HONEST FILIPINOS MAKES THE PHILIPPINES MORE FUN PLACE TO BE

I am guilty as much as those who had bashed the Department of Tourism’s new campaign slogan: “It’s more fun in the Philippines”. After its launch two months ago, it had created much talk particularly over the internet. It generated favorable support yet it did garnered nasty remarks. While I was generally lukewarm on this issue, as a copyrighter I admit to being more critical of works other than mine. Moreover, disenchantment over how government system works in this country had made me skeptical to almost every program and policy being created that, more often than not, fails.

A recent trip to Sorsogon had sparked the hope in me that beyond the failures, success can be achieved particularly in the tourism industry. It’s an overstatement to say something about the beauty of the bicolandia region and its hospitable people. An experience in honesty and proven integrity had made me realize that indeed “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”

It was the afternoon on our first day in the island of Sibago. The beach, sunset, laughter and booze were the perfect picture of how much fun we had. We were on a land mass about 200 meters from the shore that during high tide resembles an island; so one has to swim or get to a boat to get back to the shore. As it had totally gotten dark, we were so drunk that we decided to go back to the house. I and a companion went ahead of the others and boarded the boat. Less than 100 meters away, our boat tipped sideway and we both slithered into the waters. The waters were about the level of my chin and I was on tip-toed to the bottom. I was frightened because I don’t know how to swim. I eventually reached the shore safely to realize that: it isn’t my time yet and that— I left my camera on the sand in the other side of the shore.

Drunk as a skunk, I dropped on the bed without rinsing the sea waters and sand on my body. Intoxication had made me oblivious of the fact that my camera was lost. It was until the morning after that the dread of having lost it had finally sunk in. My host was gracious enough to lend his support by sending someone to our boatman, Utoy, who happened to had picked-up after us when the party was over. His pregnant wife instantly came and handed me the camera.

I was overwhelmed. No words were ever enough to express my gratitude. I am sure that he was able to save the camera only by chance since it was totally dark when we left the area. He could have missed it altogether. It would have been washed-away by the rising tide and gone forever. He then had the option to deny that he had retrieved it and got away with it.

Nicknamed Utoy, Dennis Trestiza is a native of Sibago. He works for the local tourism office in Donsol as a Butanding Interaction Officer (BIO). He mans a boat that ferries tourist to the area where the Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus), locally known as butanding, can be spotted. While he later told me that being honest is their orientation as tourism employee, I still commend him for a job well-done. I gave his wife a small amount in peso as a token. I know that no amount can ever compensate for his integrity.

My camera maybe cheap and out-dated but the pictures it had taken were priceless. If it was lost, so were the memories recorded in it. It would have ruined an otherwise ‘fun’ vacation. But one man’s honesty had secured, not only my camera and the memories with it, the lasting impression towards the people working in tourism and the credibility of the slogan, truly “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”