'Let us be ready for Kankabatok!' What? Then my cousin repeated it, 'yup, let us explore Kankabatok! As soon I started my assignment there.' These were my cousin's statements before we went to 'Kankabatok'. Nonetheless, I was asking myself then, 'where or what is Kankabatok?' In the last two (2) decades of my life I had not heard that word even once and that was the first time I encountered it. After some research back then, before we went to the place, all the while, I had already encountered 'it' numerous times. It was the City of Tacloban that my cousin was referring to.
'Kankabatok' was the first known name of Tacloban. It was a citation from the first settlers of the place-the 'Kabatok'. The place was once a preferred site for fishing and the natives used a certain piece of equipment made of bamboo called 'Taklub' to catch fish, shrimps and crabs. Thus the word 'Tarakluban' was born, a place where fishermen use 'taklub' as their tool. In time, the word 'Tacloban' took distinction. 'Waray' is the common dialect of this place and it has been officially considered or called as 'Lineyte-Samarnon'. Some noted landmarks of Tacloban City are San Juanico Bridge, Tacloban City Convention Center, Sto. Niño Church of Tacloban, Palo Cathedral, Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum, 'Crucified Christ' and Madonna of Japan. Christian or Catholic religious influences left significant dent throughout the history of Tacloban City obviously through some of these landmarks.
The logo of Tacloban City has been the summary or more so, a footnote of the city’s significant history and distinct heritage. The ship or the galleon signifies the discovery of the island of Limasawa by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan. Limasawa had been referred to as the place in the Philippines where the first celebration of the Holy Eucharist happened. The right side or part of the logo connotes the Leyte side, where Tacloban City is situated. The San Juanico Strait and its scenic beauty had been visualized in the middle or center of the logo. The province of Samar, which is the main provider of marine and agricultural products or commodities to the city, is illustrated at the left portion of the logo. For this reason, Samar greatly contributes the stabilization of trade and business.
As soon as we arrived at Tacloban City, I was able to feel a sense of being 'at home' for some unknown reasons. All of a sudden, I just said 'Kamusta Kankabatok?', (an inflexion of 'how are you doing Kankabatok?', then I observed some faces staring at me with a soft grin on their faces. My cousin and I had to laugh it off. I had indeed a time in my life in my short stay in Tacloban City. My short visit to Tacloban City had been indeed very memorable. Well, as for my cousin, his three(3)-month short assignment had already become a three-year stay and counting because he had found his 'significant' other during his stay and they had decided to tie the knot for good. Right now, I am really looking forward seeing my 'mga inaanak' (godchildren) at Tacloban City.
I was once browsing over some recent pictures of our trip to Dipolog City when my 'Tita' (aunt) asked me how to get to Dipolog City so that she could also enjoy the lovely places and landmarks Diplolog City has to offer. As a gesture of respect, it seemed that I just acted as a travel agent who helped and assisted me getting informed before I experienced
From the port of Pulauan in the city of Dapitan, Dipolog City is very reachable. The distance between the Paulauan Port to Dipolog City is more or less twelve (12) kilometers. There are daily trips (ferry trips) that cater tourists from the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete. A weekly trip is available for tourists and visitors alike that would come from the busy Metro Manila going to Dipolog City. The creation of a ‘RoRo’ facility (Roll-on, Roll-off) located at Barangay Galas would allow for the ultimate relocation of the service to Dipolog while maintaining inter-island functions at Pulauan, that is right now a base pier.
I really enjoyed sea travel but my aunt was a bit ‘freaky’ about it and I was aware of it. My aunt and dad had their worst accident in the sea when they were still young. My dad, to overcome his fear, he chose and entered into sea farer’s career. My poor aunt never got over with it to the point that she almost even compromised her wedding because she kept it a secret to her ex-boyfriend (now her husband) when the proposal happened near the beach shore. It was definitely crazy but it was true. Nonetheless, my aunt was used to long hours of driving and she really enjoyed land travel. That was her major strength and unfortunately, that was my waterloo on my part. Dipolog City, from any point in the Philippines, can easily be reached through the Strong Republic Nautical Highway or RoRo system. Provincial buses around the Philippines are very comfortable and they are air conditioned. However, not for long, my aunt remembered sea travel again and she needed another option.
