Taking advantage of the low cost airline revolution in the Philippines

Within this past decade we've witnessed a revolution when it comes to air travel in the Philippines. Spearheaded by Cebu Pacific's expansion and transformation to a low-cost carrier (LCC) model similar to AirAsia and Ryanair, we've seen more competition and more affordable fares to destinations within the Philippines and across the region. Air travel became accessible to more Pilipinos whom for years prior have been locked out due to the pricing and the monopoly that Philippine Airlines held until the 1990s. According to Airports Council International, Ninoy Aquino International Airport served just shy of 13 million passengers in 2003; fast forward to 2012 and that number has more than doubled to almost 32 million!

And just as the skies became more accessible for more Pilipinos, it also means we balikbayans are able to see more of what the Philippines and the rest of Asia has to offer while we’re back! Thanks to Cebu Pacific and other LCCs that have proliferated across Asia, I’ve been able to visit almost all ASEAN nations (Brunei and Laos being my holdouts) without destroying my George Costanza wallet. When timed correctly, I’ve been able to pay around $100 roundtrip for tickets to Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Sounds pretty neat considering at best I could get at home with that same hundred bucks is just a hop to Vegas! And I've seen folks bagged cheaper ones! With the eventual ASEAN open skies and bilateral agreements with nations like Japan opening up more flights, the possibilities grow even further!

To make the most of what these LCCs have to offer, you really have to plan ahead: whenever Cebu Pacific has its legendary Piso fares, they’re usually for travel dates that are months in advance. And while the base fare may be just a Piso or two, additional costs such as a “web admin fee”, fuel surcharges, airport fees (for certain flights), and taxes aren’t incorporated but even then it still works out as a great deal.

For example, Cebu Pacific's P1 is to Juan sale has special fares such as a 1 Piso base fare combined the taxes and fees as well as extras like a seat assignment and a twenty kilogram (forty four pounds) prepaid luggage allowance ends up being about fifty US dollars. Not bad! However be warned: making changes to itineraries may end up being more expensive than the fare you originally paid for; the key is to have generous amounts of flexibility if you want to make this worthwhile!

As for the fare sales themselves, it can be a challenge trying to catch them considering the time difference between here and the Philippines. You can sign up for the mailing lists that airlines may offer which will alert you of any upcoming sales. Alternatively, liking the Facebook pages of these LCCs should help in keeping your eyes peeled for any upcoming sales while you get your social networking fix (as well as exposing yourself to Cebu Pacific's corny puns...I still have "You say Dubai, I say hello" still stuck in my head.)

Patience is also a virtue as the websites of these airlines might load at a snail's pace due to the influx of bargain hunters taking advantage of these sales. And speaking of websites, note that LCCs don't typically list their fares in major travel engines such as Orbitz or Expedia so you'll have to lurk between each airline's own pages to do more price shopping.

I'm sure a part of you is asking: how do these airlines profit from these fares? In essence, they don't. Revenue management at LCCs set aside only a certain amount of seats that are available for promo fares while balancing the inventory for the more expensive but widely available "year-round fares." However throwing in the possibility of ancillary fees (seat assignment, checked bags, insurance, etc.), the aforementioned change fee, the occasional no-show traveler, etc. the airline closes in on the break-even gap on those seats dedicated for promo fares.

There's so much to see both within the Philippines and in neighboring countries. The next time you make that long-haul trek to visit family, do take time to see what else the region has to offer! Thankfully the rise of these LCCs have made it even more possible!

Photo Credit: Cebu Pacific

The Northern Philippines as a Filipino Identity Sampler

 

The Philippines has a rich history and culture, but we sometime do not understand it well enough to realize to what extent. It is not a question of whether we have it or not, rather, it is of how much we really know and are aware of it. For those who would want to get reacquainted with the Filipino identity and our past, I usually recommend taking a nativist-themed trail up north. The beauty of the Northern Philippines lies on the fact that it is home to three UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites.

What does this mean?

A World Heritage Site (WHS) is any given natural or cultural place, monument or landscape that holds outstanding universal values critical to the development of humanity and diversity. Some of the more popular WHS around the world include the Great Wall, the Italian cities of Venice, Rome and Florence, the Taj Mahal, Chitchen Itza, the Great Barrier Reefs, and even the Statue of Liberty. Regardless of popularity and fame, all of these places are treated with equal degree of importance under UNESCO conventions.

