I took a taxi to the Bureau of Immigration across from the Victoria Plaza mall. I was confused at what to do when I entered the building till I just repeated the process of another white guy; walk up to the window. The man at the window looked at my passport and then handed me a paper to fill out. The guy at the window of the counter then requested 3 pages of my passport to be photocopied. So, I went out of the building to a building next to it that does copies. I asked how much per copy, and I swore I could’ve heard them say “175 pesos”. Thinking I need more money in my pocket, I told them to wait and crossed the street to Victoria Plaza mall. There, I withdrew from the ATM. I went back to the photocopy place and got the copies done. They then calculated my fee, and it was actually only a few cents. Whoops, I heard wrong. No need to have withdrawn then! Haha.

I went back in the Bureau of Immigration and sat down to fill out my paper. I didn’t have a pen, so I asked an American nearby for a pen. I sat at the table with him and he guided me on filling out the paper when I asked a question. I think I remember him saying he was from California. He had a Filipina girlfriend, and he seemed middle aged (not a senior, nor a very young guy). When he asked where I was from, he responded that he had been stationed in Fort Jackson in SC. I assumed maybe he was in the Philippines through military service or something. While I continued filling the papers, he rambled on about corruption and they’ll trick me for my money in anyway. I really didn’t know what to say (in a small partial agreement of some tricky people, but main disagreement of it being the Immigration Office), so I just nodded my head and pretended to listen. Later I told my story of why I was in Davao.

After turning my papers in, I questioned something I had noticed on my passport when I first entered the country in December. The Customs Officer marked 21 days instead of 59 days when I already had my visa stamped in my passport from the Consulate General in Atlanta, Georgia. The man at the window looked confused and took it to the back of the office and asked questions. I was then called to the back office and sat at a desk with one of the head guys. He told me that the Customs Officer made a mistake by writing in 21 days because he failed to see my visa. No problem, their mistake. Then he questioned me on where I got my visa. He said that it was used with a rubber stamp and that visas today are no longer rubber stamps, but has some elastic coating. He showed me an Aussie’s passport as an example. I sat there for awhile so they could figure out why it was rubber stamped. I guess they figured out Atlanta maybe didn’t update their visa stamp thing. They released me from the office and I sat and waited for a lady to call my lastname.

When the lady to the side counter at the window called my name, she calculated my fees. She told me to pay P8610 (I think $188). I had to go back to Victoria Plaza and withdraw more to pay that. When I came back, I payed, and waited once more. I saw two white ladies (an older one and a younger one) seeming to have a problem about something. I also noticed a group of Korean students my age come in. Most of the Filipinos and white people who were there before had vanished already.

They finally called my name and handed me some papers. It was done. They just told me to come back and pick up my I-Card later (still have yet to do that). I think I had been there for maybe 2 and a half to 3 hours. It was already past 4pm and I still hadn’t had lunch yet. Thankfully, a Chowking was just a walk away (as was the mall). Good food and a pleased stomach.

For most people who have had a connection to the Philippines, they know that a Balikbayan Box is a large box that you can use to ship goods to the Philippines cheaply. When you ship a Balikbayan Box, it comes to the Philippines as ocean cargo, on a ship, so it takes a month or two to arrive here in most cases. The great thing about shipping stuff via Balikbayan Box is that the weight of the box doesn’t matter! Whether the box weighs in at 1 pound or 500 pounds, the price of shipping is the same!

Generally, from the USA, it costs between $60 to $120 to ship a Balikbayan Box to the Philippines. More toward the lower end of that range these days. Back when we lived in the USA, such shipping was over $100, but it’s been coming down steadily. Shipping from the west coast of the USA to Manila generally takes a month or so, while shipping down to Mindanao where I live takes longer (because the box must make it’s way from Manila to points in the south).

Balikbayan Boxes are quite large too! Actually you can use any size box, but the large ones are most often used. A large Balikbayan Box is 24″ x 24″ x 18″ in most cases, and that can be shipped for the prices that I have listed above.

The things that are really great to ship in Balikbayan Boxes are very heavy items like books and such. The reason, as I noted above is because the weight of the box doesn’t matter in calculating the shipping rate!

