Mechanics for Donations

Among the principles of Eco-tourism is providing positive experiences for both visitors and hosts, as well as providing financial benefits and empowerment for the local people. It is our hope that you are one with us in espousing this kind of tourism, where giving back to the places we visit is part and parcel of the desire to take in new and wonderful experiences from a blessed vacation.

Our chosen beneficiary of this giving back in Coron, Palawan is Children’s Chance for Tomorrow Foundation (CCFT).

The Beneficiary:

Children’s Chance for Tomorrow Foundation (CCFT)

Children's Chance for Tomorrow Foundation (CCFT) is an SEC registered non-governmental organization founded by William D. Baldwin III. Since 2005, its global mission is to provide holistic, loving solutions to the needs of orphaned, abandoned and impoverished children. Their programs and facilities fulfill the children’s needs for housing, education, and community. With CCFT’s support and care, children gain the necessary hope, self-reliance and confidence to become responsible, compassionate adults.

What we can do for them:

To date, CCFT has 63 children under its care, with ages ranging from 3 years to more than 11 years old. CCFT welcomes any form of humanitarian support or contribution - whether in goods, services, or finances. Rest assured, your donations will go towards the welfare of the children.

Suggested donations:

We have conferred with CCFT, and based on our exchanges with them, these are the donations that would fit them:

1. CASH – As requested by CCFT, we will use the cash you donate to purchase Indoor/ Outdoor game materials such as volleyball, softball, chessboards, etc. Any amount will be appreciated. Please email us the amount of your pledges. We will collect your cash donations in Coron.

*You may also sponsor the kids’ needs for a certain # of months, or for an entire year. Sponsorships are P500/month per kid, or P6000/year per kid. If you would like to make this pledge, please let us know.

2. KIND – Donations in kind may be in the form of home clothes or slippers for 63 children. Please let us know if you choose this option. We need to collect all donations in kind by Sept. 1 as we will bring these to CCFT’s Manila office instead of bringing them ourselves to Coron.

For your guidance, the children’s ages, gender and feet sizes are in the table below.

If you have other items in kind that you feel would be good to donate, please let us know.

Get to know the children of CCFT:

Get a chance to meet them in Coron! We will give the orphanage a quick visit when we get to Coron on the first day. The children have prepared something for us, and they are excited to see you all. J If you decide to sponsor a child, you can get to meet the child you sponsor personally as well.

As we find ourselves enjoying the sights of Coron,

there is extra joy in knowing there are children

who have been blessed by our having visited them.

Sept 11-14, 2010: Gusto CORON!

Destination: Coron, Calamianes Group of Islands

Town/City: Coron (via Busuanga)

Province: Palawan

Coordinates: 11° 52' 60 N, 120° 12' 0 E

Description

Coron is a beautiful town located in the province of Palawan that has a population of 32,243 people (according to the 2000 census). It is a part of the Calamianes Group of Islands in northern Palawan. These are the cluster of islands you will see on the map at the nothernmost tip of Palawan Island. These group of islands has been named in Forbes Traveler Magazine’s top 10 best scuba diving sites in the world. But even with just snorkling, one could already easily see why its underwater gems are a marvel.

Unlike Puerto Princesa, Coron is still a relatively up-and-coming destination in Palawan, but developments are coming very fast in the islands because of its pristine beauty and huge tourist potential.

TOUR DATE:
The Great Palawan Escape to ‘Coron’!
September 11-14, 2010 (4D/3N)


Expect a splendid vacation of 4 days and 3 nights at Coron. The majestic limestone cliffs of the Coron Island, the jade and turquoise waters, the clear lakes of the Kayangan Lake and Twin Lagoons, the amazing wildlife of Calauit, plus the thousands upon thousands of vibrant marine life – all these await to tickle your senses when you join us in this Great Palawan Escape to Coron!

Coron - where the beauty of nature

is at its best, and biodiversity

is well preserved.

