Philippines - day 1
Day 1 in the Philippines, on our Journey to meet up with my brother-in-law and to discover the Filipino culture.
A common location for the reunion of Filipino families. This sculpture is said to represent the families value inherent to this nation: strong family ties, emotional warmth and unity. Depicting a family welcoming home the father who may be an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), it serves as a visual representation of the Filipino concept ‘balikbayan’ and the joy associated with returning to one’s homeland.
We arrived early in the morning and first noticed a fire service parade. Rain out a downer on our initial exploration so we walked across the cultural centre to appreciate the familiarity of a Starbucks. There are lots of families out on the streets and the picture behind the busy roads and high rise buildings is a contrast where people are wahsin clothes on the streets and living in shanty corrugated structures.
After sleeping and negotiating breakfast in our hotel we wandered along the seafront boulevard to the cultural centre of the Philippines. Quite a walk but kind of pleasant. Traffic is manic here and reminds me of the disorganised streets of New York. Roads are wide and street sides are shanty-like. Drivers toot a lot but are generally ignored.
Tonight we found the mall which, somewhat, explains how the streets become so neglected. It seems the middle class don't venture out on foot much but travel from air con to air con by car. So, the mall was huge and mainly US-inspired retail. Suffice to say we indulged in our regular Friday night routine at Pizza hut, only it cost a third the usually price. Booked a tour with Carlos Celdran when we return and will venture out to Rizal Park tomorrow.
Jeepneys
Brightly decorated steel stretched jeeps carrying passengers like minibuses travelling on wet City Streets.
Jeepneys originate from the aftermath of world war two. When US forces departed the Philippines, they left behind a number of Ford jeeps or ‘Willys’. Whilst the transport infrastructure was destroyed in many ways this left an opportunity for creative Filipinos. The steel vehicles were stripped down and extended with roofs and benches added to accomodate around 20 passengers. The name is believed to be a portmanteau of jeep and jitney (referring to a cheap, shared ride or taxi). First introduced in 1945 these vehicles grew in popularity over the next decade and began to be adorned with creative colourful designs and humorous slogans. Today they have become an icon of the Philippines and continue to ferry passengers, for a low fare, around busy cities and congested road networks.
