Cheap Flights from Philippine Airlines: Davao-GenSan at P10 all-in!!
Yes! You read it right!
As the title of the post says, there are really Cheap Flights from Philippines Airlines starting from P10.00 all in, and one of these is the Davao-GenSan-Davao route. The catch is, you will have to travel via TIME MACHINE to get them because they were offered ages ago.
The year? 1961.
During that time when the Philippines was still in equal footing to Japan in terms of economic wealth and prosperity and the term OFW was unheard of, cheap flights from the country’s only airline was the order of the day. Since the dollar exchange rate was only P2.02 then, a lot of Filipinos were jetsetters, doing their shopping in Europe, and in the United States of America.
Although there were fewer local flights that time, the available ones were priced at amounts that will make you salivate for the old days ! In the early 1960s, the only way to travel to Davao from GenSan and vice-versa was to go around what is now Sultan Kudarat and make your way out via North Cotabato. Since the roads were still unpaved, a one-way trip would take more than 12 hours. But then, Philippine Airlines were offering quicker Davao-GenSan and GenSan-Davao flights, and they really come cheap!
The scanned images of the plane tickets below are proof of the cheap flights from Philippine Airlines that time. These are the Davao-GenSan plane tickets of my parents, Avelino and Maria which they used in May 9, 1961, after their honeymoon in Davao City. They were married three days before that in May 6, 1961 at the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Parish Church, which was then a new parish.
Tomorrow, May 6, 2009 would have been their 48th Wedding Anniversary. This post is dedicated to them.
Ticket Issued to my mother, costing P10 only, from Davao to GenSan
Ticket issued to my father for the Philippine Airlines Davao-GenSan route
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Bariles is a Filipino word for “Tuna”, the primary source of income of the people of General Santos City which hosts 6 of the Philippines’ 8 tuna canneries and more than 80% of its tuna processing plants.
rrrrrr Says:
barato lang dati noh?
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 5:02 PM
dimple Says:
na excite din daw ako sa title..haha..
nice thing you keep this kind of memorabilias..
those were the days jud..
dimples last blog post..Papa turns 52..
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 5:13 PM
MiGs Says:
langya ka koya!
akala ko naman current offer! 1961 pala yan! Hindi pa magkakilala parents ko nyan!
Happy wedding anniv!
MiGss last blog post..Marikina City Blog
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 5:19 PM
bariles Says:
@rrrrr, yeah, you’re right!!! Hehehe!
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 5:22 PM
bariles Says:
@dimple, thanks! My mom kept these. And they were turned over to me.
@MiGs, hahahaha! Gotcha koya! Thanks my friend!
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 5:23 PM
Bobby T. Says:
even if PAL offered it today, i still won’t bite, knowing how tikasan PAL is. they can eat all my mabuhay miles, i don’t care. ilaha na lang
besides, i’d rather drive from iligan via carmen-kabacan-marbel then gensan, than drive to davao, leave my car there, then fly to gensan.
har har har!!!
but, nice find there, avel!
Bobby T.s last blog post..3-in-1, anyone?
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 5:26 PM
bariles Says:
@Bobby T., is that you? Hehehe! I could just imagine how long that trip would be considering the many stops you would take along the way to capture anything you fancy with your camera. Thanks for your comments Bob. Been a long time. Woot!
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 5:29 PM
gilbertyaptan Says:
@Avel, so were you “manufactured” in Dadiangas or Davao?
Starting in the mid ’60s up to the early ’70s, Air Manila was the rival of PAL here.
gilbertyaptans last blog post..Pacman makes it to Time 100 – The World’s Most Influential People
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 5:35 PM
bariles Says:
@gilbert, hey, I haven’t thought of that! One thing I know is that, I came out eight (8) months after in January at the old Posadas Clinic in downtown Dadiangas.
And yes, I do remember Air Manila. Gosh! Historians rule!!!!
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 5:40 PM
sarah/rashidsmom Says:
ay kainez!
sarah/rashidsmoms last blog post..L-O-V-E
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 5:44 PM
Robstroy Says:
Nice post! Title pa lang galing ng pagkaka-isip… Idol ka talaga Koya Avel!
Robstroys last blog post..CDOBloggers Trip to Camiguin 2009
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 6:04 PM
Kerslyn Says:
hayts, na-excite pa naman ako. kunyari daw kukuha kami ng round trip para ma-visit na rin bestfriend ko jan sa GenSan. so nice that those memorabilias were kept in the baul. same din pala ng wedding anniversary parents natin.
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 6:21 PM
bariles Says:
@sarah, now that i got your attention, pahingi pictures ko nung nagplurk fiesta tayo ni ambassador. Hehehe!
