More lessons from the Philippines’ storms

By admin | November 2, 2009

The Philippines was battered by four successive typhoons in the last two months. Typhoon Ketsana triggered the worst flooding in Metro Manila in the past 40 years. Typhoon Parma caused deadly landslides and mudslides in the northern provinces. Typhoons Lupit and Mirinae hampered the reconstruction efforts in the typhoon-ravaged communities of Luzon Island.

Typhoons Ketsana and Parma were the most ferocious in terms of impact on the economy and number of casualties. Ketsana submerged 80 percent of Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Parma stayed in the country for almost a week, unleashing a record rainfall in north Luzon. Ketsana and Parma affected more than 3 million individuals in the country.

The last quarter of 2009 will be remembered by many Filipinos as the period of great typhoon disasters, with Ketsana and Parma being the most memorable.

In my previous column, I emphasized the crucial role of good governance in mitigating the negative impact of climate change. I also praised the renewed sense of volunteerism among young Filipinos who devoted their time and energy in various relief and assistance centers. What are the other lessons to be culled from the storm disasters?

Ketsana and Parma showed the potential and limitation of using new media tools during natural calamities. Ketsana’s impact was more visible because bloggers wrote about their ordeal. Pictures and videos of flooded villages were quickly uploaded on the Internet. Twitterers and Facebookers regularly updated their pages about Ketsana.

Maximizing the Internet to spread information and send distress calls during Ketsana’s onslaught was made possible because there was a stable power supply in Metro Manila and the IT infrastructure in the country’s capital is relatively well-developed.

On the other hand, the power supply was cut off for many days when Parma struck the rural north. Cell phone signals were not immediately restored. There were few eyewitness stories about the storm. There were fewer blog articles, citizen videos, pictures and Twitter posts about the impact of Parma. It was the old reliable mainstream media that provided most of the information about Parma’s deadly consequences.

Public response to Ketsana once again affirmed the special status of Metro Manila in the country. Ketsana almost forced the national bureaucracy to a halt because many government offices suspended their operations. Politicians postponed their activities and glamorous social events were scrapped.

Maybe this was understandable since the storm caused massive damage in the country’s capital, but the same extraordinary attention should be shown as well when disasters hit the far-flung provinces.

There have been stronger typhoons and natural disasters in the past, but the government did not close its offices, politicians reported for work, and social events were not postponed. When Super Typhoon Reming struck the Bicol Region in 2006, Congress continued its deliberations on the proposed constitutional amendments.

Does a storm have to hit Manila first before we express alarm about the fragile state of our environment? Does a storm have to displace Manila residents first before we begin to worry about the condition of flood and storm victims?

The twin typhoon disasters also revealed the weak and ineffective quality of flood-control infrastructure in the country. In particular, Parma forced policymakers to review the dam operations throughout the country.

The heavy rainfall during Parma’s onslaught forced dam authorities in the north part of the country to release water without adequately informing residents in low-lying communities. This caused severe damage in many provinces, trapping thousands of residents in their homes and destroying millions worth of agricultural crops.

Local officials and civil society groups are blaming the dam authorities for the massive flooding, which almost wiped an entire province off the map. There is now a clamor to shut down mega-dams whose main purpose is power generation and not flood control or irrigation. To ensure public safety, Congress created a special committee to check the standard operating procedures of dams when releasing excess amounts of water during typhoons.

Ketsana and Parma also exposed the failure of health authorities to provide adequate information about the spread of various diseases linked to rising floodwaters. Two weeks ago, a Leptospirosis outbreak was declared in several provinces. Hospitals are admitting close to 400 Leptospirosis patients everyday. About 167 deaths have been confirmed already.

Doctors believe that casualties from Leptospirosis could have been minimized if preventive measures had been implemented and if flood victims had been advised to seek medical consultation the moment they detected symptoms of the rare bacterial infection. Health authorities only began to mount an aggressive information drive about the disease when the media reported about it.

Suddenly, climate change has become a key election issue. Candidates are starting to package themselves as green leaders. Ketsana and Parma are expected to remain in the public consciousness.

The underwhelming performance of government rescue and relief teams will be an important presidential election issue next year. Voters will remember the unforgettable horror images of rampaging floodwaters, mudslides and landslides. They will remember the pictures of trapped homeowners, destroyed crops, and dead bodies covered with mud. This does not bode well for administration candidates.

Related articles:

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Typhoon 101
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Environment refugees

Posted in nation | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Politics: Micro, Small, Medium, Large

By admin | October 28, 2009

We live in a micro nation. We are fond of micro objects, micro concepts, micro activities. National Artist Nick Joaquin once criticized our “heritage of smallness.” He was wrong. What we have is a heritage of micro-ness.

In the past, the government encouraged the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Today, the government is providing assistance to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It is not enough that we have a small-dominated economy. We have to be smaller than small and so we used a more appropriate category: micro. What is the difference between small and micro businesses? Micro firms have an asset size of less than P3 million. Meanwhile, small firms are worth P3 million to P15 million. Micro companies have less than 10 employees while small companies employ 10-99 workers.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, there are almost 800,000 registered business enterprises in the Philippines. More than 90 percent of these establishments are micro enterprises. This means there are more than 700,000 businesses in the country which contribute micro taxes and micro investments to the economy. It means 700,000 micro entrepreneurs with micro business plans and micro innovation proposals.

The President vows to make the Philippines a First World society in 2020. It is impossible to achieve this lofty goal if we are to remain stuck with a micro-dominated economy. What this country needs are large enterprises: Filipino-owned large enterprises with mega number of employees, mega assets, mega investments, and mega business plans. Imagine if the 700,000 micro enterprises are transformed into large or even medium enterprises. It would jumpstart the economy. Leapfrogging to prosperity, as envisioned by some scholars, can become a reality.

But these are micro times. To display micro-ness is ideal and idealized. We praise and practice micro culture and micro mentality everyday. Micro is in. Micro is cool. We don’t read novels anymore; we read tula-text translations in the LRT. We don’t write in longhand and shorthand anymore; we text. We don’t blog anymore; we microblog via twitter and plurk. We don’t keep a real diary to record our daily activities; we change our facebook statuses. We become farmers by playing Farmville.

