Back to the Philippines!

Well it has been a very long time since I wrote something on this blog. A lot of changes have happened. My daughter was born in December of 2011 and I have been busy with all things around that I couldn't keep updated in this blog. I will try to keep it updated as I can. The good news is that I came back to the Philippines for the holidays in 2013. With my work, I could only get 2 weeks off and I wished that I had a month off like I did last time.

My first trip to the Philippines was stressful and I didn't really get to enjoy it because I was getting married there. Not only to plan it and get everything ready, there is always something going on that I didn't really get to relax and enjoy it. The second time there was much different since I was able to enjoy it more.

This was the first time that my wife's family met my daughter. She was scared at first but over time she grew to be talkative and enjoy it more. It was a fun trip and it was also exhausting on the way back. It was good to be back and it showed how much I missed it. Even if you haven't been to the Philippines before, it is a good destination.

This blog is really for my time there and anything associated with Filipino entertainment and everything that I see that is all Filipino. Enjoy and I will write more when I can.

#RHBill...Pass it for the good of your country.

Now first of all, I am not really political. Yes I am not Filipino so other people might ask me why am I writing about this about the Reproductive Health Bill that has been debating in the Philippine congress for years. But after what has been going on the last couple of weeks and reading from my Twitter feed, I thought to write a blog about why this bill should be passed. I mean, it is for your country and this is been debate even in the states. Even though the US and the Philippines share a similar kind of government however the Philippines needs this more than the US does. So I have to put a different kind of shoes and think of another way, so say why the Philippines need this bill to get passed.

After hearing about Tito Soto comments recently that he copied US blogger in his speech, really shook my head. I know this has been going on for years and people are getting fed up. Passing this bill will be a good thing for your country. When I went to the Philippines in June of 2010, I was excited to finally to go to a country that I love and respect. Driving through Manila to get to Baguio was one experience I will never forget. At the first stoplight that we saw a boy begging for money. My mom was surprised and saddened. No kid should beg for money just to get by. I saw the tall buildings that every high income gets to the low people just getting by in the slums. No kid that grows up should ever be this way and that goes to all kids since it is their future. In Baguio, it is scenic but now homes are being built on the mountains. What can we do? Pass the RHBill.

Every Filipino woman should have a choice to do what she wants to do when it comes to birth control. This is not a man's choice but a woman's choice. The women that are poor or in the slums that is not educated in this should be educated so she can decide what she wants to do including contraceptives. I understand the health risks about it but it should be known if a woman wants to take it or not. A Filipino woman really sacrifices a lot for the sake of the family. There is a lot of OFW's around the world that have to leave their family home to support the kids that can range for 2 or more. But the heart of the issue is health.

The Philippines is exploding when it comes to population and more people are being born that it effects the countries infrastructure . More schools and homes have to be built and more roads need to be maintained and more transportation. I have to imagine if people that drive on the EDSA every morning to get to and from work will be in traffic for a little while longer. If the government lets this keep going on, then all those problems that will happen will be tough to maintain it. What will happen to to the kids who are poor and don't have the access to heath if they are sick?

As a lover of your country and your people, pass the RHBill. It is time to put all of the people beliefs aside and really think that this will be good for your country. Your people and your country need it the most of all especially for the hard working Filipina to the kids.

The Divided Line

When I first landed in the Philippines on that very hot and humid day in 2010, it was a culmination of my dreams that came true after 5 years after communicating with people from there.  Everyone that I came in contact with tells me how great the country is and there is no place like home. I had some reservations on that because I am in the USA and is a foreigner; people look at you at a entirely different way. When the trip was coming close, I was scared. Here I am going into a country that I enjoy talk to online (I still do) and now here I am. I don’t know how to react.  It was an eye opener.

When I first started talking to a Filipina, I felt more connected talking to women than men. Strange as it is but I needed conversation. I was not really looking for a wife or a girlfriend. I was more curious and wanted to learn about something different. One of the first that I talked to said, “When are you going to come here?” I go, “What?” I never really thought going there. All of this was going on the first week of chatting. After our talks were getting serious I felt over the head. I was thinking “This woman is fun, sweet and caring” and that prompted me to learn more about the country and the culture. Looking back on it, I am shaking my head now. Not good to get your feelings over your head and everything is so great but I was young at the time and I haven’t experienced this before.