@Robstroy, thanks! For the sake of art…. hahaha!
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 6:24 PM
bariles Says:
@Kerslyn, really? That’s nice. First wine toast or beer tagay, dedicated to me ha? Thanks for dropping by.
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 6:26 PM
richard Says:
ngrek! naexcite tuloy ako…
richards last blog post..Notes added: Swine Flu (H1N1 Virus)
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 6:44 PM
gensanite Says:
vintage eto… collector’s item in the making… hehehe… museum na lang ang kulang mo, KUY… super “old school” kaayo…
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 6:45 PM
Hecky Says:
I WONDER how powerful our Philippine economy during those ages…
the ticket memorabilias of PAL is an evidence to learn our great GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT nation LONG TIME AGO
how i wish i can fly into the future seeing our NATION a strong ECONOMY and the term OFW will be unheard again.
thanks manoy Avel for such wonderful memories of your parents.
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 6:50 PM
sheng Says:
You got me there, i would really want that! A P10 fare, and P200 for tax Gensan-Davao would really help travellers a lot.
shengs last blog post..Pride and Prejudice
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 6:55 PM
orman Says:
huhuhuhu…miss ko tuloy sila!
ormans last blog post..Pussywillows Cattails by Kenny Rankin
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 8:06 PM
JessQ Says:
Waaaahhhh…sabi ko na nga ba eh…mero’ng something “fishy” somewhere!!
Congratulations to your mom, Avel. She must have been working with the National Archives or had been a librarian before. She keeps precious gems in place very well.
Thanks for the excellent post here my friend. Most of all, thanks for this post, coz I’ve discovered Bobby T who had been a coffee guru, I learned.
JessQs last blog post..Swine Flu (Influenza) Evolves Rapidly
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 9:06 PM
bariles Says:
@richard, i hope someone comes up with a kidapawan-gensan flight soon too. That will excite you even more. Hehehe!
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 9:09 PM
bariles Says:
@gensanite, the tickets are really that, vintage collector’s item. Hmmm…. I wonder how much they are worth now? (joke) That would be sacrilege.
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 9:11 PM
bariles Says:
@Hecky, we can still make it happen as long as we have people who have not lost faith and hope in the Filipino. We just need somebody who can awaken that “spark” for total change. A local Obama perhaps? Manny Pacquiao? Who knows? It could even be you or me!
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 9:14 PM
bariles Says:
@sheng, we can still dream for that to happen. Walang bayad daw ang mangarap ganda! hahaha! Thanks for being here sheng.
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 9:15 PM
bariles Says:
@orman, miss ka rin nila. Pssstttt…..
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 9:16 PM
bariles Says:
@JessQ, you are very much welcome! Mommy kept everything that she deemed may be important in the future, especially old memorabilia. Luckily, she was able to instill in me the same habit. I am so thankful for that. Bobby Timonera was here last year for the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit where I asked him to be a resource speaker. We were so honored with his presence. I have yet to sip his own coffee concoction though and I am looking forward to it.
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 9:20 PM
Daxi Weida Says:
Kuya, was the airport at that time already the one in Buayan? What type of plane kaya yan ‘no? I remember tuloy my first flight was also out of Buayan on board a PAL turboprop (Fokker 50 yata or YS-11) in the year (never mind, hehe)… Anyway, great memorabilia! Makes me want to dig into my father’s baul also! Regards.
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 10:57 PM
Kikay Says:
For you to keep that is really touching. If you think about it, P 10 in 1961 is a lot of money. Imagine din ang flight, tipong “good morning, we would like to welcome you on this flight to Davao on Philippine Air Lines (sabi sa ticket). Our cabin crew will demonstrate…. Oops… we are already starting our initial descent.”
Posted on May 5th, 2009 at 11:03 PM
Amie Says:
Hehehe! na curious din ako sa title pa lang…it’s amazing na your mommy had kept these things. I also remember my father used to go to davao in the late 60′s by plane. I just don’t know if naitago din nila kahit isa man lang sa mga tickets nila…Kailan kaya makakabalik ang bayan natin sa dati niyang kinalalagyan in terms of economy?
Posted on May 6th, 2009 at 3:17 AM
Mark Gadiano Says:
Bwahahaha, akala ko pa naman 2009…. Galing NYO po talaga Kuya….hehehe
Posted on May 6th, 2009 at 10:11 AM
bariles Says:
@Daxi, yes, that’s the first airport here in GenSan. I also have old pictures taken from there.
@Kikay, we could think of so many funny stories about the Davao-GenSan-Davao route. Super lapit kasi eh…hahaha!
