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Saturday, January 17, 2009

THE GANG THAT COULD SHOOT STRAIGHT

This group of basketball enthusiasts from Quiapo's Barangay 393 range in age from 11 to 16; the shortest is about 5', while the tallest stands 5'9", and happens to be only 12 years old.

They've been trained and coached during the past summers by previous varsity players, including a pro with the Philippine Basketball Association. And practically every one has participated in various inter-barangay tournaments from the time they were able to; hence, each one knows how to play the game.

On weekdays, they play full-court pickup games in the late afternoons or early evenings after school; whereas, on weekends, they oftentimes play both in the mornings and afternoons. About a month ago, they began playing at other courts in Quiapo against various ragtag teams, sometimes with members who were taller and heavier. So far, they have been accumulating impressive wins.

Their group remains without an official name. They're unable to think of something as unique as "Pechak", coined by a team of bigger and older boys from the same neighborhood. It is a meaningless word, but original and catchy, nonetheless. Until they could come up with one, they merely refer to themselves as "Bolpatz" when signing the schedule sheets.

There was an inter-barangay tournament held last month, hosted by the barangay officials on Quiapo's Fraternal Street. The finals took place during Quiapo's fiesta weekend. Pechak won the Kids Division; their overall record was 10 wins, one loss. One can only imagine the impression Pechak has on Bolpatz, and how much the latter dream of someday playing against or with some of Pechaks' star players.

Bolpatz was unable to participate in this particular tournament because they lacked the sponsors to defray the costs of having their own uniforms and sign-up fees. Half of them don't even own basketball shoes; playing with only their slippers or just going at it barefoot, mind you.

Their parents are engaged in various lines of work -- from being street vendors to OFWs; thus, some of these kids go to public schools, while others attend private schools. But they have been friends since grade school; a few were even classmates at the nearby Mabini Elementary School. Some of them have been on the top ten of their respective class; to date, four excel in mathematics, Regrettably, three other kids in the team had foolishly dropped out of school this year. However, they all claim to going back next school year.

None of these kids are into drugs or alcohol, but of the three who smoke cigarettes, one had recently quit for good while the rest are struggling to kick the habit.

Another interesting aspect about this team is that it's comprised of Christians and Muslims. Despite of the differences in their religious upbringing, they share typical adolescent angst and eyebrow-raising dreams of grandeur, but the compelling force that binds them together is a passion for basketball.

Incidentally, the photo above does not show all of them; the other five or six were not present when it was taken. Their unusual large number for a team is due to a collective reluctance to say no to a friend who wants to join. Therefore, what should be a team of 12 kids has now grown to about 16, which only increases the potential costs for uniforms and sign-up fees (the more players, the higher the fees). "But how could we turn away a friend?" they'd ask in return.

When I chanced upon one of their evening games, I was immediately impressed by their skills and sportsmanship. They played a good and clean game of basketball; devoid of silly street bravado. And when a couple of kids of the other team lost control of their elbows, Bolpatz disregarded the annoying, though painful, jabs and remained focused on the game. Indeed, I was humbled by the volunteer coaches they had in the past who guided them into becoming fine athletes.

Recently, Bolpatz hatched up a plan: to help them gain the attention of potential sponsors for the upcoming tournaments, they challenged Pechak, the champions of the recently-held tournament. It was accepted, though reluctantly. The game will be held in two weeks so as to give the shorter and younger Bolpatz more time to prepare.

The odds of winning are indeed against Bolpatz, but then again, in sports -- as well as in life in general -- the spirit to emerge victorious often spur incredible upsets.

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Labels: life in Manila, Sports

posted by Señor Enrique at 10:34 AM | 19 comments

Saturday, January 10, 2009

THE BLACK NAZARENE FEAST - 2009

Like most grand events in Manila, yesterday's fiesta in Quiapo -- highlighted by the Black Nazarene parade -- was not without drama; this one was a case of the peoples' will versus that of the organizers'.

The intent of the latter was to create the safest route possible for all the participants and spectators as the Black Nazarene is paraded from the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta back to Quiapo Church. A noble intention, indeed; however, the local folks would hear none of it. They demanded the parade takes its usual, traditional route even if some streets along the way may not be as wide as Rizal and Recto Avenues.

They also argued that those who experienced serious injuries and even death in the past years were either drunk and foolhardy, or had simply overestimated their physical abilities to withstand the grueling task of pulling the rope while being literally crushed on all sides by their fellow barefoot devotees.

