Skyscrapers

Skyscrapers in Fort Bonifacio Global City, in Taguig

Iron Man

Different kinds of antique charcoal-fed irons, on sale in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. I think our laundry woman used like that one on the left when I was a kid. 

12.13.08

Peanuts

Churchgoers buying from a mobile fried garlic peanut vendor, outside Manila Cathedral.

photo courtesy of Arvy, 4.10.09

Summer's Here

The scorching heat in the past few weeks mean that summer (that's the dry season here in the Philippines) is here, which means that pools - such as this one in my building - will be filled with kids and adults alike trying to cool off. 

Save Boayan petition

The island of San Vicente in Palawan is under attack from unbridled tourism development. Please sign the petition to save the island, here

"A call to Respect Philippine Environmental Laws Pertaining to Palawan (the Philippine Forestry Code, the Special Environmental Protection Act for Palawan, the environmentally Critical Areas Network zoning plan, Resolutions passed by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development among others)

Support the Edification of a Public Forest and Marine Reserve in DAPLAC BAY, BOAYAN ISLAND, SAN VICENTE, PALAWAN Run and Managed by the Sitios concerned under a sustainable eco-tourism framework."

Tower in Manila

The centerpiece of the Pagcor Bagong Nayong Pilipino project, the 665-meter Pagcor Tower will be the tallest in the world when completed. 

The project, which will be constructed at a 90-hectare site near Manila Bay, will also include hotels, an oceanarium that will be the world's largest, a ferris wheel with gondolas that dip in a man-made lake, and a theme park.  The complex is now under construction and will be operational in 2012. 

Cool iPhone app

This iPhone app, downloadable for free at the iTunes store, features classical Filipino music, including kundiman, harana and other songs from a bygone era, streamed 24/7 through the Internet.

They Paved Paradise and Put up a Beach Resort

It's been reported a few weeks ago, Banyan Tree is building a resort in Coron's Isla Diwaran. While it's good news that companies are developing the tourist spots here in the Philippines, I hope that Coron won't end up like Boracay - overran by tourists beyond its carrying capacity. Bora used to be a paradise (White Beach is still the prettiest beach I've seen), but you know it's going downhill when you see establishments featuring tranny shows sprouting all over the place, and touts who pester the visitors to buy pirated DVDs are as common as white sand on its beaches.

Banol Beach, Coron

Sunbathers at Banol Beach, Coron, Palawan. I will be back there in 2 weeks :)

Taxiing

A Zest Air commuter plane taxiing in the tarmac of Busuanga Airport in Palawan. Busuanga is the gateway to the islands of Calamianes group, including Coron and Calauit. 

11.24.08

Photo of the Day

The crucifixion pic I took in San Fernando is my fourth to be chosen as Gadling's Photo of the Day.

Intramuros

I visited the Spanish-era Intramuros (literally, within the walls), a fortress built in 1571 by Miguel López de Legazpi, twice this month. 

For a time the complex - consisting of churches, barracks, the Governor's residence, enclosed in 6-meter-high walls - was Manila itself, with the Spanish elite and the mestizos as its residents. Moats were added in 1610 to give the city more protection from pirate attacks. Two old churches that still stand today - San Agustin church and the Manila Cathedral - are within its walls. 

A garrison - Fuerte de Santiago, originally built in the same year but destroyed in a war - was rebuilt in 1589 as a stone fort, with 8-foot thick walls. This is where Jose Rizal, the national hero, was  held prior to his execution in 1896. 

Walking along its cobblestoned streets is a nice way to relive a bygone era. Hiring a calesa would make the tour a bit more interesting too. 

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How to Get There: take a jeepney to the city hall of Manila, take the underpass to the other side to reach the entrance. If via LRT, get off in UN Avenue station then take a stroll to the gate. Alternatively, you may get off Carriedo station and take a jeepney from Chinatown to the gate of the complex.

The Scourging

Being a Catholic, Good Friday is a time for me to blend tradition and personal meditation. Usually what I do is the visita iglesia, which involves visiting seven churches in a day, but this year - together with two friends of mine - decided to take a bus to San Fernando, Pampanga to see the reenactment of the Crucifixion. 

The reenactment, done in a small village called San Pedro Cutud, has become a sort of a gory 60-year old tradition, and the Catholic Church actually frowns upon the practice. Scores of men - young and old alike, walk the streets barefooted in scorching heat, lashing themselves with whips spiked with bits of broken glass and nails, splattering blood on themselves and to onlookers everytime the whips snap to strike their bare skin. My white shirt looked like a star map because of these splattered blood when I stood too close to them.  

The climax of the reenactment was the actual crucifixion of a volunteer, called a kristo. The gasps from the audience - more than 80 thousand in all - was just as audible as the scream of the man when the stainless steel nails were driven into his palms and feet. 

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How to get there: take a bus to San Fernando, Pampanga (99 pesos one way from Cubao, almost all buses going north pass through the city), take a jeepney to the public market from the bus station then take a calesa or tricycle to the village of San Pedro Cutud. This is only done during Good Fridays,  and the crucifixion starts at about 1 pm.

pics, from top: makeshift crosses at the setting of the reenactment, a bloodied flagellant, the crucifixion

Penitents at Golgotha

A ghastly spectacle occurs every Good Friday in San Fernando, Pampanga - penitents self-flagellate as an expression of their faith (the Catholic Church frowns on the practice).

Fountain

Fountain in front of Sta. Cruz church in Carriedo, Manila. The marking indicates 19th century (1864?).

Manila Cathedral

Facade of the Manila Cathedral

Icons

Stained glass window of Sta. Cruz church in Binondo, Manila, depicting a scene from the Bible

Palaspas

To celebrate Palm Sunday, Filipino Catholics attend masses carrying these palaspas -coconut fronds which the priest would consecrate - which would then used to adorn the altars at home to ward off evil spirits.

pic: a kid selling palaspas at Sta. Cruz Church in Binondo, Manila

Rizal Park

The monument of Jose Rizal, Philippine's national hero, at Luneta, Manila

Mar. 21 '09

Chip Tsao - Racist Pig

This ugly and creepy-looking dirty old man pretending to be a HongKong columnist had the gall to call the Philippines a "nation of servants." Well, Chip Tsao - you're ugly as a pig, and your writing is sophomoric at best.  May you live in interesting times, you blabbering crackpot. Go drink your melamine-laced, lead-fortified Sanlu milk.

Update: this geezer - nutty as squirrel poo - apparently made a apology, insincere I should say,  to the Philippine consulate, and said he wants to visit the Philippines. The Philippine Bureau of Immigration declared him a persona non grata, and is currently barred from entering the country.