Filipino News April 2018

1Number 

#1 FILIPINO COMMUNITY PAPER SINCE 2000 

Two Editions Fortnightly : NZ wide & South Island. 

Print. Web. Tablet. Mobile. FB. YouTube. 

Vol 8 No 113 

TRAVEL GALORE 

2018 

North 

and 

South 

Island 

W: www.filipinonews.nz, www.pinoynzlife.nz, www.filipino.kiwi | E: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | M: 027 495 8477 | Facebook: Filipino Migrant News 

pg 02 

THE RUINS - also known as the ‘Taj Mahal of Negros 

Occidental’ - is the remains of an Italian architectureinspired 

mansion built by a wealthy sugar baron in the 

early 1900s in Talisay. Photo credit: Jun Mendoza 

BACOLOD CITY: 

Babalikbalikan 

n’yo 

YOUNG 

FAMILY IN 

SHOCK 

AFTER 

SUDDEN 

DEATH OF 

DOTING 

DAD 

pg 07 

pg 09 

BORACAY ISLE 

SHUTS DOWN 

pg 12 

COOL COMFORT 

TO MANILA

02 DESTINATION : BACOLOD CITY ISSUE 113 | www.filipinonews.nz : pinoynzlfie.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | mob: 027 495 8477 

Travel, culture, cuisine, events : www.travelgalore.nz 

Ruminations 

at The Ruins 

By SHEILA MARIANO 

FMN EDITOR 

Photo credit: Jun Mendoza 

BACOLOD CITY - 

There are some negative 

memories that you wish 

could be totally wiped 

from the recesses of your 

mind. Then there are 

those flashbulb memories 

that you want to cherish 

as it tends to warm you 

up from the inside. 

The latter was the case 

for me when I first laid 

eyes on The Ruins, situated 

in Talisay, Negros 

Occidental. The mesmerizing 

ambience of this 

majestic ruin just left me 

breathless. 

The reactions of other 

visitors to this national 

treasure are much the 

same: 

“The skeletal remains 

are an alliance between 

past and present.” 

“We have lost the vessel 

but not the memories.” 

“The glory of the beautiful 

structure is enhanced 

by the lights and 

reflected on the waters.” 

“Everything in this 

compound is so picture 

perfect.” 

“It is without doubt one 

of the most talked about, 

photographed and written 

about monuments.” 

“It is the Taj Mahal of 

the Philippines.” 

QUICK HISTORY: 

‘The Ruins is the remains 

of the ancestral 

home mansion of the 

wealthy sugar baron Don 

Mariano Ledesma Lacson. 

‘He built it in memory 

of his wife Maria Braga 

Lacson, who died in a 

freak accident while carrying 

their 11th child. 

‘Constructed in the 

early 1900s, it was inspired 

by Italian architecture. 

‘It was burned down by 

the American colonial 

masters during World 

War II to prevent its use 

as a military office by 

invading Japanese forces. 

‘It burnt for 3 days 

down to its current empty 

shell.’ Source: wikipedia.org 

If old houses where 

signs of life are interrupted 

and frozen in time, or 

paranormal phenomena, 

creep you out, set your 

mind at rest. The only 

chilling experience you 

get here is - chilling 

out. 

Just like the Taj 

Mahal, The Ruins 

evokes a love story and 

the proud passions of a 

consort. Love is in the air. 

My first visit to this outstanding 

monument was 

on a Sunday morning - a 

good time to see the beauty 

of the landscape. 

My first impression of 

the treasured home of the 

Lacsons was: “It still 

showcases 

what is left of 

an opulent 

era.” 

Surprisingly, 

the grounds of 

The Ruins 

were already 

bustling with 

activity. The 

set-up for a 

wedding was in 

full pro-gress - 

detracting 

from the vibe 

and the serenity 

of the place, 

not to mention 

cluttering the 

background of 

my photos. 

(This is a popular 

venue for 

weddings, special events 

and parties.) 

I met a group of students 

who were doing a 

school project about ‘Noli 

Me Tangere’ (a novel 

written by Jose Rizal during 

the colonization of the 

country by Spain). 

They were dressed for 

the part – wearing period 

costumes. I asked why 

they decided to pick this 

location? They said: “It’s 

fit for the purpose.” 

Inside The Ruins there 

is a small souvenir shop. 

A must-have treat is 

refreshing sugarcane and 

calamansi juice at a small 

kiosk just outside the 

building. And if you want 

a bite to eat, the Gazebo 

restaurant in the grounds 

serves Filipino food 

throughout the day. 

I had the opportunity to 

Foto credit: Louie Encabo 

return to The Ruins the 

following day at around 

6pm. There was a romantic 

feel to the place with 

all the enchanting lights 

blazing and it was heightened 

by a saxophonist 

playing mood music. 

A group of tourists were 

being herded around by a 

lively tourist guide. 

Friends, families and 

tourists had the run of the 

place as the setting was 

perfect for photo opportunities. 

A lovely photo of The 

Ruins (above) taken by a 

photojournalist in our 

group was featured on the 

front page of the Philippine 

Inquirer the next 

day . 

Over the years many 

Filipino movies and television 

series were filmed 

here. Movies like 

‘Everyday I 

Love You’, 

starring Enrique 

Gil, 

Liza Soberano 

and 

Gerald 

Anderson. 

‘ I k a w 

Lamang’, 

starring 

Coco Martin, 

Kim 

Chiu, Julia 

Montes and 

J a k e 

Cuenca as 

well as others. 

By the 

way, The 

Ruins was 

awarded 

The mesmerizing ambience 

of this majestic ruin 

just left me breathless, 

says Sheila Mariano 

(pictured) 

Foto credit: Louie Encabo 

Students doing a school 

project at The Ruins.ns 

‘Best Destination for 

Heritage Site’ by Choose 

Philip-pines Awards on 

Decem-ber 2016. 

The Ruins is a must 

visit and should be included 

in your bucket list 

of places to visit in the 

Philippines. 

Babalik-balikan n’yo. 

HOW TO GET 

THERE? 

The location is in 

Talisay City, Negros 

Occidental, just a 15- 

minute drive from Bacolod 

City. 

You can get there by 

public transport or go by 

jeepney, take a tricycle 

ride or hire a taxi. 

The venue is open daily 

from 8am to 8pm. 

Balikbayans can catch 

a flight from Ma-nila to 

Bacolod via Philippine 

Foto: FMN 

Airlines. The 

flight time is 

only an hour 

and 15 minutes. 

PAL also 

flies to this 

city from 

Cebu and 

C l a r k 

Airport.

DESTINATION : BACOLOD CITY. ISSUE 113 | www.filipinonews.nz | filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | www.pinoynzlife.nz | FB : Filipino Migrant News 03 


Tourney helps showcase 

beauty of the country 

By Sheila Mariano 

BACOLOD CITY - It is 

one of Asia’s longest running 

amateur golf championships 

and it brings 

together teams from all 

over the world for a week 

of fun and games in various 

parts of the Philippines. 

Besides promoting Philippine 

Airlines' domestic 

network, the prestigious 

PAL Interclub Golf Tournament 

is also “flaunting 

the beauty of the country”, 

as Peter Paul Duran 

of the Manila Standard 

phrased it. 

