Living the island life
I’m so thankful I have Philmar. Yung culture shock ng kaunti kahit papaano sa simula, si Philmar natulungan niya ako na makapag-adapt (Philmar helped me when I felt culture-shocked at first). Besides, I really enjoy the way of life here
Summer afternoons at the beach, swimming in clear blue waters and nights as quiet as the sea are not the only things that make Andi Eigenmann’s life in Siargao better -- it’s the company she has
Andi has adjusted well to the island life two years since she announced her plans of leaving the city to start anew in Siargao. With her boyfriend, champion surfer Philmar Alipayo, Andi shared their dream of running a bed and breakfast business for transient travelers is slowly coming together. “I’ve been living here for almost two years now and as I’ve said pinangarap ko talaga na tumira sa isla (I’ve always dreamt of living in an island),” she said in an exclusive interview for VIVA. Coming from the hustle and bustle of city life, her journey to adapting a simpler life wasn’t at all easy, Andi countered. “I still had to adjust in
some ways especially I didn’t have a family here. I don’t have my mom or any of my siblings and my best friends. Minsan lang naman sila
nakakapunta dito (They seldom come here). In that sense, naging mahirap siya (it became hard).”
But she feels thankful that Philmar has given her support over the years. I’m so thankful I have Philmar. Yung culture shock ng kaunti
kahit papano sa simula, si Philmar natulungan
niya ako na makapag-adapt (Philmar helped me when I felt culture shocked at first). Besides, I really enjoy the way of life here.”
Pre-lockdown, their small family started doing documenting their daily life on the island for fun. Their first ever video which was uploaded in January now has 3.6 million views. “We plan to make even more fun vlogs, share even more of our life and what we do. We also plan on showing off things that we love as well, which is Philmar surfing and spearfishing. Hopefully kapag nakakuha na
kami ng waterproof camera magagwa na namin
‘yun (when we’re able to have a waterproof camera we can do that),” Andi said.
Part of her advocacy since moving to Siargao is to promote healthy eating and surfing. She added, “We think that we live in such a beautiful place and he’s [Philmar] an amazing surfer. It’s nice to take videos and share it with the world para mas maipakilala
pa siya (For surfing to be known more). Also eating healthy and making food from locally sourced ingredients. It’s something that I want to help promote especially for the farmers here on the island.”
A couple of days ago, Lilo, her 10-month-old daughter, went surfing for the first time with Philmar. The Siargao surfer and native shared the clip of the amazing milestone on Instagram. He even wrote, “Lilo’s first surf with Papa. So happy! Lilo’s first surf at 10 months. Can’t wait for more surf with me.”
Seeing their daughter grow up before their eyes feel a little bittersweet for the couple. Andi wishes time would slow down because she would also want to share this experience with her family who is in Manila. “But I know time will come where we will all be reunited again! For now, time to print out some pics of them and use it for one of our shelf activities!” she wrote on Instagram.
Andi feels indebted knowing a lot of people are eager to learn about life on an island like Siargao. More of that, she said, can be seen in their upcoming vlogs. “It’s so nice that a lot of you guys are so into our vlogs, that you want to know more about us and our daily lives here. We are grateful for the love that you are showing us,” Andi concluded.
Due to the imposed quarantine, Andi has been restricted from traveling to and from Metro Manila where her older daughter Ellie stays with dad Jake Ejercito, son of former Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.