Since the idea of sea travel made my aunt 'seasick', I suggested another way of getting to the 'Orchid City of the Philippines'. I told her that flights from Metro Manila to Dipolog City were available thrice (3x) a week. From Manila, the plane would land at Dipolog City Airport. With that note, my aunt smiled advised me within a day or two, I should be ready because she needed a tour guide for her to enjoy the wonders of Dipolog City. I knew then that Lady Luck smiled at me.
The beauty of the Orchid City of the Philippines is definitely accessible for tourists and visitors alike. Whether it would be through sea travel, land access or air voyage, transport services could provide safe and world-class quality.
I had been assigned to a lot of places around the Philippines (mostly around Luzon) and my almost two (2) year assignment in Zamboanga City, had been one of the challenging (at first-since I had set some unlikely expectations-which is my bad) and at the same time most memorable.
The officer-in-charge at the Zamboanga site had to be replaced due to some work related conflicts. I was the lucky one ('unlucky' at first as I had said) to be deployed and be assigned for the next eighteen months. Personally, I did not find any conflict since I do not have had my own family to leave behind. The only family that worried the most was my mom (as always). I pretended that I was okay to ease the tension my mom was dealing with. Nonetheless, I was in a way worried since I was hearing and seeing a lot of not-so good news through media then.
I started my search some historical background of Zamboanga City to make me relaxed in a way. I was confused of what I was reading when it was described as the City of Flowers, 'El Orgullo de Mindanao' (The Pride of Mindanao) and 'Zamboanga Hermosa' (Beautiful Zamboanga). At the back of my head I said then, 'this is interesting!' Zamboanga had been regarded at tourism as the Asia's Latin City.
At the moment I arrived at Zamboanga, I felt a spine-tingling sensation and I know everything was going to be fine. In Zamboanga, for the next couple of months, saw and witnessed how dissimilar cultures of Muslims and Christians jived to come up with colorful festivities and holidays. The 'Dia de Zamboanga' had been a commemoration of the place when it was declared a chartered city during the Commonwealth Government times. It was usually in February that it was commemorated. Usual Christian or Catholic Holy Days like Christmas, Fiesta de Barangay or Fonda de Barangay (feasts in honor of their patron saints), Fiesta se La Immaculada Conception (feast of the Immaculate Conception), Fiesta Pilar or Zamboanga Hermosa Festival, the Santacruzan, the colorful Flores de Mayo and of course, the Holy Week are faithfully observed by Christians, Catholics and devotees alike in a very creative manner. For the first time in my life as well, I experienced some noted Muslim Holy Days such as the Festival of Sacrifice (Eis al-Adha) or 'Greater Eid'-which observed the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God and this had been commemorated worldwide as well. Another Muslim commemoration was the Eid al-Fitr or Hari Ray Puasa which marked the end of fasting period and the Isra Wal Miraj; an event observing the nocturnal journey and ascension of Muhammad.
These festivities or commemorations had really changed my attitude regarding my impression of Mindanao, specifically of Zamboanga City. It had been a home for me for almost two (2) years and the place had welcomed me as one of their natives. I realized after my assignment the first (1st) impressions of the foreign navigators who discovered the place, how they were mesmerized and fascinated by the beauty of now the City of Flowers in the Philippines.
I grew and was oriented in a family that believed in the usual process of 'go to school, finished college and get a good job' in order to survive in this so-called life. We have more than the average family has in terms of financial and educational opportunity. Nonetheless, even in my younger years, I knew that surviving was not my type of game. Surviving would not do for me, I wanted something more. Fulfillment has something to do with challenge and that was my game.
Though we were not really that financially overflowing, but we were blessed that our parents gave us equal opportunity in terms of our needs. As the youngest amongst siblings, I witnessed how my elder brothers and sisters were being aided by my parents regarding their ventures until they decided to settle down and raise their own families. As the 'bunso' (youngest among siblings) I was in a way 'spoiled brat', but in a good way though. My siblings were very supportive of me as they 'vented' their frustrations on me. My brothers taught me how to play basketball and they were so proud of me since I was the only one in the family that had achieved the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award in our school. My sisters help me appreciate music as they taught me how to play the piano. After my recital, I decided to learn the guitar and created a four-piece band that represented the schools in various 'battle of the bands' competition. I retained this 'rock star-all-star baller' until I finished my college degree. Honestly, after my formal schooling, I still not sure of what I really wanted. One of my best friends suggested why not put up a business. The idea had me almost jumping because I had not ventured in to 'money-making' deals my whole life. Of course, I would like it to be challenging.
