Monday, April 5 from Cliff - The Final Post, We're Home

Up at 3:30 AM (some of the team never went to bed) for our last trip to the airport.  The plane left Manila at 7 AM and we were off to Philadelphia.  There is nothing good that can be said about being in a plane for as long as we were.  After 24 hours on travel we arrived in Philadelphia at 3:30 in the afternoon.  Everything was again familiar.  The traffic was understandable although heavy at times.  But now when I look at things, I am seeing things in a different light.  I expect that this new perception will go on for some time.  I am returning with the knowledge that in the US we do many things right, but we also are overlooking many other things that we could do better.  Maybe in a small way I can add to the voices that want to see positive changes in how everyone in the world lives and interacts.  And that is the whole purpose of this exchange.  I have to thank Rotary for having the foresight to offer this program.  My only wish would be that more people could participate in the program and have this kind of experience.

TS Eliot and GSE

When I was a senior in high school, my English teacher, Matt Carr, gave us a writing assignment based on a quote from Eliot's poem "Four Quartets":
"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

A month ago I arrived here in Manila, spent the night at the AIM Conference Center, woke up the next morning and explored the Greenbelt Mall in Makati before attending our welcoming dinner with Gov Sid. Now here I am--it's just after midnight, and I'm sitting in one of Greenbelt's big open plazas outside the Cafe Havana listening to the band. A few hours ago we were at our farewell dinner with Gov Sid and so many of the other wonderful people we met and spent time with this past month. In a little while I'll walk back over to AIM to finish the last bit of packing and while away the final few hours before Fed arrives at 3:30 am to take us to the airport.

Wasn't a month ago just yesterday?

Manila is no longer a foreign land of strange customs. I can order from the menu with relative competence, translate the abbreviations with greater ease...although I doubt I will ever have what it takes to drive on Manila's roads (Palawan, sure, but not Manila!).

It has been an extraordinary month, filled with surprises, education, understanding, appreciation, sharing, and service. We have been given a precious gift in this time abroad--a gift of more than pasalubong (souveniers)--a gift of inspiration. Despite the challenges and hardships present here, our Rotary hosts have stood up and commuted themselves to be of service. Hunger? Feed the hungry, one at a time if need be, then create programs that will help them find ways to feed themselves. Homelessness? Build new houses, by the hundreds and thousands. Government corruption? Sponsor voter education meetings, so people will not fear the election process and be willing to come out and cast their votes. Illiteracy? Adopt remote communities, build schools, supply textbooks and resources, sponsor new programs. Rotarians here are pillars of strength, beacons of light, willing servants for the community's greater good, despite the seemingly overwhelming odds against success.

In every community we visited, I saw roadside signs enumerating the Four-Way Test - as clear an indication as any that Rotarians here are as concerned about community values as they are about social justice.

At the dinner tonight Cliff said we are leaving with far more than we arrived with (and he wasn't referring to pasalubong either!) I absolutely agree - the 84 clubs of 3830 have found a way to develop their leadership potential, be of service, and create an exceptional network of fellowship as well. There certainly is a lot to be learned here, and I hope I've managed to bring some of it home with me.

I'm in the same place I was a month ago, but that place is not the same to me.

It's time to go home.

Lew

Good Friday

This is a hard post to write.

Let's start by saying I'm a bit more of an outsider here than usual--even though I married Sharon, who was raised in a traditional Roman Catholic family, I'm very much a Jew--and here, I'm a Jew in a nation that is overwhelmingly Catholic.

So I expected to be an outsider when we went to observe the crucifixions in Pampanga yesterday. In truth, I expected a LOT of things yesterday, and not many of them were realized.

I expected to see people voluntarily have themselves nailed to crosses--that part most certainly did happen. 6 times, in fact, including one woman in the role of Christ.

But beyond that, it was extraordinarily different than I expected. I thought there would be a great sense of solemnity, but that was pretty far from the case; in fact, the atmosphere would be better described as carnivalesque. The huge crowd was catered to by a horde of food and merchandise vendors that lined the street leading to the...what to call it? Field? Event arena? Hill? I'm not sure. It could have been a street festival for any occasion at all. The only overt reminder of how this was going to end was the hill itself--surrounded by two concentric rings of chain-link fencing, sporting three stark white crosses at the summit.

To stand outside the perimeter to watch was completely free; but as we quickly discovered, for a small fee--500 pesos--we could get courtside seats (that's obviously an exaggeration--there were no seats here--standing or squatting only). Who could resist? Certainly not us--nor the could the others up there with us, a crowd mostly comprised of foreign tourists and members of the media, accompanied by a large group of men dressing the part as Roman centurions (painted cardboard armor and drawn-on beards). So there we were, a mere 10-15 feet away from the action, able to see it all in fine detail--6 of the faithful submitting to having themselves nailed through the palms.

What to think of this?

I have never attended a public execution--with any luck this is as close as I'll ever get. But I couldn't help but realize that this festive atmosphere--all of these smiling, happy people (perhaps as many as a thousand, from the look of it)--was no different from ever similar moment in human history. Public execution has always brought out the townsfolk, picnic lunches in hand, to watch the criminals receive their just punishments, and be thankful it's not them suffering the long arm of law.

Why was I there? The official Church has condemned this practice. There was no member of the clergy present as an officiant. No prayers were offered (except by those who were to be crucified). There was no official reenactment--no crown of thorns, no words from the Bible, no lines of dialogue.

When the hammer was raised, why didn't I look away? Why instead did I make sure my camera was rolling, so I could get the best photos and video possible? Why didn't I gasp in horror when the hammer came down, when I could see the nail driven in, when I could see pain on their faces? Moreso, why didn't a crowd of a thousand react in horror? I heard only a few scattered gasps, a natural enough reaction to the sight of anyone submitting themselves to any willful act of physical violence--but no great swelling of what I would call heartfelt religious fear at witnessing the reenactment of the death of Jesus Christ. Are we all so desensitized?

I was not expecting to have my own moment of religious epiphany--but I thought I might see others who did. In the end, all I saw was a crowd hungry for entertainment, devouring the show.

So I really don't know what to think or feel about what I saw yesterday. I don't doubt that those who volunteered for this act did so out of some sense of the expression of their faith--but I don't know how much of that was shared. I am glad I went--but mostly because I come away with more questions than answers.

It seems odd that this would end up being the final trip of our GSE experience; tonight, a dinner...tomorrow, a free day in Makati before our farewell dinner in the evening...then the flight home on Monday morning. I had thought it would be important to be here for Holy Week, and to witness the event surrounding it, and I was right--it was important. Now I just have to figure out why.

Lew

Finishing what I started

Since we're here at the airport in Puerto Princesa with two hours to wait until our flight departs for Manila, might as well take the opportunity to do some writing.