We are enamored with the micro. We feel empowered by being microsexual and ubermicro. We are satisfied with the familiar and predictable micro aspects of our lives. We shun the large and mega because we are afraid of them. They are too big for us. We think we only deserve the micro. We believe only micro solutions will work for us. Besides, micro proposals are concrete, visible, doable. The results are instant. While large and mega ideas are vague, unrealizable, unattainable. The results are not immediate. Adopting a large framework demands sacrifice, patience, dedication. Large activities require cooperation with other individuals, strangers, and communities.

This is most evident in politics. Micro political attitude is dominant today. Large or big or mega politics is rejected. Small politics is encouraged; micro politics is practiced. In the past, activists want to change the world. Today there are activists who assert that to mitigate the impact of climate change, the people must change their lightbulbs. From change the world to change the lightbulbs. Large politics to small politics. During my college years, small politics was hailed as the new activism. Students were told to contemplate the beautiful in life; to cultivate inner peace; and to close the faucet in order to conserve water.

People Power is large politics; community activism is medium politics; volunteering in relief centers is small politics; attaching green or yellow twibbons on our Twitter profiles is micro politics. Revolution is large politics; participating in elections is medium politics; buying green bags is small politics; signing online petitions is micro politics.

The emergence of modern tools of communication has allowed individuals to practice and worship micro politics. Large politics was abandoned as more and more individuals prefer to express activism by texting or surfing the internet.

Virtual or micro activism is not wrong just as having micro enterprises is not bad for the economy. But if more than 90 percent of businesses in the country are micro-owned, how can this economy provide a higher quality of living for Filipinos? If all of us will practice small and micro politics, would we expect a fundamental change in society? At best, we can have micro and small reforms in governance. I dread the day when people would prefer micro and small changes in their lives. We should dream big, we should act big.

The country has mega problems; the solution should be mega politics, not medium reforms like building houses for the poor. Total, holistic, comprehensive political analysis; not micro thinking which usually puts the blame on individuals and incidents and not on institutions, processes, and complex political-economic systems.

There are mega evils in society that require mega actions. Large politics versus large political problems. Politicians are not afraid of small and micro politics. They themselves are advocating small politics: Obey the law, respect authorities, change yourself first before others, study now and be an activist later in your senior citizen years.

Large politics is criticized because it is excessively radical, violent, and uncontrollable. But politics is essentially and inevitably violent since it involves a struggle between competing power factions. Besides, large politics is always against a certain strong force which does not easily and peacefully surrender its influence.

The most active opponents of large politics are political forces which only desire superficial changes in society. They prefer micro politics since it does not threaten their hegemony. It’s time to criticize the naïve and conservative character of micro and small politics. It’s time to blame this kind of politics for reinforcing a dangerous kind of “artificial individualism” in society and for deceiving the public that only micro political actions are required to reengineer an unjust social order.

The concept and practice of what constitute mainstream large politics are defined by traditional politicians, political dynasties, corporate media bosses, church leaders, local and foreign big businesses, landlords, and warlords. We should challenge this. Why should we allow them to dictate what kind of large politics is suitable for the country? Why shouldn’t we use our version of large politics to build a stronger and vibrant nation; a new society where freedom, democracy, and progress reign; where the class interest of the majority prevails over the interest of the minority?

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Posted in reds | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Internet and elections

By admin | October 25, 2009

Written in 2007….

Not a few candidates have been tapping the internet to bolster their chances of winning in the elections. While many analysts look down on the effectiveness of online campaigning, politicians could no longer ignore the cyber community. TV ads may give the best nationwide exposure for candidates but the internet can provide the most stylish link to young and educated voters.

There are more than ten million internet users in the country. This figure should be enough to make politicians understand the value of reaching out to this growing online community of literate individuals. Guns, goons and gold may continue to dominate Philippine elections but there is a segment of our population which demands a more intelligent way of campaigning. Indeed, politicians must continue to adopt traditional forms of campaigning if they want to get the attention of majority of our voters but there is no harm in trying to be more fashionable or tech-savvy during the campaign period.

Politicians must appreciate the enormous potential of the internet to influence the political landscape in the country. In the future, it may emerge as the most credible source of information. Accessing the web may become a daily necessity for Filipinos. Ten years ago, did we expect texting to alter communication habits of our countrymen?

This year’s election is significant since we witnessed how some candidates successfully maximized technological innovations to run their respective campaigns. We also realized how these amazing technologies can be used to push for clean, honest and peaceful elections.

Candidates have learned to set-up personal websites, friendster accounts, wiki profiles and blogs. Their supporters have been frequenting social networking sites. Unfortunately, they also send e-mail and text spams which may prove unproductive to their candidacies. Video ads of politicians and partylist groups have been uploaded in You Tube. A few candidates also conducted chat sessions with internet users.

However, some politicians began using the internet only as a token gesture of projecting a trendy image to the public. This is an insincere publicity stunt. This also shows a lack of awareness on how online campaigning can actually improve the efficiency of election machineries of candidates. It’s not just going online that matters. It’s much more significant to learn how to synergize internet campaigning with traditional election tactics.
National coordination of campaign activities can be easily accomplished through internet, downloading of election materials can be done via email, consolidating members and supporters can be facilitated by instant messaging. Internet campaigning should not be treated as a special election tactic. It must be integrated with the overall election strategy of politicians.

As a tool to promote democratic elections, internet is indispensable. Internet users have gained notoriety for giving fiery feedback to the online campaigning of candidates. Some gave encouraging support for politicians; some used unflattering remarks against certain candidates. Some established blogs to campaign for the defeat of celebrity actors.

What is inspiring is the high number of election-related websites and blog articles which aim to educate voters. Anyone can easily access informative websites and blogs which provide useful links to the profile of candidates, platform of political parties, track record of incumbent politicians and resources that are pertinent in guarding the sanctity of our votes. NGOs have been consistent in uploading their reports on electoral violations, media bias and election spending of candidates. Even the Church is using the internet to guide the people in choosing the best leaders for the country. These are all necessary in promoting responsible voting next month.

It’s already impossible to imagine how elections can be conducted without the internet. It’s both necessary for politicians and the voters. I believe there are still many ways to maximize the internet which we have not yet conceptualized. Perhaps this potential will be realized in the next few years.

There may be two stumbling blocks to fulfill this vision. One is the tendency to abuse the internet. Politicians with lots of money may attempt to influence naive voters by swamping the web with false information and deceitful campaign messages. It may erode the credibility of internet as a source of valid data. Some immature voters may post unreliable content materials just to further the campaign of a favored candidate.

