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When the wind blows and the ground shakes

��ý — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 07:18:14 +0000

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: In light of the recent earthquakes that rocked the country in April 2019, ��ý is republishing this story on the structural integrity of buildings. Written in the wake of typhoon Yolanda and the earthquake that shook Bohol and Cebu, the story first ran on November 29, 2013. — Ed.

November 29, 2013
WEEKENDER
By Joseph L. Garcia

It looked like no stone, stick, or structure was left unturned in Tacloban in the wake of typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan). Just a month before Yolanda crossed the Visayas, a massive earthquake shook Bohol and Cebu, crumbling houses, heritage churches, even one of the famous Chocolate Hills.

In the wake of the super typhoon and the massive earthquake, how can the Philippines—cities in particular—prepare for another double whammy? “We have to revise, review, and upgrade our building and structural codes,” said Felino Palafox, Jr., Principal Architect, Founder, and managing partner of Palafox Associates, a Manila-based architectural firm cited in the Top 500 Architectural Firms in World Architecture Magazine.

“The super typhoon Yolanda moved [at a rate of] 321 kph. The minimum requirement for wind speed [resistance] in that part of our country is only 250 kph. [Buildings there] were not designed for that type of typhoon,” he said.

Architect Michael de Castro, an Operations Manager and Senior Architect from Palafox Associates, agrees. “The building code is from the ’70s, and it’s antiquated. We need to revise it based on our technology and methods of construction.”

“I have given the president a list of recommendations for Metro Manila and other urban areas,” said Mr. Palafox.

The list, sent to Malacanang in 2010, carries a message that communities have been developed with a lack of urban planning, architecture and engineering considerations, especially in light of the frequent disasters in the country, in addition to the global phenomenon of climate change. The list contains long-term solutions such as flood control measures, reforestation efforts, and pollution abatement measures, as well as immediate action targets such as the relocation of citizens to higher ground, and the creation of disaster prevention bases.

The list from Palafox Associates also includes general recommendations in case of earthquakes, which emphasize the need for structural audits around the country. “All buildings in this country should have a structural audit, especially government buildings. When there are disasters, people tend to run to government buildings [for help],” noted Mr. Palafox.

ALL FALL DOWN
Despite optimism in the structural integrity of new and retrofitted Metro Manila buildings, old buildings that have not been retrofitted and those standing in problem areas stand little chance against, say, a massive earthquake.

“An agency came out with a report that 30 to 40% of the buildings here will collapse in a strong earthquake, and about 2% of tall and high-rise buildings will collapse. You can see we’re not really prepared,” said Mr. De Castro.

The study cited by Mr. de Castro is the Metropolitan Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS), done by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in cooperation with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) from August 2002 to March 2004.

There are more grim aspects to the study. It says Metro Manila will be separated into four regions by the consequences of a massive earthquake. It predicts that fire damage and collapsing buildings will isolate the Western part of Metro Manila, while the road network of the eastern part of Metro Manila, which lies on the earthquake fault, could possibly break during such a disaster. “In a worst-case scenario, only half of the buildings will be prepared for a disaster,” said Mr. De Castro.

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BLOW THE HOUSE DOWN
Similarly grim scenarios, this time about the effects of typhoons, were presented during a roundtable discussion organized by the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) last week called “Building Resilient Housing for a Stronger PH.”

The panel of architects from the UAP—Royal Pineda, Managing Partner of BudjiLayug+Royal Pineda Design Architects; Topy Vasquez, Chairman and CEO of T.I Vasquez Architects and Planners; Sonny Rosal, National President of the UAP; and William Coscolluela, Principal Architect of W.V
Coscolluela & Associates—focused on Yolanda’s devastation in Tacloban.

Mr. Vasquez mused on what might have happened if typhoon Yolanda had hit Metro Manila. “Imagine if glass broke off from a high-rise building… its shards will travel at 300 kmph,” he said.

This opened a discussion on the type of materials used in Metro Manila buildings. According to Mr. Pineda, tempered glass, which breaks up into little beads instead of jagged pieces when it shatters, is a smart alternative to the glass used in buildings today.

Some builders and developers have adopted concepts to make buildings more disaster-resistant. Retrofitting—the process by which old buildings are reinforced with new materials to make them stronger—is one adaptation. Some elements of the Metro Manila skyline have been retrofitted with steel, with flyover pillars as an example. “They have huge steel plates in the columns to give added support… so if the cement breaks, the steel plates will hold down the cement,” said Palafox’s Mr. De Castro.

STILL STANDING
Some builders look to the past for inspiration in building disaster-resistant structures. Old churches come to mind, with their thick solid walls standing amidst the onslaughts of natural and man-made disasters.

Of course, some churches, like the heritage sites that crumbled in the Bohol earthquake, have had time take its toll on them. More importantly, churches such as San Agustin in Intramuros, Manila, which remains standing after centuries of onslaughts, have undergone some retrofitting. “You can actually retrofit them with reinforcing bars to make them stronger,” said Mr. Palafox. What may apply to churches may not apply to all buildings, and probably not in urban areas. “Churches have thick walls, and if you will apply the concept [of thick walls] now, then you will waste a lot of space,” noted Mr. De Castro.

Other methods of retrofitting include using protective stickers for glass buildings. Mr. Pineda also discussed the possibility of installing storm shutters for private homes.

Mr. Pineda, during the UAP roundtable discussion, also shared some thoughts about modern architecture looking into the past. “Let’s wake up, and let’s say, let’s be basic, and understand nature again… [We should] understand nature, and create a design that will work with nature,” said Mr. Pineda.

Mr. Rosal and Mr. Vasquez also extolled the virtues of simple designs that can withstand disasters. According to Mr. Rosal, some of the houses left intact in typhoon Yolanda’s devastation had roofs with four sloping corners. This is in contrast to popular designs of high-pitched roofs with eaves and gables and two sloping corners.

Mr. Pineda added that the four sloping corners of the roofs allowed wind to slide and flow freely. Mr. Vasquez said that for a house to be able to withstand typhoon-strength winds, it should have minimal wind resistance and wind drag. Mr. Vasquez also noted the importance of site selection in planning a building project. “If I know that one area is flood-prone, why would I build a difficult house with all these [technologies] and gadgets?”

CORRUPTION AND INACTION
Although the technology and materials to build stronger public infrastructure is accessible in the Philippines, funding has always been a problem.

“Suppose you build a public bridge. Up to 40% of the funds are lost to corruption. You need at least 60-70% of the funds to build it,” said Palafox’s Mr. De Castro. He says that for stakeholders in the projects to cut their losses, materials of lower grade and standard are used to finish the project.

Furthermore, government inaction leads to buildings and homes being built in danger zones.

“There are buildings on earthquake faults, such as the areas of Blue Ridge, Eastwood, and from Marikina down to C5… na supposedly, dapat hindi (which are not supposed to be there)… but our government is not really implementing its rules… developers are just stacking over the faultline,” said Mr. De Castro.

“We have to realize that we have to rethink and redesign on our own, and in ourselves. If we do not, nature herself would do it for us,” said Mr. Edwin Barcia, the Vice-President of Documentation of T.I. Vasquez Architects & Planners Inc., in a closing statement at the roundtable discussion.

Kidlat Tahimik: the technocrat and his duende

��ý — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 16:31:16 +0000

By Menchu Aquino Sarmiento

At age 76, Kidlat Tahimik (aka Eric De Guia) is among the younger National Artists, and happens to be the only one alive for Cinema. Further, among this tiny elect group, he is the only Wharton MBA holder, with a c.v. which includes a stint as a researcher for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This was before he symbolically tore up his Wharton diploma (he didn’t totally trash it though), and followed his bliss as an artist. Or as he has stated elsewhere, he let his duende come through. This duende is not the squeaky voiced gnome of lower Philippine mythology, but the inner demon or the spirit of genius which inspires and animates true artistry. See the Spanish writer Federico Garcia Lorca’s “Theory and Play of the Duende.” As Kidlat Tahimik declared in his film Mababangong Bangungot (Perfumed Nightmare) which is essentially his artist’s manifesto: “When the typhoon blows off the cocoon, the butterfly embraces the sun.”
During De Guia’s transition to Kidlat Tahimik (K.T.) some 40 years ago, he grew his hair long, the better to style this into an Igorot bowl cut. He has since grown this out into silvery shaman tresses. During formal occasions, he dons the Ifugao bahag (loin cloth), effectively mooning other dignitaries. Since he is not an I.P. (indigenous person), he has been accused of cultural misappropriation and, even, of slumming it. Patrick Campos of the UP Film Institute believes though, that since De Guia has lived among the Ifugao for significant lengths of time in the last three decades, he has organically connected his work to his life. He also started the Sunflower Film Collective in his adopted Ifugao community. During the scant hours when there is electricity, they edit films on a Macbook.
As K.T. the protagonist jeepney driver in his seminal film, Mababangong Bangungot, who dreams of crossing the bridge out of his pretend hometown Balian, Laguna, declares: “I choose my vehicle; I choose my bridge.” Crossing the bridge is a metaphor for the way to a better world. In the film, an American businessman becomes K.T.’s way out: as an OFW, he drives around Paris in his Sarao jeepney, refilling the American’s Chiclet vending machines.
With his unique coiffure and vehicle, the cinematic K.T. wonders: “Why is everybody staring at me? I feel I am becoming smaller. I am Kidlat Tahimik. I am not as small as you think. Nothing can stop me from crossing my bridge.” For sure, because by Philippine standards, De Guia is one of the big people, and alien to the social class who rides the jeep. His mother Virginia “Gene” Oteyza De Guia was the only female mayor of Baguio City. Before she died, the De Guia family donated 95-hectares in Sto. Tomas, Apugan-Loakan to the Baguio LGU for its environmental management programs.
Mababangong Bangungot won multiple awards in the Berlin Film Fest, around the time that Lino Brocka was making waves in Europe. A Brocka champion in France has refused to recognize De Guia’s film as “Filipino.” Its tongue-in-cheek whimsicality, and light-hearted political commentary about the yawning gap between the secular First World with its “floors that walk for you” (the airport walkalator) and “doors which open for you,” and the charmingly backward and traditional Third World full of talking religious images, lively flagellants, unsanitary circumcision rites, ridiculous beauty pageants, and laughably ignorant science, are seen from the amused perspective of the educated, Westernized observer. The pioneering Philippine cinema archivist Agustin “Hammy” Sotto saw elements of exoticization, e.g., villagers cradling an unlikely menagerie of farm animals on their laps as they crowd onto K.T.’s jeep; a young woman and K.T. simultaneously and openly urinating on the ground, on either side of his jeep.
Nonetheless within the tacit superiority of De Guia’s point of view, there is a sweetness and sincere concern for these Third World curiosities. When he reflects that one less vendor in the traditional market, means one more parking space, one senses the conflict within the Wharton MBA who gave up the dogma of neoliberalism for the whispered lessons “on the quiet strength of bamboo,” which the Yoda-like craftsman Kaya promised he would one day understand. K.T. realizes that Kaya’s art is doomed to extinction, because “one cannot build rocket ships from bamboo,” and despite himself, building rocket ships is what K.T. wants to do. In Mababangong Bangungot, he is the president of the Wehrner Von Braun Fan Club. Towards the end, he resigns, declaring independence from those “who would build bridges to the stars.”
However, in the 1982 follow-up Sinong Lumikha ng Yoyo? Sinong Lumikha ng Moon Buggy? (Who Invented the Yoyo? Who Invented the Moon Buggy?), K.T. shoots for the moon. He is the president of the Yodelberg Yoyo Society which aims to send a chicken to the moon for starters. That done, it would be on to bigger things: for K.T. to reach the dark side of the moon and there, play with his yoyo. Acknowledging the absurd grandiosity of this mission, its acronym is POMP, for Philippine Official Moon Project. Overall though, the film is a reflection on the creative process.
De Guia has defined independent film-making as making films that only the filmmaker could make. Not surprisingly, his films are also unabashed home movies, often featuring his wife and children. His eldest son Kidlat Gottlieb Kalayaan, then four years old, is his sidekick in Sinong Lumikha ng Yoyo? Sinong Lumikha ng Moon Buggy?, which also has actual home movies of De Guia’s parents. For his 10^th birthday, his mother gave him silver ballet slippers and sparkly balletomane pantaloons. Her brother was the painter Victor Oteyza, and in 1939, she had appeared in the movie Nagkaisang Landas under the screen name Lydia Leynes. De Guia’s father, Victor, an engineer, gave him a slide rule and a boxed model of a tower as his birthday gifts. He was also expected to become an engineer. When young Eric did not follow the tower model’s assembly instructions, his father called him a dilettante, and urged him to always strive for exactitude.
De Guia does not have a prepared script when making his films. National Commission for Culture and the Arts Cinema Committee Chair Teddy Co describes his style as more of a reflective essay, rather than a conventional, plot-driven narrative. De Guia has called it “straying on track.” Sinong Lumikha ng Yoyo? Sinong Lumikha ng Moon Buggy? also has archival footage of the 1956 Philippine Soap Box Derby where 13-year-old Eric had entered “Pine Cone Fury.” The body of his car bristled with pine cones. His engineer father told him a race car had to be aerodynamically smooth to overcome wind resistance. Young Eric lost the race but got a special trophy for the most original design. His father was not impressed and simply said that “friction was stronger than beauty.” From such incidents of family drama, art and artists are made.

Five destinations that show there is more to Taiwan

��ý — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 16:30:17 +0000

WITH Taiwan waiving visa requirements for Filipinos, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it ranked as the third top destination for travelers from the Philippines using the Agoda online booking platform.
For most people traveling to Taiwan, a trip to Taipei — the political, economic, and cultural center is a must. But the island offers so much more — its diversity provides numerous attractions for nature lovers, cultural adventurers, foodies, and architecture buffs.
Agoda’s booking numbers also reveal that other places in Taiwan are fast catching up to Taipei’s popularity. Taichung, Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Nantou are steadily welcoming more visitors to take up the runner-up spots on the list of top five Taiwan destinations for Filipino travelers as they showcase the different sights, sounds, and tastes the country has to offer.

• Taichung: Host of the World Flora Expo

The Taichung World Flora Exposition is so big, it is actually three destinations in one. The expo, held from early November 2018 through April 24 this year, spreads across three areas, each featuring a different aspect of Taiwan’s appeal. The Waipu site highlights Taiwan’s role as an agricultural kingdom famed for its flowers, fruits, and other produce. The Houli site celebrates the relationship between people and nature, featuring Taichung’s century-old equestrian facilities and Taiwan’s national treasures on loan from the National Palace Museum. Meanwhile the Fengyuan site, set up along the banks of the Ruanpizai Creek, demonstrates the importance of waterfronts to urban living with Taiwan’s longest riverbank floral corridor.

• Kaohsiung: An architectural feast

If architecture is your thing, head to Kaohsiung. City spaces in Kaohsiung are generally bigger, airier, and adorned with architectural gems. The Kaohsiung Main Public Library and the recently opened National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts are two such notable establishments, with the former featuring the world’s largest suspended atrium, and the latter boasting the largest art venue in the world, as well as housing a 9,194-pipe organ — the largest in Asia.

• Tainan: Foodies’ paradise

The city of Tainan is known as Taiwan’s laidback-living and food capital. Visitors keep coming back for its street food and chic hotels. The list of what you can eat here can easily go over a hundred. But must tries are: fish noodles, shrimp rolls, rice tube pudding, and shaved ice.

• Sun Moon Lake: Home to one of the world’s most endangered languages

For centuries, songs and poems were written about the beauty of Sun Moon Lake in Nantou, Taiwan’s largest body of water. A cycle path circles the lake and offers quite picturesque way to get around it.
Sun Moon Lake is also the home of the Thao tribe, Taiwan’s smallest aboriginal group. Their native language (Thao) is one of the most endangered in the world with fewer than half a dozen living speakers only a few years ago.

• Taitung: Stronghold of Taiwan’s aboriginal cultures

Indigenous tourism in Taiwan is different from aboriginal culture in many other countries — you don’t generally need a permit to travel to these areas. A visit to Taitung lets you experience how these cultures live.
Located on the Pacific-facing side of the island, Taitung is home to several aboriginal tribes, many of which have kept their traditions and their relationship to nature. Such cultural closeness to nature is exemplified in the polyphonic vocal music of the Bunun tribe’s harvest prayer called “Pasibutbut.” Sung by a group of Bunun men standing in a circle with no scores and no conductors, they reach harmony using mutual understanding gained through practice and personal bonds.
It just so happens that Taitung holds a hot air balloon festival each summer — another plus for your Taiwan experience.

Oasis in the desert

��ý — Thu, 27 Dec 2018 16:30:42 +0000

Text and photos by Denise A. Valdez, Reporter

If you tell a fellow Filipino that you are flying to Abu Dhabi, the assumption is almost always that you are going to start working there. And you can’t fault them because as you wait to board the plane for your Abu Dhabi trip, you’d notice that you are surrounded by mothers on the phone, saying their last minute goodbyes to their children. “Mag-behave ka habang wala si mama, ha? I love you, anak [Behave while mom is away, okay? I love you],” implying that they will be gone to work abroad for a long time.
Stories about life in the Middle East are not unfamiliar to Filipinos since many, having heard of the job opportunities in the region, have gone there looking to earn good money to send back home. And along with the money come the stories.
But now one can expect different sorts of stories, told by tourists instead of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), to start emerging as the capital of United Arab Emirates gets more aggressive in welcoming an era of mass tourism.
Going to Abu Dhabi from the Philippines today, one sees scenes of contrasting emotions. At the airport there is the sobbing OFW on the phone and an overly excited family of five taking endless selfies as their journey of exploration starts.
GETTING THERE
Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism has collaborated with airlines and hotels to make it easier for tourists to enter the emirate. Aside from the common option of having your travel agency arrange a visa for you, a Filipino may also tap any three-, four-, or five-star hotel where they’ll be staying at to apply for visas on their behalf.
If you book a flight with Etihad Airways, the airline may also arrange everything for you when you fill out a form on its website. It will then send you your printable visa through e-mail prior to your trip to save you the hassle of visiting the United Arab Emirates embassy in the Philippines.
If you are flying on a budget, Etihad offers a non-refundable economy class return ticket at around $390 or around P20,000. But if you have money to spare, a classic business class returning ticket to Abu Dhabi costs almost $1,300, or around P68,000.
Etihad offers premium service in-flight for business class passengers, with a wide array of food choices and an even wider array of entertainment options in its media system. Accommodating cabin crew also make the trip feel less like a means to get to a vacation, but more like a staycation in itself.
The flight to Abu Dhabi from Manila takes almost nine hours, but the view upon your arrival is relaxing enough to make you forget the hours lost in transit.

DATES AND TOWERS
The emirate is a vast space laced with eight-lane highways, cars moving fast past each other quietly no matter what time of day. Dates trees surround every piece of open land — unless they are construction sites, which is the case for many spots in the capital.
Visitors do have to contend with the country’s dry heat — 34°F on an October afternoon — burning your skin as you walk under the sun. Then there is the high intensity air conditioning inside every closed building, blasting all the heat out of your body every time you enter one.
In the central district of Abu Dhabi, buildings line the roads, each with unique features that the emirate proudly boasts of — an office (Capital Gate) which is the world’s furthest leaning tower at 18°, a 23-storey circular building which is the headquarter of property development firm Aldar, and twin sun-responsive skyscrapers for a government office and bank (Al Bahar Towers).
The multi-billion Yas Island, which opened in 2009, is one of Abu Dhabi’s efforts to draw more tourists to the country. The island intends to be home to 20 hotels in the next few years. Seven are already up and running — the Yas Hotel Abu Dhabi, the Park Inn Radisson, Crowne Plaza, Centro Yas Island, Yas Island Rotana, Radisson Blue Hotel, and Staybridge Suites.
A three-day stay in one of the hotels, Centro Yas Island, would cost almost AED 1,080 or around P15,000 for a queen-sized bedroom that has a pool view. The package comes with a breakfast buffet offering different cuisines and several Emirati favorites.
Aside from its hotels, Yas Island also houses other attractions such as Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, and the Yas Marina Circuit where the annual Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is held.
ROLLER COASTERS AND THE LOUVRE
If you are travelling with family or you are a thrill seeker, Ferrari World is a must-visit for its variety of rollercoasters and rides, one of which is the world’s fastest rollercoaster with a speed of 240 kilometers per hour.
Warner Bros. World is a dream land for all kids and kids-at-heart who grew up watching Justice League, Looney Tunes, and other shows from Warner Bros. The indoor attraction has six sections of alternate filmic universes with themed halls, shops, rides, and food that are faithful to the fictional stories they replicate.
Beyond Yas Island are more sights, one of which is the newly opened Louvre Abu Dhabi, widely commended for its intricate building design topped with a 565-meter layered dome.

The fruit of a 2007 intergovernmental agreement between Abu Dhabi and France, the new museum first gave a taste of its beauty to visitors in November last year when it opened. Inside visitors can view its permanent collection and imported artworks sourced mostly from France.
In the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection is the world’s most expensive painting — Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, which sold for a whopping $450.3 million at auction last year. The painting of Jesus Christ holding a transparent rock crystal was supposed to go on display last September, but this has been postponed to an undetermined date.
FALCONS AND THE MOSQUE
While Abu Dhabi has places that appeal to Western standards of tourist attractions, it also doesn’t fall short when it comes to reflecting its unique culture in plenty of its institutions and buildings.
One of its unique travel destinations is the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, a dedicated veterinary clinic for falcons, which now also welcomes other pets.
What dogs or chickens are to Filipinos falcons are to residents of Abu Dhabi, with almost every household owning a pet falcon. The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital caters to around 11,000 falcons every year, and allows tourists to witness the treatment of these dearly loved winged pets.
Aside from receiving regular grooming and checkups, falcons are also entitled to own a personal passport and may fly next to individuals on a plane. At the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, visitors can learn know more about how the emirate cares for falcons, an interesting visit that allows one a different perspective.
No trip to Abu Dhabi is complete without a visit to one of the world’s largest mosques, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which sits at the highest point of the emirate and visible from any point in the capital.
Named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who unified the seven emirates in 1971 and served as the first president of the United Arab Emirates, the Grand Mosque was born out of Zayed’s personal vision for the place of worship.
The building covers a 12 hectare area with a capacity of around 40,000 worshippers and visitors. It has a courtyard that can fit 31,000 people and a prayer room that can accommodate 7,800 worshipers at a time.

The prayer room is open to Muslim guests, which a Muslim companion said is a “one-of-a-kind experience.”
But even if you do not practice Islam, the Grand Mosque in itself is a sight to behold. The walls of the building, made of a variety of marble and other stone, feature a design which was inspired by Zayed’s goal of unifying the different architectural styles of countries where Islam is practiced.
The dress code for visitors to the Grand Mosque are strict — all guests are required to come in clothes that cover the body to the feet. Women are also required to wear a shawl around the head to cover their hair. But if visitors come unprepared, clothes are available for rent at the entrance of the building.
DINING OPTIONS
And of course, as in any other country, experiencing Abu Dhabi entails tasting its food. A good place for a wide array of Emirati food options is Al Fanar Restaurant and Café, located along the Venetian Village at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi. Not only does it offer authentic Emirati cuisine, but it also has an ambiance that mimics a desert experience.
If you wish to try other varieties of Middle Eastern cuisine, Maison Beirut at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr offers sumptuous Lebanese food at hefty servings, perfect for families and group dining occasions.
For a more fancy dining experience, a Michelin-star restaurant from London, Hakkasan Restaurant, has a branch at the Emirates Palace, which offers some of the best takes on Chinese cuisine.
Leaving Abu Dhabi as a tourist may be nearly as difficult as leaving the Philippines is for OFWs. Besides being a place of beauty and elegance, it is a place filled with destinations that tell the stories of people who were able to achieve great things by putting in the hard work — whether you are telling the tale of Sheikh Zayed, of Abu Dhabi locals, or its multicultural pool of foreign workers including the many Filipinos you’d overhear chatting in Tagalog during your stay.

Vaccination: Is it safe?

