Restoring Intramuros

Recently I mentioned in one of the earlier blogs how four Mabuhay Guides were involved in showing the Walled City of Intramuros to the entourage of the San Francisco Mayor.

This morning I was pleased to find that that was only the proverbial "tip of the iceberg". As it turns out, the San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee, served as a liaison to the Global Heritage Fund, a non-profit conservation group that provides assistance to developing countries in preserving their cultural heritage sites, who in turn recently pledged support for the preservation of Intramuros.

This is most welcome news!!! Indeed, as Intramuros is the bastion of Spanish Colonial rule in the Philippines which started as early as 1571, it is a veritable showcase of our introduction to western influence. To say that it was the start of our civilization is a fallacy. The Spaniards upon landing in our shores were surprised to find a civilization so advanced they were in awe of the social set-up among the people. The Spaniards were dazzled by the gold accoutrement of the rulers of the community that welcomed them. Evidence of this is found at the Ayala Museum's pre-Hispanic gold collection.

However, they were in a race with Portugal in establishing the Spanish empire in other lands. Having conquered Rajah Soliman's bastion, they started establishing a fort in the very heart of Rajah Soliman's former home. Fort Santiago was thus born out of its ashes. From there construction began in the farthest colony of Spain who now owned an empire where the sun never sets. The City of Manila was given the title Ever Loyal City. The walls were built to protect it from undesirable encroachments of pirates and other colonials rulers.

Earthquakes, fires, and wars have taken its toll on the Walled City but efforts of the Intramuros Administration and the City of Manila to restore its former glory have been most positive. However, funding for such a grand project is staggering to say the least. The wall does extend 4.5 kilometers all around after all. Not to mention the numerous colonial buildings within it that have borne the wear and tear of time and the enviroment.

The plan of the Global Heritage Fund Mission is to establish Intramuros as a living colonial community much like Williamsburg, Virginia. If you haven't been there well... it's Little House on the Prairie come to life! After a while of taking in the sights, you'd be looking for Laura Ingles hopping around complete with lunch pail and pigtails.

After a year of having guided foreigners around Intramuros, I'm still amazed at guests' reactions to the splendor of our colonial life. Then they get an idea of what makes the Filipinos tick. WE are unique in that our Asian character is spiked with the heat of Latin influences imbibed through centuries of Catholic indoctrination, religious fervor, national pride, indigenous customs and traditions and a deep respect for our land.

It's about time new life was breathed into Intramuros...

Let's Play Ball!!!

I've been having migraine headaches for two days now. But not even a persistent migraine would keep me from watching the UAAP volleyball games on TV this afternoon. Alright, I confess, I was a volleyball player in my youth. Time was when my back was a lot stronger and so was my spirit.I was a competitive young rascal.

Today's games were University of Santo Tomas against Far Eastern University for the Men's Championships and University of Santo Tomas versus the De La Salle squad for the Women's Division. And though I am not an alumnus of any of the competing schools, I am perhaps the BIGGEST volleyball fan there is.

Okay, so UST won the champinships for both games. What a sweep!!! FEU fought its hardest but they just didn't have their game going. They were at best sporadic in their attacks and most of the support was left to chance. They didn't play as cohesively as UST Men's team did. Too bad... it was a galant fight but way in mid-game you knew they weren't gonna cut it.

The Women's game was far more exciting. UST was obviously in their element. They looked like they were having far too much fun in the court as opposed to La Salle whose game lacked luster compared to the elimination rounds. After the second set you kinda got the idea that They OWNED the championship on this round. Tears of joy and yelps of happiness erupted all around after the La Salle team blew the championship point.

So there must be a great celebration on the Espana Campus after the awarding ceremonies. One of the women players disclosed on cam that they'd be rewarded with a trip abroad if both teams won in their respective divisions. And they did! So there's a great school giving a great incentive to their athletes. Granted the title Royal and Pontifical university of Sto Tomas the Catholic University of the Philippines, UST developed into what it is today from humble beginnings in Intramuros. Originally dedicated as a school to develop young Filipino men for service to the religious orders, the Colegio del Nstra Sra. del Santisimo Rosario was renamed after the great Dominican Theologian St. Thomas Aquinas. Then after 1927 to address the growing number of enrollees, the campus was moved from Intramuros to the current 21 hectare lot in Espana Manila where it stands to the present day.

Too bad, i'm not an alumnus, I would have wanted to join in on the fun... it would be nice to have fun with the men's team... wink, wink! Great work girls and guys!

Eating Out in Makati

I had a long leisurely lunch with friends in Makati the other day.

Lunch was hosted by my friend Sarita and she invited Fides, Mama June, Jojo and myself. We ate at Haiku at the second level of Greenbelt 3. It's something we do from time to time especially if we've been too busy with our own personal lives for long stretches. This was one of those times.

The last tiime we all got together was in December of 2009. Since then we've been in touch either through text messages or phone calls. Makati always seems to be the venue most of the time since it's convenient for everybody. It has everything for everybody. The nice restaurants are situated there as well as the pricey stores that cater to every whim you could ever think of.

Far cry from what it used to be before the Ayalas decided to move there from Intramuros and decided to call Makati "home". Originally, Makati was a marshy land area where the Pasig river passed through in the early Spanish colonial days. There are two versions to Makati's monicker: 1) Makati was all marsh and there was a grim concentration of mosquitoes in the area and anyone who went there would inadvertently be the vicitm of many mosquito bites. As a result, they would start itching and scratch. 2) Makati is culled from two words "may" and "kati" meaning there is a tide. Between the two stories the second is the more probable reason.

