My good friend Debbie Palao & I were in Baguio the first weekend of January 2008 to attend the wedding of the daughter of our sorority sister, Baby Osmeña-Madrid.
Taking the overnight Victory Liner bus to Baguio, direct from the airport, was a good decision since we saved on a lot of productive time. From the Pasay terminal, we caught the 11:30 pm bus and arrived at the Baguio main terminal towards 6am. (We had conveniently scheduled toilet/food stops along the way.) In 15 minutes, we got into the hotel shuttle of The Manor in Camp John Hay. (Only P100.00 for pick up service.) By 6:30 am, we checked into our hotel room overlooking the lovely back gardens of this mountain resort. Then, we enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast buffet at Le Chef, the hotel’s main dining area, for less than P500.00!
I arranged to have an interview with The Manor’s GM since I already heard a lot of positive comments about him. I met GM Heiner Maulbecker and his gracious Filipina wife by happy coincidence when we got an instant invitation to lunch at Iggy’s Inn from its very hospitable owners, Des and Auring Bautista. The Maulbeckers were part of the intimate holiday get-together of the Bautistas, one of Baguio’s established and respected names. We enjoyed a truly delicious repast, as only Auring can concoct (you must taste her secret recipes and creations, as well as her bottled salad dressings – no preservatives!), along with wines from the selection of oenologist hubby Des.
At breakfast the following day, Mr. Maulbecker joined us over coffee and fruits for our interview. One can’t help but be carried away by the bubbly dynamism of this veteran hotelier. “ I love to travel and meet all kinds of people. That’s why I enjoy my job. When I got to the Philippines, I found a new home (he is German) so I am still here!” he confessed. He was the successful GM of the famous Hyatt Terraces, a landmark of the Pines City before the tragic earthquake occurred. He therefore speaks with authority on how Baguio was in almost every Filipino’s dream vacation plan. “Filipinos loved to come to Baguio for their honeymoon, for summer breaks and for Christmas family get-aways,” Maulbecker explains. “But we lost our enviable position to other destinations after the earthquake. Tagaytay had a popularity resurgence, then Batangas, Calatagan and Nasugbu have captured a big slice of the market.”
Maulbecker aims to regain their predominance in the domestic market because he feels that Baguio can very well niche into it again, through creative strategies based on his principle of “first look at what you’ve got, then improve on it to keep it.” The point is clustering destinations to make the Baguio package more attractive by having additional offerings. He envisioned opening more spas/cosmetic derma clinics in the Pines City to latch on to the wellness/cosmetic make-over trend in today’s travel and tourism. Then include sports activities that the Cordilleras naturally affords: trekking, spelunking, mountain climbing. Add on one of the World’s Wonders: Banaue’s Rice Terraces and the beautiful beaches of Poro Point in La Union. Maulbecker shared that the 280-hectare peninsula of Poro Point will soon be developed together with the Camp John Hay properties because infrastructure and attendant amenities will have to be in place for international traffic to ensue. Foreign capital will come in to enhance this, Maulbecker assured, if the government would formulate a framework within which it can operate unhampered by corruption and safety concerns.
“I want an international program to be marketed worldwide because the domestic market is already lured to other Southeast Asian destinations with the advent of the budget airlines. I have to widen my market reach. For foreign tourists, we have to do away with time-consuming land travel. A helicopter can ferry them to the Rice Terraces. By the way, I believe tourism can save this world heritage. The young natives no longer want to plant rice or preserve the terraces. Why do it when their produce sells for only P20.00 per pound in Vigan, while the same rice variety sells for $5.00/lb. in New York? Sightseers can pay an amount that will be applied to local culture development,” Maulbecker elucidated on his dream. What is critical, as in most cases, is government initiative and the political will to implement worthy measures.
“Can you imagine,” he continued, “Dad will play a few rounds of golf in excellent weather, while Mom would be at the derma clinic for wrinkle removal away from the prying eyes of friends, while the children can go frolic at the beach or harness their equestrian propensities. I plan to have a Little Camp John Hay similar to Boy Scouting with animals around.” That is the Baguio magnet this visionary of a hotelier wants to establish so that the Pines City will be able to snag back its lost glory.
With his enthusiasm and love for Baguio, I am sure the Pines City will be back at the center of the tourism map – domestic and international — sooner than you think.