Philippines - December 2008

The background bit – a very brief synopsis
History - The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century (so Tegalog / Felipino is basically a mixture of Bahasa / Malay and Spanish languages); they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected President and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during WWII, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Philippines attained their independence. In 1992, the US closed its last military bases on the islands, but left a lasting imprint, in terms of the legal and political systems and the common use of the English language. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998, but was succeeded by his vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, in January 2001 MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected to a six-year term in May 2004 and so serves as President now.

Politics - The Philippine Government at the moment faces charges of corruption, and more importantly faces serious threats from armed communist insurgencies and from Muslim separatists / terrorists in the south (more details below…. we work in the armed areas and when duty calls…. Alex responds!).

People in the Philippines are incredibly friendly and sweet. Their reputation for such qualities is deserved. As lovely as this is though, it's not good in the work-place.... as being perceived to be nice and being liked often takes precedence / priority over good management! As I was soon to discover in my 2 week whirlwind tour!!!

Sunday 30th Nov 08 – Thanks be to God (or Qantas) for upgrading me on the flight from London to Hong Kong. With almost no sleep in the preceding 2 nights, the long flight could have been what nightmares are made of. The stopover in Hong Kong brought back fond memories of our flight to Sydney for Mardi Gras in February earlier this year. The Cebu Pacific flight onward to Manila was severely lacking in leg room (fly Cathay is my advice and intention from here on in), but thankfully dozed (in and) out of consciousness the whole way there…. Checked into the Millennium Heritage Hotel (nice) and basically slept until next day.

Mon 1st - Wed 3rd December – Worked from our Manila office. Met the new Country Director again (last time was India after the Tsunami) and the rest of the staff. Highlights of these 3 days (except for the work, of course) was (and in no particular order): Starbucks (a saving grace given my distorted body clock), discovering Mall of Asia (the king of all shopping malls in Asia), and strolling along the promenade before eating freshly cooked seafood, which we had just chosen from the fish market. Lo-lights – trying to stay awake and fight my body’s desire to operate on a different time-zone than the one I am currently in.

Thursday 4th Dec – Caught my morning flight to Iloilo, the capital of the West Visayas with Daryll. Airport was modern and efficient. On arrival at the SC office (to a welcoming committee, banner and all, bless!), had a security and program briefing with the staff and lunch with them all in the office. On hearing I like seafood, they had arranged a seafood buffet. I was to eat nothing but seafood for the next couple of days. Which may have been a good thing, or not…..

After lunch, we headed out to the field to visit some of our programs in the Maasin. We first visited Sponsorship-funded programs in a school. A children’s workshop was taking place for Ambassador children (ones who had been identified as ambassadors as part of our sponsorship program) so we observed that for a while and spoke to the children. We then were shown round the school, met our coordinators there and the teachers, before meeting the Principal, a really sweet, short, old Philippino woman. We were phasing out of the community there in a few months, after being there for years so it was a difficult time but the community and school were great about it. They showed me the classrooms SC had built, the furniture and books we donated, and explained the programs we had initiated with the community. What struck me was that the children there were incredibly happy, and extremely well-behaved. The school was a tranquil space, with a huge Acacia tree in the courtyard, coconut and Mahogany trees everywhere (seedlings donated 15 years prior by the Japanese government) and different gardens for different subjects (a Math garden, a Science garden etc.), making learning an enjoyable and beautiful experience. It made me want to re-take all my school years again and leave behind the memories of concrete playgrounds and bricks and mortar. We were then invited in to eat “snacks” which became a full spread, and chat about the area, the community, the challenges and successes the school faced. The principal was good quality as we joked around about her being the newly throned queen of the school.

Our next stop was another school, where we responded to their needs that were created after Typhoon Frank, which flooded their communities and schools, washed out and destroyed all the furniture, ruined their irrigation and sewerage systems, making water and sanitation an issue as well as provision of materials. Again, peaceful, pretty, tranquil spaces and classes were found. Although classes were combined in this primary school (grades 1 and 2 together and 3 and 4 together). The day we visited, only one teacher was teaching both the classes, running between them. I remember noting how incredibly well-behaved the children were and later retracting that thought as I caught them being mischievous when the teacher wasn’t around! Beautiful children though, and all giving off such a happy vibe (as most children do, I suppose).

