Maasin City, Southern Leyte's Town with Glorious Past

In an unruffled rural setting in Southern Leyte, lies a city draped by remnants of its glorious past. Maasin, the capital of the province blissfully sits on the western coast and is largely not a tourist favorite. Not much is written about the points of interest in this tranquil metropolis, but intrepid travelers curious to explore this part of the country will be rewarded with interesting treks, immaculate waterfalls and uncharted caverns.  Getting here requires extra stamina since the closest airport is located in Ormoc roughly 3 hour drive or you may also reach Maasin via Tacloban in approximately 4 hours by land. Alternatively, you can ride a ferry from Cebu or if coming from Mindanao, you can take the route I took which also...

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Posted in: Department of Tourism , Maasin City Southern Leyte , philippine Tourism , philippine travel

Canada Immigration Closed for Parents and Grandparents

The Parent and Grandparent sponsorship programme has reached the maximum number of applications that will be accepted this year, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced last week. It was a short-lived moment of euphoria for those families who had been waiting to reunite through the immigration programme that allows Canadian residents to sponsor their parents or grandparents. As the programme re-opened this January, with much fanfare after two years, it reached the 5,000 intake cap within one month. Now, the programme has been closed again, for at least one year. On January 2, the CIC re-opened the Parents and Grandparents sponsorship programme for application, promising to accept 5,000 new applications this year. In...

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Posted in: canada embassy , canada immigration , Canada Visa , Immigration News , travel news

Working Holiday Scheme (WHS) Visa Allows Filipinos to Study and Work in NZ for 1 year

Filipinos and New Zealanders between 18 and 30 can now go to New Zealand and the Philippines and stay for a year through a Working Holiday Scheme (WHS) visa that allows them to work and stay for holiday and leisure, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Monday. Starting Feb. 5, Filipinos and New Zealanders can apply for the special visa, which allows both citizens to train or study for a maximum period of three months, or work for one year with a limit of three months per employer. Visa holders will have to leave the host country after 12 months and only 100 visas per year per country will be issued to successful applicants, DFA said. The arrangement on the special visa was signed between Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert...

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Posted in: Immigration News , new zealand visa , travel news , Working Holiday Scheme (WHS) Visa