��ý — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 16:12:15 +0000

By Michelle Anne P. Soliman, Reporter
In April 2016, over a million public school students in the National Capital Region (NCR), Central Luzon, and Calabarzon lined up to take part in the immunization program of the first dengue vaccine. It was recommended that the three doses of the vaccine be administered at six-month intervals. It was more than a year into the program, in November 2017, when Sanofi Pasteur issued a warning that immunized people who had not previously been infected with one of the four known varieties of dengue may experience a more severe version of the disease.
The controversy surrounding the immunization program triggered fears of vaccination in general. According to the WIN/Gallup International Vaccine and Confidence Index, vaccine confidence among Filipinos dropped to 32% in 2018 from 93% in 2015.
In recent media reports, Department of Health (DoH) Undersecretary Eric Domingo was quoted as saying that Dengvaxia, the dengue vaccine, will probably not be getting a certificate of product registration (CPR) after the lapse of its one-year suspension. “The one year suspension of the Dengvaxia CPR is not yet lifted and I don’t see it being lifted anytime soon. Dengvaxia will not likely be making a comeback,” he said.
THE IMPORTANCE OF VACCINATION
Smallpox, an acute contagious disease caused by the variola virus, was believed to have originated in India or Egypt over 3,000 years ago. In 1798, English physician and scientist Edward Jenner demonstrated that inoculation with the vaccinia virus which caused cowpox could protect humans from the more virulent smallpox. In 1967, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global immunization campaign to eradicate smallpox. The campaign worked. The last naturally occurring case of the disease was in Somalia in 1977.
“Vaccination has been one of the powerful achievements of modern public health apart from using antibiotics that help to control infections. It is really key that we do everything and that vaccination [be] provided to everybody who will need and can benefit from [it],” Dr. Gundo Weiler, World Health Organization (WHO) representative to the Philippines, said at a forum on vaccination on Dec. 3 at the Crowne Plaza in Ortigas.
According to the “10 Facts of Immunization” published on the WHO official website, 2 to 3 million deaths annually are prevented by immunization.
Dr. Weiler noted that vaccine coverage from birth to 12 months is crucial for protection from and prevention of diseases. Annually, the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) prepares a childhood immunization guide for the vaccines against diseases ranging from tuberculosis to German measles to be administered at recommended periods.
Vaccines prevent the spread of diseases and minimize the severity of illnesses.
“From a public health point of view, we are also interested to see how epidemics spread in communities. If only a few people are vaccinated in a community, the virus or disease will still continue to spread. But if we get to a critical mass of people being immunized [in the community], then we can break the chain of transmission,” Dr. Weiler said.
In her presentation, Dr. Anna Lisa Ong-Lim, president of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP) defined vaccines are substances containing inactivated or weakened micro-organisms [which are] “introduced into the body to train the immune system to defend itself quickly.”
When a person is vaccinated, Dr. Lim further explained, one does not just catch the disease but also avoids the complications that come with it.
IS IT EFFECTIVE?
This year, WHO reported that there had been 17,296 measles cases in the Philippines between January to November, a huge increase compared to the 3,706 cases recorded during the same period in 2017.
“Even if people refuse to call it an outbreak, it’s an outbreak,” Dr. Lim said, adding that the Philippines had progressed in the elimination of measles cases in 2014. However, “the loss of vaccine confidence has not helped.”
“Measles are an indicator of the strength of the immunization program. If you have good measles coverage, you know that you were able to bring a child through to their entire vaccination series successfully. Because in the current program, when you talk about a fully immunized child, this is a child who has received all the doses of vaccines up until measles which is the last dose [given] between nine to 12 months [of age],” she explained.
Parents understand the necessity of vaccines since these protect the child from disease. “It’s not some abstract disease that they have never seen [and] that they have difficulty comprehending. But for people to avoid being protected for a disease that they know can kill, you know there’s a problem,” Dr. Lim said.
KNOWING THE RISK-BENEFIT RATIO
Dr. Lim noted that vaccines are effective and safe, however, certain health problems are at times associated with vaccinations. For the benefit of public health, vaccines are administered despite the possibility of adverse reactions, an unintended effect caused by the vaccine.
“If a vaccine is benefiting 99% of the children you are giving it to, will you be using it or not? But we cannot say [that] for every vaccine that it is 100% effective and safe. That is a fact of it,” said Dr. Achyut Shrestha, medical officer at WHO Philippines.
“If you accept those benefits, it comes with a risk. In a public health perspective, you have to take a risk to benefit the larger population,” he said.
Physicians play a role in ensuring safe vaccination by conducting screenings.
“We ask questions with regards to the patient,” said Dr. Salvacion Gatchalian, president of the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS), adding that this consultation includes asking whether the patient has had previous vaccine reactions, allergies, or currently has a fever.
Continued safety monitoring of a new vaccine is also advised since the number of subjects in clinical trials is limited. “Even after the licensure of the vaccine, there must be continued surveillance to look at adverse reactions that may not have been identified during the clinical trials,” she noted.
Dr. Gatchalian said that safe vaccination entail that a person is prevented from “the danger of getting the disease and complications associated with it.”
For parents who remain in doubt about vaccination, Dr. Gatchalian said, “To do nothing is a greater risk than vaccinating.”

Something fishy

��ý — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 16:11:09 +0000

HOME to rare underwater species, Mabini, Batangas was the location of the 6^th Anilao Underwater Shootout, mounted by the Department of Tourism (DoT).
The event brought together more than 220 divers and underwater photographers from all over Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America to showcase Anilao’s rich biodiversity and to promote the area as a world-class diving destination for all kinds of divers.
In the Open Class, Macro/Supermacro category, winners were Yun Na Thing from Indonesia, who bagged first place, with a photo of a wide-eyed fish, its vibrant orange color standing stark against the blurry background. In second place were China’s Cai Heng, and in third was Henley Spiers of the UK and France.
In the Open-Marine Behavior category, Dennis Corpuz from the Philippines took home the top prize for his photo of a shrimp struggling in the grip of a cephalopod’s tentacles. Brook Peterson from the US came in second, and Cai Heng from China came in third.
The Philippines’ Bebot Esteban bagged first prize in the Nudibranch category with her shot of a pastel-colored nudibranch. Taking the next two spots were Hong Kong’s Lai Kam Moon and Malaysia’s Mohan Thanabalan in second and third place respectively.
In the Fish Portrait category, Peri Paleracio of the Philippines bagged first place for his photo of a vibrant red fish with glowing eyes lurking in the shadows. PJ Aristorenas from the Philippines and Marco Steiner from Austria came in second and third.
For the Compact Class, the Macro/Supermacro category, the winners were Ericson Yee from the Philippines in first place, Narumon Pimsirinath of Thailand in second place, and Philippines’ Ex Liao in third place.
For the Marine Behavior category, Maria Nerissa Fajardo of the Philippines won first place for her photo of a translucent cephalopod against pitch black waters. Jayson Apostol from the Philippines took second place, and Korea’s Gyoungmi Lee settled for third.
In the Compact-Nudibranch category, first place went to the Philippines’ Marc Stephen De Leon for his beautiful close-up shot of a glowing nudibranch “dancing” in the darkness. China’s Haojie Lin took second place, while Ronald Dalawampo came in third.
In the Fish Portrait category, Regie Casia image of a fish opening its eyes and mouth wide open earned him first place. The two other winners were Sudong Lim from the US in second place, and Indonesia’s Ajiex Dharma in third.
Special prizes were given to Ria Crucero of the Philippines in the Special Beginners category, and China’s Cai Songda in the Blackwater/Bonfire category.
The Philippines took both DoT-PAL Photographers of the Year titles with Dennis Corpuz for his Open-Marine Behavior entry, and Regie Casia for his Compact-Fish Portrait photo.
The international event has been organized by the tourism department since 2013, in line with the identification of diving as a priority tourism product in the National Tourism Development Plan.
This year’s panel of judges was made up of published French naturalist photographer and marine biologist Laurent Ballesta; award-winning Belgian underwater and wildlife photographer Ellen Cuylaerts; macro photography expert and 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Indra Swari; renowned Singapore-based underwater photographer William Tan; and Underwater360 founder and Asia Dive Expo’s official organizer John Thet.

The fall and rise of Philippine music

��ý — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 16:31:35 +0000

By Bjorn Biel M. Beltran, Special Features Writer
AT THE University of the Philippines Fair early this year, April Hernandez had the lucky role of opening for the popular band IV of Spades. Under the stage name “TheSunManager,” she has just around 3,000 monthly listeners on Spotify while IV of Spades has a following of over a million.
So Ms. Hernandez played her set with the knowledge that most of her regular listeners did not show up to support her. She even understood when many in the audience started cheering in the middle of her performance when they saw IV of Spades’ roadies setting up the band’s equipment behind her.
“Who am I compared to IV of Spades?” she said in an interview, smiling. “It’s like that. I’m used to it.”
What she was not ready for was her manager pointing to someone in the audience during her performance. Amid the sea of IV of Spades banners and placards, a girl was holding up a sheet of paper with a message.
It read, “Hi TheSunManager. Your music saved my life.”
Ms. Hernandez created the indie-folk persona of TheSunManager while studying at the College of Fine Arts in UP Diliman. As TheSunManager, she released a self-titled EP in 2014, and released her debut full-length album, entitled Worth, in early February of 2017. Currently, she works as an industrial designer for a business run by her aunt, a job that allows her the time and freedom to pursue what she calls her “other job.”
She is one of the legions of independent musicians carving their own niches in the Philippines’ music scene, an industry that has been seeing a resurgence in recent years amid the opportunities brought about by online streaming services like Spotify and YouTube.
Online streaming services, which mostly operate on a subscription-based business model, have both revolutionized the way consumers listen to music, and how artists produce it. Rather than having to buy individual albums or singles from any particular artist, consumers need only pay a recurring fee for access to a library of millions of songs made by artists from all over the world, which they can then listen to any time and anywhere as long as they have a data connection.
The benefits for the artists are twofold. The open nature of such services has given small-time musicians like Ms. Hernandez a platform on which to release their music and draw an audience, while those with larger fanbases get paid by the listeners who would have otherwise resorted to pirating their content.
In fact, streaming has become the biggest contributor to the growth of the recorded music market. According to data released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in April, streaming is the industry’s single largest revenue source, the main driver of its recorded growth in 2017.
The global recorded music market grew by 8.1% to a total of $17.3 billion last year, its third consecutive year of growth since IFPI began tracking the market in 1997.
“Streaming remains the main driver of recovering revenues and, for the first time, has become the single largest revenue source with 176 million users of paid streaming services contributing to year-on-year streaming growth of 41.1%,” IFPI’s Global Music Report 2018 said.
“Streaming now accounts for 38.4% of total recorded music revenue and its growth has more than offset a 5.4% decline in physical revenue and a 20.5% decline in download revenue.”
What’s more, grouped collectively with all digital formats, total digital income last year accounted for more than half of all revenue (54%), the first time in the industry’s history.
Which is a welcome development, as far as music is concerned.
Historically, the advent of digital technology has spelled nothing but catastrophe for the global recording industry, at least in terms of revenues.
THE PIRATES
Around the turn of the millennium, the global recording industry took a huge hit with the arrival of peer-to-peer file sharing. The Napster and LimeWire networks together were used by several millions of people who were stealing music and redistributing it for free all over the world.
How many dollars were lost to such piracy is still largely unknown, but many accounts figure it in the billions. Total revenues for CDs, vinyl, cassettes, and digital downloads in the United States in the 21^stcentury reportedly dropped to $9 billion in 2008 from a height of $14.6 billion in 1999.
IFPI data indicated that despite 2017 being the industry’s third consecutive year of growth, it followed 15 years of significant revenue decline. The revenues in 2017, despite the uplift, were still only 68.4% of the market’s peak in 1999.
Before peer-to-peer file sharing, cassette tapes and compact discs (CDs) opened the door to music piracy around the world. Emerging as an effective, convenient, and portable way of listening to music in the 1970s and the 1980s, the cassette tape also had the useful feature of being recordable, allowing individuals to copy music onto the tape directly from the radio. Recordable CDs, which exploded as a popular method of electronic data storage in the 1990s, made copying music even easier.
In a smaller market like the Philippines, this was perhaps even more pronounced. Marivic A. Benedicto, chair of the Philippine Association of the Record Industry, said in an interview that music recording certification around the late 2000s had to change because CD sales could not support the previous model any longer.
“Gold and platinum records used to signify 15,000 and 30,000 units sold, but no one was reaching gold anymore,” she told ��ý.
“We decided to lower the threshold. From what was 15,000 and 30,000, it became 10,000 and 20,000. Then two years later, we had to lower it again to 7.5 thousand and 15,000. That’s where it is at now.”
It is in this climate that Spotify finally came into the country in 2014 under a partnership with Globe Telecom. The online streaming platform, Ms. Benedicto said, offered fixed global rates in exchange for the license to distribute over 90% of the Philippine record industry’s repertoire.
Music labels, publishers, and composer groups welcomed the proposal with open arms, in the knowledge that there was no better alternative for their salvation. Major record labels like Warner Music Group were ditching physical sales altogether to make way for a new era of music. Everything that the industry knew at this point had changed. Streaming — digital music in general — had become the future.
UBIQUITOUS
Last October, IFPI released its Music Consumer Insight Report 2018, which examined the ways in which music consumers aged 16-64 engaged with recorded music across 20 of the world’s largest music markets. Unsurprisingly, it found that 86% of consumers listen to music through on-demand streaming, with the youth being the most engaged. More than half (57%) of streamers aged 16 to 24 years old admitted to using a paid audio streaming service.
“Streaming is virtually ubiquitous,” the report concluded.
On average, each of the respondents listened to music 17.8 hours per week, with the car being the most popular listening location. Music consumers especially enjoyed listening to local music genres, with 66% of consumers in Japan listening to J-pop, 69% of consumers in France listening to Variété Française, and, in Brazil, 55% listening to Música popular brasileira.
While specific data on the Philippines was not included, that the recent resurgence of popular “original Pinoy music” (OPM) is in part due to the advent of digital music platforms had already become a worn-out talking point.
“Accessibility-wise, [Spotify] became an advantage,” Ms. Hernandez said. “It was kind of difficult at first, because not everyone had Spotify yet. But it slowly became the standard for listening to music. It’s just easy.
Just have an account and then you can listen to so many types of music. As musicians, that’s what we tap into, as the most accessible platform.”
In addition to Spotify, websites like Bandcamp and Soundcloud have ignited a spark that set the careers of grass roots musicians ablaze.
“Online streaming platforms like Spotify and Soundcloud democratized music consumption. It made it easier for local artists to be heard and to compete globally,” Dinah Remolacio, executive director of the PhilPop Foundation, the organization responsible for the annual Philippine Popular Music Festival, said in an e-mail.
“There is a resurgence of OPM. The local music industry is teeming with excellent millennial bands and a new breed of songwriters. As proof, PhilPop receives thousands of entries every year. There are also hyperactivity of music scene in VisMin (Visayas-Mindanao) areas, with the advent of [the] Bisaya Music Festival, VisPop and Mindanao Music Festival.”
Ms. Hernandez said artists like her could simply make use of independent digital music distribution services like DistroKid to publish their discography on platforms like Spotify, Amazon, and iTunes. Such services are slowly supplanting conventional record labels in the role as the mediators between the musicians and the digital platforms. For a set fee, DistroKid and other similar services ensure independent artists get published on their platforms of choice and collect any royalties they earn in their place.
TheSunManager came into her own in this way. Songs were recorded, the albums uploaded and distributed, the websites built, all with minimal outside help.
“I have my own home studio, because it’s now cheaper to build your own as opposed to before when you had to book a studio,” Ms. Hernandez said. “It used to cost tens of thousands of pesos to record an album, and how much of that will see returns? It wasn’t a sound investment. Now, I can just buy a recording interface for about 15 to 20,000 [pesos], and I can make a number of albums out of it.”
She’s in great company. Artists like Reese Lansangan, Autotelic, Ben&Ben, and even phenomena like the FlipTop Battle League — the first and largest professional rap battle conference in the country — have found massive success in independently reaching an audience through digital platforms.
Even a band as big as IV of Spades shares the sentiment. “Having the access to music production can help local artists to create music on their own. For us, digital technology is not an enemy, but rather a change when it comes to creating a generation movement,” the band said in an e-mail.
“Online streaming has helped starting artists to share their music to a wider audience. It has also helped the listeners to have a wider repertoire when it comes to listening to music. This streaming era would be one of the trademarks of our generation’s music.”
“They don’t even need record labels now. That’s something we have to struggle with all the time,” PARI’s Ms. Benedicto admitted. “Are we giving enough premium that artists will still come to us? That’s the dilemma of the record industry.”
“It’s so easy to self-publish today. [Artists] don’t need record labels, they don’t need a corporate structure to propagate their music.”
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
Digital technology, much like the radio and television before it, has broken down the barriers of communication, allowing culture to transcend local borders and connect people together. Worldwide, independent music has seen an unprecedented consumption boom as more people get exposed to music that was once unavailable to them.
The Merlin Network, which represents the rights of the independent label sector in 53 countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Chile, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, North America, the UK, and Europe, found that 42% of independent labels received more than half their digital revenue from consumption outside their home territory. By comparison, only 17% stated this was the case for physical sales of CDs or vinyl. Audio streaming accounts for the bulk of digital revenue for two-thirds of Merlin members.
Charles Caldas, CEO of Merlin, said in a statement: “Merlin’s independent record label members already occupy a unique position on streaming services, with their repertoire consistently over-indexing on subscription tiers compared to free ad-supported ones. Users of these services deeply engage with Merlin members’ music and are willing to pay for it.
“We now have irrefutable evidence that the new dynamics of streaming are opening up previously inaccessible territories to independent music, with a phenomenal consumption surge in Latin America and across Asia. What feels particularly exciting is that we’re only at the start of this growth trajectory — and with potential of relatively untapped markets, including China, Russia and Africa, still to be realized.”
The question now is this: With so much growth in the music industry, is music now a viable way to earn a living?
One would think that the prevalence of music in the age of content creation will cultivate a heightened appreciation for the medium and its makers. Surely with the incredible reach of platforms like Spotify, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, and even crowdfunding websites like Patreon, Kickstarter, or Indiegogo, digital technology has in some way improved how artists make money from their art?
In reality, as with most things, it’s a bit more complicated than it appears.
“This is a complicated question because it somehow implies that there was and is money to be made in the first place,” Monika E. Schoop, a post-doctoral researcher in the Musicology department at Cologne University, Germany, said in an e-mail.
Ms. Schoop has spent most of the decade researching about the Philippines’ independent music scene and how digital technology is shaping it. Her book, Independent Music and Digital Technology in the Philippines, explores “the diverse and innovative music production, distribution, promotion and financing strategies that have become constitutive of the independent music scene in 21^st century Manila” through extensive fieldwork online and offline.
What she found was that the machinations that allowed for the explosive growth of independent labels have created the issues that pushed the decline of the major recording industry (i.e. labels like Warner, EMI, Sony BMG, and MCA which suffered major losses due to CD-R piracy in the early 2000s and later on through file sharing). Piracy remains a key of these concerns.
“Digital technology has provided the means for the rise of independent music and for the decline of the major recording industry alike,” Ms. Schoop said. “You could say that it’s two sides of the same coin. While it has facilitated access to music production and distribution for many, who previously had no or limited access, it has also provided new tools for music piracy. Piracy had of course already been around before (especially with regard to cassettes) but it has been taken to a new level though CD-Rs, file sharing and unauthorized downloads.”
Data from IFPI’s Music Consumer Insight Report 2018 found that still more than one-third (38%) of consumers obtain music through infringing methods — with stream ripping the dominant method (32% of consumers). While this was not to the extent it was more than a decade ago, the effect was the birth of a codependent relationship between major record companies and the digital platforms that mitigated such piracy. Nearly half (47%) of all time spent listening to on-demand music is through a single platform: YouTube.
Ms. Benedicto admitted that the biggest revenue generators for PARI members are YouTube and Spotify. In the case of YouTube, major record labels have the nifty feature of having their intellectual property protected by content ID algorithms that allow them to monetize user-generated content that use their music.
Sophisticated algorithms, however, do little to bridle the immense power these platforms have over the global music industry. Ultimately, what record labels stand to earn from the distribution of music through these platforms completely depends on how much the platforms decide to pay them for it, regardless of how much was actually earned from its use, a legal conundrum that IFPI calls “the value gap.”
To quote IFPI’s Global Music Report 2018, the value gap is “the mismatch between the value created by some digital platforms from their use of music and what they pay to those creating and investing in it.”
When Google released its “How Google Fights Piracy” report in November, a 25-page document that detailed the internet behemoth’s anti-piracy principles, Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, had this to say: “We welcome Google’s recognition that it and Google’s YouTube need to operate responsibly and properly value creators and their work. However, the figures in Google’s anti-piracy paper don’t match our own.
“It is difficult to get any clarity on Google’s claims as it doesn’t explain its methodology, but IFPI data shows that revenue returning to the record industry through video streaming services (including but not limited to YouTube) with 1.3 billion users amounted to US$856 million in 2017 — less than half of Google’s claim and less than US $1 per user per year.”
Ms. Moore said that in contrast, audio subscription services (both paid and ad-supported) with a much smaller user base of 272 million users compensated creators some $5.6 billion — a little more than $20 per user per year.
“This is the reality of the ‘value gap’ — in which user-upload platforms, such as YouTube, exploit music for profit without returning fair compensation to music creators,” she concluded.
Spotify’s record is far from clean as well. Many reports have already detailed the criticisms lobbed at the music streaming giant regarding artist compensation, with singer Taylor Swift being one of the company’s most prominent critics.
This is not mentioning that existing power structures and inequalities are being inadvertently reinforced by such Western-centric platforms.
“Research has shown that this is, e.g. the case for SoundCloud — artists from London and New York are more likely to ‘be found’ than artists from South East Asia. There is reason to be skeptical of the promise that digital technology leads to a real democratization of the music business,” Ms. Schoop said.
SHOW ME THE MONEY
For independent musicians, revenues from streaming are virtually non-existent.
“I can’t say that I super love Spotify. How much do we actually get each stream per song?” Ms. Hernandez said.
She admitted that unless they reach the heights of popularity currently enjoyed by the likes of IV of Spades or Ben&Ben, new artists do not have any guarantees that they can support themselves through their music, even with music distribution as free as it is now.
Part of the problem is inherent in the nature of globalization. As local shops and brands have to contend with added competition from foreign brands in exchange for the ability to bring their own wares to foreign markets, so do local artists have to compete for the spotlight on a global stage.
Some take this as a challenge. IV of Spades believes such platforms “challenged local artists to be more competent when it comes to raising the quality of creating music, especially in recording and production.”
For others, it remains a matter of opportunity and hard work.
“Even if your music is great or your branding is great, there’s always going to be factors of luck. I don’t mean to sound like a cynic but sometimes only right timing and hard work is the perfect combination. Even if you’re super hardworking, if your timing is off in terms of what the market trend is right now, you’re not going to leave a mark,” Ms. Hernandez said.
“This is the age of disruption. The digital platforms made everything more accessible and readily available. But disruption is a double-edged sword. With millions of artists trying to break through, and endless content supply that is readily available to the public, artists must be brilliant and creative enough to set himself apart from the rest of the herd,” Ms. Remolacio added.
The number of Filipino artists who can make a living making music in the country is so small that, in all her time spent doing fieldwork in the Philippines, Ms. Schoop mostly encountered musicians who, like Ms. Hernandez, had to have day jobs to make ends meet.
“More generally (not limited to the Philippine context) selling music as a product has become less lucrative and less important; the live sector has become more important. This also includes the sale of merch [merchandise] at shows,” she said.
“I do not have access to figures here but… from the experience of friends who run labels or are musicians platforms like Spotify are more about exposure that about actually making money.”
Ms. Benedicto agreed. There is still a healthy number of people keeping the live sector afloat, bolstered by the sales of merchandise like zines, freebies, stickers, posters, and downloadable codes.
“It’s like that if you’re indie. The recording doesn’t make you the money. It’s the bookings,” she said, adding that many fans today are happy to pay to see and support their idols live.
In an ideal world, Ms. Benedicto noted, music and the arts are meant to be free. As methods of self-expression, she said they are truly meant to be shared and appreciated by everyone. Copyright, along with the institutions and industries that have risen around it, are legal fixes only put in place to protect artists from exploitation. Sophisticated as such institutions have become, especially in the wake of the digital revolution, music as its core hasn’t changed.
“Music is about connecting to people,” she said.
CONNECTION
Digital technology then is not a panacea for the ills that for so long have plagued the industry. But it has changed what music can become for artists and listeners alike, closing a gap between art and audience that before was unfathomable.
With so much music available nowadays, one would think that achieving a genuine connection with a song is more a product of serendipity than artistry. However, never has it been easier to find and personally connect with music than in the era of Big Data, where algorithms like Spotify’s Discover Weekly tailor-fits a different, specific playlist of songs for each user every week, and YouTube’s Suggested Videos sidebar which accounts for roughly 75% to 80% of the Philippine record industry’s views.
While the exposure does not necessarily translate into adequate monetary compensation, for many it’s simply enough to be heard.
“The fans are the people who give reason for artists to continue,” IV of Spades said.
“[Independent artists] are not people-pleasers in a way. They don’t sing to make money and they don’t sing to please a lot of people. Most sing to please themselves and express themselves,” Ms. Benedicto said.
Ms. Schoop added, “I am still fascinated by the endurance of many artists. They often work long hours during the day, some have family responsibilities, and still play shows late at night — often putting up with the insane traffic to get to the venues. I really have lots of respect for that.”
Algorithm-based as it is, the relationship formed between artist and audience is no less genuine. Ms. Hernandez recalled that night at the UP Fair as one of the highlights of her music career.
“As much as there are many practical struggles, for me it’s still those little moments why I do what I do. That’s the goal,” she said.
“For me, I don’t find pleasure in just playing or making music. I think the reason why I really enjoy music is the connection it creates with people. That I can make a song and then this total stranger can hear it and she might feel that this person knows me or that they’re not so alone.”
“That sort of became what I want to do in life: to connect with people, help people out. Music is just one way for me to do that,” she added.
Moving forward, it is unclear whether the issue-laden YouTube and Spotify model of consuming music will be the conclusive way for artists to receive their due. With technological progress speeding up each passing year, it’s difficult to tell whether the recent recovery of the music industry is a sign of things to come, or simply a hopeful rally before its continued decline. What is clear is that for as long as intimate connections like that can be found, and for as long as humanity’s ceaseless need to create art endures, the industry has yet more music to play.

