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.