PAL’s tourney utilises 

rotating venues in the 

country – for example 

Davao, Cagayan de Oro 

and this year the destination 

was Bacolod, in 

Negros Occidental. 

The carrier has announced 

plans to stage the 

2019 Interclub (the 72nd 

edition) in Cebu’s Alta 

Vista and Cebu Golf and 

Country Club. 

For an insight into how 

local communities benefit 

when a tournament 

is 

held in their 

region we 

spoke with 

PAL’s Branch 

Manager in 

Bacolod, 

Rene G. Aviles. 

This is the 

third time the event has 

been held in his patch 

during his posting to the 

'City of Smiles'. 

“First there was the 

Interclub for Men in 2014, 

then the Ladies tournament 

in 2015. This is the 

3rd event I have been 

involved with. 

“Since the 2014 event 

there has been a rapid 

expansion of accommodation 

facilities to cope with 

the tourism boom the 

region is experiencing,” 

says Aviles. 

The Bacolod-Silay International 

Airport is well 

Rene G Aviles 

PAL Bacolod 

connected to other 

gateway cities - it is 

an hour by air from 

Manila and 30 minutes 

from Cebu. 

PAL Express, the domestic 

arm of Philippine 

Airlines, runs eight 

flights, more or less, from 

this airport – five 

daily flights to 

Manila, four times a 

week to Clark Airport 

and two daily 

flights to Cebu. 

Bacolod is great if 

you want to chill out. 

First time visitors 

will enjoy a slower 

pace of life and notice 

the absence of big 

city traffic snarls. 

The weather is amazing. 

The food is legendary 

– especially 

seafood. And there’s 

lots to see and do if 

you are so inclined 

(check out the related 

articles on this destination). 

According to 

Aviles, Bacolod was 

declared a ‘most liveable 

city’ in a recent survey. “It 

is very peaceful - there are 

no syndicated crimes over 

here. 

“Actually, our Mayor 

has been promoting 

Bacolod as the perfect 

choice for people planning 

to retire.”


EXCLUSIVE ON-THE-SPOT INTERVIEW : HENRY ARABELLO (left) 

By Louie Encabo 

BACOLOD CITY - As 

the 71st annual Philippine 

Airlines Interclub Golf 

Tournament drew to a close 

I spoke to tournament director 

Henry Arabello about 

the success of the golfing 

contest and his thoughts on 

the burgeoning Philippine 

tourism market. 

Taking time out of his 

busy schedule, Arabello met 

with me in an air-conditioned 

office at the Negros 

Occidental Golf & Country 

Club which also functioned 

as the tournament’s 

media room. Several games 

had just been played that 

morning and the tournament’s 

head honcho was in 

high spirits about how the 

event was going. 

“Like every year, this rendition 

of the Interclub tournament 

is an even mix of 

competition and camaraderie,” 

he informed me. 

“While it is a contest, 

competition takes a backseat 

in favour of team bonding 

and socializing among the 

different competitors.” 

A quick glance of how the 

players responded to each 

other during the lunchtime 

hiatus indeed confirmed 

that. Rather than having serious 

team talks or strategy 

discussions, players of different 

teams chose to mingle 

with each other instead over 

a traditional Filipino banquet. 

The 2018 iteration of the 

golf tournament was held in 

Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. 

Arabello told me that 

the reason for selecting the 

'City of Smiles' this year 

was that PAL prioritized 

exposing players and travellers 

to the provinces, rather 

than holding it somewhere in 

Don Petil 

the Greater Manila region. 

“We would like to give our 

players a chance to see the 

provinces, particularly those 

far from Manila such as 

Cebu or Davao.” 

Last year’s edition was 

hosted by Davao City and 

Arabello explained that their 

rationale for selecting the 

eventual event location is 

based on two criteria. 

1) The city should have at 

least two golf courses; this is 

in order to accommodate the 

number of players that register 

for their events. 

2) There should be ample 

tourist amenities such as 

hotels and restaurants, in 

order to ensure that the participants 

have a good time. 

From hosting only a dozen 

or so teams during their 

inaugural tournament in 

1947, this year’s edition has 

95 teams in the men’s division 

alone. They also have a 

division just for seniors and 

another for members of the 

media. 

The growth of the tournament, 

according to Arabello, 

can be attributed to the 

“While it is a contest, competition takes a backseat 

in favour of team bonding and socializing among 

the different competitors.” - Henry Arabello 

PAL INTERCLUB GOLF TOURNAMENT : 

A BIG HIT ONCE AGAIN 

friendships that have been 

created over the past inceptions 

of the Interclub tournament. 

“We have players who 

have been participants for 

more than a decade. The 

longevity of their participation 

has ensured that they 

have created long-lasting 

friendships, which gives 

them a reason to come back 

every year.” 

It also helps that PAL’s 

marketing offices not just in 

the Philippines, but all 

around the world, do their 

part in advertising the tournament 

to potential players. 

Every year, the Interclub 

hosts teams from all around 

the world and the 71st edition 

was no different, with 

teams coming from Los 

Angeles, Australia and New 

Zealand. 

“In order to entice foreignbased 

participants to enter, 

we market it to them as 

being not just a chance for 

them to play golf in another 

country, but also to see the 

different attractions that we 

have here in the Philippines.” 

Arabello said. 

While we may not be a 

country known for outstanding 

golfers, the PAL tournament 

director explained that 

the Philippines has the 

potential to attract tourists 

with its golf courses. 

“Our golfing experience 

here is different to that of 

other countries,” explained 

Arabello. “While other 

countries may have worldclass 

golfing facilities, the 

service team catering to the 

needs of the players in different 

golf courses in the 

country makes Philippine 

golf quite unique.” 

Being a country with topnotch 

beaches, good food 

and a benevolent climate, it 

is easy to see his point. Top 

This year there were 95 teams in the men’s division 

alone, noted Tournament Director, Henry Arabello. 

Carlo Villaroman 

it all off with a people who 

are known for their warmheartedness 

and hospitality 

and suddenly the Philippines 

becomes an attractive destination 

for golfers all around 

the world. “The potential is 

there; we just need to drive 

that point home,” Arabello 

added. 

Though this year’s tournament 

just ended and the next 

one is still a year away, 

Arabello teased that the next 

edition may be in the Queen 

City of the South – Cebu. 

Being a province with stellar 

infrastructure and a plethora 

of wonderful beaches, I am 

without a doubt that the next 

PAL Interclub Golf Tournament 

will be a big hit once 

again.

DESTINATION : BACOLOD CITY. ISSUE 113 | www.filipinonews.nz | filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | www.pinoynzlife.nz | FB : Filipino Migrant News 05 

EXCLUSIVE ON-THE-SPOT REPORT 

BLACK TEES IN HIGH SPIRITS, 

DESPITE LOW TURNOUT OF PLAYERS 

By Sheila Mariano 

BACOLOD CITY – In March 

last year, for the very first time, 

a Filipino-Kiwi golf team qualified 

to participate in the prestigious 

Philippines Airlines (PAL) 

Interclub Golf Tournament in 

the Philippines. 