A Taste of Creativity

��ý — Thu, 06 Dec 2018 16:30:40 +0000

By Emicon Mendenilla and Nina Tesoro-Poblador

What in the world is this nebulous construct called creativity, anyway? The mere mention of the buzzword can make even the most erudite tongue-tied. Vastly cited Italian behavioural scientist Paolo Legrenzi describes creativity as a justification of artistry. In his 2013 publication, Creativity and Innovation, he cites architect Vittorio Gregotti: “Every work of architecture seems to be justified by the term creativity, which by now is used to define every aesthetic act (diffused aesthetics has overwhelmed us) with which designers, advertisers, stylists, architects and many other professions justify their ‘artistry.’”
Patis Tesoro discovered early in her career that this God-given gift is apparently scarce in the local design industry. In fact, her late husband Tito Tesoro was hesitant to reprint her 1994 book, The Art of Philippine Embellishment, as they noticed her designs were being knocked off by more and more businesses. By early 2000, countless imitations filled retail establishments across the metro. Such blatant reproduction made Ms. Tesoro wonder how creativity can be accurately defined, and hence, nurtured. But if genuinely artistic creativity inspires replication, said Mr. Legrenzi, then truly beautiful creations are destined for imitation.
As Ms. Tesoro pondered over how budding artists can honestly create and not merely imitate, she decided to stage “Patikim ni Patis: Product Testing in a Garden Setting” on Oct. 27, at her workshop and residence in San Pablo, Laguna. Her main intention was to initiate a practical discourse on creativity by inviting both experienced and budding artist-entrepreneurs to subject themselves to constructive feedback from the marketplace, which would fuel idea-generation while refining their products and recreating themselves.
In an attempt to deepen the understanding of creativity and its process, Mr. Legrenzi mentioned psychologist Philip Johnson-Laird’s theory on creativity which posed four principles, namely: novelty or new idea; non-determinism; constraints; and the use of collected elements that trigger or feed the creative process (Paolo Legrenzi, Creativity and Innovation, 2013).
These four principles are complemented by some of the categories of creativity discussed by Claribel Bartolome in her article: “Filipino Conceptualizations of Creativity” (Philippine Studies, vol. 39, no. 2, 1991, pp. 212-220). We used concepts from both scholars as a rough guide for our examination of creativity, in light of the works of the “Patikim” artists.
CREATIVITY AS NOVELTY OR NEW IDEA
As one of the most common characteristics of creativity, the novelty that comes with a creation or the freshness of an idea, is a basic requirement. A product may be deemed truly creative if it presents a certain level of newness, something that has never been done before.
German-Filipina textile artist Annatha Lilo Gutierrez, exhibited her ethereal balabals (shawls) alongside Buddhist goddess-themed estampitas (holy cards) and tapises (over skirts) at “Patikim.” Known for her masterful use of silk dyes applied to textile, traditional materials such as jusi, �辱ñ��, habotai silk, or liniwan shifu serve as the canvas for hand-painted religious icons and inspirational images to create wearable art. Of the process she says: “It is labor intensive, involving crochet, quilting, and beading. Beads and semi-precious stones are hand-sewn on my paintings. Quilting sets the artwork evenly and firmly on the fabric.”

Apart from inventiveness and originality, creativity as aesthetics is mentioned by Ms. Bartolome. Here, the aesthetic value of the creative product is stressed, apart from its functionality. Among gifted young designer Clarisse Provido’s new line of accessories launched at “Patikim” was the Hiyas Bag. The hard case clutch was formed in the shape of the native giant clam, covered in a combination of handwoven materials: nito, raffia, and abaca, then finished with a brass buckle and button. “This purse gives the right amount of elegance to more formal tropical gatherings,” Ms. Provido suggested.
FREEDOM, NON-DETERMINISM, AND MINDFULNESS
Creativity as a non-deterministic activity considers the freedom of choice artists exercise in their process, such that it is not limited to conforming to previously set rules or requirements. Mr. Legrenzi mentioned a 35-mm film featuring Pablo Picasso drawing on a spotless wall, which exposed his candid approach to deciding what to do next as he finished his work.
In this manner, Ms. Bartolome cites the element of fluency as integral to creativity. She said, “Creativity is the ease with which one can generate ideas and translate such ideas into forms easily understood and appreciated by others.” At “Patikim,” Escolta habitués Bianca Holganza of Alaala Sala, Daniela Calumba, and Celine Mallari of Rumpus Studios, demonstrated fluency in their merchandise.
Alaala Sala is a creator of handmade and vintage mementos such as pounded brass cuffs, while Daniela Calumba produces vegan beauty products, beeswax wraps, and ethical jewelry. Rumpus Studios’ ultra chic Celine Mallari was particularly proud of her linen robes, which were ingeniously fashioned to use a single continuous piece of fabric. The soft jackets featured raglan sleeves and came in deep blue, white, and khaki.
Picasso spontaneously imagined on his feet and drew aimlessly. He exemplified mindful art therapy, where one is in the present moment and can simply let go of judgment, fear, or deterministic processes. Mindfulness-centered therapies and art activities, therefore support freedom and non-determinism in Johnson-Laird’s theory of creativity.
Joyz Dinsay of Nine Lives PH, a one-year-old brand of charming fabric statement earrings, revealed that she found solace in her craft while dealing with her father’s sudden illness and her own ruminations. Recently, she had what she called her “Project Runway moment” while preparing for “Patikim.” The adrenaline surged when, a mere week before the affair, Ms. Tesoro gave her retasos (cloth scraps), which the Baguio-born artist was tasked to incorporate into her pieces. Ms. Dinsay recounted how Ms. Tesoro’s straightforward comments were key in conceiving more elaborate pieces which eventually sold well at the event.
Mindfulness can also be attributed to the work of blossoming author and surreal impressionist painter Bianca Young Co. At “Patikim,” she read a powerful poem on mental health awareness called “The Necklace,” from her self-published book: The Shitstorms and Rainbows of Naivety. The collection of writings not only presented a confrontation with life’s uncertainties, but also provided a warm embrace of its imperfections. So moved by her poetry, “Patikim” subsequently became an impromptu book signing for Ms. Co and her first wave of readers.

CONSTRAINTS AS STEPPING STONES
At “Patikim,” negative comments were welcomed — encouraged even — as they are necessary stepping stones crucial to the creative process, and is thus congruent with another principle of Johnson-Laird’s theory.
Ms. Tesoro and her crew are themselves continuously open to constructive criticism. In fact, “Patikim” was also a dry run for them, as they simulated the reopening of the Patis Tito Garden Café in February 2019. She strongly encouraged guests to give the creators, vendors, and her team the feedback they needed to improve. As she emphasized during the event’s afternoon program, “this is a learning process for everyone.”
Constraints are also the roadblocks or challenges entrepreneurs encounter along the way. Ms. Bartolome mentions the element of flexibility in creativity as necessary because “new ideas, approaches or products are seen as answers to problems where existing or stereotyped approaches no longer work or have become less efficient.”
A duo of former corporate professionals, Valerie Fischer and Skeeter Turgut recently conceived Pinas Sadya: a marketing service innovation that curates and aggregates “purposeful joy-giving Filipino products.” The business idea was actualized after Ms. Fischer recounted her exciting but harrowing adventures in sourcing local products for her upcoming wedding such as getting lost trying to find the workshop of a supplier, which made her wish that there was a one-stop-shop for all her Filipiniana lifestyle needs. The online store is set to launch in early 2019.
TRIGGERING THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Ms. Tesoro, one of Philippine fashion’s top designers, admitted that she is not free from the pitfalls of creative blocks. Whenever it hits her, she turns to gardening, watching TV, or any activity that will take her mind off her works-in-progress. When asked if she merely waits for the spark to reappear in order to create again, she then suggested the benefits of a more proactive approach: research.
The proactivity of research is aligned with the principle of Johnson-Laird’s theory in that it is necessary to use collected elements that trigger or feed the creative process. For “Patikim,” Ms. Tesoro’s main artwork was her latest architectural feat, At’s Place: A Creative Retreat, named after artist-photographer At Maculangan, who originally built the weekend getaway for his family and friends to enjoy.
Ms. Bartolome included elaboration as a category of creativity which involves “making new formulations out of existing ones through improvisation, and the ability to modify a prototype model.” Ms. Tesoro built on Mr. Maculangan’s original structure by extending the living space, and then adding accents that exude her unique style: such as the endemic flora and fauna trompe l’oeil painted on the ceilings, posts, and staircase. Surrounded by a garden with a wide variety of flowers, edible plants, and trees, it is a place for mindful activities, while receiving the psychological benefits of being one with nature. In this way Ms. Tesoro practiced creativity as synthesis, by building on the work of a colleague, so that their inadvertent collaboration became a testament to their friendship.

NEWNESS AND INNOVATION VS REPLICATION
Mr. Legrenzi stated that “creativity inspires replication.” Therefore, it can motivate others to either seriously challenge themselves and indeed make something totally new, or to simply adapt elements into their own outputs in the hopes of earning the same recognition. Ms. Bartolome, however, stressed that at its core, a creative work is inventive and original. If patterns and adornments have been employed in exactly the same manner, it is safe to consider it a replica, and even void of creative talent. If it has been translated to the creator’s unique vision and interpreted in her own style, thus giving birth to an original piece, then it is a product of true creativity. Ms. Bartolome maintains that, “Newness is novelty out of the ordinary; a change from the regular way of doing things, renovation, rejuvenation or regeneration.”
Zarah Juan, celebrated contemporary Filipiniana designer known for her signature creations such as a funky jeepney-shaped wicker bag, was most impressed by how the budding entrepreneurs presented such clear visions of their burgeoning brands. “Their high level of confidence shows a deep commitment and passion for their craft.” Ms. Juan is a champion of indigenous artisans as she has successfully helped various communities become centers of sustainable livelihood. She was joined at “Patikim” by some of the founders of the Arte Fino pop up bazaar, which happens at least once a year, and features up-to-date homegrown items.
Ms. Bartolome also mentions “tangible manifestations of creativity as having a functional purpose aside from aesthetic satisfaction,” which should benefit the common good. Just like how indigo natural dye artisan Yana Ofrasio zealously communicated her mission to generate appreciation and respect for malatayum (the endemic source of the coveted deep blue hue) to the “Patikim” audience. “Creativity is piecing together what you love to do and what you’re good at, then using that to help people care and see good in the world again,” Ms. Ofrasio declared.
BREWING THE SPARK
“You don’t wait for the spark. You work towards that spark,” Ms. Tesoro exclaimed, when asked how she manifests original ideas. In a similar manner, Ms. Provido accepts that the spark is sometimes elusive, which helps in overcoming a creative hump. “Creativity and inspiration are never passive, they are constantly in motion,” she said. Creative block occurs when artists, designers, and writers complain of being drained of fresh ideas, or being devoid of inspiration to produce something new, may it be a painting, a product, or a story.
Mr. Legrenzi may have a solution for overcoming blocks when he tried to address a yet broader question, can we actually learn to be truly creative? Though he admitted that “no one will ever be able to provide us with an algorithm for creativity or innovation,” he suggested self examination as a first step in getting one’s creative juices flowing. By reassessing if the block is concrete or abstract, the solutions become within reach.
If a block is manifested in the real world — a need for a better workplace, for instance — the problem can be logically addressed (i.e. renting a co-working space). The complication arises when it is abstract or exists only in the mind of the creator or of others. In this case, Mr. Legrenzi names empathy, social creativity, and emotional intelligence, as helpful in overcoming constraints.
NURTURING CREATIVES
Driven with a vision to inspire and hone creativity, inaugurating At’s Place for “Patikim” was a big first step for Patis Tesoro’s team, as they move closer to launching a series of mentorship programs in February 2019, called SINULID or Space for Innovative Universal Lifestyle and Indigenous Design. SINULID workshops aim to provide an experience of convalescence through creativity. The modules are currently being fully defined but generally, SINULID will carry on what “Patikim” started — gathering thriving artisans in a creative retreat and immersing them in activities that will further hone their craft.
The “Patikim ni Patis” experience can also be considered an act of coming home. Creatives and enthusiasts congregated in an unassuming and fresh environment where they were free to express their passion for the homegrown and the handmade. There was respect, appreciation, and love for Filipiniana arts and crafts. Just like a nurturing home.

Spreading unity through music

��ý — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 16:31:26 +0000

By Michelle Anne P. Soliman, Reporter
A HARMONIOUS string instrumental of “Habanera” from George Bizet’s opera, Carmen filled the living room of the Gaston Mansion in Silay City, Negros Occidental — considered as “the seat of arts and culture in Western Visayas.”
The music produced by bandurrias, 12-string guitars, and a double bass was performed by the Santa Rosalia Rondalla — made up of the children of farmers at the Hacienda Santa Rosalia. The ensemble comes together to train once a week.
HOW IT BEGAN
The rondalla in the Philippines dates back from the Spanish colonial period.
According to an essay titled, “A Brief History of the Philippine Rondalla” by Loen Vitto and Laverne dela Peña at the Strings of Unity official website, “the rondalla is a plucked string ensemble composed of instruments belonging to the lute and cittern families,” which consists of five sections: the bandurria, octavina, laud, guitarra (guitar), and bajo (bass).
The string instruments are played with a guitar pick. Its sound is distinguished by the distinct tinkling sound at sections of the musical arrangements.
At the time of its emergence in the country, the rondalla performed around the streets of a town and in public gatherings.
“We inherited it from Spain but we sort of modified the rondalla to express our very own musicality as well as our emotions,” National Artist for Music Dr. Ramon P. Santos, the International Rondalla festival’s director, said at a press conference on Nov. 4 in Silay City prior the opening festivities.
But in the last few decades, the popularity of the rodalla has waned.
“During the American time, the rondallas used to be played in the ships. So that was part of the evolution of rondalla in the Philippines,” Dr. Santos told ��ý. “But then after that, the [popularity of the] rondalla began to subside and it only began to play to accompany folk dances.”
Dr. Santos recalled film score composer Juan Silos, Jr. who wrote compositions for rondalla in the 1970s. “He made a lot of recordings on the rondalla. But then after that period, the rondalla laid low.”
STRINGS OF UNITY
The rondalla became a regular category of the prestigious National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) when Dr. Santos was its secretary-general in 1996.
In 2004, Dr. Santos headed the National Music Committee of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) when they established Cuerdas sang Paghiliusa (Strings of Unity): International Rondalla Festival as a flagship project and a model activity of the ManyMusics Action Programme of UNESCO’s International Music Council to sustain and enhance musical diversity. Strings of Unity is held every three years.
Dr. Santos chose to advocate for the awareness of the rondalla because, compared to other musical performances and traditional instruments, it “represents the whole country” since “it is performed from Appari to Jolo.”
The 5^th International Rondalla Festival was held from Nov. 3 to 11 in Silay City. The festival attracted 21 local and international groups. The performers from France, India, Iran, Israel, South Korea, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Portugal, played their own plucked instruments which were, in many cases quite different from those that local rondallas play. The local groups — which went through an audition process — were from Silay City; Metro Manila; Bogo City; Dipolog City; the Municipality of Candelaria, Quezon; and Dumaguete City.
According to Mary Katherine Trangco, president of the Asian Composers League Philippines, which is one of the NCCA’s partner agencies in festival, the focus of the festival is to discover its possibilities of how rondalla can be performed, adding that aside from folk music, classical and popular music may also be arranged for the rondalla.
“Dati hindi mo ito maririnig sa concert halls, pero ngayon may competitions na for this. So ’yung ibig sabihin, ’yung mga sariling atin ay nabibigyan na rin ng importansiya, nabibigyang atensyon, magandang bagay ’yun. Patuloy siyang mabubuhay (It used to be that you would not hear it in concert halls, but today, there are competitions for it. What it means is that we are already giving importance and attention to it. That’s a good thing. It will continue to thrive),” Ms. Trangco told members of the media prior to the opening festivities.
This year’s opening ceremonies were held at the Natalio G. Velez Sports and Cultural Center in Silay City (Silay City Gym) where the Barrocade-Naya Ensemble from Israel performed vocal belting songs; the Taiwan Bamboo Orchestra and the Taipei Guzheng Ensemble from Taiwan rendered mellow instrumental arrangements; and Hope to Hop Africa of Uganda showcased distinctive calming African songs. It concluded with the energetic performance of Silay’s award-winning group, the Kabataang Silay Rondalla Ensemble, with songs including National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab’s “Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika” and the Beatles’ “And I Love Her.”
Outreach performances, conferences, and workshops were also held around the city to educate and expand repertoire knowledge of Filipino pieces, as well as promote cultural exchange among the international groups.
For Ms. Trangco, creating new music is like cooking a classic dish with new ingredients. “The basic ensemble is the same but how you play the instrument — the sound and inspiration for the songwriting broadens. That leads to development.”
Dr. Santos highlighted the experience as a valuable takeaway of the participants from the festival. “It is also an opening up of their world into the plucked string traditions of the world. That’s very important because then they are able to acquire new techniques of playing plucked strings,” he said.
Ms. Trangco stressed that learning an art takes time and discipline. “It teaches you discipline. A lot of people think that everything is instant. In the arts, you need to develop the skills. Kailangan mong hintayin na gumaling ka (You need to bide your time until you can do it well). You have to work for it.”
“This is a continuing effort to forge unity among nations and is part of the search for peace understanding between peoples that share a common humanity and a common global environment,” Dr. Santos said of the festival’s goals.
As for future plans, Dr. Santos hopes to invite an ensemble from Spain. “We would like to invite more countries [to the festival] especially Spain. We have not had a Spanish rondalla here. That’s something to look forward to.”

An unforgettable city

��ý — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 16:30:24 +0000

Text and photos by Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Associate Editor

“STOP MASS TOURISM.” The bright red letters were stencilled on a tourist map sign near the Roman Wall ruins in Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella (Old Town).
It’s not difficult to see why some Barcelona residents are not too welcoming of tourists. Catalonia’s capital city of 1.6 million permanent residents received around 32 million tourists in 2017, and it often feels as though Barcelona is bursting at the seams.
Once the cruise ships dock, a tsunami of tourists descend on La Rambla, a picturesque pedestrian street that runs from Port Vell to Placa de Catalunya.
Lined with trees and tacky souvenir shops, La Rambla is sadly what most tourists think Barcelona is all about — giant mugs of sangria, overpriced and bland paella, and, unfortunately, pickpockets and scam artists.
The crush of tourists can also make it impossible to take a decent photo of the giant Joan Miro circle mosaic on the pavement, or get a sip of water from the Font de Canaletes.
An inscription on the floor next to the Font de Canaletes suggests that anyone who drinks from the fountain will return to Barcelona. (I was a bit skeptical when I did it the first time, but I guess since I did return to Barcelona this year, there must be some truth to it. And, no, I did not get sick from drinking the water.)
Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria or simply La Boqueria is another top tourist draw, with its entrance along La Rambla. It’s best to visit when it just opens at around 9 a.m. so you can take a close look at the offerings — from fresh seafood and fruits to olives, jamon Iberico, and cheese.
La Boqueria is also a good place to have breakfast, since some bars like El Pinotxo and Quim open at 7 a.m. on some days. Avoid going here around lunchtime, since you’ll probably end up frustrated at not getting a seat at the popular bars.
A lesser known food market is Mercat de Santa Caterina, which is built on the former site of the Convent of Santa Caterina. Despite its colorful curvy rooftop and Instagrammable food stalls, the market isn’t quite on the radar of most tourists (yet).
One good thing about La Rambla is if you turn into one of the side streets, you’re sure to find something interesting.
In my case, I found myself in the middle of Placa de la Seu. The plaza is dominated by the Barcelona Catheral (Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia). It has an impressive Gothic facade, but is mostly overlooked as more tourists flock to the Sagrada Familia.
Unlike the Sagrada though, entrance to Barcelona Cathedral is free. The 15^th century cathedral is dedicated to the Barcelona’s co-patron saint — Eulalia, who was martyred when she was 13 years old after she refused to deny that Jesus was the son of God. Her body lies inside the cathedral’s crypt.
The cathedral’s 14^th century cloister courtyard offers an oasis from the crowds outside. Thirteen white geese mill about the courtyard with a fountain and a statue of Barcelona’s co-patron saint St. George. The number of geese represents St. Eulalia’s age.
GAUDI
A trip to Barcelona would not be complete without a visit to at least one — or maybe four — of architect Antoni Gaudi’s creations.
His most famous work is the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, which attracted 4.52 million tourists in 2017. Work on the cathedral started in 1883, but was stalled in 1926 when Gaudi died after being hit by a trolley.
Construction on the cathedral continues, and our Sagrada Familia tour guide claimed it will be completed by 2026.
Park Güell is the second most-visited attraction in Barcelona, with 3.12 million tourists flocking here in 2017. Businessman Eusebi Güell, who owned the property, tapped Gaudi to create a private housing estate or a “garden city.” While it never became the residential community Güell envisioned, Park Güell was opened to the public by the Barcelona City Council in 1926.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Park Güell’s most popular site is the Nature Square where visitors can sit on curved benches covered in mosaic tiles and enjoy the view of the city. Some parts of the square, however, are currently undergoing restoration.
Because of the extreme popularity of Sagrada Familia and Park Güell, it is best to book tickets in advance since these are almost always sold out.
There are several Gaudi-designed buildings throughout Barcelona, such as Casa Batllo, Casa Mila (La Pedrera), Palau Güell, Casa Vinces, and Casa Calvet.
Casa Batllo is hard to miss in Passeig de Gracia with its mosaic-covered, skeleton-inspired facade. Gaudi had worked on the house for businessman Josep Batllo Casanovas. He created balconies that resemble masks and covered it with colored glass windows.
Inside Casa Batllo, the rooms are empty but this allows visitors to pay close attention to the details like the mushroom-shaped fireplace nook, cantenary arches, wavy ceiling, and the building well decorated with tiles in five shades of blue.
Casa Batllo’s roof terrace is quite small, but there is no shortage of camera-toting tourists here. According to a tour guide, the small turret symbolizes the sword of St. George (Barcelona’s patron) plunged into the back of the dragon represented by the colorful arched roof.
Just a short walk away is Casa Mila (La Pedrera), which has a curvy limestone facade. La Pedrera is often described as the perfect example of how Gaudi was inspired by nature.
The attic has been converted into a museum dedicated to Gaudi’s works, but it’s hard to pay attention when the 270 parabolic arches make you feel slightly claustrophobic. On the fourth floor of Casa Mila, visitors can walk through an apartment that shows how a well-to-do family lived in Barcelona in the early 20^th century.
Casa Mila also has a roof terrace with spectacular views of the city, as well as 28 chimneys that look like beefy ancient warriors.
Just off La Rambla, Gaudi fans can also find lamp posts designed by the Spanish architect in Placa Reial.
EL BORN DISTRICT
If you’re sick of Gaudi, escape to the El Born district. This is a charming neighborhood where you can easily get lost but find unique shops and cozy bars along the way.
Of course, there’s the Picasso Museum, tucked away in a narrow alley. A must-see for fans of Spain’s greatest artist, the museum has over 4,000 works by Pablo Picasso, who was born in Malaga but spent much of his adolescence in Barcelona.
The El Born Cultural and Memorial Center was once the location of the local market, but excavation work revealed the archaeological remains of a Barcelona district in 1700s. The building is inspired by the cast iron architecture of the 19^th century.
But the place to get away from it all is Parc de la Ciutadella. The highlight is the Cascada, designed by Josep Fontsere and his then-student Gaudi. Echoing Rome’s Trevi Fountain, here the fountain’s center features a statue of Venus, while on top, a Aurora and her chariot is seen.
Here you can find a bench or a spot under a tree, sit back and just soak it all in. Barcelona, despite the hordes of tourists, is still one unforgettable city.

