Rewind: NAIA DRAMA, 5 October 2004
I was careful to pack light because of the 20 kilos KLM limit, but I can’t help squeezing in my favorite salted eggs, aji-ichiban dried sea foods, dried pork & beef tapa, lucky me pancit canton, omega pain killer, efficascent oil, on top of some clothes and gourmet wares that I bought in Cebu. Well, the 1 hour flight Cebu to Manila was uneventful, but not my arms and my shoulders. They were dead beat from dragging my heavy suitcase + laptop bag + big handbag from Mactan Cebu Airport to Centennial Airport to NAIA. Manila – NAIA ( Ninoy Aquino International Airport ) I was 4 hours early for my flight. My wallet only had PHP 650 – enough to pay for the PHP 550 airport terminal fee. Off hand I knew my ticket was without the Philippine Travel Tax since it was booked and bought by my company in Amsterdam. But then I read somewhere, well I thought I knew (stupid me, to the readers: never assume anything) that I will be exempted from the travel tax simply because I am a balikbayan (Fili...