The other obstacle is limited internet access throughout the country. Online campaigning requires a literate population with access to computers and internet connection. This remains a wishful thinking for a poor country known for its weak IT infrastructure and shabby education system.

It may be a while before we have to rely heavily on the internet to successfully campaign for the victory of candidates. For now, we have to endure (read: suffer) watching those boring and dumb TV ads of politicians.

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Posted in election | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Balik probinsiya. Balik kanayunan

By admin | October 20, 2009

The generous state claims to offer a win-win solution to informal settlers: leave Metro Manila; return to the provinces. The national government will shoulder the transportation cost while local governments will provide a small financial incentive for Balik Probinsiya beneficiaries.

Why should the poor return to the provinces? Because they are viewed as eyesores, their presence is unwanted, and they multiply fast like rats (and rats spread diseases like leptospirosis). Their parasitic existence in Metro Manila is believed to be the cause of numerous urban problems like pollution, overpopulation, unemployment, rising criminality, and environmental degradation. They prevent progress since they discourage foreign investors from setting up various businesses in the city.

The poor are guilty of being poor. They are guilty of constructing houses along rail tracks floodways, and riverbeds. If they die during calamities, it is their stubborn attitude which should be blamed. To save the poor from their own stupidity, the benevolent government is offering them a chance to rebuild their miserable lives in the provinces.

Balik Probinsiya is the latest anti-poverty measure of the government. Bureaucrats and technocrats want fast results so they have less patience for programs that require massive public funding for social and economic services. They want to get rid of the problem quickly. They want the poor out of their sight.

Beautification programs can immediately hide the ugly houses of the poor. Relocation is also an option. A less costly alternative is to pay the one way bus tickets of the poor. Remove the poor in Metro Manila so that the government can boast that its poverty eradication programs are working. Move them out where tourists and credit rating analysts can’t see them.

Balik Probinsiya affirms the existence of two kinds of Filipinos in the country today: Those who deserve to remain in Metro Manila and those who must be ejected from the megacity. Filipinos who are permitted to stay in the city and Filipinos who are disallowed from leaving the provinces. Filipinos who can survive during calamities without government aid and Filipinos who accept relief goods. Filipinos who can stay in evacuation centers because they are voters and Filipinos who must be prevented from returning to their shanty homes because they don’t have political value. There are citizens who enjoy the full protection of the state; and there are incomplete citizens who are erased from the political radar screen.

Balik Probinsiya is a condescending program. It claims to help the poor by providing an opportunity for the latter to return to their home provinces. It does the thinking for the poor by assuming that the poor want to return to the provinces. It insists that the best and only option of the poor is to leave Metro Manila. The government believes that the poor who have low intake of iodized salt will not be able to make the most informed decision about their own welfare. Therefore, the government has to intervene. Oddly, funding the bus fares of the poor addresses the people’s right to travel. A one way, one time, never come back right to travel.

Balik Probinsiya is an ill-conceived, superficial treatment of the pestering wounds that afflict the city. The government wants to save the poor who live in dangerous, disaster-prone areas. But the solution is not simply to evacuate mindless and unlucky residents living near esteros and dead lakes. Where is the comprehensive disaster-preparedness program? Where is the modern land use code? Where is the blueprint for sustainable development? Besides, Balik Probinsiya missed an essential point which Typhoon Pepeng illuminated for us. That even in the provinces, disasters occur. Flooding and mudslides also destroy lives and properties in the provinces. Balik Probinsiya will not save the poor from being victims of environmental disasters. Balik Probinsiya is a convenient and lame excuse of the government which wants to abandon its duty of providing assistance to its citizens.

Balik Probinsiya is proof and admission that we have an impotent state. Finally, the government concedes that it is unable to protect and provide services to urban residents. That the ruling class is almost powerless to govern effectively in the urban areas. That the only clever solution it can concoct is to literally and physically remove the poor from their areas of responsibility. The government has a myopic view that reducing the number of visible poor in Metro Manila can partly hide the true state of poverty in the metro.

In the past, Christian Manilans were persuaded by the national government to migrate to Mindanao to challenge the dominance of Muslims. Today, the poor are persuaded (and even forced) by public authorities to depopulate Metro Manila in order to modernize the country’s economy. Then and now, moving people from the urban to rural serves the political interest of the ruling class.

Balik Probinsiya highlights the extent of urban decay. It confirms that Metro Manila is no longer the ideal place where dreams become a reality. The reality has become a nightmare for many Filipinos who once harbored dreams of making it big in the big city. Balik Probinsiya stands for the many shattered Filipino dreams; the symbol of Imperial Manila’s utter failure to accommodate the hungry and landless poor from the provinces.

Balik Probinsiya underscores the fact that Metro Manila is inhabited by local migrants. Balik Probinsiya is therefore meant for unsuccessful migrants. It hopes to reverse the migration trend by providing an escape route for probinsiyanos trapped in Metro Manila. It mirrors the immigration policies of rich nations which are now encouraging illegal migrants to return to their home countries. To quell rising discontent, rich nations are laying-off foreign migrant workers so that there will be enough jobs for the domestic population. Balik Probinsiya is the local version of this policy. Only deserving citizens, not the uneducated and unclean poor, should enjoy economic and political privileges in the city.

Migrants are welcome to live and work in Manila and in the global cities of the West as long as they do not threaten the political-economic survival of the dominant leadership of the state. But if the migrant population explodes too fast, and if their numbers make it difficult for the state to govern effectively, they will be subjected to harsh regulatory policies.

Balik Probinsiya emphasizes the need for a comprehensive development in the country so that Filipinos need not migrate to Imperial Manila to seek better opportunities in life.

Perhaps the most disagreeable aspect of Balik Probinsiya is its simplistic analysis of the rural. To convince Filipinos to return to the provinces, the government paints a romanticized image of the province: Life is better in the provinces. Food is abundant, clean drinking water is plenty, there is no traffic. (A politician once told me that the people in the provinces are not poor. They eat good food, drink clean water, and breathe fresh air. They only need clothes.)

The government deliberately forgot to mention that rural folks migrated to Metro Manila because they dreamed and wanted a better future for their families. They couldn’t find enough opportunities in the provinces that would enable them to improve their lives. Manny Pacquiao left General Santos to find a job in Manila. There are hundreds of thousands of Manny Pacquaios in Metro Manila but since they are not boxing champions, they are now told to immediately leave the city.