Discovering Surabaya’s spices and steams

��ý — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 16:12:30 +0000

By Maya M. Padillo, Correspondent
AS THE crow flies, or an airplane would, Surabaya in Indonesia’s Java Island would just be two hours away from my hometown of Davao in the Philippines’ southern island of Mindanao.
But as existing air transport services do not have direct flights between the two places, it’s quite a long way around to get there, involving three flights — first to Manila, then to Brunei, and finally to the port city in East Java.
It’s worth it though, especially if you are a foodie.
Our recent trip, organized by Vernon Prieto of Expat Communications Inc. and Adjie Wahjono of Aneka Kartika Travels and Tour, was mostly spent hotel-hopping and sampling familiar Indonesian dishes and delicacies unique to Java.
Breakfast at the Bumi Surabaya City Resort was a feast, not just for the stomach, but also for the eyes.
There were the traditional nasi goreng (Indonesian stir-fried rice) and bubur ayam (chicken porridge), and a colorful spread of sweets with klepon (coconut rice balls) and daral (crepes), among other goodies.
The Tugu Hotel in Malang, a highland area and considered the second main city in East Java after Surabaya, offers afternoon tea with choices of traditional Javanese streetfood snacks and a variety of local tea, coffee, and herbal drinks.
The Roti Tugu Bakery, considered the best homemade goods shop in East Java, not just makes bread and cakes, but also serves Malang delicacies, ice cream, and steak dishes that are a reminder of the Dutch colonial times.
Hotel Plataran Bromo, meanwhile, is known for serving the best ayam goreng — chicken deep fried in coconut oil with bakwan jagung (corn fritter) — in these parts.
For a seafood overload, IBC (Ikan Bakar Cianjur) in Pandaan is the place to go.
Among IBC restaurant’s bestsellers are gurame bakar (grilled fish), gurame goreng (fried fish), nila pesmol (fish with yellow spices ), and sop ikan (fish soup). And they also do tumis kangkung (sautéed water spinach), pucuk labu (sauted pumpkin shoots ), ayam kampung goreng (fried chicken), and tahu goreng (fried tofu).
“We use lots of spices… so Indonesian dishes have rich flavors, most often described as savory, hot and spicy,” said our tour guide, Agustina Setiarini.
I am not a fan of chili, but the trip in Surabaya started me on a love for sambal, both the well-known red variety and sambal kecap, which is black with soy sauce mixed in.
MT. BROMO
We did burn some of all that calorie intake with a trek in Mt. Bromo, among the many active volcanoes in the Indonesian archipelago.
Located within the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, it is the only conservation area in Indonesia with a sand and sea expanse of about 2,125 hectares.
After a 30-minute ride on an old 4×4 Land Cruiser, we reached the 10-kilometer Tengger caldera inside the Semeru park.
From there, we got individual horse rides, then hiked 253 steps up to the edge of the steaming crater.
Our other stops — in between eating, of course — were the House of Sampoerna, which is a museum and a cigarette factory; the Taman Safari Prigen, a sprawling drive-through natural preserve that is home to such animals as lions, tigers, wild buffalo, komodo dragons, rhinoceros, and bison; Citraland, dubbed as the “Singapore of Surabaya”; and a walk through Surabaya’s Arab Quarter ending at the Mesjid Ampel, considered the most sacred mosque in Surabaya.
Indonesian Consul General Berlian Napitupulu, who is based in Davao City, has been actively pushing for stronger Indonesia-Philippine trade and tourism ties, particularly between the neighboring islands dotting the Celebes and Java Seas.
“We must have a sustainable cooperation,” said Mr. Napitupulu.
Direct transport links would surely be one way of achieving that.
Surabaya is a most interesting place to visit, offering food and nature adventures that many Filipino family and young travelers would enjoy.
Maybe someday soon, it would be easier, quicker, and cheaper to get there.
Royal Brunei Airlines flies a same-day-connect service from Manila to Surabaya via Brunei Darussalam twice a week.

Catanduanes: heritage, surfing, and island hopping

��ý — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 16:11:12 +0000

CATANDUANES — located in the archipelago’s Pacific seaboard off mainland Bicol region — promises pleasant surprises and lives up to its moniker as “The Happy Island” despite its seeming obscurity.
With an extensive coastline, this island province offers stunning beaches minus the madding crowd. The lack of high-end tourist facilities is compensated for by the abundance of its back-to-nature offerings, all withthe perfect-coned Mayon Volcano as a backdrop.
In Virac town — the aerial gateway, provincial capital, and center of commerce, transport, and tourist services in the province — it is highly recommended that visitors drop by the provincial tourism office at the restored the Old Capitol for travel tips and documentation of tourist arrivals.
A tourist’s itinerary should include a visit to Museo de Catanduanes for a glimpse of the local heritage, and if a tour of the museum in pre-arranged, guests can be regaled by the Padadyaw sa Tinampo, a folk dance of couples which mimics the courtship of the doves. Also called the Pantomina, the dance is performed to welcome special visitors or during social events such as the recent Catandungan Festival which marked the province’s foundation day
A meaningful part of a traveller’s itinerary is planting a tree under the “One Tourist, One Tree” program which has been going on for almost five years now. The program was was the result of suggestions by foreign tourists who were impressed by the province’s forest cover. Catanduanes has 60,000 hectares of forests — considered as the largest green area in Bicol — which includes the 26,010-hectare Watershed Forest Reserve, 1,500 hectares of old- and second-growth forests, and vast abaca plantations which are home to rare species of wildlife.
The Philippines’ top producer of abaca fiber, the province is listed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as among the country’s most important centers of biodiversity.
One of the province’s resorts which can be used as a home base while exploring the area is the Twin Rock Beach Resort. Among its amenities and recreational facilities are swimming pools, a zipline, a zipbike, watersports equipment, and a customized vintage Volkswagen van that guests can drive around with.
While in Virac, foodies can try the wide array of Bicol cuisine, seafood and crop-based dishes served in home-grown restaurants. There are also a number of cozy coffee shops and watering holes around town.
Nearby is the quaint riverine town of Bato, home to two Spanish-era religious spots — the Shrine of the Holy Cross, where the first cross in Catanduanes was planted, and the Baroque-style St. John the Baptist Church.
The town is also the home of the Maribina Falls — a three-layer cascade which ends in ice-cold natural swimming basins all tucked away within lush vegetation — and the islets of Patag, Carorian Japanese Kaidan, Seaside Waterfalls, Poseidon’s Rock, and Pinta Beach, all of which can be accessed via a chartered outrigger boat.
A must-see is the Puraran Beach in Baras, a fine cream sand beach which is now a surfing playground nicknamed “Majestic” because of its adrenaline-pumping waves. This once-remote spot has become a tourist colony, events and party place, and hosts surfing tourneys.
Up north in Gigmoto is the Nahulugan Falls, a three tier cascade which creates spectacular sprays.
Then there is the Tuwad-Tuwadan Lagoon, a tidal pool in Pandan town. Tucked in the midst of a rock formation is a pool of crystal clear blue-green water, deep enough for a low cliff dive. To get to it one passes the Cagnipa Rolling Hills, a welcoming vista where sky meet the sea.
Island hoppers will enjoy Palumbanes and Calabagio isles whose turquoise waters teem with marine life, ideal for snorkeling and a potential site for scuba diving.
With more attractions being uncovered and more tourist activities being introduced annually, every visit to Catanduanes is a new adventure.

Remember me

��ý — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 16:31:43 +0000

By Joseph L. Garcia
Reporter

FOR millennia, humans have sought for ways to preserve their dead, perhaps as a way for the bereaved to remember, and for the deceased to be remembered. Since the body also served as a shell for the spirit, it was also believed by many ancient cultures that a well-preserved body, possibly better and purer than it had been in life, guaranteed a person to live beyond death in a comfortable afterlife. An incorrupt body could also be seen as a reflection of the soul: in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faiths, the body of an extraordinarily good person that has been revealed to be intact after death just may place one on the path to sainthood — a prerequisite being that this body has not been preserved through embalming, but by some miracle. Examples of these saints would be St. Bernadette and Saint Elizabeth, of the Catholic and Orthodox faiths, respectively.
However, the art, science, and business of embalming, the preservation of the body to arrest decomposition, really took off during the 1800s. The Victorian preoccupation with death was a factor, but so was the practical reason of preserving the bodies of soldiers killed during the American Civil War. Since these bodies may have been killed in combat zones far from home, they had to be returned to their families whole; a small mercy for the loss of life. A zenith for the art of embalming was the corpse of Eva “Evita” Peron, the wife of Argentine dictator Juan Peron. The hugely popular former actress and later political figure died in 1952, and was embalmed by Dr. Pedro Ara over a series of treatments that lasted over a year. Evita, knowing the immortality her image would achieve in death, had her hair dyed blonde and her nails painted red right before she died. Her body was soaked and pumped full of chemicals, and a thin and clear coating was placed over her skin. The result was a marvelous corpse, enviable as a Sleeping Beauty. Her well-preserved body would haunt her husband’s successors, as it served as an enduring symbol of her husband’s regime. After a disappearance of 16 years, it was finally laid to rest in the 1970s in a very secure tomb; to sleep undisturbed and undisturbing through the ages.
EMBALMER TO THE STARS
In the Philippines, Arlington Memorial Chapels and Crematory serves as embalmer to the stars: actors Rico Yan and Fernando Poe, Jr. received their treatments in death, and visitors to their wakes noted the beauty of their resting faces and their likeness to life. It has also filled in the role of embalmer to several other celebrities and various political figures. The company was founded in 1985, after the father of Rafael Jose purchased Funeraria Nacional in 1982. Mr. Jose now sits as the company’s president, inheriting it from his father. Businessworld sat down with him and Victoria Pagayon, Embalming Supervisor, a week before All Souls’ Day in their offices in Quezon City.
No school in the Philippines teaches Mortuary Science, which is readily available as a degree course in other countries. All embalmers here receive their training and licensure from the Department of Health (DoH). Arlington, however, takes this a step further by getting trainers from the United States, usually from the companies which supply their embalming fluids. This initiative made Arlington one of the leaders in the business, leading for them to get numerous awards from the Funeral Directors Association of the Philippines (FDAP). Still, the lack of a proper degree for Mortuary Science may hamper the business, as Mr. Jose says, “We’re delayed in the processes that have been learned all over the world.”
Arlington specializes in the soft-embalming method, as opposed to the standard embalming method, using formaldehyde alone. Under the standard method, “What we end up getting is a body that’s as stiff as wood.” The plump and cheerful Mr. Jose knocked on a wooden table for emphasis. “Soft embalming is more natural,” he continued. “You get the natural feel of the remains of the body, It’s like the person is still the way they feel when they were alive.” Mr. Jose did not reveal all the components of the chemicals used in soft embalming, but he did say that lanolin, secreted by animals with soft wool, was an ingredient.
STEP BY STEP
Ms. Pagayon then began to take us through the steps of embalming — the final steps a person’s body takes in this world. The funeral home is called by the bereaved, and the body is transported to Arlington. The accompanying members of the family are taken to a room where details such as preferences and the length of the wake are discussed. The length of the wake is vital because it will determine the work of the embalmer. Ms. Pagayon, meanwhile, will wait for a go signal from the family.
“We have to have a next of kin sign it. Meaning, we have already ascertained the cause of death,” said Mr. Jose. “There are hospitals that sometimes say, ‘undetermined cause of death,’ which means the person arrived in the hospital and expired before they can do a full study of what happened.
“When that is the case, we are required to call the medico-legal office,” he added. “We’re required to have the body autopsied — not necessarily [for] a criminal investigation, but to determine the actual cause of death. Sometimes a private physician determines the cause of death.” There are multiple reasons for this: one being, a person who has died of a communicable disease such as SARS may not be embalmed and they will then have to cremate the body immediately. Another reason would be the presence of bullet holes, stab wounds, and other such injuries on the body, which might then prompt a criminal investigation.
Once the family gives its approval, they are then offered the opportunity to watch the embalming process. This isn’t for some morbid or sentimental reason, but for reasons of practicality. For example, a family is asked how they would want their dearly departed hands to rest. “Once we do the embalming process, the muscles harden. That will stay,” said Mr. Jose.
The first step is called in the industry as “setting the features” — a euphemistic term for making up the face of the dead. The family is asked to bring a picture of the deceased when they were healthy so the embalmers could have an image of what they looked like in life. The eyes are closed and fixed into place, and the sunken cheeks and other parts of the face are stuffed with cotton or injected with embalming fluid, to give it the appearance of fullness that might have been robbed by illness and death. The hair is dyed, and the face is made up, with cosmetics imported by Arlington. Sometimes, requests by the family for a certain shade and brand used by the deceased in life would be entertained. Ms. Pagayon says that there’s little difference in making up the face of a dead person from a living one, except perhaps that the dead have skin that has dried. Arlington also uses airbrush techniques instead, because it adheres to a face better. Some discoloration and disfigurement can be fixed by the embalmers: Ms. Pagayon recalled having to reconstruct a damaged nose.

Dr. Pedro Ara inspects Eva Peron’s embalmed corpse.

After that, the body is drained of its fluids from all its cavities, including the stomach and the lungs: anything that may decompose inside. It is then injected with preservative fluid, while the drained cavities are filled with the same. The whole process would take about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the body’s size. However, the full effect of the preservation method will be seen in about three to four hours, after the chemicals have fully penetrated into the body. The body is then washed, bathed, and clothed, and prepared for viewing. The whole process, from when the family first steps into Arlington, would take about four to six hours.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
It’s not exactly how you would want to live life: to leave the land of the living for that of the dead. Mr. Jose says that he was once destined for a life in finance, but his father urged him to stay with the company, even for just a year, and he sort of fell into it.
“It’s the times that your friends and the people that you serve come back and say thank you for having guided us,” that make the difference. He recalls people stopping him at malls to thank him for arranging funerals for their families. “That’s what keeps me doing what I’m doing. You know you’re able to help somebody, and they remember you. You might not remember them, but they’ll always remember you.”
For Ms. Pagayon’s part, she has received this compliment after the bereaved see their loved one: “Mas gwapo pa siya kaysa noong nabubuhay siya (He looks better than he did in life).”
“Whatever comforts them; whatever gives them peace and solace during that hard time, is what we’re supposed to be doing here. That’s the mission that was given to us. We become like family to them, guiding them through a hard time when they can’t even think about what to do next,” said Mr. Jose.
Mr. Jose sometimes encounters cases where the family will refuse a viewing, and instead asks for an immediate cremation. While he respects their wishes, he makes a final plea to the family. “We would like you to know that the reason we have wakes is for us to be able to acknowledge that the person has died,” he says. “If I don’t see a person in a casket… physically, before I cremate; chances are, the acceptance of the death is not going to come easily.”
Preserving a body for viewing also brings back a little bit of the person before their final farewell. “What’s going to stay in your mind is the last image of the person,” said Mr. Jose. So if one has died from a long illness or else in a traumatic way, a preserved and beautiful body can help take away that memory, and replace it with one of a person at peaceful rest, giving back a little bit of the life that had been taken away. After all, Mr. Jose says, “Is that the way you want to be remembered? You, sick; you, coughing?”
Mr. Jose was asked if he believes in an afterlife. “Yes, of course.”
“We’re responsible for the people who come through our doors. If there is an afterlife, we want them to look good. We want them to feel good.”

Faith, farming, and eco-tourism

��ý — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 16:30:46 +0000

AT first glance, Leyte’s Baybay City does not seem to be a sight-seeing destination. But a closer look reveals that it is emerging as Eastern Visayas’ hub for faith, farm, and eco-tourism — with a bit of a push by the Department of Tourism (DoT).
Declared a component city of Leyte in June 2007, Baybay has been quietly attracting visitors because of the unique convergence of these three tourism sectors.
FAITH TOURISM
Baybay is the home to the Diocesan Shrine of San Antonio de Padua, which draws hordes of pilgrims to venerate the century-old image of the saint which is believed to be miraculous.
Located in the coastal barangay of Pomponan, the shrine draws Catholics from around the country who venerate the saint every 13^th day of the month, although the devotion actually starts the day before. A traditional religious dance called sirong is performed during the saint’s feast day on June 13, two days before Baybay’s cityhood anniversary.
The church, which receives over 300,000 devotees a year, constantly ranks as the top cultural attraction in Region 8. This number is part of the more than 647,045 day visitors who swing by annually in Baybay, the highest in the region based on data from DoT-8.
Another religious spot in the city is the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception church, a classic example of a baroque structure whose construction was started in 1852 by Spanish friar Vicente Cronado and continued by Maestro Proceso.
Gutted by fire in 1866 — although the Holy Cross Chapel survived — the rebuilding of the church was completed in 1870. Sculptor and painter Capitan Mateo Espinoso applied the finishing touches to the house of worship.
The church is in the heart of the city’s “heritage lane” — an area full of well-preserved Spanish and American-era ancestral houses, several of which serve as living museums.
The parish celebrates its patron’s feast day on Dec. 27 and the city government started the Binaybayon Festival on that day to showcase the city’s rich cultural heritage.
FARM TOURISM
Baybay was showcasing its agriculture potential long before Republic Act 10816 — also known as the Farm Tourism Development Act 2016 — was signed into law.
This is thanks to the Visayas State University (VSU), which has been at the forefront of agricultural education and research and development. Formerly the Visayas State College of Agriculture, this sprawling school has been quietly sowing the seeds of farm tourism for decades with its vast gardens and demo farms.
Sandwiched between the Pangasugan mountain range and the Camotes Sea, this 1,479-hectare university houses the National Abaca Research Center, National Coconut Research Center-Visayas, the Philippine Root Crops Research and Training Center, and regional centers of agencies on agriculture and environment sciences.
The campus is conducive to learning thanks to its back-to-nature atmosphere and greenery which bring out the proverbial green thumb in every student and visitor.
Baybay is also the home of a 13,820-hectare coconut plantation, the biggest in Eastern Visayas, which attracted big agro-industries SC Global Coco Products, Inc. and SC Global Food Products, Inc. the world’s largest producer of organic coconut oil.
The city is also host to Ching Bee Trading Corp., the world’s biggest trader of abaca fiber, and Specialty Pulp Manufacturing, Inc., Asia’s biggest abaca pulp mill. These factories form the core of a specialized industrial tourism circuit for bench-marking of best practices and technologies.
ECO-TOURISM
The city has the longest coastline in Leyte, so it is not surprising to learn that its name literally means “beach.” It goes without saying that among its top tourist draws is its coast, bissected by rivers and streams emanating from the Pangasugan mountain range, which has remarkable flora and fauna.
Lintaon Peak, the highest point in the mountain range, offers a commanding view of the Camotes sea and the islands across the channel. As part of 10^th cityhood day last year, Baybay opened the 16,000 Blossoms Park, adorned by 16,000 LED lights, which brighten the mountain at night. The park is filled with white and red rose bushes in a grassy meadow whose arrangement forms the phrase “I Love Baybay.” The park will be developed into the Lintaon Ecotourism Zone, which will include an information center, view deck, pavilion, picnic areas, and tourist facilities.
The construction of a large statue of the Immaculate Conception is also being planned to make it a pilgrimage site to supplement the San Antonio de Padua Shrine.
Meanwhile, adventurers can explore the nearby Lintaon Cave, scale Mt. Pangasugan which served as a refuge of Filipino World War 2 guerillas, or dip at the rejuvenating waters of Bakwitan River and Falls.

A tranquil escape

��ý — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 16:02:17 +0000

By Michelle P. Soliman, Reporter
PALAWAN’s Dimakya Island is a tiny green jewel floating in a sea of deep blue that turns a clear aquamarine just before it touches the beach’s white sand.
The island — a 20-minute trip by land followed by a 30-minute boat ride from Coron — is where one finds the appropriately named Club Paradise resort.
It was towards the end of the lean season when we visited, and the resort was tranquil and the view was picturesque from any direction.
We were welcomed by the staff — mostly Palawan locals — waiting for us at the shoreline, greeting us with their hands to their chests.
“If you treat the staff as a family member, they would treat our guests the same. We invest heavily on keeping the staff happy,” said Club Paradise general manager Joegil M. Escobar.
The 19-hectare property, previously under German management, was acquired by the Discovery Group in 2013.
“We have staff engagement activities for them every year. We send them off to different properties of Discovery for exposure and activities in Manila for rest and recreation,” he said.
Since the Discovery Group’s acquisition of the resort, they keep up the motto: “Service That’s All Heart.”
“We want everyone to feel at home,” he said.
WHILE ON THE ISLAND
To keep up with the increasing number of tourists — the Department of Tourism reported that 6.6 million tourists visited the country in 2017 compared to 5.9 million in 2016 — the resort is currently focusing on developing its facilities.
The resort is currently doubling the number of rooms to 96. Mr. Escobar said that the rooms will blend with the look of the existing property.
The resort offers a variety of accommodations: the Sunset Villas, which face the sunset at the west of the island (additional villas were recently completed); Sunrise Villas which are at the eastern end of Dimakya; Garden Suites and Garden rooms.
“When we build something on the island, we try to make it a point to not cut trees. We adjust the design so that no trees are affected because we want to keep the natural landscape of the island,” said Mr. Escobar.
The resort also recently renovated the swimming pool with a mix of fresh and salt water.
The menu at its Firefish restaurant has also been revamped with Pan-Asian dishes care of Thai chef Alex Atthasarn who joined the kitchen four months ago.
A second restaurant offering a Mediterranean cuisine will also be opened soon, as well as a “make you own menu offer” packages for guests who want their meals personalized.
The expansion of facilities comes with the improvement of bandwidth around the island.
In addition, upcoming projects and courses of action in line with the resort’s EcoConserve program (implemented in 2017) will include the reduction of use of plastic products, the use of organic bathroom amenities, and the installation of water refilling and bottling stations in the resort. Eco-bricks will be used as an alternative to hollow blocks in building terraces for the nearby Taranuman Farm where certain vegetables are planted.
The resort is currently testing the waters with the use of solar panels at the restaurant.
“We are very heavy on environmental protection. It is our share of giving back to the island,” Mr. Escobar said.
The developments are targeted to be implemented by the third quarter of 2019.
WHAT TO DO THERE
While one can always just laze the day away in the comfortable rooms, that would be a shame as there is much to do.
Island hopping tours are offered to the three nearby islands of Malpagalen, Dimalanta, and Diatoy.
Then there is the full day Coron tour which includes a swim at Kayangan Lake and Sieste Pecados marine park and viewing of the sharp cliffs in Twin Lakes.
One can also take a boat ride to the west of the island to visit the famous Calauit island where a private safari park was set up during the Marcos regime for the pleasure of the ruling family. Today the descendants of many of the original African animals — from giraffes to antelope — still make their home on the island alongside native Palawan flora and fauna, and one can take a half day Calauit Safari tour to see them (you can also feed the giraffes).
One doesn’t have to leave the island to enjoy the Palawan wildlife — you can always snorkle or scuba dive in the area as the waters around Dimakya Island whose “house reefs” have been protected for the last 15 years, and thus teem with sea life (and if you come at the right time of the year, you can see sea turtles lay their eggs on the island). The resort can also arrange for diving expeditions in nearby areas, from dugong watching or diving expeditions in Calauit, to a 1.2 kilometer reef at nearby Diboyuyan Island, to a day of at APO Reef National Marine Park.
After all that, relax with a massage at the Glow Spa.
To end the day, take a 15- to 20-minute hike up to Eagles Point, the highest point on the island, and watch the sunset. Then go back down to the resort for cocktails — there is a wealth of choices as the resort has the Dugong Bar, where one can also play billiards, table tennis, darts, and foosball; the beachside Shack bar; and, even closer to the water, the Sand Bar.
For more information, visit .

Curated tours

��ý — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 16:01:22 +0000

ACCLAIMED as the Philippines’ Last Frontier, Palawan is so blessed with marvels of nature that it is home to not just one, but two UNESCO World Heritage sites: The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park.
Astoria Palawan, is located in a eight-hectare mango orchard fronting the Sulu Sea within the City of Puerto Princesa.
Guests can use the hotel as a jump-off point to tick items off their Palawan bucket list. Explore the Underground River on the Western side of the island; go North to El Nido for some island hopping and snorkeling in saltwater lagoons; hop to the Northwestern side for Astoria Palawan’s curated Port Barton Tour.
The resort also offers convention facilities, restaurants, a beach and pool area, a bar, comfortable rooms, and an eclectic ambiance.
And then there’s the waterpark. The Palawan Waterpark by Astoria, located just next door, is expected to be one of the highlights of staying in the resort. It is a one hectare area filled with giant slides, a wave pool, a lazy river ride, and splash pods.
Astoria Palawan will also organize four days/three nights private tours that highlight the best of what the province can offer.
It’s newly launched Port Barton Tour includes a day at San Vicente to go island hopping, snorkeling, swimming, fish feeding, and more; a private tour of a white sand island 20 minutes away from Astoria by boat; dinner on a boat sailing around Puerto Princesa Bay; and a kayak fireflies tour, among other activities.
Astoria Palawan’s tour reservation officers can plan a whole week with memorable, fun activities, according to Astoria Palawan General Manager Joy Suarez.
For details visit .

