Tour with Holy Angels HRM Students

• I was informed of the tour by Ms. Susan Calo-Medina of the Tour around 10:00 a.m two days prior to scheduled tour.
• She partially informed me of the tour at which I accepted and instructed me to get in touch with the contact person.

• I immediately got in touch with Ms Chay Lao to ask about the details of the tour and I sought information regarding the guests, their interests and background. I was informed my guest would be tourism and HRM students, of varying interests and was given the details as to pick-up, time, et. al.

• I agreed to meet them at Trader’s Hotel at 10:00 a.m. on the appointed day/s and said they can’t miss me as I will be wearing a barong. The assigned guides for the 19th were: myself, Yael Fernandez, Chito Tayag, Dustin Ancheta. For the 20th: myself, Chito Tayag, Dustin Ancheta, Jeff Velasco.


• We were very early at the venue on both days. On the 19th however, there was a mix up as one of their coordinators got in touch with DOT. Apparently another set of guides was sent although there was no confirmation on the part of the guests to avail of their services. Ms Chay apparently thought that they were Mabuhay Guides because one of them was in a barong.

• The issue was resolved with the guests using the Mabuhay Guides while the other group was informed that there was no confirmation for using them as guides.

• I started my commentary at the bus and gave the usual commentaries. There were no microphones on the bus so the MGs stood middle of the bus at the same time directing the coach captains to stay in a convoy.

• The tour of Roxas Blvd. to Intramuros went without any hitches. We had to circle back to see Fort Santiago as the last stop before lunch. Lunch was at the Club Intramuros where the kids were treated to a sumptuous buffet and they were given the opportunity for photo ops on the tee off area to the greens.

• From lunch, we boarded at 1 p.m. and proceeded to Manila Hotel, Quirino Grandstand, Roxas Blvd., CCP complex, Buendia Ave., Ayala Ave., McKinley Parkway turning right towards the various camps to Resorts World.

• Busses weren’t allowed to park in Resorts World so all the coaches were on stand-by as the guests took a washroom break. That done, we went back towards Fort Bonifacio as the last stop for the day was the Venice Piazza.

• At McKinley Hill, we were again stopped by security as there was no written request by the party to visit the establishment. With much negotiation on our part, they were allowed to visit and do an ocular inspection of the place. We ended our tour here and bid our leave.

• The 20th was basically the same except the itinerary was altered the evening prior to the tour.

• The rolling tour would take us to Intramuros, MOA, Market! Market! From the Trader’s Hotel, the students boarded their respective busses. And we left at around half past ten in the morning.

• Apparently, the itinerary was altered as there was little to see at Venice Piazza. Ms Celle called to say that they needed to shorten the rolling tour as they needed to be on the way back to Pampanga by 4:00 p.m.

• We were early for the lunch appointment at Club Intramuros but they students welcomed the early arrival. They had more time to enjoy and appreciate the club.

• We left at one p.m. again passing through Manila Hotel, Quirino Grandstand, Army-Navy facilities, Roxas Blvd. The CCP complexwas more of an in-depth rolling tour as we passed all the important buildings in the area.

• We proceeded to Diosdado Macapagal Ave., MOA and then took EDSA to the Global City. Traffic was heavy at EDSA which took longest near the Pasay City/Makati boundary but once we reached McKinley, traffic got better.

• We reached Market! Market! By 4:00 p.m. and we waited for the other busses to arrive. We ended our tour at this point and bid our farewells to our coordinators.

Mabuhay Guide Re-born...

I am Happy!!!! Happy, Happy... Happy!!!!

After an agonizing wait of a month and a half I finally recieved my renewal for accreditation as a tourist guide from the Department of Tourism. Officially, today... I am a Mabuhay Guide again.

I was at the Tourism office this afternoon after Mr Bimbo Cruz of the accreditation department confirmed that my renewal finally went through. He sent me a text message at around 10 or 11 this morning. I went to see him after lunch...a little past two, actually. I just waited a little, was called to her desk by Ms Yoli and then she sent me off to pay the fee of Pesos, 180.00. Down I went to room 114 to pay the fee and was issued a reciept which I presented to the window at room 206. A little more waiting and voila! My accreditation and ID were handed to me. There's just one catch - the laminating machine was busted... talk about bad timing...

