Philippines Dreaming

How Apocalypse Now inspired Filipino surfers

2013-04-16T05:52:00.000-07:00

When a scene from Apocalypse Now was shot on an obscure beach in the Philippines in the late 70s, little did the film-makers know they were giving birth to the country's surfing culture.

"Charlie don't surf," says the reckless and irrepressible Colonel Kilgore, in one of the most memorable lines of the Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now.

Charlie is the American soldiers' derogatory nickname for their enemy, the Viet Cong, and the surf-mad colonel is trying to persuade his troops to ride the waves, despite the bombs falling all around them.

Apocalypse Now, released in 1979, depicts the madness and mayhem of conflict, and is widely regarded as one of the most powerful war films ever made.

But it also has another legacy - something that the director, Francis Ford Coppola, could not possibly have intended.

Apocalypse Now was not actually filmed in Vietnam, but in the little fishing town of Baler in the northern Philippines.

As the cameras rolled, local Filipinos like Edwin Nomoro watched from the sidelines.

Nomoro was 10 at the time, and he came down to the beach every day to see it transformed into a battle scene, complete with an entirely fake Vietnamese village and helicopters swooping overhead.

But what excited him most was the sight of the actors surfing - something he'd never seen before.

"When the filming finished, some of the crew left their surfboards behind, and my friend and I picked up the boards and taught ourselves how to surf," he says. "We've been surfing ever since."

At first, Nomoro and his friends found it difficult because there was no-one around to teach them.

"But we studied it, and learned, and now - no-one can explain what it feels like. Only a surfer knows the feeling," he says, smiling.

Once they got the hang of it, the boys started teaching others, and as word spread, tourists began coming to the little town to learn to ride the waves at Charlie's Point, as it became known.

Edwin Nomoro saw the film being made: "We've been surfing ever since"

Nomoro was able to turn his passion into a way of making a living, and more than 30 years on, he still earns money from the industry he helped to create.

"I have several rooms to rent. I also have some surfboards for hire," he says. "It's really improved my life. It helps me feed my family."

Baler is now very different from the sleepy fishing town where Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall and Marlon Brando stayed decades ago.

Several big hotels line the seafront, and more are being constructed. According to the local tourism office, at least 50,000 people came here in 2012.

Most visitors are Filipinos - Manila residents who just want a weekend of surfing - but an increasing number are foreigners.

One of the earliest arrivals was Donny Cope, who turned up in Baler in 1997 with "a surfboard, a backpack and a sense of adventure".

He has stayed at the beach on and off ever since, and now runs a small guesthouse.

"Last year we had surfers from the Czech Republic, Switzerland and a bunch from France," he says.

Apocalypse Now

Released in 1979, starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall (pictured), Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam war film follows Captain Willard (Sheen) deep into the Vietnamese jungle in search of the renegade Colonel Kurtz (Brando).

Now acclaimed as a classic, the film's production was famously beset by a number of disasters, including a tropical storm which destroyed the original set.

"We had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane," reflected Coppola in Hearts of Darkness, the acclaimed documentary about the film.

Baler's success as a surfing centre has rippled out to other parts of the Philippines, such as Surigao, La Union and Pagudpud.

"Baler is the birthplace of Philippine surfing," says Mac Ritual, a local tour guide.

"Other places saw a lot of good things here in Baler, and they also wanted to be popular because of surfing."

Ritual often takes his tour groups to see the main sites featured in Apocalypse Now.

The most famous is a headland where a major attack on the Viet Cong was staged. It was nicknamed Charlie's Point in the film, and now even local Filipinos use this name.

Going there now, it's quite difficult to recognise anything from the film.

The fake Vietnamese village was blown up at the time, and the trees which were burnt down as part of a simulated napalm attack have all regrown.

But there's no chance of the beach nearby going back to the way it once was.

All the way along it, people are surfing - beginners screaming excitedly as the waves crash over them, and seasoned professionals perfecting their technique on the breakers.

This town has come a long way since the days of Apocalypse Now.

Perhaps the best way to sum up its changing fortunes is a little shop on the seafront.

Its name? Charlie Does.

Philippines president announces landmark peace plan with Muslim rebels

2012-10-09T23:53:00.003-07:00

The Philippine government and the country's biggest Muslim rebel group on Sunday announced they had agreed a plan to end a decades-long separatist insurgency that has killed more than 120,000 people.

The historic agreement comes after 15 years of tortuous talks between the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government.

It calls for the creation of a new autonomous region in Mindanao, the Muslim-dominated south of the country, by 2016.

"This framework agreement paves the way for a final and enduring peace in Mindanao," said President Benigno Aquino.

Previous peace talks between the rebels and the government have broken down and led to a resumption of the violence that has claimed the lives of 120,000 people since the 1970s.

But there is optimism that this deal, which was negotiated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will succeed. With the MILF having dropped their demand for an independent state, Manila has agreed to establish a larger autonomous region in Mindanao than the current existing one and to grant it more political and economic power.

Crucially, the creation of the new region, which is to be called Bangsamoro, promises to give the four million Muslims in impoverished Mindanao a share in the region's untapped mineral riches.

Both Manila and the MILF leadership are keen to exploit the estimated £200 billion of oil and natural gas reserves in the area.

Manila would prefer to direct its military resources north where it is involved in a long-running territorial dispute with China over the Spratly Islands. However the agreement, which is expected to be formally signed in the capital on October 15th, will not come into effect until after a nationwide referendum and it is likely that Bangsamoro will not come into existence until 2016.

There is also concern that the peace pact does not include the smaller separatist groups operating in Mindanao. One organisation, the Bangsamoro Islamic Salvation Front, has already condemned the agreement.

But both Manila and Washington will be most concerned with the reaction of the radical, Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group to the deal.

Abu Sayyaf has been responsible for a string of kidnappings and killings in recent years, and US Special Forces have been training the Philippines military in their fight against them since 2002.

Philippine crocodile declared largest in captivity

2012-07-11T05:50:00.004-07:00

A huge crocodile blamed for the death of two people in the southern Philippines has been declared as the largest in captivity in the world by Guinness World Records.

Bunawan Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde with the 6.17 meter (20.24 feet) saltwater crocodile nicknamed 'Lolong' in 2011

The giant reptile has brought pride, fear, tourism revenues and attention to the remote town where it was captured.

The saltwater crocodile named Lolong, which was captured last September in Bunawan town in Agusan del Sur province, measures 20.24 feet and weighs more than a ton, Guinness spokeswoman Anne-Lise Rouse said in a statement.