So, as we Filipinos are wont to do, we started developing Makati into Manila's Financial district of choice. The Nielsen Tower was the very first edifice built in the area. Designed as a flight control tower, the building now stands as the Filipinas Heritage Library under the Ayala Foundation. Ayala Avenue, now the main thoroughfare was once the runway for airplanes that landed in Manila. McKinley was an army reservation for US Armed forces which eventually gave way to the enclaves of the rich and famous: Forbes Park and Dasmarinas Village. The American Memorial Cemetery, once a hilly and rough terrain was ceded to the Americans to bury the dead that gave up their lives for the liberation of Manila and the rest of Asia from the Japanese forces.

Now if you wanna live it up, it's Makati people go to. The planning that went into it has been phenomenal. The area where we ate was a parking lot where the Love Busses were parked while waiting for their trips. There was even an aviary at some point before the old Ayala Museum was torn down. Incidentally, the old Ayala Museum was designed by national artist for architecture Leandro Locsin. The new museum is designed by his son Andy. The pre-hispanic gold collection of the Ayala Muesum is something we can all be proud to show off to foreign guests. All that gold wasn't smelted for nothing...

The price of real estate in Makati back then was P 9.00/ square meter. Now a studio unit for one of the condos costs up to P4.5 M. What's strange is that even if Makati has become a showcase of modernity and avant garde architecture, Binondo's real estate prices far outshine that of Ayala Land's. That's an entirely different story that needs further research...

Hello Summer!!!!

The news this morning was a bit distressing. The rice crops in Cagayan de Oro has all been affected by the drought caused by El Nino. The administration is now considering adding more rice imports to meet with the demand.

This is strange in that we have now become rice importers instead of the top exporters of rice to other countries. What's happened to us? During the Marcos regime we had more than enough rice to feed the growing population. And more! we had a booster supply which we eventually exported to other countries abroad.

This was a direct result in the establishment of the IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) located in Laguna. We had the equipment and the knowledge in producing the best strains of rice varieties and most of Asia turned to us for our expertise. We were the benchmark as far as rice production was concerned.

Before as one is driving along the South Luzon Expressway you could see rice fields as far as your eyes could see... Now, all you see are buildings and subdivisions along the high way... Vegetation has been limited to manicured lawns and trees lining the road.

Gone are the lush green stalks of rice that during the summertime turn into golden ears of grain. The same thing has happened to Bulacan. Touted as the "rice granary" of the Philippines, the province has become host to the North Luzon Expressway. Lanes of concrete have all but covered the vast expanse of ricelands.

The rice shortage in the seventies gave us a lesson we didn't need to learn. WE are self-sufficient if we really get to do hard work. I remember buying rice at P7.00 - P10.00/ kilo back then. Now P30.00/kilo of rice is still cheap. But can someone explain to me how we've been reduced to this?



Now everyone's blaming the destruction of the environment. I don't remember summer being any different. As a student, I welcomed the onset of Summer. By around February, we were rounding up on lessons in class, completing projects that needed to be submitted, termpapers were typed and neatly fastened to folders. School was out by March and Summer beckoned. It was hot then, it's still just as hot now.

So I don't see why global warming should be a threat to us. We should've been prepared for all of this... shouldn't we? Back then our main concern was excessive flooding in Bulacan as it destroyed rice production during the monsoon rains. Now we worry if it's raining too hard and we worry if it's not raining at all.

At the height of Ondoy, authorities released water from the dams. Now at the start of summer we're surprised that the water from the dams are at it's lowest level. What gives? Someone ought to put a hose up those technocrats behinds...

See-Food Diet and Nostalgia

I heard Mass at Robinson's Mall at 11:30 am today.

That's the trend nowadays...Malls having their own congregation...

But I suppose it's the more pragmatic thing for malls to do. Since they're open on Sundays anyway. Families go to the malls for some rest and relaxation. They seem to goon autopilot heading for these commercial centers to get some shopping done, roaming around and finding great bargains or just trying to see what the latest trend is like. Oh, and there's free airconditioning too. So it's a Pinoy thing, families and malls...

My obligation completed, I started heading for the fastfood area. I was getting hungry. Okay, so prior to Mass I had gone to the gym. It's a lifestyle choice for me, you know. Keeping fit is like breathing. So I was pretty amazed at the fare they were serving up. I was looking for smart choices... fresh vegies, low calorie meals...

Horrors!!! Everything was greasy, fat-laden, high caloric meat-based dishes. I finally found a stall that had sea food. You'd think I'd eat healthy at this point. Yeah, right. I ordered a cup of rice, laing (taro leaves cooked in coconut milk until it renders coconut oil), a slab of Marlin in garlic and butter, and KILAWIN ( our Filipino version of ceviche). Tuna is filleted and cubed and drenched in a vinegar based concoction of slivered tomatoes, onions, chilli peppers and salt and pepper. and a tall glass of Coke!

That was great. My hunger was sated and had nothing else to do. So I decided to burn off the calories and started roaming all over Robinson's Place Ermita. It's been constructed over the years but recently undergoing reovation to keep up with the development sprouting up in the Malate area. It now has an adjacent condominium on bothe the Adriatico and Padre Faura wings, basement and podium parking, 4 floors of commercial space for lease, 8 cinemas and dozens of stalls for fastfood and other stuff.

It's a far cry from what it used to be. The area was once the enclave of the rich and famous who had started moving out of Intramuros' walls. Eventually, the community grew and became a bohemian center where artists could congregate, mingle, and where the rich patrons were within easy reach.

