On July 6th, 2001 Natalia arrived to Manila, Philippines. Her flight was supposed to arrive at 5 p.m. but it finally came only at 11 p.m. due to the inclement weather condition. Fans were waiting for her at the airport. Due to limited English, she had a translator with her all the time. She attended to a sign session with fans to Mega Mall, organized by GMA Network, where she received a lot of gifts. “When I was told I’ll promote “Monica Brava” in the Philippines, I was amazed because never in my dreams did I think of going to Asia. The first thing I did is look at a map to find out where the Philippines is and I said, Oh, it’s too far! I researched on it and I found out we more or less have the same culture because the Philippines also became a Spanish colony. The first thing I asked about is what is the food here. When I learned you have plenty of arroz (rice,) I said I’ll enjoy it here because I like eating a lot of rice. I just love to eat, you see.”, she said to an interview. On July 8th, she was invited to meet the Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at Malacanang Presidential Palace. Also, she was invited to a private event. “But once I saw the people meeting me at the airport, I felt more comfortable because I realized Filipinos are very warm and friendly. Very fond of beso-beso. And I also am happy with the fact that your president is a woman, because I believe that woman is really the stronger sex.”
Last update: 14.2.2015