Another thing that Feyma and I used to do when we lived in the USA was that we would always watch for really good sales, like seasonal clearances and such. Sometimes we could buy items for 10% of the original price when the store was really trying to get rid of the stuff. When we would find stuff like that, we’d buy it up, and throw it in a Balikbayan Box. As we found more and more bargains, the boxes would fill up, and when they were as full as they could get, we would send them off to Feyma’s family here in the Philippines. Nowadays, instead of being on the shipping end, we are often on the receiving end of Balikbayan Boxes, as my Mom will usually send a few such boxes during Christmas time.

I know your next question – how do I ship one of these boxes? Well, you need to find a company that specializes in shipping Balikbayan Boxes in your area. Check any Asian Grocery Stores that you might find in your town, often they will have flyers or signs for companies who ship Balikbayan Boxes to the Philippines. Do a Google search for Balikbayan Boxes and your City and maybe you will find a shipper! Don’t give up, though, such shippers can be found worldwide!

If you want to practice what it is like to send a Balikbayan Box, and test out how it works, feel free to send me one! Write me for my address if you need it! Just kidding, of course!

Maybe now it would be better and easier to get used too. Being good Internet connection now and calling abroad is way cheaper. The phone provider now gives good rates. Then there is Skype and of course we have the Vonage. A Vonage is like phone but needs an internet connection. You can call unlimited anywhere in North America 24/7 for $25.  Being my mother-in-law and our friends are in Washington State we have our local number in that area. Our kids and Granny can call each other any time without paying any long distance call. It’s really convenient for us. I call up my friend in Japan regularly and pay only a small amount on that. If we used our cell phones its going to cost us way too much.

One thing that is hard for me to adjust here coming back seeing a lot members in my family keeps popping babies and can’t afford to support their own kids. Just going around town lots of poor people and kids begging for money. The parents are telling the kids to beg. One time we went to a Dunkin Donut place and outside the door there was  a cute little girl begging for food and money. I asked here why she’s not in school its school days. She told me that “I dropped out of school because my parents can’t afford for us siblings to go to school”. Wow that really hit me hard. I was just lucky growing up. Bob and I then bought her a donut and gave her money. That night we went back after dinner and she was still there. We then bought some barbecue and some rice for her.  My heart goes out to them and wishing I can help all of them . It took me awhile to get used to that. Bob and I wanted to helped a lot but we know that we can’t do it. It’s really depressing sometimes.

Just thinking back before moving here I was really petrified to move. Just thinking about it makes me cry a bit. To be honest I never wanted to move here. Do I regret in moving here now? Sometimes I do, its one of the hardest decision that I ever made in life. I didn’t really know at that time whats in store for us here in the Philippines. It was a roller coaster ride for us here. I would not recommend it to anybody who has doubts about moving here. Really hard adjustments here that will take forever at that time. The only thing that makes it easier for me to live here is seeing Chris more accepted here and he really is happy  here. He is really loved by my family and friends here. He had good chance of having a better life here than in the States. He likes to go to our farm and stay there with my few siblings and help them with taking care of the animals and with harvesting corn or copra or squash. His learning how to make charcoal out of the coconut shells.

Back to adjustments here. If you are into shopping good and expensive stuff you have to live in big cities like Manila. You can buy  a lot there and they had more stuff than in the province. We are residing in Davao City. We have good stuff here not quite as good in Manila. Even eating places we don’t have a good variety of places to chose from. Can you imagine the small towns then, they don’t have a lot. You have to fly to Manila or go to the nearest big city then. But hey, if you want to live simpler life then the small towns is okay for you then. Each of us has preferable place in mind to settle here. Bob and I lived in GenSan. At that time its so hard to get any anything there, we have to come to Davao to buy just simple stuff. But now they really improved big time. More malls and more stuff. Before moving back here Bob and I decided that we would never live in Manila. If that happens we would rather go back to the States. We just don’t have the desire to live there. We really are happy in Davao. I know its getting a little traffic now but still we like it here. Hopefully we would lived here for awhile. My family really are wanting me to live in Gensan because its closer for Chris to go to the farm then. Will see what happens after our youngest son graduated high school.

