With travel becoming more affordable and accessible, one’s first international trip is a milestone most Filipinos eagerly look forward to ticking off their bucket list. For many, setting foot on foreign land is a memory etched in their minds forever. A beautiful blur of delicacies and the flavor of local cuisine; the scenic views of cityscapes and far-flung places; the adrenaline one gets from rides at an amusement park; legs overstretched and tired from walking and shopping; a heart filled with joy and a mind bursting with the astonishment of being immersed in a completely new culture.
Such experiences ignite deep curiosity and hunger to see what else is out there in the world. It also deepens one’s appreciation for the unfamiliar and the connections made along the way. For some, travel is a privilege, but for people like Candice Alabanza Iyog, it is a vocation.
As Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer of Cebu Pacific Air, Candice has made it her mission to bring the rest of the world closer to Filipinos—thus empowering them to explore hidden gems, experience different cultures, and widen their perspective on life—all for a price that won’t hurt one’s pocket.
“The one thing that I really love about CEB and air travel and what it stands for is, you know how when you travel, especially for people who travel for the very first time, it changes you. There is something about travel that makes you realize your shared humanity. There’s something about how accessibility and travel have actually made the world smaller,” she said in her Creative Marketer interview with adobo Magazine. “But on the flip side, it’s made perspectives broader, and I love that. And to get to be a part of that, I think, is really such a privilege.”
Going where the skies take you
With all the accolades and praise she and the company have received, one might be surprised to learn that Candice had no experience working for an airline prior to joining Cebu Pacific.
“I wasn’t even a big traveler. In fact, I [only] traveled for work. […] When I joined CEB, travel was for practical reasons,” Candice admitted.
Candice also admits that she didn’t know what to expect when she joined the airline in 2003 as Director for Marketing. All she knew was she would have the opportunity to build something big, create something meaningful, and that it would be an exciting ride.
At the beginning of her career, Cebu Pacific had only12 second-hand aircraft. Since then, that number has rocketed to 100. The airline currently also has one of the youngest and most modern fleets in this part of the world.
Candice poses with various woven fabrics from across the Philippines.
Her current reality has surpassed Candice’s expectations by leaps and bounds. Her two-decade (and counting) journey has made her agile, more intentional, and naturally a leader who takes her team under her wing until they are ready to fly on their own.
“I think having been with Cebu Pacific for over 20 years and seen it transform and evolve, the lessons will also change depending on where I’m at and where the organization’s at,” she began to explain. “More recently, what I’ve come to value [is] the importance [of] being very clear about your intention. […] Why you do what you do, and being […] clear about how you set your boundaries around that, and then knowing fully well, in the same way, what the intention of the organization you’re working for is; what’s its purpose […] and how you can play a part in helping it fulfill its purpose. Being able to align both your personal intention and purpose with the organization’s intention and purpose.”
To her, Cebu Pacific’s purpose was clear from the beginning: to make travel affordable, easy, and accessible. “Being part of that is such a gift, and that’s why I’m still there after 20 years.”
When dreams take flight
Cebu Pacific has changed the way Filipinos view travel. In the past, traveling abroad or even to islands within the Philippine archipelago was a luxury only the affluent could afford. But in a short period, the airline has managed to offer fair ticket prices and multiple schedules for different routes daily—making dream destinations attainable. People always look forward to Cebu Pacific’s Piso Sale. And even without the seat sale, regular tickets are still relatively affordable.
Candice’s reflections offer a similar sentiment. “I think the biggest shift that I’ve witnessed over the past 20 years is really how travel has become part of your lifestyle, almost like a necessity to an extent for some people. I see it in the office and among the children of my friends quite often. There’s a sale; you book; you go. Or it’s almost like, ‘I need to do this to reset. I need to do this to recover.’ And it’s part of [our] well-being already.”
More than enabling people to collect passport stamps from different countries and explore new places, Cebu Pacific plays a role in fostering human connections and realizing dreams—and Candice acknowledges this.
She recounts the story of the airline’s 250 millionth passenger from two years ago: a Singapore-based OFW flying home to Bacolod—a province in the Philippines—to spend Christmas with her son for the first time after 10 years. The OFW’s employers, on a separate note, also flew in from Singapore to attend the wedding of another helper in a different province. But that wasn’t even the part of the story that moved Candice. It was this: in one instance, both Singaporean parents had to go on separate business trips, and entrusted their children to their helper and her family in Bacolod.
Candice shares the rest of the story, saying, “[The children] stayed with them for the entire week and [were] immersed in their life. They rode on the back of open trucks. They caught a pig and roasted [it], made lechon. They experienced life here. And to me, that is a testament of trust. I mean, ang galing (it’s amazing) that the Filipinos, OFWs, are among the most trusted—and in that sense, respected—out there, which is something that I feel quite proud of. […] I think [it’s] such a great story, and it goes back to the role that Cebu Pacific plays in enabling these things. Enabling not just work, but also connection, and—as corny as it sounds—it really is an enabling of dreams.”
Taking her team under her wing
Even with two decades’ worth of leadership experience and shelves of awards to back her up, Candice, ironically, never really aspired to be a leader growing up.
“I just happened to be given these opportunities,” she revealed. “And I don’t think as an individual, I’ve achieved great things. I have, though, had the privilege to be part of great teams, and been under very good leadership. And so that’s what I aspire to be.”
