Monday, May 19, 2008 Return of the native By Mayette Q. Tabada
THE TIMELESS had something to do with their unusual meeting.
Remedona “Em-Em” Patalinghug-Ravina is a Computer Engineering graduate of the University of San Carlos-Technological Center. She thrives on the unpredictable and the unusual.
Ruben B. Licera Jr., on the other hand, is keen on investigative exposés. The Journalism graduate of the University of Visayas has explored the reaches of the Internet as a ghost blogger.
But the disparate worlds of Em-Em and Ruben intersect at the junction of their professional lives. The former is the manager of the Amuma Spa while the latter is public relations and marketing officer of Maribago Bluewater and Beach Resort.
Both take pride in their work, with Em-Em investing 14 years in the company. She worked her way from being a front desk clerk in her first posting at Maribago to being the resident manager of the Sumilon Bluewater Island Resort off the southwestern coast of Oslob in 2006 up to her present post of managing the Amuma Spa since its launching on Jan. 20, 2007.
College gigs of singing Karen Carpenter ballads landed her at the resort in Buyong, Maribago in Mactan Island. Fourteen years after she first started, Em-Em still looks forward to each day. She anticipates the revelations from every encounter with different personalities and nationalities.
“While I am impressed by the uniqueness of each culture, my work has made me take greater pride in our own,” says the sloe-eyed charmer.
Ruben affirms her views, adding that the Mactan tropical retreat does not just offer jet skiing, scuba diving, sailing, snorkeling and island hopping. “At Maribago, there is a conscious effort to balance nature and modernization, new influences and heritage.”
In the July 1989 construction of the five-hectare resort, Ruben reveals there were no trees felled.
He says that traditions of wellness are continued in Amuma’s signature packages: the Hilot Journey (a cultural wellness experience that incorporates traditional rituals approved by health authorities), Malakas at Maganda (spa for couples) and Lapu-Lapu (men’s package of skin and body massage).
“The Amuma Spa breathes the philosophy of sculptor and furniture designer and carpenter Benji Reyes to recycle and enshrine Philippine culture,” observes Ruben.
Benji’s “functional art” is evident in the Philippine hardwood, Antipolo boulders, bamboo, sea driftwood and indigenous materials featured in the structure and details of the spa treatment rooms and the Amuma Hilot Pavilion, he points out.
In recent years, resort and spa have attracted young families and professionals, as well as tourists from Japan, China, Korea and Europe. Russians even come on chartered flights, says Em-Em.
While the Orientals enjoy island-hopping and Europeans prefer to worship the sun, one thing keeps them returning: the hospitality-steeped service the resort and spa are known for.
This, says this unlikely duo, keeps them on their toes.