Over the years, I was still communicating and over time through a lot of social networking sites just for a friend. I am seeing a lot of Filipinas use social networking sites for relationships and now it is in large numbers. Some are desperate and some just wanted something to get out of their situation. Some write their number to text them. They post a really sexy photo just to get the guys attention of how inviting she is. They would do anything just to get a husband and to get out of the country. I had a bad chat from one that was forcing me to find a guy for her. I am married I told her and I could not guaranteed that since finding someone is very hard.  What were the first words that came up my head: needy, desperate, and conceited.

I know that not all Filipinas are not like that all. What are Filipina women are mostly thinking when they do that and how do some Foreigners react to that and vice versa? It was at that moment that I was thinking, what are some misconceptions they have with each other? It was a idea that I have been thinking writing about for a while since that last chat. Knowing it will be too long to write about it so write about it in sections. Stay tuned.

Typical night out

During the first 2 weeks before the wedding ceremony, I have been running around to different locations to get ready for the wedding. Now time to relax and that means going out. A typical night will be at Dencio's for beer and grub. That is the only place in the SM where we hang out before the mall closes at 9PM.

We mostly get appetizers and beer. Plenty of beer. Beer is very cheap so it was one of the first I had a lot. Mostly it was San Miguel Beer but there were a couple of times it was Red Horse. Red Horse is a very strong beer that took me a while to get used to. We talked all the way when the mall closed, then took a taxi to go somewhere else. We would go to a pool hall, play pool and eat and drink more. Just let it all hang out. My wife's friends and cousin would be with us. Most of the questions to me was about music and life in the USA. If they are talking in their dialect, I would listen the best that I can.

Baguio nightlife is well known for their coffee houses and bars that hold shows nightly. Mostly acoustic music. We didn't have any time to enjoy it as we could and although I wished to see more of those shows. Maybe the next time, I will see more of those shows. A typical night will end at 1 to 2 am in the morning and everybody will go their separate ways until next week where we all meet again.

SM City and Wal-Mart are not too different.

When I first landed in the Philippines in June of 2010, I really didn't know what to expect. I knew Manila and every town was crowded and traffic is a nightmare but what I didn't expect is the amount of malls especially the SM city malls. I have knew of the malls that a lot of people frequent because of the shopping and the air conditioning since not a lot of people have air conditioning in their homes. However lately, I heard more of these malls are starting to pop up. On the way to Baguio, I see a lot of them. North EDSA (which is the biggest on the Philippines), Pampanga, Tarlac, and Rosales. Some of these happen even in the remote of places in the provinces.

SM City Mall in Rosales

Right now there are 48 of these supermalls in the Philippines including 4 in China. One blogger popped up a question if the SM malls are good for the towns when it comes to jobs, or does it damage the charm of the town or the city? This pretty much is the same question when it comes to Wal-Mart in the states. We have a lot of Wal-Mart's and some of them are converting them into Supercenters, but they are mostly in the suburbs. There is one Wal-Mart in the Chicago limits and the company wants to build more but is causing controversy because Chicago has a lot of small businesses that it thrives on. Same with Baguio. There are lot of shops along Session Road and just noticed that more people flocked to the mall. Is this good? Well I have nothing against wrong against SM City and Wal-Mart when it comes to it. Both companies are a money making machine they have to do what to do. I heard and read that they are going to build another SM Megamall in Cebu. Cebu has one and Cebu is not like Manilla in any ways but they are planning a bigger mall that it will be become the 4th largest mall in the Philippines over the SM Mall Of Asia. Cebu? Really? So another question comes up, will it kill the charm that Cebu has or will it bring more jobs the city and the people need? That is a ongoing debate but it will be interested to see where it goes from here.

A typical day

After all that travelling with very little rest, I somehow woke at 10AM getting 6 hours of sleep.  I felt tired and exhausted but one thought in my mind said "It is a new day." Looking out at the window of our quarters, I see other buildings around me with the sun shining. In Baguio, it is not really humid so it is all comfortable. I just look around of where I was at and said, "I really can't believe that I am here."

