USLS Students Win Cebu Pacific Juan for Fun Challenge 2016

A team of USLS students brought pride to their school and Bacolod City by winning the 2016 Juan for Fun Backpacker Challenge by Cebu Pacific.

The Juan for Fun Backpacker Challenge 2016 by Cebu Pacific was concluded with a fun and adrenaline-filled awarding ceremony at the Resorts World, Pasay City, Metro Manila last June 29, 2016.

Team USLS Wins

A total of 400 participants submitted entries for this thrilling and adventure-laden event but only five teams were chosen to go on a 7-day backpacker challenge. #JFFJuanTeamPH, the team from Bacolod City who are students of the University of St. La Salle, emerged as the ultimate backpackers and the bragging rights to the citation as the Juan for Fun Backpacker Challenge 2016 winners. They are Glenn Layola, Audrey Ramos, and John Ray Blance.

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Juan for Fun Backpacker Challenge

The 2nd placer was #JFFTeamPura (blue) composed of Marie Tuason, Karlo Carranza, and Samantha Rice of De La Salle University. They went to Bohol, Cebu, Dumaguete, Siargao, Iloilo, and Davao for the adventures. Their coach was Bogart the Explorer. In third place was #JFFTeamWork, composed of Serge Calumpong, April Nacion, and Jaysson Presores of Davao. They went to Laoag, Cebu, Bacolod, and Davao. Their adventure coach was travel writer Jude Bacalso.

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Meanwhile, the runners-up were #JFFTeamPablo comprised of Linus Pagulayan, Brendan Tangan, and Cherson Bariuan from St. Paul University Philippines and coached by actress Saab Magalona; and #JFFTeamTAG, which was composed of Tricia Quintero, April Baldovino, and Gian Nicdao of the University of the Philippines-Manila. Their coach was musician Champ Lui Pio.

What the Teams Did

For seven straight days, the teams traveled to different places and tried to have as many awesome adventures as possible. Each team was given a pocket money of P35,000, which they could use for their accommodations, food, and other miscellaneous expenses. Cebu Pacific was their official carrier and they just had to prepare their itinerary in advance.

#JFFJuanTeamPH

Meet the Members of #JFFJuanTeamPH

The team is composed of graduates of the University of St. La Salle-Bacolod:
Audrey Laine Ramos – AB Psychology
Glenn Mark Layola- BSBA Major in Marketing and Operations Management
John Ray Blance- AB Mass Communications

What is your itinerary for the challenge?

• Manila- Iloilo (with side trip to Guimaras Island)
• Iloilo – CDO
• CDO- Cebu
• Cebu– Surigao
• Surigao – Manila
• Manila – Legazpi

What they did

According to Audrey, the three of them planned their itinerary with some help from Coach Robi, who suggested that they also go to Legazpi City as their last leg. “We tried to maximize our time by going to as many places as possible,” Aubrey said. So as not to waste time, “We asked the tourism offices of each city about the possible activities and places to go upon arrival.”

Among all the places that they have been to, Audrey and Glenn loved Surigao the most while John Ray could not forget Legazpi.

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The team, like everyone else, was given P35,000 in pocket money. In order to make their budget last long, Audrey said that they divided the money among themselves. But they gave the P15,000 to John Ray because he was in-charge of the finances. They looked for the cheapest hotels or pension house, as they are not really after luxury. All they wanted was a place to rest for the night. As for the food, they set aside some budget just so they could try the local cuisine of each city.

Prizes

The group won travel-all-you-can passes good for a year to all local and international destinations reached by Cebu Pacific. They plan to travel together, visiting as many Philippine spots as they can, before going abroad. During the awarding ceremony, their coach Robi Domingo said that he wants to join them in some of their trips.

The Juan for Fun Backpacker Challenge was one great adventure for the three that they will cherish for the rest of their lives.

Congratulations #JFFJuanTeamPH

Note: We were invited to cover the event precisely because there was a Bacolod finalist. And we are very happy that we did because they ended up as the grand winner! Congratulations Audrey, Glenn and Jray. Special thanks to Zalora for my outfit during the awarding. I always check ZALORA for the latest fashion must-haves!