Get 10% Discount on Local Hotels with travelbook.ph and EastWest Bank

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Start your summer getaway right and score hotel discounts from travelbook.ph and EastWest Bank!

Enjoy 10% discount on Philippine hotels via your EastWest Bank Credit, Debit, or Prepaid Card when you book from February 15 to March 15, 2019.

For more information, see promo Terms and Conditions


Terms and Conditions

The promo is open to all EastWest Credit Cardholders in good credit standing, Debit and Prepaid Cardholders ("Cardholders" and “Cardholder”).

Booking Period is from February 15 to March 15, 2019. Stay Period is from February 15 to September 15, 2019.

Cardholders can enjoy 10% discount on local hotel accommodations by booking during the booking period using their EastWest Credit, Debit, or Prepaid Card. Additionally, the stay period must be within the dates indicated above.

To avail of the discount, the Cardholder must go to www.travelboook.ph/eastwest and choose from the promo-eligible hotels available.

A minimum purchase amount of PHP 1,500 is required to avail of the promo.

The cardholder must enter the first 6 digits of his/her qualified EastWest Credit, Debit, or Prepaid Card on the Booking Details page and use the same card for payment.

The offer cannot be applied retroactively. Travelbook.ph reserves the right to cancel bookings resulting from fraudulent transactions.

By joining this promo, the Cardholder confirms that he/she has read, understood, and agreed to the mechanics of the promo, including, but not limited to these Terms and Conditions.

Terms and conditions indicated in the Terms and Conditions Governing the Issuance and Use of EastWest Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards shall apply.

For any concern or inquiry regarding the offer, the cardholder may call the travelbook.ph hotline at (02) 304-5555 or email customerservice@travelbook.ph. For any inquiry or concern on the promo or the card account, Cardholders may contact EastWest Customer Service at (02) 888-1700 or email us at cards@eastwestbanker.com.

All questions or disputes regarding the Cardholder's eligibility for the promo shall be resolved by EastWest. In case of disputes relating to the promo, the decision of EastWest and travelbook.ph shall be conclusive with approval from DTI.

Accounts should not be delinquent (i.e. for Credit Cards), not under investigation due to suspected fraudulent activities, those whose EastWest Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards are not reported lost or stolen, and those who have not otherwise, violated any of the Terms & Conditions Governing the Issuance and Use of EastWest Credit, Debit and Prepaid Cards.


Per DTI-FTEB Permit no. 2254 Series of 2019.

DOTr Announces Common Station Ready to Go

Wazzup Pilipinas!

DOTr signs contract for the design and build of the Unified Grand Central Station (Area A)

There’s no stopping the construction of the Common Station, as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) formally signed the contract for the design and build of ‘Area A’ of the Unified Grand Central Station (UGCS), also known as the Common Station on 13 February 2019.

The Common Station, located at the north end of EDSA, marks the intersection of four railway lines – the LRT-1, MRT-3, MRT-7, and the Metro Manila Subway. It aims to provide a seamless transfer of passengers from one rail line to another.

The Common Station will feature a transit area for the riding public, operated by an automated fare collection system, which will give commuters better point-to-point mobility and comfort. It is expected to serve approximately 500,000 passengers daily upon completion.

DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade led the signing ceremony at the site of the construction, together with Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Reinier Paul Yebra and Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan who signed the contract on behalf of the DOTr. Meanwhile, Lucila Gomez signed as authorized representative of the BF Corporation and Foresight Development and Surveying Company Consortium.

“What is the value of the Common Station? Three things: interoperability, intermodality, and interconnectivity. Those three are key elements in making the Filipino life comfortable,” Secretary Tugade said.

With the location of the Common Station stalled since 2009, DOTr Secretary Tugade, in the first 100 days of the Duterte administration, met with all parties involved and got them to agree on a location.

“Alam niyo ‘ho, ‘yung Common Station, matagal na ‘hong inumpisahan ‘yan. Nung nag-umpisa po kami, nagkapit-bisig tayo kasama ang mga tinatawag na economic tai-pans at sinabi nila, ‘makikiisa kami sa inyo. Magsama-sama tayong bigyang buhay at bigyan ng katunayan ang tinatawag na Common Station na inaasam ng madlang bayan’,” the transportation chief added.

The Common Station is a 13,700-square meter concourse comprised of three areas: Area A under the DOTr, Area B under Ayala Land Inc., and Area C under the MRT-7 Project facilitated by San Miguel Corporation (SMC). Since the groundbreaking in 2017, Ayala Land Inc. has started the construction of Area B.

Area A is set to be completed by 2020, while the entire Common Station is expected to be operational by 2022.

“November 28, 2006 – ‘yan po ang petsa kung kailan naaprubahan ang konsepto ng Common Station. Fast-forward to 2019, and we are now closer to what we have thought of more than a decade ago,” DOTr Undersecretary Batan said.

The construction of the Common Station is one of many projects under the Build, Build, Build Program of the Duterte administration, with the groundbreaking ceremony for the PNR Clark Phase 1 (Tutuban-Malolos) scheduled on 15 February 2019, and the groundbreaking of the Metro Manila Subway on 26 February 2019.

“Groundbreaking is one thing. Completion of a project is another thing. If you do not complete the project with the quality expected and within the timeline formulated, I will hold you accountable in the books,” Secretary Tugade emphasized.

DOE Thanks GIZ for RE Gains of SupportCCC II Project

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The Department of Energy (DOE) expressed its appreciation yesterday (13 February) for all the technical and financial assistance extended by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) to the Philippines at the culmination event of the Support to the Philippines in Shaping and Implementing the International Climate Regime (SupportCCC II) Project held at the Novotel Manila Araneta Center.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi stated, “For three consecutive years, the Philippines ranked first among 125 countries in terms of energy environmental sustainability. This couldn’t have been achieved without the strong collaboration among the different Philippine government agencies, as well as the technical and funding support from our international partners, like GIZ.”

The event featured presentations on the project’s major accomplishments with key implementation partners, the way forward to further enhance the country’s climate policy, lessons and capacity building measures in the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and the partnerships built among key stakeholders to ensure synergy in succeeding climate actions.

Sec. Cusi added that GIZ played an instrumental role in enriching renewable energy (RE) deployment and utilization in the Philippines.

Since the project’s inception in 2015, SupportCCC II has continually provided extensive technical assistance to the DOE and other relevant government agencies, such as the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, to further develop the national climate change policy.

Focusing on RE innovations, it has helped the Philippines learn the management of increasing amounts of variable RE (vRE) and adapt power planning with the mega trends happening globally, and facilitated capacity building for energy stakeholders, such as the grid operator and the distribution utilities, on the grid integration of vRE.

A high-level delegation visit to Germany was also arranged through the project, where decision makers learned about the grid and market integration of vRE. They also witnessed first-hand, the positive outcome of utilities’ learning to manage increasing amounts of RE over time, as evidenced by the 40 gigawatts (GW) of solar and 40 GW of wind power currently installed in the German system having only 11 minutes of annual down time.

In addition, relevant studies were also conducted which included an assessment of the power planning process, a policy review of the Feed-in-Tariff and net-metering for RE, a cost-benefit analysis of the power sector using the RE country diagnostic tool, and an analysis of the Negros solar situation.

The closing activity was attended by DOE Spokesperson Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella, Director Mario C. Marasigan, Officer-in-Charge of the DOE-Electric Power Industry Management Bureau, key officials from the Climate Change Commission and other government agencies, civil society groups and members of the academe.