Friday, 6 June 2014

First impression of the Philippines


I was told by a Singaporean friend to avoid spending too much time in Manila. In Manila, I was met by my aunt. Marilou was a devout woman who was striving to leave a pious and simple life. She was the assistant of a director at the Commission of Higher Education. My first day, I assisted to a mass. Here, like with the sarong in Bali, you have to wear appropriate clothing. This means no tank top, no short and no slippers (their terms for flip-flops).

Manila was just as chaotic as Bali, with perhaps a more condensed population. The metro was a nightmare, with a wagon system based on gender which nobody really follows. Out of 8 wagons, 2 or 3 might be dedicated to women while the others are dedicated to men. When I inquired about this disproportionate ratio, I was explained this was because women were not as often bread-winners for their family and it was generally deemed their transportation were not as important.

Another thing the Philippines has in common with Bali is garbage burning. A lady would later explain to me that there is a garbage collection system, people just don’t always use it. Sometimes it’s more convenient to just burn certain things. She also genuinely believed that by burning the garbage under a tree, emissions were entirely absorbed by the tree. As we know CO2 is good for trees, garbage burning is also made all better when done under trees.

I did not dare tell her that’s not how it works. I didn't want to shame such a kind woman.

In Manila and in other regions, particularly around Cebu and Oslob, I could also feel desperation. I was told this was due to a decrease in tourism resulting from hurricane Yolanda and the earthquake. I felt like taxi drivers and motorbike drivers were really aggressively pursuing tourists business. They would make false promise about fares, distances, etc.

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