VALLER, Chelsea Ann V.
H133 BSHIM – CLOHS
WEBINAR: TRABAHONG MISMO. SA TURISMO.
“Successive Livelihood and Developing Careers: Undertaking Job Opportunities and Work
Prospects in Tourism and Hospitality Industry”
The College of International
Tourism
and
Hospitality
Management, through its students
from H332 Events Management
Class, held a webinar that aim to
encourage and provide inspiration to
future professionals that has plans on
being a part of the tourism and
hospitality sector, which was affected
by the Covid-19 pandemic, with
resource speakers coming from the
government and private institutions.
A selfie of me during the Webinar, May 14, 2021.
Hon. Risa Hontiveros enlightened the
audience about the campaign STEPUP
and encouraged the students to utilize their platforms and use their voice to contribute to a safer
and more sustainable tourism plan. The First Speaker, Mr. Rinell Banda, tackled how the Covid19 pandemic affected the tourism and hospitality industry and the alternatives Cruise Companies
sought. He also answered FAQs by a cruise ship applicant to help us get ideas on how to apply
and get hired. The Second Speaker, Mr. Norman Lacibal, discussed the glams and challenges in
the journey of being a flight attendant, where strict and high standards are to be followed,
requirements to be attained before being hired as a flight attendant, and tips on how to impress job
recruiters. Afterwards, Hon. Loren Legarda reminded the audience that the pandemic may have
caused delays, disruptions, and uncertainties – but it should not stop us from achieving our goals
and our dreams.
A health and women’s rights advocate, a proud activist, and a champion of the basic
sectors, gave the opening remarks and discussed what was once a leading drive of economic
growth has now been devastated by the pandemic, and it is true. What Ms. Risa Hontiveros
enumerated is relevant to what our keynote speakers tackled, because the tourism industry is one
of the most affected sectors of the Covid-19 pandemic, which was also discussed by Mr. Rinell
Banda, the Founder of Buhay sa Cruiseship.
Mr. Banda shared his work experiences and how he got to where he currently is, along with
his objective to help, inspire, motivate and to guide students and aspiring seafarers around the
Philippines. It was very convincing, and when he elaborated how things are handled around the
world of cruising – long hours, culture shock, language barriers, rules, demanding guests – it
encouraged me more to be a part of the industry because despite all that, working on ships also
allows you to travel to places some only dream of while making some amazing connections with
fellow seafarers from all over the world. The phrase left by Mr. Banda that got stuck with me the
most – if you want to be successful, you must be willing to walk alone, and if you want to be
strong, you must learn how to fight alone. Even though I mentioned that one of the things that
encouraged me to pursue is to meet connections with other people, I know that it will not always
be the case. There is a possibility that eventually, we would feel like we have no one else but
ourselves. This phrase spoke to me that not all the time, being dependent is convenient. I took it
as a challenge to hone myself on being more independent so when challenges do come to me, I
will be ready. Once I face problems, I will not hesitate to back down just because it is hard, because
that used to be my mindset – if I cannot do it, why do it? Which was very limiting, and I know
now that I will not reach anywhere far if I only played safe. Things are uncertain as of the moment,
I did realize that some things take time before you intake them fully. But you can always sail again
to reach your ultimate goal in life, by renewing your hope and learning how to stand up whenever
you fall.
The next topic discussed by Mr. Norman Lacibal, he tackled the glams and challenges in the
journey of being a flight attendant and shared how college organizations helped him get better
opportunities because these organizations helped him better his communication skills, which plays
a big part in our industry. From what I have gathered, working as a flight attendant means that the
company pretty much owns you and you can be reassigned for extra days at their will. When you
are on duty, you are most likely at their beck and call. He then explained how despite having strict
requirements, there is no need for aspiring flight attendants to lose hope. Because by impressing
companies by showing them confidence with your skills, your passion for the industry, and how
hardworking you are, you will always get what you deserve. I fully agree, because personally I am
also part of an organization in LPU – before I joined, I did not really have the courage to even
speak in public, let alone get my own order in a fast-food restaurant, so how will I be able to pursue
the industry if I did not work hard to fix my weaknesses? It did help a lot; I can now confidently
speak in front of a large crowd and became more analytical. I was once an indecisive and low selfesteemed individual, and joining an organization revealed my potential and I am now confident
that I am headed towards a brighter future.
For the closing remarks, Hon. Loren Legarda stressed on to the fact that in these trying times,
in every crisis, comes an opportunity. She also encouraged the youth to be their partners to achieve
the goal of having an inclusive better normal for every Filipino that takes into consideration the
health of our people, and securing a safe, resilient, and green sustainable environment – which
personally for me is a good advocacy – because not only do we benefit from it but also the
environment we live in.
Our industry has already been affected, that is already a given. Before the start of the
webinar, questions lingered my mind. What do we do now? Do we wait for opportunities to
happen? Do we look for other opportunities? Or do we make opportunities for ourselves? At the
end of the webinar, I concluded that every crisis we would encounter is always a test of character.
Unprecedented events will eventually slap us back into reality, because unpredicted trials will
always reveal a person’s limit and true character. As students, these challenges we are facing will
reveal the best person we can possibly be. Careful reflections and realizations will bring us to the
right path – there will be a lot of changes, good or bad, but if we hold onto our passion, things will
sooner or later come into senses where we will be able to do the best we can even in the midst of
a crisis.