The crocodile was captured with steel cable traps during a three-week hunt after a child was killed in 2009 and a fisherman went missing.

The reptile took the top spot from an Australian crocodile which measured more than 17 feet (5 meters) and weighed nearly a ton.

Bunawan Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said the news sparked celebrations in his farming town of 37,000 but also fostered concerns that more giant crocodiles might be lurking in a nearby marshland and creek where villagers fish.

Lolong has become the star attraction of a new ecotourism park and research centre in the outskirts of Bunawan and has drawn thousands of tourists since news of its capture spread. Elorde said his town has earned 3 million pesos (£46,000) from the modest entrance fees at the park, with most of the money being used to feed and care for the crocodile and for park maintenance.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje welcomed the Guinness announcement and the growing attention being given to the crocodile, saying it would help people realise the biodiversity of their surroundings and the need to protect it. He said he would recommend that the government help Bunawan become an ecotourism destination.

About 100 people led by Elorde pulled the crocodile from a creek using a rope and then hoisted it by crane onto a truck. It was named after a government environmental officer who died from a heart attack after travelling to Bunawan to help capture the beast, Elorde said.

Elorde said he saw a bigger crocodile escape when Lolong was captured and villagers remain wary of fishing there at night. He said he has formed a new team of hunters and is seeking government permission to start hunting that crocodile.

Fun Picture Of Filippino Children Trying To Look Scary

2012-02-24T00:24:00.000-08:00

Fun-Picture-Of-Filippino-Children-Trying-To-Look-Scary

Teams search for Philippine earthquake survivors

2012-02-07T04:08:00.000-08:00

Rescue efforts are continuing after Monday's powerful earthquake in the central Philippines that left dozens of people dead or missing.

Army teams were carrying out search operations, said Ver Neil Balaba, operations officer at the regional Office of Civil Defence, and police had been deployed to prevent looting.

''The most urgent needs now are water, tents and food,'' he said.

The quake hit 70km north of Dumaguete city on Negros island.

The 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck at 11:49 (03:49 GMT) at a depth of 20km, according to the US Geological Survey.

As of 08:00 local time, an official report put the death toll at 15 confirmed dead, 44 reported missing and 52 injured.

The death toll includes two children, according to the government's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

One local report on Monday put the number of dead at 43, including many people killed in a landslide in the badly-hit coastal area of Guihulngan.

But this report has not yet been confirmed by the central authorities. Telecommunications have been cut in many areas.

A series of aftershocks followed the initial quake, one of them registered a magnitude of 6.2 at the epicentre.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issued a tsunami alert for the area, but had lifted it by 14:30.

'Trapped inside'

On Tuesday, public schools and two universities in Negros Oriental province were closed.

Regional officials and an administrator from Manila had also arrived in the area and were assessing damage and needs, said Mr Balaba, who is based in Cebu.

Damaged roads and bridges added to challenges faced by rescue workers and the transport of aid and supplies.

In the town of Guihulngan, about 90 km north of Dumaguete, reports said some houses had been completely buried by landslides, and the market and court house were also damaged.

The town's 42-strong police force, joined by army personnel and volunteers, had been searching for survivors and clearing debris, said Inspector Alvin Futalan, police chief of Guihulngan.

"The army (troops) had to walk about 50 km from the last stop reachable by vehicle to reach us," he told the Agence France Presse news agency.

Nine bridges were damaged in Negros Oriental, with four no longer passable, said Governor Roel Degamo.

The quake also caused a landslide in the mountain village of Solongon in La Libertad town, in the same province.

"We're now getting shovels and chain saws to start a rescue because there were people trapped inside. Some of them were yelling for help earlier," La Libertad police chief inspector Eric Arrol Besario told the Associated Press by phone.

US could increase Pacific presence with return to the Philippines

2012-01-26T06:35:00.000-08:00

Twenty years after the US pulled out of its military bases in the Philippines, Washington is in talks with Manila about once again permanently basing ships and soldiers in the Southeast Asian nation.

American troops were a permanent presence in the Philippines for almost a century until 1992

Alarmed by China's increasingly aggressive posturing over territorial disputes and energy rights in the South China Sea, officials from Philippines are holding talks today and tomorrow in the US capital about the possibility of US Navy ships operating out of the Philippines in the future. More joint exercises between the two countries and the deployment of American ground troops are also being discussed.

Following the announcements late last year that US marines will be based in Darwin, Australia and US navy ships stationed in Singapore, the news that the Pentagon is contemplating a return to the Philippines is certain to anger Beijing. While there has been no immediate reaction from China, Beijing has already protested about the plan to increase the presence of US forces in the region, which it sees as an attempt both to encircle it and to counter its influence in southeast Asia. America already has large bases in Japan and South Korea.

While a final decision will be made in March, the proposed return to the Philippines is the first concrete indication of the US's future strategic priorities since President Obama announced plans three weeks ago to streamline the US armed forces. In his January 5 speech, President Obama spoke of a shift in focus towards the Asia-Pacific region, which has been ignored in recent years as Washington concentrated on the Middle East and Afghanistan.

That has allowed China to assert its own presence in the area and in particular in the South China Sea, much to the concern of its weaker neighbours. China insists it has sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, including the disputed Paracel and Spratly Islands, which a number of countries including the Philippines claim as their own. The Spratlys are believed to be rich in natural gas and oil deposits coveted by Beijing.

Tensions over the islands have been rising steadily over the last year with a number of clashes between Chinese patrol boats and vessels from the Philippines and Vietnam. In September, Filipino President Benigno Aquino announced the South China Sea was being renamed the West Philippine Sea in an effort to reinforce its claim to the Spratlys.

With China preparing to deploy its first aircraft carrier, Manila is keen to have a US military presence in the Philippines as a deterrent to the might of the Chinese navy. "We can point to other countries; Japan, Australia, Singapore," a Philippines official involved in the Washington talks told a US newspaper anonymously. "We're not the only ones doing this, and for good reason. No wants to have to face China, or confront China."
American troops were a permanent presence in the Philippines for almost a century until 1992, when the giant Subic Bay naval base was shut after local lawmakers refused to renew the lease on the land. Since 2002, around 600 US Special Forces troops have been deployed to the Philippines to assist in the fight against a long-running Muslim insurgency on the southern island of Mindanao.

Philippines anti-crime head Magtanggol Gatdula sacked

2012-01-19T09:30:00.001-08:00

The head of the top Philippines police investigation unit has been dismissed over his alleged involvement in a kidnap and extortion case.

