OFF THE BEATEN PATH
Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez issued an ultimatum to Office of Transport Security (OTS) Administrator Mao Aplasca to resign before the House of Representatives tackles the agency’s proposed budget or he will personally block it. I cheered, for the tourist whose $300 was stolen with the culprit supposedly caught in flagrante delicto. I cheered for the Thai tourist whose money was stolen last March and for the Chinese passenger’s whose watch was also stolen a mere five days later. I cheered for us, the frustrated and embarrassed Filipinos who painfully endure reading the kind of news that screams out loud “only in the Philippines.”
Whether the female officer tried to swallow the dollar bills or chocolates as what is claimed, nothing diminishes our collective shame as a nation. How do we explain the unexplainable? How do we deny the existence of intolerable negligence or worse, connivance among nefarious elements at the airport? Media exposure doesn’t seem to scare them. Neither does social media bashing. Imposing the “maximum penalty” on those found liable should be enough to instill fear in them, but does it really?
Reform is big word and an even bigger promise that has yet to materialize. Speaker Romualdez said that he had called for a revamp in March. “Where are the reforms?” he now asks. The issuance of an ultimatum should send a signal to the airport’s leadership – time is up. As it should be, because unless we get rid of the atrocity that sends tourists off with an unforgivable goodbye, all the international goodwill created, courted and fostered, will be for naught.
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Tourists come and go, but what will make them come back lies not merely on the warmth of our hello but on the gratitude of our goodbye. Stealing from tourists is the worst way to say “thank you for coming” and it certainly does not convey “we hope to see you again.”
What happened at the NAIA reflects a grand theft that is committed against the Philippines. We are robbed off, shamelessly and blatantly, of a reputation that takes years and thousands of people to build. Love the Philippines? Some Filipinos ought to learn this first.
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#SuroyPilipinas – Drive 3. Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon, in three days
It all began with a plane ride to Davao City. Then I took an eight to nine hour drive to Surigao City, where I was hoping to catch the ferry from Lipata to Liloan, Southern Leyte. The scheduled trip was supposed to depart at 6 p.m., but since Surigao City was celebrating its fiesta, the trip was moved to 12 midnight. So I decided to take another ferry to another port in Southern Leyte, San Ricardo. The trip itself was shorter, a little over an hour, but it meant going on a slightly longer drive when we reached Southern Leyte. We booked the 6 p.m. trip, which eventually departed at almost 8 p.m. When we docked in San Ricardo, the gasoline stations had already closed. Crossing my fingers, I decided to drive to Liloan, but all gasoline stations had also closed by then! The only gasoline station open, was the only gasoline station in Sogod. We made it there for refuelling so I drove once again until I reached Ormoc City at around 1:30 in the morning. Altogether, it took about 20 hours from Davao City to Ormoc City.
For Day two, we left Ormoc City before 9 a.m. and arrived in Legazpi City at 1 a.m. the following day. It was an interesting drive, as we passed three provinces and with numerous stops to stretch, eat, sightsee and relax. When we docked in Matnog, Sorsogon from the Allen Port in Northern Samar, I decided to just drive to Legazpi. While it proved to be a longer drive (instead of sleeping in Sorsogon City), my consolation was that it would cut my travel hours on day three.
Day three was something I looked forward to. No more ferries to catch, and for the last stretch, I would be driving along the SLEX. I started the day by going to the Daraga church, to say a prayer of thanks. We had lunch in Camarines Sur, and by 10 p.m., was safely back home.
Yes, it is as tiring as it sounds. Crazy even, when one compares it with the comforts of traveling by air. But long drives for me is what chicken soup or long massages do to one who needs to decompress every now and then. After all, long drives are often punctuated by unforgettable experiences and amazing discoveries that should make us love the Philippines even more. Whether one is after new food finds or pristine beaches, there is always something special to welcome you after what seems to be an endless drive to destinations both familiar and foreign.
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Off The Beat:
Sharing the live set I recorded last weekend at The Bike Playground for the anniversary of SENDR.
Playlist: 1. September; 2. That’s What Love Can Do; 3. Never Gonna Give You Up; 4. Out of Touch; 5. Elevate My Mind; 6. Fantastic Voyage; 7. Hey California; 8. Keep Pushin; 9. I’m Too Sexy; 10. Don’t Talk, Just Kiss; 11. Miss Me Blind; 12. Sweet Freedom; 13. Talking In Your Sleep; 14. Push The Button; 15. Music For You; 16. Izinque; 17. Let’s Groove vs. Horny; 18. Sing It Back; 19. Dove; 20. Starlight; 21. On Ne S'aimera Plus Jamais; 22. I Want To Break Free
Please click the link to listen: https://www.mixcloud.com/goyolarrazabal/goyos-mix-the-bike-playground-session-230923/