Hospitality Heroes: The first Cebu Tourism & Hospitality awardees

Most of the pandemic stories in the hospitality industry were that of the catastrophic drop in business, the grim outlook, and the massive layoffs. Not as many were on those who, though fortunate enough to stay, had to wade through the most challenging period for the hospitality industry.

The Hotel, Resort, and Restaurant Association of Cebu, Inc. (HRRACI), with its first ever Cebu Tourism and Hospitality awards, is putting a spotlight on these stories. The organization is recognizing five men who are helping an industry that is crucial for the country’s economic recovery.

These men have shown what true hospitality is to our kababayans in need. They have put their companies and teams first. And they have best exemplified dedication and service.

Meet Cebu’s hospitality heroes.

JOSE GERARD PATRICK C. APURADO

Plantation Bay Resort & Spa

2022 Supervisor of the Year

There is just no limit to this pastry chef’s grit and creativity.

In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Plantation Bay Resort & Spa’s Pastry Chef

Gerard was asked by his former General Manager to offer ensaymada, one of the property’s most commended offerings, for takeaway. However, Chef Gerard wanted to do more. He wanted to offer a full takeaway menu.

Just like for many others in the hospitality sector, jobs had been lost at Plantation Bay. The loss did not spare Chef Gerard’s team of 12, which was left with only two members – him and another colleague. And during these times, takeaways were very popular.

“The bake shop was just a commissary kitchen in the resort. We’re just providing desserts, breads, and pastries to the restaurants in the resort. I knew if we became popular for takeaways, I’d be able to reason out to the management that I need more manpower,” Chef Gerard explains.

It was a difficult task for a team of two to fulfill 300-500 orders of ensaymadas in a day. “I was working hard day and night. I’m doing everything. I’m even replying to inquiries on

Facebook,” he explains. Aside from his overall responsibility of creating new products and ensuring the quality of output met 5-star standards, Chef Gerard was also in charge of sales and marketing.

So, Chef Gerard came up with a creative solution – the Ensaymondays

“You can order ensaymadas only on Mondays. Aside from being catchy, it saves on resources, explains Gerard.

This innovation also paved the way for Croissant Fridays and the Twice-Baked Wednesdays. It also became a tradition for the bake shop to present monthly offerings, which gave birth to another loved product – the Croissant de Mercedes.

Chef Gerard recalls, “We created an item for August, and when we were doing the photoshoot for that item, I wasn’t convinced.”

This triggered the 30-year-old chef’s knack for creativity. “I saw custard in the kitchen. So, I said we will do Croissant de Mercedes. It was like re-fashioning the classic dessert Brazo de Mercedes and using it to fill croissants.”

Croissant de Mercedes is a fusion of the Filipino Brazo de Mercedes and the European croissants.

Gerard’s perseverance paid off. His team was the first in the company to start recalling furloughed employees. His “Bakeshop by the Beach” was also recognized by Plantation Bay’s management as a business-generating venture within the company.

In the end, Chef Gerard attributes everything to his team. “I am nothing without my team. If it wasn’t for them, if it wasn’t for my team, we wouldn’t have flourished during the pandemic.”

Stephen Jay Yorong

Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort

2022 Front of the House

When it comes to care, Stephen, we can say, is a master.

He is trained both as a nurse and as a hospitality worker, so when the pandemic struck, he was part of the essential staff at Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort. He was a front office staff member, security detail, reservations officer, concierge, cleaning aide, airport representative, and nurse.

Just like in any other company, staff at Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort was on skeleton duty, so Stephen had to do all of those jobs.

“I needed to wake up at 3AM for me to work as an airport representative to pick-up guests at 5AM. I am back in the office by 7AM to start my 8AM to 5PM shift,” shared the 35-year-old husband and father.

During that period, the resort was serving not just returning overseas Filipino workers but also cancer patients who could not get their treatment at the hospital because of low immunity. It was a partnership with Bluewater Maribago’s sister company, ARC Hospital.

Stephen graduated as a nurse in 2000, at a time when the country had an oversupply of nursing graduates. Finding a hospital job was tough.

His entry in the hospitality sector was in 2012 as a nurse at Shangri-La Mactan, where he stayed for a year. In 2013, he transferred to Bluewater Maribago, where he was hired both as front office staff and as a nurse.

“That was very new to me. I am from the medical field. It took time for me to learn the process because it was a totally different field.”

At that time, Bluewater Maribago already had a company nurse. So, aside from being entailed as a front office staff, Stephen’s duty was to assist guests with their medical needs and be a substitute backup nurse when needed.

Stephen did well and was awarded “Top Up-Seller” for selling the highest number of room nights and upgrades.

