K-pop boy band Seventeen’s Joshua Hong got a little teasing from a fellow member regarding his vacation experience in Manila in September where he was unable to withdraw cash.
In a video by Seventeen on Oct. 2, Joshua narrated what happened to him and his mom when they went on an unplanned vacation in Manila after ditching Vietnam as he did not have an entry visa.
Joshua and his mom spent Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) in Manila. He revealed that since it was a last-minute decision to go to Manila, “we didn't have time to exchange our money and stuff, because our flight was taking off soon. We thought we'll be able to sort it out once we get there."
However, when they arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Joshua failed to withdraw money from ATMs as his card did not work.
"There were like six of them , but none of them worked. We were like, 'Okay, then. Let's find a hotel, then check in to it first. We'll withdraw money near the hotel or something.' We got into a taxi, thinking that they would accept cards. But it was cash-only. I panicked so much," he said.
As they were heading to the hotel aboard the taxi, he saw an ATM and stopped by but his card did not work again.
"When I found out about it, I saw an ATM on the street, so we stopped there to try withdrawing it again. But it didn't work. I told the taxi driver that I would buy him a meal or something if I was unable to get cash anywhere soon, just please take us to the hotel. At that time, I got really thirsty, so I went to grab something at the convenient store. And you know what? It was cash-only there too. Unbelievable, isn't it?" he said.
Seventeen held their “Be The Sun” concert in Manila on Oct. 8 and 9 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
During the opening greetings, Seventeen’s Seungkwan teased Joshua about the “cash-only” experience.
“What’s up, Manila? Joshua greeted Pinoy fans at the concert.
Seungkwan replied, “Yeah! Cash only!”
Joshua chuckled at his ribbing and said, “Cash only.”
“Well thank you guys so much for coming out tonight. Wow, your energy is really amazing. We are receiving so much love,” added Joshua.
During their stay in Manila last month, Joshua added that in order to get money, “I asked the hotel staff to overcharge my card and give me some cash with the amount that they overcharged my card. Thankfully, they did that for me. The taxi driver asked for like a thousand something in the Philippine peso, and I later found out that I had paid like three times more. Gosh...," he said.
Joshua said he also paid 100,000 won ($70.6) for a meal that “tasted horrible.”
"We walked around the hotel to find a decent restaurant for dinner, but none of them looked very good. We ended up going to the nicest-looking one out of all, but it tasted horrible. It was a dim sum place, and I paid over 100,000 won for that meal. Following our dinner, we discovered that there was a huge mall with great restaurants only a few minutes away from the restaurant we went to. Ah..." he said.
He added, "I'm not saying that Manila is a bad place to travel. I'm just sharing my own experience, and that is what sort of thing that could happen to you if you go on a trip without making any plans in advance,” he said.
Joshua advised that “always make plans first! Make sure to take cash with you, especially when you're traveling to a South East Asian country as well."
The Philippine government agency Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) condemned what happened to Joshua and scored public utility vehicles for overcharging passengers.