Philippine Impressions, Nov. 29-Dec. 9Philippines (A study of the country and its people through the eyes of a non-Filipino)
Bob Boyer welcomes your comments at robert.boyer@snc.edu.
I had the very welcome opportunity to
visit the Philippines recently for ten days. As were my three previous
journeys to the RP, this one was filled with memorable
experiences. I will be sharing many of these in detail in future
columns, but for now, here is a collage of my Philippine Impressions,
November 29-December 9, 2009.
The weather in Manila. Lovely, balmy, with temperatures in the low eighties, high seventies. Pleasant breezes and lots of sunshine. My brother (kuya) was travelling with me on his first visit to the country. He kept asking me why the Philippines does not advertise this climate to attract more tourists. “How about packaging a tour of the islands?” he suggested.
The weather in Palawan. We spent three days there. The weather was much the same, except that without Manila’s pollution the sun was even sunnier (sunblock recommended) and the sky even more blue. Maybe kuya’s suggestion of an island tour would work.
The typhoons. We had none; in fact we had hardly any rain at all, but we heard about the recent typhoons. As we drove along Quezon and Espana boulevards, my friend Beng pointed to an overhead bridge and said, “the water almost reached all the way to the bridge.” That would be a story and a half. In the water level.
The traffic. Kuya never did get comfortable as we navigated the Manila traffic. I tried to reassure him that there were lots of fender-benders but few bad accidents. That satisfied him until the next jeepney cut us off as it crossed three lanes of traffic to stop for passengers.
More traffic. I think the traffic is both worse and better than it used to be. Worse because buses and jeepneys are not following the rules about keeping to the right-hand lane. Worse because there were lots of Christmas shoppers out--even on Sundays when traffic is usually lighter. Better because it never took us more than an hour to make it from the university (UP Diliman) to downtown. Two hours used to be common.
Mass transit/Traffic Control. There are now three high speed or light rail units. There was only one on my previous trip in 2005. Maybe that is one of the reasons why the automobile traffic moves faster. Another reason is that there are more traffic controls, like no left-hand turns.
Squatters’ shacks. Pretty much as in the past, but new to kuya, so I saw them anew as well. From our apartment on the UP campus, the tin roofs resemble a field of military tents, but not as orderly. From Fort Santiago, on the opposite banks of the Pasig River, shacks and garbage collects in the shadow of skyscrapers.
Skyscrapers and Condos. The amount of new and upscale building is remarkable, McKinley Park and Fort Bonifacio, to name just two developments. The global recession has seemingly not affected Manila. When I mentioned the new commercial and residential building to some friends, one of them replied, “yes, but the number of poor keeps increasing.”
More skyscrapers. Kuya and I stood at the American Cemetery one Sunday morning and looked toward McKinley and Makati. Earlier, we had gone to the Ayala Museum. Kuya commented, “I’m glad you let me see the other side of Manila.” Unintentionally, I had taken him mostly to or through some of the tougher parts of town. I said, “there’s a little wealth in Manila.” “More than a little,” was his reply.
On my last two visits, this one, and in 2005, conditions seemed visibly improved in Manila. Still there is that strong contrast between the condominiums and the squatters’ huts. Kuya saw them both, but in the end, as we sat on the UP Hotel patio drinking a San Miguel, he said, “I could live here.” He couldn’t have pleased me more.
Happy 2010 everyone!
The weather in Manila. Lovely, balmy, with temperatures in the low eighties, high seventies. Pleasant breezes and lots of sunshine. My brother (kuya) was travelling with me on his first visit to the country. He kept asking me why the Philippines does not advertise this climate to attract more tourists. “How about packaging a tour of the islands?” he suggested.
The weather in Palawan. We spent three days there. The weather was much the same, except that without Manila’s pollution the sun was even sunnier (sunblock recommended) and the sky even more blue. Maybe kuya’s suggestion of an island tour would work.
The typhoons. We had none; in fact we had hardly any rain at all, but we heard about the recent typhoons. As we drove along Quezon and Espana boulevards, my friend Beng pointed to an overhead bridge and said, “the water almost reached all the way to the bridge.” That would be a story and a half. In the water level.
The traffic. Kuya never did get comfortable as we navigated the Manila traffic. I tried to reassure him that there were lots of fender-benders but few bad accidents. That satisfied him until the next jeepney cut us off as it crossed three lanes of traffic to stop for passengers.
More traffic. I think the traffic is both worse and better than it used to be. Worse because buses and jeepneys are not following the rules about keeping to the right-hand lane. Worse because there were lots of Christmas shoppers out--even on Sundays when traffic is usually lighter. Better because it never took us more than an hour to make it from the university (UP Diliman) to downtown. Two hours used to be common.
Mass transit/Traffic Control. There are now three high speed or light rail units. There was only one on my previous trip in 2005. Maybe that is one of the reasons why the automobile traffic moves faster. Another reason is that there are more traffic controls, like no left-hand turns.
Squatters’ shacks. Pretty much as in the past, but new to kuya, so I saw them anew as well. From our apartment on the UP campus, the tin roofs resemble a field of military tents, but not as orderly. From Fort Santiago, on the opposite banks of the Pasig River, shacks and garbage collects in the shadow of skyscrapers.
Skyscrapers and Condos. The amount of new and upscale building is remarkable, McKinley Park and Fort Bonifacio, to name just two developments. The global recession has seemingly not affected Manila. When I mentioned the new commercial and residential building to some friends, one of them replied, “yes, but the number of poor keeps increasing.”
More skyscrapers. Kuya and I stood at the American Cemetery one Sunday morning and looked toward McKinley and Makati. Earlier, we had gone to the Ayala Museum. Kuya commented, “I’m glad you let me see the other side of Manila.” Unintentionally, I had taken him mostly to or through some of the tougher parts of town. I said, “there’s a little wealth in Manila.” “More than a little,” was his reply.
On my last two visits, this one, and in 2005, conditions seemed visibly improved in Manila. Still there is that strong contrast between the condominiums and the squatters’ huts. Kuya saw them both, but in the end, as we sat on the UP Hotel patio drinking a San Miguel, he said, “I could live here.” He couldn’t have pleased me more.
Happy 2010 everyone!