After two years in the front office, there was an opening in reservations, so he applied to take on a new challenge.

It was at this period in his career when the pandemic happened. Forty percent of the resort’s staff was let go so Stephen had to multitask. The workload eventually became lighter at the end of 2020, but then, in 2021, the Delta variant struck. The resort to go on skeleton force again.

It was then that Stephen decided to accept a position as a nurse at ARC Hospital for three months. It was a decision he had to do to allow his other team members to go on full duty. “Para makatulong naman sa kanila(To help them),” quips Stephen.

After three months, he was recalled and now, he is a company nurse with Bluewater Maribago.

In either fields, in medical care or in hospitality, he gives the same amount of care. “The way I will handle a patient and a guest is basically the same. It is just a different setting.”

GENESIS S. VARGAS

NUSTAR Resort & Casino

2022 Hotel & Resort Manager of the Year

Genesis’ story is an inspiration. Not being able to finish college did not prevent Genesis from pursuing his ambition. Starting out as a casual, he now holds a key role in the opening of Cebu’s first integrated resort.

Genesis is the Casino F&B Manager of NUSTAR Resort and Casino. He is in charge of managing the entire food and beverage operations for gaming and non-gaming establishments, including specialty outlets. He has also been part of the resort’s planning and execution process, from the pre-opening stages to the grand opening.

While Genesis is backed by 16 years of solid experience in the industry - with three very successful pre-opening projects for integrated resorts in Macau and in the Philippines - opening NUSTAR has been a challenge. That is the reason Genesis considers this resort special.

“We are opening during the pandemic. Everything should be, of course, in place, but the thing is, we are limited at the same time. There are a lot of restrictions. There are problems in logistics. There are border restrictions. And on top of that, Typhoon Odette happened last December. We were at Ground Zero.”

Genesis adds, “But the good thing is the team’s resiliency. We are helping each other even when we are affected.”

Teamwork is vital, according to Genesis. “You really cannot do it alone. You need to have a great team with you. And I’m very blessed that my team really supported me and as I stepped up.”

That is why Genesis always put his team first. “I always think of other people first before myself.”

Genesis started in the industry at the age of 18 as a banquet bartender in Mandarin Oriental Makati. He had to drop out of college, where he was taking up Mechanical Engineering, after his parents lost their jobs in Taiwan due to an earthquake.

After Mandarin, Genesis moved to the Philippine Plaza, where he also worked as a banquet bartender.

An opportunity to work abroad opened for Genesis and he grabbed it. He worked as a bartender at the Venetian Macau Hotel & Resort and in three years, he was promoted to head bartender. After another three years, he was promoted to Assistant Manager.

Aside from promotions, Genesis also received recognition. He was awarded the KTE or Key to Excellence for his enthusiasm at work and for maintaining a high level of consistency.

After Venetian, he moved to Galaxy Entertainment Group Macau, where he entered as an Assistant Manager and was eventually promoted as a Manager.

It was only last year that he accepted a new role at NUSTAR as the Casino F&B Manager.

“Fate brought me to hospitality and I love what I’m doing. It takes a lot of passion. First, when you’re starting, you just need to learn. I learned a lot abroad. I left the Philippines as a casual and came back as a manager. Now, it is my turn to give back and pass what I learned outside and inspire the next generation,” shares Genesis.

LARRY A. ROSACEÑA

bai Hotel Cebu

2022 Back of the House

Hotel front liners during the pandemic did not only have to ensure guests’ comfort but also had to make sure they themselves were safe from the virus. And it was no easy task.

Larry, bai Hotel’s room attendant, can attest to this.

“24 hours kaming naka-duty. Walang pahinga. Mainit yung PPE (Personal protective equipment) na sinusuot naming. Talagang araw-araw, naliligo na talaga kami sa pawis.”

(We are on-duty for 24 hours. No rest. Every day, we are drenched in sweat.)

Imagine performing your duty as a housekeeper while wrapped in this protective suit. That is just one of the harsh things Larry had to go through this pandemic, all while experiencing significant fear and apprehension. He says, “Talagang takot na takot. Diyos lang talaga.” (I was really afraid. It was really God.)

And for Larry, who is the breadwinner of his family, it was not just about compensation.

“Di na naming iniisip naming yung pera. Yung iniisip naming, tulungan natin yung company. Dito kasi tayo kumukuha ng income. Gawin natin yung trabaho na mas mabuti.”

(We were not thinking of the income. We wanted to help the company because that is our source of income. We had to give it our best.)

Larry served both returning overseas Filipino workers and asymptomatic patients in isolation. And he had to be more than just a room attendant.