Historic areas, Ermita and Malate were completely destroyed in the carpet bombing of Manila in 1945. Priests and nuns were martyred. Civilians were tortured and killed. The area was a vast wasteland of rotting corpses and rubble.

But like a phoenix rising out of its ashes, Malate has come alive again! Robinson's Mall was once the Assumption Convent (Herran), The Padre Faura wing was what used to be the Ateneo Campus (where the school transferred to after the Intramuros campus was gutted by fire.) The St. Paul's College is still there, albeit a co-ed school now. Yes, they have accepted male students in some of the courses! The UP PGH is still beiing renovated and new buildings are being built.

Malate Church, which was built by the Augustinians as a Visita has it's own Catholic School run by RVM Sisters (originally established from Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo's Cofradia) and the Nstra. Senora de los Remedios is now administered by the Columbans mostly of Irish priests who were running the Malate Catholic School during the American period until after the Liberation of Manila up to the present.

Times have changed. Along with it the physical makeup of the place. Too bad we had no concept of heritage then. We would have kept the memories of Malate's and Ermita's glorious past even in the old colonial buildings and mansions that were rebuilt after the war. Everything is so modern now. Condos and shopping malls are sprouting up like mushrooms and in its place our Pinoy take on the contemporary touch...

Ladies Who Lunch

I was informed of my tour assignment by Ms Goya last Tuesday, 16 February, 2010. It seemed so soon right after I had done the tour wth David Celdran. I thought that was odd. But then, I wasn't going to complain after all, I was going to be hired for my services as a Mabuhay Guide.

I recieved the name of the contact person and made the necessary arrangements. My tour was scehduled for the morning of Thursday, 18 February, 2010. Party of 6-8 pax all ladies. All of them happened to be Ms Goya's friends and classmates from St Scholastica's College.

I had arranged to meet them at the Hulo Station of the Pasig River Ferry Cruise. Even told them to arrive early so we could catch the 9:15 downstream trip to Escolta. Was I in for a surprise! Three of them had arrived earlier than I. Though I was still early for the trip I didn't count on them being that early. I was at the station around half past eight and Ms Mayette was there with two other friends. They were from Seattle and New York.

It was Ms. Mayette who had informed me that the nine o'clock trip had been cancelled. I was shocked! I hadn't counted on them cancelling on the day of my tour. So despite calls me made with the help of the staff at Hulo Station, there was no way we could take the 9:00 a.m. trip as it had been reserved for the Coast Guard. Noone had informed me that there was a prior reservation as I had been calling for the trip schedules. So right there and then I decided to go surface to Escolta. Do the tour from Binondo to Ongpin then after the tour we take the Ferry back to Hulo Station.

Ms Mayette had to make the necessary calls to the rest of the party that had not arrived. It was all set. We would convoy to Escolta ad start the tour there. Thankfully our driver was able to maneuver through traffic in record time and we were at Escolta by nine a.m. By the time we were at Escolta, the group had swelled to 12 pax. I made sure that they had a ferry back so the group could experience the Pasig Ferry ride. I was told that the trips back were 12:15 and 1:45 and 3:45 pm.

I started the tour at Polland Cafe.I had asked the party to wait for me there as I needed to inquire from the station. They needed a comfort room break anyway. While at the cafe, I suggested they try the Kuchay which they readily did. They liked it. Thus, the shopping spree had begun. One had ordered two boxes for take-away. the other had ordered a box. Bottles of water were bought as well as buchi and hopia. But since it was just the start of the tour, we decided to ask the cafe to hold them for us till we returned after the tour was completed.

Then we proceeded to do the Escolta walk. All my commentaries were peppered with their own input. Apparently, all of them had had their own experiences of Escolta in their younger days. Either their dads worked in one of the offices along the block or they had spent their free time shopping and just gallivanting in the area in their youth. I made sure that my information was correct. It was interesting because their experience was solely on watching movies and shopping in Escolta. They knew very little of the architecture. Who'd care about that when you're a kid, right?

Along the way there was the constant chatter and merry-making among the ladies. they were having a rollicking good time. As we entered the Ongpin Arch, they had begun to show signs of fatigue. They were walking slower. They tried the Sugar cane juice at one of the stops and found it good. The Chinese Temple was of interest to them as well. They went inside and took photos of the interiors as well. There's an excavation in Kipuja and they meandered along the alleyway as well.

I showed them Ling Nam. I guess they had gotten hungry. they decided to have lunch there. They were ordering so much food aside form the noodles. I had to spoil it a bit by telling them there's more food stops to come and they listened. Someone had already ordered a special siopao the size of a saucer.I informed them that they had an hour and forty five minutes to conclude the tour if they were to cathc the ferry back. They were all in agreement not to rush back as this gathering did not happen often. The consensus was they would go for the 3:45 trip.

So as we went to the Shanghai Fried Siopao store they bought 2 pieces and divided it among those who were interested to taste it. Yup, it was good enough for them to buy a few dozen pieces. Ooops, more bags for them to carry...These women were prepared. Recyclable shopping bags were popping out from nowhere. I should have known...



Bags of chestnuts were bought. Two of them bought sharpening blocks for knives from a street peddler. On our stop at New Victory Wedding Store, two mah-jong sets were purchased. This was probably the only tour i had conducted with people buying so much stuff it was taking longer to manage the time. At Diao Eng Chai, boxes of chicken pie were bagged for take-out. By the time we had reached Dong Bei Dumplings, it was nearly one thirty p.m. They tried the dumplings and fried pancakes. Alright, so it was good enough for them to take out too. But the dumplings had to be cooked so it won't spoil by the time they got home. That took longer. Three dozen for this lady please and a dozen friend pancakes... for the one on the far end, two dozen please...