We have a rural paradise beset with third world problems like landlessness, joblessness, homelessness, and militarization. Peasants can’t eat what they sowed and planted. Farmers can’t afford to buy adequate food and water supplies for their families. Vast amounts of land are owned by exploitative landowners and absentee foreign landlords. If the rural people decide to manifest and display dissidence, their communities will be militarized. Is this the idyllic countryside the government is talking about?

Balik Probinsiya is a right-wing initiative. The left should claim it and rebrand it with a radical content. During martial law, Kabataang Makabayan members went back to the provinces to establish opposition groups and activist chapters. Recognizing that the left’s solid political strength is still to be found in the countryside, Balik Probinsiya will give the left additional potential recruits for their political campaigns. The left should welcome Balik Probinsiya beneficiaries by providing them with a proper political education. The returning migrants from Manila should be politicized. They should be taught how to fight the oppressive state with dignity. By recruiting them in the struggle for a more egalitarian society, they will be able to regain their humanity.

Balik Probinsiya? Balik Kanayunan!

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Posted in reds | Tagged | 7 Comments

Lessons from the Philippine flooding disaster

By admin | October 16, 2009

Two deadly storms struck the Philippines in the last two weeks killing more than 500 people. The first storm triggered the worst flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The flooding disaster affected more than three million individuals. The second storm tragedy unleashed massive landslides in the northern part of the Philippines. It also forced several dams to release large amounts of water which caused unprecedented flooding in several provinces in the north.

The number of casualties continues to rise and the economic toll is huge. Foreign aid is arriving but these charity funds will only last a few weeks. The national government will have to shoulder most of the expenses in rehabilitating the damaged local infrastructures.

Strong typhoons and other natural calamities will continue to wreak havoc in the country. Situated inside the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is constantly plagued by typhoons, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. It is not financially feasible for the government to spend hundreds of millions of dollars every time a disaster hits the country. Instead, the government should focus its efforts in aiming to minimize the disastrous effect of natural calamities. The long term goal should be to reduce the number of lost lives and properties in disaster-prone areas.

The recent storm tragedies provided us with concrete lessons on how to effectively survive the next great disaster.

First, good governance is the key to mitigate the brutal impact of natural calamities. All government agencies should develop programs to deal with environmental disasters. Both national and local governments should have emergency teams that can be dispatched during crisis situations.

Disaster preparedness should be a top priority of all public and private institutions. At the height of Typhoon Ketsana’s onslaught, many were shocked to discover that the government has only a limited number of rubber boats that can be used to rescue stranded residents in flooded villages. The available tents for the temporary shelter of evacuees are grossly inadequate too.

There is also a shortage of skilled personnel who can help the government in the reconstruction efforts. The country lacks competent scientists and engineers who can advise authorities during natural disasters. The government should invest in developing the needed human capital to help the country adapt to the changing state of the global environment.

While the ferocity of Typhoons Ketsana and Parma was unexpected, the possibility that such strong typhoons can occur and hit the country has long been predicted by scientists. The government is aware of the vulnerabilities of the Philippines to the harmful impact of climate change. In fact, President Gloria Arroyo even appointed herself as climate change czar early this year to personally oversee the implementation of green programs in the country.

Now is the right time to assess the environmental programs and policies of the government. Obviously, they are inadequate and ineffective. The Early Warning System didn’t work as thousands were still trapped during the flooding disaster. Hundred were buried in mudslides. Dams released water without giving enough time for villagers to evacuate to higher grounds.

The Philippines has been a recipient of numerous environmental aid programs in the past. How was the money spent? Why didn’t the government upgrade its weather facilities?

It is curious that the cities which suffered the most in the recent typhoon disasters were among the most competitive cities in the country. Marikina was recognized by the Philippine Cities Competitive Ranking Project as the Most Competitive Metro City in 2005. Marikina was hailed for its excellent infrastructure and responsive local government unit. Dagupan was the winner in the small cities category. Both Marikina and Dagupan were heavily damaged by the recent floods. This proves that a city with a dynamic local economy can also suffer during natural disasters especially if its neighboring cities are not competitive. Lesson: there should be a comprehensive development of cities and provinces in the country.

There are also positive stories to remember in the recent storm tragedies. One of which is the intelligent use of the internet by Filipino netizens to help flood victims. An interactive map was established showing the extent of destruction caused by the twin typhoons. New media sites like Twitter and Facebook were maximized to direct rescuers and charity groups to locations where relief and emergency assistance are most needed. By uploading pictures and videos of the flooding in Metro Manila, Filipino bloggers helped in convincing the international community about the need to give immediate aid to the Philippines.

Stories of heroism also abound like neighbors giving shelter to homeless families, strangers rescuing trapped individuals in flooded homes, students donating their school allowances to relief groups, and young people volunteering in community centers and soup kitchens. To use a term popularized by a government agency, the charity-virus is spreading in the country. Volunteerism is back.

Through Typhoons Ketsana and Pepeng, many Filipinos were educated about climate change. In the past, climate change is viewed by many as an abstract subject, an academic term. Today, climate change is feared because of the heavy rainfall, flooding, mudslides, landslides, and other extreme weather disturbances which hit the country. It is now easier to persuade residents about the importance of protecting the fragile environment. Even authorities are beginning to understand the political and social cost of tolerating activities which pollute the environment.

It will take a long time to revive the shattered local economy. Many lives were destroyed and those who survive have to cope with rising food prices, inadequate housing facilities, and damaged public utilities. There is much suffering in the country, especially in the rural areas of north Philippines. The government should tap the renewed sense of volunteerism and hope among many Filipinos to bring back the country on the road to progress.

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Posted in greens | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Old Highways

By admin | October 11, 2009

Before NLEX, what road did people use to travel to the north? Old McArthur Highway.

Before SLEX, what road did people use to travel to the south? I don’t know.

C-4 is EDSA (Highway 54); C-5 is a popular alternate route to EDSA; C-6 will connect NLEX and SLEX through a planned Lakeshore Highway near Laguna Lake. Do people still remember C-1, C-2, and C-3?

In the Disney animated film Cars, Radiator Springs was once a famous stop-over for motorists along Route 66. But the construction of an interstate highway gave the people a faster route towards their destinations. Radiator Springs was soon abandoned by many residents, business establishments, and motorists. It became a ghost town.

