Be unstoppable!

MANILA, Philippines - What stops you from accomplishing things today?” For Gilbert Galdonez, it’s the password to his neighbor’s wi-fi connection. For this witty reply, he won the grand prize in the Pharmaton “Be Unstoppable!” campaign promo, a “one-of-a-kind helicopter ride package.”

“We want our consumers to experience what it’s like to become unstoppable even just for a day,” Boehringer Ingelheim group brand manager Maureen Javier noted. “By giving them a chance to go on an adventure that we don’t see happening very often, we want to remind them that they should not let anything hinder them from living their lives to the fullest and achieving greater things.”

For three weeks in February, listeners of RX 93.1’s Morning Rush and Magic 89.9’s Boys’ Night Out had the chance to answer the question by phoning in or through Twitter. “Every day, we chose one phone-in and two Twitter winners,” DJ Gino Quillamor explains.

Among the more common answers to the question “What stops you from accomplishing things today?” were “traffic” and “fatigue.”

Two grand prize winners — Ida Asther Bambo and Gilbert Galdonez — were picked from among all the daily winners in a raffle at the end of the promo period. They could bring two friends with them for the helicopter ride. Gilbert chose his mom Cecilia Galdonez and his best friend Christian Cunanan.

It would be their first time. “Helicopter virgins,” someone said. “Excited and nervous” was how Gilbert described how he felt before the ride, as the small group gathered at Hangar 10 of the domestic airport. But if truth must be told, the scariest part of the whole experience was not the ride itself but actually the pre-flight briefing given by Captain Ferdie Ibasco, a seasoned pilot with 22 years of experience as a fixed-wing pilot and seven years as a helicopter pilot.

“We will be flying over Manila Bay. In case of an emergency water landing, wait for the helicopter to tip over and the rotors to stop before exiting the aircraft,” he said. “Avoid the tail end of the helicopter, which is the danger zone.”

The ride was far from what we had anticipated. It was smooth all the way. The weather cooperated. Despite the passing light shower earlier that morning, the sun was out and the cumulous clouds were not at all threatening. We had a good takeoff, helped by some headwind, Capt. Ferdie explained. He went on to talk about the crosswinds and the tailwind and their effect  on the flight. We were riding a Bell 407, the “Ferrari of helicopters,” Capt. Ferdie said, with  a maximum capacity of seven, including pilot and a crew of one.

In 20 minutes, we were in Subic. No traffic. By land, it would have taken at least three to four hours. The time we gained allowed us to do more things in the short time that we spent there. After a leisurely lunch at Kamana Sanctuary Resort and Spa, we caught the Dolphin Show at Subic’s Ocean Adventure. Gilbert did not only watch the show but was also the show’s special guest.  He got to interact with the dolphins, to dance with them and even to hug a dolphin. It was the cherry on top of the sundae that was the whole Pharmaton “unstoppable”experience .

Pharmaton is a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement that contains Ginseng G115, the “gold standard” of ginseng extracts.  “Pharmaton with Ginseng G115 has been helping individuals enjoy a better quality of life by providing them with healthy energy that lasts,”

Javier notes. “Each capsule is packed with just the right amount of vitamins, minerals, and Ginseng G115, which is known to decrease fatigue and stress, improve alertness, enhance quality of relaxation, improve work performance, and boost one’s energy level.” 

The ride back to Manila from Subic was uneventful. Even the slight turbulence, which Capt. Ferdie said we were supposed to experience above the mountains of Bataan, passed unnoticed.  You could even take a catnap aboard the helicopter if you wanted to. In no time, the Makati skyline was in view. We disembarked at the helipad of the Hotel Inter-Continental.

Still, that was not the end of the Pharmaton experience for Gilbert who had more than enough energy to spare and time to spend the P10,000 prize money he received from Pharmaton, which he promptly and wisely used to buy clothes and shoes for himself at the Glorietta Mall.  He was simply unstoppable.