Magtanggol Gatdula could face charges over the 2010 abduction of Noriyo Ohara, a Japanese woman.
He was the chief of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and officials claim he knew of the plot to detain Ms Ohara and extort money.
Ten other senior agents were also alleged to have been involved.
Mr Gatdula has been on a voluntary leave of absence since late last year and appears to have made no public comment on the allegations.
Ms Ohara was staying in the Philippines illegally while on the run from Japanese gangsters, who were apparently pursuing her after she inherited a large amount of money, media reports say.
According to an NBI inquiry, NBI officers extorted about 6m pesos ($139,000) from Ms Ohara's host family for her release.
The internal inquiry said that Mr Gatdula knew about the plot and helped cover up the crime afterwards, according Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
"The [investigating] panel made recommendations for the filing of administrative and criminal charges [against] the NBI director himself who based on testimony, had personal knowledge of the crime," Ms de Lima is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

Cebu: Nightlife

2012-01-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

Nightlife in Cebu is lively and really starts rocking after 8pm. The seedier go-go dance places are concentrated on Mango Avenue (now General Maxilom) with establishments like Viking, Papillon and Blackhole. Arena. The latter is a larger place filled with more scantily-clad dancers who will come up and ask the S.O.P., "helloooo sirrrrrr, wear rrrrrrrrr yoooooooo froooooom, sirrrrr?" Not too far from Mango Avenue is Jaguar KTV and go-go dance place. This is located in a plush theatre.
If your looking to avoid the sleazy people & prostitues of Mango/Bikniki Bars then you should check out The Taproom located at 1 Maria Luisa Rd. in Banilad, Cebu. It's off the radar of the downtown Mango crowd & you'll find many ex-pats & foriegners partying in a classy environment. The prices are resonable (cheaper then most a-class nightclubs in cebu) & the party generally starts around 10-11PM. Thursday nights you'll find the place packed early for their Trivia Nights. Music can vary, but is generally house/electro. There are also monthly events where they bring in a big name dj. Dress code is casual & not enforced as it's assumed by the crowd, but since most dress to impress. There is a large parking lot, so no worry about parking your car. Enterance is free before 11PM, but after that you may encounter a cover charge of 100P to 300P depending on the event/night. They also have great food as it is an Italian Restuarant as well, but is only served until 11PM with Pizza's being served until 1AM.
Right in the heart of Uptown district Cebu City is El Gecko Restobar. A popular haunt of expats and locals with great international food, the cheapest beer in town, 30 peso and fantastic people. Multi screen TVs playing music DVDs and very welcoming staff!!
Cebuanos are very proud of their local cuisine and so they should be. Whether it is tender calamari frittos that simply melt in your mouth, a tasty lechon manok (charcoal grilled chicken), or a grilled tuna belly garnished with calamansi juice, you will be spoiled for choice with the array and assortment of culinary delights on offer.

One should definitely experience some of the sugba or sinugba (barbecue) restaurants or stalls.

Search continuing for Philippine landslide missing

2012-01-06T08:25:00.000-08:00

Flimsy homes belonging to gold prospectors were buried by the landslide

Rescue teams are continuing to search for up to 150 people thought to be missing after a landslide struck a mining village in the southern Philippines.

The landslide occurred on Thursday in Pantukan, Compostela Valley province, on Mindanao island.
At least 25 bodies have been recovered from the rubble.
Sixteen people have also been treated for injuries, according to disaster management officials.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said eight of the missing had been named by relatives.
But it said that up to 150 people - likely from other parts of the country - were missing, based on estimates from local officials.
The settlement was home to miners prospecting for gold. Unregulated mining activities have made the mountain area unstable and caused a series of accidents.
A nearby village was also hit by a landslide last year that left 14 people dead.
Police teams and the armed forces are joining in the rescue operations and the area has been designated a state of calamity.
"Based on what we saw, we are expecting a lot of casualties because it happened very early in the morning and there are a lot of shanties and small houses in the side of the landslide path," Lt Col Lyndon Paniza, spokesperson for the local military, said.
Civil defence chief Benito Ramos said that the landslide was triggered by "continuous rain" over two days.
Heavy rains and the area's remote location have been obstacles to rescue operations

Filipino flight attendants treat passengers to safety dance

2011-12-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

Flight attendants for a Philippine airline have treated passengers to some festive cheer with a dancing safety demonstration complete with Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You in the background.

Manila-based Cebu Pacific airline gained fame by dancing through their safety routine to the backing of Lady Gaga, but this time have updated it for the holiday period.

The airline says the choreographed dance helps passengers pay more attention to the demonstration, which instructs passengers of how to use their seat belts and life jackets.

Candice Iyog, an airline spokesman, said: "Now that it's Christmas, we wanted to bring a little more fun into the flight."

She added that passenger reaction had been good.

Video of the routine shows four attendants in orange shirts and khaki shorts dancing away on select flights. It has since become popular on YouTube, being watched more than 30,000 times.

They airline made headlines back in October when performances featuring Lady Gaga and Katy Perry went viral on YouTube.
Cebu Pacific Airlines is the largest airline in the Philippines and is renowned for its low cost fares and gimmicks that include in-flight games and giveaways.

Australia issues travel warning for Philippines after Aussie Warren Rodwell kidnapped

2011-12-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

Australian Warren Rodwell is missing in the the Philippines with fears he was abducted by Muslim militants.

THE AUSTRALIAN Government has issued a travel warning for parts of the Philippines as the search for a Sydney man who was kidnapped at gunpoint from a seaside town continued yesterday.

Warren Rodwell was snatched from his home late Monday in the town of Ipil on the main island of Mindanao and authorities appear to be no closer to tracking down his armed captors.

Local police said the 53-year-old was shot in the foot during the abduction as he wrestled with up to six gunmen.

Police recovered an empty bullet casing and found blood outside the property, the Mindanao Examiner reported.

"Rodwell was shot in the foot while trying to fight off the kidnappers, who are members of a local gang, but with links to the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan province," Army Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang said without further elaborating.

The Abu Sayyaf terror group was founded in 1990 with al Qaeda funding and has been blamed for the Philippines' worst terrorist attacks, including a ferry bombing that killed more than 100 people in 2004, as well as the beheading of foreigners. It is part of a Muslim separatist rebellion which has been raging for 40 years.

Cabangbang said security forces have launched a massive search for Mr Rodwell, who was born in Sydney but has spent the past decade teaching English across Asia.