First let's explain why it's been 5 days since my last post. I fully intended to finish off that last one sometime on Thursday - but I woke up at 5:30 am with a bit of a stomach bug that not only kept me from posting, but also kept me from leaving my room at Sonie's all day. On the plus side, I learned a few things about Asian TV. On the downside, I missed the team's visit to the university of Santo Tomas rare book room. Grrrrrrrrrrr. More on all of that later

So here's what I learned from the Paranaque club's report to Gov Sid:

Over the past year they ran a vocational training program; 40 adults enrolled, 36 of them graduated.

They sponsored the purchase of a water filter for a village without a source of potable water.

They were among the first of the Manila area clubs to respond when the call went out requesting emergency relief assistance in the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy - running a feeding program in Quezon City and and Laguna that aided some 8000 people, and provided material relief goods to an additional 5000 people. In December the returned to Laguna with Christmas presents for residents still suffering displacement.

They were one of four clubs out of the 84 total clubs to sponsor a member of the outbound GSE team soon heading for New Jersey - Lorena Gerna.

They established a partnersip with an Interact Club. They sponsored Red Cross emergency training and a local conservation briefing for the community.

Those are the highlights; I was writing notes as fast as I could during the presentation! Clearly this club, although small in membership, has a lot going on. I was interested to hear they plan to assist local aspiring community folk to break the poverty cycle by helping the look for sources of funding like microgrants, and starting a cooperative venture between the club members and local chefs to teach the poor Cooking as a household skill (if anyone out there is curious about the link between superprocessed fast foods and significant health problems among the poorest populations around the world, give me a shout and I'll happily explain it).

Gov Sid took the opportunity to address the club, congratulating them on their success and challenging them to improve and intensify other efforts. I was particularly thrilled to hear him reiterate the challenge he accepted at DisCon on behalf of the entire District to identify 100 high school graduates intending to pursue careers as teachers and do everything possible to facilitate their progress.

He also advocated a renewed effort to create programs to help develop ethical leadership and prote positive values both within Rotary and without.

Gov Sid also promised to assist the club's effort to establish sister agreements with clubs in Macao and Thailand. He used the phrase "Service beyond boundaries," which I though was a really great slogan.

Once the formal reports were finished, there was nothing left but singing and dancing - and yessiree there was plenty of both. It was a fun and interesting meeting from start to finish, and I'm very glad Sonie gave me the opportunity to attend!

Lew

Holy, Holy week

The traditions of Holy Week certainly vary from country to country. I've been fortunate to spend holy week in three foreign countries: Italy, Australia, and now, the Philippines. The Italians of course have the college text book Holy Week. Being one with the Vatican, what more could you expect? In Australia, which is known for their public holidays, they basically turn the whole week into a beer fest. I do not mean to be critical, but we hit the bars Easter Sunday, and the government had "Easter Monday" off. Easter Monday, seriously?

Well here in the Philippines, Holy Week is, well, holy. Manila comes to a standstill from Wednesday night until Easter Sunday. No business is done Maundy Thursday and is still limited on Good Friday. Even Manila's infamous traffic takes leave as most of the inhabitants head for the provinces to be with their families.

I wanted to soak in all that I could. So I made arrangements to attend mass at the Manila Cathedral which was conducted by the Archbishop of
Manila. The Mass if the Lord's Supper and footwashing was 100% in Tagalog, but thanks to the uniformity of Catholicism, I was able to follow along. The High Mass was more than well attended. After communion, the Archbishop had one announcnent which he made in English: two hours before the mass, Rome had called informing them that they have selected their nominee for a new Archbishop. The church went into a roar. It was an exciting moment. After mass, I managed to find a taxi, and
a trip that normally would take 39 minutes, took a mere 15.

The next day I awoke with the excitement if attending a real live crucifixion. It sort of made me excited but nervous in one breath. We headed off to Pampanga with a hope and a prayer to see some crucifyin'. Well, we got what we asked for (I'm sure all of you will see my pictures). I too even had a spot on the cross--nail-less of course. We got literal front row seats for the action. There really are now words for what I saw. It was true devotion, but a carnival rolled up into one. So for our last "cultural day," I was certainly not disappointed by what I saw. All in all, the Filipinos know how to do Holy Week with their own unique flare.

Friday, April 2 from Cliff

Good Friday, the day of the crucifixion of Christ, a day in the Philippines where all activity ceases.  Normally choked roads are empty and in the province of Pampanga the unusual ritual of re-enacting the crucifixion takes place.  People are literally nailed to a cross.  We witnessed one of the re-enactments in the town of Angeles.  Upon paying 500 pesos we were given access to get as close to the action as we could.  Behind us there was a throng of at least a thousand people.  This was truly a sight to see.  You could see the pain in the faces of those crucified (there were two sets of three people nailed to the cross).  It may be spiritually uplifting for those involved, but to me the carnival atmosphere of the crowds and all the vendors that showed up made it a different experience for me.

Thursday, April 1 from Cliff

Today was a rest day with no scheduled activities.  Lew went to meet Efren Penniflorida’s group in Cavite.  Tim met up with Melody, got to ride the jeepney and was able to take a long walk.  Haven’t heard what Ben did yet.   I connected with Sam Lim, from the RC Parañanque St. Andrew, for a round of golf at Eagle Ridge Golf Club.  This was a very nice facility with 4 golf courses, a large swimming pool, and a recreation center that included a bowling alley.  I played with George Lim, from Singapore, and Deb, from India (the pronunciation sounds like ‘debp’).  All three of them are in some aspect of the marine shipping business.  After golf, we sat by the pool for a little while and then went to a Korean Restaurant where we sat on the floor to eat.  The food was very good.

A visit with the Dynamic Teen Company

I'm not going to deny that I've seen a lot of amazing things, DONE a lot of amazing things, and met a lot of amazing people over the past month. But today has really been the day I've been waiting for since October, when I first read about Efren Penaflorida and the Dynamic Teen Company--and when I was selected to be a GSE Team member--and when "F" was named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.

You don't really know what to expect after such a lengthy buildup. After all, fame and renown has been known to do funny things even to the most well-intentioned person. But I had high hopes; after meeting 2008 Hero Liz McCartney in December and finding her to be a passionate but unassuming indivdual still devoted to her cause, I had no reason to expect disappointment.

And indeed, I was not disappointed.

The hardest part of the day was the drive--even though today was Maundy Thursday, the roads to Cavite City were packed. Folks were taking advantage of the half-day to get done whatever needing doing, since everything would be closed on Friday. Lea and her husband Max picked me up at 9am, then picked up Baby who would accompany us - but I think we didn't get to Cavite until close to 11am.

The second hardest part of the day was actually finding the DTC office--we drove right past it without even noticing it. We'd find out the reason for the subtlety later.

But we finally figured it out--and F was there on the sidewalk to greet us himself. We walked down a narrow alleyway and through a gate into the DTC "office" proper, where all the introductions were made. We then sat for an informal chat - obviously I knew some of the organization's history, but was interested in the inside details, and especially what's been going on since December's awards ceremony.