To be honest a lot of people came here to lived and they will just stay months to few years and go back to the country the guy belongs too. I felt for them because they have to start all over again. It’s not easy to come here, it cost a lot of money and same thing on moving back there. With the good information now on the net try to study hard and ask around before coming here and make a commitment so that your hard earned money will not go to waste. To tell you frankly its really very difficult to adjust here. A lot in life here is so backward, but try to really handle it. Not all of us can do it. When coming to live here you have to carry a lot of patience with you. Try to go with the flow, which is so difficult. You can’t make it here if you have so much anger with you. It will trigger then here, at the end you will end up in jail. I’m sure that’s not the kind of life you want. Please think real hard before moving here.

Good luck to all of you that wants to live here!

In addition to the comments, readers (and family members, friends, etc.) have requested pictures of our house and a little write-up.  Guess I have no reason to put it off any longer – I’ve stretched “Filipino Time” for about as long as I can.

Please don’t consider this article as “bragging”; I’m actually a little embarrassed living in a house like this located in an agricultural barangay.  Our neighbors enjoy its presence though, and they are proud that it is in our barangay (it’s achieved “landmark status,” being used when giving directions and serving as an unofficial bus and jeepney stop).  Also, please remember that, like any other house in The Philippines, it is still a “work in progress” – no house is ever “really finished” here.

Brgy #24 – Nagsanga, Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte

To start things off, here’s a little background as to where we built our house.  The Municipality of Pasuquin is located north of Laoag City, the capital of the province of Ilocos Norte.  The province is in the extreme northwest of the island of Luzon.  It typifies the definition of “provincial” – life is bearable for most of the provincial residents:  it’s not hectic, but neither is it easy.

Just north of the town proper on the National Highway is the barangay of Nagsanga (Brgy #24).  It is an agricultural barangay with crops of rice, garlic, onions, corn, sugar cane, melons, gourds and tobacco raised throughout the year (each with its own particular season for growing).  Farmers raise livestock such as cows, pigs, goats, chickens and turkeys here as well.  It’s really and truly agricultural.

Construction – The Start of Something Big

In January 2008, we began building.  Emy owns the lot on which the “family house” sets and there was room enough for her “dream house.”    All we needed to do was remove a ~50-year old mango tree, and clear the land of other vegetation and smaller trees.

The first load of lumber to arrive wasn’t for the house.  Workers crafted this lumber into jigs, carrier boxes, sand sifters, low-level scaffolding and other contraptions that they would use to construct the house.  The house is a steel bar reinforced concrete block affair, with additional concrete and steel employed to insure durability in bad weather (did I mention that this area is prone to typhoons?).

Some of the first steps taken, after making “construction accessories” involved steel and concrete.  Workers bent, tied off and, in some cases, welded the steel rebar in preparation to provide support for concrete columns that hold and support the walls.

Construction continued through November 2008, with our house blessing held on December 8, 2008.

Here are pictures of the work in progress:

The house starts taking a familiar shape:

Add a roof and a fence and it really takes shape:

Add some paint and ready the yards for landscaping:

Today – Our House and Surroundings

Outside of our house being built and blessed, not much has changed in our neighborhood for years.  The “family house” is still next door.  The view of the National Highway looking north is still the same tree-lined thoroughfare.  The view south is still the elementary school on the corner of the National Highway and Bulosan Street.  From time to time, the clock has a habit of stopping here in the province and change comes to a complete standstill.

While Emy and our engineer/contractor had 99½% of the input on design, construction and final touches, my ½% was a bit sentimental and, I think, fitting.  Emy inherited the property and everything it holds from our late Auntie Ma. Dolores Dancel Laguatan Bagasol – the Auntie, who with her late first husband, adopted Emy at birth.

