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.

Monday, March 22 from Cliff

Got up with the sun this morning and no mosquito bites, amazing!  Today we asked that instead of lounging around at the beach, if we be allowed to go to the Taal Volcano crater.  With the blessing of Fed, we headed out to Tagaytay and then down the mountain to Talisay on Lake Taal.  The road down was winding with very steep dropoffs. The kind of road I hate.  In Talisay, we found a person who would procure a boat for us.  Once the price was settled on and all of the extras were known, we set out across the lake to the island volcano in the middle.  From above we couldn’t appreciate how big the lake was.  It took 30 to 40 minutes in a relatively fast boat to get to our destination.  After arriving on the beach we then negotiated a price for horses and a guide to take us to the crater.  Saddled up, we ascended up the mountain to the crater’s rim.  What a beautiful site of a hot sulfur lake.  The horses were not allowed to descend to waters edge so if you wanted to go you needed to hike down, and of course back up.  I elected to stay with Francis, the Rotarian with us, and let the rest of the team walk on down.  They said the water was very hot, and it smelled.  Apparently there was a family from Ohio there as well who actually took a dip.  After the boys came back, pretty tired I might add, it was back on the horses for the trek down.

While we were in our boat we passed hundreds of fish gates or pens.  It was explained to us that they were for fish farming and the pens all contained Tilapia, which was ultimately sold to the Manila market. Lunch on our return to Talisay was part on the agreed upon extras that we would incur for use of the boat.  We had some very tasty BBQ  Chicken and some Pork Adobo.

 After our trip it was back to the Manila area to meet our new hosts.  Sleeping in the car was the prime activity.

Sunday, March 21

I am getting tired of saying, “another great day”.  When do they end?  Today after the usual delays in getting started (We are adapting to the schedule fiascos) we traveled to Nasagbu, Batagnas.  The schedule said this was our mid-tour isolation period.  The guide book says there are great beaches and resorts in Nasagbu.  We arrived and drove through a half broken gate, and onto a dirt road and parked in a field.  We then walked about 300 meters to a pavilion on the beach.  This is a private open air pavilion overlooking a small shallow bay.  In the pavilion are scattered around a number of beds.  There are also some enclosed area in the event you do not want to sleep outside.  I didn’t see any advantage to the enclosed rooms as there were no screens and after the walls there was no ceiling until the roof over the entire place.  After about 30 minutes or more of agitating over the prospect of sleeping outside with no mosquito netting anywhere, I came to the conclusion that as a guest of Rotarians we would not be put in a position where we would be harmed. I had plenty of bug spray and our hosts had even more. So we settled in for another good time.  Some went for a swim in the bay where the water was very clear and your toes could still be seen even when in shoulder deep water.  Two masseuses were brought to this, in essence a camp, and I decided to get a massage to help relax.  And it did the trick.  Tim and Ben were able to try Balut, a Filipino delicacy which is a partially developed duck egg that has been cooked a little.  They said it was like a chewier hard boiled egg.  I'll take their word for it. Afterwards, we were able to sample some Filipino Rum.  We had 15 year Tanduay Rum and it was very smooth.  Somehow two bottles disappeared.  The price of this was only 350 Philippine Pesos, about $7.75.  A fire was arranged to be built on the beach and we stood around singing songs for a while.  The moon was in the first quarter and I got to see the “Smiling Moon” for the first time in my life. (Near the equator the moon is rotated 90 degrees from what we are used to seeing and looks like a big smile in the sky.)  It is now 11:30 PM and haven’t seen or felt a mosquito yet.

S aturday, March 20 – DISCON Day 2 from Cliff

  
Up early to get our slides to the technical people for our presentation at lunch.  When the time came for our GSE presentation, I introduce our team like they were on a game show.  We came out and told everyone what we do and then we sang our song.  We chose to do “When the Saints go Marching In”.  Our rendition got the whole place involved clapping their hands.  It was well appreciated.  On the other hand the team from Vienna had a rather stiff presentation.  The team felt it was a great success.  For the afternoon, Tim and Ben went by the pool, while Lew and I went to the Mall of Asia with the team that will be coming to New Jersey.  The Mall of Asia is huge.  It is impossible to describe how big this place is.  I bought another barong and then we sat and had a snack, well it was more than a snack.  One of the items on the platter was a supposed “delicacy” – pigs’ ears.  Not really a repeat food item.  On our return to the Sofitel, we went to the Governor’s Ball.  Another interesting extravaganza ending with dancing.

Isolation

When our schedule said we would have an isolation period, I didn't think our hosts would take it so literally. As I write this I am sitting on a beach, near our bungalow awaiting dinner. I am now seeing the same constellations I haven't seen since when I was in Australia. Obviously the light pollution in Manila has not allowed us to see the island stars. Our team was treated to a relaxed day with a little swimming, local food, massages and fantastic filipino rum. It's not all paradise...the infamous Filipino mosquitos are just now beginning to bite. However, once we get the bonfire going, I am sure they will not be so much a problem anymore. After the hectic week that was the District Conference, albeit fun, it is certainly nice to break from rigid schedules and the traffic of Manila. Now, the folks who have taken us here today say they find time to enjoy this sort of Filipino tranquility at least once a month. It makes me wonder why most Americans do mot take similiar time to do this with their families. On the eve of a stressful day for US lawmakers--presumably the health care vote will come down Sunday--I think of my coworkers and all that consumes our lives as Americans. Perhaps we can take a tip from our south Pacific friends and put away the worries of the workweek and take comfort in the pleasures of simplicity and all that life has to offer. And more rum, yes, definitely more rum.