It turns out that all the credit for DTC has gone to F, but it really should be JB who gets the lion's share. JB was a college engineering professor who first realized his larger responsibility to the children of Cavite, especially those who were too afraid to go to school--afraid of being victimized by gangs. F was one of those children, and became one of JB's scholars, children who were given the support and strength necessary to complete their schooling.

From there, the DTC concept was born. The organization, comprised almost completely of teens, set out to do the same thing JB had started--give children the interest in education, and the strength to persevere even in the face of the threat represented by the gangs.

They realized it wasn't enough just to save kids who were being threatened by the gangs, drugs, prostitution, and the syndicates that round up helpless kids to further their nefarious ends; they had to find a way to take the legs out from under the gangs by cutting off the supply of helpless, ignorant children that was their lifeblood. Thus began the effort to bring the spark of education to the slum children of Cavite City. Armed first with backpacks, then pedicabs, and finally now the pushcart classroom, groups of 25 to 50 teens set out each week into the city to give children education, medical care, food--and above all, hope that they can indeed rise above the desperation of their situation. They now have a four-cart system: a literacy cart, a values education/canteen cart, a playcenter, and a medical/hygeine clinic. Every Saturday, these carts make the rounds through the city, and the children swarm to them like the proverbial flies to honey.

Of course, everyone wants to know what F did with the money ($100,000) he received as CNN Hero of the Year. The media has been as quick to tear him down as they were to build him up, accusing him of using it to throw parties, etc. The truth is a lot more humdrum, and a lot more telling of the political and social realities of our time. For starters, he owed 30% tax; then, his immediate desire was to give the entire amount over to the DTC--however, had he done so, he would have owed another 30% as a donation tax! Thankfully, F and JB had excellent legal advice; acting in accordance with that advice, F used the entire sum to purchase an empty plot of land upon which will be constructed a new learning center. At the moment, there are no funds to begin that construction, but the land itself is bought and paid for.

Additional funds are an interesting dilemma. Upon being named CNN Hero, F was deluged with sudden celebrity--overnight, he received some 15,000 emails. His Facebook account was overrrun. The DTC email address was similarly overwhelmed. Returning home, he was accorded every award and honor available, all the way up to the office of the President. Not surprisingly, that's pretty much where the support ended; DTC received a lot of promises from politicians--but this is an election year, after all, and politicians offer promises free of charge. DTC has resisted all efforts to engage them in the political debate; F and JB have refused to endorse any of the presidential candidates (they "have no color," referring to the fact that each of the 10 presidential campaigns is identifiable by a particular color--orange for Villar, yellow for Aquino, green for Gibo, red for Erap, etc.). JB said they were continuing their work "silently," as they have always done.

F was actually invited to be a panelist for a presidential Q&A; in addition to questions on their positions regarding education, he asked each of them to define what "heroism" meant to them--he wouldn't give names, but he said the responses were exactly what you would expect: the most popular candidates in the polls managed to turn their answers into something about themselves, while the least popular candidate actually gave a decent, honest, and forthright answer. Go figure.

The challenge now is whether or not to restructure the organization. There's certainly an advantage to becoming a large-scale nonprofit NGO--but one huge disadvantage. Until now, the DTC has been fully run by the teens, kids who have escaped the clutches of the gangs and are now working to protect others from the same troubled existence. They've made all the decisions, chosen the organization's direction, planned and executed all projects (sound familiar, Interacters? As we were talking, a young man, 16 years old, sat nearby. JB gestured to him and said, "Do you know what he's doing? Answering DTC email. That's what our teen volunteers do--everything around here. But under a new system, that might not be possible--everyone in the administrative end will have to be of legal age.") If F and JB go through with the paperwork, that will no longer be allowable under the government's terms--it will have to be adults providing the leadership. So what to do? If the next step is indeed to be taken, F and JB figure the best way to go about it is to set up a Board of Directors comprised of program alumni. Many have remained involved anyway; after graduating from the program, attending and graduating from college, their careers allow them to provide the funding by which the next generation of scholars are able to attend college. These are the people who know and understand how the DTC works, and why it has been so successful.

"The world is after the story." The past months have seen a steady stream of media outlets all looking to feed F's story into the ravening maw of their consumers. Film crews have been here to do a dramatized documentary of his life. It's easy to have all this excitement swirling around you, and forget what you're doing, and why--but F just laughs about it. It's a way to keep people interested in the DTC's work--to remind them of the need that still exists-but it clearly hasn't gone to his head.

Quite the opposite; there's more work than ever. Another young man in the organization--with a story similar to F's--is Emmanuel (Em for short). Growing up in the protection afforded by the DTC, he established his own sub-program: M.Y. Rights ("Mind Your Rights"). The intent was to target child abuse. F mentioned that child labor laws are routinely violated--children as young as 12 are frequently used to help local fishermen in the backbreaking labor of hauling in their long nets, and paid almost nothing, perhaps 5 pesos (today, the exchange rate is 45 pesos to the USD). But even that pales in comparison to the actual physical abuse--the violence--many children are forced to endure. Em created a program that started with educating children that they had rights--and that those rights included protection from such abuse. But that wasn't enough, so he added on parent sessions--using food as a lure--to educate the parents (many of whom were themselves the victims of abuse, and lacking any significant education to know better).

Things got really challenging when Em discovered that despite the education sessions, some parents continued to abuse their children. Without hesitation, he acted in the best interests of the children, and reported the offenders to the police. The abusive parents were arrested, tried, convicted and sent to jail. But eventually their terms were up, and out they came...and guess who they came looking for? When Em started receiving death threats from these people, the DTC acted to protect its own--they set up a safe house for him. He was there at the office today, continuing his work. He's planning to do pre-law in college (do you see the empowerment of youth here!), and eventually get a law degree to work as a human rights lawyer--but he thinks that might not really be where his life needs to go. He's asked JB and F to groom him-toughen him!--for a run in politics, to help improve a system sorely in need of his kind of integrity.

Perhaps now is where I should mention the offhanded reference JB made to another DTC member, now 11, who at the age of 8 was brought into the organization after he was discovered sleeping inside a tomb in the cemetery. That child created another sub-project called "Caring Children."

I've referred to the DTC space we were in as an office--but that's an inadequate word. It's everything: parking garage for the pushcarts, warehouse for donated and purchased supplies, safe house and sleeping quarters for any and all children who need it each and every night. JB gestured around the little alcove where we were seated. "Tonight," he said, "every available bit of ground will be covered with sleeping children."

I asked whether they had a "Big Brother" type of program--and indeed they do. They're called "Accountability Partners," older scholars in the program who partner one-on-one with younger, newer kids to give them mentoring, guidance, assistance, etc.

I guess I wasn't too surprised to discover that the DTC system works in many ways similar to what we're set up for Interact: the teen teams go out into the community every Saturday, and every Sunday they are in the DTC office for "upgrade" sessions, where they learn about or improve their skills in first aid, hygeine instruction, academic skills instruction--whatever they can do to be of greater help the next week.

