I can not forget the day my boss told me  that he recommended me to go to an inspection trip of project sites in several key cities of Visayas and Mindanao. It was September 1989 and a few days before my birthday. I told him the 10-day trip schedule would fall on my birthday but my boss said it was his birthday too, so I should go instead. For ten days, I would be jet setting into cities of ILOILO, BACOLOD, CEBU and TACLOBAN in the Visayas and then CAGAYAN DE ORO, DAVAO and ZAMBOANGA in Mindanao.   

I was naturally very excited about the whole trip being my first trip to almost all of these cities (except for TACLOBAN and BACOLOD). I researched on the destinations, asked a friend about the costs of hotel accommodations and the best places to eat in these cities. 

I will be travelling with a counterpart from our client, Babes, during the whole trip and it was her first trip also to these places. We will be inspecting the bank’s provincial branches for the installation of brand new ATM machines.

First destination was ILOILO CITY and the first problem arose. Babes, my companion, did not arrived at the Manila Domestic Airport. I was feeling tense and I asked myself, should I go or not. Babes was supposed to be my guide to the bank branches since she knew the locations and the persons to contact  in these places. Being a daring adventurer, I decided to proceed to ILOILO alone and just go straight to the bank’s branch there, since I was sure they were expecting someone from Manila. The flight to ILOILO was really bumpy, as there was bad weather along the way. It was raining hard when we touched down at the runway. From the airport, I took a taxi to the bank’s branch in the city. They were surprised to see me, wet and alone. Babes did arrive via the next flight in the evening. I then felt relaxed having accomplished the first part of my trip.

The next day we took the morning ferry to BACOLOD CITY. The ferry crossing was a smooth 2-hour trip despite the waves. Upon reaching BACOLOD CITY pier, we almost missed our host who was supposed to pick us up. We inspected 2 bank branches for installation of the ATM machines in this city. I have been here before way back in 1976 so I did look up for some familiar landmarks.

After finishing our business in BACOLOD in the afternoon, we rushed to the airport to catch the flight to CEBU.  We arrived in CEBU after a short 30-minute flight aboard the old PAL BAC-111 jet at sundown. This was my first time in CEBU. 

At the hotel after dinner, I revealed to Babes that it was my birthday that day and asked her to join me celebrate it.  The day was very memorable for me since I celebrated my birthday in 3 different cities in the Visayas all in a day (ILOILO in the morning, BACOLOD in the midmorning and CEBU at night).

We spend the whole day in CEBU so there was no travelling for us for the day. Day 3’s pace was more relaxing since our day’s entire business schedule was not tight. In the morning we did site inspections and conducted pre-bid meetings and by noon, all our business was over so we had the whole afternoon all for ourselves. Luckily Babes was going to another branch in the city so I went with her and took the chance to squeeze in a short tour of the city. I went to the famous shrine of Magellan’s Cross. Here is where the remnants of the wooden cross used by the Spaniards to celebrate the first mass in the area to convert the local inhabitants to Christianity. After visiting the shrine, I bumped into a friend of mine from Manila who was also in CEBU on business with my same client.

Travelling around the city is made convenient by the abundance of local taxicabs. Somehow, CEBU reminds me of MANILA especially after we encountered the traffic jams during the rush hours.

If we had a leisurely pace on Day 3, on Day 4 we had to rush our morning’s business schedule as we still had to go to the airport to catch our flight to our next destination. We finished our meeting later than expected. So I was feeling tense again, as I know the drive to the airport is about 45 minutes and we were running late. When we reached the airport, I though we already missed our flight as the check-in counter was already closed. It was a good thing though the plane was half full so they still let us in. It was another short 30-minute flight to TACLOBAN CITY. I have been to this city before, in fact the first city in the Visayas I have been to. We only inspected one branch in the city so our business there was over within an hour. We flew back to CEBU on the afternoon flight and were back in our hotel room dead tired.

By the way, after four days, my travel allowance is still intact since the most that I have spent was on the taxi fares and a few snacks. All of our hotel and food expenses were graciously taken cared of by our hosts in every city.

