My Thoughts About Wuhan Covid-19, Abs-Cbn Shutdown and Being a Filipino

STORY: Traveling has taught me so many things in life, most of which i have not learned from the four corners of my classroom. This may sound like a cliche, but indeed it is the truth. The best lessons you will ever learn are from the experiences on the road - when you miss your flight or ferry, when you've been scammed by a travel agent or Tuk-tuk driver, or even when you've got food poisoned or sprained your ankle. However this time around, since i am not traveling as of the moment, lessons are learned everyday as we face the pandemic and other circumstances in our daily lives now. You see, there will always be valuable lessons from these and you will surely come out of it a better person. Photo 

Wuhan Covid-19

It's Day 64 of Wuhan Covid-19, and the fight still continues. The cases here in Metro Manila are steadily increasing, the vaccine for the virus is still a long way to go and deaths are still mounting. A few days ago, Typhoon Ambo ravaged Southern Luzon and made its way to where i live. Storms have not been unusual in the country, but when it happens alongside a pandemic, that's a totally different story. The Philippines might just be one of the lowest in Asia, in terms of government response to the pandemic. Vietnam closed down its borders during the time they don't have any cases yet. Taiwan immediately sent their doctors to Wuhan to investigate the situation, and prepared. This was in January of 2020. Can you imagine that? It's alright to learn from mistakes and know that there was so much more we can do as a nation to protect its people. But at what cost? Photo

I've written my thoughts and realizations as face the Pandemic - Part 1/Part 2/ Part 3

Being a Filipino

Nowadays, it's quite saddening and frustrating to be a Filipino. I have to admit it, forgive me. The country is in political turmoil and the natural and unprecedented disasters and calamities are happening frequently. If the middle class in the society can feel its effect, how much more for the the lower class, whom help is badly needed? Resiliency, a word that you will always associate Filipinos with. But it is also the catalyst for the government not to do anything more, because in hindsight, Filipino are resilient anyway. It's also saddening that to be a Filipino can also be associated with enablers. Enablers of oppressors and tyranny. We never learn. Why? Traveling to all of South East Asian countries, i've learned that Filipinos are some of the most forgetful, if not the most. In Cambodia, the regime of Pol Pot and the killing fields were etched in stone and will never be forgotten. In Vietnam, the people have moved on from the war with the Americans. Yet, they've always been cautious. Learning from the casualties of war was the bitter pill they have to take in memory of those who perished. Yet, we Filipinos, never learn. We put into power the very same people who put the lives of the Filipinos in peril. Photo

Abs-Cbn Shutdown

Being an island country, places in the country are sometimes hard to reach. I've traveled by plane, boat, jeepney, tricycle, and another boat just to get to a destination. Can you imagine that? If the pandemic is not enough together with the typhoon, the government has shut down the largest TV network in the Philippines. It's a huge issue, most especially now, where information is key to disseminate protocols about quarantine and how we fight this virus. If there was even a case to begin with, issuing a cease and desist now is not only in bad taste, but also non-transformative. It's such a big blow to the fight of the Filipino to democracy. Heck, my Canadian friend even asked me about this situation. Because i have traveled to 67 provinces in the Philippines out of 80 or 81, i somehow know the plight of the Filipino people. Television is not only a source of information, it's also their form of entertainment. Watching television enables them to feel part of a country however far they may be. The next time, somebody tells you otherwise. Tell them to travel around the Philippines so they know. My host in Sabtang would finish all her duties and errands before dusk just so she can watch "Ang Probinsyano" before she sleeps. Photo

I've written quite extensively my experience working for Abs-Cbn here. 

P.S. This is not your typical travel blog post. But part of traveling is also being aware of what's happening around you. A good traveler is informed. Because the travel industry is currently on a halt, and i don't think leisure travel will be allowed anytime soon, it's best that i share with you my thoughts and realizations about certain issues in the country and across the globe instead.