THE BEAUTIFUL ISLANDS OF THE PHILIPPINES
The Philippine Islands!
What are your first thoughts when you see those three words? What do we associate with the beautiful islands of The Philippines?
If like me, you are from New Zealand or elsewhere in the Western World, your view of The Philippines, as a country, has been shaped by what you’ve ever read about the place; possibly what people have told you about the place; but probably most importantly what you’ve seen on television or read in the newspapers. Our perceptions, these days, of anything are moulded more by the brief sound bites on television than by anything more substantial.
Before I first visited this beautiful country in 1993, my perception of The Philippines was certainly coloured or distorted by what I read and saw in the popular media of the day. What was The Philippines to me then? Simply put, what I knew about this country could probably be written on the back of a postcard: I knew about Ferdinand Marcos, and also about Imelda Marcos’ shoe collection; I knew about Martial Law; Of course, I knew about the “Thriller in Manila” in 1972, between Muhammed Ali and Joe Frasier; I knew, like New Zealand, the country sat on the Pacific Rim of Fire and was subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; Naturally I’d heard of Mount Pinatubo; I’d heard of the infamous rubbish tip known as “Smokey Mountain”; I also knew that from time to time ferries sank killing thousands, and typhoons ravaged the country on a regular basis also killing many. To top it all off everyone knew that The Philippines was the centre of the world’s “mail-order bride” business at that time. Filipinas, we were told, were so desperate to leave the country they would marry just about anyone so they could get out. So, put bluntly, it seemed a pretty damn awful place to live and certainly not one I’d ever want to visit. Such is the power of the media’s portrayal of negative information. Of course, we also did hear about the “People Power Revolution” of 1986, but that could best be described as just a small blip of positivity in a sea of negativity.
Despite 20 years having elapsed since I first came here I suspect the view of The Philippines, to the average New Zealander has not changed much. The events may have changed, but I imagine the perceptions have stayed pretty much the same. The country is still ravaged by typhoons every year. The last typhoon, Haiyan (Yolanda to us locals), struck in early November 2013, and was the most powerful typhoon to ever make landfall. It devastated large swathes of the Central Philippines (The Visayas). The iron rule of the Marcos’ has been replaced by a procession of self-serving, thieving, corrupt politicians who have tried their hardest to bankrupt the country just to line their own pockets. In this Century alone, we have impeached one President, one Chief Justice and are in the middle of prosecuting another former President, as well as a number of Senators and Congressmen for corruption. Yes, politically not a lot has improved in twenty years, but the truth is “times they are a-changing”. Finally the country has some political backbone. It has a President who is dedicated to ending the era of self-serving politicians; to root out corruption wherever it lies and to utilise the immense resources of this incredibly wealthy country, for the benefit of all Filipinos, not just the elite few. The “mail-order bride” business has I guess been replaced by the cybersex industry with many suggesting that The Philippines is the centre of the world-wide cybersex industry.
What are your first thoughts when you see those three words? What do we associate with the beautiful islands of The Philippines?
If like me, you are from New Zealand or elsewhere in the Western World, your view of The Philippines, as a country, has been shaped by what you’ve ever read about the place; possibly what people have told you about the place; but probably most importantly what you’ve seen on television or read in the newspapers. Our perceptions, these days, of anything are moulded more by the brief sound bites on television than by anything more substantial.
Before I first visited this beautiful country in 1993, my perception of The Philippines was certainly coloured or distorted by what I read and saw in the popular media of the day. What was The Philippines to me then? Simply put, what I knew about this country could probably be written on the back of a postcard: I knew about Ferdinand Marcos, and also about Imelda Marcos’ shoe collection; I knew about Martial Law; Of course, I knew about the “Thriller in Manila” in 1972, between Muhammed Ali and Joe Frasier; I knew, like New Zealand, the country sat on the Pacific Rim of Fire and was subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; Naturally I’d heard of Mount Pinatubo; I’d heard of the infamous rubbish tip known as “Smokey Mountain”; I also knew that from time to time ferries sank killing thousands, and typhoons ravaged the country on a regular basis also killing many. To top it all off everyone knew that The Philippines was the centre of the world’s “mail-order bride” business at that time. Filipinas, we were told, were so desperate to leave the country they would marry just about anyone so they could get out. So, put bluntly, it seemed a pretty damn awful place to live and certainly not one I’d ever want to visit. Such is the power of the media’s portrayal of negative information. Of course, we also did hear about the “People Power Revolution” of 1986, but that could best be described as just a small blip of positivity in a sea of negativity.