ITINERARY

Flight Details:

**We will send you a separate email regarding your flight details/e-ticket and your flight companions.

Tour Details:

Day 1 (11 September, Saturday)

• Check in at Darayonan Hotel (free wifi and swimming pool!)
• Coron Town Tour
• Orphanage Visit (it’s about tourism with a heart!)
• Maquinit Hot Springs (soothe your tired muscles in the only saltwater hot springs in the country!)
• Includes: Buffet Lunch and Dinner, van transfers and entrance fees

Day 2 (12 September, Sunday)

• Coron island Tour: includes
• Siete Pecados (best preserved corals in Coron),
• Kayangan Lake (cleanest lake in the Philippines!),
• Twin Lagoon (at high tide, you’ll have to dive to get from one lagoon to the next)
• Banol Beach for Lunch,
• CYC Island (thousands of colorful friendly fishes waiting to be fed), and
• Skeleton Wreck (a Titanic experience!)
• Includes: Breakfast at hotel, buffet Lunch at Banol Beach and buffet dinner, boat transfers and entrance fees

Day 3 (13 September, Monday)

• Calauit Wildlife Park Tour
• Calauit Island Tour: Includes:
• Black Island Beach and Caves,
• and Coral Garden
• Optional: Panlaitan Village and Lusong Shipwreck
• Includes: Breakfast on board, Buffet Lunch at Calauit, boat transfers
and entrance fees
• Excludes: Dinner at Kawayanan Grill (personal account)


Day 4 (14 September, Tuesday)

• Mt. Tapyas Sunrise (an over 700-step ascent to welcome the sunrise, overlooking Coron Town and surrounding islands)
• Hotel Breakfast
• Depart for Airport

*See below for tour cost, reminders and other details.

PACKAGE TOUR COST: P6,888.00 only (for triple and quintuple sharing)
**Additional P900 for 3 nights for those who prefer twin sharing (2 in a room)

FEE INCLUSIVE of the following:

(1) Van to and from Busuanga(Airport)-Hotel-Busuanga(Airport)
(2) Van for City Tour
(3) Boat rides for Coron Island Tour and Calauit Island Tour
(4) Entrance fees for all island tours
(5) Entrance/tour fees for Maquinit Hot Springs and Calauit Wildlife Park
(6) 4 Days/3 Nights Hotel Accommodations (double/triple/quadruple/quintuple sharing) @ Hotel Darayonan (with free use of swimming pool and wifi!)
(7) Day 1 – Buffet Lunch, Buffet Dinner
(8) Day 2 – Hotel Breakfast, Buffet Lunch, Buffet Dinner
(9) Day 3 – Breakfast on board, Buffet Lunch
(10) Day 4 – Hotel Breakfast
(11) Travel Insurance

But WAIT, there’s more! You get a FREE Commemmorative T-Shirt too! ☺


PAYMENT OPTIONS:

(1) CASH:

Method:
a. Deposit via the ff. bank account:

BDO Savings Account #: 4370-1041-09
Account Name: ALMIGHTY EXPLORER CORP.

Please send deposit slip by email (travelbuddies888@gmail.com) or by fax (02.524.5947).

b. Send or bring payment at our office:
G-D Burgundy Westbay Tower, 820 P. Ocampo St., Malate, Manila, Philippines 1004
Contact #: (02) 302.9057-58

Please let us know when to expect you.

(2) CREDIT CARD via PAYPAL
Payments may be made via Credit Card through Paypal at the convenience of your own home.
We will send you a billing via Paypal should you choose this.
However, amount to be billed shall include paypal charges of approx. 5.5% that will be put on top of the tour cost.

*We are still working on our credit card payment terminal.

SCHEDULE of PAYMENTS:

• 50% Downpayment (P3444.00) by August 1, 2010 (non-refundable but transferable, and only valid for the Sept 11-14 trip)
• 25% Balance (P1722.00) by August 16, 2010
• 25% Balance (P1722.00) by September 1, 2010 (add P900 (3 nights) for those on twin sharing)

Note: Please add 5.5% if paying via credit card through Paypal. Separate instructions will be sent when we bill you via Paypal should you so request.