Of course I wanted to know cost-wise how the pushcart program operated. The literacy cart is the most expensive, because it has 2 laptop computers. All together, that cart costs around 100,000 pesos (today, that would be around $2200). But that cart suffers the least in the way of attrition; the values cart also brings food for the kids, which obviously needs to be replenished each week. The clinic brings a supply of fresh, potable water--as well as basic first aid supplies which get used up quickly (remember many of these kids live in and scavenge through trash dumps). And the playcenter...well (this is the part that breaks your heart) most of these kids have never before had the opportunity to play--their lives have not been so kind. And those who have had the time have never owned toys--they've played with trash, whatever they could find. So JB and F could only smile and laugh when they said the toys disappear off the playcenter cart; who could blame the kids for not wanting to part with a toy, having only one day a week to play with it?

I asked whether other countries have contacted DTC about how to replicate the pushcart classroom--F said yes, absolutely--many areas in Africa, southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent have expressed interest. F has spent quite a bit of time abroad these past few months as an inspirational speaker on behalf of universal children's education (another reason the media has felt justified in criticizing him--"Look! he's using that CNN money to fund vacations!) The media also hounded him to know what plans he'd made to celebrate his birthday--it happened that the DTC decided that would be an appropriate day for the groundbreaking for the learning center. Naturally, the media wanted to know if the rich and famous would be invited, and F replied that those who had expressed interest in and support for the project would indeed be invited. F figures the media was expecting something similar to the circus that annual surrounds boxer Manny Pacquiao's birthday (you can imagine it, right? I don't need to describe it.) How disappointed they must have been when the groundbreaking failed to become a lavish red-carpet affair! When the post-event party was a simple affair back in the office!

Through it all, F and JB never lost those big grins. They are happy just doing what they know is right. Sure, it's an irritation and a distraction when the papers start speculating on F's love life--but it never seems to stop them from doing what needs doing. As we talked, teens began trickling in and getting to work--there had been a major fire in Cavite, and hundreds of slum dwellers had been displaced, including many children who had lost everything, including their prized possessions, their school supplies. The teens began counting out the number of backpacks they had, preparing to load them with brand new notebooks, pencils, boxes of crayons, etc., for distribution over the weekend. The DTC purchases most of the supplies--if stuff is donated, it always comes with some kind of sticker or label trumpeting whoever gave it (I promised not to tell what happens to the stuff donated by politicians).

Before I left, I gave them what I had brought: the $600 check from Interact that was the total raised by this year's puzzle project; This Is New Jersey, the coffee table book we brought as gifts for our host families as a donation to the eventual learning center; my NJ state pin, which I ceremonially pinned on F (only fair, since they gave me one of their DTC shirts--I'd have given them my Interact shirt, but I was wearing it at the time!); my contact card and my heartfelt promise that I as an individual and we as Interact (I hope I was not too bold in saying so) would continue to support their efforts in whatever way we could.

This is what I learned today: many people call themselves heroes. Few deserve that title. I met one of the true heroes today, and I should be lucky to be remembered in even a quarter of the terms that F and JB will be remembered. My life is more rich for having met them, and seen their work; I am inspired to carry on. There are a few folks back home who would benefit immeasurably from taking a trip to Cavite City if they wish to truly understand the value of education.

Here's to you, Kuya F!

Lew

Wednesday, March 31 from Cliff

Today was a quiet day.  We visited the Villamor Air Force Base and saw their collection of historic old planes.  Then we went to the American Cemetery and Monument. This was a quiet somber experience.  This monument is commemorates those lives lost in World War II in the Pacific whose bodies were never recovered.

The monster summation post

Since for the first time this month I (a) have nowhere to be until 12:30 and (b) have unrestricted access to a desktop computer, I'm going to do the super-catchup post. Ready?

March 15th, continued - spent the afternoon in the Urban Planning and Development office of Makati. Met members of Rotaract and talked with them about their various projects, as well as the operation of the UPD. First time anyone used the euphemism "informal settlers" to refer to the huge number of squatters who build shacks out of whatever they can find wherever they can because they can't afford housing. Of course I called them on it! But in a nice way. Rotaract hosts a battle of the bands as a fundraiser - I was hoping to go, but it was this past Friday, and we were in Palawan. Afterward, they took me into the main City Hall building to the department of education - a brief but interesting visit. Perhaps most interesting was the elevator ride - a veritable nightmare - I now know how many people you can jam in an elevator before the weight limit buzzer goes off. I also have the unaccustomed feeling of being the tallest person almost everywhere I go - by at least a head. Buddy the Elf, I tell you. After the touring day was over, Elsie brought me to the Makati Golf Club area, where we met up with fellow Rotary Club Makati - EDSA members (Elsie had dance rehearsal that night, so they would be taking me around). I went with Jasmine Rodriguez to pick up Bingbing Singson and together we went to Manila Bay for a sunset cruise - a LOT of fun, especially because of the on-board karaoke. We got the Korean tourists to sing - we serenaded the newlyweds on board - oh, lots of fun! From there, we went to Bingbing's restaurant, met up with other Rotary friends, had more food and sang more karaoke before Elsie showed up wagging her finger at how late we were out- I had to be up early the next morning!

Tuesday, March 16th: We were in the care of Jon and Barnie from RC Paranaque Sucat for the day. It was a southward trek out of the city - first stop, the club's project, supporting a very poor village. They have a small school run by a nun with some hired teachers; the "center" is basically only accessible first by dirt road, then by a hiking trail. When I say this folks have next to nothing, I'm not exaggerating. One man came back into the village with a small lizard he had caught; that was his lunch. Despite this, they had made food for us - rice cakes, watermelon, and fruit juice. It was enough to make you cry. From there we continued to Tagaytay to see the world's smallest volcano - Taal. Yes, small, but no less beautiful. The volcano is an island in the middle of Lake Taal; some of its cones are still active, although no major eruptions have occurred in quite a while. Unfortunately, we did not have time to journey down off the ridge into the lake area; we had to content ourselves with the view from up high as we ate lunch. Returning home, Elsie was again had a full evening, so more EDSA friends took me in hand - this time, we headed out toward the airport to the newly constructed Resorts World casino for an outstanding Japanese dinner, after which the ladies headed for the tables, while the gentlemen headed to Bar 360 (the combination bar and theater-in-the-round) to watch the show (tonight's performance by the all-female singing group Eurasia). Another fun evening!