A very industrious and capable (not to mention fun loving) woman, Auntie Dolores obtained the land and moved her house onto it.  That house, after a little remodeling, we refer to as the “family house.”  During my time in the Navy, Auntie would come and live with us in different locations around the world.  She’d help with cleaning (a very spic & span woman), babysitting, and all the other things a Lola would do.  We were heartbroken when she passed away.  A few of her last words to us was to take care of the property and not give it up to anyone.  Emy and I find ourselves taking on challenges from siblings, etc. but we’ve prevailed in fulfilling Aunties wishes.

That ½% I mentioned is naming our house for her.  While back in the States, I had a sign made that we will attach to one of the columns supporting the front pedestrian gate, just under the doorbell.  We live in “Villa Dolores.”  I think it fitting to attach her name to the house – without her, its existence would not be possible.  After all, every “landmark” should have a name!

So Here They Are – The Pictures

I finally took my digital camera and made a sweep of our house.  Please excuse the “lived-in” look, and know that we intend to landscape and add several niceties in the back yard later in the year.

Outside – The front of the house from different angles:

Outside – The front lawn, driveway and gates from different angles:

Outside – The east side of the house from front and rear, and the southeast corner:

Outside – The back of the house, the rear fence and the back gate:

Outside – Some vegetation (bananas, calamansi and “Dama de Noche” (Night-blooming Jasmine):

Outside/Inside – The kitchens, both “dirty” (outside) and “formal, American-style”:

Inside – The formal dining room and the sala (living area) from different angles:

Inside – The stairs to bedrooms, the master bedroom, bath and walk-in closet:

That pretty much covers things, both outside and in.  I didn’t take any pictures of the other two bedrooms and baths.  See one, you’ve seen them all though these other rooms are not as ornate as the master suite.  I also didn’t take any pictures of the west side of the house – that is where the “dirty” kitchen attaches to the house.  It also serves as a general cleaning area, and today was laundry day.  It’s best to stay away from clothes being washed and dried.

As I’ve said, it’s still a work in progress and there will be more items added within the next couple of years.  Among them in the backyard will be a nice bahay cubo, a couple of mango trees and other vegetation and, of course, more grass.  We’ll add whatever else we can think of that would look nice (and not hurt our budget too badly) as well.  Until then, one of my dogs (Barto, the Australian Shepherd) is on watch looking after the property.

A person can make life pretty sweet out in the provinces if he or she puts his/her mind to it.  All of the sweetness, as I mentioned before, came from Emy’s mind.  It’s her dream house.  I just rent a room!

That was Friday morning. By Friday afternoon I had spent my second full day with a fever near 38 that would just not break. Rose decided enough was enough, so despite my objections it was off to the hospital we went. Twenty four hours later I was released, feeling fine, perhaps a little weak, with the cause of the fever apparently a mystery.

Bart and Bony

We were welcomed home by everyone outside with lighted candles. Was this my welcome home? Nope, brownout. Just enjoying the cooler evening air. Rose and I plopped onto the couch outside on the porch. We all conversated, Bony and Mozart were playing, and I may have dozed a little off and on.

At some point in my dreamlike state I just had to ask, “Why do I keep hearing the name Bart?” Two or three replied at about the same time that Bart is the puppy’s name.

“His name is Mozart,” I said. “Oo, Bart,” they all said. Even Rose seemed to join the chorus.

How could I argue against logic like that? It’s one of the mysteries of Filipino nicknames that all but a very few westerners will ever comprehend. Well I’m not gonna to try to fight this tide, it’s a lot less work and usually more fun to paddle with the current. So I sat there on the couch in the cool night air, dozing a little off and on with the flickering candlelight, enjoying the company and chuckling at Bony playing with our puppy Mozart, aka Bart.

Why do I recommend renting a place to live for those who are newly living in the Philippines?  Well, there are a few reasons.  Firstly, if you build a house here, and build it to the standards that you are accustomed to, it will very likely be very difficult to sell that house if you decide to move.  Let’s face it, most houses here in the Philippines are not built to US standards, or to the standards of whatever first-world nation you come from.  Also, people here might not like the design of your “American style” house, or some of the things you put into the house.  What Filipinos like, and what we like is not always the same.  Nothing wrong with that, we are just different, as would be expected.  However, if you build the house that you like, and then decide to move somewhere else, you may never be able to sell the house for what you have invested into it.

