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Operating a Charitable Institution in the Philippines
The Philippine Consulate General in Chicago would like to
inform organizations/groups/persons interested in operating charitable
institutions in the Philippines about several regulations as required by the
Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development or DSWD.
INFORMATION ON BRINGING DRUGS/MEDICINES INTO THE PHILIPPINES All foreign tourists who wish to bring medicines, prescription medicines and restricted drugs for personal use during their visit in the Philippines shall be guided by the following:
PRESS
RELEASE
U.S.
Customs regulations governing the amount of currency
that may be brought into and out of the United States In
light of reports of incidence of detention and interrogation of Filipinos
and Filipino-Americans by U.S. Customs and U.S. Immigration, the
Philippine Consulate General reminds the Community of the regulations
governing the amount of currency that may be brought into and out of the
United States. While
there is no restriction or limit as to how much currency can be brought
into and/or out of the country, any amount exceeding US$10,000.00 (cash,
checks including foreign currency) must be reported to the U.S. Customs. In addition, any currency more than $10,000.00 cannot be
divided among “persons travelling together (irrespective of number,
relationship or age)”, a prohibited practice resorted to in order to
avoid declaring the full amount. The
Philippine Consulate General encourages the public to comply with this
“over $10,000.00 reporting requirement” to avoid undue delay in travel
as a result of detention, forfeiture, fines and unnecessary mishaps. For
more information on U.S. customs regulations, the public is invited to
visit the U.S. Customs website at www.customs.gov.
THE
PHILIPPINE WILD REEF EXHIBIT The
Philippine Consulate General in Chicago is pleased to announce that the
John J. Shedd Aquarium, the world’s oldest and largest indoor marine
mammal exhibit in the world, formally opened last April 15, 2003 its
newest permanent exhibit – The Philippine Wild Reef.
The 395,000-sq.ft. “Shedd” has a yearly attendance of about two
(2) million tourists.
The much awaited $45-million Philippine coral reef exhibit required
the construction of a building that houses the immense reef exhibit.
It is billed as one of the largest and most diverse shark exhibits
in North America. Guests will
experience the otherworldly mystery of diving the waters of a coral reef
– in one of the world’s largest displays – including face-to-face
encounters with the most menacing undersea creatures: sharks.
Shedd officials warn the faint-hearted guests that they may find
themselves only inches away from more than 30 large sharks in a
curved-overhead 400,000 gallon tank.
Guests will begin their journey at the surging shores of a
recreated Apo Island, a volcanic rock, in Negros Oriental at the south end
of the Philippines, and then surface to the mangroves and beaches of this
Visayan coast. To create an
environment where the fish will feel comfortable with their surroundings,
Shedd Aquarium imported from the Philippines, among others, 17.5 tons of
sand and a fisherman’s house.
Shedd brings to Chicago the coral reefs of the Philippines, and
epicenter of marine diversity with 450 species of coral and 2,500 species
of fish and home to more than 40 species of sharks.
“The coral reefs of Apo Island not only represent one of the
sea’s most distinct environments but also an ecosystem at risk due to
human interference,” said Mr. Bert Vescolani, vice-president of aquarium
collections and education of the Shedd Aquarium.
He further said “visitors will experience first hand the awesome
beauty of these endangered reefs and, we hope, be inspired to learn about
the world’s ocean habitats.”
“I know I speak for my countrymen in Illinois when I say that we
are elated and thankful to Shedd Aquarium for bringing a piece of the
beauty of the Philippine to Chicago,” said Philippine Consul General
Emelinda Lee-Pineda. “It is
our hope that through the Wild Reef exhibit, the
millions of visitors who will visit Shedd will appreciate the fact that
the Philippines is the epicenter of the world’s marine diversity and
that the country, with all its unique and wonderful attractions, deserves
to be visited as a tourist destination.”
A
D V I S O R Y The Philippine Consulate General in Chicago wishes to inform the general public that effective 01 January 2004, the processing fee of travel tax certificate will increase from P100.00 to P200.00, as prescribed under Philippine Tourism Authority ‘s Memorandum Circular No. 003-2003 dated 03 November 2003. Any inquiries concerning the above subject should be directed to the Consular Service Section, Philippine Consulate General, Chicago at 312-332-6458 ext. 25.
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© 2000 Consulate General of
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