The then team captain of the 

New Zealand Black Tees, Jude 

Daculan, was buoyant about the 

exciting opportunity that was 

given to Filipino-Kiwi golfers at 

the 70th tourney, held in Davao 

City - President Duterte's 

hometown. “It was a great experience,” 

he enthused, “we are 

coming back next year.” 

In 2018 the Black Tees kept 

their promise and returned to 

compete in the 71st Interclub, 

which was held in March in 

Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. 

The PAL Interclub is an amateur 

golf competition that’s held 

annually at rotating venues in 

the Philippines. It brings 

together clubs from the 

Philippines and around the 

The New Zealand Black Tees led by Archie Milo 

world for a week of friendly 

competition and camaraderie. 

The Black Tees qualified to 

participate in the tournament in 

2016 when the Philippine flag 

carrier started flying to Auckland 

via Cairns in Australia. 

A bonus for players and visitors 

was the fact that this route 

made the journey to Manila less 

formidable as the travel time 

was cut significantly - by about 

7 hours. 

A 9-man team from New 

Zealand sallied forth to their 

first Interclub tournament 

chanting team member Fr. 

Mario Dorado’s mantra: “Win 

or lose, you are always a winner.” 

The team did not win the 

tournament, but in the words of 

Jude Daculan: “For me it’s a 

great experience to play in this 

big tournament for the amateurs.” 

There was a Christmas present 

from PAL for travellers. In 

December last year the carrier 

reduced the travel time for this 

sector even further – down to 

only 10 hours with the launch of 

a direct Auckland-Manila service. 

For some reason this new 

development did not trigger a 

rush of players wanting to participate 

in the tournament. 

Actually, only 8 players from 

Wellington put their hands up 

to join the Black Tees (last year 

there were 9 participants). 

What’s more, there was a glaring 

absence of players from 

Auckland. 

“There are five players 

returning from last year,” said 

Archie Milo, who bravely captained 

the all-Wellington team. 

“They are myself, Fr. Mario 

Dorado, Lito Magadia, Ed 

Magadia and Elier Tingzon. 

Then we have three new players: 

Arnel Baloyo, Mike 

O’Gorman and Adwin Eagle - 

who is married to a Filipina.” 

Archie did not go into the reasons 

why there were no players 

from Auckland this year. In any 

case, he said that the Black Tees 

relished the opportunity to play 

in this prestigious event. 

He was confident that next 

year New Zealand would field a 

bigger team for the Cebu tournament.


BACOLOD - Never letting 

up until the very end, 

Manila Southwoods ran 

away with the Regular 

Men’s title in the PAL 

Interclub to take another 

step towards duplicating a 

feat done just once before. 

Comfortably ahead going 

into the final day at 

Marapara with a 20-point 

lead, the Carmona-based 

squad didn’t leave any 

room for anyone to stage a 

comeback and amassed a 

closing 146 for a 72-hole 

551 tally for a fourth 

straight title, just one shy of 

the record. 

Southwoods, which became 

just the third team to 

win four consecutive times, 

prevailed by an astounding 

41 points over Luisita, 

which nipped Canlubang 

in the bud by eight points. 

Southwoods triumphs again; 

nears Interclub record streak 

The margin of victory is 

one of the biggest and 

accentuated Southwoods’ 

dominance of the field, and 

more importantly, it moved 

the squad within another 

title of matching a five-year 

run by Canlubang from 

2006-2010. 

“This only goes to show 

that our grassroots program 

continues to work,” an elated 

Thirdy Escano, Southwoods’ 

non-playing skipper, 

said of the victory. 

The Sugar Barons actually 

had two four-year 

championship streaks, 

counting its victories from 

2000-2003 thats only 1 four 

year set. 

Taisei Shimizu reprised 

The veteran Jun Jun Plana’s 

32 was the fourth-best score 

for Southwoods, which got 

a measly 25 from probound 

Jama Reyes. 

Southwoods is also set to 

lose Tom Kim, last year’s 

individual champion, to the 

pro ranks, but Escano 

believes that his squad is 

good for championship 

runs at least for the next 

three years. 

“We have young, brilliant 

players still waiting for 

their chance to shine,” 

Escano said. “Southwoods 

is committed to giving 

these players the break they 

need. We are simply giving 

back what the game of golf 

has given to us.” 

Street Food Festival 

Organised annually by 

Fiesta Pilipinas & Filipino Migrant News 

For over 15 years Fiesta Pilipinas Ltd and 

Filipino Migrant News have been 

organising Food Festivals concurrently 

with its annual ‘Halo Halo NZ’ Expo. 

From June this year the new ‘Halo Halo 

NZ’ Street Food Festival is coming to a 

town near you. Auckland. Hamilton. 

Wellington. Christchurch. Invercargill. 

Expression of Interest: 

Join this exciting roadshow - 

providing food or selling other 

products and services. We will be 

donating a part of the ‘stall 

holders fee’ to local groups / 

charities. 

Send us an email: filipinonews@ 

xtra.co.nz or text: 027 495 8477.

migrantnews.co.nz 

WELCOME 

TO NZ 

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Mobile: 027 495 8477 I email: migrantnews@xtra.co.nz I 27th Year of Publication 

Education & Training 

Business 

Opportunities 

Young family in shock after 

sudden death of doting dad 

reeling from the shock of 

suddenly becoming a single 

mum. She told FMN 

that she cannot make any 

major decisions and is 

“just trying to keep 

calm”. 

After being thrust into 

the role of widow with 

very young children in 

tow, she is now forced to 

cope on her own. After 

the funeral she has to figure 

out what to do next. 

They are all New 

Zealand residents – so 

they have options. They 

could stay on in the 

Philippines or move back 

to New Zealand where 

she would try to get her 

physiotherapist’s qualifications 

endorsed and 

hopefully fulfil the family’s 

New Zealand dream. 

At the end of the day 

the family needs financial 

support to meet their current 

living costs in the 

Philippines and help with 

travel costs if they are 

going back to New 

Zealand. 

If you would like to 

help the family you can 

message Marie at her 

facebook page: VMarie 

Marave. Marie’s New 

Zealand bank account 

details are: 01-0886- 

0249429-00. Any donation 

would help greatly. 

Imagine when the dream for a better life is stopped 

dead in its tracks after 5 years in the country. 

By MEL FERNANDEZ 

TIMARU – They come 

over here in search of a 

better life. But that 

dream can come to an 

abrupt end when tragedy 

strikes. 

Out of the blue an 

OFW who hailed from 

Santa Cruz, Zambales, 

collapsed and died after 

suffering a brain aneurysm. 

Alan C. Bucat, 

who lived in Timaru, 

collapsed 

at home on February 

25th and 

died in hospital 

two days later. 

He left behind 

his wife Marie 

Marave and 

three young children 

aged: 4, 3 

and 11 weeks. 

“He was young 

and fit with no 

health issues,” said 

Marie. “I checked his 

blood pressure two years 

ago and it was normal. 

“He doted on his kids,” 

added Marie, and the 

family loved travelling 

around New Zealand 

together. 

