Filipino cities

Filipino cities

Whenever I’m in Cebu or Iloilo, I go through the ritual of discussing with my friends the possibility of moving from Manila and living there.

The reactions are always of two kinds. One is great enthusiasm, “Yehey, yahoo, now na,” sometimes accompanied with job offers. The other, which used to surprise me, is: “But why?”

“Why?” I would retort. “Because I’m not sure I want my kids to grow up in Manila.” I would mention all the problems we have: pollution and traffic, malls and fast-food (read junk food) joints on every corner, the extreme consumerism.

I then turn to the attractions of Cebu and Iloilo (and occasionally, Davao). Cebu and Iloilo have a certain Old World charm, metropolitan yet small town, of department store (yes, they still have them) clerks who will engage in a bit of banter, of istorya-istorya while they’re wrapping up your purchases. And I remind my friends of how close they are to nature. You can live in the middle of Cebu and yet see both the mountains and the sea, and if you can’t, well, the sea’s never more than an hour away.

But my friends warn me about not having good bookstores, no good libraries, no good concerts, no good European films and how they look forward to visiting Manila to get those things. I smile back and explain that even in Manila, I don’t have time to watch the not just good but great films and concerts at UP, where I teach. As far as I’m concerned, I could live even in one of the smaller cities like Tagbilaran and still get a cultural life of sorts, via DVD (again, assuming I have the time to watch) and high-speed Internet (these days you can subscribe to Internet services like High Beam Research and Questia and get access to thousands of books and journals).

Some of my friends would persist: “You won’t have anyone to talk to here.” They would claim there’s no intellectual life in Cebu and Iloilo. Perhaps most shocking is, “We don’t have good schools here for your kids.”

So I actually end up defending my friends’ cities: “But Iloilo is like Athens: you have schools on every corner.” And I’m serious, it’s not just the number of schools, but some rather innovative and progressive ones.

Let me assure my friends in Manila that I’m not about to move . . . yet. I have too many commitments here that will make that move difficult. The biggest factor that keeps me in Manila are my parents, who are quite old. Both are big-city people who think of any place outside of Manila as “probinsya.”

‘Balik-Manila’

It’s not snobbery on their part. The paradox is that even if our smaller cities now have malls and other trappings of modernity, they do lag behind in terms of economic infrastructure and many social services.

I’m going to be specific now and refer to the experiences of two of my former employees who did pull up stakes here in Manila to move back to their home cities, one in the Visayas and the other in Mindanao. Both now have regrets about having moved back and are asking me if they can do a reversal, a “balik-Manila.”

Yes, they say, the air is cleaner and they have the mountains and the sea, but they’re overwhelmed by problems. The kids complain all the time, missing Manila. It’s mainly their friends and the malls and “gimmicks” of Manila, but the parents have greater concerns. They moved back thinking that it would be easier to make ends meet, with better prospects for small business ventures amid lower costs of living.

They were wrong on both counts. The costs of setting up businesses, even in small cities, can be quite high. Rent and utilities aren’t cheap, while potential customers haven’t been coming in because the purchasing ability is just too low. And yes, they do see now the problems of lower standards of education, especially as their kids are about to enter college. One of them wonders if her very ill mother might be better off in Manila for specialized care.

Their sad experiences remind me that more than many other countries, the Philippines is plagued by having one primate city while the others remain quite neglected by the national government. In Thailand, Indonesia and China, capital cities are still prime attractions, but they are primus inter pares (first among equals). Shanghai has as much, if not more, allure than Beijing. In Indonesia, Yogyakarta’s Gadja Mada University puts up stiff competition against the University of Indonesia in Jakarta. In the Philippines, the best universities are still concentrated in Manila.

Rethinking cities

The Philippines is supposed to be 64 percent urbanized, but “urbanization” is a relative term. We’ve had an epidemic of municipalities converting themselves into cities, with even the League of City Mayors complaining about the newcomers not coming up to standards.

The UNFPA’s latest yearbook suggests new ways of looking at urbanization. In the past, development planners tried to discourage migration from rural to urban areas, fearful of squatters and urban poverty. Today, the thinking is that we should encourage such migration because it alleviates rural poverty. One interesting research finding is that cities can be more eco-friendly because they can be more efficient in terms of using land and other natural resources.

But poverty alleviation and environmental conservation depend on how much government is committed to ensuring that the cities have adequate housing, jobs and social services. The problems we have today is that city politicians welcome rural migrants because they become cheap labor and bring in more votes during elections, but provide them very little by way of economic and social services.

Another point raised by UNFPA is that countries should develop several urban centers so hordes of rural poor don’t stream into the capital city. I’d add here that we need a major cultural shift as well, to get Filipinos to move away from “Manila imperialism.” We forget that Cebu and Iloilo were originally considered to be more sophisticated and advanced than Manila, centers of “urbanidad” or a sense of civility and civilization. If they’re losing that urbanidad, it’s because they try too hard to imitate Manila. If they could just keep their small-town charm and urbanidad, they might attract more professionals, artists and business people.