Once payments have been made, please inform Pao Bautista at 0917-663-8888 or Tristan Mirasol at 0917-246-9888. Keep your deposit slips or transaction receipts for record purposes, just in case. We will inform you when we have confirmed receipt of your payments.


THINGS TO BRING/REMINDERS:

What to bring:

A. Pack light!

• 4D/3N worth of swim clothes and change clothes
• Towels (provided by hotel)
• Toiletries
• Water bottles/jugs
• Sunblock
• Mosquito repellant (very important)
• Personal medicines/medicine kit
• Flashlight
• Camera (seal in waterproof bags)
• Personal snorkle gear (may be rented) and aqua shoes (lots of sea urchins!)

B. Extra Money

• Bring extra money to buy your snacks, water, souvenirs, and for Day 3 Dinner.
• Airport tax of P200 (Manila) and P20 (Busuanga)
• Optional donation (in cash or in kind) to Children’s Chance for Tomorrow Foundation (an orphanage we will visit in Coron; donations in kind will be collected prior to the trip as well; visit http://www.ccftfoundation.org/ for more details. We will send a separate email regarding how to donate or what is appropriate to donate.)

C. What to wear:

• Wear comfortable clothing when going around Coron town; shorts and cotton shirts will do to keep you cool. Have your swim clothes handy for Day 1 to 3 as you will get wet from the hot springs and the island tours.
• Good ol’ trusty sandals, slippers or rubber shoes for short walks in town.
• Aqua shoes suggested for island hopping as sea urchins abound.
• Always wear a smile and a happy disposition.
• Nature loves a cheerful and grateful tourist. ☺

Note:
• Cellsites are available for all networks.
• Coron town is all wifi ready. And it’s free! (but better to leave your laptops behind)
• This is a nature trip, so be prepared for the elements.
• That’s part of the adventure! ☺

Other reminders will be given as the trip comes near.
We will be asking everyone to sign a waiver.

We look forward to being with you

on this exciting nature adventure to Coron.

It’s going to be a fun, relaxing and enjoyable trip – with great friends

to supply all the happy memories we will surely always look back to!

FOR your questions and other INQUIRIES, contact:

Pao Bautista at 0917-663-8888 (pybautista@yahoo.com) or

Tristan Mirasol at 0917-246-9888 (tristanmirasol@gmail.com).

ACTION REQUIRED:

(Please email us at travelbuddies888@gmail.com with answers to ff. questions if you haven't already done so.)

(1) Are you ok with triple/quintuple sharing?
(i.e., 3-5 in a room; Note that the hotel rooms are really just for sleeping, since we will be out on tour most of the days. Couples have already been asked if they want rooms for 2 only. Let us know if you'd like that too. Rooms for 2 require add'l payment of P900/rm for 3 nights.)

(2) Are you ok to give us (Tristan/Pao) liberty to assign your roommates?
(If so, then good, that makes it easy for us, hehe. If not, please indicate your preferred roommates. Note however, that due to room # constraints, we may not always be able to accommodate such requests. Since we already know all of you and who your relations are in the group, we have taken that into consideration in assigning roommates.)

(3) Which payment mode are you amenable with?
(Please indicate if by CASH (hand deliver to office), or by DEPOSIT (to our bank account), or CREDIT CARD via Paypal.)

(4) Are you okay with the payment schedule?
(If not, let us know what you have in mind. The deposit though is very important so we can secure our slots/rates with the hotels.)

(5) Would you like to donate to the Children's Chance for Tomorrow Foundation?
(If so, please let us know if in cash or in kind. Donations in kind will be collected by end of August.)

(6) What is your shirt size? (for the commemorative shirt)

Thank you!

Your kind, prompt and clear responses will be most appreciated. :)