With the recent addition of Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in Mindanao, the Philippines now has six sites listed as WHS. Two of which are the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and Tubattaha Reefs Marine Park -- both are marine natural sites in Palawan. The other three are cultural sites found in the Northern Philippines: the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, the Historic Town of Vigan, and the Baroque Churches of the Philippines.

From Manila, one can make a Do-It-Yourself trip to take on this cultural heritage trail. A bus from Manila can take you to Banaue, the jump-off point for the rice terraces. From there, vans can be arranged to bring you down to Vigan. Sta. Maria is also along the way to Vigan, and finally, going further north by bus will bring you to Paoay in Ilocos Norte. Each place offers a taste of the depth of Philippine history.

Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras

Agricultural terracing is not unique to the Philippines. China, Indonesia, and Viet Nam have it. Peru and even Switzerland have this method, too. What makes the rice terraces in the Philippines unique is that they are the oldest and most extensive continually-used rice terraces in the world. As a comparison, these rice terraces have been around much longer than Machu Picchu or Angkor have! The more noticeable distinguishing marks of these engineering marvels would be their heights that reach as high as 1,500 metres from the base, and their steepness that defies limits with 70 degrees maximum angulation.

The incredible mixture of purely man-made terraces, the mountains, the muyongs (forest caps), traditional hamlets, and other visible cultural artefacts in the region certainly does not disappoint. The Food and Agriculture Organization has cited the rice terraces as an outstanding example of “worldwide, specific agricultural systems and landscapes (that) have been created, shaped and maintained by generations of farmers and herders based on diverse natural resources, using locally adapted management practices.” The American Society of Civil Engineers also named the rice terraces as a 'Historic Engineering Landmark' for water supply and control. In 1997, the same group came to the Philippines and formally declared (through a marker) the rice terraces as the [original] 8th Wonder of the World.

For the Filipinos, with the mode of farming and the people’s lifestyles largely unchanged, these ancient rice terraces are an enduring portrait of the ways of life of the Ifugao for over 2,000 years. The WHS-listed clusters are Batad, Bangaan, Hungduan, Mayoyao and Nagacadan rice terraces.

Historic Town of Vigan

Why does this small town merit a special place in the collective memory of the Filipino people? It is one of the few towns in the country that was spared from destruction during the World War II (Intramuros, Manila's walled district, was razed to the ground and only one building was left standing there after the war). Being the best preserved Spanish colonial-era trading town in Asia, Vigan presents itself as an intact and authentic old town. It boasts a good collection of original houses where in the ground floors are characterized as Hispanic, while its upper floors and windows suggest Chinese and Oriental influences. The best of these houses can be seen along Calle Crisologo, a cobblestone street.

One will notice that the town faithfully follows the historical “quadricula”, “plano ortogonal”, or the better known synonym "grid" streetplan. This, believe it or not, is the most 'Hispanic' feature of the town.

The interior of a typical Vigan villa can be seen when visiting the likes of the Sy-Quia mansion, the family house of the former President Quirino.

In 2012, Vigan bagged the  'Best Management Practices for a World Heritage City' award in a worldwide competition by UNESCO. This year, Vigan reached the final stage in the search for the New Seven Wonders Cities of the World. (To vote for Vigan, visit: http://www.n7w.com/cities/en)

Baroque Churches of the Philippines: Sta. Maria

Aside from the San Agustin church inside Intramuros and the Miag-ao church in Iloilo, the Northern Philippines boasts two of the best examples of Philippine Spanish-era churches. The town of Sta. Maria, some 40 minutes south of Vigan, houses a citadel church built on top of a fortified hill. In the older days, the only way to reach the church is through the 82-step staircase made of granite slabs, making the complex easily defended.

Made of red bricks, the Sta. Maria dela Asuncion church boasts a set of massive buttresses that supports the structure from the damages of earthquakes. The pagoda-shaped bell tower is leaning due to the collapsing retaining walls around the hill, which placed this church in the '100 Most Endangered Sites' in 2010 by the World Monument Watch.

