I am not going to state the obvious here and list down all the lamentable qualities of the Manila Domestic Airport. When it comes to basic government services and infrastructures, it’s really best to lower one’s expectations so that when the bare minimum is complied with we can walk away happy 😛 The relationship we have with our government and the services they ought to provide is akin to a boyfriend who’s just dedma and then out of the blue surprises you with a single-stemmed rose. Diba ang haba lang ng hair mo?
So on our trip to Bellarocca, I really dreaded waiting in the pre-departure area of the Manila Domestic airport but then I saw these….
side by side at the pre-departure area
Aba! Aba! Aba! I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Manila Domestic Airport has a Kiddie Lounge and a Breastfeeding Area! Given that families are staple travelers and frequent flyers, these areas are (to quote the kids) “full of win!”
I didn’t care that the Kiddie Traveler Lounge was spartan.
yep that's it
There was a cute playhouse there that kept DW preoccupied. The toys however are old and are in need of a good scrub 😛 I can almost see OCMominManila freaking out and giving the toys a good scrubbing.
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The floor was covered with a thick padded mat and the walls had these rubber puzzle pieces.
<3
I went next door and checked out the Breastfeeding lounge.
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The room had its own air conditioning unit and several comfy couches and chairs for moms and babes to hang out in. I see this as a room that you can use to change your baby’s nappies as well. When I went to the room no one was using it so the lights were all turned off. I however have never used a breastfeeding room, we do have something similar in our office and it has a small sink, refrigerator and comfy chairs. So, breastfeeding mommies, is the breastfeeding lounge at the airport up to par?
These rooms are in desperate need of an update but you know what I’ll take them. The terminal had a facelift and is actually pretty good looking now. They didn’t have to do these two rooms but they did. Maybe the terminal fees can go to new toys and books for the kiddie traveler lounge? Anyway DW and I are thankful 🙂
Marielle Garcia says
September 26, 2011 at 12:13 amhere in Pampanga,specifically SM Clark,there is a breastfeeding room, too, which i never went to yet. just not sure if all SM malls have one. anyone know? just curious. =)
OCMominManila says
September 18, 2011 at 3:40 pmI think I remember seeing that kiddie traveler lounge when we went to Palawan in 2009. But your photo shows it’s actually much cleaner than the one we saw. Maybe they got rid of all the dirty toys already because I remember it having more things inside. =) But true, it’s a welcome thing for parents to distract their kids from the long boarding wait.
applesanddumplings says
September 16, 2011 at 2:00 pmThis is great. Basta clean pwede na.
ben says
September 16, 2011 at 11:38 amwow, there’s a breastfeeding area in the office? i had no idea. is that the privacy room?
and yes, good to know that slowly but surely our local airports are catering to their customers’ needs. i don’t need any fancy design, as long as all the essential facilities are there. thank goodness they’ve started thinking of families
manilamommy says
September 16, 2011 at 1:33 pmhi ben! yep it’s our privacy room 😀 when we were planning the new office we were lucky that sir tom listened to the new moms when we asked for a room to express milk in (ay TMI na ba haha)
Martine says
September 16, 2011 at 11:24 amThis is wonderful! It’s good to see this development. Hope that the other terminals have the same facilities, and at strategic points, too! Although, yes, they should step up in efforts to make sure the place is updated, sanitized and monitored well, like in Singapore’s Changi airport: There are children’s lounges and breastfeeding stations in various parts of each of the three terminals. 🙂
manilamommy says
September 16, 2011 at 1:34 pmhi martine! totally agree, this is a step in the right direction though and i really do hope they try their best to maintain the facilities.
ceemee says
September 16, 2011 at 8:52 amThat sure is a huge improvement for a government establishment!