Alan worked as a carpenter 

and Marie, who 

was a physiotherapist in 

Santa Cruz, Zambales, 

was training to practice 

in New Zealand. 

After the sudden death 

the community has rallied 

to help the family by 

setting up a givealittle 

page. It raised $3,280. 

Thankfully, Alan’s employer 

shouldered the 

cost of flying the body 

and the family back for 

the funeral in the 

Philippines. 

The outpouring of help 

immediately after her 

husband’s 

death has 

temporarily 

cushioned 

the family’s 

short-term 

future. 

“The full 

impact of the 

tragedy is 

only now 

starting to 

dawn on 

me,” said 

Marie. She is

P a g e 0 2 w w w . m i g r a n t n e w s . n z I M i g r a n t N e w s : W e l c o m e t o N e w Z e a l a n d E x p o I Migrant Job Board 

Their company doesn’t 

have the contract to clean 

France’s iconic Eiffel Tower 

– well, not just yet! 

While that might be a tall 

order right now, CrestClean 

business owners Anthony 

and Jackie Batoy left visitors 

to the famous Paris 

landmark in no doubt that 

the Crest team was in town. 

Wearing their eye-catching 

company tops, the 

Invercargill couple quickly 

became a talking point with 

tourists and locals as they 

posed for selfies at the 

tourist attraction. 

They’d packed their work 

uniforms to take on the epic 

holiday to see family on the 

other side of the world. 

Jackie says that there were 

many highlights during their 

four-week holiday, which 

took in Paris, Barcelona, 

Amsterdam, Antwerp, Cologne 

and Frankfurt. 

But Paris was a firm 

favourite, she says. “It’s 

Trio turning heads 

in Europe’s 

fashion capital 

everybody’s dream to go to 

Paris. I can’t believe I’ve 

been there and my dream 

came true. It’s so historical 

and the buildings are so 

old.” 

The Batoy family are 

proud of what they’ve 

achieved through owning 

their own business. It paved 

the way for making their 

new life in New Zealand so 

successful, they say. 

In 2007 the couple were 

living in the Philippines and 

made the life changing decision 

that they should emigrate 

to New Zealand. They 

wanted a better way of life 

for themselves and also their 

daughter Jazlyn. 

Anthony, who had completed 

his doctorate in veterinary 

science, arrived first 

to take up a position as a 

dairy farmer just outside 

Invercargill. Almost a year 

later Jackie, a medical laboratory 

technician, joined him 

with their daughter. 

After arriving in Invercargill 

Jackie began working 

as a caregiver in a local 

retirement village. In 2012 

they made their next big life 

changing decision – the one 

that saw them purchase a 

CrestClean franchise in 

Invercargill. 

Over time they expanded 

their cleaning 

business and 

decided to 

seek extra help 

to cope with 

the growth that 

they had. Staff 

members they 

took on included 

Jackie’s 

father Jimmy, 

who had joined 

them in 

New Zealand. 

Jimmy remained 

with 

the family for 

three years 

before joining 

Jackie’s sister 

Sheryl and her 

family in Paris. 

In 2014, with 

their business 

going from 

strength to 

strength, Jackie 

and Anthony 

decided to buy their own 

home – a spacious six-bed- 

room property in Invercargill. 

It was a perfect family 

home for their daughters 

Jazlyn and Erin and baby 

son Batskie. 

About the same time the 

idea of a family holiday 

began. They wanted to give 

their children the opportunity 

to see some of the world 

and of course to catch up 

with other family members 

en route. 

Saving and planning for 

the trip went on for the next 

two years, with Anthony and 

Jackie taking on additional 

cleaning contracts to provide 

the funds needed to ensure 

that the holiday would be an 

unforgettable experience. 

Their journey 

began as they flew 

out of New Zealand, 

headed for the bright 

lights of Paris. They 

set up a 'base camp' 

there with Jackie’s sister 

Sheryl and her family, 

including Jackie’s 

father Jimmy. 

It was an emotional 

reunion; as it had been 

some time since the 

families had been together 

and it was the first 

time that the children had 

met each other. 

Jackie also had other 

relatives living in France 

and the opportunity to 

reunite with them was 

grabbed while they were 

there as well. 

For Jackie’s aunts living in 

Paris, it was the first time 

that they had met Jackie’s 

children and her husband 

Anthony. 

They visited many different 

countries and experienced 

a wide range of cultures 

before they returned to 

New Zealand after spending 

time in the Philippines. 

Now back in Invercargill, 

Anthony and Jackie have set 

their sights on buying a 

rental property and saving 

for their next big holiday.

Street Food Festival 

SUPPLEMENT • www.travelgalore.nz • Mobile: 027 495 8477 • APRIL 2018 

For over 15 years we have been organising Food Festivals 

concurrently with the annual ‘Halo Halo NZ’ Expo. 

From June this year the all new ‘Halo Halo NZ’ 

Street Food Festival is coming to a town near you. 

Organised by Fiesta Pilipinas 

and powered by Filipino Migrant News 

filipinonews@xtra.co.nz • text: 027 495 8477 

Tourism jewel shuts down 

for massive clean-up 

By MEL FERNANDEZ 

Editor - Travel Galore 

The writing was on the wall for this once 

pristine holiday isle, but officials just buried 

their heads in the sand. And now the 

situation has become super critical – this 

popular hot spot is facing environmental 

disaster due to years of government neglect. 

The Philippine Inquirer discovered that 

Boracay Island “has been plagued by 

perennial problems” which were ruining the 

future of this tourism jewel. 

BORACAY ISLAND 

Kristine Manuel (pictured), 

FMN’s reporter in Manila, filed a 

glowing report about this resort island 

during it’s glory days. 

The paper referred to a government study 

that found that rampant overcrowding, 

over-development, environmental decay and 

unbridled pollution would turn Boracay into a 

'dead island' in less than a decade. 

President Duterte was forced to step in, 

in the nick of time to close down the island 

for up to six months - effective 

26 April - for a massive clean-up. 

It is hoped that Boracay Island will 

eventually revert to its former glory. 

BORACAY ISLAND – 

Visitors - both locals and 

foreigners – used to wax 

lyrical about the pristine 

beauty of this gem of an 

island with its powdery 

white sands, miles of palm 

fringed beaches and azure 

seas. Add to that mix some 

exciting water sports, great 

accommodation and restaurants, 

plus the frenetic night 

life - and you have all the 

ingredients for a world class 

tourist drawcard. 

In 2012 it was voted the 

‘best island in the world’ 

by Travel and Leisure Magazine. 

In 2015 it was 

ranked 7th among the top 

25 beaches in the Travellers’ 

Choice Awards of 

the influential travel site - 

TripAdvisor. The following 

year its ranking in these 

Awards was down to 12th 

place and in 2017 it was 

placed 24th. 

Despite the negative 

media reports about overcrowding, 

over-development, 

sewage and the 

garbage problems it was 

facing, Boracay was 

declared the ‘best island in 

the world’ by Conde Nast 

Traveller in 2016. 

Data issued by the Malay 

Municipal Office showed 

that tourist arrivals soared 

from 1.5 million visitors in 

2014 to over 2 million in 

2017. And the Department 

of Tourism estimated that 

the island generated P56 

billion in revenue last year. 