He was living in Ipil, in the southern Philippines, where he and Filipino wife, Miraflor Gutang, 27, also known as Grace, ran a store. She reportedly walked out on him after an argument only days before he was kidnapped, The Sydney Morning Herald reported, citing information from police.

Ipil acting Mayor Alberto Alcoriza told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Mr Rodwell had been warned about the dangers of the region and offered security protection -- but told authorities he could protect himself.

"He told us then that he'd fight back in case he encountered security problems," Mr Alcoriza said.

Mr Rodwell is the 10th foreigner to be kidnapped in the southern Philippines this year.

The Australian Government has established a consular task force to deal with the kidnapping, while in an increased travel warning, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Transport urged people not to travel to central and western Mindanao, and reconsider plans to visit eastern Mindanao, because of the threat of terror attacks and kidnapping.

It said, "If you are in central and western Mindanao, you should consider leaving. If, despite our advice, you decide to visit central or western Mindanao, you should put in place robust measures to ensure your personal security."

ANGELES CITY The Center of Nightlife For Many

2011-11-20T09:52:00.000-08:00

Angeles City is the centre of nightlife for many. Angeles City offers 24-hour entertainment in its many pubs, bars and restaurants but it is after dark that Angeles city really comes to life, especially for singles seeking a companion with whom to explore the rest of the Philippines.

Angeles City / Clark History

Angeles City in history was the place where to escape the seasonal flooding that plagued the provincial capitol of Pampanga - San Fernando City - for centuries. Angeles City, built on higher ground then San Fernando, and away from the flood plains, became famous as the playground for U.S. Forces stationed at the adjacent Clark Air Base - "Clark Field" (renamed Clark International Airport and very recently renamed, Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA)).
The area surrounding historic Clark Field and Angeles City is marked with shrines and monuments to many wars, conflicts and disasters, from the Philippine American War (1899-1902) through World War II and to more recent times. You can still find sections of railroad track in Angeles City and on Clark Field that transported prisoners of war, who survived the infamous Bataan Death March (1942), North to La Union from where they were loaded into Hell Ships and shipped to Japan for slave labour. Most recently Clark Field and Angeles City were covered in layers of ash from the eruption of Mount Pinatubo (1991), and the surrounding valleys & plains were swamped by lahar flows - changing some of the landscape beyond recognition.
During World War II the rice fields adjacent to the modern Clark International Airport were dotted with airstrips from where the first kamikaze flights, by the Japanese Air Force, took to the air. Flying is still a significant part of life and sport around Angeles City, although kamikaze flights are now banned. In Angeles City / Clark Field many of the World's best commercial pilots are now trained in flight simulators, as well as in real aircraft. The Angeles City Flying Club offers pleasure flights and full flying training courses in ultralight / microlight aircraft.

Angeles City Hotels

Angeles City hotels come in all shapes and sizes, giving the choice of anything from backpacker pension houses to 5-star luxury hotels, some with jacuzzis in every room. Hotel bookings in Angeles City hotels are easy if you contact Swagman Travel Service.

Things To Do In Angeles City / Clark

Things to do in Angeles City / Clark include visiting Mount Pinatubo, which remains a significant tourist attraction - being the site of the World's largest volcanic eruption in the 20th century. Mount Pinatubo offers hiking enthusiasts superb hiking tours. Hiking too strenuous? you can take flying tours from Clark Field, flying into the Mount Pinatubo crater. Take home some spectacular photographs of Mother Nature's awesome power. Ask Swagman Travel Service about arranging adventure tours, hiking or flying to Mount Pinatubo.
Meet also the Aeta, the indigenous people of the area, many of whom were displaced by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo and now eke out a living around Clark Field, selling attractive handicrafts and novelties in both Clark and Angeles City.
Visit Angeles City and Clark Field also for motor racing, drag racing, horseback riding, golf, casinos and the annual international hot air balloon festival, which takes place on Clark Field every February.

Angeles City Nightlife

Angeles City nightlife (in the city itself) is very modest but nightlife along Fields Avenue, Balibago, is legendary for its variety & color. Angeles City nightlife in the area of Fields Avenue, is the major attraction for many. Fields Avenue features scores of bars overflowing with minimally dressed receptionists and Guest Relations Officers, all aiming to remove a traveler's boredom and loneliness. Dive into the Angeles City nightlife for the coldest-cheapest beers, warmest welcomes and coziest casinos.
Also along Fields Avenue (and in the adjacent streets), more than a kilometer of pubs, bars and restaurants aim to satisfy every taste and whim, at any time of day or night. Some of the best value-for-money restaurants in the Philippines, offering a mouth-watering choice of North American, European, Australian & Asian cuisine, can be found in Angeles City's Fields Avenue, Balibago area . . . and most are less expensive than alternatives in Metro Manila.

Philippines row over sex tourism remark by US envoy

2011-10-09T00:32:00.001-07:00

Teenage girls have been targeted by sex traffickers in the Philippines

The US ambassador to the Philippines, Harry Thomas, has apologised for saying that 40% of male tourists visit the country for sex.

His remark during a conference last month led to a local outcry, with officials unhappy at their country being portrayed as a sex haven.
The US embassy confirmed Mr Thomas had now expressed regret for his comments.
In a text message to a Philippine minister, he said he should not have used the statistic without proof.
Washington has been asking Manila to do more to prosecute foreigners - including Americans - accused of involvement in child prostitution and human trafficking.
The Philippine government has been trying to revitalise the country's tourism industry, which for years has lagged behind those of other Asian countries.

Angeles City

2011-10-02T00:51:00.000-07:00

Angeles City is in the Pampanga province of the Philippine Islands on the large island of Luzon. The home of the former Clark Air Force Base, which is now known as the Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City is now home to many retired expatriates (expats) who live there due to the low cost of living and the high entertainment value.

The title of being the entertainment capital of North Luzon is due to the active nightlife in Angeles City. Its entertainment district comes alive as the sun sets in the west. This area is lined with bars and clubs where one can spend the night partying. The place has been described as asleep during the day and awake at night on more than one occasion - even though there are plenty of great fun and shopping spots around the city as well. Other than partying every night, there are other destinations and things to do in Angeles and around in Pampanga.

Philippines cleans up after Typhoon Nesat

2011-09-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

Teams are gradually clearing the streets of debris left by the typhoon

A huge clean-up operation is under way in the Philippines after Typhoon Nesat battered the capital Manila and the main island, Luzon.