The truth is, a lot of foreigners come here dead set that they are going to live in a certain place.  They are sure of it.  I came here with the idea that I was 100% certain that I wanted to live in General Santos City.  After two years there, a number of factors played into the fact that I decided to move to Davao City instead.  It’s a move that I have never regretted.  After 8 years living in Davao, though, I am pretty sure that I have decided that this is not the place where I will live in 5 or 10 years from not.  There are a number reasons for that, which are outside the scope of this article.  But, the fact is, I am very happy that I have continued renting my house instead of building one, or purchasing one.

Somebody asked me the other day, though, about deposits on rentals.  How much do you have to deposit, and can you ever get your deposit back?  Let me try to answer those questions.

How much do you need to deposit when you rent a house in the Philippines?  Well, there is no law about it that I am aware of.  It is simply something that you negotiate with the landlord at the time of rental.  In my 10 years of living in the Philippines, and renting houses here, I don’t think I have ever put down more than a 2 month deposit on a house.  This is a security deposit, to ensure that you do not damage the place, or leave it in a state of disarray.  It also ensures that you pay all the bills when you move out.  For example, if you owe the Electric company for a month of electricity, the deposit will be used to cover that.  Same goes for telephone, water, or whatever else you may have on a monthly billing.

Now, I said previously that I have always given 2 months deposit.  Sometimes I have been asked for more, even up to 6 months, but I have always been able to negotiate it down to 2 months.  If there was a case (which I don’t recall) where I could not get it down to 2 months, I simply walked away from the deal and found something else instead.

What about getting your deposit refunded?  Well, legally, the landowner must refund you for any amount of the deposit which is not used to make repairs to damage you caused, or to pay bills that were left unpaid.  That is the law.  In practice, though, it can be difficult to get that deposit back.  However, in my years of dealing with this, I have come up with a way that has ensured that I get my deposit back every time.  I suppose it can still be circumvented, but in my experience that has never happened.

How do I do it?

I leave the deposit asked for, say 2 months.  Then, as my contract is coming near the end, and I have decided that I won’t extend my contract, and will indeed be vacating the premises, I go and talk to the landlord a couple of months ahead of my vacating the property.  I explain that I will be leaving when the contract ends, and I tell the landlord that I have maintained the house well, even usually leaving it in better condition than when I moved in.  I invite the landlord to come and have a look, if he would like to do so.  Usually, this invitation is declined, and the landlord simply accepts my word that the house is in good condition.  Next, I ask the landlord if there will be any problems in returning my deposit that I left with them.  If he indicates that he doesn’t have the money, or is wishy washy about it at all, I simply propose that I be allowed to stay in the house for the last two months without paying any rent, simply using up my deposit as the rent payment.

So far, in every case, this method has worked.  There have been times when the landlord has assured me that he has the money to refund my deposit, and there have also been times when I lived rent-free for two months.  In either case, though, I have always gotten my deposit back.

My view is that if you maintain a good relationship with your landlord, treat him with respect, and keep the lines of communication open, he will treat you fairly.  Of course, there are some landlords who are bad people and will not keep his word, but in my experience, so far I have not had that problem.  I think that such a problem would certainly happen in a small minority of situations.

So, that’s how it has worked for me.  Every person is different, but these are my experiences with rental deposits.

So why am I bring this up today? Well last Friday my wife turned fifty, and to her it seemed like it was no big deal. She knew there’d be cake and pancit and of course a party. Did I forget to tell you she’s a twin? So her sister’s husband get’s a break, as he knows they always celebrate together, and I throw the party. The party will be in my re-built backyard and the food and beer will flow, at least the beer will.

Friday morning, much to do, tent is up. All outside light bulbs have been changed. Cooler filled with beer and water, ice added. (Will check again later) All tables and chairs have been power washed and ready. Man Cave is clean. Fishpond cleaned again, nieces and nephews in the pond, (A pox on my neighbor’s tree) Nieces and nephews already in clean pond. I’ll await further instructions from ComPacFlt-House, (Commander Pacific Fleet-House, or as I call her “My Mahal”.