To Candice, leadership is about listening, nurturing, and giving people a platform to be the best version of themselves. She experienced that same generosity from her own mentors and hopes to pay it forward by treating the people she works with in much the same way.
And while she’s at a career high, her desire for stewardship compels her to turn the spotlight to her eventual successors, and for good reason: “[It’s] making sure that the people who we leave the organization to […] will be able to continue the legacy of Mr. John [Gokongwei Jr.]”
Staying grounded off-duty
Guiding and tending to her team at work, being a hands-on mom to her kids, and looking after loyal customers are all just part of a normal day for Candice. Rather than having separate personas for work and home life, she’s one and the same—wherever she is.
“I’d like to think, or at least I hope, that I am the same person. That I don’t have a Jekyll and Hyde type of […] work persona and home persona, because I think that’s difficult. Especially [if] you want to be an authentic leader, an authentic person, you kind of have to bring your whole self to work, which means you also bring your relationships—everything—to work.”
Candice believes that work and life will never be a 50-50 balance because situations change, and that you need to adjust accordingly. She expounds on this idea, saying, “You’re constantly shifting depending on the needs at work and the needs at home, depending on your life stage, depending on the life stage of your children, and depending on where the organization is at. And then you find your formula [and] your groove on how to get the right ratios.”
No matter where she is and who she’s with, however, she abides by three things: be present, be curious, and make yourself useful. “I think if you have those three things, you’ll do well in life.”
But when she’s off the clock from work and taking a break from parental duties, you can find her with her game face on at the tennis court.
“I rediscovered tennis three years ago, when the community where I live built a tennis court during the pandemic. So I can just wake up and walk to the court and play. I play three to four times a week, […] but I’m not a tennis player, so it just means I’m not yet good!”
The heart of marketing
Having witnessed technological breakthroughs one after another in aviation and marketing, Candice had her fair share of experiences with nearly every new toy and tool, including the most controversial one: artificial intelligence (AI).
Using AI remains a hot topic. Candice has her own view, and it’s that AI can yield benefits as long as it’s used properly.
“I have nothing against AI, as long as it is in the service of humans, not the other way around.”
As a steward of the brand, Candice embraces the collective responsibility of ensuring Cebu Pacific is in a better place for the next generation than when she first came on board.
Candice and her team utilize AI for running tests and learning experiments for market research. AI has also allowed them to scale and find the most effective message that resonates best with customers regardless of demographics.
But even with these shiny benefits of AI, Candice still firmly believes in the power of humanity, and that fundamentals have to be human at their core.
“I think great marketing and fundamentals that will continue and should outlive any technological advancement is marketing that is grounded in personal truth and human experience, that connects with an audience—that resonates. People say it’s about authenticity, but I think it’s really about connecting with human insight that is grounded in human experience.”
Further emphasizing the importance of authenticity and human experience in a time of AI domination, she said, “The one thing that cannot be and should never be AI is [the] creatives, or marketing that’s grounded in human connection, human experience, a personal truth.”
Painting the skies with Filipino artistry
Grounded in human creativity and connections, Cebu Pacific kicked off its 30th anniversary by weaving Filipino heritage with local artistry, quite literally. The QR code-laden local woven fabrics made waves on social media and were the first of one of the many pit stops in Cebu Pacific’s anniversary celebrations.
The next showstopper in Cebu Pacific’s anniversary Candice is proud of is the airline’s collaboration with Cebu-based artist and designer group, Happy Garaje. The group was chosen to design the aircraft’s new livery, which is set to soar by the end of this year.
“Doing this collaboration with Happy Garaje for one of our livery […] is special because Cebu is also a creative community. And once that plane starts flying all over the world […], people are gonna look it up and say, ‘Who designed this? What is the story behind that group? Where are they from?’ And it is another way of using the business as a platform to shine the light on this creative community.”
“I think the Philippines is so creative. And I want more of the world to know that. It’s not just for the craft of it, but because there’s something that’s very Filipino about it,” she explained.
Details on the launch of the livery will be released soon, according to Candice. She also shared that the story will involve their founder, John Gokongwei Jr., and the concept of enabling dreams to take flight.
“It’s really a story of our roots,” she said.
Looking beyond the horizon
Candice’s next personal goal is surprisingly down-to-earth: “It’s to have a respectable serve [in tennis], which is the most difficult [to do]!”
When asked about the legacy she hopes to leave, however, Candice shifts to a serious tone and shares her aspirations for Cebu Pacific’s future, emphasizing the importance of stewardship and the collective responsibility to leave the airline in a better place for the next generation than when she first came on board.
“It’s always important so that they can continue the legacy of Mr. John [Gokongwei Jr.], which is making flights accessible and affordable because of how it contributes to the economy [and] to nation building. And who’s to say that if you influence one person, that is not a legacy? It can be a legacy also. It doesn’t have to be […] something grand. […] If you influence and help one person believe that they can do so much more, that is enough,” she said.
Creative and Editorial Direction/ Sittings Editor: Jill Tan Radovan
Art Direction: Dea Sangco
Interview and Story: Stephanie Ferrer
Styling: Rad Esguerrra
Special thanks to Mr. Alberto Gadia of the Tourism Promotions Board and to women weavers across the Philippines.
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