The organizers remained adamant; seemingly indifferent to the religious and cultural traditions held high by the local folks. In the end, the seething locals were left without any other recourse but to snatch the Black Nazarene from the newly-planned parade route -- as soon as it crossed over the MacArthur Bridge from Plaza Lawton. And they did!

A large number of Quiapo residents -- longtime devotees wearing white ribbons tied around their foreheads -- overwhelmed the visiting devotees who were pulling the ropes that moved the Black Nazarene cart. Grabbing the leading part of the ropes, the locals redirected the flow of the parade to their liking -- generally, back to its usual route that has been the tradition for many decades.

The authorities on the scene immediately decided to no longer oppose the will of the local folks so as to diffuse a volatile situation. The parade then proceeded peacefully without any incident of death as in the past years. There were reports, however, of minor cuts and abrasions on the feet of some devotees, as well as cases of fainting spells due to sheer exhaustion.

Incidentally, thousands of spectators and several media television crews along the new route were sorely disappointed upon realizing that no parade was ever heading their way. On the other hand, the residents on the old route and their fiesta visitors were ecstatic.





Minors are discouraged from joining the Black Nazarene feast parade, which has traditionally been marred by injuries and even death. Despite these frightful facts, going barefoot to pull one of the ropes of the cart that carries the Black Nazarene is deemed an honorable rite of passage by many Metro Manila youngsters. Longtime devotees take pride in having started when they were merely 14 or 15 years of age.

For some Quiapo kids, they join the parade early in the morning and for as long as they could tolerate its physical demands; returning to their respective neighborhood afterwards to take a much needed break. They would rejoin the parade wherever it might happen to be -- to insinuate themselves with crude force back into a crowd pulling the cart that is sometimes coursing with perilous asymmetrical movements.

The younger kids often go with their elders to join the parade but situate themselves a safe distance behind the Black Nazarene cart, while some remain on their particular block; keeping an eye out for passing celebrities. Supposedly, quite a number of them happen to be devotees such as Jomi Teotico of the Pinoy Fear Factor.





The parade could last for more than 12 hours; hence, not every one who join is able to withstand the entire duration. There are those who join for only as long as they could physically manage, while others do so for only a few minutes, such as some politicians who do it more for the photo opportunity.

There is also the faithful lot, joining the parade only during the late afternoon or early evening hours due to work or family obligation constraints.

The video below shows the procession at around 7:30 pm as it passed the corner of Guzman and Morillo Streets. I realized that the only way I could get as close as possible to those pulling the ropes of the Black Nazarene cart would be at such spot (a narrow side street) and at such time.

Nonetheless, notice how some people tried to squeeze through in order to be able to pull the rope, and the grim persistence etched on the faces of some devotees who remained pulling the ropes, even though appearing to be at the brink of collapse. Take note as well of those who climb over peoples' shoulders just to get on the cart and touch the Black Nazarene statue or the cross with their towels.

Also a common sight during the parade, which was captured by this video, was that of residents offering free water and bread to the exhausted devotees.

The cart of the Black Nazarene of Quiapo Church is followed by a number of replicas owned by various groups of devotees from Metro Manila and the provinces. Some opt to participate in the parade from start to finish, while others for only a few hours. Every year, many devotees start camping out on Plaza Miranda the night before the feast.

Without a doubt, with devotees coming in droves to participate in the celebration of the feast of the Black Nazarene, the Quiapo Fiesta is regarded as Manila's most heavily attended event.

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Labels: Black Nazarene, event, life in Manila, Quiapo

posted by Señor Enrique at 9:53 AM | 45 comments

Thursday, December 04, 2008

DANCING UNDER THE STARS IN QUIAPO

It would probably take an act of God to find Z.P. de Guzman Street completely free of people. Located only a block from Quezon Boulevard east of Quiapo Church, it is comprised mostly of residences, with some converted to rooming houses. And because of the private high school and technical college near its northern end -- along with the rows of reasonably priced but surprisingly tasty eateries -- the street attracts a continuous flow of pedestrians.

In the late afternoon when the sun is no longer as searing, Guzman swarms even more with foot traffic that peaks during the early evening when the neighborhood kids, home from school, make a playground out of its entire stretch -- the gleeful screams from their dizzying plays compete against the oftentimes off key singing blasting from the bistros' videoke machines; the resulting cacophony lending a festive air until the late night.