Thursday, March 17th: I might have to label our trip to Corregidor as one of my favorite days. There's always something solemn about standing on a battlefield; that's even more true when talking about the battlefields of WWII. Corregidor defies description. The fact that they have chosen to leave the ruined buildings as they are - that you can see the bomb craters and bullet holes - that the guns are frozen in position from the moment they were struck by enemy fire over 60 years ago - that the blood of American, Filipino, and Japanese are commingled here, and that the monuments here recognize them all in an extraordinary act of forgiveness. Hopefully you've seen the photos I posted on Facebook - I took about 200. It is a place in this world worth visiting. Returning to Elsie's I thought the day was pretty much done. After all, I was pretty filthy from hiking around that island all day. NOT SO - no sooner did I walk through the door than Elsie grabbed me by the arm and said "We have to go!" Back in the car to her combined Rotary EDSA / Inner Wheels Club meeting - they were hosting an RVote that night! This will be the first election that will use optical scanners nationwide in every polling location to read the ballots, and everyone is very nervous (about people's ability to do it right, about the machinery's ability to read it right, and about the guarantees offered that this method will be tamper-proof, to ensure a fair election). These RVote sessions invite representatives from the various cities and provinces around Manila to talk with COMELEC officials (the head of COMELEC was actually in attendance that night!) see the ballots, see how the machines work, and get all of their questions answered -- in order for them to take that info back to their respective home areas to educate their local populations. This was an exciting meeting to attend - to see a nation struggling to regain control of their electoral process, to stamp out corruption, to give everyone a voice and a choice - it is a clear reminder of the value of something we obviously take for granted (I should also note how many times the US came up as an example during the discussion - let it be known - people do pay attention to the things we do, both good and bad). All told, this was an outstanding day.

Friday, March 18th - Elsie's friends managed to do me a huge favor - they got me on the list to attend a presidential luncheon at Malacanan Palace! The occasion was the recognition of significant contributions by Asian women in public service, entrepeneurship, etc. Although the President was late (she was flying in from the provinces) she did get there. We had lunch, gave out awards, and had photo ops - and yes, I was thrust into a picture with her and a group of women I don't even know, and was introduced to her - actually shook her head. My first head of state!!! From the palace, my companions whisked me to the Manila Bay shore and the Sofitel Hotel, site of the Rotary District 3830 "DisCon" (short for District Convention) where I was able to meet up with the rest of the team. The opening festvities were in progress as I arrived (introductions of visiting dignitaries and the Club Presidents, followed by the Governor's opening address--of course, we were introduced in there as well!) From there it was a general segue outside to a welcoming cocktail hour before returning to the convention hall for dinner.

Ride's here...out of time! Off to visit the military cemeteries...

Lew

Tuesday, March 30 from Cliff

This morning we traveled into the old section of Manila called Intramuros –within the walls.  Most of Intramuros was destroyed and reduced to rubble during World War II.  Much of it has been restored or rebuilt.  Our first stop was to the Basilica Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  Then on to Fort Santiago where the history of José Rizal was shown.  We could follow in his footsteps to his execution and in the Rizal Shrine we saw the artifacts of his life.  Rizal was the man who inspired the Philippine nation to revolt against the ruling Spaniards.  It was his execution which initiated the revolt which ultimately lead to their declaration of independence in 1898.  However, because of treaties between Spain and the United States that independence was never fully realized until 1947, when the US released control of the Philippines to the Philippine government.

In the afternoon, we went to Malacañan Palace.  Here, more history of the Philippines was seen.  Many State gifts to the current president were on display, including a golf bag from President Bush.  We saw a couple of Emelda Marco’s shoes (The entire collection was somewhere else) and were able to sit in the office of President Marcos and at his desk.  Since he was removed from power, no president of the Philippines has wished to use this office or desk because of the vivid connotations of his rule with martial law.

Our day ended with a simple meal in Makati in the Greenbelt Mall area.

Monday, March 29 from Cliff

Two short tours were on the plan for today.  First, we went to a mango farm.  There were hundreds if not thousands of mango trees on this farm/plantation.   We walked through the grove passing a number of cows, chickens and other animals.  Then we located the crew that was harvesting the mangos.  They had picking nets or baskets on the end of a long bamboo pole. They reached up into the tree and pulled the mangoes out.  Those that were too high were picked after the workers climbed to the upper branches.  They gave us a try using the picking tool.  The mangoes, which had been wrapped in paper when they were smaller to prevent insect damage, were easy to spot and remove.  Once on the ground there was a group a women who unwrapped the mangoes and packed them into a crate.  The crates were then put on a cart and a carabao, water buffalo, took them to a central location for shipping.  We saw another vermiculture set up and this made Tim very excited.  The farm also had sheep and goats.  They were also raising another fruit usually found in Thailand called dragon fruit.  While this is out of season for this fruit, there happened to be two on a plant and we were able to try one.

Our next stop took us to a river lined with mangrove trees. We boarded a pontoon boat which served as our floating viewing deck and restaurant, complete with musicians.  It is probably wrong to call this a boat as it had no engine.  More like a fancy pontoon raft.  Another boat was responsible for towing us along the river.  We enjoyed the scenery and were served another classic Filipino meal with a Palawan flair, i.e. all seafood.  Tim said that during the trip he caught a glimpse of a monkey that had come to the water’s edge.

Our last stop in Puerto Princesa was at weaving shop.  Here the Chamber of Commerce and the government had started a place for women to work and go to school or get a start.  Rotary was helping them to market the things that they were making.  We were able to watch them making the material for placemats, runners and other items from local grasses. Their work was beautiful and of course I have some to bring home.

Next was the sad part of our stay in Palawan.  We were taken to the airport for our return trip to Manila.

From March 15, 2010

On Monday, March 15^th we had a packed vocational day.  This was the only day were the group split up and each of us spent a day with our respected professions.  After meeting at Makati City Hall, I was taken on 3 tours by my guide Kathleen, who worked for the Department of Environment for Makati City.

The day started by taking a tour of a wastewater treatment plant for Makati.  It is a privately owned facility that as of now treats 46% of the sewage for Makati. It was a typical treatment plant; some settling tanks, a chlorine treatment station, and then the water was discharged back into the river.  It is projected by 2018 that 100% Makati will be hooked up to the sewage treatment.  When I asked what the number one pollutant that they treat is, they responded by saying that the shantytowns located along the river is to blame for the horrible water quality.  It was interesting to actually see an area with a real concern.  In that states, I feel that we take our water quality for granted because most of our development is connected to a treatment plant of sorts or has a functional septic system.  It makes me feel like “we” do not truly understand what an environmental issue is and we cannot understand until we see a “real” problem.  The illegal shantytowns pollute the waterways even more so than industry along the river.  With a major effort and partnership with Makati along with the private wastewater treatment plant, the cleanup of the river is possible but we also must remember humanitarian rights and education of the poor is essential.

The next place we visited was an archetecr firm in downtown Makati.  This firm is hired by the city of Makati to plan the urban development for the city limits.  They do urban planning for 33 countries worldwide and strangely enough work along some engineering firms in New Jersey.  In discussing some ideas of how to curb their carbon footprint in Makati I suggest that since a rail system is too costly, that they should look at ways to decline the need for vehicles and enhance bicycle roots throughout Makati.  Makati already has started to replace their Jeepnies with electric Jeepnies, which is great, but the use of bicycles is not doable.  This is because the original planning of the city did not include bicycle roots in their plans when they constructed roadways.  They are not looking at ways to make a sky-walkway throughout the city.  I asked if it would be possible to include a bike lane in the plans of the walkway.  They said no, but he was very receptive of the idea and seemed impressed.  I then went on to explain what a bike share was, at that point, he wanted to hire me, haha.