Baroque Churches of the Philippines: Paoay  

The crowning gem of the “earthquake baroque architecture” is the San Agustin church in Paoay. This edifice is largely made of coralstones that have been glued together using egg whites, lime powder and mollases. This important church features a mixture of Oriental, Malay, and Western influences in its design. This comes as no surprise as long before the Spaniards reached present-day Paoay, the site was already a trading settlement known as Bombay in earlier records.

Keen eyes will notice some fading carvings and bas-reliefs around the church. The most important exponent of this church are definitely its beautifully-constructed buttresses on its sides. Paoay church is considered to be as a masterpiece of the Filipino reinterpretation of the baroque movement, fusing European principles with local Filipino craftmanship. The bell tower is also separated from the church as a precautionary measure against the effects of earthquakes – this architectural innovation is unique to Philippine churches.

The churches of the Philippines are unique, and, thus, cannot be compared to those found in Europe or Latin America. As religious monuments, they are key in spreading further the Christian faith in the region (Southeast and East Asia, and the Pacific Islands). While as cultural specimens, they embody the artistic, technological, and intellectual interchange between the West and the East for more than three centuries.

While knowing and understanding Philippine history and culture is a large part of what I do as a heritage advocate, the biggest challenge is in making others see and appreciate things the way I do.

I often have a hard time convincing friends who have already settled abroad to come back home to re-experience their native land. Most of them would rather spend their vacations going around Europe or elsewhere in Asia to see cultural and grand ancient monuments or old towns, believing none exist here.

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Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero is a self-confessed cultural junky. Based in the Philippines, he has delivered several talks on tourism, destination promotion and management, and the importance of cultural conservation. As a heritage advocate and consultant, he has assisted and appeared in some features by the Euronews, NGC-Asia, Solar TV, ABS-CBN Regional News Network, as well as being cited by the Philippine Star and the PIA. He enjoys ticking off as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites as possible. So far, Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, the Preah Vihear Temple in Cambodia, and the Philippines' Apo Reef and Ifugao Rice Terraces are the best places he has seen in SE Asia.

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Discover other similar posts on Bernard's blog.

Photo credit: theberntraveler.wordpress.com

Pilipino Festivals of Light

I’ve only been to the Philippines once. I was eight years old and there are only a few flashes of my trip that I can remember: playing with my cousin’s ten puppies in Pampanga, eating birthday cake with my grandfather in Bikol, and scratching my legs - which were so swollen with mosquito bites that I was starting to look like The Thing from Fantastic Four. Besides those memories, the only images I have of the Philippines are from news articles, TFC and stories I hear from my family. I’m dying to go back someday soon and have crated a hefty bucket list of things to see and do. At the top of the list are witnessing the different festivals of light in the Philippines that seem to me both breathtaking and hauntingly beautiful.

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Ligligan Parul- Giant Lantern Festival

I’ve seen a parol or two hanging in my aunt’s windows during Christmas time, but they don’t have anything on the blazing 20-footers showcased in the parades of the Giant Lantern Festival in San Fernando, Philippines. A parol is a Christmas lantern representing the star of Bethlehem and was originally made from “simple materials like bamboo sticks, Japanese rice paper, crepe paper, and a candle or coconut oil-lamp for illumination.” The parols of San Fernando, however, are gargantuan modern day feats of engineering and flair, bedazzling audiences with kaleidoscopic stained glass windows, illuminated by electrified lights dancing in synchronicity to cheery Christmas music. The parade, which has been held every December for the last 80 years, has become such a crowd-drawing phenomenon that San Fernando has been dubbed the “Christmas Capital of the Philippines.”

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All Saint’s Day/All Soul’s Day

When my family first told me that for All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day they spent all day and all night in a cemetery, I thought the tradition sounded downright morbid and creepy. They assured me that it was, in fact, quite the opposite. These observances, practiced on November 1^st and 2^nd, are meant to honor and remember deceased loved ones in celebration. With smiling faces they reminisced and told me how they would stay up with all their friends and family in the crypts, eating, drinking, praying and dancing. It was a party, both somber and joyful all at once. Best of all, the millions of candles lit in remembrance of the deceased would fill the crypts with an ocean of twinkling lights.