The Ambassador and his books

��ý — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 16:31:24 +0000

By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman, Reporter

The Czech Ambassador to the Philippines Jaroslav Olša, Jr. will be leaving his post in December, but he will leave behind an indelible legacy: Books.
Over the four years that Mr. Olša has been in the country, he has worked on the promotion of literary and cultural ties between the Czech Republic and the Philippines by publishing books written and translated into Czech, Tagalog, English, Bicolano, Waray, and Minasbate.
He believes that 21^st century communication strategies between two nations heavily involve “people-to-people branding and PR. It’s about thinking of the most interesting way to show that your country is interesting, beautiful, and will encourage people to learn more about it. I think this applies mostly to faraway countries, those on the other side of the world.”
And the Philippines and the Czech Republic are two best examples because they are poles apart, share their differences, but also have their similarities as well. Books are one of the ways to showcase what each country has to offer.
“I am involved in various projects — films and other art fields — but literature is probably the least used opportunity to show your country. The reason for that are many. For one, it’s [more] difficult to publish books than it is to mount exhibitions and concerts. But on the other side, books have long-term impacts. Books remain in the shops, libraries, and homes and then you read them later, and the impacts are long term,” he told ��ý.
The soft powers manifested in literature and culture are “really one of the best ways in supporting our business relations for the both sides (Czech and Philippines).”
OF KAFKA, POETRY, AND SCIENCE FICTION
Before coming to the Philippines, Mr. Olša was Ambassador in Zimbabwe and South Korea where he also published books that aimed to bridge the gaps between his country and the nation where he was assigned.
“The idea came into my mind when I was in Africa — in Zimbabwe — and we were given the opportunity to print three booklets. I had bigger chances when we produced Czech books in the Korean language. So when I arrived here, I started talking to the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) and to National Artist Virgilo Almario.”
He said joint promotions are “important, not only in promoting about my literature and culture but helping to promote Philippine literature in the Czech Republic as well.”
Among the first projects he worked on with KWF was the translation of Franz Kafka’s Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis), which was first published in 1915. Ang Metamorposis was translated not only into Tagalog but into Bicolano. While Kafka was German, he lived in Prague — Czech’s capital — “and the book is a quintessential reading,” said the ambassador.
The Czech Republic and KWF collaboration also included the translation of the poetry of Nobel Prize-winning Czech writer Jaroslav Seifert. The resulting 300-page book, Sa Prága: Mga Piling Tula ni Jaroslav Seifert, included the best samples of his works in a career that spanned more than 60 years.
Whenever there are big literary events and festivals in the country — like the Manila International Book Fair — Mr. Olša brings in well-known Czech writers so the audience get to know them. The Embassy has flown in Ondrej Neff, Julie Novkov, and Martin Vopenka who gave away English translations of their books.
Printed by Visprint, the Embassy has also translated the popular anthology The Witcher, and other Fantasy and Science Fiction from Central Europe and the Philippines into Ang Manggagaway at iba pang Kathang-Agham at Pantasya mula sa Gitnang Europa at Pilipinas. Mr. Olša, Hungarian Ambassador József Bencze, and Filipino speculative fiction writer Dean Francis Alfri co-edited the book, and Filipino popular writers Bob Ong, Eros Atalia, Beverly Siy, and Joselito Delos Reyes translated the collection into Filipino.
THE EDITOR IN HIM
Amongst the many published Czech literary gems, how does the Ambassador sift through them and choose which works to translate and publish? He said his love for the written words helps him curate.
“Plenty of people have asked my how I do it. I am an avid reader and I have read for dozens of years because I was involved in publishing and translating before, and I know many of the writers personally. That means I personally select from what I’ve read or have met the writers. But sometimes, of course, I need advisors because being abroad means you do not know so much of the Czech writers today. I am still in contact with various book publishers and writers, and I’ll tell them ‘Oh I need a story about this’ and they will send [them to] me. It has no structured logic in it, but I try to select the best, of course.”
Mr. Olša used to own a small publishing house in the Czech Republic 25 years ago. “It was short lived, but we published almost 100 titles when I was there. So this a familiar thing to me [because I have a background].” He was also the editor of Czech Republic’s science fiction magazine called Ikarie and was a former science fiction translator. The man knows his stuff.
“I am an avid reader. It’s not only about a specific genre (science fiction), it’s one of the things I know, but it’s not the only thing I read. But I typically ready short stories [rather] than novels. There’s a trend that people read series that grow bigger and bigger, but on the contrary, I like the short stories because this is where the craft of the writer is — he needs to know how to engage the reader, how to capture their interest. The reader can say if you like it or not.”
FINAL PROJECTS
I met with the Ambassador at his office in Makati on Oct. 9, where I was greeted by his books and his personal belongings that he’s been readying to pack for his trip in December. But as he prepare to leave his post, he still has many projects in the pipeline. This includes a travelogue by ��ý contributor Jessica Zafra, which will be launched on Oct. 27, 2 p.m., at Fully Booked BGC.
“I said, okay, let’s do the travelogue — but let’s make it different. Let’s make it more oriented to Central Europe. With my Hungarian and Polish colleagues, Jessica Zafra travelled to Poland where she has never been… and to Czech, Hungary, and Paris and Italy… It’s a very good attempt to show to the Filipinos the part of Europe which is more and more visited but still not as widely known as France or Italy or Spain,” said Mr. Olša.
Another one of his projects is Chicks in a Snake Cage, which is an anthology of 40 Filipino writers including the works of Leoncio P. Deriada, an award-winning writer credited to be the Father of Contemporary Literature in Western Visayas. Unfortunately, he will no longer be stationed in Manila when it is launched some time in 2019.
Mr. Deriada was one of the first Filipino authors that the ambassador had known about and read. Apparently, before becoming the Czech Ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Olša had already been frequenting the country in the 1990s. He first set foot in Manila in 1994 for work — he showed me an identification card that he has kept from when he visited Manila back then as an advisor to the first deputy minister of the Czech Republic.
“When I came for the first time, I took the cab going to Intramuros and looked to my guide book and found that the best book shop in town was Solidaridad… I remember walking from Intramuros, past the National Museum, and bought books that I still have now. I bought Leoncio Deriada’s short story collection, science fiction by Jose Ma. Espino who is a forgotten writer who passed away years back. I bought a directory of Filipino writers, and books on the history of Philippine literature. And also I think I bought a Greg Brillantes book. Maybe there are some more but I couldn’t remember. Whenever I was coming back during the ’90s, I bought more and more books, which meant I had a good idea on what the Philippines’ culture and literature. It became easier to me when I was given the post as the Ambassador.”
COMMON ROOTS
He said there’s not much difference between the culture and literatures of our two countries, unlike, for example, when he was still in South Korea where he said he had to adjust to the culture.
“We share the common roots of civilization. You’re connected by 300 years of Spanish rule. You’re Catholic Christian and so are we.” He also said there’s an “easy access to the mood of the writer” whenever he reads Filipino authors.
“Sometimes when you read Chinese or Indian literature, you can see the differences right away — the civilization, the beliefs, the experiences of the writer. But in the Philippines, we do understand each other without much explanation. For example, when I read Korean literature — I spent six years in Korea — sometimes I don’t know because i don’t have the deep knowledge of the Korean history. With the Filipinos, I think I don’t have any difficulties. You name it, and you’ll find our closeness, our thinking, in many ways.”
The Ambassador has high hopes for the future of print. He said: “Twenty years ago everybody said there will be no books, look, and there are still books. The touch of the book is still a touch of a book. Yes, it’s helpful to have book in your computer, but you really need the physical. Part of book publishing will go online but there will still be full-fledged book publishing as well. It’s an art. For example, you can have art projection on the wall, but still people want to have a print copy, it’s the same with books.”
Mr. Olša might be leaving in less than two months, but he will be leaving a legacy that keeps on giving.
“We are still finishing some projects, which will be my legacy. You cannot finish all the projects, there are projects that need longer time,” he said.
He is working on the translation of the letters of two Czech Jesuit priests who were in the Visayas in the 18th century. “It’s going to be a long project,” he said. It will include 10 unpublished letters written in the 1730s until 1740s. “The letters were never published, nobody saw them in English, which means that for the Filipinos it will be something important.”
The project will definitely be published after Mr. Olša has physically left the country, but he and his book projects will forever remain on our bookshelves.

Going back to Prague

��ý — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 16:30:24 +0000

By Jessica Zafra
(An excerpt from Jessica Zafra’s new book, Twisted Travels: Rambles in Central Europe.)

IT TOOK me 15 years to return to Prague, half of the lifetimes of the people I was working with. We were in the Czech Republic for eight days to film a documentary. After three nights in Prague, the film crew and I would proceed to Litomerice, Mlada Boleslav, Olomouc, Brno, Cesky Krumlov, and Ceske Budejovice. The itinerary was designed by the Czech Embassy in Manila, particularly Ambassador Jaroslav Olša, who is translating Filipino stories into Czech, including one of mine, and sponsored by the Seoul-based Czech Tourism. I mention these parties because you know what they say about the best-laid plans. It’s the unexpected, unintended developments I look forward to: I travel for the stories, the weirder, the better.
We arrived in Prague in the early afternoon and were fetched by our tour guide Zoran, who announced that taxi drivers were on strike against Uber, there were violent clashes in the city, and massive traffic jams. This is perhaps not the welcoming one wants at the beginning of a packed tour, but it set a bleaky comic tone for the whole trip. There was some discussion in the team as to who our guide looked like. He resembled:

a. the original host of The Crystal Maze

b. one of the War Boys from Mad Max Fury Road

c. the vocalist of the ’80s group Right Said Fred of “I’m Too Sexy” fame

d. Professor Charles Xavier of the X-Men

e. Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise

Zoran introduced himself as a Yugoslav. Apart from being a knowledgeable tour guide specializing in history, he is a photographer and an actor. According to his IMDB page he was in the Tom Hardy film Child 44, where in a bit of typecasting he played “Bald Man.” Unfortunately he could not be on camera because we had not made arrangements with his agent.
He was joined by our driver, Frantisek, a very tall man with wild, curly locks and a feral look. He has four jobs, he informed us later, as he snacked on enough cake to stop the heart of a shorter man: tour van driver, real estate agent, motorcycle mechanic, and motorcycle racer. Later, we agreed that we were being guided around the Czech Republic by Professor Xavier and Logan the Wolverine.
According to the schedule we would drop off our bags at the hotel and proceed to The Castle to start filming. As we had been travelling for 18 hours, this was not going to happen. At this point we learned that the definition of “driver” was different from what we were used to. Frantisek would pick us up from the hotel in the morning and drive us back at night. In between we would walk, schlepping all our equipment up and down the vertical city. I don’t carry equipment other than my journal, but my knee began to stiffen.
The hotel was a rather basic affair called Henrietta, but it was clean and the Wi-Fi worked. After a shower and a brief lie-down, I joined the team in the lobby and we took the tram to the city center.
It was exactly as I remembered it, beautiful and somehow melancholy. Prague is a great city to be depressed in: so much indifferent splendor to taunt your neuroses. It worked for Kafka. Zoran pointed out examples of different architectural styles and markers of how high the water rose during the Great Flood of 2002. On one hand we Filipinos are the last people to be impressed by floods; on the other hand, it might be a good idea to remind people of how high the water rose, because even if they happen frequently we cannot be blase about the danger.
At a stall on the riverbank we had the first of many, many, many sausages. A steady drizzle was falling. We walked past the opera, where my sister and I had seen La Boheme up in the bleachers and nearly frozen our asses off. Dinner was over-seasoned goulash at charming old restaurant called Flavia. We drank absinthe, agreed on the next day’s itinerary, and heard the first of Zoran’s disquisitions on how all our plans could fall apart.
Finally, he took us to the tram stop, told us the name of our stop, and said we could buy our tickets from a machine inside the tram. There was no such ticketing machine inside the tram. Thus we spent our first night in Prague breaking the law.
Jessica Zafra’s Twisted Travels: Rambles in Central Europe will be launched on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2-5 p.m. at Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street, BGC. Twisted Travels will be available at Fully Booked, , , National Bookstore, and Powerbooks.

Captivating Stockholm: Small, old city packs a wallop

��ý — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 16:11:50 +0000

Text and photos by Kap Maceda Aguila
OUR beeline to Sweden takes us to Dubai in the Middle East, then another six-hour-plus flight to the Nordic country. A cogently woven tapestry of green and glistening swirls of water comes into view as the plane descends and breaks through a cloud bank. Arlanda International Airport goes up to meet us; a gateway into Sweden within the Stockholm County, but still some 40 kilometers south of the city that bears the name.
A light chill welcomes us as we exit the largest airport in Sweden, and board the Lexus RX 450h SUV sent to take us to our hotel. Past low buildings and undulating countryside through well-maintained thoroughfares, we finally reach the urban center.
It takes but a moment to notice a preponderance of bridges across meandering water. There are more than 50 of them spanning the 14 islands comprising the capital — each a unique venue to take in the sights. No surprise then that Stockholmers call their scenic home “beauty on water.” Our driver indulges us with an unscheduled stop at the Pålsundet or Långholmen Canal for some photos and to admire the view. From the bridge, you can see that either bank has a line of canoes or small boats owned by paying members. People can also rent watercraft if they have a penchant for paddling in the placid water.
Lake Mälaren is a constant presence for Stockholmers as its stretches a vast 120 kilometers from east to west — seemingly running through the land like veins. Follow it down any of the three ways it drains — naturally through Norrström and via the manmade Södertälje Canal and Hammarbyleden waterway — and you’ll end up in the Baltic Sea.
STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
But first, a word on our hotel. The Nobis on Norrmalmstorg proves ideally situated, excellently appointed lodgings, but it also earns popularity via a dark — or perhaps, curious — moment in the building’s past. It is an event that spawned the famous phrase “Stockholm Syndrome,” used to describe the situation when hostages sympathize or identify with perpetrators. On the Nobis Stockholm website itself: “One summer day in August 1973, four people… employed at Kreditbanken in Norrmalmstorg, which today is Nobis Hotel (were) taken hostage.” Jan-Erik Olsson, a convict on parole demanded three million kronor in cash as well as the release of Clark Olofsson from Norrköping prison. The duo held the captives for six days in one of the bank’s vaults. After being rescued, the hostages refused to testify in court against them.
While the bank has been repurposed into the Nobis, the hotel’s interiors are distinctly 19^th century “bourgeois stone architecture” protected by government fiat.
We are in Sweden to experience the recently launched premium compact crossover from Lexus, the UX.
First presented to the world last March at the Geneva International Motor Show, the UX takes its place as the smallest SUV in the Lexus lineup, offering “the brand’s innovative design, luxury features, and advanced safety in a package that combines charismatic new styling elements and ultra-efficient new powertrains.” It should be in the Philippines before year’s end.
“The reason we selected Stockholm… is because the energy and creativity that this city has is world-class,” begins David Nordstrom, Lexus Asia-Pacific vice-president, during the product presentation held at the Delight Studios in Nacka which we reach after a short walk and boat ride. “It’s often referred to as the world’s biggest small town. It’s lot smaller in size when compared to other European cities like London, Paris, Berlin, and Rome. So it gives you a small-town feel with world-class amenities.”
SEAFOOD
And, oh, the food. While carnivores (moose steak and reindeer casserole, anyone?) can have their choice in this cosmopolitan city, the smart money should be on the fresh and impressive sea harvest. Try the curiously named yet internationally famous gravlax or dry-cured salmon. Herring and trout dishes also figure prominently on the menu of restaurants around Stureplan and Kungstraädgården. Our dinner at the Wedholm Fisk a few minutes by foot from the Nobis starts with saffron-scented fish soup with shellfish herb aioli and toasted brioche; then seared king scallops with chilled crème onion, king crab aioli, and baby herb leaves. But the star of dinner is the divine fricassee of sole, turbot, lobster, in champagne sauce. “It’s our specialty. I’m glad you liked it,” our affable waitress declares with a smile as she notes we have emptied our bowls.
Next day at lunch, we find ourselves at the historic Den Gyldene Freden (“The Golden Peace”). Located in the Old Town (or Gamla stan), it earns a Guinness Book of Records entry for having its surrounding and environment more or less unchanged since the establishment opened in 1722. Our meal here commences with mushroom soup and an interesting salmon terrine with hazel pesto and beans. For the entrée, I try the meatballs (“It’s not like Ikea’s,” our server quips with a wry smile), served with pickled cucumber, cream sauce, and potato puree. I order a light beer to go with it. Speaking of, in Stockholm, beer is ordered in strengths from lättöl (light) to starköl (strong). Contrasted with delightful lingonberries served on the side, the meatballs are filling and satisfying. We finish off with a salty caramel truffle that skews more to the salty side.
We walk off with heavy guts and roam the storied cobblestone streets of this medieval town. Spying a gathering crowd at one of the side streets, our qualified guide Veronica Melosso points that it’s the Mårten Trotzigs Gränd, the narrowest street in Stockholm. Thirty-six steps down from Prärsgatan, the alley shrinks to a width of 35 inches in its most constricted section.
A PALACE
The Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) has been the official abode of the Swedish monarch since the middle of the 13^th century. While the actual residence of the present King Carl Gustaf XVI and Queen Silvia is the Drottningholm Palace, the Kungliga Slottet is used for official purposes and functions. Within it are the so-called Royal Apartments — a “collective name for magnificent state rooms used for (royal) receptions.” Presently undergoing deliberate and painstaking renovation/restoration work, the palace boasts some 1,430 rooms (660 with windows). The Guest Apartments were furnished in the 1760s under the direction of Jean Eric Rehn.
Heavy curtains keep the sunlight away to protect the frescoes and tapestries within — mute witnesses to centuries of memories both bitter and sweet. In one section, the deathbed of King Gustav III had been reconstructed for the commemoration of his 200^th death anniversary in 1992. The monarch was assassinated — succumbing to a gunshot wound in March 29, 1792.
The palace is a true museum, showcasing the nation’s treasure trove of paintings, frescoes, and sculptures. The Rodin-esque The Wave and the Beach marble creation by Theodor Lunberg, made in 1898, depicts naked lovers locked in a kiss but with their eyes open. Meanwhile, The Goddess Juno with the child Hercules (completed around 1820) by Johan Niclas Byström shows a baby surreptitiously nursing at the teat of a slumbering Juno.
VASA AND ABBA
If you have time (and I suggest you allot up to an hour), beat a path to the Vasa Museum (Vasamuseet) on Djugården Island. This facility is the most visited museum in all of Scandinavia. Within its air-conditioned interiors is the resurrected 64-gun warship Vasa that tragically foundered on its maiden voyage on Aug. 10, 1628 — a mere 1.3 kilometers after setting off for Älvsnabben naval station. When its four sails were set, a gust of wind caused the ship to heel suddenly to port. The sheets were cast off, allowing the Vasa to right itself. At Tegelviken, a stronger gust pushed the ship to its port so far that the open lower gunports went under the surface, causing the ship to take in water, eventually leading to its sinking.
It was salvaged with a largely intact hull in 1961. It was housed in a temporary museum called Wasavarvet (“The Wasa Shipyard”) until 1988 and then moved permanently to the Vasa Museum. Along with the spectacle of tragedy, the Vasa and the corollary displays gives crucial insight into a bygone era and way of life.
Finally, while still in Djugården, drop by ABBA The Museum, an interactive exhibition devoted to the iconic pop act that was one of the most commercially successful acts in history. Consider that the combined worth of its members — Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad — is about a billion US dollars.
Fans will invariably freak out over the massive compendium of all things about the Swedish quartet which dominated the airwaves and music charts in the 1970s and ’80s. Everything from their costumes, to trivia, to microphones, studio setup, dolls, wax figures, and more will take you back to the day this winsome foursome held sway. Check out the ABBA souvenirs and sundry you can get at the gift shop. Scented candles, mugs, keychains, buttons and pins, refrigerator magnets, coloring books, music boxes (playing “Dancing Queen” or “Mamma Mia”) and even bottled water will scratch your ABBA itch. Presently attached is a temporary museum, an exhibit entitled Guitars of the Stars featuring signature instruments of legendary guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Eric Clapton, and Kirk Hammett. This collection is owned by musician and producer Claes “Clabbe” af Geijerstam, who was ABBA’s on-tour sound technician in the 1970s.
Inevitably, you will leave this charming city enamored by its people’s seemingly easygoing, unhurried way of life that is both rooted in the present yet completely celebratory of a rich and tangible past. Just like many Stockholmers, after a while you attain a sense of peace in knowing everything works and is exactly where it needs to be.

Road Safety 101 for students and drivers: starting them young

��ý — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 16:31:56 +0000

By Susan Claire Agbayani
Maybe it is best that people learn about road safety at a young age — perhaps as early as grade school.
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito suggested making it part of the grade school subject Good Manners and Right Conduct last Thursday during a press conference on road safety organized by Vera Files in Malate, Manila. As is, there is a bill working its way through congress which aims to integrate road safety education as early as daycare and preschool.
Considering that the most frequent victims of road crashes, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), are young adults between 20 and 24 years of age, followed by those between 25 and 29, it is probably a good idea for future drivers to learn about road safety long before they get a chance to get behind the wheel of a car.
STATS FROM WHO AND PSA
The Global Status Report on Road Safety states that road traffic injuries are a global health and development problem. In her preface to the report, Dr. Margaret Chan, who was World Health Organization (WHO) Director General until 2017, wrote, “More than 1.2 million people die in the world’s roads every year, and as many as 50 million others are injured.” Interestingly, and sadly, 90% of those deaths happen in low-income and middle-income countries, the Philippines included.
“Globally, almost half of those who die in road traffic crashes are pedestrians, cyclists, and users of motorized two-wheelers,” who are collectively referred to as “vulnerable road users,” says the WHO report.
In nine years, between 2006 and 2015, there was a huge jump in the number of people who died in road crashes in the Philippines — from 6,869 to 10,012 — a 45.76% increase. And the number has been steadily growing through the years.
DRIVER EDUCATION
Mr. Ejercito mentioned the need for motorcycle manufacturers to provide driver education, saying that 70% of vehicles that figure in road crashes are motorcycles.
A few months ago, he filed Senate Bill No. 1822, or the Motorcycle Safety Training Act of 2018, which requires riders to undergo mandatory safety riding training, noting that motorcycle riders have been the primary victims in road crashes in Metro Manila since 2010.

The Honda Safety Driving Center includes a training circuit “that simulates traffic network and actual road conditions.”

“As part of the corporate social responsibility (of motorcycle manufacturers) — before the unit is turned over to the buyer he should undergo some sort of education. Definitely, education would play a crucial role in reducing accidents. It’s very important,” Cesar Sarmiento, the congressman of the lone district of Catanduanes, told ��ý after a meeting on road safety of the Committee on Transportation — which he chairs — in Congress last month.
In the Philippines, Honda has a 2.4-hectare facility along SLEX called the Honda Safety Driving Center (HSDC) that includes a training circuit “that simulates traffic network and actual road conditions.”
“We incorporated road safety education as part of the basic operations of our dealership, in our business of selling motorcycles. Many of our dealers are involved in our road safety campaigns,” said Jun Lomibao, Division Chief of Honda’s safety driving promotions, during an interview at HSDC.
NOT A ‘SILVER BULLET’
“Driver education is important, but it’s not a silver bullet,” said Dr. John Juliard Go, Program Officer of World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines, after the road safety forum. “By itself, it will not work.”
Mr. Sarmiento agrees, saying, “Many factors would lead to the reduction of road accidents. No. 1 is education, plus discipline, and strict enforcement.” He added that these factors should complement one another as knowledge of the necessary information would be rendered useless if enforcement governing road safety laws is lax.
“Road safety education should be comprehensive in its scope; and has to have elements of interventions with other factors,” said Dr. Go.
“Driver education can only work if you implement (it) together with other interventions that target road users: make them more aware and comply with our road traffic regulations on seat belts, helmet, speeding, speed limiters and drink driving, right?”
WHO-Philippines’ Technical Officer on Road Safety and Communicable Diseases Dr. Ronald Quintana agrees. In an interview at the House of Representatives after the congressional hearing on transportation, he said, “Providing education for motorcycle drivers is important — particularly on road safety — but it doesn’t necessarily lead to behavior change. Knowledge gained should be practiced.”

The newly introduced National Road Safety Awareness Act aims to integrate road safety education in the school curricula in all levels including barangay day care, preschool, non-formal, technical, vocational, indigenous learning, and out-of-school youth courses.

Among the other crucial factors Dr. Quintana mentioned are:

• Engineering/road infrastructure (“better roads and roadways”) as one of the means of prevention of road crashes;

• strict implementation and enforcement of road safety laws;

• interventions related to speed, which is one of the behavioral risk factors;

• safer vehicles, which should have standards and regulations; and,

• interventions to protect road users: the pedestrians, drivers, and passengers.

Many road safety laws have been passed in the last few years, including the Motorcycle Helmet Law (RA 10054), the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act (RA 10586), the Road Speed Limiter law (RA 10916), and the Extension of Validity of Driver’s License (RA 10930). Also, the Seat belt Law (RA 8750), the Anti-Distracted Driving Law (RA 10913), and Children’s Safety on Motorcycles Act (RA 10666).
Road safety advocates in the Senate are now pushing for Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act of 2017 (SB 1447), the Anti-Overloading Act (SB 1446), as well as the Creation of a National Transportation Safety Board (SB 1375), among others.
And coming back to the children, over at the House of Representatives, Mr. Sarmiento introduced House Bill No. 7915 or the National Road Safety Awareness Act, which promotes “national road safety awareness through road safety education, road safety events and activities and multi-stakeholder consultation and collaboration…”
Section 3 of the bill enjoins the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, the Technical Education and Skill Development Authority — in coordination with the Department of Transportation, the Land Transportation Office and other concerned agencies — to “integrate road safety education in the school curricula at all levels, whether public or private, including the barangay day care, preschool, non-formal, technical, vocational, indigenous learning and out-of-school youth courses and programs.”

This story was produced under the Bloomberg Initiative Global Road Safety Media Fellowship implemented by the World Health Organization, Department of Transportation and Vera Files.

From Denmark to the Philippines

��ý — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 16:30:58 +0000

By Michelle Anne P. Soliman
Reporter
BORN to a poor family and struggled to find success as an actor, Hans Christian Andersen ventured into writing fairy tales early in the 1800s. As a storyteller, Andersen presented deep ideas and feelings with a style that appealed to a child’s perspective.
In 1886, Jose Rizal completed translating five of Andersen’s fairy tales (from German translation) and sent the copies to the Philippines as a gift to his nephews and nieces so that they would know what the children in Europe read.
Children’s book specialist Katrina Gutierrez recalled in an essay how she came across the book of Rizal’s translations during a visit to the Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense, Denmark: “The Museum at the heart of the city boasts the largest collection of Andersen stories in translation… The books are grouped by language, and the labels on the shelves alert museum goers to the start of a collection from another part of the world… One of these languages was Tagalog… I pressed my face closer to the glass, and this time I was truly surprised. On the spine in faded but clear letters was the name: Jose Rizal.”
Today one does not have to go all the way to Denmark to read Rizal’s fairy tales thanks to The Embassy of Denmark and Anvil Publishing which have released Hans Christian Andersen and Jose Rizal: From Denmark to the Philippines, a compilation of Andersen’s fairy tales translated by Rizal into Tagalog.
The book contains Rizal’s Tagalog translations of five Andersen fairy tales: “The Fir Tree” (“Ang Punong Pino”), “Thumbelina” (“Si Gahinlalaki”), “The Ugly Duckling” (“Ang Pangit na Sisiw na Pato”), “The Angel” (“Ang Sugo”), and “The Little Matchgirl” (“Ang Batang Babaeng May Dalang Sakafuego”).
Ambassador of Denmark to the Philippines Jan Top Christensen said that the fairy tales remain relevant today as they depict the human condition. “Hans Christian Andersen has become world famous mainly because of his fairy tales. They appeal to a very large public not only children because of the direct narrative, but also because of the many layers in the stories that in many ways talk about the human condition,” Mr. Christensen told ��ý shortly after the launch.
Historian and professor Ambeth R. Ocampo said that children’s stories affect readers differently when read as adults. “These are simple Andersen [fairy]tales. It does not just have one meaning but I guess it lives on in people as they grow older. The book is not just about translating the text but transmitting a part of not just Andersen but also Rizal,” he said during the launch.
The book also contains essays by Ms. Gutierrez, Mr. Ocampo, and Danish scholars Ejnar Stig Askgaard and Johs. Norregaard Frandsen, and an introduction about the historical links between Denmark and the Philippines by Mr. Christensen.
Hans Christian Andersen and Jose Rizal: From Denmark to the Philippines is available online at , and at National Bookstore and Powerbooks branches beginning Oct. 5 for P695 (soft cover) and P1,500 (hard cover).

