Filipino News Chinese New Year 2018

CHINESE NEW YEAR 2018 ISSUE 112 | www.filipinonews.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | tel: 027 495 8477 | 07
BUHAY
NZ
Top 5 reasons to visit RP in 2018
“Trip lang tayo, pasyal
tayo sa Pilipinas”, says a
friend who has lived in the
Philippines all his life and is
currently enjoying the wonderful
benefits of having a
stable financial income plus
the availability of backpacker-friendly
airfares that
give everyone a chance to
see the b-e-a-u-t-y of the
Philippines.
With or without the
awards given by travel publications
around the world
we all know that nothing
rivals the Philippines in
terms of tourism.
And for all the Pinoy
Zealanders, it’s about time.
Visit the Philippines, nothing
less, everything for
more, fun!
Top 5 Reasons to visit
the Philippines:
1. You need a break.
You’ve had enough of the
twang, the glottal stops and
gibberish talks that you get
into every day. You need it
and you know it.
2. You want a break. You
want to see the landscape.
You want to ride the waves
of Siargao and swim with
Butanding
(Whale Sharks) in
Donsol. You want
to take a solitary
trek in Sagada
and think about
the life ahead of
you or the life
behind you. Or
simply the life
that you’re in.
You want to visit
Tagaytay and take
a panoramic shot
of the world’s
smallest volcano,
Taal.
Boracay is
Boracay and it
offers you a
unique experience of beach
life during the day and partying
hard at night with
friends. You want to visit
the rice terraces of Benguet.
You want to see Bohol
and the world’s smallest
primate, the Tarsier. You
want to climb Mount Apo
and eat Durian. Of course,
you do love to dive and our
country is blessed with ultimate
dive spots that even
Jean Jacques Costeau failed
to see. And yes, from
By FRANCIS A. BUENAVENTURA
Photo Credit: Lyn Idio
Manila, visiting Bicol is
just a train ride away. View
the majestic site of Mayon
Volcano and enjoy the gastronomic
experience of
Bicol Express.
3. You miss salu-salo
with your family, which
extends to your inaanak,
kapit-bahay, ka-batch,
kalaro and everyone who
helped you unload your luggage
and balik-bayan
boxes. Oh you miss Adobo,
Kare-kare, Pinakbet, Sinigang,
Mechado, Menudo,
Pinikpikan, Diningding,
Palabok, Embutido, Tokwa’t
Baboy, Bulalo, TAP-
SILOG, TOCILOG and
whatever you have in mind
that reminds you of your
unlimited rice craving.
My 13-year-old self simply
can’t forget the time
when I earned the ire of my
home economics
teacher when she
asked us about our
own kitchen creation.
Since I was one of
the last students to
be asked what I
wanted to cook for
our final examination
in H.E., my
choices were limited.
So I answered,
VETLOG, short for
Vetsin and Itlog. I
received a scolding
outside the classroom
and a twopage
essay on why I
should not be penalized
for it. I escaped suspension
and was asked to
try-out for a slot on the
school’s newspaper.
4. You want to enter a
church, attend and celebrate
the Holy Eucharist with
people all around you. You
know you’re in the
Philippines when you’re
praying inside the church
and people are outrunning
each other to get the vacant
seat next to you. Don’t you
miss the smell of baby powder
mixing with sweat all
around the church on a
Sunday morning?
5. You are a socially
aware and responsible
Filipino. You want to vote
for your aunt/uncle/cousin/
classmate/neighbour running
in the midterm elections
this year. And yes, you
want to make sure it’s a trip
to listen to all the speeches
they’re giving come circus
time — este campaign period.
Bring your family back
here and stay for a while.
Rediscover the country and
show them the rich heritage
that we have.
Tourism is more than
increasing the Gross
National Product income
for our country. Tourism is
a great way to inculcate the
Filipino Youth with national
pride. National pride begins
with knowing what our
country is, its history and its
future.
Go home. Visit the
Philippines.