Together with the overwhelming 

success there was 

also a downside – overdevelopment, 

a total disregard 

for the environment, 

serious overcrowding and 

unchecked pollution – horrible 

sewage and garbage 

were found everywhere and 

the rampant algae growth in 

the water was of growing 

concern. 

According to a recent 

government report, water 

pollution had caused a significant 

decline in coral 

cover – as much as 70% 

coral loss. And in some 

parts of the 1,032 hectare 

island water pollution levels 

had peaked to 50 times 

above what is safe for 

swimming. 

The President dubbed the 

island a 'cesspool' and on 

March 6 threatened to 

declare a state of calamity 

within six months. “Ang 

state of calamity may component 

’yan na pambigay 

talaga for those who are displaced 

financially,” he said. 

“In the meantime, if I were 

from Boracay or one of you 

guys there, the best thing 

for you to do is to cooperate 

with the government and 

hasten the cleanup.” 

On March 7, the President 

threatened to arrest local 

officials in Boracay who are 

uncooperative with the government’s 

efforts to save the 

island. “And if you put up a 

fight then I’ll charge you for 

sedition, preventing the 

government from doing 

what is good for the Filipino 

people. “Yan lang ang maiwan 

ko sa kanila,” he 

added. 

The Department of the 

Interior and Local 

Government is looking 

into administrative and 

criminal charges against 

local officials and private 

individuals who allowed the 

unregulated development of 

the island and failed to stop 

the illegal discharge of 

sewage, the building of 

structures in wetlands and 

forest areas and other 

wrongdoings. 

Government agencies 

were instructed to crack 

down on resorts and other 

establishments that were 

contributing to the pollution 

problem, to step-up the 

enforcement of sanitation 

and waste water rules and to 

complete the island’s 

sewage and drainage system. 

Assistant Tourism Secretary 

Frederick Alegre 

said that only about 47 percent 

of the hundreds of 

establishments are connected 

to the island’s main 

sewage treatment plant, 

with many of the rest possibly 

maintaining crude septic 

tanks and others discharging 

their waste directly into 

the sea. 

Alegre said that the island 

could sustain only 30,000 

people. But Boracay teems 

with 70,000 at any time - 

50,000 residents and daily 

arrivals of about 20,000 

tourists. 

An interagency task force 

composed of the Department 

of Tourism, Department 

of Environment and 

Natural Resources (DENR) 

and Department of the 

Interior and Local Government 

(DILG) took a closer 

look at the problems and 

came to the conclusion that 

this world-famous island 

was facing an environmental 

disaster and that the only 

way forward was to close it 

down completely and for 

work to start on rehabilitation 

immediately. 

Subsequently, President 

Duterte ordered authorities 

to close down the island for 

up to six months - effective 

26 April - for a massive 

clean-up to take place. 

Johnson Cañete, Western 

Visayas director of the 

labour department, said that 

the agency was preparing to 

assist 17,735 registered 

workers. 

He said that the regional 

labour office had proposed 

emergency employment 

assistance for the workers, 

including P50 in insurance 

and compensation (the 

regional minimum wage is 

P323.50 per day), for 30 to 

90 days.

10 OPINION : BORACAY ISLAND ISSUE 113 | www.filipinonews.nz : pinoynzlfie.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | mob: 027 495 8477 


By 

LOUIE 

ENCABO 

SA AKING PALAGAY 

The only bigger mess 

than the green algae which 

pollutes Boracay Island is 

the uncertainty over its 

future. 

Once the top draw of 

Philippine tourism, its 

white sand beaches could 

potentially be closed off to 

guests for a year. This is 

after President Rodrigo 

Duterte labelled the island 

as a “cesspool”, due to the 

environmental problems it 

has been experiencing for 

years and he is seriously 

considering restricting 

access to the island in order 

to rehabilitate it. 

The move appeared proenvironment 

at first; the 

easing of Boracay’s congestion 

was a solution also 

endorsed by environmentalists. 

However, the President’s 

motives have been deeply 

questioned after he also 

announced the construction 

of a US$500 million mega 

casino on the island itself. 

Closing Boracay: 

What is Duterte up to? 

Galaxy Entertainment 

Group Ltd, a prominent 

casino operator headquartered 

in Macau, obtained 

the go signal from the 

Duterte government to 

invest half a billion dollars 

in an integrated casino and 

resort hotel on 23-hectares 

of green space in the island. 

Not only will it tarnish the 

laid-back, family-friendly 

atmosphere that Boracay is 

known for – it will further 

add to the over-development 

of the island and rob it 

of its few remaining natural 

settings. 

The urbanisation of Boracay 

has transformed it 

from a tropical paradise getaway 

to another urban jungle. 

The plethora of commercial 

establishments on 

the island, most of which 

dump untreated wastewater 

into its pristine waters, have 

been pinpointed as the culprits 

behind its environmental 

problems. 

By adding another commercial 

site on the island, 

moreover one that is as 

massive as this proposed 

mega casino, it really begs 

to be asked how the 

President plans to solve 

Boracay’s woes. 

If the proposed closure of 

the island is intended to 

allow nature to recuperate, 

then why allow such a 

large-scale construction to 

take place? The transporting 

of heavy equipment, the 

arrival of an army of 

labourers and the actual 

construction of the structure 

itself will all take their toll 

on what’s left of Boracay’s 

natural environment. 

Even Duterte’s own environmental 

chief, DENR 

secretary Roy Cimatu, 

admits that the construction 

of the mega casino is contradictory 

to the administration’s 

proposal to allow 

Boracay’s rehabilitation. 

Another Cabinet official, 

local government secretary 

Eduardo Año, went as far 

as to say that he disagreed 

with the plan to build the 

mega casino. 

It also seems very unfair 

that the business establishments 

on the island already 

will be forced to shut down, 

meanwhile this foreign corporation 

will be permitted 

to conduct its own operations. 

It is estimated that even a 

nine-month shutdown 

would result in the loss of 

Php56 billion in revenues 

and would cull 36,000 jobs, 

while the government also 

stands to lose Php6.7 billion 

in tax revenues. 

By allowing the construction 

to go ahead, the economy 

loses, the environment 

suffers and Duterte’s 

alleged plan to restore 

Boracay’s natural beauty 

becomes obsolete. The only 

winner in this entire fiasco 

is the Galaxy Entertainment 

group, who will surely profit 

from the Philippines’ burgeoning 

gaming industry. 

So what exactly is the 

President planning to 

achieve by closing down 

Boracay, yet allowing the 

construction of this behemoth 

of a casino? For a man 

who boasts that he knows 

how to get things done, 

Duterte seems like a headless 

chicken on what to do 

with the tourist island. 

One of the incumbent 

administration’s fiercest 

critics, Bayan Muna Rep. 

Carlos Zarate, postulated 

that the closure might only 

be a “smokescreen to allow 

the casino to be built”. That 

theory seems to hold up, 

given the vast contradictions 

and inconsistencies in 

the government’s plans. 

This is an ongoing saga 

that is getting as murky as 

Boracay’s waters these 

days, but hopefully we get 

answers as clear as 

Boracay’s waters once 

were.