The street is divided into two separate barangay zones, with both having women as captains, which may explain the plentiful organized youth activities in the area, including regular feeding programs. And besides the inter-barangay basketball competition that is now going on, one of the barangays, No. 394, hosted a dance contest last weekend.

Ranging in age from four to late teens, about 15 groups competed for the top prize of 5,000 pesos. There were no entry fees involved so as to encourage as many kids as possible to participate. Moreover, with official permission from the barangay office, the kids were allowed to solicit money for their costumes from the neighborhood residents and business owners; hence, making the event more like a community effort.

In the end, with every dancer bringing much joy to the appreciative crowd, every competitor was deemed a winner. Needless to say, the event was a great success.

Grouped into two age categories, the video below is a collection of short clips of the dancers from the first category.

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Labels: life in Manila, manila events

posted by Señor Enrique at 7:25 AM | 22 comments

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

AFTER CHURCH FOOD TRIP

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Labels: life in Manila, street photography

posted by Señor Enrique at 12:02 AM | 15 comments

Monday, December 01, 2008

MANILA'S DECEMBER SPIRIT

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Labels: life in Manila, street photography

posted by Señor Enrique at 5:55 AM | 11 comments

Friday, November 21, 2008

THE RIVETING THIRTIES

During the 1930s, as the Great Depression unfolded -- scarring the lives of millions of Americans and spurring debates amongst seasoned economists as to what caused it -- the Philippines, a US protectorate, radiated confidence despite some dark clouds that hovered over its economic and political landscapes.

Although ruled ineligible for American citizenship and barred from immigrating to the United States, the Filipinos somehow never lost their faith in the Great American Dream. To ease this astonishing prohibition, the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1935 allowed a quota of 50 Filipinos a year to immigrate to the US, though the anti-miscegenation law enacted two years later deemed inter-racial marriage (between a Filipino and a white American) illegal.

Nonetheless, this seemingly unwelcome mat didn't sully the inherent hospitality of the Filipinos.

During the late 1930s, while a Miami port turned away the liner St. Louis with a boatload of 900 Jews (reflecting America's anti-Semitic policy during that period), about 1,200 German and Austrian Jews found sanctuary in the Philippines. They arrived in Manila's port from Shanghai while it was then under siege by the Japanese. Thousands more of these European Jews were to come and call the Philippines their new home.

And as millions of folks across the United States grappled with the oppressive burdens of the Great Depression, over at the ultra-modern Crystal Arcade building on Escolta -- which had become Manila's "peacetime" stock exchange -- stockholders of mining firms feverishly traded stocks amongst themselves, though most were worthless. That was because these gold companies very rarely conducted any actual mining; thus, the "gold profits" they boasted, if any, were nothing more than paper profits.

The blinding prospect of becoming rich overnight somehow obscured reality, allowing the gold mine boom of the hard-up 1930s to continue undeterred.

But what was to eventually become a major hit amongst the local folks, which made many of them rich overnight indeed, was the Sweepstakes. In one instance, on September 8, 1935, jockey Ordiales rode "Sugar Babe" to a victory, giving a 12-year-old peasant girl from Tayabas -- who was the holder of the lucky ticket -- a whopping 75 thousand pesos. An enormous fortune at that time.

Meanwhile, back in the States, it was also a race horse that was becoming a symbol of hope; a cultural icon, in fact.

This stallion's riveting tale of grit, grace, luck, and an underdog's stubborn determination was swaying over the nation's imagination. Over terrible handicaps this horse triumphed; becoming a champion and a legend of the racetrack. But more astoundingly, this horse healed the wearied soul of a nation battered by a staggering financial collapse. The horse's name was Seabiscuit.

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Labels: American colonial period, life in Manila, Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 6:55 AM | 18 comments

Sunday, November 16, 2008

WRONGS OF PASSAGE

One of the more common sights in Manila are those of our young students beaming with youthful vitality, pride and promise; rightly so, for ahead of them are the best and exciting years of their life, with some seeking work/live opportunities in various distant lands. Indeed, a gripping future awaits these young folks.

