Vlogger Elayne Peddy from UK teared up as she shared her story on how her stay in the Philippines, particularly in El Nido, shattered her self-confidence.
The British national posted a video blog on her YouTube page on March 27, 2016, to describe the harrowing experience she went through while on a vacation in the world-renowned tourist spot.
Peddy was emotional throughout the 13-minute-long video, wiping tears as she shared her story of being bullied by locals, who called her names, laughed at her, and asked her to pay twice the fare of her tricycle ride because of her size.
She said that she was called a “fat ugly monkey” and “big black fat girl”. On several occassions, she was asked to pay twice the fare of her tricycle ride because of her size.
“My experience in the Philippines wasn’t that great. The whole experience has changed me a little bit,” she said, describing her stay in El Nido as “the worst four days of her whole entire life.”
Peddy stayed in the country for two weeks and said she did not experience the same when she visited other places like Cebu and Manila.
Peddy said she will never set foot in the Philippines again.She described the Philippines as a paradise and a beautiful country. However, her stay in El Nido was “four days of torture.”
On her Instagram, Peddy posted a photo of El Nido. Her caption wrote, “My amazing view #philippines #philippines2016 #holiday #amazing #joy #elnido”
Filipino netizens felt sorry for Peddy’s experience and were quick to comfort her on Instagram. One netizen named Cecile Zamora van Straten commented, “So sorry for what happened. I apologize for my country men,” while TV host Daphne Oseña-Paez wrote, “Just saw your video. I am so, so sorry that you had to go through that. And please allow me to apologize on behalf of Filipinos. There are no words to explain the ignorance and insensitivity. Sending you lots of hugs.”
Located in Palawan, the “Philippines’ Last Frontier”, El Nido was chosen by the National Geographic Traveler’s magazine as one of the best travel destinations in the world in 2007. In 2012, CNNgo named El Nido as the Philippines’ “Best Beach and Island destination” for its “extraordinary natural splendor and ecosystem, majestic karst limestone formations, empty lagoons, marble cliffs, prehistoric caves and waterfalls.”
El Nido was also the backdrop of some scenes in the 2012 Hollywood movie Bourne Legacy starring Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz.
The United Kingdom brought in more than 123,000 visitors in the country last 2015.
It is a given that the Philippines is home to world-class destinations and we Filipinos take pride for our world-class hospitality. But it is not only the responsibility of the Department of Tourism, but us locals as well, to live up to the catchphrase that it is really “more fun in the Philippines.”
Source: Manila Bulletin / Coconuts Manila