We left the school and crossed the river before it got any deeper in the afternoon rains and headed back through the lush tropical and populated countryside back to Iloilo, stopping at a couple of churches along the way, including our lady of the Candeleria. Dinner that night was a seafood bonanza again, but was a struggle for me given my deteriorating state of consciousness and wellness. However the people of Panay island and Iloilo are lovely and made it all the more easy for me to sit through and enjoy.


Friday 5th Dec – Woke up feeling awful. Tired, nauseous, and with a splitting headache! My stomach isn’t that great either with cramps and the slow onset of non-Delhi Delhi belly. Work will be a struggle. Got through the morning, with the aid of drugs, and had another seafood lunch, then it was back to the hotel to rest for a couple of hours before going back to work. Sleep was not happening but returned to work feeling a tad better and finished off by 6pm. Retired that night, knowing I had a marathon drive to the white-sanded, tropical paradise island of Boracay the following morning at 6am.

Saturday 6th Dec – Slept all the way through the night for the first time in over a week! Happy days! Well, didn’t wake up at 2am or 4am, but 5.30am, a reasonable hour for me at the minute. Stomach started playing up and cramping so a light breakfast then we were off.

I love travelling through SE Asia. It reminded me of my first real experience living and travelling abroad (SE Asia), when I studied and worked in Singapore and spent a lot of time in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Laos). The sun, the rain, the humidity, the smells, the palm trees (short and tall), the intricately beautiful rice paddies being worked by the locals, the bicycles, tuk-tuks and motos overloaded with people, the vast array of tiny stalls on the side of the road selling whatever they can to make a living, the children playing on the roads and in the fields, the dogs, the chickens, the cows and everything else that makes SE Asia what it is…. There’s so much life and natural beauty in this part of the world. It made me smile as I listened to my recently retrieved ipod-touch all the way to Boracay (like the juxtaposition there? – and it wasn’t even intentional)!

Arrived in Caticlan and were greeted by our private bus to take us to our private boat with stabilizers (or barca) across the choppy waters to Boracay and Fridays resort. Being choppy, it was not the day for the planned island-hopping and snorkeling, sadly, so chilling on the beach was on the cards instead.
Arriving at the jetty and driving through the only road through the centre of the island, the signs of development were evident. Boracay started as a backpacker’s destination, along the lines of Ko Phi Phi Leh in Thailand, as portrayed in “The Beach”. It used to take days to reach, via planes, public jeepneys and boats, and on arrival you’d be greeted with a sight massively different to what you see now: dserted beaches, a town that was under-developed, traditional, basic, and sparsely populated. Now it’s a whole different story: resorts popping up everywhere, a shopping mall, building sites, scores of small boats arriving daily and teaming with tourists, nightclubs, restaurants, bars etc. It is a real and proper tourist resort these days, on par with those al over Thailand, or Spain for that matter. That said, you can still get your own little bit of paradise. We eventually arrived at Fridays Resort after driving through the main street (or only / principal street). The service from pick-up to drop-off was impeccable. We were greeted with refreshing drinks, a necklace of shells, and friendly resort staff. After check-in, we were shown to our thatched-roof, bamboo cottages, which were naturally-inspired, eco-friendly yet palacial inside. The hammock on my veranda was welcomed later that day for lazing in the afternoon sun. The best was yet to come, though…..

The beach itself was stunning!!!!! It was truly paradise. White clear sands, crystal clear blue-hewn waters, an abundance of palm trees, coconut shells…..! I understand why it is always ranked as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. It had the perfect mix of the rugged, natural, deserted beaches you find all over Asia and the flat-seabed, white sand and clear water appeal of the Maldives. The sand is unlike any other: it stays cool to the touch even in the mid-day sun, apparently due to the fact it’s evolved from crushed shells and sea coral over the millennia. It is so fine it is like salt. I was feeling rather ill, but the sight and sounds of the beach soon made me forget that.

From Fridays you can walk along the beach and as you do it get’s more developed, crowded and commercial. Beach-front bars and restaurants are everywhere, Club Paraw and Café del Mar appeal to the party-going clubbers among us, water-sports (sailing, paragliding, SCUBA-diving, jet-skiing) are offered at every stretch! The local boys show-off, surfing across the shallow waters of the beach on thin little boogie boards, trying to out-do each other, and the token masseuses linger under the trees offering their services for a few hundred pesos. So there really is something for everyone in Boracay! And I would definitely recommend a visit.