For a paperless transaction this one seemed to have taken forever. I hope the new secretary of Tourism resolves this problem soon enough. I guess Secretary Bertie Lim has an eye out for the many opportunities that will boost tourist arrivals in the country.

In the papers today, writer/columnist Bernardo M. Villegas points out certain facts about tourism in the country that the former administration (thanks to former Secretary Ace Durano) has set up like the nautical highway, better airports, improved roads. They had all of nine years to do as much as they could... and the results were astounding!

Get this:
- for the last nine years international tourism grew by 5.2% annually notwithstanding the downtrend in the global markets
- tourist arrivals hit the 3 million mark in 2007 expanding by 1.5% to 31 million in 2008
- tourism dropped by only 3% in 2009 during the worst economic crisis compared to other asian countries
- tourism reciepts grew by 3.9% annually from $2.2B in 2000 to $2.96B in 2007.
- tourism employed 3.3M persons in 2008, 23.7% higher than in 2000.
- the average annual tourism employment was 9.5% which means tourism generated one out of ten jobs over a period of ten years.
- the average annual tourism employment rate was 2.37% which closely approximated the national employment growth rate of 2.7%
- the passenger transport industry was the largest employer at 42.7% followed by restaurants at 23.7%, retail enterprises at 4.7%, hotels at 4%

Given these statistics* Secretary Lim is looking into integrating nature, culture and history as a means of providing a total package for tourist spots so that potential visitors get a "tight"and neat little experience that will make them want to come back.

The poor guy has been much maligned after he was misinterpreted/misconstrued/ misquoted ( you select the proper term) for his pronouncements regarding tourist arrivals. He has a quite an interesting view on attracting tourists to the country opting for quality more than quantity. I think it makes a lot of sense. We can't compete with the tourist arrivals from other countries in europe who can attract 50M tourists each season. Do we really want hordes of noisy, backpacking tourists descending on our virgin beaches and frolicking naked in the sand?

Aside from the physical and moral pollution that it entails, we've been touted for ruining our destinations because of our penchant for catering to every whim of tourists. That's Pinoy hospitality for you. In the seventies and eighties we were known for the sex tours and what a horrible reputation we had back then.

Just go to Boracay during Holy Week and you get the idea... I loved Boracay when it was virtually unknown to the outside world. Nipa huts rented for P500.00 a night and you had to take a shower with a pozo to rinse of the sea water from your body... and then you used a "buhos" toilet to do your morning ritual... That was the Boracay i knew and loved... nowadays, you can't make me go back there specially during peak season. For one, I could no longer afford it. It has become too expensive. For another reason, i dread the hordes of people who go there and party all night.

It's time to rethink what we're known for... eventually visitors will want something of a novelty. They did it in CamSur with the wakeboarding. Caramoan's jagged primeval coastline came alive with it picture-perfect beauty. Danao started to offer extreme activities aside from its historical significance owing to the Dagohoy rebellion. We want to attract tourists who will stay and spend their hard-earned money and not commit acts of loutism while they're here. Naturally, it's families who will want to come and bond with each other while enjoying the best of what our country has to offer. I think this is what Secretary Lim meant when he said it's not the number of people you want to come trampling on our shores... it's the quality of tourists...

I'm with you there... I'm a Mabuhay Guide again...



*Manila Bulletin. Business and Society. "Nature, History, Culture". Bernardo M. Villegas. Monday, 16. August. 2010

Missing Ilocos

Same time last year, the Mabuhay Guides embarked on a lengthy and in-depth research trip to Region I... the province of Ilocos!!!

Dustin Arnold Ancheta was given the task of being the team leader and there were ten of us who went to Ilocos for the research trip and we had a blast. The purpose of the trip was not only to enjoy what Ilocos has to offer but also to view the region with an open mind... discover the visual treats along the way and perhaps provide a glimpse of what the people and the province has in store for the erstwhile tourist.