TACLOBAN is the capital of LEYTE Island, the center of trade and industry in Eastern Visayas. TACLOBAN is more historically well known during the final events of WWII. Gen. Douglas MaCarthur landed on nearby Red Beach in 1944 to reclaim the Philippines from the Japanese Occupation Troops and one of the fiercest sea battles during the Pacific war was fought along her coastline. TACLOBAN is the most laid back city compared to ILOILO, BACOLOD and CEBU. There are few hotels and restaurants to go to. There are no taxis to go around the city; instead tricycles abound to take you to your destination. TACLOBAN can also be reached by land from Manila via the Pan-Philippine Highway. PHILTRANCO buses offer a luxurious 24-hour ride from TACLOBAN to MANILA with one ferry crossing. (Years later, I would try this route …see TACLOBAN-MANILA IN 24 HRS.) Interesting spots to see in the city are the MaCarthur landing site, the 2 km. San Juanico bridge (the longest bridge in the country connecting LEYTE and SAMAR islands) and the infamous Sto. Nino Shrine (an interesting mansion built by the former first lady, Imelda Marcos, to house various artifacts). Previously, this was fondly called the "Malacanang of the South". TACLOBAN's famous annual festival held in July is the PINTADOS, where revelers paint their bodies with various colors. Like the Dinagyang and Sinulog festivals of Iloilo and Cebu, the PINTADOS is also a festival in honor of the Sto. Nino (Holy Child Jesus).

We had no scheduled business in CEBU in the morning so all we had to worry was to get to the airport for the flight to CAGAYAN DE ORO. For this leg of our trip, we were just in time at the Mactan airport for our flight. But unfortunately, our flight was to be delayed for 2 hours due to technical problem. All the previous stories that I have heard about PAL planes being late in departure and arrival, this was the first delay I encountered of all the 5 flights that I have taken for the past 4 days. I was now going to the island of Mindanao and I was getting more excited as our trip progresses since this was my first trip to this island. After a short 40 minute flight we landed at the Lumbia airport, gateway to CAGAYAN DE ORO. We were greeted by our local hosts at the airport and immediately went to inspect the bank branch to conduct our business. Our host was apologetic since he was able to book us on a rather older hotel since all of the best hotels were fully booked due to an ongoing event in the city. The hotel was not bad but the wooden flooring and the old bed indicated that this hotel must have been one of the first in the city. Our host in this city was very hospitable and had lots story on various topics to tell so we were kept well entertained all throughout our dinner.

I know some people in CAGAYAN DE ORO, especially the family of Sen. Nene Pimentel. And so I visited their house in the morning and was welcomed by her daughter TERELOU. She used to live in my neighborhood before she settled  here to study so we were naturally both exited to see each other. Fortunately minutes later, Sen. Pimentel arrived from Manila and was also surprised to see me.  Too bad, we only stayed overnight in this city as I wished I could have spent more time with my friends here.

I was now flying to DAVAO over the mountains of Central Mindanao. It was again a smooth and short flight, quite different than my first flight on day one which was really bumpy. I was now getting the knack of travelling by airplane and almost familiar with the procedure of checking in at the airports. We were again fetched at the airport by our local host and was driven straight to our hotel, the famous APO VIEW (which was undergoing renovation then). We had the rest of the day free so I took the chance to go shopping at a nearby mall. I bought some native handicrafts as gifts to my officemates back in Manila. Later that evening, I tried to look around for some local entertainment and walked a few blocks from the hotel. A hotel staff said that I was lucky that I can now walk around the city at nighttime indication of a much-improved peace and order situation in the city. He said that before, no one dared to walk in the city streets at nighttime for fear of being caught in the crossfire between the NPA and the anti-Communist vigilante group. Finding no interesting place to go to outside the hotel, I just settled to listen to the band playing in the hotel’s bar.

In the early morning, I went to the nearest church to hear mass, which was in Cebuano. Nevertheless, I finished the mass and went back to the hotel. I was getting bored by this time since there was no scheduled activity (or so I thought). It was a Sunday and the bank’s branches are closed and the employees at home, and so I thought there was no one to coordinate to regarding our job. But apparently, Babes and our local host were looking for me all over the place. Our host brought us to the branches for some inspection. I thought we were free on Sundays but our local host had other idea. So, off to work I went on a Sunday. In fact, one branch was not expecting us and so we caught the guard talking to his girlfriend instead of guarding his post. But we finished our activity early and so we went back to the hotel. Later I thought I could try my luck with a slot machine and I asked for directions to the Casino from the hotel guard but it was very confusing so I decided to just stay in the hotel.

DAVAO CITY is one of the world’s largest city in terms of land area. It is a melting pot of cultures in Southern Mindanao. Settlers from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao settled in this city which has been long the center of trade and industry in Mindanao. Cebuano is the main dialect but Tagalog is also the common language. Muslim and Christian have peacefully coexisted here. DAVAO is famous for its flower farms; the Monkey Eating Eagle sanctuary; the country’s highest peak Mt. APO and nearby SAMAL island which boasts of pristine white beaches. DAVAO can also reached by land from Manila via the Pan-Philippine Highway in 36 hours aboard the new PHILTRANCO buses. DAVAO is relatively a peaceful city as compared to other cities in Mindanao. DAVAO is like CEBU in so many ways, rural in some ways, urban in another (especially the traffic). The city is blessed with a favorable weather all year round since it is not in the normal path of typhoons. DAVAO is best known for its fruit "DURIAN" (smells like hell but tastes like heaven), POMELO fruit, its delicious Tuna fishes and the export quality bananas. DAVAO’s annual festival is the KADAYAWAN, its own version of Mardi-Gras.