@Amie, I hope maaabutan pa natin ang mga araw na iyan. Thanks my dear.
Posted on May 6th, 2009 at 10:46 AM
BrAvO SiX Says:
it’s a priceless collection….
that 10 peso airfare ticket will be gem someday…
keep it sir…
Posted on May 6th, 2009 at 5:17 PM
Emz Says:
Heheheehe naatik pod ko oy! Pero ok ha, is your mother was once a principal in Buayan or some schools??? I remember that in my elementary days (i had six schools then)From Buayan,Maribulan,Bayan in Townsite to Dadiangas East so i cant really remember which school if she was a principal then. At you know i was just coming from vacation in our GENSAN! I was very happy and enjoy kahit laging umuulan kada hapon. For the past two years i’ve been here in abroad ang daming nabago sa atin. Pero may napansin ako na di nagbago, ang traffic light sa Pioneer Ave. Nakakaconfuse!!lalo na sa mga pedestrian, di mo alam kung kailan ka tatawid kasi nakagreen(for the pedestrian) pero may tumatakbo pa rin na sasakyan, tapos pag naka-red (for the pedestrian)naman walang sasakyan. Well anyway regards to all!
Next year again makikita ko na naman ang GENSAN!
Posted on May 7th, 2009 at 11:29 AM
boy kuripot Says:
haha nice one! I like this post!
Posted on May 7th, 2009 at 11:50 AM
bariles Says:
@Emz, thanks for your comments. Yes, my mother was once the principal of Buayan Elem School, now known as Datu Acad Dalid. Read this post – http://www.gensantos.com/2009/04/25/letters-that-comfort-the-grieving-heart-in-memory-of-my-moms-demise/ .
Re the tricycles, that’s one thing we lack: discipline.
Posted on May 7th, 2009 at 11:54 AM
bambi Says:
wow Vel sobra ka ha, na excite mo ako kala ko naman now ito. Uwi kasi kami dyan sa july and planning to go davao with george and the kids. hope to see you
Posted on May 8th, 2009 at 10:31 AM
Emily Says:
Naloko ako nito ah! Hahaha!
Posted on May 8th, 2009 at 12:36 PM
Josh Says:
Wow! That is really cheap. All you can do with your 10 pesos today is purchase candies. LOL!
Joshs last blog post..Beat the Heat with Cool San Diego
Posted on May 9th, 2009 at 1:02 PM
bariles Says:
@bambi, hi! You can still take the gensan-cebu-davao para class! Hehehe! See you very soon! Don’t forget my Oil of Olay. Hehehe!
@Emily, sorry! Hehehe! But thanks for dropping by and being a good sport.
@Josh, you are right there! It could barely give you a decent meal even.
Thanks for commenting here.
Posted on May 10th, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Miah Says:
hahahahaha… naliba ko nimo avel ha… aw, di lang pala ako.. lolz… nice ha, you still have the copy of their ticket. whew! if only ana lang kabarato ang tickets, shopping galore to europe pud ta ta ani… nice post… happy anniversary to your parents…
Miahs last blog post..I Received a Gift from The Godfather in Mafia Wars
Posted on May 11th, 2009 at 12:10 AM
Nate Marx Says:
Indeed a treasure to keep. . . NAbigla ako sa title, got a bit excited. . . hehehe…
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Nate Marxs last blog post..Featured Magician of May – Tony Andruzzi
Posted on May 11th, 2009 at 3:34 AM
Sleepless In KL Says:
How fascinating! I wonder how long the flight was at that time. McDonnell Douglas or Fokker planes?
Sleepless In KLs last blog post..Book Giveaway: ‘Angels & Demons’
Posted on May 13th, 2009 at 2:48 AM
RainCindy Says:
Akala ko bumalik uli ang offer ng PAL Davao-Gensan-Davao route after all those years, na excite pa naman ako super – hehe! *toinks*
RainCindys last blog post..Kelly Pickler
Posted on May 13th, 2009 at 7:25 AM
ivy Says:
haha. maybe wala pang nice road to gensan from davao so better fly instead. But if it were offered today, absurd! mahal pa yung terminal fee kung sakali.
ivys last blog post..GIG Run 2009
Posted on May 13th, 2009 at 10:23 AM
Super Cheap Flights Says:
Wow, buti pa ang Davao Gensan nuon. ang lapit2x lang may flight route nah. And sana babalik ang rate sa ganyan pag may promo. (asking for the impossible huh?)
Posted on May 14th, 2009 at 2:18 AM
rabsky Says:
sana 10 pesos din ang flight from gensan to manila. hahaha. *imposible*
Posted on May 24th, 2009 at 8:43 PM