We took an early morning flight to Laoag Airport and we were met by the representatives of the region's tourism office. From there we were taken by coaster to the Palazzo Hotel which is a few minutes off the center of Laoag. The owners were very cordial and it turns out that the lady of the hotel was originally a Manilena but was married to an Ilocano. It was just a few minutes at the lobby to sort out our room assignments and we were ushered to the dining room for sumptuous Ilocano Breakfast that had this soup made out of seaweed in a clear broth and the traditional Ilocano poqui-poqui, pinakbet with barbeque and fish and bagoong.

Then after lunch we were ushered into the van enroute to Curimao, Batac and Paoay. Now, these sites are must sees. Curimao is where Sitio Remedios is located. A collecton of quaint centuries old houses clumped into one compound amid ngarled and ancient trees ans nestled in the rugged coastline. Batac and Paoay are the bastion of the Marcos Family. Batac is where the Marcos Mansion and Museum is located. The Marcos Museum and Mausauleoum is where the family stays when vacationing in Ilocos, whilst the Museum is the final resting place of the former president Ferdinand E. Marcos. His remains lie in state in a temperature-controlled room that is annexed to the rest of the compound.
We also had a short stop at the Fort Ilocandia for merienda and to see the amenities that are available to tourists.

Paoay is noteworthy, as it has the distinction of having one of four World Heritage sites in the Philippines. The San Agustin Church built by the Agustinians during the Spanish regime is a massive architectural wonder featuring flying buttresses in the Philippine earthquake baroque style. A few minutes from the church is the Malacanan ti Amianan (Malacanan of the North) the official residence of President Marcos overlooking the Paoay Lake. After a tour of the palace, we motored back to Laoag for dinner at the Palazzo Hotel

Our second day in Ilocos was chock-full of activities. First stop was the Juan Luna Shrine in Badoc, Ilocos Sur. The home of Juan Luna was restored and turned into a museum that features the nationalist's life and works. From there, we proceeded to Vigan, Ilocos Sur where we took the Mestizo River tour.We also visited a weaving cooperative where The famous Abel Iloco cloth is still woven. Centuries ago, the lowly abel Iloco was the subject of a ban from Spanish weavers as the clothe proved to be sturdier for use in sails of the galleons that plied the Philippine-Mexico route. We went to the Syquia Mansion and was toured around by the caretaker. Then we proceeded to the Arzobispado de Nueva Segovia that's right next to the St Paul's Cathedral to learn about the contributions of the Catholic religion to the simple Ilocano way of life. Finally we went gallivanting round the Spanish heritage town of Vigan, spared from the Japanese bombs when a Japanese colonel who fell in love with an Ilocana. This after a great lunch at Cafe Leona... known for her poetry and for her strong female presence in Vigan society.


The third day was devoted to a lecture at the Museo Iloco by Father Laeda. Father Laeda enlightened us on the shrinking bell tower of St William the Hermit Cathedral. The Museo is also fondly called "Gameng" Ilocano for jewel. as it holds a virtual treasure trove of Ilocano artifacts from farm implements, fishing equipment musical scores and even a replica of a vigan home within the Tabacalera's restored walls. We also visited the Capitol building and then were whisked off to the North Coast. Along the way we stopped at the Pasuquin Salt factories, we had lunch at Burgos municipality tendered by the Mayor and his staff. Then we went to Cape Bojeador that has witnessed the galleons' voyages throughout the centuries. After that, we went to see the Bangui windmills; a modern concession to the Ilocano culture as it supplies a moajority of the regions electrical power. Then, it was Pagudpud!!! On the way back, we stopped at the REFMAD Dragon Fruit Farm.

The Fourth Day in Ilocos was more of a review of sorts. We visited the Churches of Sta Monica in Sarat. The massive church interior was the setting for the momentous wedding of presidential daughter Irene Marcos to Greggy Araneta. WE also saw the Well that had secret tunnels that led to the river where revolutionaries took refuge during the Philippine revolution. After that we went to the Laoag Market just to find out the curios they had to sell. We also went to St William the Hermit Church in Laoag. We also went back to Batac to view the Artemio Ricarte Museum. After which we sampled local Empanada. From there and many digital photos later, it was back to Laoag for merienda at a joint that served us Ilocano fusion food and then the airport for our flight back home... It's been a year since I was there last...

How fast time flies...