When NLEX was constructed, did it create ghost towns in McArthur Highway? How did residents survive if their livelihoods depend on tourists and motorists who use the highway?

Thanks to NLEX, we can arrive in Baguio in 5-6 hours but we are deprived of the chance to pass through several historic towns in Bulacan and Pampanga like Malolos and Apalit. Soon, NLEX will be extended up to La Union. What towns in Tarlac and Pangasinan will be erased from our mental map?

Before the Pinatubo eruption, buses passed through the towns of Mabalacat, Bamban, and Capas (remember the Death March?). After the eruption and the destruction of several bridges in the area, buses diverted to Concepcion to reach Tarlac City. Today, buses still use the Concepcion route. What happened to the socio-economic profiles of the towns in the old route? What happened to the famous Wonderland Resort in Bamban?

The “world-class” Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway allows us to reach Subic in less than two hours. Travel time between Clark and Subic economic hubs is now only 40 minutes. Impressive. But the message is clear: The endgoal is to reach Subic and Clark. Forget old towns like Lubao, Dinalupihan, San Fernando, and Olongapo.

Soon, SLEX will be extended up to Lucena. What towns in Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon will be erased from our mental map?

This can be an interesting subject for an anthropological study: the socio-economic and cultural local impact of abandoning old highways. How do small suburban communities adapt as motorists withdraw from using nearby old highways? When famous highways lose their strategic value, do they become notorious and killer roads where criminality and traffic accidents are rampant?

Modern highways are established to connect places and to move people faster. In the so-called fast-paced world, a modern highway is an essential infrastructure to increase mobility in society and to promote economic growth. However, developers and engineers often only draw a straight line on a map to connect two destination points. They rarely consider the historic value of towns that will be bypassed. They sometimes ignore the natural curving of the land. If a mountain is blocking the route of a proposed new highway, developers will blast that unwanted lump of land (similar to what they did in SCTEX). If they can demolish shantytowns, they are capable of destroying the unclaimed, untitled natural resources of the country. A minor sin that will serve a bigger cause (like faster travel time to smuggle hot goods).

This quote from the film Cars captures the change in attitude of planners in designing road networks: “(Forty-years ago), the road didn’t cut through the land like that interstate. It moved with the land, it rose, it fell, it curved. Cars didn’t drive on it to make great time. They drove on it to have a great time.”

We use the NLEX because it saves us time. It makes travel faster and more convenient. The destination, not the journey, is more important to urbanites like us. We use the SLEX for the same reasons. Did SLEX prevent the conceptualization of a road network that would have provided us with a magnificent glimpse of the majestic Laguna Lake? Instead of designing a lakeside highway, we chose a faster but less scenic route to exit Metro Manila.

Why? Because we value time so much. We want efficient roads that would quickly transport us to other places. We have no time to enjoy and experience the rural scenery. We are not artists anyway. We want to escape the pesky and perpetual problems like traffic and dirt which are prevalent in old towns. We want to travel like modern citizens in modern cities. We want superhighways.

Because of faster travel time (thanks to the wide, clean and expensive highways), we have more time to spare. And what do we do with our free time? Do we use it to solve the world’s problems? Do we devote more time to enhance our knowledge? Or perhaps we are using it to watch more TV shows and to update our Facebook pages?

To pass through the old highways is to revisit fragments of the past and to confront the third world realities of our society. In these once famous highways, cars run slower on narrow and dilapidated streets. Giant trucks, overloaded vans, and unregistered vehicles collide with tricycles, wooden carts, stray animals, and jaywalkers. Traffic lights are unreliable; traffic laws are obeyed sometimes. These are some of the spectacles which are now hidden from our eyes.

The modern history of the Republic is buried in these old highways. Through these almost-forgotten roads, a nation was built. The least we can do is to memorialize these once great highways.

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Posted in places | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Bayanihan sa 2010

By admin | October 6, 2009

Talumpating binigkas sa Olongapo City Convention Center…

Ilang segundong katahimikan para sa mga nasalanta ng bagyong Ondoy at Pepeng….

Ako’y naimbitahang magsalita tungkol sa responsableng papel ng kabataan sa halalan. Napapanahon ang paksang ito dahil sa Pilipinas, may tatlong panahon: Wet Season, Dry Season, at Election Season. Walang duda, ramdam nating lahat ang papalapit na halalan.

Sinasabi nila, ang halalan ay pagkakataong bumoto ng pagbabago. Tumpak. Pagbabago. Pero ang tanong naman ng ilan, paano magkakaroon ng pagbabago kung madumi ang sistema; kung namamayani ang dayaan, karahasan? Malalim ang ugat ng problema.

Wala na bang pag-asa? Mayroon. Kung gayon, ano ang solusyon? Simpleng sagot sa mahalagang tanong: Bayanihan. Oo, bayanihan sa 2010. Hindi pwedeng ipakete ang solusyon; nakabatay dapat sa sama-samang pagkilos ang ating sagot sa problema.

Paano ba magbayanihan? Hindi ba ang bayanihan ay pagbubuhat at paglilipat ng mga bahay sa ibang lugar? Sa simpleng pakahulugan, ang bayanihan ay pagtutulungan, pagsasama-sama para gumampan ng isang gawain. Kinikilala ang bayanihan bilang kalakasan sa ating kultura. Tumitibay ang pagkakaisa sa mga komunidad kapag may bayanihan.

Nitong nakalipas na linggo, nasaksihan natin ang isang bagong bayanihan. Tatawagin ko itong Bayanihan 2.0. Sa totoo lang nagulat ako sa nasaksihan kong bayanihan na ipinamalas ng bawat isa sa atin. Hindi ko inaasahan na halos lahat ay tumindig, umaksiyon, nakipagkaisa para maging bahagi ng bayanihang ito. Ang tinutukoy ko ay ang pambihirang kabayanihan at kadakilaang ipinakita ng mga Pilipino sa harap ng trahedyang sumambulat sa bansa noong isang linggo. Dapat ipagmalaki, ipagbunyi, ipagpatuloy ang bayanihang nasaksihan natin.

