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Brangelina in Manila?

Are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie really in the Philippines?

News that the Hollywood celebrity couple are in town spread on Friday after a US-registered private plane arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The travellers reportedly booked a room in a Shangrila hotel.

The buzz was that the couple will grace a soft opening of one of the ShangriLa Hotels and Resorts' four branches in the Philippines.

Attention focused on the luxury hotel group's branch in Boracay island as representatives of its high-end hotel in Makati, the country's premier business district, and its Mactan resort in Cebu province, denied the rumors and told ABS-CBN News and abs-cbnnews.com that the couple is not among their guests.

In Boracay, one of the country's most popular tourist destinations, Shangrila recently opened the first 5-star international resort. The new spa resort has 219 rooms, suites and villas that sit on a 12-hectare resort north of the island and has 350 meters of pristine beachfront.

Rates for the 60-square-meter deluxe rooms that have balconies and sea views start at $450 a night, while villas that have butler-serviced retreats and private plunge pools start at $1,000.

However, Shangrila's representative in Boracay denied that a certain Joy Wassmer, purportedly the alias of Jolie, booked a room with them for the week.

Nonetheless, a source from the resort confirmed that a representative of the couple booked a suite during the Lenten season. It is not confirmed, though, if Brangelina--the moniker for Brad and Angelina--will be there to use it. -- with ABS-CBN News

Gloria sees tourism
as hedge to crisis

BY REGINA BENGCO

BORACAY ISLAND.- President Arroyo on Tuesday pushed for the country's tourist spots, saying they will be the Philippines' hedge against the global economic crisis.

Arroyo inspected the Shangrila Hotel and held her Cabinet meeting at the Boracay Terraces and Resorts.

Arroyo said Boracay, which is the country's showcase tourism destination, is going well and strong. She said arrivals have increased from last January's 48,000 tourists by 5 percent to 51,000 tourists.

She said other destinations in the country are also doing well, adding that Cebu arrivals since January have increased by 5 percent from the same period last year.

The President said tourism is one of the sectors that government has strengthened as a response to the global meltdown.

She said the government has improved Boracay by providing for an international airport in Kalibo and another airport in Caticlan both in the province of Aklan, and constructing access roads and sewer lines to ensure clean water and environmental protection.

She said a port has been constructed on the other side of the island so that boats will not block the view of the main beach. A garbage disposal facility has been installed.

"There are still many things that we have to accomplish but we will continue to promote Boracay as well as other destinations to ensure that tourism continues to be our flag bearer in economic progress and development," she said.

Arroyo said tourism has a 10.6 percent annual average growth for the past four years, which she said is the best performance in 20 years of the country's tourism history. She said this has prompted investors to put up almost 7,000 new hotel and resort rooms of international class worth P550 billion, of which 2,000 will open this year and employ 3,000.

Joy Wassmer, director of communications of Shangri-La's Boracay Resort and Spa, said the hotel had its soft opening last March 2. The formal opening is in April. The hotel and resort has 219 rooms.