After a quick lunch we went to an active construction site in downtown Makati.  I was very impressed with this company’s willingness to work with the city government.  The government officials were telling me that they have policy in place but there is no enforcement to go along with the policy.  I asked the onsite engineer if they ever had an issue of the government issuing any violations onsite for environmental issues.  They looked at me with a surprised look in their face and they were puzzled of why I would ask this.  They said they have a social responsibility to keep the environment clean and they want to construct with out impacting the environment.  The head engineers even develop a dust control for high-rise construct that involves a technique that resembles a waterfall  system that you would see at a restaurant.  It involved a giant mesh net that extended about 20 stories and water is pumped to a perforated pipe located at the top of the trickled down.  Then collected at the bottom in a trough and pumped back up.  This reduces dust onsite along with conserving water.  It was a pretty great idea. The only downfall of constriction from what I can see is when asked about their nonpoint pollution controls and they were not too familiar.   He said that the wastewater treatment plant has the controls and that there is no need for it onsite.  I asked Kathleen about this and she said that policy is in the making for new nonpoint pollution. 

Overall, I was impressed with the corporate responsibility and the willingness of these companies to work along side the government in order to have a more sustainable society.  Again, when you have real issues and real concerns, it takes small steps to achieve major goals.  The Philippines seem to be on the right path to achieve their goals.

Sunday, March 28

This morning we left for Sabang on the other side of Palawan.  The trip was over the large mountain range that is the spine of Palawan.  Once on the other side we arrive at the shore and again our Rotarian friends procured a boat to take us to the Underground River.  We had to cross the bay where there were at least 3 foot swells moving in off the South China Sea.  Again our little boat was a double outrigger.  Once at the area of the Underground River, the boat was beached and we got out.  A short walk through jungle vegetation took us to the start of the underground river trip.  This river is said to be the longest underground river and runs for about 8 kilometers.  They are trying have this site listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and were encouraging all visitors to cast their vote at www.puerto-undergroundriver.com .  We entered the river on a small boat with a guide who paddled the boat.  Ben was at the front of the boat with the light, shining the way so we could see where we were going and also see the different formations.  This was a pretty amazing river with birds that use sonar and of course bats.  The formations were interesting, but not as plentiful as in other caves I have visited.  After our visit we returned to Sabang for a picnic lunch on the beach.

On the way back to Puerto Princesa, we stopped at St. Ezekiel Moreno Parish Church and school.  Here  RC President Eric and Commodore Nick and the Nun explained how Rotary has set up some BioSand water filtration/purification stations.  The water supply for the school is contaminated with E. coli bacteria and these devices each are capable of providing 20 liters of clean water a day.  We next stopped in a small neighborhood where Rotary and Habitat for Humanity had built nice homes for the needy.

Back into Puerto Princesa, we were able to some souvenir shopping. Then after freshening up, we went to a combined Rotary Fellowship meeting with RC Puerto Princesa and RC Peurto Princesa Central.  The meeting was at Commodore Nick’s house.  The team from Austria/Croatia made their presentation and then we followed.  I thought our presentation was the best of all the ones we have done so far.  Back at the hostel, we opened a new bottle of rum and enjoyed some interesting conversation with Bernhard and Johannes, two of the members on the team from Austria.

Rare Books and Rare Finds

The last few days have been a whirlwind since we left Manila for Palawan. The day before our departure, we had some interesting things happen. Our morning began with a site visit to Lufthansa. Initially our group was unsure why we had vocation time at an airplane maintenance and repair site, but msn was it awesome. Unfortunately, we were unable to take photos to brag, but we fit up close and personal with all kinds of airplane that were receiving mandatory maintenance. All in all we learned that large planes are made of a ton of small parts.

Our next trip was to the office of Congressman Eduardo "Edza" Zialcita. Edza was a very interesting person to talk to. Unlike the other politicians we have cone across, Edza was honest about the shortcomings of government and had actual examples of accomplishments instead of a long list if juked statistics. The unfortunate part of Edza's story is that he is another career politician. He is currently serving his last term in congress and will be on the ballot in May as a mayoral candidate. The dynasties continue, however from what I can tell Edza is there for the right reasons. He had a good sense of what the government could do to help and where the roadblocks were. Of course it would not be a political visit if they didn't show us his new campaign ad and gave us plenty if stickypads with his name stamped across the top.

Following our meeting, we stepped outside for lunch. We ate near a small wading pool. Halfway through lunch a waiter ran our and pointed to the pool. The water was slushing back and forth. Apparently we survived an authentic Filipino earthquake. It was only a 4 in Manila, but a 6 at the epicenter.

Our last visit of the day was to the University of Saint Thomas. This is the oldest university in the Philippines and is actually roughly 26 years older than Harvard. We toured the campus, their university museum and the rare book collection.

Saturday, March 27 from Cliff

Palawan, Palawan, Palawan – what a respite from Manila.  Here one can relax and enjoy life at a more leisurely pace.  The hostel we are staying at is by no means a resort, but it is comfortable, clean and fits the bill for a place to go to after a long day.  And today was a long exciting day.  After breakfast we went to the Rotary project of RC Puerta Princesa Central.  The have established a program for young children, especially those who are not the at the correct size and weight for their age.  They are feeding them and making sure that their basic medical needs are met.  Medical needs include vaccinations and believe it or not, worming. 

After seeing the kids and listening to them sing a song for us we went to Honda Bay.  Our Rotarian guide, Edith, arranged for a boat and we rented snorkeling equipment, put on lots of sunblock and prepared for another great adventure.  Our itinerary was to be some island hopping in Honda Bay.  Our boat was of the same type we used in Lake Taal, a double outrigger motorboat with a crew of three.  Unlike in Lake Taal, this crew had to work.  At times they even jumped into the water to make sure our boat didn’t hit another boat.  Our first stop was Starfish Island.  We pulled up on to the beach where we found some Nipa Huts, basically an open bamboo hut with a thatch roof, that would protect us from the sun.  Then down the beach and into the water to swim out to the coral reef and watch the fish.  There were some interesting sights and fish and we had a good time.  Back on the beach lunch was ready.  A typical Filipino lunch with rice, chicken, fish and beef along with some other goodies.  After lunch some rest and then back into the boat to another area and what amounted to a floating Nipa Hut.  After tying up there we swam over to another reef which was magnificent.  This reef was very health compared to the first one.  It was teaming with fish and an amazing array of corals.  I saw an Angel fish that had to have been at least 12 inches across.  There were anemones and all sorts of fish.  For little while I was swimming with a school of blue and yellow fish.  Unfortunately, it was a very windy day and the bay was rough, so the water was not as clear as it could have been.  Nonetheless it was great.