Pagkatapos magbagsak ng mabigat na tubig-ulan si Ondoy, halos buong kamaynilaan ay binaha. Lubog din ang mga karatig na probinsiya. Mahigit 3 milyong katao ay apektado ng trahedyang ito. Naging mabilis ang ating tugon. Agad nagvolunteer ang mga kabataan, estudyante sa mga relief center. Sinimulan ang maraming relief drive sa mga eskuwelahan. Nagdonate tayo ng mga damit, pagkain, gamot, pera para sa mga biktima. Higit sa lahat, naglaan tayo ng oras, ng ating lakas para tumulong. Nagrepack, nagbuhat, nagluto, namigay ng mga relief goods. Nagpunta sa mga komunidad para magwalis, maglinis, magkalkal ng basura, magtanggal ng putik sa kalsada. Nakita natin ang pangangailangang tumulong kaya tayo ay mabilis na kumilos; at hindi natin binigo ang mga umaasa sa kabataan.

Akmang-akma, matalino, epektibo ang paggamit natin ng social media. Ginamit natin ang teknolohiya bilang kasangkapan para pabilisin ang proseso ng pagbibigay tulong sa mga biktima ng baha. Sa pamamagitan ng Twitter at Plurk, tinulungan natin ang mga awtoridad kung anong mga lugar ang nangangailangan ng tulong. Saang mga lugar ang mataas pa rin ang tubig baha; saan kulang ang mga relief; saan kailangan ng relief truck, ng volunteers, ng relief goods. Nagpalitan ng impormasyon sa internet kung anong tulong ang pinakakailangan sa mga nabahang lugar. Pinalaganap natin ang mga artikulong naglalaman ng mga datos na kailangan ng mga tao para sa kanilang kaligtasan. Tayo ay nagtweet, nagretweet, nagplurk, nag-email, nagblog.

Nag-upload tayo ng mga litrato, video na nagpakita ng lawak at lalim ng trahedya. Nakita natin sa Facebook ang iba’t ibang mukha, anggulo ng sakuna. Dahil dito, naunawaan ng buong mundo ang ating paghihirap kaya mabilis dumating ang tulong ng ating mga kababayan sa ibang bansa. Bumuhos ang simpatiya para sa Pilipinas.

Pero alam ninyo, hindi ito ang buong istorya ng Bayanihan 2.0. Ang mainam, ang kamangha-mangha, lumabas tayo ng ating mga bahay para tumulong. Hindi lang online bayanihan; aktibo rin tayo sa offline bayanihan. At ito ang pinakamahalaga. Nakipagkaisa tayo sa mga grupo’t indibidwal na hindi natin kakilala para gumawa ng kabutihan.

Hindi lang tayo nagtweet para humingi ng relief goods. Nagtext tayo ng mga kaibigan.Tumawag sa mga kamag-anak. Pumunta sa relief center. Hindi lang tayo tumulong sa harap ng kompyuter. Higit na mahalaga, nagbayanihan tayo, kasama ang mga kaibigan natin. Naputikan ang ating damit, lumusong tayo sa baha, pinawisan tayo, nagbigay tayo ng sakripisyo. Naging bahagi tayo ng isang kolektibong aksiyon. Sama-sama, iisa ang hangarin, tumulong tayo sa ating kapwa. Hinangad nating maging kapaki-pakinabang sa ating komunidad. Hindi kanya-kanya, hindi mga indibidwalistang inisyatiba, hindi ako, ako, ako, mismo.

Ito ang makabagong bayanihan. Bayanihan 2.0. Gamit ang modernong teknolohiya habang nagkakabit-bisig, nangangarap, kumikilos para sa pagbabago. Ito ang bayanihan na kailangan natin sa 2010.

Bayanihan para labanan ang maduming sistema ng halalan. Bayanihan para maging malinis, maayos, matagumpay ang halalan. Nagkaisa tayo noong isang linggo para linisin ang putik sa kalye. Ngayon naman magkaisa tayo para linisin ang putik sa gobyerno; at ipakain ang putik na ito sa mga tiwaling pulitiko.

Kung naantig ang ating damdamin sa trahedyang dinulot ni Ondoy at Pepeng, dapat higit tayong matakot sakaling magkaroon ng kaguluhan sa 2010. Gamitin natin ang bayanihan para harangin ang mga maitim na plano ng mga loko-loko sa gobyerno na sadyaing gawing palpak ang halalan. Mas malaking trahedya kaysa sa Ondoy kung hindi matuloy ang halalan o kaya’y manatiling madumi ang sistema ng pagboto at pagbilang sa bansa. Higit na matinding krisis ang kamatayan ng demokrasya.

Mahalaga na tayo ay maging mapagbantay, gamitin ang imahinasyon para maunawaan ang trahedya na pwedeng humagupit sa bansa sakaling maging bigo ang halalan.

Kailangang maging volunteers ulit tayo sa 2010. Kailangang makipagkaisa ulit sa mga taong hindi natin kakilala. Mga taong naghahangad din ng isang matagumpay na halalan.

Maging pollwatcher. Maglaan tayo ng oras, ng ating lakas para tumulong. Magrepack, magbuhat, magluto, namigay ng pagkain sa mga volunteer. Magpunta sa mga komunidad para walisin ang mga bumibili ng boto, linisin ang voter’s list para mawala ang mga flying voters, ghost voters at swimming voters. Magkalkal ng basura, ng baho ng mga sagad-sagaring kahiya-hiyang kandidato.

Gamitin ulit ang teknolohiya bilang kasangkapan para gawing mas sistematiko ang pagbabantay ng halalan. Gamitin ulit ang Twitter at Plurk para tukuyin ang mga lugar na laganap ang mga kaso ng dayaan at karahasan. I-maksimisa ang microblogging para malaman kung saang mga presinto nangangailangan ng pansin; saan nagkalat ang mga goons, saan ang bilihan ng boto, saan hinaharangang bumoto ang mga botante. Gamit ang datos na ito, gumawa ng interactive map. Magpalitan ng impormasyon sa internet kung anong aksiyon ang pinakakailangan sa mga election hotspot. Mag-upload ng mga litrato, video na magpapakita ng mga problema na may kinalaman sa halalan. Palaganapin natin ang mga artikulong naglalaman ng mga datos na kailangan ng mga tao para sa matalinong pagboto. Tayo ay magtweet, magretweet, magplurk, mag-email, magblog.

Kumpletuhin natin ang Bayanihan 2.0. Lumabas tayo ng ating mga bahay para bumoto at maging volunteer. Hindi lang online bayanihan; dapat aktibo rin tayo sa offline bayanihan sa 2010.