Meanwhile, those of us in Manila should also expose our kids to other urban centers, from Vigan and Tuguegarao up north, down to Zamboanga and General Santos in the south, so they can expand their horizons and their ideas of what a city should be. Hopefully, someday they will have more choices and options of where to live. Even better, they can contribute toward recreating and revitalizing our urban areas.

‘Doing nothing’ in Boracay

‘Doing nothing’ in Boracay

This is “habagat” season in Boracay, the season of the west or northwest wind, with monsoon rains and strong gusts driving rain and sand into the resorts, shops and restaurants lining the island’s famous White Beach.

As a consequence, almost all establishments have set up tall windbreakers on the beachfront, bamboo or wooden scaffolding with nylon screens or plastic sheets that allow the sea breeze to waft in while keeping out sand and rain.

Since this was our first time to visit “Bora” during the habagat, we are by turns dismayed and fascinated by the windbreakers, which at times look like messy barriers that mar the pristine landscape of White Beach, and at other times loom like other-worldly structures, the screens billowing in the wind like landlocked sails.

This also happens to be the season of Korean honeymooners, says Henry Chusuey, chair and president of Boracay Regency, the resort that played host to our group of media people, together with SEAir. Apparently, many Korean couples get married during the summer season (in their country) and increasing numbers have been choosing Boracay as their honeymoon destination.

We spot quite a number on the morning of our arrival as we stroll southwards along the beach. We even come upon a group of what looks like novice divers, all clad in wet suits, and we follow them as they make their way toward their dive boat. But before boarding, they first take time out for souvenir pictures, the group breaking into pairs and posing, first forming a “heart” with an arm arched over each head, and then kissing for the camera. The last to pose for a picture is a group of four women and we laugh, wondering what pose they’ll take. We’re disappointed though because they settle for demurely holding up their fingers in the ubiquitous “V.”

That afternoon, we spot from the verandah of our poolside room even more amorous couples frolicking in the cool waters.

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WE had been warned to bring jackets and rain gear, as weather at this time of year in Boracay can be quite “unpredictable.” But other than a downpour on the morning we arrived, the rest of the weekend is sunny and hot.

Because of the rains, this is also supposed to be the “lean” season in Boracay, but aside from the Korean honeymooners, we also spot quite a number of families, many of them "balikbayan" [visiting overseas-based Filipinos] taking advantage of summer vacation in the United States and in Europe. There are enough people on White Beach to make for a lively scene, albeit not in the bustling numbers that can make the beachfront as busy as Divisoria during the high “amihan” season.

Our media tour is billed as “The Art of Doing Nothing in Boracay,” but we find that, after a few visits, there is more than enough to do on the island. First on my and my husband’s agenda was a visit to Da Mario’s, which has come to be our favorite place for cheap but delicious pizza in Boracay. It is little known, mainly because of its location on the far southern end of the beach. In fact, for years now, there have been painted signs announcing the place was for sale. To our relief, Da Mario’s is still around, still unsold, and still preparing thin, crisp and crusty pizza.

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ANOTHER item on our agenda was to sample the breakfast at Lemon Café in D’Mall, but Jingjing Romero, PR consultant for SEAir and herself quite the veteran Boracay visitor, hijacks us the next morning to try instead breakfast in Zuzuni, a boutique hotel and restaurant a few meters away from D’Mall. It is jointly owned by Nikos Gitsis, one of the founders of SEAir, and Geny Psinakis, who also owns the Greek restaurant Mati in Rockwell.

We are not disappointed, enjoying the early morning beachfront air as well as a breakfast of pancakes, waffles and yummy “Zuzuni omelettes,” which Jingjing says her children ask her to take home to Manila each time she visits Boracay. Not to be missed either is the restaurant’s LaVazza coffee, dark and rich and invigorating. We’re even treated to the sight of two yellow Labradors being walked by their blonde owner, who it seems was training them to swim in the sea.

We do make it to Lemon Café for breakfast the next day, enjoying the sun-drenched pale yellow interiors. I order eggs benedict, while the hubby tries another omelette, and we share an order of French toast. With cool, tangy orange-lemon shakes, it makes for a filling meal, too filling, in fact for us to try the pastries which all the guides recommended. Maybe next time.

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OTHERWISE, we had all our meals at Boracay Regency, which is so far the largest establishment on the island with 285 rooms, and an additional planned 120 rooms upon the completion of another wing.

We are billeted in the Garden Wing, a new development (just opened in June) with 90 rooms, 18 of which have direct access to the pool, lined in dark blue tiles that give the water a cool, inviting look. The poolside suites have a classic neo-Filipino feel, with a king-size bed and upholstered living set.

Apparently, Chusuey and carriers like SEAir have much faith in the future of Boracay. “We have had a long working relationship with Boracay Regency,” says Patrick Tan, vice president for commercial affairs of the airline. To overcome the inevitable slump in arrivals during the “habagat” season, SEAir has partnered with Boracay Regency and other establishments on the island with special “lean season” packages. Particularly attractive is a package that goes for P9,750+VAT per person, triple-sharing, for four days, three nights, with free breakfast, transfers and air fare. It’s a great bargain, considering how much one can do while “doing nothing” in Boracay.