“If it’s your birthday, they give you two chickens.” This was what a Coast Guard officer told me as we walked to the end of the 1,300-metre dirt airfield of Pag-asa island. At 37 hectares, Pag-asa is the biggest island controlled by the Philippines in the Spratlys. It is 480 kilometers west of Puerto Princesa or 34 hours away by boa...
CONSUL-General Bernardita Catalla may have only stayed in Hong Kong for a little over three years, but with those three eventful years, it seemed like she has stayed here far longer than that. Catalla is set to leave Hong Kong soon to assume being the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (AEP) of the Republic of the Philippines to...
MADRID is the capital of Spain. It is also the financial capital and cultural hub for much of Southern Europe. There is a lot to do, see, and taste in Madrid. And when Cathay Pacific announced that it was starting direct flights from Hong Kong to Madrid in September 2015, my wife and I decided that this was an adventure too good to pas...
A mom's love is one of the purest things on earth and this could be gleaned from their wishes for Mother's Day.
Have you ever wondered how heaven would look like if it really did exist? Would it be high above the clouds where angels sing to you endlessly? Or would it have a Sound of Music-esque scenery where you could run freely across the meadows and up and down the hills? We may have different notions of what heav...
The gastronomic scene in Metro Manila is booming at an overwhelmingly fast rate. It seems there is a new must-try restaurant opening every month in every city, giving residents in the capital a wide array of choices to explore. You can try dishes from neighboring Asian countries to far away Europe without having to leave the urban jungle you call h...
TWICE a year, usually during my wife’s vacation days (about two weeks), from her job as a Cathay Pacific cabin crew, we travel to places that we deem unique and interesting. These places, (my wife has a bucket list) offer us a world different from the place we call our second home – Hong Kong. Call it a perk or simply the benefit of...
THE first thing I noticed upon arriving in Chiang Mai is a kind of lightness, softness even, in the air. It was not immediately recognizable; in fact, it is the kind of thing that slowly dawns on you, like a realization and an eventual submission. I boarded a taxi outside the airport and grew a bit apprehensive since my hotel is located i...
What comes to your mind when you think of Indonesia? It would come as no surprise if you thought of Bali. You probably picture yourself lying on a beach, enjoying fresh coconut water, as the sun kisses your skin. If you are bold and adventurous, you might see yourself on a surfboard, riding gigantic walls of water that could drag you into the...
FILIPINOS love singing - whatever the occasion may be, music is always there. PrimeCredit, a Hong Kong-based financial institution serving the migrant workers community in the city, supports and harnesses the Filipino’s passion and talent for singing. In 2010, PrimeCredit launched “Superstar Search”, a singing contest for OFWs in...