At Carvajal, more chestnuts were bought. Kiatkiat as well. Then finally, New Po Heng Lumpia House. They bought three pieces, had them divided amongst themselves and decided to have a few pieces wrapped and taken home as well. I had to ask them to start walking back to the Ferry Station. Ms Becky's party had walked ahead as she was supposed to meet her mother at Savory. I didn't realize they were going to order food there as well. The rest of us had walked back to Polland to collect the Kuchay we left behind.

I checked for the departure and was told that the 4:00 pm was cancelled (yet again)so that the departure was at 3:15 instead of the 3:45. Panic button! There was a party still eating at Savory. I had to rush to Savory and glad that they had recieved the call though they had already finished. What a harrowing experience!
The Ferry back was smooth. There was little commentary as the DVD playing on board was The Transformers. Too much noise but I managed o squeeze in informaion at the quiet parts. We all disembarked at Hulo Station and parted ways there.

Miercoles de Ceniza

Today is officially the start of the Lenten Season in the Philippines.

I woke up really early to attend Mass and have my forehead marked with the traditional sign of the cross out of soot from the burned Palm fronds from last year.

Symbolically we accept the fact that we are human and that we eventually return to dust. For forty days, we commemorate Christ's suffering and we try to emulate his sacrifice to the best of our ability by fasting and penance.

In the provinces, there are more stringent practices. Penitensiya is tantamount to self-flagellation and carrying of wooden crosses. The reading of Pabasa, the recounting of Christ's passion in song is also customary. Monggo beans and Galunggong is the usual viand for meals. Abstinence rules!

In my childhood, me and my cousins dreaded Holy Week. My strict grandmother would not allow us out of the house. No playing, no singing, no unnecessary noise... NOTHING!!! We'd go around the house with sullen faces. Rosary and Mass were compulsory. All the santos in the church were covered in purple cloth. All you could hear on the radio was static. TV stations were closed for the week. All malls are closed.

Now that's penitensiya!



Needless to say, times have indeed changed. Now just about the time Holy Week comes along I never go out of town anymore. The beaches are full! Boracay is over-crowded. So are Batangas, Puerto Gallera, Pagudpud, Palawan, CamSur, Davao, Mactan.

Resorts are booked weeks in advance. No sense trying your luck as a chance passenger in any airline. Swimsuits are all sold out. Sunblock is a premium. Everybody who's anybody who wants to be seen will be all decked out in designer resort wear. doing the beach scene.

Not to be out done, all sorts of coonsumer products cash in on the yearly exodus from Manila. Sodas, Energy drinks, beer, sunblock, facial wash, whitening lotion - you name it! Their banners and tarps keep fluttering in the beach.

If you ask me, Holy Week is the perfect time to be in Manila. Everything's quiet. There's no traffic. Malls are still open. And you can enjoy your own perfect spot on Roxas Boulevard while waiting for Manila's famed sunset.

Celdran Does Chinatown

I was in Binondo again this morning. I had to take a cab so i won't miss an important appointment. I was meeting the tour group at Polland Cafe at the foot of Jones Bridge. One was Jamie Santos , the producer and the other was David Celdran, host of The Executive Class aired on Sundays at the ABS CBN News Channel. They two other guys to cover us: their director and their gofer whose names i can't recall.

Along the tour route, people were trying to catch David's attention. Surprisingly, they were polite in expressing their admiration and not trying to intrude in the tour. Most of them showed their appreciation by telling him either they love his show or that they are fans of his, causing me to comment how high his viewership in Binondo must be. Well, what's one to do? They're the ones who appreciate the finer things in life... they can well afford the items being peddled.



WE did a hightlights tour as the show had a limited airtime. It was supposed to be a shared guiding experience with Joy Co. Unfortunately, Joy made other plans way before the scheduled tour. She was to accompany a balik-bayan cousin to Tagaytay. Veronica Go had something she had to work on and finish. Candie Cobiao left for Taiwan after the Marine conservationists tour. Where are the Chinoy Mabuhay Guides when you need them? I did the tour by my lonesome.

I really have to get used to these TV shoots. David has the habit of walking and talking at the same time. I guess it makes for a good visual peg that isn't static or boring. So there were times when i let go of the Blue Badge of London tenet of "no walking and talking at the same time". I had to adjust to my host or he'd leave me behind and how would that look on TV? LOL!!!

Nonetheless, David was a most gracious host. He would stop at strategic points that I pointed out just so he could admire architectural details and ask questions along the way. He can put you at ease without really trying. We exchanged banter along the way and talked casually over various topics under the sun. I hope he enjoyed the experience of seeing Binondo with "new eyes" as much as I enjoyed showing the sights on cam.



Never mind that I looked like an "indio" with my dark skin next to his pale mestizo matinee idol good looks. He relished eating the food with gusto and even talked to the store owners and their help. Some people eyed him quizically with that " I know this guy from somewhere" look and then they smile when he greets them with a "hi" and a smile. Ok, so good looks can take you places. This guy, is smoooothhh!

He's a lot of fun to hang with and although he's a celebrity, he doesn't have attitude. Jamie was fun to be with as well... She is young for a producer. Unassuming, helpful and creative. She has an eye for nice shots and she made sure she covered the TVPs visually for TV.

People often ask me if I ever get bored showing Binondo and Escolta over and over again. It's preparing for the tour that i hate. I have to make sure all my information is correct and i have to add some other nuggets that I've recently discovered. It's the preparation that's a drag but the experience, is well worth it!

