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www.isclinic.com

2011 . 10 / 11

www.philsogood.co.kr

04 Editor s Letter

06 Special Edition

12 Phil So Good News

14 Photo Essay

17 Local Info

18 Travel Info

Local Info

23

24

26 Interview

36 Local Info

37 Travel Info

41

42 Travel Info

48 Interview

50 Local Info

50 Travel Info

53 Education Info

54 Interview

56 Education Info

58 Column

61 R4IN4

66

67 General Information

Editor s Letter

4 Phil so Good

Phil so Good 5

Philippines!The country of ‘Wandeuki?’

Today, I would like to talk about a movie. If you live somewhere abroad there may not be much

chance to watch a Korean movie especially in a theater. There are business models commonly seen in

overseas Korean communities around the world such as video rental shop and Korean food market.

Nowadays, communication with Korea is easily possible through electronic devices such as smart phone

and satellite broadcasting, a replica of these systems is also found in Korea. So, there are even

expressions like ‘Seoul-si LA-gu’ and ‘Jeonra-do Sebu-si’. However, this kind of communication was not

possible way back several years ago. And so we can easily find a video rental section in a corner of a

Korean food market (DVD rental is common these days though). Philippines is no exception to these

scenes. At least movie is like this. Movie doesn’t mean only watching stuff. We go to a theater and face a

big screen while being fascinated by the smell of popcorn and eating dried squid. Those make an

irreplaceably pleasant memory.

However, having that experience is not that easy abroad. The desire to watch a Korean movie in a

theater escaping from places filled with foreign language cannot be fulfilled from Korean restaurants;

Korean markets and Korean music CDs. Usually, whenever I go to Korea I normally watch Korean movies.

When I went to a theater with a fluttering heart during my last visit to Korea I chose the earliest showing

movie that day. However, the title of the movie was so random. It was ‘Wandeuki’.

In the movie, ‘Wandeuki’s mother happens to be a Filipina. The actress’s actual nationality is

Filipino and she is a married migrant woman. In the movie, Wandeuki has finally realized his mother was a

Filipina and met her after 16 years of abandoning him. His father told Wandeuki about his mother and

explained to him how they met together and how they separated. “Your mom, is learned enough, her

country is poor though.” Maybe I was very talkative above to tell you about this. The line in the movie gave

a message that Wandeuki's mother is learned enough even more than a common Korean father and has

much to learn from.

However, what can you say about reality? We really have a hard prejudice. In fact, there are

married migrant women who must have chosen conditions rather than pursuing their love. However, the

movie 'Wandeuki' showed that not every married migrant women from poor countries decided to get

married without love. Phil So Good is planning to look for a lot of mothers and fathers of Wandeuki.

According to the latest statistics, one out of 10 couples is internationally married couple. Philippines ranks

among top 10 countries in it. Now, there will be more young Korean 'Wandeuki' whose mother is Chinese,

a Vietnamese, a Filipino and a Mongolian since Phil So Good knows The heart of Wandeuki's mother is

never different even though the skin and nationality is different.

Phil So Good Publisher Hans Lee

6 Phil so Good

Special Edition Travel Story

Phil so Good 7

8 Phil so Good

Special Edition Travel Story

Phil so Good 9

10 Phil so Good

Special Edition Travel Story

Phil so Good 11

Phil So Good News

12 Phil so Good

14 Phil so Good

Photo Essay

Phil so Good 15

Phil so Good 17

Local Info

18 Phil so Good

Travel Info

Travel Info

19 Phil so Good

Phil so Good 20

Travel Info

21 Phil so Good

Phil so Good 23

Local Info

24 Phil so Good

Local Info

Tel.02) 706-5704 Fax.02) 706-5790

M/F Northgate Bldg., Banilad, Gov. Cuenco Ave., Kasambagan, Cebu City

Tel. 032) 516-8962 Fax. 032)231-4800

Interview

26 Phil so Good

Hans Lee Why did you name your resort ‘Abaca’?