Our typical morning would be the same through the whole trip. I would normally wake up at 6 to 7AM, putting on the morning shows. It is all in Taglog but that is okay. I just wanted to watch and observe. I usually have a bowl of cereal and just feeling the weather and the feeling of it all. I would watch The Price Is Right and then Showtime after that. Showtime was a brand new show that I was starting to get into at the time.  I would watch it every morning and I do enjoy the programming. They make sure the audience is well entertained and it is like a celebration. After Showtime, there is Wowowee which is the most popular show. Everybody back home is taking to me about saying how much they love the show. I have been a fan of the show but I noticed it is noticeably different than I used to. It is loosing some lustre and it was not the same but it was still very popular. After those shows are over, we go straight to the SM Mall or go anywhere around Baguio. After Noon, the travels that we took through was the most memorable for me. More stories to come.

Will we ever get there?

When we left the Mall Of Asia around 8:30 PM, we are on our way to Baguio. Apparently it had been fixed so getting out of the mall and actually getting around Manila was a challenge in itself. People were going home and still there was traffic, everywhere! We have all of our suitcases and and 5 people jammed in the van. We hit Roxas Blvd and seeing all the lights from one side to the other all in the row. I felt I was in a different place . All of us were exhausted and it was beginning to show. We have a 6 hour drive so the question of the night was, will we ever get there? We stopped at a service station and the driver was taking a while that it felt like hours. Then all of a sudden, the hood was open and he was cooling the radiator so it wouldn't overheat. This might be a long night.

We are on our way and after sometime, were were on the NLEX. The expressways are very similar. They have ramps to get on other roads and they do have rest stops along the way. The speed limit is 100kph and they are strictly enforced. I don't remember the driver even going past 100kph. During the whole time, the driver didn't say anything to us for the whole way. Apparently the day that we had was very exhausting. At one rest stop, he bought medication so he can still be alert and wake up. Now that is the time where I was afraid. A thought came into my had that said "We got to trust the driver." Once we got on the Subic-Clark expressway, it was smooth sailing.

We took a couple of other roads and went through the provinces. You see shops along the streets and everything was dead. I did see a couple of businesses still open but it is a Sunday. During that whole length I was dozing on and off. I did take a nap and hear the radio full of news and love songs so it was relaxing. Every time we get into a new town, I see the Jolibee, Chow King and all other fast food fares. There was a lot of construction too so we would veer off the main road into a temp road. No high tech construction machines here.

There are two ways to get to Baguio. We can take Marcos Highway or Kennon Road. Kennon was more direct and you will see the scenic better. Marcos Highway goes out of the way but it is a safe bet. The driver chose Kennon Road and from there were were on a ride for our life. This road is really hilly and curvy. We are going up on the mountain to get to the top. In my dozed state, we came to a construction area. We veered steeply down and we went across a stream. It was bumpy and scary all at the same time. Even worse off, all the driving up that hill and the weight really put a stress on the engine. Every once in a while, we pull to the side and the driver puts water in the radiator to cool it. This was happening every time we go up a hill or driving through a curve. It felt like hours just by going through this. We were very close to the city and the water was almost gone. Will we ever get there? Somehow by luck, we stop over at a auto repair store and they had a hose. This driver was spraying water all you can. There was another driver next to us and he was doing the same thing. It all felt surreal all at the same time.

We were finally on our way and we finally hit Baguio. We saw the Lions head and we decided to stop off. We were all exhausted and tired. We are finally here and the picture that we took really shows how we all felt at that time. It was 3:15AM in the morning by the time we took photos. We were both exhaused, perspiring and anxious to get to our quarters.

At the Lion's International monument in Baguio. We were exhausted and it shows.

We finally headed to our quarters in Baguio and the guard was waiting for us. The driver parked in the garage and the challenge was to bring all of our luggage. There was no elevator or anything so we have to go up 4 flights of stairs.  The guard out front with his rifle in hand, help us with all our luggage. When all of it was done, we are finally here. After a 18 hour flight, going through customs with immigration problems, 3 hours waiting out in the humidity at NAIA, 5 hours at the MOA and a 7 hour drive to Baguio, all I can do is just fall on the bed and said "Thank god I am here but what a memorable first day!." My adventure continues.