Home Sweet Home

Isn’t Home Sweet Home all we long for? 

The first week’s winners of Cebu Pacific’s 100 Lucky Juans Contest has just been proclaimed and I noticed that all of five of them focused on talking about going home to their provinces and families. Indeed, home is where our heart is!

Read on to see who won and what their entries encapsulated: 

Jive Gonzales, who is a native of Aklan talked about the different places that she misses back home like Tanay, Antipolo and of course, Aklan. One of the highlights of her photo was the famous Ati-Atihan Festival of her hometown. 

John-John Cabrillos had this vision of his homecoming in mind and particularly mentioned his fond memories of Cebu, where he is from. His photo really expressed his longing to be back home. 

Ernesto Payumo was unique in his submission by writing a Tagalog poem in honor of his hometown, San Miguel, Bulacan and how this photo shows a view that he would always want to come home to. 

In Jheddalyn Aquino’s winning entry, she talks about how coming home to the Philippines brings everyone together, including her soon-to-be husband’s family. 

Lastly, Joan Ramos plans to surprise her family by coming home should she win this contest. And yay for her because she can definitely do that now! 

Congratulations to all the winners and may you all have a sweet homecoming ahead of you courtesy of Cebu Pacific! 

There are still a lot of chances to win a seat in Cebu Pacific's first Dubai-Manila flight in October! Submit your entries to the 100 Lucky Juans contest now! ;)

*This is a sponsored post. However, all opinions in this entry are The Pink Tarha's.

Family First

What is the essence of being an OFW if not for family? 

It's hard enough that we have to fly thousand of miles away from home to provide for them but for most Filipinos abroad, saving up for a vacation back to the Philippines can pose some financial difficulties. Lucky for us, Cebu Pacific is starting to offer direct AND very affordable flights from Dubai to Manila and vice versa. 

I was looking through the entries of the 100 Lucky Juans on the Cebu Pacific's Facebook Page and found myself drawn to these three photos in particular:

I really liked this photo from Karen Cabangon because it reminded me so much of how most ordinary days in the Philippines feel like with our families. Lounging around the "sala" with the electric fan on, watching TV and enjoying a glass of cold softdrinks in the afternoon. They looked really happy in this photo and that kid is just sooo cute! I also liked that she took the time to tell us her story in the caption section. Truly vacation would be grander if the whole family could come along. 

This photo from Michael Grace reminds me of my own experience of flying with Cebu Pacific with my friends just last year and it's always a scenic shot to show that you and your loved ones are doing some traveling (I have the same photo, standing outside the aircraft). What I really enjoy about the idea of Cebu Pacific is that they've made air travel accessible and affordable to every Filipino. Whether its because you want to see your friends and family or because you just want to visit a new province/city in the Philippines that you've never seen before. I do believe that everyone should travel, if given the chance. :) 

And of course, the picturesque capture of the Burj Khalifa by Roland Sapnay is simply perfect especially since Cebu Pacific is currently promoting its upcoming direct flights from Manila to Dubai. Dubai is a very cosmopolitan with a cityscape that any person can be at awe of. There are thousands of OFWs based in Dubai and the UAE and they will surely benefit from this offer by Cebu Pacific. I am sure that this can bring them closer to their loved ones here in the Middle East and back at home. 

As OFWs, we do travel in and out of the country more often than we would want to. However, no matter where we go, it's always about our families. We wouldn't have chosen to become OFWs if not for them. So whether we bask under the desert sun of the Middle East or as we gaze into the bright lights of the big city, in our hearts, home and family is where we all want to be. 

Join the 100 Lucky Juans for a chance to win a free flight from Dubai to Manila! Details can be found here.