The death toll rose to 18 with 35 still missing after heavy rain and powerful winds triggered storm surges.
Most deaths occurred in and around Manila, officials said.
Nesat is now in the South China Sea with 120km/h (75mph) winds and due to reach China's Hainan Island on Thursday evening or early Friday.
Power supplies were gradually being restored to central Manila on Wednesday, officials said, and services on the Metro resumed.
However, more than a million people in Luzon remained without power.
Emergency teams were clearing away fallen trees, debris and broken-down cars while schools and offices reopened.
Civil defence chief Benito Ramos said crews were also repairing and clearing 61 road networks across Luzon damaged by landslides, debris and flooding.
Some areas are still under water including Manila Ocean Park and Taft Avenue. The US Embassy, which was flooded on Tuesday, remained closed.
City Mayor Alfredo Lim said huge waves had breached the sea wall allowing water from Manila Bay to engulf wide areas.
"This is the first time that this kind of flooding happened here," he said.
Flooding in Luzon was made worse when the government released water from four dams that had reached critical levels in Bulacan province.
Meanwhile, another tropical storm brewing in the Pacific Ocean could hit the Philippines within the week, the state weather bureau warned.
"We need to finish emergency work in the aftermath of Nesat before this storm comes," Mr Ramos said.
"We are praying for the skies to clear a little bit today."
Nesat, which had a diameter of 650km (400 miles) and carried gusts of up to 170km/h (105 mph), made landfall just before dawn on Tuesday on the Pacific coast.
The Philippines suffers frequent typhoons but Nesat is thought to be the largest this year.
It comes almost exactly two years after Typhoon Ketsana killed more than 400 people.

Powerful Typhoon Nesat hits Philippines

2011-09-27T03:04:00.000-07:00

A powerful typhoon has struck the Philippines, triggering floods and cutting power in the capital Manila and throughout the main island, Luzon.

Typhoon Nesat also forced the closure of the Philippine Stock Exchange and the US embassy, and the ground floor of Manila's main hospital was flooded.
At least seven people have been killed, including several children.
As Nesat approached, the authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 100,000 in central Albay province.
The typhoon is expected to continue slowly across the country, before blowing across the South China Sea towards southern China on Thursday.

There has been really heavy rain and wind here since last night. The typhoon seems to have been moving from east to west of the island of Luzon and affecting large parts of it. And when you think that Luzon is home to more than half the Philippine population it means that a lot of people have been affected.
There are a lot of very poor people in the country, and I was filming in some of the poorer areas of Manila yesterday, in low-lying slums. There was a little rain during the day and already the homes were being flooded.
Now we're a day on and it's been raining solidly since then. There must be real fears for people living in those kinds of areas.

Crushed

Nesat made landfall just before dawn on Tuesday in the eastern Isabela and Aurora provinces on the Pacific coast.

The storm - with a diameter of 650km (400 miles) and wind gusts of up to 170km/h (105mph) - is now making its way across Luzon, Kate McGeown in the central Luzon province of Zambales reports.
Many roads have been flooded and flights cancelled, and local media are urging people against non-essential travel, our correspondent says.
An adult and three children were crushed to death as a building collapsed in a northern Manila suburb on Tuesday, AFP news agency quoted the Office of Civil Defence as saying.

Two men were said to have died north of the capital in a landslide and weather-induced accident.
There is waist-deep flooding in parts of the capital.
Reporters described huge waves crashing into Manila Bay's seawall, with water overflowing into Roxas Boulevard and flooding streets and parks around the US embassy, which was evacuated.
The ground floor of Manila hospital was flooded, and staff were forced to move patients to the first floor.
"We've heard of Manila Hospital being flooded, but we're struggling to reach the area even though we've co-ordinated with them already to help in an evacuation plan," Philippine National Red Cross secretary general Gwen Pang told AFP.
A five-star hotel was also evacuated, reports said.
Meanwhile, thousands of residents living inland along the Marikana river were evacuated as it threatened to overflow.
Government offices, schools and universities were closed.
In Isabela province, four coastal towns under threat from storm surges have been evacuated.
Four fishermen are missing, and more than 50 more have been rescued after their boats capsized in rough seas.
There are fears that the death toll may rise further.
Late on Monday, the first reported casualty of the typhoon was a baby who fell into a swollen river in the eastern province of Catanduanes.

Tens of thousands of people are being evacuated in Luzon

Earlier, about 110,000 people in several towns of the Albay province were ordered to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere.
"We can't manage typhoons, but we can manage their effects," provincial Governor Joey Salceda was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
The Philippines suffers frequent typhoons, about 20 a year, but Nesat is thought to be the largest this year.
It comes almost exactly two years after Typhoon Ketsana killed more than 400 people.

DENR, local execs vow to protect Boracay

2011-09-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines—Environment and local officials on Friday vowed to keep Boracay on the top of the country’s list of most attractive destinations amid competition from other destinations.
Environment Secretary Ramon Paje and Boracay Mayor John Yap said measures have been put in place to keep the resort-island’s beachfront clean and litter-free.
“We will never allow Boracay to fall. We will never allow Boracay to be dirty,” Paje said in a media interview.
Paje said Boracay officials and establishments should make sure that the island’s fine powdery white sand stays pristine.
Local officials should also guarantee that garbage and sewerage are disposed of properly and developments should be environmentally sustainable, Paje said.
“We are encouraging tourism. We have to put sustainable measures that will not destroy the environment,” he said.
Paje noted that Boracay still has the capacity to handle more tourists. He said the beach destination could still double the 800,000 tourists it attracts every year.
“We are still small compared to Phuket and Malaysia,” he said.
Recently, Boracay banned smoking on the beaches and instituted an anti-litter campaign. “We have to maintain the beachfront because that is the main attraction,” he said.
Yap also noted that the island will launch a massive greening project. According to the town mayor, each of the 4,000 grade school students of the island will plant seedlings. This is part of the government’s national greening program, he said.

Sex strike brings peace in Mindanao Island

2011-09-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

Manila, Sept 19 Women in a village in the Philippines are being hailed as the heroines after they successfully brought peace to their community. Wives of feuding men in Dado village which is located near the troubled island of Mindanao used sex as the means to get their husbands back on the peace track.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced on Friday that the women embarked on sex strike to demand peace in the community. The strike started last July and the UNHCR says some peace has returned to the land and the community has started making some progress.
The global agency has denied any involvement in the decision of the women stating that the women came up with the idea on their own.
The National Officer of the UNHCR in the Philippines, Rico Salcedo told the AFP that, “The area is in a town which is subject to conflict, family feuds, land disputes. The idea came personally from the women.”
It is believed that a group of women engaged in sewing came up with the idea because it was hampering their business. One woman who took part in the strike narrated that she warned her husband that if he ever gets to the war front, he wouldn’t be accepted back in the house and it worked.
In 2009, a similar move by Kenyan women resulted in the end of the political standoff in the country.