David asked me what other stuff I do... Well... This is IT!

Red is the Color of Desire

I had to stay home all weekend.

I had accompanied a friend last Saturday to go to Sto. Nino Church in Tondo then walked all the way to Divisoria stopping by the Binondo Church and then ending up in Sta Cruz Church. The way was arduous in that everyone was hyped about selling their stuff. It was still quite early... around 9 am to be exact but the human traffic was getting heavy and the sun was beginning to beat down on us.

Of course, it completely skipped my mind that it was New Year's Eve for our Chinese brothers in the surrounding areas. Dragon dances everywhere. The Plaza San Lorenzo was crammed with people. Some enjoying the festivities while others getting drawn to Presidential candidates who wouldn't miss courting the votes of the Chinese bloc.

Almost everything in Binondo was decked in red and gold. Most surprising was that even in the three churches I mentioned earlier, there were decorations that spelled out the Chinese greeting of Kung Hei Fat choi!!! Even in the noon-time Mass at Malate today (Sunday, 14 Feb)there were decorations alluding to the fact that it was Chinese New Year.

We're so good at melding our cultures together that it seems so seamless when we see catholic and chinese influences together even in a church. Even Catholics go out of their way to buy trinkets and charms that are supposed to draw luck, protection and wealth according to their chinese zodiac sign based on twelve animals and five elements. I'm an earth pig... go figure...

It's nice though, that at the same time Chinese New Year is celebrated it coincides with Valentine's day. So you wouldn't know who's wearing red for what ocassion. Valentine's day traces its roots to a pagan ritual, Lupercalia, in Rome where for a single day the women are allowed to go wild and chase after every single man that catches her fancy. Don't ask me how it eventually became Valentine's Day. I wouldn't be able to explain how St. Valentine eventually owned up to the day of hearts.

But the tradition has caught on and has stuck in the Philippines. It's not as widely celebrated abroad as it is here. All the Malls, hotels, motels, even public markets are in on the crass commercialism of the event. Flower prices increase three-fold on Valentine's. Hotels are crammed with diners having coosome dinners together. Motels are booked solid on this day. Even theater seats are SRO on this day of hearts.

I guess it shows the Filipino penchant for romance and ideal love. I swear, we're such a romantic lot even TV commercials capitalize on the cheeziness of it all. But where does a single guy like me go on a red letter day like this?

I'm home eating steaming hot rice with dinuguan* for dinner...



*(dinuguan is a thick stew of pork's blood sauteed with garlic and tomatoes and meat and added with vinegar until the broth thickens and becomes sort of gooey.)

KUNG HEI FAT CHOI!!!!

Don't look now, but the hustle and bustle in Binondo has just been amped big time!

KUNG HEI FAT CHOI!!!!

Dragon/Lion Dances. Firecrackers. Angpao. Tikoy...

When the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines, they were surprised to find a thriving, throbbing community that traded with the Chinese merchants. Their merchandise were loaded on to Chinese junks and which they exchanged for either gold or spices. Our taste and penchant for traded goods went through the roof.

Our concept of design as Filipinos is tweaked to reflect individuality and uniqueness. We're one-of-a-kind sort of people. We revel in individuality! On the other hand, give the Chinese a single design concept and they would run away with it and give it a hundred thousand permutations. Not only that, they can produce a great volume of it in varying sizes and colors as well. That was it... the native Pinoy population totally gave up on mass production!

Philippine History is replete with Chinese influence on it. Countless incursions of Chinese pirates Limahong and Koxinga breached the walls of Intramuros. The Chinese uprisings helped make changes in the poltical structure. And though the Spaniards hated the Chinese and didn't really trust them, they were relied on heavily for cheap labor and quality arts and crafts.

They were relegated outside the walls of Intramuros and yet kept close enough so they could be watched... and controlled if the need arose. So It was Binondo for them. Over the years the community grew and flourished and gave rise to a wealthy class of new Chinese mestizo.




They are now the movers and shakers of commerce, industry and finance. So for one day, all roads lead to Binondo as the descendants of the Chinese migrants who've decided to stay and make the Philippines their home celebrate on of the most important feasts of the Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year!

It doesn't matter whether you're Chinese or Filipino or Chinoy, at the first new moon after the winter solstice you recieve a box of tikoy... consult a feng shui master... or at the very least, get a chinese talisman to dispel negativity and attract good luck or consult the forecast on one of the 12 animals that represent your year of birth. Not that you totally believe in it. You are, after all, Roman Catholic. But goodness... you frantically want to harness the forces of nature through Feng Shui because you really. really want to win the 200 million peso Lotto grand prize. Drats! Too late! Someone already won last night.

Now, where is that jade amulet when you need it? Sigh.

Disappearing Skills and Crafts

I was bothered by an article that I read in this morning's Manila Bulletin. Gemma Cruz Araneta wrote about the dwindling interest in the continued creation of arts and crafts and the skills needed to produce them. Not that the Filipino artist no longer has the desire for things of beauty and functionality. On the contrary, the Pinoys are a creative lot... it's technology that threatens our skills and crafts.

Advanced strides in science and industry have made the process of creating items easier and less time consuming. Among the slowly vanishing trades Ms Araneta cites are the costureras. Mass production and changing trends in fashion have all but wiped them out causing them to seek other means of ekeing out a living.

Centuries ago, Spain banned the importation of Abel-Iloco cloth. The handwoven cloth was apparently so strong and durable it posed a threat to the production of textiles and fabric in Spain because Abel-Iloco could be purchased at a cheaper price and afforded the buyer many options for its use. It's said that some of the local handcrafted material found its way into the masts of galleons and used as sails. Yep... it was that strong!