However, there remains to this day, a dark aspect of student life that despite the perils involved -- its hazing rituals, primarily -- many are enticed to sign up due to the sense of community and belonging that such groups offer, including the promise of a vast network of peers who could help one another professionally after graduation. And despite the Philippine Hazing Law, violent inititation rites continue to be condoned and practiced by many local Greek letter societies or fraternities.

Cris Anthony Mendez died on August 27, 2007, following severe beatings by members of the Sigma Rho Fraternity at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. The beatings to his legs and chest were so severe that the 20-year-old was left with bruised lungs and huge bruises all over his body, according to the autopsy report.

Ramon Magsaysay Awardee and former Senate President Jovito Salonga has resigned as member of the Sigma Rho fraternity because of this incident. In a statement sent to the Inquirer, Salonga, one of the most prominent Sigma Rhoans, said that he was resigning “because of recent events in which Sigma Rho has been involved.”

Sigma Rho has been accused of two other fraternity-related violence: In December 1994, Dennis Venturina, a Sigma Rhoan, died in a riot between Scintilla Juris and Sigma Rho; whereas, on February 19, 1999, Niño Calinao, a senior journalism major was shot dead by suspected Sigma Rho members. He was mistaken for a member of the rival fraternity Scintilla Juris, which clashed with Sigma Rho members in a riot a week before the killing. Both incidents happened inside the University of the Philippines Diliman campus.

Prior to these incidents at UP Diliman, there was also the tragic fraternity-related case of 22-year-old first-year law student Leonard Villa of the Ateneo University back in 1991.

In joining the Aquila Legis Fraternity, Leonard Villa was allegedly subjected to a savage initiation rite in which he was kicked, mauled and beaten to death. His mother, Gerarda Villa, recalled the struggles her family went through just to prove that her son's killing was murder and not homicide.

Yet to date, she cannot get the judicial system to mete out punishment to those found guilty of having participated in her son's killing. Villa said they won the case in the lower court against 26 members of the Aquila Legis but it was overturned by the Court of Appeals. The case is now with the Supreme Court.

Through six decades, Aquila Legis fraternity has inducted over 1500 members, 90% of whom are members of the Philippine Bar and include Cabinet Secretaries, Congressmen, Justices, and Ambassadors. Its name comes from the Latin phrase meaning "Legal Eagle."

Since the death of her son, her late husband, Romulo Villa, a lawyer and once a BIR Commissioner during the Marcos era, founded Crusade Against Violence (CAV) in which she is now the current president. During her interview with the Inquirer, Villa said that they expected cover-up attempts in the Cris Mendez case.

It should be noted that although not everyone who goes through such ritualistic tests endures debilitating physical injuries, other forms of hazing, though subtler, can cause lingering emotional or psychological trauma -- such as being subjected to constant verbal abuse or sleep deprivations. In other cases, new members or rookies are ordered to wear humiliating attire, deprived of a regular schedule to maintain personal hygiene, or required to provide personal services to senior members (e.g. cooking, cleaning, carrying books, errands, etc.).

Hazing is often used as a method to promote group loyalty and camaraderie through shared suffering (male bonding in fraternities), either with fellow participants, past participants or both. A tentative explanation from evolutionary psychology is that grave hazing can condition the habituation and internalization of the psychological trait known as Stockholm syndrome in humans.

Stockholm Syndrome argues that blatantly brutal hazing can, in fact, produce negative results; making the units more prone to break, desert or mutiny than those without hazing traditions. This was observed in the Russian army in Chechnya, where units with the strongest traditions of dedovschina were the first to break and desert under enemy fire.

Regrettably, hazing has transcended the walls of our universities and some local high schools. It has become a societal problem, a way of life in certain elitist organizations and professions. Incidents of which occur in the military, police forces, athletic teams, marching bands, religious cults, professional schools and various clubs.

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Labels: academe, fraternity, life in Manila

posted by Señor Enrique at 3:54 PM | 23 comments

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

FIREFIGHTING IN MANILA

THIS WAS THE SCENE IN FRONT of 940 R. Hidalgo Street in Quiapo yesterday, about 14 hours after it was hit by a pre-dawn fire, which quickly spread to the building beside it. Both were two-story residential and commercial structures, made of light materials; causing the fire to spread rapidly, which reached the nearby abandoned Manuel L. Quezon University building.

No one was hurt in this fire that left about P2 million in property damages and several families homeless. Many residents, however, applauded the immediate response of the city's firefighters, including the many volunteer fire brigades with their gleaming trucks from all over Metro Manila. Their expeditious efforts contained the conflagration and minimized the extent of damages.