When I was a young kid, I dreamt of being 'trapped' in an island and eventually surviving the harsh and unpredictable forces of nature and in the end emerged as the victor and developed the place into a state-of-art island. Then the island of Bohol just popped out of my mind as the best venue for my business endeavor. I was too young then to appreciate Bohol Island but my cousins never failed to give me a 'blow by blow' account how beautiful the island was. The next question was what would be my line of business. My girlfriend’s dad, for the longest time, had been a supervisor of a bus company that caters visitors going to Baguio. He asserted that car for rent business in Bohol would be in. The 'gig' may not be the first but, who does not need transportation anyway. Business was all about networking. It was a matter of knowing who your potential patrons or customers to keep the business alive.
After taking care of the business technicalities, I was now ready to start my business in Bohol. I was a hands-on guy who really loved to get involved of the situation. My first customers were actually distant relatives based outside the Philippines. Since they had been gone for quite sometime, I was able to practiced professionalism throughout their stay. My cute 'pamangkin' (niece) always asked questions like why the tarsiers were so little but they have bulging eyes, why the famous Chocolate Hills looked like inverted chocolate kisses, etc. One of the best question she threw was where is the place where chocolate kisses where made. I answered in a chocolate factory, she immediately quipped, 'No, they were made inside the Chocolate Hills!' This kid made us laugh as we drove around Bohol Island.
Doing business in Bohol was really a wonderful idea after all. Practically speaking living in the island is so simple. Locals are really great! Bohol Island is definitely one of the best tourist spots in the world because of its natural beauty. I do really hope that everything stays this way forever.
I am certainly not from Makati City. I reside at one of the highly-developed cities around the Metropolitan Manila and it has been always that way for the past twenty-one (21) years with my family. However, I could easily say and express that my conscious being or my awareness has been formed by the city of Makati. If by chance, I would be a tour guide and I would be given options whether to tour visitors in my city or to guide tourists to Makati City, without a doubt, I would pick the latter. I maybe exaggerating to say this, but I would easily find my way back home anywhere from Makati City than to give directions how to roam around the city where I live.
With great pride and honor, I could definitely say that I am a 'Makateño' (a local resident of Makati)! I had stayed at Makati for always eight (8) formative years of my life. After finishing my primary education, I decided to take my secondary education in an all-boys institution at Guadalupe, Makati City. As the saying goes, high school life is the most memorable part of being a student. I do strongly agree with whoever asserted that phrase.
As a student, I am a bit sentimental about the places I have been in a way or the other. It started during high school. We were trained to look up or use a dictionary whenever we were unsure of the meaning of the words we encountered through our readings. The beauty of this discipline is that, students would be given a chance to encounter other 'words', enriching their vocabulary in the process. Using a 'bigger' dictionary than thesaurus may give students an edge regarding etymologies and from what place these words originated. A bit of a history could be sense because of the 'circas' indicated on the note. Since then I was given a sense of sentimentality about almost everything.
Makati City is far from what it was the time it was discovered by the Spaniards. It was a useless swampy area and due to language barrier it was baptized as 'Makati'-'ebbing tide'. The tides of progress started to favor Makati when Catholic Churches were built and since then, it was visited by devotees all over the country. Flocking people in certain place; even today 'spells' a possible good business venue. Since then, Makati has been evolved as the Philippines' premium city in terms of business and economy
Makati City, through the years has become the capital of commerce in the Philippines. It has become a 'symbol' of economic, financial and commercial status of the Philippines. It is said to be the 'Pinoy' (Filipino) version of the Wall Street because it has been the home of the prominent Makati Business Club and the venue of Philippine Stock Exchange. It is also because of the offices of multinational companies situated at Makati City made it a financial capital. As for me, Makati is a city that never sleeps because of the malls where my friends and I have fun to ease some tension from school demands.
