A story straight from Seattle

Notes on the beat

SEATTLE – Gregorio Rosas extends the back of his hand to every guest of Ludi’s Restaurant he interacts with. Known around here in Seattle as Tito Greg, it has become his personal advocacy to share Filipino culture with his patrons. He tells them to press their forehead against the back of his hand to introduce them to one practice from home he never forgets: pagmamano.

On our last day in Seattle, Tito Greg welcomed us to his Filipino restaurant at the corner of Stewart Street and 2nd Avenue, just a few steps away from the iconic Pike Place Market. The place is named in honor of Aling Ludi, short for Ludivina Mercadillo, for whom Tito Greg worked during his elementary days. In the 1960s, he assisted Aling Ludi in her carinderia in Pandacan, Manila, and that was his introduction to the workings of the kitchen.

When Aling Ludi passed away in 1976, Tito Greg was a houseboy for a Jewish family, whom he would later accompany on a trip to the US. The family decided to stay longer in the US, but intended to send Tito Greg home because his visa was expiring. Maybe it was the allure of the American Dream or the folly of youth, but Tito Greg rejected the offer to return home to Manila.

He raced against time to obtain a driver’s license within the remaining validity of his visa. Luckily, he got one and applied as a dishwasher at the American diner Turf. He cleaned every glass, every plate, every utensil brought to the sink, and the owner noticed his one-of-a-kind diligence.

The owner, who was widowed in 1977, had planned on closing down Turf once she retired until Tito Greg arrived in her kitchen, working hard as if rent was due every day. In 1983, he secured a green card as endorsed by peers who saw his resilience. Since then, Tito Greg was asked to learn the ropes of running a business because, as it turned out, Turf would be entrusted to him.

Today, Tito Greg welcomes guests, locals, and tourists alike, to this restaurant by the corner. He renamed the place Ludi’s in honor of his mentor and also to reflect the changes in the menu, now mostly listing Filipino food, from silog and kare-kare, to lumpia and kakanin.

Tito Greg has a smile glued to his face every time he goes over his humble beginnings. And he has another reason to smile now that Seattle has become 12 hours away from Manila. This means more Filipinos can visit the city he has grown to love.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) started flying direct to Seattle on October 2, designating a 370-seater Boeing 777-300ER for the route. Boeing was founded in Seattle and is still one of the biggest employers in the city. The PAL flight takes off three times a week.

In a briefing with reporters here, PAL vice president for sales Bud Britanico said the opportunity to offer a direct flight from Manila to Seattle is hard to pass up. Prior to this, Filipinos reached Seattle through one-stop services with layovers in Taipei. Some of them can afford to do layovers in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but the keyword is “some,” given the pricing.

Washington State, where Seattle is located, is home to close to 195,000 Filipinos, according to AAPI Data. The state has the fourth largest Filipino population in the US after California’s 1.7 million, Hawaii’s 383,000, and Texas’ 234,000. Accessing Washington via Seattle ensures PAL is present in the biggest Filipino hubs in the US.

At present, the airline reaches California through Los Angeles and San Francisco, both of which have daily flights. It also connects Manila and Honolulu. Further, PAL penetrates the US East Coast via New York.

In spite of this, PAL’s market share for Philippine flights to the US and Canada fell to 47 percent in 2023, from 65 percent in 2022. Challengers have come in, particularly United Airlines, which has opened a Manila connection to San Francisco. PAL hopes to reassert market dominance, and the best way to do it is by expanding flight reach in the US.

Seattle boasts of a long history of persevering in the most challenging of times, as reflected in the stories of its people like Tito Greg and places like Pike Place Market. The market was established as a protest to overpriced onions in groceries. Since it was founded in 1906, Pike Place has become an avenue where farmers can sell their produce directly to consumers, cutting out middlemen.

Pike Place is also the birthplace of the world-renowned Starbucks, and the original branch of the cafe is still in the market to date, drawing thousands of guests daily. The rule for locating in Pike Place is simple: The market has to be the first branch of the business, not a franchise coming in. This is how the place takes care of its authenticity.

Apart from this, Seattle takes pride in its arts and culture, borne out of its reputation as one of the most progressive cities in the US. It is towered by the 605-foot Space Needle and is surrounded by museums like the Chihuly Garden and Glass, Museum of Flight, Museum of Pop Culture, and Seattle Art Museum. In itself, Seattle has the power to draw visitors, and it did pull in 37.8 million tourists in 2023.

However, the leisure market alone may be too risky for PAL to depend on to lift its direct flights to Seattle. Fortunately, the city is equally known for another thing: its ability to grow businesses. Some of the most successful companies in the world come from Seattle, particularly Boeing and Starbucks.

Amazon—owned by one of the world’s richest men, Jeff Bezos—runs its headquarters in Seattle. Costco Wholesale was also founded in Seattle, and the same goes for Nordstrom.

Britanico said PAL saw an opening for business travel when it mounted Seattle flights.

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the 24th-best airport in 2024 according to Skytrax, is a gateway to multiple points around the US. Filipinos dreaming of seeing the northern lights can go to Seattle first and from there, head to Alaska. Seattle harbors the operations of Alaska Airlines.

PAL’s long game is to enter new cities across the US. Britanico said as early as now, the airline is looking at a list of US destinations that could be added to its flight menu. In focus are Chicago, Houston, and Las Vegas, given that hundreds of thousands of Filipinos reside in these cities. If at all, Seattle may just be the first of many more for PAL.

Of course, that plan relies on how soon the airline will receive its new wide-body aircraft from Airbus. In 2023, PAL placed a firm order for nine A350-1000s, which are scheduled to start arriving next year. If things go as planned, these jets would help PAL expand its long-haul routes.

Recently, PAL has felt the pressure of air travel demand coming down from the surge of revenge spending in 2023, when everyone was booking flights to anywhere.

PAL’s parent PAL Holdings Inc. endured a 45 percent decline in profit to P5.97 billion in the first semester of 2024, from P10.89 billion a year ago. Still, PAL president and COO, Capt. Stanley Ng believes the airline is doing just fine.

In a guided tour at the Museum of Flight, Ng marveled at the first units that made it possible for people to fly.

The man is a pilot, so it was expected that the museum would geek him out. As the guide pointed to a Beechcraft Model 45, Ng told The STAR that the model was what PAL used for its maiden flight.

In 1941, PAL carried five passengers from the Nielson Field, now Ayala Triangle, to Baguio City. That flight marked the birth of Asia’s first carrier. In 2022, PAL reopened a flight to Baguio from Cebu, but had to close down the service eventually.

When The STAR asked Ng which runways he found especially difficult to land in, he said he had to take his time learning to land in airfields close to mountains. Eventually, he said, you learn it. Nowadays, airports are being built on shorelines, so it should be easier to navigate them.

Back at lunch in Ludi’s, Tito Greg said he is visiting the Philippines next year. He plans to stay for at least three weeks, to join his retired siblings at their house in Imus, Cavite. He laughs at the thought of going back home after more than a decade.

His whole family in Seattle will be joining him on the homecoming trip. With this, Ludi’s will have to be closed for three weeks, and the thought of that made Tito Greg scratch his forehead. He will surely miss his customers, most of whom come back almost every day for either breakfast or lunch.

As everyone finishes their lunch, Tito Greg looks around his restaurant, as if finding something that has to be fixed or polished. It is just the first week of October, and everywhere in Seattle, the decorations are mostly for Halloween. In Ludi’s, a red parol hangs in the corner and a Christmas tree sits on the fridge, reminiscent of how early the holidays are celebrated at home, which is now only 12 hours from here.