TRAVELOGUE ISSUE 113 | www.filipinonews.nz | filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | www.pinoynzlife.nz | FB : Filipino Migrant News 11 


A P r o t e s t a n t i n 

Medjugorje 

As a member 

of the 

led away 

one can be 

O P I N I O N 

By LORENZ ENGI 

Evangelical 

f r o m 

Reformed Church, I give 

an account of a visit to 

Medjugorje. The reader 

should not expect anything 

spectacular, but 

simply an open and honest 

account by one who 

can fairly claim to be an 

independent assessor. 

I feel that through 

Medjugorje I grew to 

know Mary personally. 

She is very different from 

what an outsider might 

imagine her to be. She is 

not a half goddess sitting 

on a throne, pushing 

Jesus aside, but rather a 

modest woman full of 

love, full of sympathy 

and full of warmth. 

Mary is an absolutely 

affectionate mother, who 

Christ through the veneration 

of Mary. On the 

contrary, she leads all to 

Him, always pointing 

steadily to Jesus, as she 

invariably does in her 

messages from Medjugorje. 

Mary does not 

want anything for herself. 

Everything is for her 

Son and thus for the 

whole human race. 

I do not know whether 

one can come to these 

insights from a distance, 

by merely reading books. 

In fact, I do not believe 

so. One must enter into 

the world of this experience 

in order to understand 

it. In this sense, I 

can only recommend to 

everyone to make the 

strives with all her journey to Medjugorje. 

strength to take away the 

burdens that oppress her 

One will learn much 

about faith, about the 

children. Hopefully, what Church, about the 

we ourselves have experienced 

of 'motherly love' 

is even more greatly 

exemplified in Mary. 

I now consider it utterly 

impossible that some- 

Mother of God … and 

about oneself! 

An excerpt form Lorenz 

Engi’s article on Kraljice 

Mira (The official Medjugorje 

site). 

Travelling alone? 

Look for a Pinoy travel companion 

WELLINGTON - On 

my very first trip back to 

New Zealand from a balikbayan 

vacation, I sat next 

to a kabayan who was a 

nearly-perfect travelling 

companion on the last leg 

of an exciting but wearying 

journey: a five-hour snoozer 

between Sydney and 

Wellington. 

He made small talk for 

the first hour before we 

both gave in to fatigue (I’m 

sure that he was also on the 

11-hour flight I was on between 

Manila and Sydney), 

quieted down after the hot 

meal provided so that we 

could take a much-needed 

nap and asked if I needed 

to use the bathroom or 

stretch my legs (I had the 

middle seat). I couldn’t 

have asked for a better 

kalakbay (co-traveller) if I 

had ordered one. 

But interestingly (or 

Pinoyly) enough, some 

kabayan board a flight 

wanting or needing someone 

to be with them for a 

variety of reasons: it’s their 

first time 

travelling O P 

and they 

are unsure 

of the different tasks needed 

to get through their 

flight smoothly, they have a 

lack of traveling confidence, 

or extreme tenderness 

or seniority in years 

also finds a helping hand 

while travellng quite useful. 

Prior to wife Mahal’s 

first trip to Wellington, she 

was matched up on the 

Pinoy e-bulletin board with 

a mom and two sons joining 

their dad here. The 

mag-ina (mom and kids) 

were on their first trip to 

New Zealand, their first 

trip outside the Philippines, 

first trip on a jumbo jet, 

first everything. It was a lot 

to take for a young mother 

full of luggage, the normal 

and human kinds and a 

friendly face was quite 

welcome. 

Without Mahal asking 

for it, by coincidence one 

of the boys sat next to her 

I N I O N 

By NOEL BAUTISTA 

and was her 

foster son for 

12 hours; 

with all the 

details to attend to, the real 

mom hardly minded at all. 

She occupied herself with 

minding a 7-year old, 

helped out a kabayan family 

and got free practice as a 

harassed mom. 

The kids are probably 

teenagers now, almost 

grown-up young men who 

wouldn’t even recognise 

Mahal. But the memories 

remain, especially with the 

mom and future mom. 

Then on our last trip back 

in 2017, we were texted 

(again through introductions 

on the New Zealand 

e-group) that a lola (grandmom) 

was visiting her kids 

and grandkids in Johnsonville, 

a Pinoy stronghold in 

the Wellington region. 

Would we be kind enough 

to escort her? In true 

bayanihan spirit, how 

could we not? 

We had a merry mix-up 

texting with more than one 

of her Manila-based sons 

and looking for her, but we 

didn’t give up. Binilin sya 

sa amin (she was entrusted 

to us) so we couldn’t enter 

the boarding area without 

her. Sure enough, she 

wouldn’t leave her son 

without seeing us first and 

we entered the restricted 

area together. 

Although we weren’t 

seatmates throughout the 

entire journey (Manila- 

Sydney and Sydney- 

Wellington), we checked in 

on her, ate together and 

spent the stopover (a couple 

of hours) together. 

From NAIA (Ninoy Aquino 

International Airport) to 

Wellington Airport, we 

were like family. 

We never saw her again 

after family collected her at 

Wellington arrivals, but the 

experience undoubtedly 

will remain with me, 

Mahal and Lola. As should 

all shared travels between 

Pinoy kabayan. 

Noel’s website: https:// 

ylbnoel.wordpress.com/

12 PAL’S NEW AIRCRAFT ISSUE 113 | www.filipinonews.nz : pinoynzlfie.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | mob: 027 495 8477 


DELUXE NEW A330 ON NZ-PH 

FLIGHTS FROM JUNE 17TH 

MANILA - Philippine 

Airlines has done it 

again. In December 2015 

the carrier launched time 

saving flights to Manila 

from Auckland - a mere 

12.5 hours utilising the 

156-seat Airbus A320. 

(The downside of this 

service was having to 

transit in Cairns.) 

Then came non-stop 

flights to Manila in 

December 2017 utilising 

a 254-seat Airbus 

A340. The direct service 

reduced travel time 

to about 10 hours. 

And from June 17th 

the ageing A340 is 

being replaced with the new 

generation super comfortable 

tri-class Airbus A330 

309-seater for the thriceweekly 

service to Manila 

from Auckland. 

PAL announced that “the 

new aircraft will offer passengers 

a more comfortable 

journey on the fastest flight 

from New Zealand to the 

Philippines.” 

The shift to the A330 

increases the overall route 

capacity by 22%, and it will 

help stimulate leisure and 

business travel and reinforce 

NZ Prime Minister 

Jacinda Ardern’s prediction, 

in a 2017 speech, that: 

“Philippine Airlines’ direct 

non-stop flights between 

Manila and Auckland will 

further enable our people 

and commercial links … and 

inject NZ$ 13.6 million 

annually into the New 

Zealand economy”. 

Filipinos returning to their 

homeland and Kiwis planning 

to discover the summer 

attractions of the Philippines 

will be pleasantly surprised 

with the enhanced cabin 

amenities inside the newly 

transformed A330 says PAL. 