Despite 20 years having elapsed since I first came here I suspect the view of The Philippines, to the average New Zealander has not changed much. The events may have changed, but I imagine the perceptions have stayed pretty much the same. The country is still ravaged by typhoons every year. The last typhoon, Haiyan (Yolanda to us locals), struck in early November 2013, and was the most powerful typhoon to ever make landfall. It devastated large swathes of the Central Philippines (The Visayas). The iron rule of the Marcos’ has been replaced by a procession of self-serving, thieving, corrupt politicians who have tried their hardest to bankrupt the country just to line their own pockets. In this Century alone, we have impeached one President, one Chief Justice and are in the middle of prosecuting another former President, as well as a number of Senators and Congressmen for corruption. Yes, politically not a lot has improved in twenty years, but the truth is “times they are a-changing”. Finally the country has some political backbone. It has a President who is dedicated to ending the era of self-serving politicians; to root out corruption wherever it lies and to utilise the immense resources of this incredibly wealthy country, for the benefit of all Filipinos, not just the elite few. The “mail-order bride” business has I guess been replaced by the cybersex industry with many suggesting that The Philippines is the centre of the world-wide cybersex industry.
So, not a lot has changed in our perception of The Philippines. Very few New Zealanders seem to be encouraged to visit this country. Of the roughly 4M tourists that visited the country in 2011, only around 13,000 came from New Zealand. By comparison, if we look at three popular Asian destinations for New Zealanders the figures tell the story: Thailand – 114,000; Malaysia – 81,000; Indonesia – 37,000. Clearly for some reason The Philippines is not a desired tourist destination for New Zealanders. Over this series of articles I will show you why The Philippines should be at the top of your list for your “truly Asian experience” as well as bringing you some humorous and interesting insights into the life of the expatriate.
Firstly, let me declare my bias. I love The Philippines, I came here to live permanently three years ago and I have absolutely no desire to leave. I live here, I love here, and I’ll happily die here, one day. That having been said, I want to share with you some of the wonder and beauty that makes this country unique in Asia and in the world.
To understand The Philippines and the Filipino people, it always helps to have a brief understanding of the development of this nation over the years. The Philippine Islands are an archipelago of 7,107 islands in the South China Sea (known locally as The West Philippine Sea), straddling the equator. To its north lies Taiwan and to its west and southwest are Vietnam and Indonesia. History books will tell you that Ferdinand Magellan discovered the islands of The Philippines in 1521 on his epic around the world voyage. Of course, Magellan and the Spanish were just the forerunners of European conquest of most of the known world. Before Magellan there were a number of proud indigenous peoples already populating these islands.
After 333 years of Spanish rule, with the local Filipinos seeking independence and following years of sporadic fighting against the colonial masters; finally on May 1, 1898, the American fleet under Commodore George Dewey sailed into Manila Bay, and defeated the Spanish colonialists. On June 12, 1898, Emilio Aguinaldo led the Declaration of Independence from Spanish rule and the first republic of The Philippines was born. It soon became clear however that America had no intention of allowing Filipino Independence and had decided it was just going to replace the Spanish as colonial masters. The Philippine Revolutionary Government then turned its attention to fighting its American liberators in the Philippine – American War. The war ended with the capture of Emilio Aguinaldo, and the acceptance by the revolutionary government, of US sovereignty. It would not be until the end of the Second World War, following a brutal occupation by the Japanese and liberation, yet again, by the allied forces, led by the United States, that The Philippines would finally be granted its independence.
On July 4, 1946, after almost 400 years of colonial servitude, the proud people of these islands finally stood tall and independent in the circle of nations; commanders of their own destiny at long last.
Firstly, let me declare my bias. I love The Philippines, I came here to live permanently three years ago and I have absolutely no desire to leave. I live here, I love here, and I’ll happily die here, one day. That having been said, I want to share with you some of the wonder and beauty that makes this country unique in Asia and in the world.
To understand The Philippines and the Filipino people, it always helps to have a brief understanding of the development of this nation over the years. The Philippine Islands are an archipelago of 7,107 islands in the South China Sea (known locally as The West Philippine Sea), straddling the equator. To its north lies Taiwan and to its west and southwest are Vietnam and Indonesia. History books will tell you that Ferdinand Magellan discovered the islands of The Philippines in 1521 on his epic around the world voyage. Of course, Magellan and the Spanish were just the forerunners of European conquest of most of the known world. Before Magellan there were a number of proud indigenous peoples already populating these islands.
After 333 years of Spanish rule, with the local Filipinos seeking independence and following years of sporadic fighting against the colonial masters; finally on May 1, 1898, the American fleet under Commodore George Dewey sailed into Manila Bay, and defeated the Spanish colonialists. On June 12, 1898, Emilio Aguinaldo led the Declaration of Independence from Spanish rule and the first republic of The Philippines was born. It soon became clear however that America had no intention of allowing Filipino Independence and had decided it was just going to replace the Spanish as colonial masters. The Philippine Revolutionary Government then turned its attention to fighting its American liberators in the Philippine – American War. The war ended with the capture of Emilio Aguinaldo, and the acceptance by the revolutionary government, of US sovereignty. It would not be until the end of the Second World War, following a brutal occupation by the Japanese and liberation, yet again, by the allied forces, led by the United States, that The Philippines would finally be granted its independence.
On July 4, 1946, after almost 400 years of colonial servitude, the proud people of these islands finally stood tall and independent in the circle of nations; commanders of their own destiny at long last.