Philippine 'running priest' takes on corruption

2011-09-21T02:18:00.000-07:00

Fr Reyes is currently campaigning for a former senator to become a whistleblower on corruption

The Philippines has got more than its fair share of problems - poverty, corruption, environmental degradation, political tensions - and one man has taken it upon himself to cast light on all of them.

Father Robert Reyes is a Catholic priest, but he is better known for putting on his running shoes and jogging around the country promoting different causes.
"People don't know my name anymore," Father Reyes says, smiling. "They see me and say: 'That's the running priest'."
It all began in 1995, when he decided to do something special to mark the centennial of the Philippine revolution against Spain.
"I wanted to do something unique that will effectively communicate the message and tell everyone about the need for an ongoing revolution.
"This funny suggestion just came to my head," he says. "Why don't I run across the country?"
So that is exactly what Father Reyes did. Three years later, on the exact day of the Philippines' liberation from Spanish rule, he achieved his goal.
He did not stay still for long, though. "I said 'This is end of my running days.' But in a few days I was running again, because people were asking me to run with them and for them, for their causes."
Sixteen years and several thousand miles later, despite being jailed several times for his activities and even losing his parish, he is still going strong.
Friend to justice On a typical sunny Manila morning, Father Reyes has come to visit Manila's Department of Justice before he starts his latest run.
Standing in the corridor in his jogging clothes, he is easy to spot among the smartly dressed ministers and their assistants.

Since losing his parish Fr Reyes has had to perform impromptu services in public buildings

They all seem to know him well. "I'm now treated as a friend of the Department of Justice. I come here very often," he says.
Despite the thorough security check which other visitors have to go through at the gate, he is allowed straight inside, carrying a large stick - which was given to him by one of the many people he has helped, a woman whose son has disappeared.
This time, he is here to hand in a petition highlighting alleged political corruption.
A senator has recently resigned amid evidence that he was only elected because the vote was rigged.
The senator denies any wrongdoing but the priest wants him to become a whistleblower for what went on during the previous government's administration.
Father Reyes hands in a typed letter, then - on a spare table in the corridor - takes out some felt-tip pens and a large piece of coloured paper and constructs a banner with the message: 'Thank you Senator Migz Zubiri for resigning, but it is not enough. Tell all!'
With that he leaves the office, holds his banner aloft to address the waiting media and sets off down the road, waving at passing motorists, who honk their horns in recognition.
Even some passing policemen encourage him on his way.
Sedition and seduction It has not always been like this though. Father Reyes has frequently been in trouble with the law, and several times he has ended up in jail.
"A few presidents were my enemies and if the president wants you behind bars, you land behind bars. During the term of the last president, I was imprisoned twice and had five cases filed against me," he says.
"They're all political cases like rebellion, sedition, libel. What is seditious about my running?"

The 'running priest' has attracted a great deal of press attention for his various causes

Then a broad smile comes over his face. Maybe my legs are seditious, he says.
"We make a joke [that] it's not sedition but seduction. I should be in prison for seducing people to do things for their country!"
With comments like that, it is obvious that Father Reyes is no ordinary priest - and over the years he has come into conflict with members of Catholic hierarchy.
"Churches are churches. They put on a front of propriety, piety, holiness. It is easier for a priest to stay indoors in his little church," he says.
"When it was 2006, time for our reshuffling, my bishop said he didn't like what I was doing.
"He asked if I wanted a parish, and I said yes of course. Then he told me: 'I will only give you an assignment if you keep quiet, stop running'. But there are things I just can't keep quiet about."
So Father Reyes did not get a parish, which meant he also lost his income.
He now relies on donations - and he says that God somehow always makes sure he gets enough to survive and keep running.
Man of the cloth He certainly has plenty of supporters. "I talk to a lot of people who tell me that, thanks to my efforts, they think there is hope for the country - because there is one crazy priest who won't say: 'I give up'."
A bit breathless, but still smiling, Father Reyes arrives at the end of his anti-corruption run. The finishing point is the Commission of Elections, where once again he is surrounded by media asking questions about the run and Senator Zubiri's resignation.
Inside the building, some plastic chairs have been set up for an impromptu service.
Father Reyes disappears behind a pillar, dons a long white robe, and re-emerges to take charge of the mass.
It is something he does at the end of every run - and a reminder in this staunchly Catholic country that as well as being an activist, he is also a man of the cloth.
But even in his official vestments, Father Reyes still cannot help discussing his causes.
The topic of the sermon is no surprise - corruption and the resignation of Senator Migz Zubiri.

Giant crocodile Lolong not eating 'due to stress'

2011-09-12T05:22:00.000-07:00

Lolong the crocodile is being monitored for signs of stress.

A saltwater crocodile that could be the world's largest in captivity has not eaten for six days since being captured in a creek in the southern Philippines. Wildlife official Ronnie Sumiller, who led the hunt for the 20-foot (6.1 metre) crocodile, nicknamed Lolong, said the reptile was under close observation for signs of stress. He said it was normal for crocodiles to be stressed after being trapped and handled. Even in the wild, they do not normally eat daily, and a crocodile as huge as Lolong can go without food for up to six months. Lolong has been placed in an 800-square metre pen, secured by concrete walls topped with wire in Bunawan township, where he was caught last weekend. "We came here to take a look, because it was reported that on the first few days of his capture … there were big crowds and some would throw stones to make him move, so we were afraid he might become stressed," Theresa Mundita Lim, the director of the government's Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, said. She flew from the capital to the southern Agusan del Sur province to talk to local officials about guidelines for onlookers and to inspect the crocodile's new home. The Bunawan mayor, Edwin Cox Elorde, said Lolong did not budge when a dead chicken was laid nearby to whet his appetite. He said that although officials had tried to restrict the public viewing of the crocodile, small groups of visitors who travelled long distances had pleaded to be allowed to see the reptile. Lolong is estimated to be at least 50 years old, and wildlife officials were trying to confirm whether it was the largest such catch in the world, Lim said. The crocodile was caught after a three-week hunt, easing some fears among the locals. A child was killed in the same township by a crocodile two years ago, and Lolong had been suspected of killing a fisherman who has been missing since July. But Sumiller said he had found no human remains when he induced Lolong to vomit. Another search was being arranged for a possibly larger crocodile that he and residents had seen in the town's marshy outskirts.