“Since June 2017, PAL 

reconfigured eight Airbus 

A330s, By MEL FERNANDEZ storage space, 

originally 

enhanced reading 

414-seaters with all economy 

cabins, by installing 

three new cabin areas and 

replacing all 414 seats with 

new custom-designed seats 

fully-equipped with in-seat 

video monitors. The result is 

a more spacious cabin with 

only 309 seats, offering 

wider legroom and fewer 

seats on each row.” 

Auckland-Manila passengers 

lights, a pneumatic air cushion 

with massage functions, 

and direct access to the aisle 

for every seat. 

The RAVE Centric inflight 

entertainment system 

offers huge 18.5-inch video 

screens and over 300 hours 

of movies, TV and music. 

PAL’s A330 also introduces 

a new Premium 

Economy Class, featuring 

will now enjoy a luxuri- 

more legroom, special 

ous Business Class offering, 

featuring full-flat Business 

Class seats with privacy 

footrests and extra recline on 

wider seats in an exclusive 

private cabin. The bigger 

dividers, ample shelf and 13.3inch personal video 

screens and enhanced meal 

selections on plated dishes 

promise higher levels of 

comfort and service. 

In place of the previous 

configuration of nine seats 

on each row, the Economy 

Class on the reconfigured 

A330 has just eight seats per 

row in a more spacious layout, 

each with 10.1-inch 

video screens and a choice 

of up to 150 movies along 

with handy new applications 

for more entertainment, 

information and reading 

options. 

In February this year PAL 

was certified as a 4-Star airline 

by Skytrax, the 

international air transport 

rating organisation. 

PAL joins 40 other 

well-renowned airlines 

in this prestigious 

category. It is the 

first and only airline 

in the Philippines to 

have a 4-Star Rating. 

PAL achieved this 

coveted rating after 

Skytrax conducted a 

rigorous audit of the 

airline's inflight and 

on ground service for 

both international 

and domestic flights 

and noted major 

enhancements on its end-toend 

passenger experience 

and distinct whole-hearted 

service called Buong 

Pusong Alaga. 

“This is a big win for the 

Philippines,” said PAL 

Chairman & CEO Dr. 

Lucio C. Tan. “We are elated 

by this recognition which 

is a victory for the more than 

seven thousand members of 

the Philippine Airlines family. 

Our achievement is the 

country's achievement and 

we share this with all 

Filipinos around the globe.”

PAL : 4-STAR AIRLINE ISSUE 113 | www.filipinonews.nz | filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | www.pinoynzlife.nz | FB : Filipino Migrant News 13 


BACOLOD CITY - It 

may be known for having a 

pristine natural environment 

and the home of the worldrenowned 

Lord of the Rings 

movie franchise, but due to 

New Zealand being geographically 

isolated from 

much of the world it has 

never been a top tourist destination 

in the world – losing 

out to its more well-known 

neighbour Australia. 

Such was the problem as 

well for Philippine Airlines, 

which had mulled introducing 

direct flights to the country 

fondly called 'Middle 

Earth' for so long – but was 

unable to make the dream a 

reality due to several constraints. 

“It had a promising market, 

but it was also located in 

a very isolated area of the 

world,” said Jose Perez de 

Tagle, PAL’s Vice-President 

for Corporate Communications, 

who sat down with us 

to discuss the recently introduced 

Auckland-Manila 

direct flights. 

“The only aircraft that 

could fly to that part of the 

globe non-stop contained 

250 seats or more and filling 

those seats was unsustainable 

until very recently.” 

The Philippines’ flagship 

carrier recently introduced 

A Bet on the Future 

the very first non-stop flight 

from New Zealand to the 

Philippines and vice-versa. 

It was a milestone for 

Philippine aviation, given 

that less than a year ago the 

aviation ratings of the 

Philippines were too low to 

be allowed to travel outside 

Asia. 

Today, it is flying direct 

routes to the United States, 

Europe and in February of 

this year – Middle Earth. 

Mr. de Tagle called this 

decision by PAL, “a bet on 

the future”. 

“Introducing direct flights 

posed serious pitfalls, but we 

believed that if PAL did not 

do it now then we would 

never be able to do it,” he 

recalled. 

“We thought of doing it 

even earlier, but had to 

experiment first with an 

Auckland-Manila route with 

a technical stop-over in 

Cairns, Australia.” 

That route was introduced 

in 2015 and received a lot of 

positive feedback from passengers 

– most were overseas 

Filipino workers 

(OFWs) who previously had 

Jose Perez de Tagle talks to Louie Encabo 

about PAL’s new AKL-MNL Route 

to bear the torment of transiting 

in Singapore or Hong 

Kong before they could 

return home to the 

Philippines. 

But the end-goal was 

always to fly non-stop 

between the two countries 

and they never stopped plotting 

to achieve that dream. 

“PAL had also received 

word that competing airlines 

were planning on introducing 

the direct flight service 

themselves, so we had a 

sense of urgency to really 

make it happen.” 

Hence, the airline took a 

chance and introduced the 

superior Airbus 340 aircraft 

to fly the route. The jet is 

capable of flying non-stop to 

Los Angeles and San 

Francisco and has a 254-seat 

capacity. 

De Tagle informed us that 

the bet seems to be paying 

off well, as the interest and 

the loads the route is getting 

are gradually increasing. He 

described the results so far to 

be, “very encouraging”. 

Those who have experienced 

flying the route 

already are aware that the 

aircraft used lacks any builtin 

in-flight entertainment 

systems in the economy 

class section. De Tagle 

explained that the reason for 

this was that the aircraft used 

to service Auckland to 

Manila was acquired as a 

'stop-gap' measure as they 

had no other planes capable 

of flying the route non-stop. 

“When we acquired the 

A340 planes, they already 

had no IFEs in the economy 

class section. We therefore 

made the decision to have 

tablet devices on board to 

remedy this, as well as 

enabling Wi-Fi connectivity 

on-board so passengers can 

use their own devices.” 

The PAL executive did 

promise to us that this lack 

of IFEs will be ameliorated 

in the future, as plans to 

introduce more modern aircrafts 

to service the route are 

on the drawing board. 

“Ideally the airline would 

like to use Airbus A330 aircrafts 

for the Auckland- 

Manila flight,” de Tagle 

said. 

“These are more modern 

aircrafts and can handle a 

bigger number of passengers 

also.” 

The A340s being used at 

present are also in the 

process of being phased out, 

with one aircraft already 

retired in February this year. 

This is just one part of PAL’s 

modernization program, 

which also includes the 

acquisition of newer 

Airbuses, extra-wide body 

planes that will be capable of 

flying non-stop from Manila 

to New York City. 

So with the Auckland- 

Manila route receiving great 

response from travellers, 

will we see the airline introducing 

direct flights to and 

from other parts of New 

Zealand also, such as 

Wellington or Christchurch? 

“It’s definitely in the mix,” 

de Tagle told us. 

“With Wellington it’s 

more difficult, given their 

shorter runways and they 

also have challenging 

weather issues, so non-stop 

flights from there may be 

difficult. But with Christchurch 

it’s a more possible 

scenario, but we will have to 

see where the market goes 

before we do anything definitive.” 

