Pinoys make it more fun

MANILA, Philippines - “It’s fun in the Philippines because of the people,” replies Travel Time host and Bel-Air resident Susan Calo-Medina when asked about her thoughts on the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) latest campaign, It’s More Fun in the Philippines. “The people make it fun more than the places. Even if we don’t have all the infrastructure, we have the people who make you feel at home.”

In fact, these people are also the strength of the country’s domestic tourism. “They’re the ones who use the facilities when it’s not the traveling season abroad,” says Susan. “The traveling season abroad is from the cold month of October to June. When it’s rainy season (here), it’s summer elsewhere. (So, they go there.) They come here during the cold months. When there are no international tourists, it’s the local tourists who use the facilities. Last year, there were 28 million Filipinos traveling.”

This “people power” is also the reason why Bel-Air’s annual event Pasinaya has become successful year after year. From May 4 to 6, about 150 residents aged three to 83 gather to show Bel-Air’s community spirit and to prove that Bel-Air is #1 in fun, the theme of this year’s Pasinaya.

“The theme is in connection with (DOT’s) campaign, which is apt and swak na swak sa character ng Filipino… It is also swak na swak sa character ng mga Taga-Bel-Air,” shares Susan, member of Pasinaya’s Festival Committee. “(It’s more fun here) kasi fun kami… It’s fun to be rich or poor or in-between. It’s fun being Filipino.”

According to Bel-Air Makati barangay captain Nene Lichauco, the Pasinaya covers all sectors from homeowners to house helps, from children to teenagers, from adults to senior citizens. She adds, “Each Pasinaya is different… The bottom line only there is the community being together.”

“(The Pasinaya is) the same in spirit. It’s the same in cooperation but the creatives is different,” Susan says.

“People get out of their houses and bond. A lot of our residents go out and help. There is real community life.”

The sense of community in Bel-Air has been rubbed off on its youth. The participation of young people is felt strongly each year. That’s why the Pasinaya’s personality has also changed. This is manifested in the different activities that have been presented in the past years. For the Pasinaya 2012, there will be segments titled such as Fun is a Pep Squad and Fun is Being Gaga.

All Bel-Air gates are open to the public to watch and experience the varied activities such as Trade Fair, Perya, Gabi ng Kasambahay with Jericho Rosales, Salu-Salong Agahan by Kusinerong Pinoy, Children’s Treat, performances from The CompanY and Bituin Escalante, Pustura Pasinaya with Plains & Prints and Folded & Hung, Sunday Mass, Animal Show with Kuya Kim and Bel-Air: #1 in Fun directed by Floy Quintos.

Capturing Bel-Air’s sense of community on camera is Susan’s Travel Time, which has brought her around the archipelago from up north to down south.

“I like doing it,” Susan says of her TV work. “I like to travel. I’ve seen how beautiful the Philippines is. I want to be able to share it with everybody. It’s nice to be able to go out to the provinces. When you do it, you have the chance to do a documentary with substance, and very well-shot, beautiful visuals. It’s both travel and visual arts together, plus your love for it.”

If there’s one lesson that Juan dela Cruz can re-learn from Bel-Air’s Pasinaya, it will be the beauty of bayanihan (community unity and spirit).