Makati City is also defined by malls trying to allure you all kinds of materiality the corporate world could give. The definition my sound sarcastic but, nonetheless, strolling in the mall has been a favorite past time. Philippines is a tropical country and you do not expect people walking around the park most often than not because of the weather (with exemption to Philippines' Summer Capital-Baguio, which is one of the places I also love). I remember when we were still students; we made sure that we 'save' some from our allowance to spend on our gathering at one of Makati's famous mall, Glorietta. Though we have save a little, the point of 'being there' with your friends was a priceless moment. Makati will always be remembered because of those times.
After we graduated, since school was over, we stayed on our own hometowns to rest a bit. Nonetheless, after few months of unwinding, we found ourselves again at Makati City not as students, but rather as aspiring 'young professionals' trying to survive the corporate tide. We should be still spending more time at malls because of our salaries, but certainly, things have changed. Everything is in a constant flux and what is only constant in this world is change. Yes, we do have our own money to spend but time for ourselves has become an essence. Money can buy us whatever food we want to eat but it cannot definitely buy time. We tried other venues other than the malls of Makati to accommodate our other classmates but still, we would end up at Hard Rock Café boozing all the way.
Since graduating at one of the prestigious institution at Makati, we see to it that every Monday, my fellow alumni and I would be playing basketball at our school. Cherished memories will always be there to make us smile as we remember how we developed our own personalities.
Makati started out as a piece of 'worthless swamp'. Nonetheless, that imagery has become just a mere shadow of the past. Dubbed as the Philippines' 'Wall Street', Makati City is the representation of economic struggle on the way to financial progress and stability. Makati City's development throughout the history has been a representation of my own corporate career path. I started at Makati as a student; a nobody trying to learn the 'ways of life' and surprisingly, I went back to Makati to prove what I have learnt and right now I am still at Makati making ends meet as a 'young professional'. I am aware that after some time, I would be somewhere outside this great city, but definitely; Makati would always be a cherished part of my life.
Ever since my 'rationality' started to work, I had noticed that the wave of having a better chance of survival in life, moreover, a better kind of lifestyle was one or both parents needed to go and work outside the Philippines. My feeble mind always conditioned me that it was practical, but then I was aware that it has its repercussions or consequences. After having a sense of maturity, I guessed I was right in a way. Lack of presence from a parent or both parents had taken its toll on their child or children. I had a lot of classmates that had some issues identifying themselves as they grow. Not that they were confused of their gender, but it was more of being held responsible of what they should do. I was really thankful that in my school our support system was very compassionate of those who needed assistance. Unfortunately, not all of us have the same chance to have this kind of treatment.
At a young age, I believed that money should definitely a problem, but I was conscious that money was, is and would always be a big part or a major factor of life. The drive of consumerism and ‘compound interest’ had played its role making life in a higher notch and at the same time complicated (the great scientist was right about compound interest!) As for me, I did see the potentiality of the Philippines in terms of economic growth.
We are aware that there is an economic crunch going on for past few years in the international market. Those companies which had foreseen the crisis in advance had entered business process outsourcing line in doing commerce. It involved tapping potential human resources offshore and paying a lower labor cost and that made the difference in terms of survival in the world market. Philippines had been one of the countries chosen because of its competency in terms of talent and skills. Multitasking had been the greatest talent or skill a Filipino possess. Call centers companies thrive in the Philippines because of hardworking and dedicated 'Pinoys' (Filipinos) who know what they are doing. Whether it would be a technical and communication skill, we Filipinos have it! This is actually the reason why I seem not be attractive with the lucrative offers working outside this country. I really value the presence and importance of my family.
Filipinos are very family oriented. We value the importance family lineage. Recognizing this culture, the individual's formation, maturity and personal growth greatly depends on the exposure he or she has on his or her formative years. If this has been everybody’s concern, I am really positive that Philippines would definitely be economically competitive in no time and it is all because of talented individuals from families who give importance to moral values.
I had been in the 'call center' industry for almost three years and being stressed out had been an understatement. It was definitely toxic. I had to admit, this kind of industry may not be suitable especially for those who have some health issues. Nonetheless, I knew myself and what I could do and I suited up for the job. After months of taking in all kinds of calls (mostly overseas), I felt a deep longing to take sometime for relaxation and break. ‘I want to break free!’ that was what I was talking about and this has been running around my head already for quite sometime. As a sort of a cathartic means to let some pressure escape from my being, I asked one of my 'wavemates' (a term coined in the industry to denote a class or batch) if she felt the same way as well. Right on the money, I was not alone that we wanted to take a break. We need a sort of a 'team building' to vent exhaustion out.