For the aviation boss, the 

challenge for his company 

right now is to maximize the 

winnings of the Auckland- 

Manila bet. And if that is 

successful, then they are 

open to rolling the dice once 

again.

14 PAL: A DIRECT LINK HOME ISSUE 113 | www.filipinonews.nz : pinoynzlfie.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | mob: 027 495 8477 


By 

LOUIE 

ENCABO 

SA AKING PALAGAY 

My Experience with PAL’s 

Auckland-Manila Flight 

A country’s flagship carrier 

is one of its most important 

tourism ambassadors 

overseas. The reputation of a 

nation’s airline will strongly 

influence our perspective of 

that location, hence why first 

world nations such as 

Singapore and the U.A.E. 

pour exorbitant investments 

into their respective flagship 

carriers. 

Up until recently, the 

Philippines lagged behind its 

Asian and even ASEAN 

counterparts in promoting 

itself to the New Zealand 

market. It was very difficult 

to entice New Zealanders to 

visit the country if there 

were no direct routes to the 

Philippines; for many, the 

hassle of transiting to a third 

country was simply not 

worth it when Thailand and 

Malaysia, for example, 

offered direct links. 

That changed in late 2017, 

when Philippine Airlines 

(PAL) – our nation’s flagship 

carrier – finally christened 

non-stop New 

Zealand-Philippines flights. 

The route serves Auckland 

to Manila, and vice-versa, in 

the hopes of not just promoting 

Philippine tourism to 

foreigners, but also to ease 

the burden of a growing 

number of OFWs now living 

and working in 'the land of 

the long white clouds'. 

I had the opportunity to 

experience the convenience 

of this route this March, as I 

made a voyage back to the 

Motherland. Having been a 

resident of New Zealand for 

a decade, I am a veteran of 

the arduous stop-over routes 

that us balikbayans were 

forced to take in the past. 

More importantly, I was 

thrilled that my birth country 

could finally showcase what 

it had to offer to potential 

guests – in terms of tourism 

and overall flight experience. 

It was exciting to see a 

large aircraft bearing the 

name and colours of the 

Philippines. 

Yet at the same time I 

could not help but be nervous 

at the prospect as well. 

Filipinos are amazing people 

with the capacity of impressing 

the rest of the world, but 

too often we fail to do so and 

end up turning-off these 

would-be visitors. 

I boarded Philippine Airlines 

flight 219 with mixed 

emotions, a toss between 

excitement and anxiety. The 

first sign of things to come 

came at the baggage dropoff 

desk, which opened at 

9:30p.m., despite hordes of 

travellers already having 

lined-up as early as 8p.m. 

Before service commenced, 

the PAL staff performed 

an exhibition for the 

eager crowd. The 6 or 7 

employees, none of whom 

were of Filipino descent, 

lined up in front of their 

desks and chanted: “on 

behalf of the Philippines, we 

would like to greet you all in 

the Filipino way”, before 

reciting in unison “Mabuhay!”, 

accompanied with a 

bow. 

Their supervisor awkwardly 

attempted to encourage 

a round of applause from 

the travellers, to no avail. It 

was clear that my companions 

on the flight just wanted 

to get on with it and on with 

it we did get. 

However, infusing a cultural 

tinge into their service 

was laudable, given that the 

airline – after all – partly 

serves as an ambassador of 

the Philippines. What should 

also be noted is that very few 

Legacy of Faith Church 

"Love God. Love People. Pass it on." 

Sunday Worship Time 

and Venue: 

1st Floor, 7 Princes Street, 

Otahuhu, Auckland 

10 am 

web: www.lfc.org.nz 

e-mail: lfcnz.info@gmail.com 

Filipinos say “mabuhay” in 

these times, much less saying 

so while bowing down. 

Those were just the frills, 

of utmost importance to 

travellers is the experience 

of the flight. The aircraft 

used was an Airbus 340- 

300, a moderately aged 

plane seeing limited service 

in a select few countries 

these days. 

The most noticeable 

aspect of the aircraft was 

that the signages were in 

English and Spanish. I found 

that to be fascinating at first, 

thinking that it was an 

attempt to reflect the colonial 

heritage of the Philippines, 

but upon further 

investigation the reason for 

the bilingual nature of these 

signs was discovered to be 

that PAL’s A340-300 fleet 

were acquired second-hand 

from Spain’s national airline 

Iberia. 

Also evident was the lack 

of in-flight entertainment 

monitors on the plane; 

instead there was an option 

to loan an iPad containing 

movies, TV shows and other 

entertainment programs in 

the middle of the flight. This 

was not a bother for me, 

given I chose to carry a book 

with me and planned on 

sleeping for most of the journey, 

but if you were a tourist 

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who expected to catch-up on 

recent films or TV shows 

then it could come as a disappointment. 

There were digital screens 

for general viewing, about 

four sets per section of the 

plane. I found them to be 

eyesores and they played a 

pre-selected film; which 

meant that you were at the 

mercy of someone’s taste in 

entertainment. To make matters 

worse, these general 

screens malfunctioned 

towards the end of the flight, 

which earned the mockery of 

a group of European tourists 

sitting in the row next to me. 

Besides picturesque 

beaches, the other big draw 

for Philippine tourism is 

Filipino cuisine. PAL did 

not disappoint in this regard, 

as I was thoroughly pleased 

with the meals served during 

the flight. 

Our 12:30 A.M., ten-hour 

flight, served two hot meals 

and one snack, offering a 

selection of Filipino foods 

and more familiar Western 

meals. For breakfast, we 

could either choose between 

a chicken adobo and egg 

meal or a pork sautéed in 

tomato sauce meal. 

PAL struck the right balance 

of introducing Filipino 

food to foreigners and not 

intimidating them by forcing 

them to only choose 

meals that they were unfamiliar 

with. The option of 

having a more-known 

Western-style dish was helpful 

for those who were less 

adventurous, though I did 

observe many foreigners on 

my flight indulging in the 

Filipino cuisine option. 

Another thing Filipinos 

are known for is our hospitality 

and friendliness; this 

was reflected in the attendants 

serving on our flight. 

They were full of smiles, 

like a typical Filipino would 

be and were motivated and 

enthusiastic to cater to the 

needs of those on board. 

The lavatories were also 

well-maintained and adequately 

equipped with necessary 

toiletries such as 

hand-wash, hand sanitizers 

and an ample amount of toilet 

paper and hand towels. 

These may seem very basic 

to outsiders, but there have 

been numerous horror stories 

in the past of lacklustre 

airlines running out of toilet 

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paper mid-flight. 

Thankfully, PAL will not 

be included in those horror 

stories. 

The flight lasted ten hours 

and 15 minutes, which is 

significantly shorter than the 

usual 12 to 13-hour, stopover 

laden journeys I was 

used to. Best of all, after I 

dozed off three hours into 

the flight I awoke to a chicken 

adobo meal and an update 

that we were already two 

hours away from Manila. 

Having a direct link definitely 

made it more convenient 

for the travellers, who 

were mostly OFWs and 

balikbayans who wanted to 

visit their motherland and 

the loved ones they left 

behind. More so, it made 

experiencing what the 

Philippines has to offer more 

enticing to foreigners. 

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