R. HIDALGO STREET WAS NAMED AFTER Felix Ressurreccion Hidalgo, one of the country's great artists of the 19th century. This street still shows, though in various degrees of decay, remnants of its old glory -- as Manila's premier residential street with rows of grand houses made of wood and stone.

However, back in those early days, fire-fighting was mostly of community or bayanihan effort. Tasked to drag the rickety fire wagon to a fire scene were the city's street sweepers, while volunteers helped in handling the hose, pumping the water, and searching for trapped victims.

There was also the ronda housed in a nipa hut with buckets of water, pails of sand, ladder and other firefighting equipment. Besides fighting fires, the ronda volunteers also acted as peace keepers; patrolling the community equipped with wooden clubs.

It wasn't until the 1890s when the very first motor fire engine arrived in the country, imported by the father of Don Teodoro Yangco, and manned by his own dock laborers. There were also the British merchants of Manila who organized themselves into a fire brigade; setting up their headquarters on Juan Luna Street in Binondo with an acquired steam engine.

But as far as a brigade of professional firefighters in Manila was concerned, It was the American colonizers who began to establish it; comprised of American ex-soldiers and headed by Fire Chief Hugh Bonner. And under his watch, four stations were constructed: Station No. 1 (San Nicolas Fire Station), Station No. 2 (Sta. Cruz Fire Station), Station No. 3 (Paco Fire Station), and Station No. 4 (Intramuros Fire Station). At that time, the firefighting apparatus was still horse drawn.

Fire Brigade, Intramuros, Manila, 1900-1911
(University of Wisconsin Digital Collections)

The most famous fire station was Station No. 1 in San Nicolas. It had one of the first and finest gymnasiums, referred to as Manila's "Cradle of Boxing." American firemen of that station used to gather the neighborhood kids in the gym, furnish them with gloves, and make them slug it out for a purse collected from the station's firemen. Consequently, these kiddie prizefights spawned a bunch of professional boxers that would have its glory days in the 1920s.

AS A LOGICAL RESULT OF American policy to transfer the government's responsibility to the Filipinos, the first Filipino fire chief was appointed -- Jacinto Lorenzo -- on October 19, 1935, before the inauguration of the Commonwealth government.

Chief Lorenzo introduced the use of modern firefighting equipment and techniques similar to those used in America. He also reduced the schedule of duties of firemen from 4 straight days service with 7 hours day off and 15 hours night off to 48-hour duty and 24-hour off duty.

When Chief Lorenzo died in 1944 during the Japanese occupation, his assistant, Capt. Cipriano Cruz, was appointed as his replacement on May 11, 1944. Sadly, many firemen were massacred by the Japanese during the war.

Capt. Cruz rehabilitated the damaged fire stations when peace was restored after the war, and even increased its number to twelve. He also established the Firemen's Training School held at Tanduay Fire Station.

Enjoying a game of handball at Tanduay Fire Station in Quiapo, Manila

AT PRESENT, PURSUING A CAREER as a professional firefighter in Manila does not seem to be so enticing.

Manila Bulletin obtained records that showed while the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has a total of 15,093 personnel -- with 11,689 assigned to actual firefighting -- the bureau only has 3,742 coats, 3,214 boots, 4,731 helmets, 1,324 gloves, and no trousers with suspenders at all.

As for the breathing apparatuses, while the BFP requires 2,922 breathing apparatuses for its personnel, it only has 105 available nationwide.

The article also mentioned the following:

BFP public information officer Fire Chief Insp. Rene Marcial said based on available data, firefighters -- particularly those who do the actual firefighting -- often end up with serious lung diseases. This is the result of their exposure to smoke whenever they respond to fire incidents.

At the same time, given their primodial role of saving people’s lives, firemen are duty-bound to enter burning buildings or houses if they suspect or if there are signs that there are victims trapped inside – even with insufficient protective gear or without a breathing apparatus.

Not only does the BFP suffer from shortages of protective gears for its personnel, it is also short on firefighting equipment.

Fire Supt. Enrique Linsangan recalled an incident when a firefighter died when he fell from the aerial ladder he was stepping on while trying to help contain a fire. It later turned out that the fire ladder was already dilapidated.