Does it stop with the present, or the cost of the party? Hell no, a trip to the hairdresser, and a new outfit are also required. And one must have the obligatory damnable singing machine. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining at all. I enjoy seeing her and her family having a great time. And we’ll do it again on the 14^th during the PacMan fight on Pay-per-View (sans the damnable singing machine). I just like the fact that no matter what her age is, she’s beautiful to my eye, and 13 years younger than me. So here are a few pictures of the party. You under fifty folks have something to look forward too, and remember what my father said to me, “You’re no longer middle aged at fifty!”

My 13 year old nephew wanted a beer, his older brothers said no, he snuck in to my beer ref. and took what he thought was a beer. I found him at the side of the house sipping on a ICB bottled Cream Soda, true it does look like beer, and has no label just etched glass. Being the “Cool Uncle” I told him it was Ok-na-Ok, the sugar rush will do him good!

More pictures from the party:

The kids are having fun in the pool!

It's not a party without this!

He gave his life, but not in vein

Birthday Girl

Two Birthday Girls

What defines “Civilization”? In my mind, at least, the level of literacy, rather than the use of tools or anything else, determines that a civilized people existed. That definition is not too far off the mark of the official “cultural development” definition given by Webster’s and Oxford. In short, the ability to write one’s history and communicate abstract concepts to others defines a people and is what separates the civilized from the uncivilized and the animal kingdom. There was a civilization in the Philippines.

The national language, Filipino, was derived from Tagalog, and is colloquially different in many ways, but intelligible, to Tagalog speakers. Think of it as similar to the difference between American English and the Queen’s English: Not quite different dialects, but greater differences than merely different accents. Americans and Brits can normally understand each other, but there are slightly different usages based largely on class and other cultural differences.

Why was Tagalog chosen as the basis of Filipino? There were many reasons, but chiefly: The Capitol is Manila, primarily inhabited mostly by Tagalogs; The nation’s founding Fathers were mostly Tagalogs; Most Filipinos at least had a basic understanding of Tagalog at the time of independence (Bisaya was also considered, due to the number of speakers, but because it splintered into many different dialects, it was deemed less suitable than Tagalog as a “national unifier”); and, finally, there were more surviving written records in Tagalog than any other Filipino language (Back to the “civilization” definition). Modern Tagalog is comprised of approximately 40% Spanish “loan” words, and another 10% English “loan” words. The remainder is mostly derivative of native Tagalog words (Which themselves were mostly derived from Bahasa Malaysia or Bahasa Indonesia words, largely derived from ancient Indian Vedic or Sanskrit), many words derived from Arabic, and local words of Philippine origin.

By way of comparison, the modern Filipino alphabet was Latinized, the only difference from the modern English alphabet is the addition of the letters “Ng” (Tagalog) and “Ñ” (Spanish). Ilocano, Bisaya, Tagalog and other native languages were spoken here for centuries, and were each very different, as they are today. However, they all used the same alphabet (script) when they were written, with a few regional variations. The ancient script was called Baybayin (or, sometimes, Alibata). Baybayin was syllabic in nature, meaning that each character represented a complete syllable, rather than a single sound, as represented by a letter in the modern Filipino alphabet. This syllabic writing came to the Philippines from Indonesia, especially Java and Sulawesi, and shared many characteristics with ancient Sanskrit alphabets that are used, to this day, in India.

Baybayin was used primarily in Luzon and the Visayas. People in Mindanao primarily spoke Arabic, after the Islamic conversion, by the time the Spanish arrived, and Baybayin was largely forgotten in Mindanao (If you are a Muslim, you must be able to read the Koran, which is only officially written in Arabic).

The Baybayin alphabet is written below:

Each character represents a syllable that consists of a consonant, followed by the “a” sound (ah).
So, what if a syllable requires a sound that doesn’t have an “a”? A kudlit, or hash mark, is added either above, or below, the symbol, depending on the sound. For the sound, “I” or “E”, the kudlit is placed above the symbol.For the sound “O” or “U”, the kudlit is written below the symbol.

