Rude mango-eaters
Maria Cabinta-Cardelli
22 Oct 2011
Re: Guam, Pangasinan seek sisterhood ties
One bad experience in Guam led me to think differently about the territory and its people. The arrogance and indifference displayed towards my person as a visitor in the island belies the existing friendly relation between its Mother country and the Philippines.
Few years ago, I travelled to Manila from Australia, using Guam as a stop-over for two reasons: visit my cousin and to see the place. Since its a long stop-over-12 to 14 hours I thought that would take me around the island and be with my cousin without worry of rushing back to the airport late. I took with me in my hand-carry bag some big-size variety of Queensland mangoes called R2E2 as ‘pasalubong’ to my relatives in the Philippines.
At the check out, I was told to leave them at the quarantine office before I go out into the city. I’d then pick them up on the way back in time to board my flight to Manila. I did just that, but when I got back to the airport and tried to claim my mangoes, nobody wanted to know me. People at the quarantine refuse to give me the bag of mangoes, claiming that they’re contaminated and that they needed to be incinerated. I was passed on to one office after another, and at one point as told I waited outside a door which never opened.
I can’t understand why there was no consistent ruling on transit items. I laboured to bring those fruits to my family but there are vultures in Guam’s airport who ate them.
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