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Sky lantern celebrations

While technically not a Pilipino tradition rooted in cultural history (major sky lantern festivals are traditional in Taiwan and Thailand), floating sky lanterns are popularly used in the Philippines to celebrate special occasions or released just for fun. In 2013, the Philippines broke the Guinness World Record for most sky lanterns flown simultaneously. 15,185 sky lanterns were released into the atmosphere at the University of the Philippines Visayas Miag-ao by Pilipino and Thai participants from the faiths of Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam. The demonstration was intended to encourages harmony and promote world peace through inner peace.

What is it about these grand displays of light that draw people together in celebration? Maybe they remind us of the tranquil charm of a star-studded nighttime sky. Maybe the candles or lanterns symbolize glimpses of joy and hope amidst darkness. Whatever it is, it’s beautiful. And I would love to go back to the Philippines someday to see these festivals of light and experience the magic first hand.

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Photo credits: prafulla.net, phwow.com, blogs.ft.com

Pinoy Ink: Getting Skintimate

I nervously walked up the stairs and followed the sound of rock music. I opened the door. The place was different from what I was envisioning in my head -- a lot cleaner, thankfully. Maybe the fluorescent lights just made the place feel... sterile? He asked me what I wanted, I pulled it out and showed him. He said it would probably take an hour or so.

Yo, chill - I was just there to get a tattoo.

Whenever people see my tattoo or discover that I have one, the natural question I get asked is, “What does it mean?” I have yet to figure out a way to explain it in less than thirty seconds. I’m assuming that if I’m able to do so, then I might be able to finish my explanation before being asked to scootch over a bit since I’m standing by the cooler or before being asked to take someone’s group picture (umm, just take a selfie!).

I love explaining it. I’m proud of it. And I guess that’s why I’ve decided to write about it.

The day was July 14, 2010, and I had been in Sydney for a little over a month for an internship program (but it was really an excuse to travel and experience my own version of The Real World: Australia). I had been toying with the idea of getting inked and I knew I wanted to get it done somewhere unique. Being away from home was a little bit of a confidence booster since I didn’t have to hide from my parents as it healed and then get lectured on how good boys are supposed to respect their bodies blah blah blah... This was the perfect opportunity for me to YOLO long before YOLO was even a thing!

The “it” that I pulled out was a piece of paper that had the word “mahal” written in Baybayin (pronounced bye-bye-in). Baybayin is an ancient pre-colonial Philippine writing system.

Why mahal? In English, it means “love.” As well as “expensive." Wait what’s that sound? The sound of your eyes rolling. Let me finish. You see, my tattoo is about living a life filled not only with love, but also with value.

Up to the point when I was sitting in that chair, I had experienced what it was to love someone, to have someone love me too, to have my heart broken, and to break someone’s heart. I had experienced the love of my family and friends. Everything that love was, is, and would be -- I wanted my life to be full of it.

I also wanted my life to be filled with value. Middle school and high school were particularly rough as I was struggling through the ups and downs of figuring out my sexuality, and accepting that part of my life. I knew that being openly gay did not equate to an easy (rather, preferred) life, but I decided that no matter what obstacles or insults would be thrown my way, I would remain steadfast in the truth that my life was worth it. Even more than that aspect, I wanted my life as a whole to be meaningful -- through my work, my experiences, my relationships, and even my imperfections.

Why is it on my shoulder? Well, when you love someone, you are a shoulder to cry and lean on. When you lead a meaningful life of value, you’re confident. And when you’re confident, you push your shoulders back and walk tall (or at least as tall as you can walk when you’re 5’6”). Seeing mahal in the mirror every morning is a reminder to myself. Am I changing the world everyday and hugging everyone out there? Absolutely not. But when I see it, I get that little tap on my shoulder (pun intended) that reminds me to at least try.

Why in Baybayin? I knew I wanted something unique. I wanted something that wasn’t so obvious. It ties me back to my cultural Pilipino roots. I thought there was something so poignant in the permanence of Baybayin on my skin. The places where I would live and work and play could all change, but one place that would never change is where I was born: Manila, Philippines.

Another place that would never change is where I spent my childhood, which was in Oman -- a small country in the Middle East. The etymology of the word ‘mahal’ is Arabic. My tattoo is literally a fusion of the two cultures that molded me as a child.

Everyone has their reasons for getting inked. My reasons just happen to take more than thirty seconds to explain.

So... did you still want me to take your group picture? Because I would LOVE to.

