GUIDING FOR NATIONAL HEROES' DAY

 

National Heroes' Day. We honor the people who sacrificed their lives so we can enjoy the benefits of freedom. In their memory, a full day was dedicated to them by the Intramuros Administration, the management and staff of the Intramuros Visitors' Center and the Intramuros Volunteer Guides. Today being a holiday, what better way for families to spend the day on a historical tour of Fort Santiago (and perhaps the Intramuros area) with knowledgeable DOT accredited tour guides!

On my part, I had free time to commit to the event. I re-posted the announcement on my Facebook page in the hope that friends will jump at the chance to get some fresh air, get an urge to join a guided tour as a sort of refresher... Or if not, at least get a handful of "new" people who might be interested in historical commentary. It was a blast!

A few minutes after I arrived at Fort Santiago, I was immediately assigned a group of fifteen people of different backgrounds, different social strata, different interests and age ranges. It brought me back to a time when I was learning to balance crowd interest so my audience doesn't feel left out or bored. As I mentioned to IVC head honcho and avowed "prince of Intramuros" Rancho Arcilla , guiding is a skill!

You can be the most learned, scholarly, erudite individual but if you don't have your group's full, undivided attention and can't control them , then a tour guide, you're not!!

Streams of people started to arrive: families with toddlers, married educator couples, historical enthusiasts, students from Dumaguete who were in Manila for their on-the-job training, visiting Spaniards getting a furlough from the pharmaceutical company that brought them to the country. Just about anybody wanted to experience the tours. And we Intramuros Volunteer Guides, didn't turn anyone away! Despite the assigned groups, there were some ambulant tourists who would join in and listen to our commentaries. From time to time, isolated areas would burst out with rounds of applause as guests express their thanks to the guides for a job well done. Congratulations, JB Jb Hallig Quemado , Vincent Ray Vr Hallig , Reynaldo Cadiz, Salve Aragones, Anthony de Guzman, Elgin Silvestre, Dom's Valencia, Shogun Gaijin , Tabalanza Cedhie, Pau Lagasin, Debbie Abadines Sison , Jerome Relente, Orlando Domingo, Mark Fernandez, Marianito Malacaman. We did ourselves proud!!!

By the time the free tours were concluded at four p.m., headcount of the guests had doubled if not tripled compared to any ordinary day. It only proves to show, one doesn't need to do humungous acts to serve the country. One can be of service doing small things with great passion!

Para sa Bayan!!!