With most of our work finished a day earlier, we only had light work load before leaving the city. Our destination was ZAMBOANGA CITY. While waiting at the airport, I enjoyed watching the "then" brand new planes of PAL (the Airbus and the B737) land at the runway. I always marveled at these masterpieces of modern technology. Luckily, after riding on the old BAC-111 of PAL for the past days, I was now flying on the new B737. I felt extra-secured and excited in flying aboard a new plane.

Our next destination ZAMBOANGA CITY is a place with a colorful and troubled past. I can still remember the recent events that made the city in the headlines, like the siege in a police camp that led to a death of a general or the bombing of Christian missionary ship right at the harbor. And who could ever forget the brutal murder of its former mayor Cesar Climaco (whose case still remain unsolved up to this day) right in the city. The first sight that greeted me in the airport are the army choppers parked nearby. This military like character reminded me that Mindanao is indeed a war zone. In the 70s, this region was witness to some fierce battle between the government troops and the Muslim separatist movement MNLF(and like déjà vu, it was happening again today). But our host would say later that they have accustomed to these sights and in fact they felt more secure if the Marines conducted guarded the city rather than the local police.

As we drove to our hotel, the HOTEL LANTAKA, the palm tree lines street reminded me of postcard from Beverly Hills. The Spanish styled City Hall never fails to attract attention of first time visitors. We finished our business quickly and I had ample time to walk around and tour the nearby old Spanish Fort Pilar. Our host also gave us a short tour around the city, ironically citing the infamous spots of the city, like the place where the former mayor was shot and the police camp seized by a Muslim bandit. What a way to tour a guest, I said to myself. At dinner, he brought us to a local restaurant that served the best curacha (crabs) that after eating I felt dizzy (too much cholesterol?). The only drawback was that we were seated besides a group of men eating with their long armalite firearms laid at the floor. I asked myself if they were military or someone else (they were not in uniform though). I was imagining that if something happened we would surely be caught in the middle. Gladly, the evening passed without any problem.

Later in the evening I was able to get in touch with a Jesuit friend of mine whom I knew from way back in Manila. He was assigned there as president of the Ateneo de Zamboanga and was glad to see me after all these years. He asked me to visit him at his campus the next day.

I woke up early to visit my Jesuit friend who was celebrating an early morning mass at the university chapel.  I thanked the Divine Providence for keeping me safe throughout my journey so far. After the mass, he gave me a short tour of the university campus. After biding each other good-byes, I did a quick shopping in a nearby mall before returning to my hotel.

We checked in at the airport at noon and I went to my final inspection through the airport checkpoints. I realized that my trip was almost over and a long 2 hour flight back to Manila was ahead of me. I was also glad to see a brand new B737 as my plane back to Manila. And we were on schedule thereby belying all the rumors that PAL planes are always late. I only experienced one flight delay all throughout my journey. As we lifted off the runway, I said goodbye to the beautiful island of Mindanao. Now all of my previous perceptions of a troubled place are gone, Mindanao is indeed a beautiful island to visit, the people so hospitable and warm and their culture so rich yet diverse.

As we touched down in Manila, I now felt very tired. Suddenly all the days of traveling has finally caught up on me. I realized that I will back in the office the next day with a bundle of work to finish (back to reality?). Also I realize that I still have to go through the traffic jam going back to my house. It took me the same time, 2 hours. to drive to my house form the airport as it did for me to fly from Zamboanga to Manila. And my inexperience in traveling led me to accidentally hire airport limousine that charged exorbitant fare compared to the taxis. That was probably the only disappointment of my journey.

But I tried to reflect on my trip, realizing how I lucky I was to be able to visit these beautiful places all for free, visit old friends, meet new friends, sample the various native delicacies and hospitality of each cities. And as I was enjoying doing it, I was also getting paid for it. Seven cities and five islands in nine day. The whole journey was very tiring but at the same time exciting. Little did I know that this would be the start of my countless future travels to these places. I thanked my local hosts for their hospitality and my boss for  trusting me to embark on this journey. Most important though is that I thanked the Lord for keeping safe from harm all throughout the journey. That in a way was the best birthday gift I had so far.