For dinner we went to a restaurant called KaLui.  They served only fish and our dinner consisted of seven different fishes. There was clear soup with clams, cooked tuna, inked squid, cuttlefish, eel in coconut milk, lobster, and raw tuna with a soy-wasabi sauce.  After dinner we were off to a local bar for some more beers and pool.  Then in the middle of the pool game all of the lights in the place and the whole town went out.  Not to worry, in Palawan they were participating in the Earth Hour observance where everyone in the world is supposed to turn off their lights for 1 hour at 8:30 PM on March 27.  And so we continued playing pool by candlelight. Another very different experience here in the Philippines.

Second In Command

Today we were scurried off to the city of Muntinlupa. There we visited the office of Mayor Aldrin San Pedro. It being election season, our scheduled meeting did not pan out, however we did get to have a lengthy discussion with their town administrator Roberto Bunyi. This was the second time I was able to meet with an administrator. The first was when I was in Makati.

As a policy wonk, it is exciting to speak with an administrator, as a Mayor gets to attend the ribbon cutting for a new bridge, it is the administator that will oversee that proper funding is allocated and that all departments are seeing the project through. The job is a daunting one, especially when you are dealing with the infrastructure shortcomings of Mutinlupa.

Unfortunately, as an administrator, he was well equipped to answer questions with a lot of policy specifics. Furthermore, he was not polished enough to get out if some of the more tough questions that were posed. Nonetheless, it was a facinating discussion.

One of the items that interested me was that there is just not continuity when it comes to the development of the Philippines, there is no master plan. The city of Mutinlupa has no requirement to revisit any master plan or general plan for the development if their city. The administrator openly admitted that since politics is so personal and self-serving here that the idea of the next guy following the master plan of the previous Mayor was basically laughable.

Before leaving the Mayor's office, they generously gave us glass bottles with handcrafted boats inside. The bottles are a local artcraft, however these were extra special because they were made by local inmates of the nearby Philippines Federal Prison.

Before we went to our Rotary luncheon, we had a driving tour of a resettlement camp. The area is being developed by the national government but being implemented by local officials. The idea is to remove informal settlers from the riverbank and to a proper living area. People that live along the river often use the river as a toilet and deposit all human and garbage waste there. This is a major cause of pollution for the river. From the more political/realistic end, the government needs tha land to put in wastewster treatment plants and fit beautification.

Overall these experiences were quite exciting. I was very glad to get more administrative and government vocational work. They have plenty of problems and little city income to deal with the problems. However, I must say that although we may complain about the development in the US we should be thankful that local officials do in fact have a series of checks and balances before they can just rezone a whole town. Tomorrow we have a visit with a Congressman. I will report on that later.

Friday, March 26 from Cliff

Up early at 5:15 AM to get to the airport for our plane ride to Puerta Princesa in Palawan.  Puerta Princesa means beautiful port. On arrival in Palawan we were met by a group of Rotarians who then escorted us to our accommodations at the hostel at the University of Palawan.  At this point I need to mention about the water supply that I have found throughout our trip, which was accentuated here when I noticed that the bathroom sink only had provision for one faucet knob.  Pretty much everywhere I have stayed; there has been no hot water or minimal hot water for washing or showering.  So it looks like that at this hostel I will have another cold shower.

Our tours to day took us to a Rotary Obelisk and the waterfront in the port.  This bay at Puerta Princesa has a narrow opening to the sea and a wide bay.  It was an ideal spot for the Japanese submarines to hide in World War II.  We also went to an old fort where about 150 US soldiers were massacred during the war.  After this we went to a wild animal preserve and crocodile farm. Some of the interesting animals from Palawan were on display and of course lots of crocodiles.  After this we ended up at the home of Commodore Hernandez, Ret. for dinner and karaoke entertainment.  Cashew wine was served after dinner.  This was a good sweet dessert wine with a hint of cashews.  This was an enormous mansion with a large swimming pool.  Afterwards, we returned to the hostel exhausted.

Thursday, March 25 from Cliff

Today was probably one of our more interesting days.  Unfortunately, Lew was sick with a bug and could not come with us.  We were hosted by Rotary Club of Parañanque St. Andrew.  We started off by meeting one of their members at Lufthansa Technik, an airliner maintenance and repair facility.  Here commercial airliners are brought for various kinds of maintenance.  There were two planes in the hanger getting there four year maintenance overhaul.  For this, everything inside the plane, seats, lavatories, kitchens, and walls are removed.  The parts are taken to different areas for inspection and repair and cleaning.  Inside the plane the controls are exposed and checked and repaired, the engines are broken down and overhauled.  The planes are also repainted.  They work on three shifts 24 hours a day to turn around a plane in 20 to 30 days.  We went to their training classrooms to see examples from their riveting class.

Our next stop was to see Congressman Edza Zialcita.  He is ineligible to run for congress due to term limits and so he is now running for mayor of Parañanque City.  Our discussion with him was very interesting.  Of all of the politicians that we have seen so far, he seemed to be the most knowledgeable and had a good understanding of the problems facing his country and city and what needs to be done and the difficulties ahead in accomplishing his goals.  

After meeting with Edza we went out on a balcony of this 15 story building, we were only on the 3rd floor, to have lunch by a small swimming pool. During our conversations, someone came out of the building and said we just had an earthquake.  To be honest, I never noticed, but it was pointed out that the water in the pool was sloshing back and forth as if someone had entered the pool.  It turns out there was a 6+ earthquake in Mindoro, over 100 miles away.  In Manila, the quake was only about a 4. 
After lunch it was off to the University of Santo Tomas.  We were guided through there museum with its rich collection of stuffed animal specimens, Chinese porcelain, and religious artifacts.  Then we went to the library and the Head Librarian took to their rare book collection.  There we saw books in various stages of restoration and were able to see their oldest book written in 1492 and this copy translated into Spanish in 1537. We also saw a copy of Il Filerbusteremo written by the Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal.  This was a printed copy that he had inscribed a note to a friend.  The book was from the 1800’s.

And now for the hard part of the day.  We went to Manila Harbor Rest and sat out on a pier, had a few beers and watched another sunset on Manila Bay.  Then we went to Atcha’s Grill near the Mall of Asia for a Rotary Fellowship Meeting.  Dinner and more beer.

Playing catch- up: Monday March 15

Yes yes yes - I know. This post is a week and a half late. But I tell you truly - it's quite difficult to keep up with posting and also get sleep. I'll try to make up for that a little bit.

