Game KNB? goes to Plantation Bay

Let my pictures speak for our Cebu taping of Game KNB in Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Mactan Island, Cebu.

Picture #1. This was our group at the domestic terminal ready to board our 1 p.m. flight on Cebu Pacific. This was Thursday, May 22. The technical crew of Game KNB had taken the 5 a.m. flight. The sets were being set up as early as Thursday.

As you can see, my niece Pia and my nephew Tiger are literally just half the size of gentle giant Josh.

Pictures # 2, 3, 4. The people behind Plantation Bay (special thanks to Pops and Sunshine) really treated us so well. I was given beautiful and incredibly spacious accommodations. We were billeted at the Presidential Suite and we had the luxury of four big bedrooms with a dining area, living room area, a balcony and quick access to nthe lagoon.

As soon as I got to Plantation Bay, I changed into a tank top and took a video tour of the place. The shots we took would be a part of Game KNB’s closing credits each night.

The last time I was in Plantation Bay was Holy Week of 1999. The place has evolved so much in the past four years. Noteworthy is that the trees around the resort have matured and they now lend the complex a genuine tropical paradise feel.

My cousin Rina, with me in photo # 4 served as my photographer for almost all the pictures accompanying this column.

Pictures 5, 6, 7. On the night of the 22nd, I taped a lengthy interview for Cebu’s Sunday Morning talk show Chika Hai Ta. Our location was Plantation Bay’s beautiful spa which had whirl pools, hot springs and water falls.

It was really all work for me because on Friday the 23rd, right after lunch I started taping Trivia questions pertaining to Cebu landmarks. We went all around the city. I was really touched because while at Magellan’s Cross I was given beautiful beaded necklaces by the people there who noted that they see me wearing accessories all the time in my shows and they wanted me to have some pieces from Cebu.

I taped a total of seven episodes, three games on Friday night and four games on Saturday. Since Cebu is paradise for honeymooners we had real-life lovers as players. They were Agot Isidro and Manu Sandejas, Geneva Cruz and KC Montero, Mylene Dizon and Ira Cruz, Ian Veneracion and his wife Pam, Jestoni Alarcon and his wife Lizette, and Donna Cruz and her Cebuano husband Dr. Yong Larrazabal.

I’m giving you a glimpse of our beautiful set. I felt so proud that we were able to mount it on the lagoons. It felt so much like a mix of Survivor and Pirates of the Caribbean, one of my favorite Disney rides!

Pictures #8, 9, 10, 11.

Plantation Bay is the perfect place to bring kids. There are just so many activities for them. Rina took care of her kids Pia and Tiger, as well as my Josh while I did my Trivia tapings and went on two mall tours (Ayala and SM City Cebu) on Saturday, May 24. They went fish-feeding and it was nearly impossible to get them out of the water. The lagoons aren’t deep, are really kid-friendly in depth, and the fresh water pools had life guards on duty.

I finished taping my last episode at 2:30 a.m. of Sunday already, May 25. All in all, it was a terrific experience for all of us. The taping left me exhausted, but the kids really enjoyed their vacation. That’s why we’re already planning our return to Plantation Bay during the kids’ Semestral Break.

Watch out for Game KNB in Cebu, airing starting on June 9 on ABS-CBN right after the TV Patrol.