If a syllable doesn’t have a consonant (like “Oo”, or “yes”), then one of three vowel symbols could be used:

There are many syllables that end in a consonant, leaving a slight problem in reading Baybayin: There’s no way to write that consonant, so the reader must guess as to the meaning. The Spanish solved this problem by developing a special kudlit, in the form of a small cross, which was written below character of the ending consonant, thus making Baybayin easier to read. There were no symbols used for numbers.

Words were written bottom to top, and left to right. The early Filipinos usually had more of an oral tradition, rather than a written tradition, but written records of epic poems and religious works were kept.
The early Spanish friars were literally amazed that the people in the Philippines could read and write. They were impressed. They noted that a greater preponderance of women could read, rather than men, and, initially after the conquest, translations of Spanish into Baybayin were made. The Spanish Friars translated Spanish into Baybayin mainly to aid in the conversion of Filipinos to Catholicism. However, by the 19th Century, the use of Baybayin had largely died out, except occasionally as personal signatures on documents. These documents are largely the ones that survived. Many Friars noted with pride their destruction of “pagan” documents written in Baybayin, and most of the documents written by the ancient Filipinos were lost forever. However, as this article noted in the beginning, “History is written by the victors”, and the Spanish used language as a means of control. By forcing the native people to learn and speak Spanish, they minimized the incidences of insurrection: Keep them fed and ignorant, so to speak. By the time of the American colonial period, the Philippines was largely a Spanish-speaking country, with local languages used in the home and colloquially.

It is interesting to note that Rebecca had never heard of Baybayin before… I’m not even certain that it is taught in schools here. The first thing she said when she read this article was, “Wow! It looks similar to Arabic!”. She is fluent in Arabic, and, given Baybayin’s origins, there are many similarities. There is a small movement among young Filipinos trying to resurrect Baybayin as a source of Filipino pride, primarily through the use of tatoos and other means of artistic expression. Hopefully, they succeed in at least showing their fellow countrymen that their history began well before the Spanish ever arrived.

In researching this posting, I found several good overviews on the Net about Baybayin in addition to a lengthy Wikipedia post (and got the pictures).

www.baybayin.com

http://www.mts.net/~pmorrow/bayeng1.htm

http://www.eaglescorner.com/baybayin/

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/tagalog.htm

When you make the decision to leave your home country for another are you giving up on your home country? Or are you making the decision that there is just a better place for you at the time the decision is made?

Spring in Canada

I’m of the mind that if you make the decision to leave you home country and adopt another you’re not necessarily giving up on your home country. You are making the best decision for your future and your family at that time. Perhaps you are going to earn a living for your family. Perhaps you’re escaping the heavy hand of the tax man and going to a place where your dollar goes further. A decision based purely on lifestyle and opportunity. With that being said do folks who trade one country for another give up on their homeland and become citizens of their new home? If you are living your life in the Philippines have you become 100% Filipino. Learning Tagalog. Learning about the history of the Philippines and becoming a true citizen or are you just a citizen of convenience?

Is there really anything more required of you other than paying your taxes and living your life? I know here in North America there is a bit of an expectation that if you come here as an immigrant you will become “Canadian” or “American”. You will learn English, learn about our history and become somewhat assimilated into the fabric of the country you move into. Having said that, there is absolutely no expectation that you abandon your culture or your identity, just that you take on some of the elements of your new home.

Does the same hold true in the Philippines? When you move there do you plan on becoming fluent in Tagalog? Will you take classes in language and history? Will you even adopt a second passport? While it is easy to put those expectations on folks who come here I believe that it should go both ways. If you plan on living your life in another country it just makes sense you will do you part and contribute, add what you can and make it a better place to live.

Spring in Mindanao

The next article I am going to write is about the great work being done in the Philippines by Tyleen Reynders. She has recently left for the Philippines from Vancouver and is bringing with her a huge entourage of dentists and donated equipment to help better the lives of those who are a lot worse off than than many of us reading this post. They are going to be giving free dental services to those who can’t afford to do it for themselves. Tyleen is doing this because she wants to give back to a great country and people. This kind of effort is a perfect example of doing the right thing, especially for people who can really use the services being offered by the team of dentists. Is this something you can do to help make a difference in your adopted home?