Another risk factor is the location of the fire scene and the culture of the people living in the area. Linsangan said there were past incidents when responding firemen were stabbed or attacked in some other way by fire victims who blamed them for failing to save the lives of their relatives or their properties.

Some people, desperate to save their house from fire, also resort to grabbing the firehoses from firemen and training them on their house.

There have also been cases when firefighters get stoned after arriving late at a fire scene or being accused of choosing which house to save.

With all these challenges, a firefighter must be physically fit to meet the hazards of his work and must have the stamina to engage in strenuous activities for hours with little time to rest, a fire officer said. He hastened to add that firefighters like him must learn to live one day at a time, treating each day as if it was their last.

With all the risks and challenges they face in order to save lives and properties, do firefighters get enough compensation?

The answer is a resounding "No." Most of those interviewed by the Manila Bulletin said they could hardly make both ends meet with their meager salary.

A neophyte firefighter receives P7,119 basic monthly pay and P3,500 allowance. But they actually receive less than P10,000 a month because of tax and other deductions.

Although firefighters have ranks similar to police officers, they receive less benefits from the government than their police counterparts.

Many firefighters are informal settlers. Those interviewed by the Manila Bulletin said with their measly salary, they could not provide fully for their families. They complained that while many government employees are given affordable housing by the government, there is no housing program offered yet to BFP personnel.

Read complete article here.


However, according to a GMA News report, a bill seeking to modernize BFP has passed the committee level and will be up for plenary debate when Congress resumes session Nov. 10.

Essentially, House Bill 5228, if passed in to law, will create an P8-billion Fire Protection Modernization Trust Fund.

Furthermore, according to the report:

The bill is in line with state policy to ensure public safety and promote economic development by stopping destructive fires that result in loss of lives and property.

It aims to modernize and adequately equip the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and make sure it is manned by competent and highly motivated personnel.

Also, it aims to acquire basic and modern firefighting equipment and facilities, especially in the local government units.

Under the proposal, the Fire Protection Modernization Program (FPMP) shall have key components to be implemented over a period of three years.

Read complete article here.

Scene from COMELEC building fire (March 10, 2007)

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ADDITIONAL SOURCES:

History of Firefighting - Bureau of Fire Protection

"The Fire Fighters" - from Manila, My Manila
by Nick Joaquin



RELATED LINKS:

A Fire in Quiapo

Aftermath: The COMELEC Fire

Manila's Volunteer Firefighters

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Please note:
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!

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Labels: life in Manila, Manila firefighters, Manila history

posted by Señor Enrique at 6:51 AM | 6 comments

Friday, November 07, 2008

THE COLORS OF INDISCRETION

This pretty sign post in Binondo was painted with the red and yellow paint, which from what I understand, was provided by the Manila City Hall for free for all the barangays to do the same in their respective areas.

However, some residents in Quiapo are fuming with indignation; insulted by their barangay chairman's audacity for allegedly having used the very same colors to paint the facade of a newly-built boarding house on Matapang Street that he manages for his sister, who owns it (see photo below); a major construction which no building permit was ever applied for from city hall.

The irate residents also claim that Inside this structure, at the reception area, is an imposing desk with a commanding plate that displays the chairman's name and official barangay title. And behind the desk, hanging on the wall, is a large framed photograph of the chairman with Mayor Alfredo Lim. The residents, in jest, now call this boarding house the Barangay Hall Annex.

Moreover, with other barangays holding annual town-hall-type meetings, as required by law, wherein people are told in detail what projects are being implemented or to be implemented, and how their elected barangay officials disburse their public funds, no such forum occurs here, claim the residents.

Nonetheless, whether true or not, in fairness to the barangay chairman, evidence, as always, are required when filing formal complaints at Manila City Hall and at the appropriate DILG office against any barangay official.

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Please note:
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
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Labels: life in Manila

posted by Señor Enrique at 11:36 AM | 7 comments

Thursday, November 06, 2008

THE NAME GAME

While the Yuchengcos had successfully petitioned the Atienza administration to replace a historic street name with theirs, The Tys (founders of Metrobank), on the other hand, are patiently waiting for the Lim administration to have not one but two street names -- Condesa and Oriente -- to be changed to theirs. This may be the era of brazen glorification of our city's taipans.

Conrado de Quiros makes his sentiments known about the naming of our streets after politicians (as the excerpt below suggests), but I wonder how he'd react to this shameless trend of renaming our city streets after business tycoons?