Fluid: Author-actor-activist Nico Tortorella talks about freedom

��ý — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 16:12:12 +0000

By Nickky Faustine P. De Guzman, Reporter
AUTHOR, activist, and actor Nico Tortorella lay down nonchalantly on one of the long sofas at the Raffles hotel in Makati, arms spread wide. As I chose a seat, he told me he liked my makeup. He didn’t sit upright as we talked; our meeting was light and casual. It was not a “regular” conversation — a man wouldn’t normally tell a woman that he liked her lipstick if it was. But then again, Tortorella is a postmodern creature: a gender fluid person who prefers the use of the pronouns them/they over he/she, and wouldn’t feel odd if they complimented someone’s lipstick or eyebrows as being on fleek. They not only wore glitter nail polish, but confidence and freedom.
Gender fluidity, Tortorella said, is looking past what makes a man and a woman, because we have “the capacity to hold both energies.”
I told Tortorella that it is hard to keep in mind the pronoun they prefer because English is a gendered language. They said, laughing, “And if you write he or she I’m not gonna be mad, just disappointed.”
Tortorella was in the Philippines to promote their book of poetry, All of it is you, and to join the Manila Book Fair at the SMX, Mall of Asia over the weekend.
The book is basically about “love, everything is about love,” they said.
They added: “It’s about the collapsing of binaries and division, and the acknowledgment of simultaneity of everyone and everything.”
Tortorella said the idea of fluidity is neither new nor strictly an American idea.
“This isn’t an American idea. This has been around since the beginning of time, in one way or another. It’s actually more of an Eastern idea than it is of Western. When you look at gender and sexuality, in every pocket of the entire world, in indigenous tribes, this idea of third gender or sexuality exists. Through colonialism and coercive indoctrination — like this country, the Philippines, knows too well — those ideologies were ripped for every people, in every country in the world. Now, all of a sudden, the Western idea is the white man idea. No. The Western idea fucked the entire world and demanded that we think like them. I think this is really about awakening.”
While Tortorella fits the description of “privileged white guy,” they said that they are using this privilege in positive ways.
“It takes a certain level of emotional intelligence, past this white privileged conversation. This book lives in a different dimension, for anyone, for everyone. And because of my privilege, in one way or another, I get the opportunity to talk and be invited to different places. I’m not using it for myself — anyway I don’t need it. I don’t have to be writing books. I am happily married, I have a great job. It’s not about me, never been about me,” they said.
Tortorella was born to Italian parents, grew up in Illinois in US, and there, has a career as an actor, having come out in films like Twelve, Trespass, Odd Thomas, and Hunter and Game. They also had a podcast called The Love Bomb. Currently, Tortorella is in the hit TV dramedy Younger.
All of it is you is their poetry debut.
Tortorella said that the white privilege that they were born with is a responsibility. In the author’s note they wrote: “What comes with this responsibility is a chance to work even harder to attempt to be a universal voice of understanding for a generation, a positive outlet for a movement, and a source of light in even the darkest of times.”
The book, which Tortorella conceptualized and did on their own, is divided into three topics: body, earth, and universe.
The poems’ subjects are wide-ranging: the penis and sperm, the womb, gender, lies, evil, science, and politics.
The goal of the book is “To take a moment for themselves, that’s what we do as readers. But in a lot of ways, it’s a showing up for yourself and recognizing that maybe the entire universe exists for you.”
With over 200 pages, the hardbound book was written over just 45 days.
“It was intense, fast. I was in New York for most of the time, I was in Chicago for some time, in Peru for a little bit, and in a jungle in the Amazon. It was work. Poetry is an interesting channel, an inspired work. Some days were easier than the others. I was writing five to seven poems in a day — if not, more than that. I wrote it in chronological order and I didn’t have a plan on what each title is called. I wrote the titles, the entire spectrum, as in the beginning to end, in 12 hours. I took all of the pictures in 24 hours, and edited them all in my phone,” they said.
The book cover was also their concept. It’s a combination of the poet’s left hand, Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, the author’s own natal astrology chart, the Earth, the cosmos, and the Merkaba symbol (also called Ezekiel’s Wheel).
The image of the Merkaba is ancient, from the Merkabah/Merkavah school of early Jewish mysticism (100 BC to 1000 AD). Mer means light, ka means spirit, and ba means body.
“It’s the perfect balance between two: masculine-feminine, black-white… everything else,” Tortorella said about the Merkaba.
The Merkaba insignia is tattoed on the left side of their chest, while “All of it is you” is tattooed in the middle. “Love Y’all” is tattoed on each knee, which apparently is the working title of the next book. Tortorella was wearing jeans ripped enough to see the two tattoos on their knees.
Love Y’all is “almost done. It’s not poetry,” said the actor-author-advocate who will also start teaching a relationship class in Yale University some time in October.
“I think it’s wildly problematic if we group people according to their age, color, or sexuality. We have our own journey, and wherever you are in your journey, it needs to be celebrated,” they said.
All of it is you is available at National Bookstore for P799.

A model school

��ý — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 16:11:47 +0000

By Michelle Anne P. Soliman, Reporter
IT WAS A FRIDAY — the final school day of the week for students. As usual, the day began with a flag ceremony at 7:15 a.m., then regular classes proceeded as scheduled. But unlike other senior high schools, the students of the Benilde Deaf School have a Filipino sign language class at 12:45 p.m. — the second session for the week.
It was lunchtime after ��ý’s interview with two faculty members. Visiting a classroom where the students’ chairs were arranged in a semi-circle, the young students were enjoying their lunches. With the help of their Homeroom adviser, we asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up. Among those who responded, two said that they wanted to become chefs, one wanted to be a teacher, another an IT professional, while the other was still uncertain.
SILENT SENIOR HIGH
In August, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) opened the Benilde Deaf School, a senior high school for deaf students offering Grades 7 to 12, to strengthen diversity and inclusivity of the institution. Benilde already has a college-level School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies.
According to Benilde Deaf School principal Dr. May T. Cabutihan, the school had aid from The Nippon Foundation of Japan, as well as partnerships with the College’s Model Learning Institute for Deaf Centered Education and Pre-College Education Network-International P-CEN of Rochester Institute of Technology-National Technical Institute of the Deaf, to help support the school with faculty training, student development training, and even resource materials development.
“We started preparing for it in 2009. We did research to check different public schools and the status of deaf education. Actual preparations came in 2010,” Dr. Cabutihan told ��ý in an interview in August. “We visited schools and programs for the deaf like Rochester School for the Deaf in New York. We also had mentoring from teachers there and visits to various schools for the deaf in Japan.”
The curriculum is similar to that of a regular school but modified to fit the needs of the students. “We balance it by integrating Filipino sign language in it. But we would not want to focus on Filipino sign language and ignore English language. We hope to achieve a balance of both languages. We also need to consider the current needs of the deaf students.”
The senior high school, temporarily housed at the Solomon Guest House on Ayala and Arellano Sts. near the Angelo King International Center, opened with a pioneering batch of 10 students in Grade 7.
Dr. Cabutihan noted that 10 to 15 students per class is the ideal student-teacher ratio for the deaf. The current students were mostly born deaf.
BILINGUAL EDUCATION
The school employs bilingual and bicultural education. According to information posted on the classroom bulletin board, Filipino sign language (FSL) is the first language of the deaf and it “will be used as a primary language of instruction in order to develop and nurture language and identity,” and that it “is the foundation in learning the second and third language, written English and Filipino, which are the languages of the larger community.”
“We have the same subjects as the K-12 program with the use of more visuals. However, what makes us different is that we have deaf studies and Filipino sign language classes (two hours a week) as addition to the regular academic curriculum,” Dr. Cabutihan said. “We recognize that Filipino sign language is the native language for the deaf. It is used as a foundation for teaching and learning subjects.
“Even if we will be teaching them the same subjects, there will be the same topics with modifications,” she added, citing that as a teacher she gives her students written work in English and the presentations are done in Filipino sign language.
The students come from different public schools and have different sign language proficiency and literacy skills. “Some students may be comfortable in signing. Some are more comfortable with writing and we try to provide opportunities to develop both,” Dr. Cabutihan said.
Homeroom adviser and English teacher Ruth Reyes — one of the school’s non-hearing faculty members — noted in sign language (as interpreted by Dr. Cabutihan) that Filipino sign language and American sign language are taught in different ways since they each have their own grammatical structure and different words may share a similar sign.
The Benilde Deaf School currently has six non-hearing and five hearing teachers. Some faculty members are from the college’s School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies.
“Deaf teachers will be able to relate to the experiences of the deaf students. They will be able to help the students in expressing their signing skills better than hearing people,” Dr. Cabutihan said of the student’s experience with non-hearing teachers.
Despite the challenge of having to cope with how students learn differently, Ms. Reyes expressed how rewarding the experience is for her.
“It’s very rewarding to see that face of the students when they have the look that they understood or when students say that it is the first time that they understand something,” Dr. Cabutihan translated.
Ms. Reyes affirmed that workplaces are now more open to accepting deaf graduates and that they are acknowledged for what they can contribute; she also noted that deaf college alumni find jobs as call center agents, land in the food and hospitality industry, open their own businesses, and also become teachers.
“We want them (the students) to develop their deaf-identity and we want to build their confidence,” Dr. Cabutihan said.
According to Dr. Cabutihan, more schools for the deaf have yet to be established in the country and promote standardized methods of teaching. “We will strive to be a model school,” she said.
For move information, contact The Benilde Deaf School at (+63 2 230-5100 local 1803, bds@benilde.edu.ph), and at .

Tales from the dark days

��ý — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 16:30:30 +0000

Compiled by Doris Lois Rifareal

As we approach the 46^th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law on Sept. 23, 1972 (not Sept. 21 as was promoted during the time and which many people still believe — that was part of the dictator’s fetish with the number “7”), here is a listing of books on Martial Law, the Marcos dictatorship, and the people who struggled against it. The books are different takes by different authors, from the 1970s to the present, published in the Philippines and elsewhere, for readers of all ages.
(Year indicated is for the first publication. Book covers may be other than the first edition.)
FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS, ILLUSTRATED
• 12:01 (2016) by Russell Molina, illustrated by Kajo Baldisimo
This graphic novel is set in one of the darkest chapters of modern Philippine history. A minute after midnight mean it’s a minute past the midnight curfew that was enforced during Martial Law and that’s where four teenagers find themselves after being stranded when their ride breaks down.
• Isang Harding Papel (2014) by Augie Rivera, illustrated by Rommel Joson; Filipino Readers’ Choice Award for Children’s Picture Book (3^rd place) 2015
It is Martial Law and Jenny is separated from her mother who is in prison for protesting the regime. Jenny visits her once a week, and her mother gives her a paper flower. Until when will she grow her paper garden?
• Ito ang Diktatura and Mga Uring Panlipunan (2017) by Equipo Plantel, illustrated by Mikel Casal and Joan Fernàndez Negrescolor
These children’s books tackle dictatorship and social injustice, explained in everyday Filipino. The slim volumes never resort to pandering or lecturing to their intended reader. The source material, which is part of a four-book series, was published between 1978 and 1979 in Barcelona, Spain, at a time when it was transitioning from the effects of the dictator Francisco Franco’s regime and transitioning towards a more stable democracy.
• Martial Law Babies (2008) by Arnold Arre
In this graphic novel Arnold Arre (author of The Mythology Class) explores the lives of children who grew up knowing only Marcos and his New Society, following them into adulthood after the martial law years.
• Si Jhun-Jhun, Noong Bago Ideklara ang Batas Militar (2001) by Augie Rivera, illustrated by Brian Vallesteros
This children’s book is meant to explain martial law to children. The main character, Jhun-jhun, wonders what is happening to his older brother and gets a frightening answer.
FICTION / NOVELS
• The Alien Corn: A Novel (1992) by Edith L. Tiempo
• Awaiting Trespass (1985) by Linda Ty-Casper
A portrait of the Marcos’s period as well as a sophisticated comedy of the bourgeois manners in Manila society, according to Goodreads.
• Bamboo in the Wind (1990) by Azucena Grajo Uranza; Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Novel in English
A senator, a young nationalist, a dispossessed farmer, a radical activist, a convent school girl, a Jesuit scholastic desperately try to prevent the coming of Martial Law in 1972.
• Cave and Shadows (1983) by Nick Joaquin
A Martial Law era “metaphysical” thriller written by the National Artist for Literature. The whodunit is set in motion by a mysterious death, and intersperses historical fact with fiction.
• Dekada ’70 (1984) by Lualhati Bautista; Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Nobela, Grand Prize (1983)
Parents deal with raising their five teenage sons through Martial Law. The book was turned into a film by Chito Roño in 2002, and into a theater musical this year.
• Desaparesidos (2006) by Lualhati Bautista; Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards (2006)
A novel by the award-winning writer, it tells the story of a mother’s search for her missing child after a military encounter. With an introduction by National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera Bien.
• Dogeaters (1990) by Jessica Hagedorn; American Book Award (1991), National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (1990)
“As sharp and fast as a street boy’s razor” (The New York Times Book Review), Dogeaters is an intense fictional portrayal of Manila in the heyday of Marcos’s Martial Law. In the center of this tale is Rio, a feisty schoolgirl who will grow up to live in America and look back with longing on the land of her youth. Hagedorn adapted her book into a play in 1997.
• Eating Fire and Drinking Water by Arlene J. Chai
A reporter learns more than she expects when she rushes into a burning street after a deadly student demonstration.
• An Embarrassment of Riches (2000) by Charlson Ong; Centennial Literary Prize
A satire of Philippine politics and cults of personality, the book relates what happens after a dictator dies in the fictional island of Victorianas, with a motley crew of characters — the daughter of a tycoon, the of the underground, a preacher, a feng shui master, and an exile — drawn to the upcoming elections.
• Empire of Memory (1992) by Eric Gamalinda, edited by Ricardo M. de Ungria
Two friends are hired by Marcos to rewrite Philippine history to make it appear that Marcos was destined to rule the country in perpetuity.
• Fish-Hair Woman by Merlinda Bobis; Most Underrated Book Award 2013
A village is caught up in the government’s war against the communist insurgency, the Fish Hair Woman searches for corpses in the water, and an Australian writer disappears in the conflict. Years later, his son comes searching.
• Fortress in the Plaza (1985) by Linda Ty-Casper
The book is an “attempt to show how, faced with dark choices, it is possible to live with dignity, courage and grade,” according to Joseph A. Galdon. “The basic symbol of the novel is the fortress, which ambivalently stands for both the fortress of the Philippine society under Martial Law and for the fortress of a family, as well as for the fortresses that individuals erect within themselves.”
• Great Philippine Jungle Energy Café (1998)
By Alfred A. Yuson
In the novel, the Revolution of 1896, the demonstrations against Marcos in the 1980s, and banditry in the boondocks in the days of the Guardia Civil happen side by side.
• The Jupiter Effect: A Novel (2006) by Katrina P. Tuvera; Juan C. Laya Prize for Best Novel in a Foreign Language (2007)
The story of two Martial-Law babies who underwent political initiation during the Marcos years.
• Ka Gaby, Nom de Guerre (2001) by Paulino Lim, Jr.
• Killing Time in a Warm Place (1992) by José Y. Dalisay Jr; NBDB National Book Award for Fiction (1992)
A fictionalization of Dalisay’s experiences as a student activist and writer during the martial law years, it follows a young man whose bucolic life in a village is changed with the arrival of Martial Law.
• Mass: A Novel (1973) by F. Sionil Jose; Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for English Novel, Grand Prize (1981)
A historical and political novel written by the National Artist F. Sionil José, it looks at life during the years before and after Martial Law, discussing a failed uprising and how one character goes home to rebuild his life.
• Secrets of the Eighteen Mansions (2010) by Mario I. Miclat; Man Asian Literary Prize Nominee (2009)
The novel intertwines the Philippines’ First Quarter Storm and the formation of the New People’s Army, and China’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and ’70s, and looks at how the movement goes awry.
• A Small Party in the Garden (1988) by Linda Ty Casper
Set during Martial Law, a friend of Imelda Marcos learns first hand what brutality means.
• State of War: A Novel (1988) by Ninotchka Rosca
Three friends travel to an island festival only to get caught up in a plot to kill The Commander.
• Stolia (1983) by Wilfredo Garrido
• Surveyors of the Liguasan March (1981) by Antonio R. Enriquez; Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature 1982
The book tackles the never-ending rift between the Moros and Christians in Mindanao.
• Tiger Orchids on Mount Mayon series by Paulino Lim, Jr. — Tiger Orchids on Mount Mayon (1990), Sparrows Don’t Sing in the Philippines (1994), Requiem for a Rebel Priest (1996)
The first book is a love story against the backdrop of an erupting Mayon Volcano. An American businessman has an affair with his secretary, while his wife wants to return to California. His assistant, a former activist, is being pressured to take a more active role in the Communist party while the parish priest confronts social ills. Violence explodes on the night Mayon unleashes it fury.
• Twice Blessed (1992) by Ninotchka Rosca; American Book Award (1993)
Twins engage in Philippine politics, with their rise marked by catastrophes — to themselves, to the people around them, and to the nation they aspire to dominate.
• Wings of Stone (1986) by Linda Ty-Casper
After a 13-year absence, Johnny Manalo returns to the Philippines after the Aquino assassination and sees the horrors of the twilight years of the Marcos regime.
NONFICTION
• Agaw Dilim, Afaw-Liwanag (2009) by Lualhati Milan Abreu
A creative nonfiction autobiographical work on the communist underground written in colloquial Filipino.
• Armando (2006) by Jun Cruz Reyes
A biography of Armando Teng, a cadre in the revolutionary movement.
• Armando J. Malay, A Guardian of Memory: The Life and Times of a Filipino Journalist and Activist (2002) by Marites N. Sison and Yvonne T. Chua
Journalists Sison and Chua help Filipinos tackle the three roles Malay has played — journalist, educator, activist — in the country’s history through this book along with other aspects — family man, coworker, friend — to bring out his human side.
• Assassinations and Conspiracies:
From Rajah Humabon to Imelda Marcos (2003) by Manuel F. Martinez
A look into the details that led to the deaths of some heroes, as well as heretofore unpublished details of assassination attempts against former Philippine presidents.
• Bangsamoro: National Under Endless Tyranny (1999) by Salah Jubair
The author explains the struggle he was involved in for the Moro people’s liberation in the light of Marcos’ oppression.
• Beyond Disappearance: Chronicles of Courage (2006) published by Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND), edited by Silverio G. Sevilla, Jr. with Louie Crismo, Phebe Gamata Crismo, Estelita del Rosario, Bonifacio Parabuac Ilagan, Benito E. Molino MD, Raquel Paca-Santos, Celia Sevilla, and Nicolas Amado Tayag
A record of some Filipino desaparecidos who were among the brightest minds and spirits of an era.
• Breaking Through: The Struggle Within the CPP (1994) by Joel M. Rocamora
• Closer than Brothers : Manhood at the Philippine Military Academy (1999) by Alfred W. McCoy
Through a comparison of two generations of graduates from the Philippine Military Academy — the classes of 1940 and 1971 — the author finds fundamental differences in their academic socialization and subsequent ascent to power.
• The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos (1976) by Primitivo Mijares
An insider, Mijares wrote this controversial book detailing the abuses and corruption of the Marcos regime. Mijares subsequently disappeared and a year later his younger son was found dead, having been brutally tortured. In reaction to the resurgence of the Marcos family, Mijares’ heirs released it in 2016 as a free e-book download from the Ateneo de Manila Rizal Library, and in February 2017, a revised and annotated reprint was released by his grandson.
• Dateline Manila (2007) by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP)
A compilation of essays and photographs of events in the 30 years since the founding of FOCAP, it provide snapshots of events from the declaration of Martial Law in 1972, through the assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr. in 1983, the “People Power Revolution” of 1986, the ouster of President Joseph Estrada in 2001, and the travails of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
• Days of Disquiet, Nights of Rage: The First Quarter Storm & Related Events (1982) by Jose F. Lacaba
A first-person account of the political awakening of the Filipino youth, it was published before the actual end of the Marcos era. Lacaba reports on the protests in the lead up to the declaration of Martial Law.
• Dead Aim : How Marcos Ambushed Philippine Democracy (1997) by Conrado de Quiros
• Debts of Dishonor, Vol. 1 (1991), published by Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement, edited by Amado Mendoza, with Robert Verzola, et al.
• Development Debacle: The World Bank in the Philippines (1982) by Walden Bello, David Kinley, and Elaine Elinson
A landmark study of leaked World Bank documents published in 1982.
• Dictatorship & Martial Law: Philippine authoritarianism in 1972 (1987) by Alex B. Brillantes, Jr.
• Down from the Hill : Ateneo de Manila in the First Ten Years of Martial Law (2002) by Cristina Jayme T. Montiel and Susan Evangelista
The book contains vignettes from former students, faculty, administrators, professionals, and Jesuits on things that had been whispered about on campus. Has an appendix of relevant documents that are often difficult to access.
• Endgame: The Fall of Marcos (1987) by Ninotchka Rosca
An account of the fall of Ferdinand Marcos and his regime in the Philippines in February 1986 detailing the major forces that shaped the uprising, the underground revolutionary movement, the moderate reformers, and the Washington government.
• Ferdinand Marcos and The Philippines : The Political Economy of Authoritarianism (1997) by Alberto F. Celoza
An examination of how the authoritarian regime of Marcos remained in power for 14 years through the support of bureaucrats, businessmen, and the military, and the assistance of the United States government.
• Fight for the Filipino (2008) by Teofisto Guingona, Jr.
The memoirs of a politician with a front-row seat to the seminal events in the history of the Philippines. With a foreword by Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno
• Filipino Poetry and Martial Law 1970-1987: Clenched Fists and Yellow Ribbons (2016) by Lilia Quindoza Santiago
The Marcos dictatorship produced a wealth of art and literature dedicated to dismantling an unjust social order. This book focuses on the poets.
• Full Quarter Storms: Memoirs and Writings on the Philippine Left, 1970-2010 (2010) by Cesar “Sonny” Melencio
The book covers the most significant periods of the rise, decline and renewal of the Philippine left.
• A Garrison State in the Making (1985) by Benigno Aquino, Jr.
• I See Red in a Circle (1972) by Ceres S.C. Alabado
About the student activist movement in Philippine Science High School.
• In Our Image : America’s Empire in the Philippines (1989) by Stanley Karnow
Pulitzer Prize for History (1990)
Traces the history of the Philippines, discusses the influence of Spain and the United States, and looks at the problems facing the Philippines when it was published.
• Inside the Mass Movement: A Political Memoir (2008) by Raul E. Segovia
A participant and witness in the mass movement, Segovia shares his perspective on its history, direction and problems.
• Inside the Palace : The Rise and Fall of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos (1987) by Beth Day Romulo
An insider’s account of the Marcoses’ opulent lifestyle, the nature of their relationship, and why they were overthrown.
• A Journey of Struggle & Hope: The Memoir of Jovito R. Salonga (2001) by Jovito Salonga
“Poignantly reflects our people’s political pilgrimage and struggles.” – Hilario G. Davide Jr, Supreme Court Chief Justice; “A personal testament to a man’s search for meaning and purpose as a devout Christian and political leader.” – Corazon C. Aquino, President of the Philippines, 1986-1992
• Justice Under Siege: Five Talks (1981) by Jose W. Diokno
• Living and Dying: In Memory of 11 Ateneo de Manila Martial Law Activists (2007) by Cristina Jayme Montiel
Memorializes the 11 young Ateneans: Ferdie Arceo, Bill Begg, Jun Celestial, Sonny Hizon, Edjop Jopson, Eman Lacaba, Dante Perez, Ditto Sarmiento, Lazzie Silva, Nick Solana, Manny Yap, who died during Martial Law.
• Ang Mamatay nang Dahil sa ’yo: Heroes and Martyrs of the Filipino People in the Struggle Against Dictatorship 1972-1986 (Vol 1, 2015) by the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation
A book about the heroes and martyrs of resistance against the dictatorship that ruled over the country between 1972 and 1986.
• The Marcos Dynasty (1988) by Sterling Seagrave
The inside story behind the corruption of Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos and the involvement of American business, organized crime, the CIA, the Pentagon and the White House.
• The Marcos File: Was He a Philippine Hero Or Corrupt Tyrant? (1987) by Charles C. McDougald
• Marcos Martial Law: A Brief History of Torture and Atrocity Under the New Society (2016) by Raissa Robles
In the foreword, Rene Saguisag writes: “Raissa’s magnum opus cites certain of the worst cases of Martial Law human rights abuses… Bongbong Marcos asks, what human rights violations during my parents’ watch? This edifying volume answers the foolish question. Learn more about terror of 1972-1986 from this magnum opus.”
• Martial Law Diary and Other Papers (2003) by Danilo P. Vizmanos
Covering the period between 1973 and 1974, “this is not a personal diary in the conventional sense,” explains the book’s preface. “Almost all its pages are devoted to accounts, observations and comments on significant happenings during early and critical stage of martial rule.”
• Martial Law in the Philippines: My Story (2006) by Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr.
While primarily about the experiences the author and his family underwent during the martial law regime, the author describes how Marcos laid the foundation for Martial Law in the 1973 Constitutions, and describes how some detainees were tortured and who the torturers were.
• Militarism and Repression in the Philippines: Working Paper Series (1982) by Jim Zwick
• Mondo Marcos: Writings on Martial Law and the Marcos Babies (2010) edited by Frank Cimatu and Rolando Tolentino, photography by Andy Zapata
Some of the best Filipino writers recall their life under President Ferdinand Marcos.
• Miltant But Groovy: Stories of Samahang Demokratiko ng Kabataan (2008) edited by Soliman M. Santos, Jr. and Paz Verdades M. Santos
This book revisits one of the more prominent youth organizations of the early 1970s.
• Musika at Bagong Lipunan: Pabuo ng Lipunang Filipino, 1972-1986 (2014) by Raul Casantusan Navarro
This examines how music was used as a powerful propaganda tool to advance the political agenda of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos during the Martial Law period.
• A Nation for Our Children: Human Rights, Nationalism, Sovereignty: Selected Writings of Jose W. Diokno, by Jose W. Diokno, edited by Priscila Manalang
A collection of Jose W. Diokno’s speeches and articles tackling three major concerns — respect for human rights, nationalism, and Philippine sovereignty.
• Not on Our Watch: We Were There (2011), published by LEADS-CEGP 6972 Inc., edited by Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon
The true-to-life stories of 13 Filipino student journalists during the martial law years of the Marcos dictatorship, all of whom are now prominent individuals in Philippine society: Jaime FlorCruz, Manuel M. Dayrit, Diwa Guinigundo, Alfonso S. Mendoza, Soledad F. Juvida, and José Dalisay Jr, Jay Valencia Glorioso, Jack Teotico, Victor H. Maranarang, Calixto Chikiamco, Roberto Verzola, Angie Castillo, and Vic A. Wenceslao.
• Of Tyrants and Martyrs: A Political Memoir (2017) by Manuel C. Lahoz
An account of Manuel Lahoz’s experiences during Martial Law including his encounters with Fr. Zacarias Agatep, Deacon Santiago Arce, Ama Macli-ing Dulag, Puri Pedro, Sr. Mariani Dimaranan, and Bobby dela Paz.
• O Susana!: Untold Stories of Martial Law in Davao (2016), edited by Macario D. Tiu
Thirty-four former church and development organization workers wrote 45 essays, all of them having their own stories to tell.
• A Pen for Democracy (1984) by Raul S. Manglapus
A decade of articles, speeches, letters, interviews, and committee testimony published in the international press and the US Congressional Record.
• The Philippine Press: Under Siege, Vol. I (1984) and Vol. II (1985), published by the National Press Club & Committee to Protect Writers
Vol. 1 is a selection of articles by journalists — many of whom were charged with libel — written from 1981-1984, Vol. 2 is selection of dangerous writings from 1980-1984 and includes articles that were banned from print.
• The Philippines Reader: A History of Colonialism, Neocolonialism, Dictatorship, and Resistance (1987) edited by Daniel B. Schirmer and Stephen R. Shalom with Luzviminda Francisco, et al.
A compilation of analytical essays and narratives linking the country’s colonial history with the dictatorship.
• Policing America’s Empire: The United States, the Philippines & the Rise of the Surveillance State – New Perspectives in SE Asian Studies (2009) by Alfred W. McCoy; George McT. Kahin Prize (2011)
With a breathtaking sweep of archival research, McCoy shows how repressive techniques developed in the colonial Philippines migrated back to the United States for use against people of color, aliens, and really any heterodox challenge to American power. This book proves Mark Twain’s adage that you cannot have an empire abroad and a republic at home. – Bruce Cumings, University of Chicago
• The Political Economy of Growth and Impoverishment in the Marcos Era (1993) by James K. Boyce
This book analyzes the Philippine economy from the 1960s to the 1980s, during which the benefits of economic growth conspicuously failed to “trickle down.” Professor Boyce focuses upon three central elements of the government’s development strategy: the “green revolution” in rice agriculture; the primacy accorded to export agriculture and forestry; and massive external borrowing.
• Politics of Plunder: The Philippines Under Marcos (1987) by Belinda A. Aquino
Dr. Aquino uses the controversial Marcos papers and other incriminating materials retrieved from the plane that carried Marcos and his family to exile in Hawaii.
• Presidential Plunder: The Quest for Marcos’ Ill-Gotten Wealth (2000) by Jovito R. Salonga; NBDB National Book Award
A detailed account of the history of Ferdinand Marcos’s ill-gotten wealth based on primary accounts and documents collated by Presidential Commission on Good Government.
• Project Seahawk : The Barbed Wire Journal (1993) by Dolores S. Feria
• Pumipiglas: Political Detention and Military Atrocities in the Philippines, 1981-1982 (1986) published by Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines
• Recollections (2013) by Thelma Arceo
A compilation of short anecdotal pieces written by Arceo about her son, Ferdinand “Ferdie” Arceo, who is one of the Bantayog martyrs.
• Serve the People: Ang Kasaysayan ng Radikal na Kilusan sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (2008), edited by Bienvenido Lumbrera with Judy Taguiwalo, Roland Tolentino, Ramon Guillermo, Arnold Alamon
A collection of stories on activism and radical movements within University in the Philippines.
• Six Young Filipino Martyrs (1997) edited by Asuncion David-Maramba
Includes short biographies of Lean Alejandro, Lorena Barros, Remberto “Bobby” de la Paz, Edgar “Edjop” Jopson, Emmanuel “Eman” Lacaba, and Abraham “Ditto” Sarmiento, Jr.
• SOCDEM: Filipino Social Democracy in a Time of Turmoil and Transition, 1965-1995 (2011) published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, edited by Benjamin T. Tolosa, Jr.
An effort at collective story-telling.
• Some Are Smarter than Others: The History of Marcos’ Crony Capitalism (1991) by Ricardo Manapat, edited by Larry Henares
This book documents in detail how state power was used to intervene in the economy during Marcos’ rule.
• Subversive Lives: A Family Memoir of the Marcos Years (2012) by Susan Quimpo, Nathan Gilbert Quimpo, et al
An oral history on how nine Quimpo siblings did their part to resist Martial Law.
• Summary Execution: The Seattle Assassinations of Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes (2018) by Michael Withey
A true story that is stranger than fiction, peopled with assassins, political activists, FBI informants, murdered witnesses, a tenacious attorney, and a foreign dictator.
• Testament from a Prison Cell by Benigno Aquino, Jr.
Written in a prison cell by one of the first political opponents to be arrested and held in military detention after Marcos established his totalitarian regime. Presented here is Aquino’s defense of his political views, his outline for an ideal society, and a family history of patriotism.
• Thirty Years Later… Catching Up With the Marcos-Era Crimes (2016) by Myles A. Garcia
• A Thousand Little Deaths: Growing Up Under Martial Law in the Philippines (2013) by Vicky Pinpin-Feinstein
A year after Martial Law was declared, the author, then just 15 years old, was picked up by soldiers and sent to a military camp, becoming one of the thousands of political prisoners. After her release, she was required to report to camp, her probation lasting five years. She was never charged and was never told why she was arrested.
• Through the Eye of the Storm: Random notes of Danilo P. Vizmanos (2000) by Danilo P. Vizmanos
The author gives an account of his life, times, the people and circumstances that helped develop his thinking, that led to his conversion from a ranking AFP officer with the rank of naval captain to a progressive struggling for social and national emancipation.
• Tibak Rising: Activism in the Days of Martial Law (2012) edited by Ferdie Llanes
A collection of individual stories about the struggle against martial law, with contributors including Gilda Cordero-Fernando, Edicio Dela Torre, Joel Saracho, and Joel Rocamora.
• A Time to Rise: Collective Memoirs of the Union of Democratic Filipinos (KDP) (2017) edited by Rene Ciriacruz, Cindy Domingo, and Bruce Occena, foreword by Augusto F. Espiritu
An intimate look into the workings of the only revolutionary organization that emerged in the Filipino American community during the 1970s and 1980s.
• The Transnational Dynamics of the Marcos Plunder (1999) by Belinda A. Aquino
A companion piece to the author’s book, Politics of Plunder, it tackles the unresolved corruption issues under the Marcos regime and how they continue to affect the larger geopolitical environment within and outside the Philippines.
• To Suffer Thy Comrades: How the Revolution Decimated its Own (2001) by Robert Francis Garcia; NBDB National Book Award for Social Science (2001)
An account of one of the CPP-NPA internal anti-infiltration operations — the infamous Oplan Missing Link — written by a former cadre. The book looks at the guerrilla headquarters and lives of those in the revolutionary movement during the Martial Law era, and the chaos and paranoia that later caused the group to implode.
• Turning Rage into Courage: Mindanao Under Martial Law (2002) edited by Carolyn O. Arguillas
A compilation of memoirs by 38 Mindanaoans
• U.G. An Ungerground Tale: The Journey of Edgar Jopson and the First Quarter Storm Generation (2006) by Benjamin Pimentel Jr, foreword by Jovito R. Salonga, afterword by Gloria A. Jopson-Kintanar
One of the most fascinating and tragic personalities connected with martial law was Edgar “Edjop” Jopson, the Ateneo student council leader who faced off with Ferdinand Marcos, joined the NPA, and was killed by the military.
• Unequal Alliance, 1979-1986: The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Philippines (1988) by Robin Broad
US development specialist Robin Broad chronicles the Philippine experiment with the structural adjustment model of development espoused by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, demonstrating why this model of development is harmful to the poorer majorities in developing countries, and how it is particularly inappropriate in a world economy of vastly reduced growth.
• The Untold Story of Imelda Marcos (1988) by Carmen Pedrosa
How Imelda Romualdez-Marcos rose from being a destitute child to becoming the most powerful woman in the country.
• Waltzing with a Dictator (1987) by Raymond Bonner; Cornelius Ryan Award (1987)
Based on hundreds of interviews and more than 3,500 previously classified government documents, this is an account of the 20-year relationship between the United States and the Marcos regime.
• Whose Side are We On? Memoirs of a PMAer (2016) by Dante Simbulan
The author — a cadet and officer in the PMA, a professor, a political prisoner, and an activist — narrates his personal experiences and provides historical context.
• Women Against Marcos: Stories of Filipino and Filipino American Women Who Fought a Dictator (2016) by Mila de Guzman with Mila D. Aguilar, Geline Avila, Aurora de Dios, Cindy Domingo, Sr., Mary John Mananzan and Aida Santos
The accounts of six women who joined the struggle against Ferdinand Marcos.
• Worth Dying For (1987) by Lewis M. Simons
A Pulitzer Prize-winner’s account of the events that took place from the time of Benigno Aquino’s assassination to the victory of Corazon Aquino and the flight of Ferdinand Marcos.
Most of these books are available in university and institutional libraries, local bookstores, and online shops. Some are also in digital format freely available for downloading.
Doris Lois Rifareal is today a freelance graphic/multimedia artist, but back in the 1980s she was a student activist belonging to the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP) and worked part-time at the Philippine News & Features under UP Dean Luis Teodoro.
The book list is Ms. Rifareal’s personal project, born from an online plea from a teacher in a Batangas public high school who wanted to put up an exhibit on Martial Law for her students but didn’t know where to get the materials. Ms. Rifareal, with the help of some friends, came up with several materials in poster form which were then exhibited in the school, and which later made their way to UP Davao.
The list of Martial Law books was one of the subjects the project tackled. Tess Battad, a librarian based in the US, helped start with a list, and many more contributed.
“Especially with the proliferation of fake news and ‘historical revisionism,’ that teacher’s plea made me realize more how wanting we are of good resource materials, those that can be easily digested by the young. So while her request is no easy task, I took it, for our kids,” said Ms. Rifareal.
Sources
General, shops:

