Teamwork, budgeting skills lead Dumaguete trio to Cebu Pacific backpacking win

MANILA, Philippines - Silliman University students Sesinando “Sesi” Quilao, Jr., Patrik Norouzi and So Myeong Lee of Team Crimson were hailed as champions in the just concluded Cebu Pacific Juan for Fun Backpacker Challenge Year 2.

The week-long challenge brought five teams of three students each on the ultimate backpacking trip across the country. The Philippines’ leading low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific flew them to Manila, Kalibo, Dipolog, Palawan, Davao, and Cebu to experience daring and colorful adventures.

Team Crimson received 12 Cebu Pacific roundtrip tickets to any international or domestic destination plus a three day-two night Philippine tour package for three, courtesy of the Department of Tourism. Each team member also won Canon point and shoot cameras, Samsung Galaxy tablets, Wenger watches, and Sun Cellular pocket Wi-Fi and broadband wireless kits.

The Juan for Fun challenge was to accomplish the most number of enjoyable activities in each destination, while spending the least amount of money.   Armed with a team travel allowance of P35,000, they were given the freedom to plan their trip to fully experience the pleasure of budget travel. Special amusing challenges prepared by the Department of Tourism in each destination also gave teams the chance to win additional prizes. 

Sesi, Patrik and Myeong bagged the grand prize with over 100 fun activities and approximately P20,000 in savings.

“When I learned about the Cebu Pacific Juan for Fun challenge, the first people who came to my mind were Patrik and Myeong,” said 23-year-old Sesi, who is taking up Education. “I thought it would be interesting to see how our differences would affect our performance.”

“As some people would say, if you want to get to know someone, travel with them,” shared Patrik, a 21-year-old Biology student. “We’ve been friends for a couple of years now, but the Juan for Fun challenge was our first time to spend that much time with each other and travel together.”

While they found it difficult at first, the team quickly learned how to work out their differences. They divided their tasks, taking note of each other’s strengths. Patrik was assigned to take care of haggling for good bargains and documenting their activities. Myeong, a 21-year-old Education student, took on the job of handling and managing their money, while Sesi was in charge of researching and planning their trip.

“There were disagreements, but we immediately realized that we all wanted to win and to have fun. We should be united as a team,” said Sesi.

For Patrik, Sesi and Myeong, the Juan for Fun Challenge was a good opportunity to experience the country’s scenic sights and adrenaline-pumping adventures. They made sure to maximize their trips well, waking up as early as 5 a.m. to have more time for more activities. “We also tried to watch the sunrise and sunset in each province to make our trip there more memorable,” said Sesi. 

The three had fun in all six locations, but look back on their adventures in Kalibo, Davao and Palawan with fondness. During the Kalibo leg of the challenge, they did a side trip to Boracay and tried jet-skiing for the first time. “We haggled and just paid P1,500 for 30 minutes. We didn’t want to spend that much so we just took turns, but we really loved it!” he added.

“Going to the Puerto Princesa Underground River was also very memorable for all of us, especially since it’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world. That was something I really looked forward to and enjoyed the most,” recounted Patrik.