Hindi lang tayo magtweet para manawagang bumoto. Magtext tayo ng mga kaibigan.Tumawag sa mga kamag-anak. Pumunta mismo sa presinto. Huwag lang maging aktibo sa harap ng kompyuter. Higit na mahalaga, magbayanihan tayo, kasama ang mga kaibigan natin. Kung kinakailangang lumusong sa baha at maputikan ang damit para makaboto, gawin natin. Magsakripisyo. Maging bahagi ng isang kolektibong aksiyon. Sama-sama, iisa ang hangarin, tumulong tayo sa ating kapwa, sa ating komunidad, sa ating bansa.

Bayanihan 2.0 laban sa dagdag-bawas.
Bayanihan 2.0 laban sa guns, goons, gold.
Bayanihan 2.0 laban sa mga warlords, druglords, jueteng lords.
Bayanihan 2.0 para sa eleksiyon na may kredibilidad.
Bayanihan 2.0 para sa pagbabago.

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ASEAN must help rebuild disaster-hit countries

By admin | October 5, 2009

Ketsana is a Lao term for agarwood, the resinous heartwood from large evergreens that are native to Southeast Asia. But from now on, many people will forever remember Ketsana as the name of the typhoon that caused massive destruction in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos last week.

Ketsana was not the first great typhoon of the year in the Asia-Pacific region. Early this year, a series of flooding disasters struck Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. A minor flooding calamity also hit Brunei. But the flooding disasters did not force the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other countries in the Asia-Pacific to meet as one body to coordinate relief and rescue efforts.

So how strong was Typhoon Ketsana? It dumped more rain than Hurricane Katrina. In about six hours it unleashed a whole month’s worth of rain in the Philippines, which triggered the worst flooding in Metro Manila in 40 years. It claimed almost 300 lives. More than 10,000 houses, including 260 schools, were damaged.

Half a million people are now living in overcrowded evacuation centers. More than 200 schools have been converted into refugee centers, which could affect the schooling of many children. As of Oct. 2, typhoon Ketsana had affected 3 million people in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

After wreaking havoc in the Philippines, Ketsana unleashed its fury in Indochina. It forced the evacuation of 350,000 people in central Vietnam and destroyed more than 300,000 homes, schools and other vital infrastructure in the country. It killed at least 92 people, left 19 missing, and injured 199 according to a government report. Ketsana also destroyed millions of dollars worth of agricultural crops in six provinces, which will affect the country’s food security.

Residents described Ketsana as the most serious and ferocious typhoon to hit Vietnam in the last five years. They also compared the floods caused by it to the deadly 1964 floods.

Ketsana also battered Cambodia and Laos. The casualties in these countries are lower compared to the Philippines and Vietnam but they also experienced unprecedented flooding.

An expat in Cambodia said that it was the first time floods have been so bad in Siem Reap. Another expat wrote that the level of water in the moat surrounding Angkor Wat had reached its peak. A civil society group reported that in one province alone, almost 15,000 homes were flooded.

Ketsana also damaged the southern part of Laos and caused widespread flooding in Xekong and Attapeu provinces. Authorities are also worried that 50 hectares of agricultural land is flooded.

Last August, Typhoon Morakot became the worst calamity to hit Taiwan in the past 200 years. Again, Asia-Pacific nations failed to call an emergency caucus to discuss collective efforts on ways to minimize the negative economic, social and environmental impact of natural disasters in the future.

Today there is a need for ASEAN unity and cooperation to help rebuild the flooded communities in four Southeast Asian countries. The least ASEAN should do is to share resources and volunteers to aid flood victims. ASEAN should lead the international campaign in seeking more economic relief for the calamity-stricken areas in the region.

ASEAN should have a regional disaster-preparedness program. It should identify the environmental high-risk areas in the region and establish a common fund to modernize the weather monitoring facilities of member countries.

It should implement an innovative system to quickly respond to natural calamities. It should have green soldiers, medical teams and volunteers who can be swiftly deployed to any part of the region that needs assistance.

If Typhoon Ketsana were a terrorist group, ASEAN members would have met by now to denounce it and plan measures to prevent another terrorist group from destroying more lives and properties in the future. ASEAN governments should refocus their priorities. Climate change and not terrorism is the number one threat to stability in the region.

There would be many advantages if ASEAN’s efforts in combating the negative effects of climate change were synergized. This would facilitate a productive exchange of new ideas, efficient programs and modern approaches in dealing with climate change. It could foster economic progress based on the principle of environmental sustainability and generate a sense of solidarity among the people in the region. It would also guarantee immediate relief to disaster-hit countries.

This year, as in past years, ASEAN has failed to demonstrate unity although its member countries were ravaged by various natural calamities. Can Typhoon Ketsana finally force a change in attitude among ASEAN leaders?

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East-West

By admin | October 3, 2009

North-South refers to the political-economic division between rich and poor nations. This designation is still relevant when analyzing the worsening economic inequality in the globe. The North-South divide is also a North-South conflict. The North exploits the South; the North accumulates its wealth by dominating the South.

In the Philippine context the North-South divide refers to the lopsided set-up between Imperial Manila and the rest of the country. Urban Mega Manila is North while the rural areas of the Philippines belong to the South. Mindanao is the famous image of the South. The 20th century witnessed the exceptional struggle of the rural South to dislodge the Imperial North.

Imperial Manila is expanding today. It is now Mega Manila. Soon, it will be Metro Luzon. The western corridor of Luzon is included in the Metro Luzon Urban Beltway of the Super Regions program of President Gloria Arroyo. The political-geographical landscape is changing.

As urbanization spreads outside Metro Manila, the West-East divide will soon become apparent. The West refers to the coastal cities of Luzon facing the South China Sea. It also includes the emerging urban areas and tourist zones in South Luzon, West (Iloilo) and Central Visayas (Cebu). The West is the country’s premier trading outpost which targets the dollar investments from Japan, China, and other East Asian giants. The West is an economic hub represented by Metro Manila, Metro Cavite, Metro Laguna, Metro Bulacan, Subic, Clark, Mariveles, and Poro Point. The country’s major international airports, seaports, and modern railways are located in the West.

The East refers to the rural provinces facing the Pacific Ocean. It includes Cagayan Valley, Cordilleras, the provinces located on the eastern side of Sierra Madre, Bicol region, Eastern Visayas and Mindanao. The country’s poorest provinces are located in the East. It is no accident that armed rebels seem to be proliferating in the East. All empirical studies show that rebellion is strong in areas where there is rampant poverty.