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Articles, lists:

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• and various other sources

Kyushu and Kansai by train

��ý — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 16:11:03 +0000

By Lourdes O. Pilar, Researcher

EXPLORING the cities of the island of Kyushu and the western part of Japan in five days was beyond my imagination—but with the help of a detailed itinerary and Japan’s efficient transportation network, my travel buddies and I were able to tick several places off our bucket list.

We prepared for the trip by first securing a Japan Rail (JR) Pass for seven days of unlimited rides on the shinkansen (bullet train) network, express trains, and ferries. The pass covers different geographical regions; we availed of the one covering the northern part of Kyushu island up to Osaka in Kansai region for ¥22,000 or P10,700. Note that only tourists who have “temporary visitor” visas are eligible for the pass. (Tip: It is best to buy the pass outside Japan since you get a ¥1000 discount.)
Rides not covered by the JR Pass were paid in cash or through Pasmo, a smart card (similar to our local Beep card) that can be used in place of a train or bus ticket. A Pasmo card can also be used to purchase goods and services from stores that accept electronic money payments.
We landed in Fukuoka at 7:30 p.m. and headed straight to Hakata, where we stayed for two nights. Our night arrival limited us to only dinner, so we decided to try the ramen Fukuoka is famous for.
DAY ONE: NAGASAKI
On our first day of touring, we traveled to Nagasaki in the northern part of Kyushu Island, which is two hours away from Fukuoka by express train. As the train came to a halt in Nagasaki, I wondered if there were still any vestiges left from the atomic bombing of 1945.
Nagasaki today is a fully functioning city and a busy-yet-attractive port town. After 73 years, it seems to have completely recovered from the bombing. Monuments bear witness to the events that have been called the “greatest acts of terrorism in human history.”
Ten years after the plutonium bomb “Fat Man” detonated, the Nagasaki Peace Park opened to commemorate the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The park is located in the Zone of Hopes, one of the three symbolic zones in the destroyed area, (the other two being the Zone of Prayers, and the Zone of Study).
The park’s most important feature is the 9.7-meter-tall Peace Statue. Sculpted by Seibo Kitamura, the statue is of a seated blue man with his right arm raised and pointing to the sky, a gesture that symbolizes the threat of nuclear warfare. His left arm is stretched out horizontally, palm down, indicating the desire for peace.
Opposite the Peace Statue, one finds the Fountain of Peace, another meaningful landmark that commemorates the A-bomb victims who suffered from extreme thirst. The jets of water resemble a dove flapping its wings. A black plaque installed in front of the fountain bears the words of survivor Sachiko Yamaguchi, who recounted the desperate need for water during the aftermath of the bombing.
The Zone of Prayers marks where the A-bomb exploded above Nagasaki with the hypocenter cenotaph. The A-bomb was detonated about 500 meters above the point where this monument now stands. The area within a 2.5-kilometer radius of the hypocenter was devastated. All infrastructure in this area was reduced to debris and ashes. Many charred bodies were found. The zone also has other memorials and statues, among them the Nagasaki Korean Atomic Bomb Victims’ Memorial and the Statue of the Praying Child.
The Zone of Study is where you can find the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall, and a statue erected in memory of school children and teachers killed by the bomb.
The museum, which opened in April 1966 as part of the 50^th-anniversary project of the Nagasaki bombing, has a number of artifacts on display, along with photographs that give viewers an idea of the extent of the devastation, the history of the development of nuclear arms, and the desire for peace.
We returned to Hakata in time for dinner. We decided to try yatai or open-air food stands that can seat about seven or eight people. Dishes such as grilled chicken skewers (yakitori), hot pot (oden), and Hakata ramen — a local noodle dish featuring thin noodles in a pork-bone based soup (tonkotsu ramen) — are favorites, and go well with alcoholic beverages.
DAY TWO: HIROSHIMA
The next day, we proceeded to Hiroshima in the region of Chugoku, also known as San’in-San’yo via the shinkansen or bullet train. The shinkansen, which runs at a maximum speed of 320 km/h, is known for its comfort and efficiency. It is usually expensive to ride bullet trains — without a JR Pass, a shinkansen ride from Hakata to Hiroshima costs ¥12,690.
Hiroshima is in the southwestern part of the Japanese islands. There are two World Heritage Sites in Hiroshima that we wanted to see: the Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima island, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (also called the Atomic Bomb Dome).
Itsukushima Shrine is one of the most notable shrines in Japan and the only shrine in the world erected on top of water. It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The view has long been considered as one of the three finest views in Japan (along with Matsushima Bay and Amanohashidate). Itsukushima island, which has a number of temples, is also recognized for its upper hillside cherry blossoms and autumnal maple-leaf foliage.
Hiroshima was the first of two Japanese cities destroyed by an A-bomb — the world’s first deployed atomic bomb known as “Little Boy” — during World War II. Unlike Nagasaki, which is located in narrow valleys between mountains, Hiroshima is a vast plain. During the war, it was a manufacturing center with a population of around 350,000.
We paid a visit to the most symbolic infrastructure in Hiroshima City, the Atomic Bomb Dome that stands meters away from the hypocenter of the atomic bomb blast. Unfortunately, the Hiroshima Museum was under renovation during our visit.
Then, off to Okayama we went — 35 minutes away from Hiroshima by shinkansen (fare: ¥9,630). It is the largest city in the Chugoku Region after Hiroshima.
Okayama’s most well-known attraction is Korakuen Garden, ranked among the three best landscape gardens in Japan. The famous Okayama Castle is also located just across the garden.
Korakuen is a spacious garden that flaunts the typical features of a Japanese landscape garden, including a large pond, streams, walking paths and a hill that serves as a lookout point. It is quite unique from other Japanese gardens because of its spacious lawns. There are groves of plum, cherry and maple trees; tea and rice fields; an archery range; and a crane aviary.
Okayama Castle, also known as “crow castle” due to its black exterior, was built in 1597. The original castle was destroyed in the last year of World War II but was reconstructed in 1966. The main edifice of Okayama Castle is the six-story castle keep that houses an exhibition explaining the history and development of the castle. There are interactive activities, such calligraphy writing, and photography sessions with ceremonial clothing. (The castle has an entrance fee of ¥300. Pay ¥560 and you get to enter Korakuen Garden as well.)
From Okayama, we traveled to Sakaimoto which is home to manga artist Mizuki Shigeru. The train we rode had Shigeru-san’s yokai (spirit-monster) works painted all over it. The art was visible from every station we stopped at. The 800-meter stretch of Mizuki Shigeru Road with 100 bronze statues is dedicated to all the characters that appear in his work, the series GeGeGe no Kitarō included.
ROLLER COASTER BRIDGE
The highlight of our trip in Sakaimoto was experiencing the thrill of crossing one of the most spectacular bridges in the world, the Eshima Ohashi Bridge. The bridge is 1.44 km long and 144 feet high — even the most confident drivers quiver at the sight of it.
We hired a cab for ¥3,500 just to cross the bridge and vice versa. When the cab started to ascend the bridge, we held our breath — just like we do when we ride a real roller coaster —and waited for that feeling of being held up in the air… but it did not really make us feel anything even after we reached the other side of the bridge. At least now we know that the fear is just all in the pictures and videos. It’s been nicknamed the Roller Coaster Bridge because of its steep slope and appearance like a bridge to the sky.
We spent the night in Himeji, Hyogo prefecture which we reached via shinkansen for ¥7,240.
On our fourth day, Himeji Castle was the only thing in our itinerary. It is a hilltop castle complex with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. The largest and most visited castle in Japan, it is also known as White Heron Castle because of its brilliant white exterior and resemblance to a bird taking flight. It was registered in 1993 as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan. The entrance fee costs ¥1,300.
Afterwards, we were headed to Osaka but dropped by Kobe for lunch. When in Japan, one must have kobe beef, of course, renowned as it is for its superior flavor and tenderness. It is healthier than commercial beef because of its high concentration of monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids.
It is said that kobe beef owes its quality to three things: First, cows are given beer to induce appetite; second, they are massaged daily, sometimes with sake, as a proxy for exercise and to accentuate marbling; and third, that classical music is played to relax the cows and improve their appetite.
Kobe to Osaka cost us ¥6,350 by shinkansen. We reached Osaka in the afternoon and planned to go to Kyoto to visit Gion, known as Kyoto’s geisha district. We missed the train and while waiting for the next one to arrive, we noticed that there were awfully many people on the opposite platform while there were only the three of us on our side. Something was happening and we had no idea what is was. It turns out, there was a storm coming. People were advised to go home early before Typhoon Cimaron reached Osaka.
The room we booked was a tiny one inside an old house with three tatami mats laid on the floor. The storm made its presence known with heavy rains and strong winds.
On our last day in Japan, we made sure to visit Nara Park in Nara City, which is 30 minutes away from Osaka. The park’s vast green area is home to approximately 1,200 wild deer. The park is also included among the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO. The deer roam around freely and seem tame enough that people can actually approach them. They eat grass, bamboo leaves and buds but Shika Senbei (deer crackers) is their favorite food. Visitors can buy these crackers at several spots in the park.
A little precaution though, since deer are very much attracted to these crackers, they tend to approach visitors if they spot a person feeding any of them. Even if you’ve put away the crackers, the deer will follow you, perhaps bite your shirt and tug at you.
The last destination of the trip was in Dotonbori — a tourist destination in Osaka known for its bright neon lights, extravagant signage, and various restaurants and bars. This where Pablo, the famous cheesecake, is from.
This is our fourth visit to Japan and I think this trip was the most fulfilling. We learned from every place we visited and we saved a lot through the use of the JR Pass, which covered most our transportation. Sugu ni o ai shitai to kangaete imasu.

Up in a magic mountain, harvesting energy from the Universe

��ý — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 16:11:02 +0000

By Joseph L. Garcia, Reporter
NO ONE ever said enlightenment was easy.
It takes a tremendous amount of power — of the horse and will variety —to reach the MDP Village in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur. How else would you find the ability and strength to traverse a road snaking around a mountain, shrouded with waterfalls great and small, and signs warning of landslides and falling rocks? It took even greater effort for the media guests who went on a meditation retreat to the center this July, at the height of typhoons Inday and Josie. The rains whipped the roads raw, prolonging a wet and wild journey, afforded a sinister tone by the fog enveloping the mountain.
One expected a paradise rising out of the clouds when we reached the village, a retreat resort built by Del Pe in 2015. The village’s name comes from an acronym derived from his title and his initials: Master Del Pe. Yes, everyone on the mountain called him that. From his sister and nieces who helped him out, to his students, some of whom came all the way from London and India — all of them adopted a reverent and quiet tone when they spoke of him, the Master. Out of respect for the mountain’s residents, we called him Master, too.
Vegetarian meals are de rigueur in the village, as part of the Master’s own beliefs. In the rain made cooler by the high altitude, never had a bowl of thin soup with mushrooms and squash blossoms felt more welcome.
The accommodations were rustic, bordering on spartan. It has modern plumbing, thank goodness, but it was essentially a fortified hut. It made the experience more welcoming to the pursuit of enlightenment, as we prepared to shed our worldly desire.
Who is this fellow, anyway? Quick Google searches of his name, Del Pe, say he’s world-renowned, and yet none of us had heard of him. Most of the results that the Internet yielded were from his own organizations, namely the BeLite Institute for Higher Consciousness, and the American Institute for Higher Consciousness. His organizations are based in Houston, Texas, where he lived for many years after stints in New York and the Middle East.
We met the Master, a tall, tanned man, with a vitality unnatural for his age of about 60. His head is shaved clean: either a tribute to the monastic life, a simple move to look cleaner, or else a rejection of vanity and worldliness—but then, he also came to us dressed in a suit. “I’m a spiritual mentor, and a spiritual master. Healing is just one of my lines,” he said in an interview with ��ý.
A one-page biography, given as a handout during the talks, says that he was mentored by four masters, one of whom was an immortal living in a cave up in the Himalayas. From his nieces and his own stories, the Master was once a successful Filipino engineer in the Middle East. During a brush with death in Singapore (a heavy boom gate missed him by a hair’s breadth), he began to rethink his life choices, which was why he sought out his mentors.
They were, according to the Master: a Chinese-Filipino businessman who claimed to be a superhealer; a paralyzed seer; and a Korean monk.
If his present organizations and achievements were influenced by his masters, he said, “I’m also a person who can intuitively know what to do. I can download in my mind what to do. I can write books without notes.”