Dwarves in Philippines plan to build colony where they can live in peace

2011-09-09T05:43:00.000-07:00

Alejandro Doron Jr, left, hopes that the Philippines government will help with his plans to create a colony that would also become a tourist attraction.

With his jet-black hair, golden skin and hazel eyes, Alejandro Doron Jr is the sort of man who regularly stops people in their tracks. He may be good-looking, but he knows why people stare. He's small – 117cm (3ft 10in) small, in fact.
As one of Manila's many unanos or dwarves, Doron hopes to end the harassment he faces daily by starting the Philippines' very first little people colony.
The 35-year-old bartender works at Manila's only "dwarf bar", the Hobbit House, where he and his colleagues, ranging in height from 76cm to 135cm, serve tourists Hefeweizen beer and New York ribeye steaks, as dwarf comedians and Elvis impersonators perform on stage.
Just a 10-minute drive away, in the red light district of Makati, other dwarves don gold-and-black Speedos to perform in oil wrestling matches. Still others undress for fascinated sex tourists.
While there are no official figures for the Philippines, dwarfism – of which there are more than 200 distinct varieties – is generally defined as being 147cm or shorter.
The most common condition, achondroplasia, is thought to affect around one in 25,000 people.
Manila's community of little people are highly visible because many of them have come to the capital to find both work and each other, says Doron.
"Otherwise, they are like me: the only dwarf in their village," vulnerable to both physical and verbal abuse.
Critics have questioned whether dwarf-specific jobs such as Doron's are exploitative, but for many little people in the Philippines, such work can be a godsend.
While Filipinos are, on average, of short stature (163cm for men and 152cm for women), a minimum height requirement of 157cm exists for many jobs.
"I'm a computer programmer by profession, but even if you have a good resumé and meet the job qualifications, [potential employers] say there's a height restriction, so they can't hire you," says Jonathan Cancela, 30, who, at 142cm, has worked for the past few years as an oil wrestler at the Ringside bar.
The Philippines has had a longstanding fascination with little people, popularised in the 1970s by TV shows and films on dwarf boxing, wrestling, comedy and kung fu.
Even today, if a little person is the only dwarf in the immediate family, which occurs in about 80% of cases worldwide, popular Filipino legend dictates that the mother must have been watching "dwarf TV" while she was pregnant.
Such an interest in little people means that many of them, at least in Manila, have plenty of work. Doron often dons fancy dress to play leprechauns and monsters for TV shows, children's parties and even so-called Snow White weddings. He also recently starred as a cross-dressing, papal-robed shaman in the film Son of God.
At the three-storey squat he shares with 11 others – including his own family and that of his sister's – Doron slowly sips a glass of cola while his partner Olivia Fernandez, 38, who is 157cm, rocks their one-year-old baby in her arms. Of their five children, two are dwarves. Fifteen-year-old Rina has taken the day off from school for fear of bullying.
"Some boys wanted to cause a rumble, so I am home," she says quietly, standing at 86cm.
"It is hard for me – people say I'm small, they shout at me. But I just go to school to learn more about life."
Fernandez says she has faced opposition from both friends and family over her relationship with Doron; and seven-year-old daughter Glysdi, also a dwarf, gets so much verbal abuse that "she is always crying".
"I told them, if people talk about you, don't listen to what they say," says Doron, who left secondary school early due to harassment.
"But it's hard. It's the natural attitude of the people ... I prayed that all my kids would be normal, but I have no choice – this is what God gave me."
Being free from this constant abuse, says Doron, is the reason why he and about 30 other dwarves are planning to establish a colony.
An investor has donated 16,000 sq m of land near Manila, though the fields still have to be cleared, the houses built, and the businesses started.
But money is tight, and Doron hopes that local politicians will help with funding and that the colony will one day become a tourist hotspot.
So-called dwarf towns have existed in the past – in Coney Island at the turn of the century and more recently in Kunming, China – but not everyone agrees that they help in the long run.
"The answer is not segregation," says Gary Arnold of the charity Little People of America.
"The answer is raising awareness about differences and doing all we can to promote communities that embrace and are inclusive of all differences."
Dressed in children's jeans and a T-shirt, Doron slowly winds his way back to work through alleys crowded with caged roosters and stray dogs.
A neighbour, wiping away the afternoon's heat with a handkerchief, cackles loudly as he passes. "Ooooh!" she laughs. "There goes the dwarf!"
Doron turns and smiles at her, then continues deliberately on his way.

Philippines' new tourism slogan out before Christmas

2011-09-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

Manila - A new branding campaign to sell the Philippines to the world is in the works and will be ready before Christmas.
Newly appointed Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said that all it needs is a catchy slogan.
Jimenez told the Senate finance subcommittee scrutinizing his department's 4 billion pesos (US$94.3 million) proposed budget for 2012 that his other major plan is to involve all Filipinos in the effort to attract tourists.
"There are many well-meaning suggestions as to what the slogan should be. Even journalists are giving their inputs. We're getting strong encouragement and inspiration from interested people," Jimenez told reporters in Filipino in an ambush interview after the Senate hearing.
He refused to elaborate, however.
"Bear with us about our plans," Jimenez earlier told members of the subcommittee. "We will show you when our new branding campaign (is ready). The possibilities are very real and well within our grasp. Our best estimate is in about two months, we will be ready to talk to people about our new campaign," he assured.
This prompted subcommittee chairman Senator Ralph Recto to say he expects something "better than Chickenjoy," a popular fast-food product whose promotion was handled by Jimenez's own advertising agency.
"The lack of money has never been a serious obstacle for...Filipinos," Jimenez said, noting his department's relatively small budget.
"We are creative. I said (during a meeting with Department of Tourism officials) that the Thais, the Malaysians are already worried because of what we are about to do in tourism," Jimenez said.
"We have beaten them before with a whole lot less in resources and we can do it again," Jimenez added.
Jimenez also said the effort to lure travelers also requires the concerted effort of all Filipinos who need to believe in the product first.
"Tourism is a national activity. I cannot overstate the importance of Filipinos talking about it on Facebook. Brag about your country, talk about it. Sometimes, it is one's face that betrays whether you have confidence in your country. We must not be squeamish about competing with the rest of Asia. Selling is a delicate exercise and it shows on your face if you do not believe it," he explained.
In its presentation, the Department of Tourism said it plans to attract 4.1 million foreign and domestic tourists next year and earn 1.2 billion pesos (US$28.3 million) from tourism-related industries. Hopefully, the increase in arrivals would generate jobs for 4.4 million Filipinos.
Tourism Undersecretary Daniel Corpuz said the Philippines had a measly 3 percent share of the 3.5 million tourists that went to Southeast Asia in 2010.
A tourist in the Philippines spends US$700 on the average and stays 8.2 nights in the country. Koreans constitute the biggest market.