Jason Abaca was a name chosen by a friend of ours from Hong Kong. She saw an

article about abaca in the newspaper and suggested the name. We all liked it.

Hans Lee We would like to know the meaning of Abaca.

Jason Abaca is a local fiber that they use to make furniture, paper, and rope. It is

good for weaving. It is also called Manila Hem or Manila paper.

Hans Lee What inspired you to choose Mactan as a place to open your

resort? Is there any special reason for that?

Jason I had been coming here for years when I lived in Hong Kong. I felt it was a

great place to set up a small resort.

The sixth invited interviewee is Jason Hyatt - the owner of Abaca, a private resort and a Mexican restaurant

Maya for the interview entitled. This section is filled up with interviews by Lee Han Su involving important

figures in the Philippines. Lee Han Su listened to the story of Jason Hyatt the proprietor of the famous resort

and restaurant from the well-known chef in a popular hotel in Hong Kong. The story also talked about his

happy life with his Korean wife as well as his know-how and philosophy.

Phil so Good 27

Interview

28 Phil so Good

Hans Lee We have learned that you have been to

many parts of the globe specifically in US, France

and Hong Kong. Yet you established your

business here in Cebu, Philippines. Being a

foreigner doing business in Cebu, what do you like

most about the place?

Jason Cebu offers everything I need to run a

business as well as everything I need to raise a

young family.

Hans Lee What are the benefits and advantages of having business here in Cebu?

Jason There is a great pool of staff to train and develop would probably be the biggest

advantage. There is also relatively low operating costs as compared to places like

Hong Kong, New York or even Manila.

Hans Lee In doing business in foreign countries there are cultural differences, what is

the most difficult distinction for you?

Jason As an American, I’m loud and very candid. But everybody here is very soft and

gentle. You have to be nice and that is very hard for me. I am very straight forward and I

just want to get things done.

Hans Lee What do you consider as the biggest achievement in your career so far?

Jason It’s being able to last for 5 years.

Hans Lee What is your driving force to last your business for 5 years?

Jason Feeding my family. I have 130 employees and it’s a big responsibility. That’s

really our motivation. Obviously we want to make money but that is not really our

motivation. It’s keeping your business afloat and keeping everything moving forward.

It’s also very difficult. Especially right now that gas prices are up, so it means food

prices are up. Gas prices are up which means airline tickets are up. If airline tickets are

up, less people travel. You can see that way less Koreans come to Cebu than last year.

Particularly with the peso right now, it’s very strong which makes the Philippines

rather expensive.

Hans Lee What other challenges do you face in operating your

restaurant?

Jason The first challenge is finding quality staff. Once you find them

then there’s no problem. The other problem for me is looking for

good suppliers, especially suppliers of produce, meat, and fish. They

start out great by bringing you fresh supplies but later on and they

Phil so Good 29

Interview

30 Phil so Good

just get worse and worse.

Hans Lee Until when are you going to continue this challenge?

Jason This is what we do, there is no other option. You know what Plan B

is? There is no Plan B. we don’t have any other businesses. We will open

more restaurants but probably no more hotels. The hotel business is 24 hours. The

restaurant business is not 24 hours.

Hans Lee What is the most important thing in the operation of restaurants?

Jason Well, It’s simple I think. If the food tastes good, then there’s no problem. Second

is service. If the service is good, then there is no problem. If the price is okay, then no

problem. But if you’re selling phones, the phone must work. If you are selling food, the

food must taste good. It’s that simple. If the food does not taste good, nobody is coming

into the restaurant. That’s just the reality. So we just try and make the food taste better

and serve it nicely.

Hans Lee After reading this interview in Phil So Good magazine, I am sure that our

readers would be eager to try out the Abaca menu. What specialty or dish do you

recommend that they must try?

