"Travel-all-you-can
with Davao’s Team Juanton"
Sun.Star Davao, July 29, 2017
Five teams. Seven days. One-year
unlimited travel.
Cebu Pacific’s Juan for Fun (JFF) Backpacker Challenge 2017 recently
gathered five intrepid teams from Bacolod, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao
City, for an adventure of a lifetime – an unforgettable trip exploring the
Philippines’ breathtaking destinations for seven thrilling days.
After
a week of non-stop escapade ably equipped with gadgets from Oppo; data plans
from Smart; travel gear from Jake Bros; PhP 40,000 in pocket money; and Cebu
Pacific tickets, Davao’s very own Team Juanton triumphantly emerged as JFF’s over-all
champion for 2017.
 |
| JUAN FOR FUN 2017 WINNERS: Davao's Team Juanton (from left) Christian Dominic Ang, Chyn Ira Crisostomo and Gloria Andrea 'Geia' Mendoza |
Team Juanton is
composed of Davao Christian High School alumni Chyn Ira Crisostomo, currently a
Manufacturing Engineering and Management (with specialization in Mechatronics
and Robotics Engineering) student from De La Salle University-Manila; Gloria
Andrea ‘Geia’ Mendoza and Christian Dominic ‘Dom’ Ang taking up Mass
Communication (minor in Psychology) and Accountancy, respectively, both from
Ateneo de Davao University.
Aside from clinching
the top spot, the three Dabawenyos bagged PhP 60,000 during the Chippy Kada Jumpshots
Challenge; and were awarded Instax cameras and a GoPro for their winning
30-second Smart Communications video entry. What a sweep!
In this Q and A, let’s hear from these youthful wanderlusts as they
reveal how gallivanting around our beautiful country became a barkada trip they
will endlessly treasure!
Why do you think traveling is
important?
“We think traveling is important because we get to step out of our
comfort zones and explore places that we’ll never be able to see if we only
stayed in one place. By traveling, we get to meet strangers who are kind and
will even get out of their way to help us; eat food and delicacies that may
sometimes taste weird but are really great; and try new things that will push
us to our limits. Traveling with each other as friends also makes our bond
stronger. We get to know what each person likes/dislikes and how they are with
things.”
When did you start traveling as a
barkada?
“Our first trip was when we were in 4th year high school. We attended a Hillsong
concert together in Manila. After that, we traveled to different places either
by land, boat or plane. We would go on road trips to Mati or Samal, fly
together to Bacolod and Manila and basically, anywhere we could think of”.
What made you
decide to join the Juan for Fun (JFF) Backpacker Challenge?
“It was just something that we wanted to try and didn’t really expect to
get into. It was fun making the audition video and we just waited and see what
would happen from there.”
Why did you name
your group Team Juanton?
“We were just thinking of possible team names that can have the word
“Juan”. Our choices included Juanted (Wanted) and Juanton (Wanton) but we went
with the latter. After thinking of Juanton, we realized that since we all had Chinese
blood, Juanton (Wanton) was a perfect fit!”
What were the activities during the JFF?
“The top 10 teams had to go the Juan for Fun Academy in Manila where
different speakers talked about vlogging, blogging, itinerary creation, etc. During
the “Manila Challenge”, we were assigned to different locations in Manila.
Within the day, we uploaded photos and a video on social media.
Then, the Top 5 teams were given a PhP40,000 budget for 7 days. Our team went to Dumaguete for 3 days (Valencia, Siquijor and Apo Island); Cebu for 2 days; and Legazpi for 2 days. We listed down all the activities we did each day, including the expenses. The more activities, the better.
The organizers also required us to upload photos on our Instagram with
the hashtags #JuanForFun2017 and #JFFTeamJuanton. In addition, we were given various
challenges that were written in a booklet. For example, “Climb a mountain and
take a panorama view” or “Create a vlog doing a local craft”.”
What do you think made you qualify as
one of the top five teams?
“We had creative concepts for our photos and videos and were energetic
to go to different places and do many activities for points. Most importantly,
we didn’t stop praying so God was always on our side.”
What were the most memorable
experiences of this adventure?
“Swimming with the turtles in Apo Island; seeing Mt. Mayon for the first
time; driving a habal-habal around Dumaguete because it was Dom's first time to
drive one; and of course, receiving the award as the ultimate backpacker for 2017.”
What were the challenges you
encountered along the way?
“Waking up early. Most of the time, we needed to stay up late to plan
for our next day's itinerary and we had a very early call time at 5:30am. Also,
budgeting was a problem. We started with 40k and we thought it was a big amount
but along the journey, even paid comfort rooms were expensive so we really had
a hard time allocating and budgeting our money to survive the 7-day challenge.”
Do you have any
target number of cities that you wish to visit in one year? (I read that the
last winner had 70 trips!)
“If it's possible, we would like to beat him! No, just joking! The
former winner was actually our ‘content’ (the person who took our photos that
became the property of Cebu Pacific) during the contest and we became really
close. Since we're students, we’ll try and travel every weekend. Hopefully, we'll
be able to maximize the unlimited flights for a year.”
What cities would you
like to visit for one year?
“First, we are going to travel together back to Legazpi to thank the
people who helped us like our tour guide/driver, Kuya John, and to the ATV
operators who gave us a big discount. And we are planning to go to Bali, Indonesia
together but I think there are future flights where we are going to travel
individually.”
What is your message for next year’s
Juan for Fun (Year 7) contestants?
“Don't be afraid to try, test your limits, push yourself and always pray!”
E-mail the author at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com. Visit
www.momabouttowndavao.blogspot.com.
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