angeles].
The 9th ACGTDT to the Philippines is sponsored by the Philippine Department of Tourism.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend February 15-18, 2014 Sec A pg.1)