It was during our downtime that we had a chance to talk and brainstorm the what, when, where, who, why and how of our getaway. Since we had schedule conflicts or issues, we tried to suggest a lot on how we would be relaxing. The session ended when one of our seniors suggested the place 'Puerto Galera' and everbody agreed.
Honestly, when everybody agreed, I was taken back in my mind. 'Where is Puerto Galera anyway?' was the question that was jumping around my mind. One of my teammates who was a native or Mindoro told me that the place was just approximately four (4) to five (5) hours travel from Manila. Accessibility is not a problem and we just had to take the SLEX or South Luzon Expressway going to the Batangas Pier and we need to board the vehicle in a 'RoRo' ship (roll on, roll off vessel) for us to use the vehicle with us at Puerto Galera. Ease of access was definitely not a problem going to Puerto Galera, especially within the Metro Manila area. There was actually a bus terminal that provided service from Manila until tourists arrived at the vicinity of the resort itself. Another option according to my colleague (this brought out the adventurer in all of us), was to look for bus on the main road going to Batangas Pier and we would find our way to the place.
During the day itself, we had a sort of a problem. The van that was intended to transport us and that we would be using was delayed. For that reason, we decided to take a bus headed to Batangas pier. We were surprised that our supervisor was ahead of us and the van was with her as well! She took advantage of our 'shock' and we boarded the RoRo ship.
We spent the next twelve (12) – sisteen (16) hours at Puerto Galera as if there was no tomorrow. The beach was so alluring that was the reason why everybody was having fun in the cool blue water! We could not help but join the crowd and as for me, as soon as I stepped at the shore and felt the water, I immediately plunged my head and sank making my whole body drenched in water and it was an amazing feeling. It seemed that all the stress and pressure left my being and I was renewed. I felt I was a 'new man'! We ended our team building by dropping by at our officemate’s ancestral home at Mindoro and had some time to rest.
We arrived at our colleague's place just around lunch time. We have had our feel of one of his relatives' special dishes. At first it seemed to look like ordinary breaded fried pork and chicken with a sauce but when the dish found its way in our palate, it was really unique. I even quipped, 'Wow! Fried Galera!' Everybody had a good laugh and we were enjoying ourselves that time.
Before we went home, our supervisor asked for some few moments to have a small talk or meeting. She admitted that she 'set up' the 'no-van scheme' for a purpose. She wanted us to be united and at the same time be happy with our teammates. She explained that the journey in itself was part of the team building process and the moral was that we had to stick together no matter what. We all smiled and some were teary-eyed and as always, I did 'break the ice'. It was really a wonderful experience for us to one as a team. Puerto Galera had left something on my being after that short 'break' happened in my life. As of today, even though we had already decided to part ways, we would still gather together as a team as if we had just parted our ways just a day ago.
I have been here in Manila since I was born. Occasionally though, I had some chances in having sometime in a province or two because we were very attached to our parents homeland or hometown. It is a reality here in Manila that change and progress are two inevitable factors sweeping everybody's psyche. Unfortunately, these tides left unlikely 'dents' in Manila. It is really a sorry sight to see a sense of being not too organized and at the same time a lack of discipline. To say the least, the result has been extreme-either too good or not so good. That is the reason why the question that reoccurs in my mind is: can we do change and progress perfectly?
During my freshman year in high school, part of our summer program was to do some camping out. My classmates and I were so excited because we had to travel through a big ferry ship. Once we were in the shores of Palawan, we saw an unusual sight: people had a luxury to swim by the port area! The water in the port area was so clean that swimming was considered safe.
When we were welcomed by the bishop and gave us a tour of Puerto Princesa, it was a real haven of order and discipline! It was a highly urbanized municipality but it was well taken cared of. I remembered reading one of the sign that spitting was prohibited, so as throwing small trashes all over the place.
We camped out for almost a week at Mount St. Paul in Palawan. It was a baptism of fire for me because it was where I hiked two (2) to three (3) hours just to be at the campsite. It was very tiring and at the same time memorable. In Mount St. Paul as well, I was able to swim with the huge waves and enjoyed the experience a lot.