Why is there no power?  Mostly, the reason is because of a lack of water, caused by El Nino.  The vast majority of power in Mindanao comes from Hydroelectric sources, primarily from Maria Christina Falls in Iligan City, and from hydro sources along the Pulangi River (also known as the Rio Grande de Mindanao) in Bukidnon.  Because the world is experiencing another El Nino weather patter this year, much of the Philippines is experiencing a severe drought.

A drought like we are having is bad for all of the Philippines, but it hit’s Mindanao harder when it comes to electricity, because Mindanao is more dependent on hydro generated power than the other islands.  I have been following on the news that the Northern part of Luzon is particularly hard hit when it comes to irrigation for rice farmers and such, but at least they still have electricity up there, or have more than we do down south in Mindanao.

The bad news is that the electricity situation is getting much worse now.  Each day, it seems to worsen.  Local newspaper reports say that if we don’t get rain within the next 70 days or so, our currently supply of electricity will be cut in half, because two major power sources will have to be idled at that point.  And, we are already in dire straits in terms of electricity, I can’t imagine if we lose half of what we have right now.

I have a group of folks in different areas around Mindanao who keep me informed of the power situation where they are.  Thankfully, here in Davao, we are not in nearly the situation that much of the rest of Mindanao is currently in, and I feel really sorry for those folks.  Let’s have a look at what typical electricity situations are in key Mindanao Cities right now:

• Davao City:  Two hour rotating brownouts.  Brownouts are not daily in every location, but are a few times per week in most places.
• General Santos City:  Three hour brownouts three times per day.  In other words, basically every area in General Santos goes for 9 hours per day with no electricity now.
• Cagayan de Oro:  Five hour rotating brownouts daily, once per day in each location.
• Mati, Davao Oriental:  Brownouts up to 12 hours at a time, daily.
• Koronadal, South Cotabato:  Brownouts up to 10 hours at a time, daily.
• Butuan City:  Multiple 2 to 3 hour brownouts every day.
• Zamboanga Peninsula:  Daily brownouts of up to 18 hours at a time.

So, as you can see, the situation is not good, and is predicted to get worse as time goes by.

As I said earlier in the article, if we don’t get rain in the next 2+ months, the situation will go much worse than it is now.  Problem is that at this time of the year, even during normal cycles, we do not generally get much precipitation, so it is doubtful that we will be seeing much rain anytime soon.

So, what are the options?  Well, they are not that good.  For the government, there is talk of purchasing some diesel burning barges to generate temporary electricity.  This is probably the best short-term fix for the crisis.  For longer term fixes, there are several coal-fired plants being proposed for Mindanao.  Yesterday, a Congressman proposed that the Philippines build a Nuclear plant.  I personally, feel that Nuclear is something that will be an energy solution for the future.  Even President Obama is proposing nuclear generation for the USA now, something that he did not support in the past.  But, building a nuclear plant is something that will take years, and we already have a serious crisis in Mindanao as I type this (hoping that the power doesn’t die on me while typing!).

It would seem that this would be an ideal time to put in place some shorter term solutions, and then pursue some long term greener solutions like Sun, Wind and perhaps other methods.  So far, I don’t see that happening, or even being discussed much at all.  Perhaps the reason is cost, but some of the things being suggested are also very costly, so that would seem to put some of these more eco-friendly generation possibilities into play, but it seems not.  What I will say is that when it comes to doing something to address the energy future of Mindanao, I see a lot of talk, and no action yet.  Something needs to be done, and quickly.  Given that elections are about 2 months away, it would seem likely that nothing will be done, though, and it will be left on the plate for the next President to address.  Problem is, I don’t know where we will stand two months from now, let alone the extra time that will be needed for any new President to get things into place and address the issue.  That could be a year from now before the situation gets even serious consideration.  Mindanao cannot wait a year, unless the rain starts falling.

To show how serious the situation is, a number of businesses in different parts of Mindanao are already considering simply closing up shop, because they cannot operate the business with no electricity.  This does not bode well for Mindanao.