He had to assist with luggage because the hotel didn’t have a concierge at that time. He had to also take some of the work of the hotel’s engineering department, especially when there were concerns inside a guest’s room. He had to learn to take patients’ blood pressure readings and monitor them daily. Sometimes, he also had to help security and prevent guests from leaving their rooms. And he had to deliver food to all the guests on the floors he was handling.

If there was a guest that tested positive, Larry had to make sure he would personally assist and handle the turnover to ambulance personnel.

This could occur at any time of the day.

“Minsan madaling araw na. Magpapahinga na ako.” (Sometimes, during the wee hours of the morning when I am about to rest).

Larry did all these tasks for two years without going home to his family. “Parang nagabroad.” (It was like I worked abroad).

He is just thankful that in those two years, he remained COVID-free.

Larry also recalled the time Typhoon Odette ravaged Cebu, which severely damaged the hotel.

“May isang guest talagang tinulungan namin. Ayaw nya kasi lumabas. Dun kami sa CR, recalls Larry. (There was one guest we had to help because he/she didn’t want to leave the room. We hid in the comfort room). During that time, the hotel had to evacuate all guests and put them in the function hall to keep them safe.

All of Larry’s sacrifices did not go unnoticed by the hotel. Larry received different awards from bai Hotel, including Housekeeper of the Year, Employee of the Year, and BAI Excellence Award. He also received a Hero Award for assisting Overseas Workers Welfare Administration guests who were COVID-positive.

RAPHAEL M. BACHANICHA

University of Cebu – Lapu-Lapu Mandaue 2022 Hospitality & Tourism Educator of the Year

The greatest joy is when a student surpasses his achievements. This is the firm belief of Raphael, a hotel and restaurant management instructor at the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu Mandaue Campus, specializing in food and beverage. He has 15 years of teaching experience and another five years of experience in the industry, where he served as kitchen crew, waiter, bartender, and baker.

For this Surigao native, the feather in his cap are his students who are now making waves in the industry as managers, supervisors, pastry shop owners, and restaurateurs. “I am very happy seeing them,” he exclaims.

He always tells his students, “Your goal is to surpass the achievement of your teacher.”

One former student he is particularly proud of is his current superior. His former student is University of Cebu’s current research director, who Raphael works under as a research coordinator. The two were even classmates in their doctoral studies.

“I always tell him, do great. I am so proud of you. I shared it with my students, ‘Our research director was my student. When he was in first year college, he was very quiet. But look at him now, he is even a working scholar.”

He adds, “Whatever my student achieves, I feel that they are my own. Maybe that is the reason I last this long in the academe.”

That is why, even in the midst of the pandemic, despite the difficulties, Raphael keeps on.

“It was really difficult – the learning modality and the delivery of the lesson. The biggest challenge is the internet connection,” he explains.

So, he chose to be creative. “What I do is support my online delivery of lessons with PDF files and videos.”

A few of the files he looks at and shares with his students are live videos of industry practitioners – those in events, in cruise ships, and in other interesting situations. He feels the videos will provide his students more insights about the industry.

“I want them to experience the different facets of the industry.”

It is also a way for this educator to keep up with updates in the industry.

Raphael also tries to be very lenient with his students. “I know that my students struggle. So, I am not particular with deadlines because we are in a pandemic. I always grant extensions. We are all affected by the pandemic.”

On his teaching style, Raphael explains, “I am the type of teacher who likes to joke. My students treat me as their friend. But I always have limitations. I always tell them, ‘Once we are inside the classroom, I am your teacher. But once we are out, I can be your friend.’”

He also values attitude. For him, “Attitude over knowledge and skills. If you have a positive attitude, you will succeed.”

Aside from teaching, Raphael has also been involved in community service. His university adopted a barangay and he has conducted free training on hotel- and restaurant-like catering service for out-ofschool youth.

After this training, the students get their on-the-job training, which his department also facilitates.

HRACC Awards

Winners were awarded on November 15, 2022, at Ayala Malls Central Bloc in Cebu.

Aside from the five individual awardees, two institutional awards were also handed out. bai Hotel Cebu received the 2022 Best in Responsible Tourism. Bluewater Resorts was given the 2022 Best CSR Program of the Year award.

The award was open to HRRACI members and non-members who are accredited by the Department of Tourism. Members of the academe and industry suppliers were also included.

Members of the jury included representatives from the Department of Tourism, The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the Department of Labor and Employment, Aboitiz Foundation, and one of the founders of HRRACI, Ms. Lita Urbina.

Alfred Reyes, HRRACI president and Bai Hotel vice president for operations and general manager, said, “We made sure there was no bias. None of the board interfered during that screening process and in the interviewing process, even to the time when they made a decision.”