The East is condemned because it is too poor. It is too remote and detached from Manila. It is too rebellious. Therefore it deserves to be oppressed. It has to be colonized by brute force. But the East is also feared. Its very backwardness can cause the defeat of the dominant political class. Its unbelievable defiance can inspire the poor to rise and punish the oppressors.

The State is prepared to defend the North from the attacking forces of the South. It can effectively prevent dissidents from invading the North by controlling the major transport routes north and south of Mega Manila. But is the State ready to defeat the rebels if they come from the East? The literal east. From the Sierra Madres. From the Rizal highlands. From the eastern corridor of Metro Manila. What if an enemy force will attack the archipelago from the Pacific Ocean?

Scenario: The revolutionary forces can manage to overwhelm the modern machinery of the armed State by deploying their forces in all directions around Mega Manila: north, south, west, east. Build the army in the countryside. Attack from the mountains. Maximize the seas and lakes. Invade the north from the south (though the nautical highways, expressways, railways). Invade the west from the east. A political force which has the creative will and imagination to unite the East – South can claim political victory in the future.

To travel outside Manila is to go north or south. People don’t go to the west (water transport system is not efficient) or east. Few Manilans know that Metro Manila has an eastern corridor. The recent flooding tragedy damaged several eastern cities of Metro Manila. It is through this eastern side of Imperial Manila where the weakest link of the State is located. The political and economic infrastructures of the ruling class are not well-developed here. If the rebels and other historymakers gain momentum in the future, they will enter Manila through this passage.

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Byahilo: Evaluating Philippine Tourism (2009)

By admin | September 27, 2009

Tourism continues to be a promising sector of the economy. It employs more than 3 million Filipinos (mostly in passenger transport segment of the industry). It contributes roughly 3 percent to the country’s GDP. It showcases the beautiful and exotic hotspots of the country. If the country is composed of more than 7,000 islands and islets, it means there are also more than 7,000 different ways to promote tourism in the country. There are dollar opportunities but also significant challenges to confront.

Tourist arrivals in the Philippines registered a 16.5 percent growth in the 1st semester of 2009, according to the Department of Tourism. The country’s top 16 tourist destinations attracted close to 4 million visitors (800,000 international tourists and 3 million domestic tourists). The DOT claims this is an achievement noting that the country managed to improve tourist arrivals despite the spread of A(H1N1) virus and the worsening global financial crisis. But the tourism numbers are still low if we compare the number of tourists in neighboring Southeast Asian countries.

What is the top tourist destination in the Philippines this year? Boracay? No! Guess again. Cebu? No! Palawan? No!

Camarines Sur is now the most popular tourist attraction in the country. More than 900,000 domestic and foreign tourists visited the province during the 1st semester of the year. The local government’s investment in wakeboarding tourism has yielded very positive results. This success story can inspire other local governments to draft and implement innovative and exciting tourism programs. Camarines Sur was not among the top tourist destinations last year.

Cebu is the 2nd most popular tourist hotspot in the country. It is also the favorite destination of foreign tourists. More than 320,000 foreigners and half a million local tourists visited the province during the 1st semester of the year.

The very famous Boracay Island only ranks 3rd. This is somewhat surprising and alarming. Surprising because everybody assumes Boracay is the most visited tourist attraction in the country. Everybody who plans to relax and spend money wants to stay in that world-famous island. Alarming because Boracay is already experiencing sanitation problems despite attracting only 380,000 tourists. It seems the tiny sparkling island is not ready to receive too many visitors. We need to promote other island gems. Boracay should not suffer the fate of Baguio City. Baguio used to be the country’s beautiful summer capital; the refreshing mountain vacation resort. Now it is overcrowded and dirty. Sagada is the new Baguio.

Puerto Princesa in Palawan and Bohol also attracted a bigger number of tourists this year. How? They promoted diving, ecotourism, birdwatching, adventure and incentive tourism. Dive tourism grew by 60 percent this year. Adventure tourism is the buzzword today. For example, spelunking in the Sohotan Caves in Basey, Samar. In Danao, Bohol, adventure tourism features a thrilling 45 meters plunge, 1km suislide, caving, river tubing, rappelling, kayaking and root climbing.

Where do international tourists come from? Korea (600,000), United States (580,000), and Japan (360,000). The fastest growing tourist markets come from Russia, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.

DOT should not just promote the Philippines as a unique travelling destination. It should also aim to improve the country’s tourism competitiveness. The Philippines was given a dismal ranking of 86 in the 2009 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index report of the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Singapore scored 10 in the tourism competitiveness index, Malaysia 32, Thailand 39, and Indonesia 81.

The Philippines scored lowest in ASEAN in terms of infrastructure competitiveness. The country also fared badly in safety and security (kidnapping?), health and hygiene (coliform? lack of clean public toilets? By the way, Dagupan has the most number of clean public toilets in the country), ground transport infrastructure, tourism infrastructure, ICT infrastructure, and availability of qualified labor (shortage of tourism graduates that can be employed in managerial positions). On the other hand, the Philippines scored high in cultural resources and price competitiveness.

The Philippine government should be worried with the lower score of natural resources index. The lower ranking reflects the inadequate measures adopted by the government in addressing the negative impact of tourism in preserving our pristine natural resources. Promoting tourism to generate dollar revenues must be pursued without destroying our cultural and natural treasures.

Tourism activities also engender prostitution, children and women trafficking, illegal drug trade and labor exploitation. Steps must be undertaken to prevent the spread of these criminal activities. Pedophiles must be punished. Foreign tourists should be compelled to respect and obey our laws and customs.

The DOT is now promoting wellness programs that include medical tourism. It is not wrong for hospitals to develop medical packages that will benefit foreigners but they should not abandon and reject poor and sick Filipinos. It is not wrong to build retirement villages for foreigners in the rural areas but the government must also address the housing needs of homeless and landless Filipinos.

The bulk of DOT’s budget for promotions is focused on international tourists. This is understandable since the government wants to earn more tourist dollars. But the DOT should not forget that domestic tourism significantly increased this year. This means we can rely on our kababayans to expand the tourism industry. Because of the lingering financial crisis, we can’t depend too much on foreign markets. Filipinos should be encouraged to visit the different islands of the country.

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