Our Team

Since we are a little more than halfway through our visit, I think it would be an appropriate time to reflect on my fellow GSE Team members. Full Disclosure: as much as I would like to say I'm cramped in my room writing nice things about the team, I'm actually poolside at the 5 star Sofitel Manila.

Many of you have already had a decent intoduction to our team members from just reading the blog. Lew is certainly making the most of his educational and cultural experiences, Tim is learning more about Filipino urban planning and farming than I think he expected, and Cliff has fit in some quality golf while watching in amazement the flurry of activities of his fellow Rotarians. As for me, I am trying to take as much of it in as I can without having sensory overload.

Our team leader Cliff has been a good sport through our experiences so far. One thing we all needed to pack before this trip was our patience and flexibility. Our hosts have been very gracious with their hospitality. The days have been filled with unique cultural experiences, but as with anything in life, schedules change and things move around. When such changes occur, Cliff manages to hold down the fort and get us to where we need to be. As a result this has given us a reputation among the Filipinos as the most laid back Americans ever--completely going against the characterization of Americans as stubborn, overworked, and stressed. At the end of the day, who really has time to be stressed when the lifestyle of the Filipino has flexibility and flux built right into it. It comes standard with any plan you make.

Lewis is a fun character to travel with. His committment to his family and career is something we all strive for. As we visited a village in Antipolo, we were able to bring along new textbooks for the school children. I don't believe there could be a greater moment in an educator's career than to improve a child's educational experience in an instant. By just leaving the books there, we were able to affect the livlihood of the children (well, they were Algebra books, so for me, my livlihood would have decreased. Har har.) Lew has been lucky to have a few similar experiences on this trip. Typically he will go into the classroom and tell the children about his classes in the US. He is very eager to bring the American experience to their classroom and, upon his return, bring the Filipino experience to his children. I very much enjoy his enthusiasm and credit him for much of the opptumism we have encountered along the way. Hopefully his students at home will realize how lucky they are to receive even the basics of an American education.

Tim is our in-house scientist. As a soil conservationalist, Tim has been in paradise since just about every Rotarian starts their conversations with, "You're an environmentalist? Wow, so am I!" I don't Tim has met so many environmentalists outside of a Grateful Dead show. For a person who talks about dirt, he is certainly able to make the topic very interesting and I think we all are amazed by how many Rotarians want to talk about dirt themselves. The country is moving with new trends in urban planning and organic farming through earthworm composting. This type of education is helping Filipino villages learn the best way to make the most of their resources. By recycling their biodegradables they are able to compost the trash to produce nutrient rich soil. Clearly this better serves the environment and the farmers. They are also teaching the Filipinos how to literally market the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. Tim is eager to begin to teach folks back home about these techniques. Currently, First Lady Michelle Obama is leading the fight against childhood obesity. Community farms that utilize this type of composting is a part of her plan. Even at my new home, I have plans to brgin my own composting pile to grown my own herbs....with Tim's help of course!

As for me, as Lew commented the other day, a walk down the street is a vocational outing for me. I have been taking in all I can when it comes to their political trends and local policy challenges. The schools, entitlements, proper employment and decent pay is just a short list of problems here.

In a nutshell, that is our team. We are a nice group of young professionals who are finding it increasingly hard to prepare for our departure from the Philippines. There is certainly still a lot more to learn. From the looks if it, our team is prepared to learn all we can from our daily experiences.

Friday, March 19 - DISCON Day 1

The District Convention in 3830, usually referred to as DISCON, started today.  In this district and maybe in the Philippines in general, the DISCON is a different sort of event that what I have seen in our District.  This is the glitz and glamour of Rotary with cameras on the speaker projected onto 3 large screens.  We had Mardi Gras dancers and singing of all the national anthems by Rotarians; speeches with plenty of visual aides; loud noise makers, some of which shot confetti into the air.  There was a general atmosphere of gaiety and friendship.  When they started on some business items our team disappeared to our room.  We had to practice for tomorrow when our team gets to make its 4 minute presentation.  We were told before we left NJ that we should have a song and/or dance.  Of course as Americans, we thought this was silly and gave it very little thought.  The first thing that we were asked when we met with the District Governor was did we have a song.  As time went on we realized that this was a big thing. So we put our heads together and we found some music that I, for some strange reason, had on my computer, and worked on our presentation. 

After rehearsal (15 minutes) it was time for cocktails. Out on the lawn of the hotel overlooking Manila Bay, we enjoyed great company and watched as the sun set over the bay and Mount Bataan in the distance.  What a place. 

And now for the climax.  Back into the ballroom for dinner, which was great, as usual for food in Manila.  All the Rotary Clubs were divided into 5 groups.  Each group had to come up with a singing and dancing routine for the entertainment.  This year each group was given two decades of Rotary as their theme and had to depict that era in song and dance.  This was very entertaining.  I was routing for the 2nd Makati group which included my first host’s club and her friends in Makati Desmarinas.  They had the late forties and fifties.  Each group also had to include a little about the history of Rotary during their presentation.  Very interesting and informative as well.

As the evening ended we hoped that are short presentation would go over well tomorrow.