The following is an excerpt from his article "What’s in a name?":

But I agree wholeheartedly with not renaming streets after politicians -- most assuredly not the worst of them. That is adding insult to injury. The point of naming streets is to remind us of this nation’s accomplishments, not to oppress us with our rulers’ villainy. Why on earth should any road, least of all the most expensive one in the world per square inch, be named Diosdado Macapagal Avenue? To this day, we still have all sorts of avenues, boulevards, and streets named after Ferdinand and Imelda. I agree they should not be forgotten, but I argue they should not be extolled. Having infrastructure named after them is extolling them -- and persecuting us.

If we are going to rename streets at all -- and certainly if we are going to name new ones -- I earnestly suggest we name them after artists, scientists and philosophers, such as we have produced philosophers. There is something deeply wrong with a country that values its public officials more than its artists and scientists. Artists and scientists enrich a country’s spiritual life and leave lasting legacies, politicians only impoverish a country’s physical life and leave lasting legacies of destruction and desolation. The only place they deserve to have their names affixed to is the toilet, preferably on the flush of the bowl.

By Conrado de Quiros
Inquirer

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Please note:
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
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Labels: life in Manila, street name change

posted by Señor Enrique at 7:40 AM | 15 comments

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

THE SCHOOLS OF MENDIOLA

At the core of Manila's University Belt area is Mendiola Street, named after a man dedicated to schools and teaching methods -- Enrique Mendiola (May 3, 1859 - Mar. 30, 1914), a Filipino and one-time member of the Manila Municipal Board. He founded the newspaper El Arboleda.

It is a short thoroughfare located in Manila's San Miguel district: starting from the intersection of Legarda Street and Claro M. Recto Avenue, ending just outside one of the gates of the Malacañang Palace Compound. The Mendiola Bridge, near the intersection, was renamed after Chino Roces -- publisher of The Manila Times, who had become a major thorn to the Marcos dictatorship.

A convening venue of choice for activists, massive crowds of protest marchers would clog the bridge and the nearby intersection; causing major disruption of businesses in the area, including the suspension of classes at San Beda College, Centro Escolar University, Holy Spirit, St. Jude, San Sebastian College, University of the East, Far Eastern University and many others. In the past, these schools provided the “warm bodies” for the rallies but nowadays, many marchers include the so-called rallyists-for-hire from Metro Manila's indigent communities.

Nonetheless, when not disrupted by a political rally, Mendiola is a quiet and beautiful tree-lined street; an ideal setting for learning. The schools located here are:

Centro Escolar University

San Beda College

College of the Holy Spirit

La Consolacion College

Victorino Mapa High School

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I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
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Labels: academe, life in Manila

posted by Señor Enrique at 8:04 AM | 18 comments

Saturday, November 01, 2008

BADO DANGWA, ENTREPRENEUR & POLITICIAN

When Manileños think of buying fresh flowers, many go to the Dangwa Flower Market, though Bob Dangwa, a very successful entrepreneur, did not own any business enterprise in the cultivation or selling of fresh flowers.

The Dangwa Flower Market was so named because of the Dangwa bus terminal on Dimasalang Street, which became the drop-off point for fresh flowers when the Dangwa buses were the primary means to transport them from Baguio to Manila. Consequently, the surrounding area became a fresh flower market, now offering fresh flowers from all over the world.

As for Bado Dangwa, he was born in Kapangan, Benguet, on May 5, 1905. His main aspiration was to become a teacher while studying at the Trinidad Agricultural School. He was, however, also fascinated with junk machines and motor vehicles; taking them apart and then restoring them to finely-tuned, working condition.

During the 1920s, with the foresight to provide an efficient means of transportation for the Trinidad Valley region as it was being developed as the country's vegetable bowl, Dangwa took five dilapidated Chevrolet cars from the North Garage in La Trinidad. He refurbished their engines, and with a loan of ten pesos, converted three of them into passenger vehicles. They eventually proved to be a popular mode of transportation plying the La Trinidad-Baguio City route, long before the surplus jeeps of World War II.

Soon thereafter, he expanded his transportation business to connect Mountain Province with other nearby provinces and Manila. Hence, the Dangwa Transportation Company was born with Bado Dangwa as its president and general manager. By the time war broke out, the firm had 173 buses carrying both passengers and cargo between Baguio and Manila.