The 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

2011-09-07T04:58:00.000-07:00

The 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

A boy covers his ears as a Darth Vader ballon takes off at the 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, Philippines

A motorised paraglider approaches a hot air balloon taking flight

Dancers perform during the start of the 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

Philippines catches 'largest crocodile on record'

2011-09-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

A monster 21-foot (6.4-metre) saltwater crocodile, believed to be the biggest ever captured, has been trapped in the southern Philippines after a spate of fatal attacks, officials said Tuesday.
The 1,075-kilogramme (2,370-pound) male is suspected of eating a farmer who went missing in July in the town of Bunawan, and of killing a 12-year-old girl whose head was bitten off two years ago, crocodile hunter Rollie Sumiller said.
The hunter examined the crocodile's stomach contents by forcing it to vomit after it was captured Saturday, but there was no trace of human remains or of several water buffaloes also reported missing by locals.
"The community was relieved," Sumiller said of the capture, but added: "We're not really sure if this is the man-eater, because there have been other sightings of other crocodiles in the area."
The local government of the impoverished town of 30,000 people has decided against putting down the reptile, and will instead build a nature park where it will go on display.
Josefina de Leon, wildlife division chief at the Philippines environment ministry, said the beast was likely the biggest crocodile ever captured anywhere in the world.
"Based on existing records the largest that had been captured previously was 5.48 metres long," she told AFP.
The Philippine specimen would easily dwarf the largest captive saltwater crocodile, which the Guinness World Records website lists as Cassius, a 5.48-metre (18-foot) male which lives at an Australian nature park.
Press reports also describe other huge crocs including a 6.2-metre (20.3-foot) adult male killed in Papua New Guinea in 1982 that was measured after it was skinned.
The Bunawan hunting team, employed by a government-run crocodile breeding farm, began laying bait using chicken, pork and dog meat on August 15 in an attempt to snare the beast.
But the reptile, which measured three feet (0.91 metres) across its back, simply bit off both the meat and the line it was skewered on.
A heavy metal cable finally proved beyond the power of its jaws, and the beast was subdued in a creek late Saturday with the help of about 30 local men.
It was the team's second attempt after a failed expedition launched in response to the fatal 2009 attack.
Beyond the mark of the hook inside its upper jaw, the crocodile did not appear to have sustained any serious injuries, Sumiller said.
Bunawan Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said the government would build a nature park showcasing the giant crocodile and other species found in the vast marshland on the upper reaches of the massive Agusan river basin on Mindanao island.
"It will be the biggest star of the park," Elorde told reporters.
Sumiller said the plan was the best option available for the creature.
"He's a problem crocodile that needs to be taken from the wild... and used for Eco-tourism," he said.
Crocodylus porosus, or the estuarine crocodile, is the world's largest reptile. It grows to five or six metres in length and can live up to 100 years.
While not considered an endangered species globally, it is "critically endangered" in the Philippines, where it is hunted for its hide which is used in the fashion industry, de Leon said.
"There have been very few sightings of porosus in the wild in the Philippines in recent years," she added.
In July, a saltwater crocodile measuring almost 14 feet (4.2 metres) was caught on the western Philippine island of Palawan after it killed a man.

CCP jazzfest a vibrant first

2011-09-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

SKARLET, fiery in red, with the AMP Big Band and conductor Mel Villena

Rainy weather and limited funds—not to mention public backlash over a controversial art exhibit—failed to stop the Cultural Center of the Philippines from successfully mounting its maiden International Jazz Festival recently.
The music, performed in a span of six days by US, Korean, Japanese, Austrian, Spanish and Filipino artists, presented opportunities for fans and the curious alike to appreciate what jazz ultimately means: freedom to explore one’s creative spirit and interpret just about any form of music. The shows we caught all sent us drooling with delight.
Royal Hartigan and Blood Drum Spirit, representing the United States, retold the history of jazz in animated fashion with help from the Philippines’ UP Kekeli African Dance Ensemble. Hartigan, the bandleader, also acted as annotator, providing valuable information and insights into the music’s evolution—from the raw, rhythmic wailing of African slaves into a complex, multiple-genre art form practiced worldwide.
Hartigan played the drums like a chef and shaman combined. He used his bare hands, like mashing bread, to produce subtle sounds, then switched to sticks with masterful strokes that flawlessly blended with the graceful playing of bassist Wes Brown, pianist Art Hirahara and saxophonist David Bindman.
Cooky Chua and Bluesviminda illustrated how Filipinos have come to wear the blues like second skin. Is it because Pinoys, as somebody said, are considered the blacks of Asia? Or is it due to our local musicians’ natural ability to excel in all genres?
In any case, Chua oozed with breathy, bedroom-voice charm, even as she kept telling the crowd how nervous she was to sing at the CCP. She provided the focal point to Bluesviminda’s take on The Band (“Bessie Smith”), Abbey Lincoln (“Can You Dig It”), Elvis Presley (“Love Me”) and other blues standards.
The fest finale, featuring the UP Jazz Ensemble and AMP Big Band with guest vocalists Skarlet and Charito, was as bongga as marking two simultaneous town fiestas.
There was Latin jazz and mambo in the repertoire of the 21-piece UP Jazz Ensemble, conducted by Prof. Rayben Maigue, whose talented daughter Lara made a cameo appearance in two numbers. The 18-piece AMP came up with wonderful blasts of brass and gliding arrangements by consummate leader Mel Villena. The maestro danced between animated hand gestures, and even played the saxophone in several instances.
Skarlet replicated Sylvia La Torre’s playful vocals in the Levi Celerio-Juan Silos Jr. tune “Kalesa.” Charito, Pinay jazz star in Japan, exemplified the anything-is-possible trait of the music with vibrant covers of Michel Legrand and Michael Jackson.
Another Celerio-Silos classic, “Waray-Waray,” served as encore. We walked away feeling everything was as vibrant as life itself.