Sunday 7th Dec – Woke up and had breakfast alfresco after a mellow and reflective stroll along on the white sandy beach. Learned something new and amusing today – the legal age of consent in Philippines is 18 for women…. And 21 for men!!!! Why, you ask? Because women mature earlier than men! Vixens I say! Fair enough, but so much for equality in the eyes of the law, eh?! Flew back to Manila on PAL Express – bumpy ride. Decided to chill at the Heritage and catch up on emails / blog / work. Lazy Sundays are good.

Monday 8th Dec – Up at 4 am. Why, god? Flew from Manila (on a jumbo jet) to General Santos (or Gensan as the locals call it) airport in South Mindanao, the island region of the Philippines with the terrorist Muslim separatist movement, MILF. 3 days prior to arriving there was a bomb blast in this area so a little apprehension is felt, but nothing major. Airport was tiny and overcrowded. Had breakfast and coffee (stomach is obviously on the mend) at MacGregors, a rip-off of Starbucks but a pretty good one. Drove (or raced, really) an hour to Koronadal and our program office there. Had a great meeting with the lovely staff of that office who explained all the development issues there (half of kids not attending school, health issues etc.) and also the challenges we face (remote areas, someone circulating a letter to local communities stating that we work for the CIA and are using children to obtain info). Laughable! After picture taking and fond goodbyes, we were on the road with bags of burgers and fries and coke from the Philippino McDonalds (Jollibee). Arrived in Cotabato after a pleasant 3 hour drive through the Philippine countryside to “the best hotel in Cotabato”. I soon made new friends with the 2 cockroaches in my room and look forward to going upstairs now to see if they have invited any friends over to stay the night. Wish me luck!

Tuesday 9th Dec
Woke up, glad to leave the hotel from hell. $50 for a hovel! Disgusting! And that was the high end! Anyway, worked with the very young, and energetic and “sensitive and open” emergency team. Productive day. Forming stereotypical views on Philippino men as the days go by, their mannerisms and the way they interact, all based on today’s discussions. Met Nacho from SC Spain, who woke from his slumber and wandered into the office in his pyjamas like it was nothing….. how Spanish! Haha!

Left and headed for the coastal and more trendy and cosmo city of Davao….. Relative civilization was welcomed. As was the plush beach resort hotel that ended up charging us LESS than the cockroach infested sweat box we stayed in the night before…… Where is the logic? Good food and a couple of drinks on the boat bar and it was off to bed, but not after delivering a few home truths to my Philippino colleague, who we “made upset”. I felt a awful…..

Wednesday 10th Dec
After driving us to the office, Julius, our hilarious driver, left us to travel back to Koronadal. But not without a parting cheeky photo! Spent a great day with the lovely staff at the office. Had seafood for lunch (again!). Felt the Xmas spirit in the humid Asian heat for the first time as the lights and decorations of the office overwhelmed me as I was leaving the office. They really are Catholic and proud here….. Off to the shitty airport where I was told I was the double of a famous Philippino actor (Uma? – which is also an Indian woman’s name)…. I’m told that’s a compliment, but on review of the pics…. I aint so sure it is. Never mind… home to Manila and the lovely Heritage Hotel…. Hah! Or so I thought! After 1.5 hours cooking on the plane and listening to the wrangling of the Cargo door, we were kicked off the flight to spend the night in the gate…. Well, the other few hundred did… we left and got our driver out of bed to pick us up and take us to a random tacky Chinese hotel in the city where we came across a pretty cool (and ridiculously cheap – 10 drinks for $10) lounge bar in the basement where Philippinos were dancing the night away to Latin music (Salsa, cha-cha-cha, meringue, tango even). They were taking it so seriously that I wondered if some were professionals (some were amazing)! Certainly some of the boys were “professionals”, boogying and woo-ing the grannies on the dance floor. It was all a little strange and creepy, but an experience in itself.

Thursday 11th Dec
Went to check out after what amounted to a power-nap, had breakfast and was charged for having “one additional pax no breakfast” (hotel-speak for prostitute or “friend”, I think) in my room. Chance would be a fine thing, but alas no!! I was appalled, affronted, angry, and amused all at the same time. The housekeeper apparently accused me. Haha. I saw no housekeeper! Anyway…. Flight left at 730 and was in my room in Manila by 1030am showering, shaving and eating before leaving to meet SC Sweden! Relaxed day! Sydney is coming…. 2 days and counting!!!!