Just before he joined the guerrillas when the Japanese forces landed in the Philippines, he turned over his buses to the U.S. army. His bravery in leading guerrilla units in fighting the Japanese in the various mountain trails of the Cordilleras brought him fame.

After the war, to serve once again the people of the Mountain Province, he rebuilt his transportation business by acquiring and converting surplus American trucks.

In recognition of his business achievements and wartime heroic efforts, President Quirino appointed Dangwa as governor of the Mountain Province in 1953. Ramon Magsaysay, who succeeded Quirino, also reappointed him as governor; hence, Bado Dangwa was the only governor in Philippine history, who was appointed by two presidents from opposing political parties. When the governorship of the Mountain Province (composed of the sub-provinces of Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga Apayao, and Benguet), became elective, Dangwa was elected governor of Benguet. He was also reelected after his first term.

In 1963, he retired from politics and focused his energies on various private enterprises; one of which was the largest poultry farm in La Trinidad that employed highlanders (Igorots), and supplied Baguio City's needs for poultry products. Meanwhile, his transportation service company, by 1967, included 500 trucks and public utility cars and taxis; the majority of its 1000 or so employees hailing from the Mountain Province.

Married to the former Maria Antero, he and his wife pursued many philanthropic activities that benefited hospitals and schools, including a number of other civic and charitable organizations. Bado Dangwa died In 1976 at the age of 71.

Unfortunately, the Dangwa bus company is no longer as it once was. It has become a mere shadow of its former glory. Nonetheless, besides the famous flower market in Manila, the Cordillera police regional office was also named after Bado Dangwa.

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Please note:
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!

Labels: business, life in Manila, Philippine history

posted by Señor Enrique at 7:51 AM | 21 comments

Thursday, October 23, 2008

ON MALLING AND CONSUMERISM IN MANILA

As many know by now, I'm sure, malling has become a verb in Manila; it's definition: the act of going to a shopping mall and whiling away the hours.

Overall, about 80 percent of the Philippines' population go to shopping centers and around 36 million people visit shopping plazas once or twice a month, according to Nielsen Media Research. However, not everyone who goes malling do so to shop. For the most part, people frequent the mall to stay cool; seeking respite from the city's muggy weather.

But of more interest, according to a Newsbreak article, compared to citizens of the developed world, the Filipinos have smaller carbon footprint, which means the local lifestyle is generally less energy dependent.

As listed in the 2008 Philippines in Figures published by the National Statistics Office, the common electrical appliances owned by Filipinos -- the radio and television -- indicate minimal outlets of energy. As of 2000, over 11 million Filipino families owned a radio, while eight million had a television set. Other common household appliances are refrigerators (present in about five million Filipino households), washing machines and video cassette recorders (each of which is present in about three million homes).

The appliances that emit more carbon are those which have bigger power ratings such as the flat irons, microwave ovens and air conditioners. The most energy-exhaustive is the refrigerator as it has to be plugged in 24/7. Likewise, air-conditioners, which have power ratings ranging from 400 to a whopping 3,500 watts, also suck up tremendous amounts of energy.

As for cell phones, ownership of which among Filipinos jumped from around 400,000 in 1990 to 2 million in 2000. This figure has more than doubled in the last eight years. Energy wastage in cellular phones actually happen when people charge their phone batteries. Like other appliances, battery chargers which remain plugged in still consume 25 percent of energy. The solution then is to simply unplug appliances and other electrical items when not in use.

As for fuel, aside from the use of diesel and gasoline for transportation, local folks also use fossil fuels right in their own homes. To offset greenhouse gas emissions, Filipinos need to curb the use of fossil fuels. As of 2005, around four million Filipino families still rely on kerosene for lighting. This makes it second only to electricity which is used in some 10 million homes.

For over-all household fuel use, the share of kerosene has been going down, registering a decrease of 23.6 percentage points from 79.9 percent in 1995 to 56.3 percent in 2004. For the same period, the number of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) household users doubled in number from 4.2 million households to 8.6 million households.

To read the complete Newsbreak article, click here.

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Please note:
I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!

Labels: life in Manila

posted by Señor Enrique at 8:09 AM | 24 comments

Life in Manila as observed by a former New Yorker who with a laptop and camera has reinvented himself as a storyteller. Winner of the PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARDS: Best Photo Blog in 2007 and three Best Single Post awards in 2008.

 

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