I was lucky enough to come home twice this year. On my
most recent trip I decided to take a chance to fly with a low-cost Philippine
carrier Cebu Pacific where I paid half of the usual fare of the other alternative for a direct
flight. I'm used to travelling on a
budget so I don't mind the fuzz free deal, and the lack of leg room is not a
much of a problem for petite girls like me.
I had a great book (A Thousand Splendid Suns) to keep me entertained, and when I wasn't reading I was
sleeping. Over all it was a smooth ride, but what struck me the most was the
flight back to Dubai. I was seated near the cockpit, and I thought I saw a
glimpse of a woman on the control boards, and when the Flight announcement came
on I got the confirmation, a woman's voice came on. The captain was Filipina, her
name was Mayra Florencio and here I was reading about the abused women in
Afghanistan. At that moment I just felt so grateful and blessed to have grown up
in a country where Filipinas can choose to be a Pilot if she can and wanted to.
Elated, I shared the story with pinoy friends, a lot of
them are surprised, many of them are dubious about taking a Philippine carrier
and surprisingly having a woman pilot. I can't blame them. Years of sub-par
standards have plagued the Philippines, and no one I know has really flown with
a female pilot, filipino or otherwise,
but as they say – “if you never try then you will never know.” The irony is despite our so-called
"Pinoy Pride" A lot of us who have left the country are stuck in this
belief system of a hopeless Philippines.
Going around Manila in 2014 I saw usual problems of
traffic jams and poverty but there was also a lot of construction going on,
mostly prime condominiums, shopping mall extensions, a lot of new restaurants, and
a lot more foreign expats working in the city. Things looked positive. Above
all, I flew to Dubai on a low-cost Philippine carrier with a Filipina pilot. I
think that alone is PROGRESS.
Dubai may have their high-rise buildings and everything money can buy, but I still think the Filipinos, our people, are leagues ahead, If only we learn to give ourselves credit, if only we can be free of this old "colonial" mentality that everything else from “abroad” is better.
Dubai may have their high-rise buildings and everything money can buy, but I still think the Filipinos, our people, are leagues ahead, If only we learn to give ourselves credit, if only we can be free of this old "colonial" mentality that everything else from “abroad” is better.
The real revolution begins in the mind, we should break free of the old chains and believe that the Philippines can soar to greatness if we wanted to.
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Let’s choose Philippines. Happy Independence Day!