Photo credit: Christa Orcullo

Balikbayan Box Musings: Experiences with the cardboard companion over the years

I’m one week away from another visit to the Philippines and am finishing up routine preparations. These frequent jaunts over the past few years have helped me connect with the nation of our heritage. I've developed the typical travel habits of the returning overseas Pilipino, in particular that cardboard companion that is synonymous with someone returning to the Philippines. Yes, I’m focusing at that quintessential box filled with pasalubong for relatives. That same box that is filled with bittersweet emotions, including those stemming from: the nights my mom spends packing them up with corned beef, my sweat-drenched navigation between terminals in Manila with these boxes in tow, and the appreciation that I’ve seen from the faces of family who welcome and help me lug them into our jeepney.

I’m sure this rings true with many fellow Fil-Ams. I’ve grown up playing with those boxes as they slowly filled up. I’d feel like an adult whenever I was able to do things, like write our home address on the sides, push the luggage cart that carried them, or help dad lift them out of the baggage carousel. I considered it a crowning achievement when I traveled solo from Japan to the Philippines during my senior year of high school and brought my very first balikbayan box filled with goods from a Japanese 100 Yen shop, much to the amusement of my relatives.

Over the years, a question arose as I became the more efficient traveler that George Clooney fittingly described in Up in the Air: "why bother bringing the box?" As the trips came and went, I became more irritated at having to drag that box around. It was big, heavy, cumbersome, and ruined the traveling "rhythm" that I had mastered during other international trips.

“Why should I bother to bring Spam and hand-me-downs when I could probably buy them when I arrive? I mean, I’d be helping the local economy more by doing so!” was the mentality that I acquired after several trips. I challenged others on the rationale of having to bring those boxes, the bane of existence for baggage screeners, ground handlers, and bystanders caught up in a bottleneck created by a queue of balikbayan box-laden passengers waiting to check-in.

“It’s not a trip to the Philippines without one!” was a common response I’d encounter.

But then I'd remember the past, when our family trips to the Philippines weren’t as frequent. Twenty years ago, my mom wanted to fill each box with as much as she could. Unlike today where she visits once or twice a year, she wanted to have the box stocked with goods that she herself enjoyed and wanted to share with her siblings. Looking back, it hit me: the balikbayan box brought the sort of connection that otherwise couldn’t be felt by sending a remittance via Western Union. It’s almost like that “physical gift vs. gift card” argument that I’d always hear whenever the holiday season would come. I would see it whenever I would shop alongside excited OFWs at a Carrefour in Dubai, who would stock up on stuff that weren't available or of the same quality in the Philippines, but nonetheless, they were things to that they wanted to share with loved ones at home.

More trips would pass and I would obtain frequent flyer benefits that were certainly worthy of a box-touting passenger. For a while, I did not tell my mom the fact that I could check in a maximum of three bags at 70 pounds each for free AND that these parcels were among the first out in the baggage claim! Alas, I spilled the beans, much to her delight. While I was glad to have lightened the load by ejecting the need to drag the box, a part of me felt like I could try to do something constructive with those benefits.

Through such reflection, my opinion on the balikbayan box has shifted. I started to look into various charitable causes in the Philippines and wanted to utilize the box and my baggage allowance for good. I asked my frequent flying buddies to donate their hotel toiletries so I could deliver them to a non-profit in Quezon City that takes care of underage victims of physical and sexual abuse. I had a friend from a sports store donate some soccer balls to a Gawad Kalinga soccer program. And — my most favorite of them all — I have spent countless hours digging around swap meets, used bookstores, and supply store sales for children’s books and discounted school supplies; I donate these items to several schools and literacy programs in the Philippines all of whom have expressed appreciation for the much-needed material.

It’s been two decades since the kindergarten version of me etched our home address in a balikbayan box. In this upcoming trip, we’re going to dedicate a library in honor of my late brother. And of course that library needs books, of which I’m bringing a bunch of them with me inside the latest of the many balikbayan boxes we’ve transported over the years. A part of me still feels a bit weird in bringing Spam (my mom still manages to sneak a can or two in). At the end of the day, however, I’m still going back to the Philippines with a symbol that remains as the centerpiece of the returning overseas Pilipino. For this, I am very honored to have balikbayan boxes as travel companions.