Jason My favorite dish which has been on the menu at Abaca since we started would

Phil so Good 31

have to be the “Papperdalle with Braised Veal and Wild Mushrooms.” It is pure

comfort food.

Hans Lee Abaca is a world class destination. In fact, we have learned that several

celebrities and known personalities, local and abroad, come to Abaca to get some well

deserved relaxation. May we know who you consider as the most famous guest that

has visited your establishment?

Jason We never speak about who stays in Abaca. The whole concept is privacy.

Hans Lee In my opinion, Abaca resort is the best resort in Cebu. If you choose a second

best resort, which would it be?

Jason It really depends on what you are looking for. For example, if you are with your

family, it should be Shangri-la or Imperial, depending on what you want. I personally

prefer Shangri-la because they have nice gardens and it doesn’t feel

so big. Whereas Imperial is giant. But if you are looking for something

small, there really is much like us. Most of the other resorts are big

with a number of rooms. Our resort only has nine rooms. Some of

our customers’ house has more rooms than our resort. We are

definitely going for a specific market.

One of famous pastas

on the menu that has

existed since the

opening of the Abaca

restaurant way back

then. It is a kind of

pasta which is made of

papperdalle with

braised veal and wild

mushrooms.*

Interview

32 Phil so Good

Hans Lee In our opinion, Abaca’s edge over other restaurants and hotel is the privacy

and exclusivity that it offers to its guests, which is hard to find from restaurants and

hotels nowadays. Was this a planned business strategy? If yes, what were the reasons

behind it?

Jason Abaca was always meant to be sort of a retreat where people could be secluded

and really have a chance to get away.

Hans Lee The two restaurants that you operate, Maya and Abaca, are well-known for

both locals and foreigners for its authentic cuisine and world-wide class service. We

think these are the reasons that make your restaurants must-visit places for many

people here. Is there any special way to operate your restaurants?

Phil so Good 33

Jason Don’t be cheap, always keep the outlets maintained and never

serve substandard food. We aim to do this on a daily basis. There are

times we drop the ball so to speak but this gives us a chance to

improve on a daily basis.

Hans Lee You don’t serve substandard food. What is substandard

food for you?

Jason Substandard food is food that doesn’t taste good, rotten, and not cooked

properly. We’re not perfect, we make mistakes but as much as possible we try to serve

food properly. People spend money in my restaurant, they deserve to get their money’s

worth.

Hans Lee Do you get complaints?

Jason Of course, it happens. We serve around 4,000 people per month, it can’t be

perfect. There are episodes.

Hans Lee What is the most memorable episode for you?

Jason I don’t want to talk about bad things. But since I’m here every day and if

there’s a problem I generally know about it. I get upset when I get complaints

because it’s not acceptable. People come to my restaurant, they expect a lot from

us, and trust us.

Interview

34 Phil so Good

Hans Lee We know that your wife, Anna is of Korean descent. With this, we assume

that you are familiar with the Korean culture. Also, you have been to Korea. What is

your general opinion of Korea and Koreans?

Jason Korea is an amazing place. Seoul in particular is as vibrant and modern as

any city in the world. Koreans are extremely sophisticated and it shows in their

culture.

Hans Lee Since you are already married to a Korean woman you must be perfect in

dealing with her, so what is the advantages in living with a Korean woman?

Jason My wife is Korean, born in Seoul but grew up in Sydney, Australia. She’s very

difficult to deal with Korean women are tough. She’s cool but if she really wants to

do something she’s really going to do it.

Hans Lee What is the most memorable place in Korea that you have visited?

Jason I went to Seoul. Next time I want to go to the country side.

Seoul is a very nice city. It’s very modern but very overwhelming. I

know that people can speak English but they don’t. So it’s

intimidating and difficult to go around unlike Hong Kong or

Singapore.

Hans Lee What is your goal?

Phil so Good 35

Jason I want to own more restaurants - more restaurants, more money.

Hans Lee Where are you planning to put up other restaurants?