We have to trek the challenging and dangerous 'Monkey Trail' for hours to experience the beauty of the underground river of Palawan or the world-renowned Subterranean National Park. For the next few days, we were trained and encouraged to take an extra care toward Mother Nature. What thought echoed since our stay in Mount St. Paul was: 'We are all brothers and sisters and we have one Mother- the planet Earth.'
Our experience in Palawan made me realize that taking care or preserving Mother Nature and at the same time riding the waves of progress and change is never a conflict at all. As humans, we have the greatest gift Mother Nature could provide and that is our ability to rationalize or to think. Since we have this faculty, we have the authority to take care of the environment and not just utilize it for selfish motives. My experience in Palawan was indeed priceless. It had left a dent in my being to be in a way an advocate of Mother Nature in my own means.
One of my favorite foods or delicacies I consider is 'Sisig'. The crunchiness, spice tingling taste and its sour based flavor made it a truly uniquely 'Filipino'. I even asked my one of my relatives to teach me how to cook 'Sisig' in her own version. Cooking the dish was a learning experience; the procedure needed a lot of effort and in order to perfect it, one must learn the secret of the 'know-how' of the dish.
I had cooked the dish twice or thrice since it needed a lot of effort, as I had said. Whenever there would be a sort of drinking sessions, 'Sisig' would definitely complete the gathering. During my college days, I was dubbed by one of the refectory servers as 'Mr.Sisig' for obvious reason. I always ordered or asked for the same dish every lunch time. I recalled searching for the origin of ‘Sisig’ for a day instead of researching for my thesis.
My girlfriend was from Pampanga and she knew about my 'obsession' with the dish. She surprised me as she asked me to accompany her at home and spend our short break with her family. Her mom cooked a special 'Kare-kare' (Philippine stew) also one of my favorite. I never appreciated peanut butter but, 'Kare-kare' was an exception. The dish was made from variety of vegetables, oxtail, tripe, beef and peanut sauce. Anyway I looked for 'Sisig' but to my surprise, it was not in the menu. It seemed that one of my girlfriend’s siblings noticed a sort of disappointment in my aura. I then observed my girlfriend and her parents whispered something and had grinned. I sensed they were up to something. The lunch continued then we rested for sometime.
My girlfriend then asked me to prepare because we would be going somewhere else and it would be a surprise. We went to SM (a famous local mall in the Philippines originally stands for 'Shoe Mart') and I observed a lot of locals gathering. As if I was hearing a count down or a loud music, all of a sudden the place was literally filled with 'Sisig'! it was the annual 'Sisig' Festival that we were going to attend to and my girlfriend gave me a sweet kiss on my cheek asked me to open my mouth then she gave me a spoonful of my favorite 'Sisig'! It was a lovely and memorable afternoon for me again with my beloved and her family. Her parents then asked me to celebrate Hearts' Day with them instead of being somewhere else with their daughter. I simply said a definite 'Yes!' to their request.
Months after the 'Sisig' Festival, my girlfriend reminded me of my commitment to her parents. I even gave her an assurance that it would be happening. As far as I could recall, we went back to Pampanga again before Valentine's Day. I was surprised that from Los Baños, Laguna, we had a non-stop travel going to Angeles City, Pampanga. We had not even had a chance to drop by at their home to leave some loads to make ourselves a bit comfortable. As we arrived at the venue, I saw a familiar sports utility vehicle and my girlfriend just opened the trunk and put all our things and headed towards the hot-air balloon field and this was actually the first (1st) time I saw such huge balloons with their pilots in them! Her dad told me that this festival had been celebrated for seven (7) or eight (8) years in Pampanga. I was really a crowd drawer. Since my girlfriend's dad was part of the organizing team, they planned to have it longer than the usual weekend affair. I was really happy that time. Spending Hearts' Day with your beloved and her loved ones as well made us even closer.
Angeles City has been transformed and has improved to a booming export processing area or zone in Pampanga. The two festivals are indeed tourist attraction and are definitely an income generating event for the benefit of the municipality. Since Angeles City has been strategically located to the busy lifestyle of Metro Manila, commerce and business would certainly flourish.