When I was up in Baguio last year, I found it quite difficult to find a large pasiking. The pasiking is our version of the backpack. It's made of stripped rattan slats and woven to form a rigid, box-like bag with a separate cover and shoulder straps and carried like your average Jansport. The difference is that the huge pasiking has a rattan frame to hold its shape and while waiting for the bus, one could use it as a stool. It was sturdy enough for a grown-man to sit on. I went back home without one. It was no longer readily available in Baguio's public market.

Another vanishing group would be that of journalists. Ms Araneta writes about the proliferation of "armchair writers" who, given a PC or laptop would write stuff and post blogs on the internet thereby threatening the very livelihood of the legit writers. I feel she's right!!! Some of the blogs i've seen so far are so full of crap I wouldn't even give it a single glance. But it's surprsing just how many followers they have. On the other hand, some bloggers feel a sense of superiority over newbie bloggers like me simply because they've been blogging on the net for years even if content-wise, their blogs suck.

Thank goodness, I'm one of the few who can say : "I wear many hats!"

Marine Conservation and Sister Cities

The Mabuhay Guides were quite busy today. Eight Mabuhay Guides were deployed to handle two seemingly disparate groups of guests: Yael Fernandez, Bryan Ocampo, Candie Cobiao and myself had the task of guiding for marine conservationists who are in Manila to track the migratory pattern of a particular type of shark. Helen Aranda, Jeff Velasco, Chito Tayag and Lovely Reinoso were handling the entourage of San Francisco mayor who are in town for an event that further enhances the relationship between Manila and San Francisco as sister cities. Unfortunately, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was not able to join them on this trip.






This is a significant and fortuitous event in that both groups will, in the long run, benefit the Philippines in more ways than one.

My group was at the Heritage Hotel very early this morning. We met with the organizers of the Marine conservation conference to conduct a tour of Casa Manila and Fort Santiago. The conservationists been here since Saturday and welcomed the trip to Intramuros as a healthy break from their activities which will last till Saturday 13 February, 2010.

Their stay in the country was meant to thresh out policies that would aid the country's continued marine biodiversity. Unbeknownst to some, the Philippines is a hot spot in terms of continued biodiversity. Continued demands on wildlife threatens to rob our nation of precious marine resources.

The Philippines is sitting in the Pacific Rim of Fire giving us the sole blessing of numerous marine species present in our seas and giving us the distinction of being the center of endimism not only in asia but the entire world. Simply put, that's a whole lot of fish for a little archipelago. We have the most number of fish species that can be found only in our waters and we have the highest concentration of species per unit area. notwithstanding our smaller land area compared to the size of Indonesia. That beng the case, the demands of overpopulation and overfishing in our abundant oceans are taking its toll on our marine life.

Our guests were from different nations. Majority were from Africa: the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Tanzania, Liberia, Erythrea, Algeria, Egypt. Some were from Europe: Norway, Spain, UK, and Croatia. There were also Latinos from Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Ecuador. And the rest were from Sri Lanka, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Paris. Only one was American.


The party of seventy or so participants enjoyrd their tour of Manila thoroughly periodically asking questions regarding the commentaries. We found them to be the most inquisitive group so far. All of them were trying to understand what makes the Philippines and the Filipino tick.

The other set were handling the tour group of the San Francisco mayor's entourage. They were also set to go around Intramuros and eventually had lunch with Secretary Ace Durano. Manila being San Francisco's twin city, their presence would only mean that Manila would benefit from it in some form through mutual cooperation and accord.

The mood was jovial and light and the participants from each set were extremely left in awe of Manila's rich cultural past. Later in the afternoon Helen Aranda, Yael Fernandez, Jeff Velasco and Bryan Ocampo were interviewed for the April issue of Town and Country. The photo shoot was done at the Fort Santiago grounds. There was also one shot of the Mabuhay Guides that was taken inside, of all things, a cable car!

Now that's what I'd call... surreal!

BLUE HORIZON

The Philippines is an ARCHIPELAGO. That means whatever we do we will always be surrounded by water... We're also in the Pacific Rim of Fire... volcanoes rule our part of the globe. With all this threat of national disasters we have remained complacent in the face of adversity. Or maybe we just learned to live with the threats either water or volcano posed.

We have a coastline that's longer than that of California. If I'm to quote our Mabuhay Guide lecturer Professor Jun de Leon, it's the water that connects us. And the mountains divide us. So even during the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores our waterways were filled with balangays, chinese junks, cascos and similar vessels that ferried either people or wares.

This morning the Mabuhay Guides had a demo tour of Intramuros for Blue Horizon. I've done the tour route so many times you'd think I'd be jaded about the commentaries. But I listened to the other Mabuhay Guides present at the demo. Each and everyone had something to say about a particular body of water. I would hear tidbits about either the Manila Bay, the Laguna de Bay or the Pasig River. If it was meant to prove Professor de Leon's postulation, he would be correct! It's amazing how our way of life is somehow connected to water.

Fort Santiago is situated in a delta. A virtual fortress surrounded by nothing but water: the Pasig on the east, Manila Bay on the west and in between is a tributary which the Spaniards converted into a moat. It was a natural defense barrier from maurauding invaders... an isolated island on its own. However, much as the Spaniards wanted the Fort to be impenetrable, the walls of Intramuros were breached quite a few times; during Limahong's invasion and Koxinga's revolt and also during the British invasion in 1762.

