MALAY, Aklan, Philippines — Koreans are still the number one foreign tourists visiting the world renowned island resort of Boracay. According to the latest data of the Department of Tourism (DoT), from January 2005 to May 2011, 654,100 Koreans visited Boracay.

There were 100,922 Korean arrivals in 2005, rising to 124,618 in 2006 and 128,909 in 2007. The number plunged to 91,579 in 2008 and to 69,438 in 2009. It rose to 95,711, a 27 percent increase. From January to May 2011, there were 42,923 Korean visitors in Boracay. The Chinese came in second, with 131,335 arrivals from January 2005 to May 2011. The Americans were third with 80,423. (Tara Yap)

Market fire

Iloilo City – A four-hour fire destroyed most of the municipal market of Calinog, Iloilo, Thursday night, and damage was placed at R200 million. More than 300 stores were reduced to ashes including a water refilling station, a rice-trading store and a poultry supply shop. The fire started in the eatery area and quickly spread due to strong winds. Majority of the stalls were made of wooden materials.

Fire officials blamed the fire on faulty wiring. Fire brigades from neighboring towns and fire volunteers from Iloilo City helped put out the blaze. Calinog was placed under a state of calamity with the burning of the municipal, which was built with a R23-million loan. (Tara Yap)

Buy-and-sell shines

ILOILO CITY (PNA) – Half of the micro small and medium entrepreneurs in Western Visayas are engaging in retailing and wholesaling business, particularly in the buy and sell of goods. Dominic Abad, regional director of  Department of Trade and Industry-6 (DTI-6), said the remaining 50 percent are into manufacturing, hotel, real estate, micro finance, agricultural, fisheries, and other social services.

Abad said they are strengthening micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through government-private partnerships to outline other priority economic projects such as agri-aqua, tourism, processed food, furnishing and other in-demand products.

Training to fight human trafficking

CEBU CITY (PNA) – A senior police official in Cebu said the police needed to be trained on new technologies to fight human trafficking. Senior Supt. Teofilo Siclot, deputy director of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), said they will train all town police chiefs to familiarize them with how traffickers use the Internet as a medium for illegal activities.

”Their skills are inadequate,” he said. Last April, a cybersex den in Consolacion town was raided by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7.

Traffic deputies

ILOILO CITY (PNA) – The Land Transportation Office 6 (LTO-6) is preparing to deputize at least 80 policemen from the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) to help decongest traffic here. The policemen attended a one-day seminar on basic traffic laws at the LTO-6 office Wednesday as they prepare for the assignment.

Marlon Velez, chief of LTO’s Law Enforcement Unit, said police applicants should be recommended by their chiefs of police or ICPO city director,
must have attended the LTO seminar and have no pending criminal and administrative cases.