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So inn
love
Meet three couples who each fell in love with
a seaside spot, and the quaint dive resorts that
they poured their hearts into. Their stories of
loving teamwork will also inspire you.
Story by Kristine Fonacier
Anilao, Batangas
Pinky and Mike Dimagiba are the
kind of couple who finish each other’s
sentences, and who are so familiar
with each other’s rhythms that their
movements are effortlessly, completely
in harmony with one another’s.
They may not hold hands in front of
strangers, but when either of them
answers a question, they glance at the
other automatically — to consult or to
verify, or simply to gaze with deep
pride and affection. There is an
enormous amount of mutual respect
between the two, and it’s apparent in
the unconscious give-and-take in
every conversation and every step
they make.
Everything becomes clear when you
learn that the pair met as freshmen
in Philippine Science High School.
That was in 1983. They married 10
years later, and have since lived in
some of the best cities in the world
— Amsterdam, Bangkok and Rome
— and traveled to dozens of other
destinations over the course of their 19
years together as a married couple.
The flow of their movements around
each other also defines the narrative
of their life together. When Mike, a
professional manager working for a
multinational corporation, was sent
to his first posting abroad, Pinky left
behind a career in the hotel industry
to follow and support Mike on his
career path. And now, returning to the
Philippines (for Mike, to take up the
post of executive director at Bayan-
Anihan, the food security arm of Gawad
Kalinga, which he has since left), the
couple has set up Lilom, partly in
deference to Pinky and her wish to
return to the hospitality industry, and
also as a way to share with others the
experience they’ve had as travelers
themselves. “We’ve always favored
small, family-run places that have been
in the same family for generations. That
was the inspiration,” says Pinky.
Their little corner in the world
09LKH Smile
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