Now this gets interesting... We seem to have forgotten that the British were here for a spell. This was because at the height of the Seven Years War with France, the British decided to get back at France by conquering the colonies which France and her allies occupied. And Spain was an ally of France. Ergo, from the Manila Bay at the area near Malate, the British Royal Navy launched an attack on Intramuros. Governor-general Simon de Anda fled through the Postigo de la Nuestra Senora de la Soledad and went upstream to Pampanga via the Pasig to establish a government there. And though we were ceded back to Spain in 1764, there's an indelible mark of British rule which was established here inspite of them colonizing nearby Singapore.

I mention this because the owner of Blue Horizon Tours happens to be British... He's been here 8 years now and he speaks fluent Pilipino. Lately Birtish birders are rediscovering the Philippines as a birdwatching destination as well. Do I detect another British invasion? I hope so... Philippine tourism could very well benefit from it... hee! =)

Joining the Bandwagon!

I'm multi-tasking today!

I'm writing this posting on my blog while waiting for the laundry cycle in my washing machine to end. So while the precious seconds pass by, I am hopefully making good use of my time. I really could be doing something else. Nowadays, we don't have to do the laundry...laundromats have sprouted all over the Metro and if you can fork out 20-30 pesos/kilo for your soiled clothes then your worries are over.

Our laundromats are quite different though. Unlike the ones in the States, we don't have to bring our own detergent and a stack of quarters to operate the machines ourselves curling up on a sofa reading a magazine while we wait for our turn at the washing machine and drier. Here, you just bring your dirty clothes in a laundry bag and dump it over the counter to a smiling lady that'll give you a reciept and a date to pick up the clothes. As an added service, they can send a boy in a pedicab to pick up the dirty laundry from your house for an extra fee.

Gone are the days when the labandera would be dressed in a tapis with a batya resting on her head and her palu-palo in hand. The nearby batis would be the perfect spot to do her chore. And as she ends with her last rinsing, she proceeds to pick up a river stone which she turns into her pang-hilod and then takes a bath in her duster and tapis. That's a vanishing site now...

And so while modern technology displaces a lot of labanderas, we latch on to another trend in business... Years ago, the laudromat was unheard of... we patiently waited for the labandera to arrive, cajoled her nicely to be gentle with our clothes lest she rip the expensive ones apart with her bare hands as she made kuskos her labada. Or worse make kupas with the white clothes as she taints them accidentally with the running dye from the colored wash. The things we've had to put up with...lest she decides to do the laundry of our kapit-bahay on the day that she's alotted for us.

In my lifetime, I've seen so many things change... 1)The bread delivery we called "potpot". The delivery boy would go around the neighborhood on a bike with two huge tin cans of different types of bread and hit on a rubber bulb that released air on a bike horn that made a hooting sound. It's been replaced by the Hot Pan de Sal trend. Now Pan de Pugon and Pan de Manila are battling out for their share of the market. 2)The biko (rice cake) vendors with kids carrying tin trays lined in banana leaves that contained stickky rice with gooey layers of latik have been replaced by fishball vendors on pushcarts. 3) Andok's Lechon Manok and Liempo have all but overtaken the barbecue vendors on the street corners who have diversified into selling not just bbq and hotdogs but adidas, iud, dugo, itlog na orange, kwek-kwek, isaw and calamares. 4)The mobile disco rentals in the mid seventies to late eighties have been replaced by video carrera and videoke rentals for private parties and inuman and even lamayans.

As a Mabuhay Guide, I would have loved for guests to have seen how we did daily chores in the past. Our enterprising spirit has spurred us to make changes in our way of life. And the current trend now for small business enterprise is... the laundromat!

Let's hope with this current trend they don't continue to dump dirt into the Pasig River. The clean-up drive on the Pasig has yielded positive results so far. From a record 37 million metric tons of garbage dumped daily into the Pasig, it has been reduced and cleaned to the point that the Pasig now has been elevated to class C which means that other life forms are beginning to thrive in the river now.

TRY THE PASIG RIVER FERRY CRUISE... I stayed on the deck one time and was pleasantly surprised that the water no longer stinks... There's hope for us yet!!!

Mabuhay Guides A-Live!

It's almost mid-February and the Mabuhay Guides are making arrangements for upcoming tours to Intramuros with at least 200 guests in tow. That's a significant achievement considering the MGs have only started training under the BLUE BADGE of LONDON last March.

Alright! So we're barely a year old as guides... we're still creating a buzz in the hospitality industry. We have a long way to go as far as experience is concerned. That's as expected. But countless TV and print exposure have made people sit-up and take notice of the Mabuhay Guides. We may be newbies in the biz but we're undoubtebly different.

It's not to say that we're better than the rest. We don't make those claims. There are DOT accredited guides that are more experienced and just as good... if not better. So while, the rest of the industry are still weighing the pros and cons of hiring our services for fear of our "higher rates", we let them be the judge. Most people from the private sector have been profuse with praise... even Carlos Celdran has given us his valuable support. We thank them for their encouragement and hope they'll hire us again.

Meantime, we go merrily on our way showing Manila's Walled City, Binondo, Escolta, Pasig River, Sta. Ana, American Cemetery, Manila Ocean Park, Rizal Park and Malacanang Museum. That's only in Manila! We've been all-over the country too, though. From time to time I will post photos of our trips. We've had a blast doing our researches and did some bonding along the way.

Interest in who we are and what we do still remains high. Articles have been written about us. Footages have been taken on our style of working. Our tour routes have generated a lot of curiosity. Glossy lifestyle magazines have expressed their desire to feature us. For all of that, the Mabuhay Guides are grateful...