The Master’s resume sounds ambitious: he’s apparently a speaker at the United Nations Spiritual Society, and the World Bank Women’s Circle; he was also invited to address the Harvard Business School Owners and Presidents Management Program. Sometimes, he serves as a retainer to the powerful (he cited two billionaires from India as his clients).
He said that he built his village, his base, up in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, for a reason: students must travel to the Master instead of the Master going around the world to see them. The town is a fourth-class municipality with a population of 17,211 people, according to the last census of 2015. It’s nestled by the mountains of Cordillera, and is near Bessang Pass, where Japanese war criminal and general Tomoyuki Yamashita held his last stand.
The location is strategic: according to Master Del Pe, the mountains surrounding the area hold a nexus of power. His nieces pointed out to this reporter a mountain, untouched, with a grove of trees forming the shape of a heart. This is the center of power they said, and they proceeded to meditate, coaxing me to do the same. “There’s a portal of energy that is not available yet in any place,” explained the Master for the choice of the village’s location. According to him, the Himalayan Mountains and the Andes were once centers of this power, but have since been depleted. “The Philippines will be the new center. People would not believe it now, but I would like to prove it in a few years.”
He said the site was chosen by four of his student-clairvoyants. “All of them had pinpointed it here… they found the highest energy on Earth to put the center.” His seers said: “If the Earth changes, that’s the place that will be protected.”
Incidentally, it’s also the place of Mr. Pe’s birth.
“They didn’t know I was from here. They [were not] biased. They were separate from each other, yet they pinpointed the same place,” the Master said.
I went under the Master’s guidance for three days. Exercises in yoga, deep breathing, and even some martial arts were filled in by vegetarian meals, with vegetables harvested nearby. The whole experience made me feel lighter as a person, if I’m to be honest with you. Perhaps it was the thin and pollution-free mountain oxygen that I was breathing in that gave me energy and vitality that allowed me to sit through the Master’s talks, which could go on for hours, discussing his beliefs, spiritual or otherwise. These were all said in a clean, clear, soothing voice. The Master had a habit of repeating words and phrases when he spoke, and the combination of the two had an almost being trance-like effect.
What stuck was his emphasis on power. While other meditation programs emphasize love and compassion for others and oneself, the Master talked to us about harnessing our own power, and harvesting the energy from the Universe. “I’m not against love, because love is the basic function of spirituality,” he said in an interview. “Without power, people cannot finish what they start. They start a lot of good things, wishes… but if there’s no power, they can’t sustain it.”
“When you do good things, you are also pushing out evil. When you push evil out, you need a lot of power,” he continued. “It’s dangerous. Love and compassion without power, a person becomes a victim.”
His meditations center on power, light (wisdom), and love, for a person to achieve balance. “That is the complete formula.”
Looking again at the Master’s one-page biography, this reporter found claims of healing people: making the paralyzed walk; the blind, see; and drug addicts, recover. The Master even claimed to be able to heal people with HIV/AIDS just by adjusting their energies. “I modify the energy and the aura of a person to feel good, to think good, to be good. Then they can do whatever they want.”
We’ve heard of the placebo effect, where an ineffectual treatment somehow cures a person, simply due to a person’s belief in the cure. Is Mr. Pe’s magic mountain simply one big placebo? Like all placebos, it depends on you, but he said, “Not everything [can] be tested. How do you test loneliness?”
“There’s a lot of evidence that we can prove,” he said, again citing his patients who could miraculously walk, see, and live after staying at the village. “Most of the tests by scientists are very limited to physical things.”
“There are many things that you cannot test, that are real.”
He pointed to a wall. “There are things that you look at that your eyes cannot see.”
“You know something’s beyond, but your eyes can only see that.”
On our way home, the storms whipped our car as it sped down the mountain. What had been mere rivulets on the mountain’s face were now full-blown roaring waterfalls. The mountain mist and the storm’s fog and rain rendered the mountain path invisible. We stopped. Just a few minutes before, based on a car that had passed us on the road, rocks the size of desks had tumbled across the road, rendering it impassable. Did we use the Master’s techniques to get out? No — or did we? None of us prayed or meditated. There was no cellular service on the mountain, so we couldn’t tell anyone where we were. One more landslide, one more strong gust, one more waterfall could kill us all. In the back of our minds, we all wanted a truckload of big, burly men — soldiers, firemen, the police, whatever — to magically appear, dig out the rocks, and allow us to pass.
Was it the Master’s manifestation, or the mountain’s magic that made a van load of 11 men to suddenly appear on that mountain to help us carry the rocks and throw them over a cliff? I don’t know. The Master’s niece, during an impromptu dinner after the near-disaster, remarked that the spot where we were stuck was right in front of the mountain with the heart-shaped grove of trees, one of the purported portals of power. Coincidence? You decide.

Riding through history

��ý — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 16:12:30 +0000

By Michelle Anne P. Soliman, Reporter
At 10 a.m. on a Saturday, the festive sound of drums joined in with the clatter of the approaching train at the LRT-1 Central station. Eleven teams of four members — made up of an LRT-1 driver, an LRT-1 teller, a blogger, and a reporter — hurriedly lined up at the ticketing booth to load their Beep cards, catch the next train, and explore specific cultural and historical landmarks on a list. All were determined to arrive first at the finish line — and in the process, the teams explored Manila, despite the continuous rains.
EXPLORING MANILA BY TRAIN
Exploring Manila and seeing what the nearly 450-year-old city has to offer need not be a hassle as anyone may enjoy it, rain or shine.
The Light Rail Manila Corp., (LRMC) in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DoT), Tralulu, Walk This Way, Old Manila Walks, and Kapitbahayan sa Kalye Bautista, launched IkotMNL, a tourism campaign which aims to help people rediscover Manila with the LRT-1 as the main mode of transportation.
The project hopes to “maximize the tourism potential with LRT-1 and drive more riders on weekends when people have time [for] sightseeing,” LRMC president and CEO Juan F. Alfonso told the press during the launch — and race — on Aug. 11.
Mr. Alfonso noted that on weekdays, the LRT-1 has an estimated 500,000 riders while about 400,000 and 280,000 people go for a ride on Saturdays and Sundays, respectively.
“Along with LRT-1’s accelerated rehabilitation, continuous operational improvements efforts, and stations that are strategically located, LRMC is steadfast in its commitment not just to accommodate more passengers, but also to draw more foreign and local tourists to Metro Manila’s rich and diverse attractions and cultural experiences through ikotMNL,” Mr. Alfonso was quoted as saying in a press release.
“Tourism is inevitably linked to transport. As the LRT-1 operator, we are in a unique position to connect local and foreign tourists to the city’s most important and historic places in the quickest land travel possible,” he added.
TOURING THE CITY
IkotMNL offers special guided day tours and unguided tours which can tackle everything from architecture and art, to shopping and dining.
The special day tours are given to small groups which can either be moderated by a single or multiple tour operators.
The “Grand Manila: Glorious Architecture and Art” tour explores the art and architecture of Escolta, Malate, with stops at specific locations in architect Daniel Burnham’s original plan for Manila, and the Manila Cathedral Park. The “Mass Transit: Following Manila’s lost Tranvia Lines” tour explores the Quiapo to Malate route of the old street car line which serviced the city from the late 1800s to World War II.
Visitors may also check out four unguided tours: “Glorious Architecture” which explores heritage churches and monuments; “Museum and the Arts” which features several cultural stops including the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) of DLSU’s College of St. Benilde, The National Museum Complex, and The HUB: Make Lab in Escolta; “Bargains and Bites” which explores shopping destinations; and “Nature and Nurture” which features famous monuments and parks.
“We tried to do it with the DoT because we want to work with them on the different tourism areas,” Mr. Alfonso said, noting that the LRMC intends to complement other tours in Manila and not give tour operators any competition.
Maps of the destinations are mounted in each station to help tourists navigate the city.
During the tours, riders may opt to buy unlimited-ride cards for P99 which give them access to the trains for the entire day. The offer is valid until Sept. 28 and is only applicable for rides on LRT-1.
Meanwhile, the IkotMNL tours are planned to continue beyond that date. “We’ll just keep it as long as we feel it’s useful,” Mr. Alfonso said.
“We at the LRMC recognize our role to promote cultural, architectural, gastronomic spots in Manila to the use of the fastest land travel available,” Mr. Alfonso said in a speech during the launch.
The LRMC has had various improvement projects since assuming operations of the train line in 2015, such as adding more trains, trips, extending operating hours, and improving security and cleanliness in all stations.
Construction for the Cavite extension project is expected to begin in October and is targeted for completion in 2021.
AMAZING RACE
During the race, the 11 teams were first tasked to get down at Vito Cruz Station, head to De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s School of Design and Arts for the first task — deciphering three hidden messages posted on a wall.
On the way to the second station in Yamaha Monumento all the participants got soaking wet. As we got down from the station, the teams crossed to the rotunda to find the next clue.
(Last February, Yamaha got a three-year naming rights deal for the station, originally named Momumento Station after Caloocan’s Monumento Circle, which houses the Bonifacio Monument.)
Getting off at Carriedo Station next, we walked to Binondo for lunch, then the teams were tasked to head back to Central Station where the final task of the race was enumerating all the LRT-1’s 20 stations’ names on paper.
The three winning teams won cash prizes of P50,000, P30,000, and P20,000.
This writers’s team did not win.
For more information, visit and . For guided tours, visit .

Paris aquarium offers haven for unwanted goldfish

��ý — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 16:11:27 +0000

PARIS — Paris’ biggest aquarium has created a refuge for goldfish, providing a second life for any unwanted pets who might otherwise find themselves flushed down the toilet.
The Aquarium de Paris allows the city’s residents to drop off their fish, with the numbers using the service swelling around the time of the long summer holidays.
Instead of facing death in the city’s sewerage system, the rejected goldfish find themselves given a full medical check up involving antibiotics and anti-parasite treatments.
After a month in quarantine, during which a minority succumb to the trauma caused by the change in location, they are then released into a giant tank where they go on display to the public.
“Some of them arrive very weak,” said Celine Bezault, who cares for the fish at the giant aquarium complex which is located opposite the Eiffel Tower.
Since it was created two years ago, the goldfish rescue service has been used by around 50 people a month and the tank now contains about 600 specimens, mostly the classic golden-red version, as well as striped and black ones.
Rather than spending all day banging into the glass of a small bowl, here the fish have space to swim and plenty of company, allowing them to socialize and move around in groups.
Some owners hand over their pets tearfully, motivated by concern for their fish, while others appear relieved to be rid of them and the routines of feeding and cleaning.
“It was in a small bowl and I think it’ll be better here,” a 32-year-old called Alexandre told an AFP reporter as he dropped off a friend’s goldfish called Nemo before the holidays. “It’s better than flushing it away.”
NEW LIFE
Once in the bigger tank, some of the fish undergo a remarkable transformation.
Being confined in a bowl stunts their growth, but the bigger space means some of them will expand to full adult size.
“They can reach up to 20-30 centimeters (8-12 inches),” Bezault said.
For Alexis Powilewicz, director of the Aquarium, the service is part of efforts to promote awareness about animal welfare.
Goldfish are domesticated forms of wild carp originally found in east Asia and the practice of keeping them in bowls has existed for hundreds of years. It is thought to have originated in China.
“I think there’s growing awareness that the mistreatment of animals is a real problem,” Powilewicz told AFP.
For goldfish owners, the aquarium advises that the tank should be at least 100 liters (20 gallons), should contain more than one fish, as well as a filtration system and decoration.
The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has long campaigned against keeping goldfish in bowls or giving away fish in plastic bags as prizes at funfairs.
In 2004, the Italian town of Monza made headlines when it banned putting goldfish in bowls, while Switzerland has animal rights legislation that makes flushing a fish down the toilet illegal.
For those who dispose of their pets in ponds or rivers, scientific studies have found that some goldfish thrive afterwards — but at a cost to the local ecosystem because the fish are an invasive non-native species.
In 2015, officials in the western Canadian province of Alberta launched a “Don’t Let it Loose” campaign, pleading with locals to stop releasing goldfish into the waterways.
The ethical disposal service available at the Aquarium de Paris is aimed at offering an alternative.
Owners are also able to return afterwards to try to spot their former pets: quite a challenge in a tank of 600. — AFP

Train stations, graffiti, and penguins: some reasons to visit Melbourne

��ý — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 16:10:18 +0000

Text and photos by Zsarlene B. Chua, Reporter
WITH its beautiful architecture, its efficient tram system, and a countryside which is a source of both good wine and chocolates, it is very easy to see why Melbourne, the second-most populous city in Australia with almost five million people, was named the “world’s most liveable city” for seven consecutive years by The Economist.
If there’s anything that works against Melbourne’s favor it’s the fickle weather. During Cebu Pacific’s media tour in the middle of August — held to inaugurate its newest Manila-to-Melbourne route — sunny yet chilly winter days would turn into rain showers and (occasionally) hail storms at the drop of a hat. But armed with a good hat and a good coat, one should push through the changeable weather because Melbourne has so much to offer for those looking for adventure, culture or both.
THE CITY
Perfect for travellers who prefer to create their own itineraries, Melbourne has a free tram zone within its central business districts which allows commuters and tourists to move around the city and see the sights. One can ride a tram and get down at Flinders St. where one can view the main station building which was completed in 1909.
The Flinders Street Station — with its prominent dome, arched entrance, towers and clocks — is considered a cultural icon. It is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks and has spawned the Melburnian saying, “I’ll meet you under the clocks,” referring to the clocks above the main entrance which indicate the time of departure of trains on each line.
Right across Flinders Street Station is the perfect example of the co-existence of old architecture with the new — Federation Square.
Federation Square is a large — 3.2 hectares — public space housing cultural institutions such as the Ian Potter Centre, an art gallery that houses the Australian part of the art collection of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).
Compared to the Edwardian Baroque architecture of the Flinders Street Station, the buildings which surround the square feature a deconstructivist style sans any harmony, continuity, or symmetry. Our tour driver, Nigel, remarked that people would either think the buildings are “the most beautiful in the world or the ugliest.”
As far as this writer is concerned, the square has a certain charm, with the concrete buildings (clad in several different materials including frosted glass and sandstone) going here and there with angles clearly created with the thought of breaking the rules of traditional geometry. It was a perfect complement to the Old World charm of the main station.
Walk a little bit more and you come to St. Paul’s Cathedral fronting Federation Square. Created in 1891 on the site where the first public Christian service was held in the city in 1935, the cathedral serves as marked contrast to the post-modernist square with its Gothic Revival architecture interpreted by English architect William Butterfield.
A few blocks away from the cathedral is Hosier Lane where one finds representations of the city’s urban art scene. It is but one of several little lanes covered in graffiti created by local and international artists. Beside it is the Forum Theatre, a Moorish Revival building that functions as a cinema, live music venue, and a theater.
Graffiti covers all the nooks and crannies of Hosier Lane, some professionally done, some not so, but the vibrant colors scrawled on the walls of even the small restaurants that had the fortune (or misfortune) to rent a space near the lane makes it a perfect photo spot or a perfect canvas for people who love urban art and would like to leave their signature behind.
Take the tram once again and get off at the Docklands to see the modernist and post-modernist architecture of Melbourne while taking a walk along the New Quay Promenade, enjoying some coffee or watching dragon boat racers on the water.
Along St. Kilda St., also on the free tram line, is the Shrine of Remembrance, a war memorial honoring all the Australians who served in war including the First World War and the Second World War.
Fashioned after the Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus and the Parthenon in Athens, the Grecian-style building features a step pyramid whose upper floors provide an unobstructed view of the city below while the basement crypt serves as the shrine for those who had fallen while doing their duty to their country.
Those visitors who are into shopping and seeing local products, the tram also goes to the Queen Victoria Market, a seven-hectare open-air market (the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere), featuring everything from cheap fire opals and T-shirts to local produce.
The market opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m., and can get crowded during weekends, so locals advise that tourists visit in the early morning or just before closing.
But don’t end the city tour without visiting one of Melbourne’s top attractions, the beach houses along St. Kilda St. in Brighton. The 60-odd beach houses worth at least AUS$260,000 each (according to Nigel) are used as storage for beach essentials including surfboards and boats and are brightly decorated with everything from pastel confections to the odd tributes to kangaroos. If you think the price of these storage spaces is hefty, well, it is, but it is quite understandable as the beach houses are located in one of Melbourne’s priciest neighborhoods, Brighton.
THE COUNTRYSIDE
After spending a few days in the city and if one to see nature and the animals Australia is known for, take a two-hour ride outside the city to Phillip Island, located 140 kilometers from city center.
The island, named after the first governor of New South Wales Arthur Phillip, is home to several indigenous animals including wallabies, penguins and Pacific gulls.
There one finds the Churchill Heritage Farm, the site of the first European agricultural pursuits in Victoria — the island has been farmed since the 1850s.
The 57-hectare farm features the usual farm animals and historic buildings such as the Amess house, the former residence of Samuel Amess who was once a mayor of Melbourne and who purchased the farm in 1872.
A few minutes away from the farm sits the Koala Conservation Center which features a koala boardwalk where visitors can view — but not touch — koalas in their natural habitat, though it is a bit challenging to see koalas awake as they need to sleep for 20 hours a day.
Driving around Phillip Island, one will see views of its shoreline whose the grasslands are home to hundreds of wallabies — the animals are often seen observing the passing cars and crossing the streets without care.
The island is also where one can see the smallest penguins in existence, aptly called Little Penguins. They only grow up to a foot in height.
The Penguin Parade is a nightly attraction where visitors can see the penguins return from the sea and make their way to their land abodes. And since it is a nightly attraction, do be sensible and visit during more reasonable seasons, like spring and summer, unless you enjoy freezing your face off.
There are stands on the beach which provide a view of the penguins as they rise from the waves, but for an up-close and personal experience, go to the boardwalks where the penguins waddle along to find their homes. Don’t take photos or videos of the penguins, flash or no flash, because they might get disoriented and get lost.
Another countryside treat is the Yarra Valley, located 90 kilometers from the city. The valley is home to many of Victoria, Australia’s wine makers including De Bortoli which has been in the business since 1928. De Bortoli’s Yarra Valley vineyards encompass several hills and offer wine and cheese tasting tours (it has a cheese shop).
What else pairs well with wine? Chocolates, of course, so take a trip a few minutes away to the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie where you can get gourmet chocolates (the beans come from Belgium) and other sweet chocolate treats. One can also watch how the treats are made thanks to the open kitchen setup inside the store.
GETTING TO MELBOURNE
Melbourne is roughly eight hours away from Manila and currently, both local airlines — Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific — are serving the Manila to Melbourne route, with Cebu Pacific introducing flights starting Aug. 14, making it the “only low-cost carrier to fly the route.” Cebu Pacific flies to Melbourne thrice weekly every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday while Philippine Airlines flies five time weekly.
Do note that those without existing Australian visas must plan at least a month ahead before booking their tickets as visa processing can take anywhere from 21 to 24 days for first time applicants.

A visit to Northern Ireland: No more Troubles, but a lot of Game of Thrones

��ý — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 16:10:37 +0000

Text and photos by Cathy Rose A. Garcia, Associate Editor
NORTHERN Ireland may not be on most people’s itineraries when visiting the United Kingdom, but it should be.
Belfast is no longer a dangerous war zone as the dark days of the Troubles have been long over. (The Troubles is how they refer to the violent 30-year conflict between the Protestant-majority unionists who want Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK, and the Catholic-Republicans who want to join the Republic of Ireland.)
The capital of Northern Ireland is now a booming city, with lively pubs, a stunning museum dedicated to the Titanic, Instagram-worthy street art, and bragging rights as the main production hub for Game of Thrones.
Belfast makes for a great side trip from London, which is only about an hour and a half away by plane. Most fares on budget airlines are reasonable (I managed to get a one-way ticket to the George Best Belfast City Airport from London City Airport for £35 or around P2,400).
Tourism to Northern Ireland is steadily growing. Data from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) showed 2.7 million overnight trips from external visitors in 2017, a 3% increase from the previous year.
According to NISRA, the top attractions in Northern Ireland (excluding parks, forests, and gardens) based on ticket sales in 2017 included the Giant’s Causeway, Titanic Belfast, the Ulster Museum, and Carrick-a-Rede.
A natural rock formation, Giant’s Causeway is Northern Ireland’s only World Heritage site. Carrick-a-Rede features a rope bridge, suspended 80 feet above the rocks, connecting a tiny island to the Irish mainland.
Titanic Belfast is located on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard, where the ill-fated ship was built. Opened in 2012, the £101 million museum has been nicknamed “The Iceberg” for its facade featuring silver aluminum shards.
At the Titanic Quarter, visitors can also drop by the old headquarters of Harland & Wolff and go on board the SS Nomadic, which is the last surviving White Star Line ship.
From afar, one can also spot the distinctive yellow gantry cranes of Harland and Wolff dubbed “Samson” and “Goliath.”

WINTERFELL
If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you should definitely visit Northern Ireland. The HBO series has had many scenes filmed at The Paint Hall, tucked away in the Titanic Quarter, in Belfast.
But more importantly, the lush forests, dramatic coastlines, and craggy mountains of Northern Ireland served as a backdrop for many Game of Thrones episodes. Over 25 filming locations, such as Winterfell and Iron Islands, can be found throughout the country.
Northern Ireland now promotes itself as Game of Thrones territory, and several companies offer coach tours of several filming locations.
A fan of the Starks, I picked the “Winterfell Locations Trek” day tour. It involved two three-kilometer walks, one in the morning, and another in the afternoon, but it wasn’t as daunting as it sounds perhaps because the weather was uncharacteristically sunny for most of the day.
Our tour guide, Andrew, has appeared as an extra on the show since season 4, and entertained us with behind-the-scenes stories. Even if we tried to get some spoilers for the final season, Andrew kept his lips shut.
We visited Castle Ward Estate, which overlooks Strangford Lough in County Down. There are nine Game of Thrones locations on the estate, including the castle and stable yard which served as Winterfell for most of Season 1. The 15^th century Tower House was also the site of Robb Stark’s camp in the Riverlands.
With such picturesque scenery, a trek through the lush green forest and hills of Castle Ward is enjoyable even if you’re not a Game of Thrones fan.
After the trek, we had lunch at The Cuan, one of 10 restaurants and pubs throughout Northern Ireland that have Game of Thrones-inspired wooden doors. The wood came from 18^th century beech trees at the famous Dark Hedges, which was used as the backdrop for the Kingsroad. The trees were felled during a storm in January 2016.
The Cuan’s wooden door is carved with the geography of Westeros, referencing the Game of Thrones opening sequence. Other doors are located in restaurants in Portaferry, Newcastle, and Londonderry, all near Game of Thrones filming spots.
As part of the tour, we met two of the most adorable extras on Game of Thrones — Odin and Thor. The Northern Inuit dogs played the direwolves Summer and Grey Wind on the show.
In the afternoon, we walked through Tollymore Forest Park at the foothills of Mourne Mountains. The forest was the setting for key scenes on the show such as the opening scene in the Game of Thrones pilot where Night’s Watch members discover Wilding bodies before encountering White Walkers, as well as the spot where Tyrion and Jon Snow built a campfire before heading to the Wall.
While the tour focused on Winterfell, there are other Game of Thrones tours featuring stops at the Iron Islands, Cushendun Caves (where Melisandre gave birth to a shadow creature in Season 2), Dark Hedges, as well as tourist attractions Rope Bridge and the Giant’s Causeway.
In Belfast, a Game of Thrones tapestry is on public display at the Ulster Museum. It is made of Irish linen from one of the last surviving linen mills in the country — Thomas Ferguson Irish Linen in Banbridge, County Down.
The 80-meter long, medieval-style wall hanging depicts key events and characters throughout Game of Thrones’ seven seasons.
BELFAST
Even if you haven’t watched an episode of Game of Thrones, Belfast is certainly worth a visit. The city itself is very “Instagrammable,” with historic buildings and unique street art almost everywhere.
One of the most photographed buildings is City Hall, and for good reason. With its classical Renaissance design, the building is stunning from any angle.
The Albert Clock, which was built in 1865, is Belfast’s version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The memorial to Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, was constructed on wooden piles on marshy, reclaimed land around the river — the reason for its tilt.
Queen’s University also boasts of the iconic Lanyon Building, which is featured on banknotes and tourism posters.
Belfast is also known for its street art, with tributes to Game of Thrones and the late actress Carrie Fisher found around the city.
Murals also decorate the so-called “peace walls” that separate the Republican and Nationalist Catholic neighborhoods from the Loyalist and Unionist Protestant communities. These walls were erected during the Troubles to protect residents from sectarian attacks.
Twenty years since the Good Friday agreement was signed in 1998, violence may have stopped but the walls remain. The most famous peace walls are along the nationalist Falls Road, and the unionist Shankill Road in the western area of Belfast.
While it may be tempting to use these peace walls as the backdrop for your OOTD, it’s best to be sensitive to the political history behind the murals. Some murals pay tribute to victims of the Troubles, while most have strong political themes.
PUB LIFE
Belfast also has a lively pub culture. The Crown Liquor Saloon, which dates back to 1826, is widely considered the city’s most famous pub. Visually, the Victorian gin palace dazzles with its architecture — brocaded walls, wood carvings, elaborate mirrors, colorful painted windows, and painted mosaic floor tiles. It also has cozy “drinking snugs” or wooden boxes where diners can have some privacy when eating or drinking.
The Crown is also where Prince Harry and his then-fiancée Meghan Markle had lunch when they visited Belfast in March.
When I had lunch at The Crown, I sampled the Irish lamb stew with a rich, flavorful sauce that reminded me of caldereta. Later when I was paying for my meal, the server said she served the royals during their visit and that Ms. Markle had the same dish and apparently “loved it.”
Before leaving Belfast, make sure to order an Ulster fry for breakfast. Consisting of sausages, bacon, soda bread, potatoes, egg, beans, tomato, and black pudding, this meal will leave you with warm memories of the city and wishing you can go back for more.

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