Sari Sari Stories

“Trip lang tayo, pasyal tayo sa Pilipinas”, says a friend who has lived in the Philippines all his life and is currently enjoying the wonderful benefits of having a stable financial income plus the availability of backpacker-friendly airfares that give everyone a chance to see the b-e-a-u-t-y of the Philippines.

By Francis A. Buenaventura

With or without the award given by a Chinese newspaper, Oriental Morning Post, we all know that nothing rivals the Philippines in terms of tourism.

And for all the Pinoy Zealanders, it’s about time. Visit the Philippines, nothing less, everything for more, fun!

Top 5 Reasons to visit the Philippines:

1. You need a break. You’ve had enough of the twang, the glottal stops and gibberish talks that you get into every day. You need it and you know it.

2. You want a break. You want to see the landscape. You want to ride the waves of Siargao and swim with Butanding (Whale Sharks) in Donsol. You want to take a solitary trek in Sagada and think about the life ahead of you or the life behind you. Or simply the life that you’re in. You want to visit Tagaytay and take a panoramic shot of the world’s smallest volcano, Taal. Boracay is Boracay and it offers you a unique experience of beach life during the day and partying hard at night with friends. You want to visit the rice terraces of Benguet. You want to see Bohol and the world’s smallest primate, the Tarsier. You want to climb Mount Apo and eat Durian. Of course, you do love to dive and our country is blessed with ultimate dive spots that even Jean Jacques Costeau failed to see. And yes, from Manila, visiting Bicol is just a train ride away. View the majestic site of Mayon Volcano and enjoy the gastronomic experience of Bicol Express.

3. You miss salu-salo with your family, which extends to your inaanak, kapit-bahay, ka-batch, kalaro and everyone who helped you unload your luggage and balik-bayan boxes. Oh you miss Adobo, Kare-kare, Pinakbet, Sinigang, Mechado, Menudo, Pinikpikan, Diningding, Palabok, Embutido, Tokwa’t Baboy, Bulalo, TAPSILOG, TOCILOG and whatever you have in mind that reminds you of your unlimited rice craving. My 13-year-old self simply can’t forget the time when I earned the ire of my home economics teacher when she asked us about our own kitchen creation. Since I was one of the last students to be asked what I wanted to cook for our final examination in H.E., my choices were limited. So I answered, VETLOG, short for Vetsin and Itlog. I received a scolding outside the classroom and a two-page essay on why I should not be penalized for it. I escaped suspension and was asked to try-out for a slot on the school’s newspaper.

4. You want to enter a church, attend and celebrate the Holy Eucharist with people all around you. You know you’re in the Philippines when you’re praying inside the church and people are outrunning each other to get the vacant seat next to you. Don’t you miss the smell of baby powder mixing with sweat all around the church on a Sunday morning?

5. You are a socially aware and responsible Filipino. You want to vote for your aunt/uncle/cousin/classmate/neighbour running in the midterm elections this year. And yes, you want to make sure it’s a trip to listen to all the speeches they’re giving come circus time — este campaign period.

Bring your family back here and stay for a while. Rediscover the country and show them the rich heritage that we have.

Tourism is more than increasing the Gross National Product income for our country. Tourism is a great way to inculcate the Filipino Youth with national pride. National pride begins with knowing what our country is, its history and its future.

Go home. Visit the Philippines.

Visit Francis A. Buenaventura’s blogspot: http://thebrownmandiary.blogspot.com