TRAVEL LIGHT

Monuments of Anachronism

If you frequently pass the highways of Mindanao countrysides, you will see many beautiful and quaint old structures and houses standing proud like honor guards in a parade. A magnificent view to behold, a sight that gives respite to every passing weary traveler.

It amazes me how such ancient structures can retain its beauty and still exude the aura of its past grandeur. Even when viewed only in fleeting seconds, these houses never fail to tell me something. In my mind I make up stories about the place, about the people living in that house. Perhaps it is only through our fictional reconstruction of stories about these structures and its habitues shall they be assured of longer existence. Because in most cases, they are faced with the dreadful eventuality of being demolished to give way for modern structures.

I find it saddening and disturbing all together, our proclivity of demolishing old structures in order to build new ones. In Europe and anywhere else in the world they maintain and preserve old structures not only because they serve as aesthetic monuments of anachronism, but for their sense of history and intrensic value as places of abode.

If only we learn to appreciate that houses are silent witnesses to the making of family histories. They are structures that we will always visit when we stroll down memory lane at night. We can no longer re-invent history, but we can preserve our family histories by making sure that our Homes, like those being served and protected by American Home Shield, are maintained to stand the test of time.

Summer Adventure Trip

Its summer time and most people choose to tread the beaten paths of summer destinations, like beaches, or chill out to places like Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines. Those who can afford, fly to holiday tours somewhere else in the world.

But there are other alternative summer escapades for those who want to spend less but enjoy more. It’s an offbeat track, a road less traveled by summeristas, a less costly yet full of excitment and discovery adventure trip. To go to places in the Philippines where you’ve never been to armed only with a few cash, a sense of adventure and stories from friends who’ve been there, which serve as irreverent yet important guide books. It’s a backpaker’s fare, or a localized Ian-Wright-lonely-planet type of back channel adventure trip.

So here’s some tips for those who want to have a back channel adventure trip this summer. For starters, travel light. Aside from your basic light-wash-and-wear-dark-colored clothing, bring only necessary stuff like a Cambodian Krama or any shawl, a flashlight, a standard compact digital camera, (a dslr is not advisable) loose change or coins, a cheap cellphone, a bottle of water, some candies, alcohol, few basic medicines including insect repelent lotions. Of course, don’t forget to bring your own identification cards.

Choose the place at random, i.e., put a map on the corkboard or a dartboard, shoot a dart on it and wherever it lands - that’s where you go. Take three shots so you will have three different spots to go, one after the other. Look for some friends who are from these places or has been to these places before. Ask them for some basic information about the place, like: transportation, local culture, do’s and don’ts, interesting places to go, cheap watering holes and eateries, extra advices and tips and of course referals to and contact details of persons in the locality in case of emergency or when some snafu arise. It is also important to know where the cheapest hotels and lodging houses are. Hotels or lodging houses in second class municipalities are hard to find. If you can find one, more often they’re pest infested. Mosquitos and bedbugs will keep you busy the whole night and cockroaches keep you company while you stay awake and dream of Terminix.

It would add spice to your adventure if you ride the popular mode of public transport in going to or commuting within the locality, like the train, the tricycles, pedicab, an ordinary bus (not the airconditioned buses). Try riding on the “taplod” (topload), a logging truck or the “habal-habal,” a single motorcycle with nine passengers riding on it. In all these travels, try not to attract too much attention. Blend with the crowd, it is important to be conscious about and maintain liminality. Using fancy gadgets is a no-no. Try not to overdo your get up by looking too fancy - like you’re a CNN embeded journalist in Iraq, a National Geographic reporter or a typical tourist on Four S (shorts-sandals-shirts-and-shades). Always have that warm smile and talk to people in tagalog if you do not know the local dialect. Don’t try to talk in the local language if you do not know how to speak it. You will not only sound and look stupid but more importantly you might insult some sensitivities. On back channel adventures like this, the most basic rule is, if you’re in doubt about something, don’t try it.

Try this adventure trip with friends. Three is the ideal number to compose a group for this kind of adventure. And for best result, travel with no detailed plans or even maps. Let the adventure current take you and go where ever your feet will take you.

The Rule of Law

Our government, when faced with an intense political pressure and crisis would simply cry, uphold the rule of law. As if those who are questioning its corrupt practices are not following the rule of law.

Through this “Uphold the Rule of Law” dictum, MMDA’s Bayani Fernando draws mandate for his URBANIDAD campaign — a campaign of instilling discipline in Metro Manila citizens. As if to help remind people about law and order, Bayani Fernando has used tax-payers money to print and mount his gigantic portraits with a few wordings about law and order, on the columns of MRT covering the long stretch of EDSA. At the bottom of these Bayani Fernando portrait-posters are written, “Government property do not remove. Mere possession of this sign is punishable by law. - MMDA.” So for all of you taxpayers out there, there goes your hard earned money.

Remember people, Uphold the Rule of Law!, those are the marching orders with the whiplash in the background. But wait, what law? And whose Law?

For two days now, the MMDA (again!) had grabbed the Metro news with its new antic—the spray painting of buses they caught to be out of line and had no chips (whatever those are). They lined up the impounded buses and this MMDA honcho named Roberto Esquivel happily led the spray painting spree. The buses were spray painted with the scarlet letters, “Out-of-line, Colorum”—as if it was the poor vehicle’s fault.

Not so long ago, this shame campaign was used by Alfredo Lim in his anti-drug campaign. He used to mark houses of suspected Drug Users and Peddlers with warning signs, without effect but only to put people to shame. Mayor Alfredo Lim did not paint his son’s house. But just recently, his son was busted for narcotics.

This shame campaign has drawn flak because it is in violation of the constitutional rights of due process of law. The Court of Appeals, in a decision issued in 2000, ruled that the shame campaign was ‘invalid.’ That decision was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2003.
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