By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

WHAT is it like being a bangkero or a boatman dealing with local and foreign tourist everyday?

Alter Larawan has been a local bangkero for six years. Everyday, he wakes up early to prepare his boat. Like fisherman who gets up early to catch more fish, Larawan is driven by the need to “catch” tourists wanting to do some island hopping in Bohol.

Larawan does not earn much from this job. So he admitted that he would rather go back to construction work and earn more.

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By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net

LOCAL filings for trademark registration in the country rose by 7 percent in the first half of 2008, up from last year, a government executive says.

“This increase is good. Five years ago, about 65 percent of foreign trademarks are registered in the country versus the local ones but this year, the proportion is reversed,” says lawyer Adrian Cristobal, who is also director general of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IP Philippines).

Driving the increase in local filings is the growing awareness of Filipinos on intellectual property (IP) protection and the increased activities of small and medium enterprises.

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By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

ROAMING around a historical place like Intramuros can be more nostalgic if you take a ride on a “kalesa” or a horse-drawn carriage. No need to hire a tour guide because your English-speaking kutsero or coachman can definitely give you background of this historic place.

In my recent tour of the Intramuros, I met Emiliano Ortaleza, a coachman for 40 years. Always ready with a smile and a warm greeting to potential customers, Ortaleza has been doing this job to earn enough money to get by every day.

Ortaleza goes around Intramuros using a borrowed kalesa and a horse named Alasan.

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By Izah Morales
INQUIRER.net

When you are on a foreign soil, you will need a map to guide you to where you’re going. But when the map is useless, the next thing you will do is to ask directions from the locals of the area. But what if no one understands a thing you’re saying. Sign language may help you a bit. But talking with someone who understands you is better.

My mom and I found ourselves lost in Macau after we took a wrong route going to Fisherman’s wharf for dinner. We should have walked but we took a bus with the thought that our destination is far from the Macau Ferry Terminal.

Our problem started when asked the driver if the bus was going to the Fisherman’s wharf. He did not answer, and I presumed that it was because he didn’t understand a single word I said. So from that point, we did not know where we were heading. Luckily, a woman who looked like a Filipino boarded the bus. When we asked her, she just said, “Naku, malayo na kayo. Bumaba na lang kayo diyan sa susunod na stop.”
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INQUIRER.NET multimedia reporter Erika Tapalla is in the US now, and while driving around she saw a very familiar restaurant and decided to pay a visit.

Goldilocks public relations manager Marisse G. Abelgas gave Erika a tour, while head waiter James Casem talked about the Pinoy favorites halfway across the world.

By Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–The Bureau of Immigration has relaxed its rules for returning Filipinos or “balikbayans” by giving them a one-year visa-free stay in the country, Commissioner Marcelino Libanan has said.

A balikbayan principally refers to a former Philippine citizen who has become a naturalized citizen of another country.

Libanan said they decided to ease the bureau’s rule after being swamped with queries and complaints from returning Filipinos who claimed that they were confused by some immigration officers who would give them a 21-day stay instead of one year on the pretext that they have been to the country more than once over a 12-month period.

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