Jason Definitely Cebu, but we’ve talked about having it in Manila. But everything

in Manila is expensive. Rent is five times the rent in Cebu. It’s very difficult to

make money in Manila. I want to open in Manila but more in Cebu first.

Hans Lee What kind of food will you serve in your other restaurants?

Jason I have no idea but definitely not Asian food. I will never open a

restaurant where the chef can hold me hostage. For example, if I open a

Japanese restaurant then I must have a Japanese chef. But if the

Japanese chef leaves what happens? I will never open something I can’t

cook myself. Otherwise, I’m in trouble.

Hans Lee You serve as an inspiration for other foreigners who are interested

in starting a business in Cebu. What advice can you offer to them to make

their business as successful as yours?

Jason Take a deep breath and just move forward. If you work hard enough

it will all come together.

36 Phil so Good

Local Info

Travel Info

Phil so Good 37

38 Phil so Good

Phil so Good 39

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42 Phil so Good

Travel Info

Phil so Good 43

Imperal Plalace

44 Phil so Good

Travel Info

Maribago

Phil so Good 45

Tambuli

Published bi-monthly and distributed in strategic places in Cebu and in Korea for free, Phil So

Good is not just another travel magazine. It also provides informative and educational components

on the country’s sights, sounds, people, tourist destinations, educational system, and latest issues.

This is the perfect go-to source for Koreans who wish to explore the country.

The articles are written in ‘Hangul’ (Korean), the official Korean language. As the name of the

magazine, show Koreans how it feels to be in the Philippines, that it‘s simply ‘feels so good’.

The magazine is designed to promote a happy and positive vibes about the Philippines. This is

to correct misconceptions about the country and its people because Phil So Good believes

that Philippines and Korea are two great countries molded and created by its unique

cultures and history that is worth sharing.

Phil So Good is the media venture of APi Holdings, Inc. The department envisions to

continuously build relationships with other media and print companies in the

Philippines.

Aside from printed medium, we also make monthly videos that features all about

Philippines like food, people, and best tourist destinations. Our magazines is also

available in electronic versions which can be viewed on our social networking

sites.

For more information you can visit our official website

www.philsogood.co.kr

Phil So Good is your definitive guide to the Philippines’ colorful culture and beauty.

Rarely does a magazine come along with the right blend of information.

Interview

48 Phil so Good

Phil so Good 49

Travel Info

50 Phil so Good

Phil so Good 51

Phil so Good 53

Education Info

Real Phil Interview

54 Phil so Good

Phil so Good 55

Education Info

56 Phil so Good

Phil so Good 57

Column

58 Phil so Good

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R4 In4Resort Restaurant Relish Rest

Phil so Good 61

Resort

Relish

Restaurant

Rest

62 Phil so Good

R4IN4

Phil so Good 63

세부최고의 대학부설어학원 CDU ESL Center가

영어학습 플래너 [미스토리]를 출간했습니다.

필소굿라운지 032.238.2608

64 Phil so Good

R4IN4

Skin Balance

Phil so Good 65

APi Medical & Dental.Inc

1F Northgate Bldg, Gov, Couenco Ave, Kasambagan, Cebu City

66 Phil so Good

Phil so Good 67

General Info

General Info

Geography

68 Phil so Good

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General Info

Festival

70 Phil so Good

SINULOG

Baguio Flower Festival

Moriones Festival

Pahiyas Festival

Sandugo Festival

Kadayawan sa Dabaw

Higantes Festival

Phil so Good 71

General Info

72 Phil so Good

SM MALL

AYALA MALL

PARK MALL

GAISANO COUNTRY MALL

Shopping

General Info

Transfortation

Phil so Good 73

74 Phil so Good

Cebuano Language

General Info

General Info

Phil so Good 75

Price

Metro Cebu map

LEGEND

A

1

2

3

4

5

B C

A B C

Mactan Island

LEGEND

1

2

3

4

5

C D E

C D E