The Manila Trip I Didn’t Want to Take

I had not gone back to Manila for over a decade. The last time I was there was when I had to pick up Ralph after he first arrived in the Philippines — and that was actually our very first meeting in person. I still remember that flight from Manila to Bacolod because it was so turbulent that I swore to myself I would never fly again.

Of course, life laughed at that promise.

Because Ralph needed to process immigration-related requirements and renew his passport over the years, we still had to fly occasionally — but thankfully, everything was handled in Cebu. Manila was successfully avoided for more than ten years.

Then Ralph’s boss, Eric Greenberg, announced that he would be traveling to China and making a stop in the Philippines to meet the Philippine team.

Ralph was ecstatic.

I was not.

Now technically, I had no problem letting Ralph travel on his own. He is a fully grown adult. But Ralph does not go anywhere without me. This is a known fact at this point. So naturally, I had no choice but to come along.

Our flight was scheduled for April 19, Sunday with Philippine Airlines.

We decided to take a Grab from our house to the airport, which honestly turned out to be a great decision. Airport parking costs around Php25 per hour, which doesn’t sound too bad for an overnight trip — until you start thinking about possible delays or unexpected extensions. Suddenly your parked car starts charging rent more expensive than some apartments.

According to Ralph, I looked miserable the entire time we were waiting at the pre-departure area.

That was because I was mentally summoning every angel, saint, guardian spirit, and possibly even ancestors to protect our flight. I was praying the entire time while sitting there.

Then we boarded the plane, and suddenly things became slightly more exciting because I realized I was flying with several Filipino celebrities — Richard Gutierrez, Baron Geisler, and a few other faces I probably should have recognized but didn’t because I am now at the age where I only recognize celebrities from my era.

There was also politician Javi Benitez, who I mainly recognized because he used to date Sue Ramirez, the Ilongga actress.

Unfortunately, even celebrity sightings could not cure my fear of flying.

Every little sound inside the plane terrified me. There was one particular noise that made me feel like the aircraft was being held together by rusty screws and prayers. Ralph kept trying to calmly explain things like, “That’s probably normal,” or “That’s just the landing gear,” while I sat there internally preparing my last will and testament.

I honestly don’t know why I’ve become so nervous about flying because I literally lived in Manila during college and used to fly back and forth without turning into a complete emotional support passenger.

Thankfully, we arrived safely and on time.

And honestly? Thank God for Grab. Traveling around Manila is so much easier now compared to before.

As we were about to get into our Grab car, Ralph’s teammate Kimmy Zoldivar called to say they apparently had an absurd amount of food at the meeting venue because their order somehow got duplicated. So if we had already landed, we might as well head straight there.

Perfect timing.

It was lunchtime, and while we were still on the plane, Ralph and I were already discussing where to eat because hotel check-in at Hyatt wasn’t until 3 PM and we were landing before 1 PM.

So wearing our very ordinary “Bacolod airport outfits,” we headed straight to meet the Howard Miller Philippine team at Aseana 2.

Now I have to emphasize the outfits because a week before the trip, Ralph and I actually bought semi-formal clothes specifically for this meeting. We wanted to look presentable because, after all, his boss flew all the way from the US to meet them.

Well.

That turned out to be unnecessary.

Because the moment we arrived and joined the team, that basically became the entire event. No dramatic formal meeting. No grand entrance. No opportunity to wear our carefully planned outfits.

But honestly, it worked out because everyone else was dressed casually anyway. Had we changed into our semi-formal outfits, we would have looked like we were attending a corporate gala while everyone else was just there to eat.

Another funny misunderstanding involved the hotel.

We booked at Hyatt Regency in City of Dreams because Ralph found out Eric was staying there and assumed that was where the meeting would happen. So naturally, Ralph booked us there too.

Apparently, the entire thing was one giant misunderstanding.

Eric was actually looking for a cheaper hotel closer to the meeting venue, but Kimmy told him the area wasn’t very safe. Then Ralph mentioned he had already booked Hyatt, so Eric ended up booking there too.

Meanwhile, we barely even stayed inside the hotel.

We were out almost the entire time.

Honestly, it felt slightly painful realizing how expensive the hotel was considering we mostly used it as a place to briefly exist before leaving again.

Still, the experience itself was nice.

The area around City of Dreams felt surprisingly peaceful and organized. Ralph kept commenting on the lack of traffic, and one of the Manila team members explained that we just happened to be staying in a more guarded area, which is why things felt calmer compared to the usual Manila chaos.

After the meeting, Eric treated everyone to dinner at Texas Roadhouse inside a nearby mall.

I was initially about to book another Grab car because my survival instinct in Manila is apparently “summon transportation immediately,” but Eric pointed toward the mall and said:

“Are you really going to get a car when it’s just right over there?”

And honestly… fair enough.

So we walked.

Our flight back to Bacolod was at 9 AM the next morning, April 20. This time there were no celebrities onboard except for Javi Benitez, who also happened to be flying back to Bacolod.

The moment our plane touched down, I felt immediate relief that the Manila trip was finally over.

But strangely enough, the memories stayed with me.

The Howard Miller Philippine team was incredibly warm and welcoming, and Eric was genuinely one of the nicest people I’ve met. I felt comfortable around him almost instantly.