Now, let me enjoy my fifteen minutes of fame while I'm sipping on my jasmin tea... =)

Philippine Flora

The Philipppines is blessed with rich, fertile soil.

I mention this because just this morning I made a pesto sauce out of MALUNGGAY! Yes, malunggay!!! Moringga Oleifera is it's scientific name. It's endemic in the Philippines and is quite prolific in our country, no thanks to our soil.

What is it? you might ask. It's a plant with tiny green oval leaves normally found all over the country. There's a surge of interest on the plant quite recently. Someone from the west discovered its medicinal properties. All of a sudden it's hot commodity. When for many years, all we Filipinos ever did with it was make it into suwam (a light soup with corn kernels and malunggay leaves) or add it to monggo beans.

During the famine in Ethiopia, the Africans were starving but the goats were fat and healthy. Guess what? the goats were eating the leaves of a malunggay plant. That saved them.

Gaita Fores, erstwhile chef and restaurateur, mentioned in one of the Mabuhay Guide classes on Philippine cuisine that in Thailand (as a custom) people look away when they bury their dead. That's because their soil starts getting rocky at a depth of four feet. Here, you can dig all you want and find that the soil remains brown and loamy.

Throw a seed around anywhere in the Philippines and it will grow. We tend to overlook that fact. We also tend to take our flora for granted. Now look who has the WALING-WALING for their national flower...

First Friday na Naman

I just got back from Quiapo Church...

There was mayhem and madness everywhere... so typical of every First Friday at the Quiapo Church. People from all walks of life try to squeeze into every available space inside the cavernous church... all for the sake of recieving blessings from the Black Nazarene.

This is a practice that is unique in the Philippine Catholic Church. Our veneration of the Black Nazarene began many centuries ago. In 1588, Franciscan Friar Fray Antonio de Nombella had a church built in Quiapo (named after cuyapo, the vegetation that was abundant in the area at the time. Destroyed 5 times by uprisings, fires and earthquakes, a sturdier church was built in 1864. The venerated image was brought from Mexico in 1767 by the Agustinian Recollects during th incumbency of Archbishop Basilio Sancho and was housed in Intramuros at the Recolletos convento. They had a confraternity of the Jesus Nazareno there. Eventually, the image was transferred from Intramuros to Quiapo (now a Basilica Minore). It is this event that is commemorated every year on the 9th of January and which draws millions of barefoot devotees.

You can pray for anything your little heart desires in Quiapo Church...favors asked may range from healing to passing board examinations, from finding the dream job to acquiring a home... many devotees come back as a sign of thanks and praise for prayers answered. They grow in number every year too...

These days... i just pray for guidance and deliverance... guidance in voting for the right candidate ... deliverance from scams... that's 2010 for you...

Here's another Filipino Achiever

I just read an article from the ABS-CBN NEWS CHANNEL that our very own Efren "Bata" Reyes has just recently been given the distinction of being the Billiard Player of the Decade by the US Billiard Media Association (USBMA). True, Efren isn't young anymore... not matinee idol material... probably has a so-so eductaional background... but you gotta watch him play...

Only proves to show that the universe is fair! You can't have it all. And even if you think you're near perfect, someone like Efren comes along and grabs the limelight. WE've proven time and again that we can be a great nation if we set our hearts and minds to it but we need people like Efren to show us that we don't need to do astounding feats of strength or make world-changing scientific discoveries to aspire for greatness...

So "Bata" has again placed the Philippines on the world map. Every "tambay" sa "kanto" playing pool knows that here in the Philippines, billiards isn't taken seriously. It's a game that students who've cut classes or idling their time away has taken to whilst their parents are at work slaving their behinds off to put food on the table and send their children to school.

"Bata" has elevated billiards to an art form. So for some of us who think that the sport is for losers - an activity kids resort to when they're bored at school, give it some slack...

there might be hope for them yet...

Mabuhay!!!

This is the first time i'm trying to blog... I've been egged on many times... prodded to write about my experiences as a Mabuhay Guide. But how do i know if I can sustain it? There are days when i don't want to stop writing - too much to say. There are days when i'm twirling my figers on the touchpad of my laptop and not an idea is within site... so i would appreciate your feedback, dear readers. It's probably going to be the only way i can reach you... and interact!

I will eventually post photos of my trips. I love taking pictures anyway. If you do have a questions with my postings feel free to ask. it might take some time, but i'll reply at the soonest.

I have tons of photos of places i've visited and posted them on facebook then i felt i needed wider viewership of my pics. I don't own a state of the art DSLR. BUt at least i have an eye for great photographs... you'll see them eventually.

I really feel the Philippines is not getting its share of tourist arrivals as far as the rest of the ASEAN nations are concerned. I guess we still have to show the world what we've got. But what's interesting is that a lot of British Birdwatchers are coming to the Philippines. In Candaba, Pampanga; Subic, Zambales; Olango Island, Cebu; Balanga, Bataan they come in groups to enjoy the quiet relaxation of watching our avian residents. Out of the 500 species of birds in Candaba swamp 200 are endemic in the Pnhilippines.

The Russians are discovering us too. New wealth and a penchant for warm weather have attracted some of them to our shores. Those Siberian winters have done a great deal in driving the Russians to see our tropical country. On the average, a Russian tourist will stay and see the Philippines for 14 days. It might not be enough to see the entire archipelago, but it's enough to whet their appetite and visit the country again the next time.

My job is to show off the Philippines to foreign visitors. But i get a kick when a fellow Filipino discovers that the paradise he so longs to visit is right there at his backyard... just waiting for him...