At the moment, I'm sitting at the Galley Grill, home of the Rotary Club of Paranaque Southeast (my apologies to all Spanish speakers out there - that "n" should have a tilde - but I can't figure out how to do that on the iPhone). In a little while, their weekly club meeting will start. However, tonight is special - it's the District Governor's annual visit. So all around me, the club members are engaged in a flurry of activity in preparation. This is actually my second RC meeting of the day - this afternoon, we were hosted at a lunch meeting of the Muntinlupa Club. We also had the opportunity to visit their City Hall and talk about some of initiatives the mayor has undertaken over the past 3 years (including the "relocation" of 8000 "informal settlers" into a government-constructed housing development...I'll leave it to you to decode the euphemisms in operation here). As a gift, we each received a rather large ship in a bottle constructed as part of the craft vocation program inside the city's medium security prison. No, I am not kidding.

That covers today - let's now backtrack.

Monday the 15th was my first day at Elsie's house. It was an easy 4 block walk from there to the Makati City Hall complex where we would start our vocational day. No sooner was I inside the main lobby than I was promptly surrounded by my hosts for the morning -the officers of the Interact Club of General Pio del Pilar National High School, located just around the corner from city hall. I spent the next four hours with them touring the school, viewing video presentations about their various activities, talking with teachers and, of course, students, then finishing off with lunch at a popular noodle restaurant just off campus.

I'll hit the most memorable highlights. GPDPHS is renowned for its dance program. Each year the area high schools and colleges compete in a performance showcase very reminiscent of the Mummers' fancy brigades. I saw the video of this year's performance - and it was absolutely stunning. I'm hoping to get a copy.

Interact is responsible for a huge project toward the end of the year - an assembly for the graduating "batch" (yes, batch) featuring prominent area professionals speaking about their careers.

The PDPHS kids also have an extraordinary opportunity - their model UN program is truly international. Rep students from across Asia went to China this year (one of my guides in fact was chosen to represent the Phils!)

When I stopped in to a 9th grade class, I suddenly realized: the students don't switch classrooms all day - the teachers do! They were all rather surprised that we did things the other way around. When I had finished speaking to the class, three boys rushed up to me as I was leaving. Breathless, they asked, had I said I was part of Scouting? I replied yes - and no lie, the three of them dropped back and snapped a proper Scout salute! Of course I returned it in kind. They were thrilled!

I visited with the journalism teacher. Imagine - getting out one edition of a school paper is challenging enough - how about TWO versions at the same time, one in English, one in Tagalog? She lamented, however, that as a result of budget cuts they had only been able to produce a single issue this year. We had an excellent conversation on a wide range of school-related subjects, none of which I am at liberty to reprint here.

Moving up to the top floors, I visited with two senior classes. In the first, a brash girl saw me enter the room with my entourage and ran to the teacher, requesting the opportunity to speak with me; the teacher rolled her eyes and told her to sit down. Naturally, being a senior, she pitched a fit about how unfair it was. Of course I see this sort of thing all the time - so I did what I always do: called her bluff. I looked her in the eye and waved her over; of course she folded like a bad poker hand, saying "I was just kidding!" The class had a good laugh at that. Then of course we had some dancing (in a desperate attempt to keep the class from returning to normal) but even then the mouths were bigger than the actions. I do so love seniors!!

I went to the very top floor, the home of the elite top-flight senior class. They were a lot of fun as well. Perhaps the most distressing thing is that no matter how good the school is, no matter how bright the kids are, far too many of them will not go on to college because their families do not have enough money, and so few scholarship and financial aid programs exist.

Passing by the music room, I asked what programs they had; my guides replied choral - the school had no money to provide instruments, but voices come free.

On my way back down I couldn't help noticing two groups of students doing some carpentry work in the central yard. I immediately thought it was a trade project - however I was informed that the students in question were responsible for breaking the furniture, and were therefore made responsible for its repair - as appropriate a punishment as ever I've heard!

We left campus for lunch, passing through a crowd of boys at the gate held at bay by security guards. They weren't being kept IN - they were being kept OUT! Evidently, something special happens on Mondays (darned if I can remember what it is now!) but these boys were late, and were not allowed to come in...but boy did they want to....

We spent lunch chatting about this and that - they all watch the same movies and listen to the same music as the kids back home, and of course they're all on Facebook. Unlike most of my students, anime is the big obsession on TV.

As 1pm drew close, it was time to move on to the second half of my tour - I was handed off to Rotaract for a visit to the Makati Urban Planning Office (not exactly my field, but I did get to talk with the Rotaracters for a couple of hours!)

Well, true to form, this has been a long post - and I'm only halfway home. I'll cut you all a break and start a new post, since it's getting close to the meeting start time.

Lew

Wednesday, March 24 from Cliff

Today turned out to be a very quite day.  We went to Muntilupa City Hall to meet the mayor.  We had a long discussion with the city administrator, but the mayor was busy campaigning and was not able to see us.  We drove through a new development of homes for the Informal Settlers, the Filipino version of the homeless or near homeless.  These people are being relocated from where they were living along the railroad tracks and along the lake and riverbanks.  During the typhoon Ondoy, many of these people lost everything, and some lost their lives.  Then we went to a Rotary meeting with the Rotary Club of Muntilupa.  This was a smaller club which which included out GSE leader, Baby Bunye. After the meeting we went to the mall for some more shopping.  We are being given so many things that the team is buying an extra carryon suitcase for the return trip.  I plan to wait a little longer to see what consolidation I can do.

Tonight, Tim and I went to the Parañanque Metro South Rotary Club meeting.  This was another small gathering of very nice Rotarians at the Asia Tavern.  Food and business followed by beer and fellowship.  What a great plan.

Tuesday, March 23

We all met today at the same time and place.  This is a small hurdle and hasn’t happened since the first couple of days.  So, with Boy Castañagas in the lead we went to Makati to see Innovative Solutions, a training division of PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone).  We were shown some of the latest in business and home innovations using wireless and wired communications.  The Point of Sale and Inventory system looked a lot like what I have seen in the supermarkets and other highly connected businesses. For the home there was a video phone set up.  See the picture above.  We were able to look into their situation room which was filled with large monitors displaying all sorts of information.  Mostly, the status of their networks was displayed, including networks that went to specific companies like Accenture and Western Digital, who a significant presence here. They also had CNN Worldwide displayed and since I have not been watching TV I found out about a typhoon just east of the Philippines.  Don’t worry; it is supposed to move north towards Japan.  From PLDT we went to Felix’s for lunch.  Very nice and upscale.  Then off to Bankgo Sentro ng Pilipinas Museum to look at Filipino art, historical gold objects and pottery.  Then we went to CCP, which is basically the concert hall in Manila.  We watched as ballet dancers practiced and then in the small auditorium we watched high school performers going through a dress rehearsal for a performance of Filipino dances.  These kids were good.  I even think they were better and more precise that the dancers at Villa Escudero.  After watching this for a while it was time to finish off the day with a few beers at an out restaurant overlooking Manila Bay with yet another great sunset.

On return to my hosts, I had dinner (this was my 5th meal of the day) and then sat around talking about different things for a while.  The Cabreras are very nice.  Their son is graduating on Thursday from High School and will be the Valedictorian.