I have been to a lot of places here in the Philippines. Almost, actually since honestly, I have not been to any of the best place in the Visayas Region. There was once a chance but because I felt ill and needed to be confined in the hospital, I missed the chance. Nonetheless, from all the places I have been, the city of Baguio, I say, have left a significant dent in my very being. It has been four (4) years had past since I have been at Baguio and I could still vividly remember some of the places I have been during my stay. Not just the place that I remember, but the thrill of being there-the ambiance of the place-can give me a clear vision of what was going on then. Making me a witness trapped in the past and can really pin point who's who and what not's at that instance. Sounds exaggerated but that is how I could contain through words how I express my wonderful experiences at Baguio City.
These busy metropolitan in the northern part of the Philippines is known for its unique weather that is colder than the average temperature of the country’s tropical weather. Though according to historical accounts, Baguio already been inhabited by few locals during Spanish regime but it was during the time of the Americans this place had been developed. It was the Americans' Residence to avoid Manila's summer heat. The place was originally designed to cater 25,000 people only, but according to latest head count, its population is about to reach almost 500,000. Baguio has made its mark in the history as the site where Vice Admiral Okochi and General Tomoyuki Yamashita, formally surrendered to American forces during the Second World War. Since then, Camp John Hay has been a noted place at this city.
When I was ten (10) years old, our family and relatives at Manila were so worried because earthquake plagued and destroy tore down most of Baguio in the middle of 1990. Luckily, none from our relatives were badly affected by the tragedy; nonetheless, we were very sorry for destruction and the significant loss of lives. Good thing that Baguio City recovered with the efforts of our national government and assistance from several donors around the world.
I remember during the time of the earthquake, Burnham Park has been the site of refuge for the victims. The last time I strolled through the park with my aunt, as she shared their ordeal during and after the tremor, I could help myself to be sorry and at the same time smile as I imagine how residents tried to make ends meet to survive until they recover. Good thing to realize is that it was just a thing in the past. We 'rowed' through the famous man-made lake and have some time taking pictures. I really love Baguio City! This is where I enjoyed walking a lot because even though I walk a mile, I would never be sweaty. Thanks to the weather.
One of the 'places to be' at Baguio City is the Philippine Military Academy. It would be impossible to miss this place because a brother of one of my classmates was once a cadet and now an alumnus of this great institution. I really enjoyed the place because of the displays (of war paraphernalia of all kinds) all around. The heritage of the place gives me the creeps. Famous political and influential celebrities have been, in a way or another, were trained and indoctrinated by the ideals of this well-known Military school.
There are two (2) noted songs that come out of my psyche whenever I hear the word Baguio: one is '365 Days' by Lutrucia McNeal and the best song ever by the D’Sound 'Tattooed in My Mind'. For obvious reasons, the latter song always reminds me that I am a 'loving being' and to be alone in Baguio is a big no-no. The other song, however, has a left a more significant dent in my personality since it made me reflect what to do after college. As if like an accident, I encountered the song of Ms. McNeal as I travel from Manila to Baguio for attend a retreat-a spiritual retreat to help us out with our decision after college. The question (in the song) rang in my mind during the four (4)-five (5) hours of travel time and we were really blessed when we arrived at the place. Mount Peace Baguio is not really a place where visitors or tourists would be in an out of the place since it is a property owned by Archdiocese of Manila and it is in a way exclusive. We were then lucky that we were given a chance to use its facilities and amenities for almost a week-another bonus: it was for free. The place cannot be considered as cozy as the other retreat houses around Baguio, but in one way or the other, it lives with its name: Mount Peace. At a spot in the place, one could really feel a deep sense of serenity and 'heavenly' bliss because whenever fog will cover the place and one would be over looking the city with its 'chaos' while one enjoys his or her sense of serenity. A perfect place for discernment!
Having these realizations and reflections in mind and in my being, Baguio has been more than a place for me. Tourists and visitors may remember Baguio as a 'cooler' city (in terms of weather) in comparison with other cities in the Philippines that has some noted sights and significant places to behold. Nonetheless, Baguio has been a symbol of shaping my personality as a whole. I may not be a local of the place but, I take pride of this dear city as my own. I may not be able to totally explain it by words but, the places around Baguio would definitely speak for themselves. As I have mentioned, my favorite city is just four (4) to five (5) hours away from where I am (Manila) and accessibility and is not really a problem and not to mention it is affordable. My only issue is the question 'when', but if I would have a long weekend anytime soon; I would definitely make a point of getting to the city that shaped my being-Baguio City.