Philippine Travel Notes

My chinky eyes grew widest seeing those intersecting streets full of ukay-ukay in the open! Whew! I was just in a jeep and did not even dare go down to explore the multitude of whatevers on sale. But yes I said ’YAN ang ukay-ukay’! And this was probably the ’men’s wear department’ that I chanced upon hehe. As you can see almost all customers are the male populace. And that made me a bit lily livered taking photographs lest they all pounce on me! But where there’s a will, there’s a way, right? I took this the quickest way I could and without even aiming hehehe! Hah, if in Manila or Baguio you skim through racks, shelves or hangers, not in Cotabato City! Can you see the wares on sale? You’ll really have to make halukay, probably even dive to or swim through them until you find your find! Jeep driver told me its nothing new and it has been so as far as he can remember even as a kid. Lovely!

"Ay kalabaw may 'gerapee' sa taas", so shrieked a panicky jolly lady when she tried to reach for her bag from the adjacent overhead bin. And passengers laughed at her boisterously loud surprise. Remember the white bear in Butuan ? Maybe I spoke too soon! I mused then, what else would I encounter next. And here I was, in barely 3 months, encountering another animal on a flight to Mindanao! That when we landed at General Santos City! But this one, a "tiger" and not a "gerapee"(giraffe) has a lovelier story than the bear. It stole everybody's smiling attention as it silently sat up there. I learned that the owner was seated somewhere in the last rows. But there was no more available space in the area so the crews took the tiger to a vacant bin just about above row 7 as passengers boarded. I was row 11 (emergency exit) and did not see the animal earlier hehe. Maybe they boarded way ahead. The little big dear occupies a whole bin, so the stewradess

Talking about the weird confusing location of Cotabato (City), people naturally also talk about ARMM. Why? Because said ‘region’ is part of the confusion that is Cotabato! Just an addition, in fact. And, as promised in the previous story, let’s talk about what I’ve learned about Cotabato and ARMM so far… Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Again, as said in a previous blog, its “IN Muslim Mindanao” not “OF Muslim Mindanao” as many I know would mis-describe it. You will agree that those two little words (in and of) matter a lot especially to the learned folks I asked about ARMM and Mindanao. One professor tells me that “in Muslim Mindanao” says there is an autonomous region amongst places where majority of residents are Muslims. On the other hand, she says that “of Muslim Mindanao” seems to construe that the autonomous region is the only Muslim-populated area in Mindanao – which is not. If you didn’t get that (I had a hard time), we can always say… “whadeveeer” hehe! But if Cotaba

Kuta–Wato, Kutang–Bato, ah, we already know that, right? It is when someone starts asking “WHERE” is Cotabato that things start to get muddled in terms of area references. More than a puzzle actually. Here’s what I know so far… and these could be changing now or will change a bit more later! There was once the Moro Province created in 1903 during the American occupation. It consisted of five districts - Cotabato, Davao, Lanao, Sulu, and Zamboanga. Simple, right? But we are talking Cotabato, so let’s leave all other districts aside… First there was the town named Cotabato. Then the district was named in its sake. When the Moro Province was chunked into provinces instead of districts, there became the province of Cotabato with the capital town also named Cotabato. Just like Tarlac, Tarlac, Iloilo, Iloilo or Cebu, Cebu. In 1959 the town became Cotabato City. Simple, wasn’t it? However, in 1966 the province was chunked into two when south Cotabato was created, that later was even als

So, Cotabato City visit came to an end and I had to get myself back to the airport for a noontime flight to Manila. Good that I was already staying at Estosan Hotel since they have a shuttle service. Actually, an airport limousine as many would call it! It’s an old “Mercedes”!. Vintage if you may. And I liked the spacious seats! But that is not my topic here. There is something that travelers have to watch out for, and watch their mouths for hehe. It happened to me, it may happen to you. Don’t do what I did if you are not that crazy stupid and stupid crazy like I was! I am serious… hehe, yes, really! Here’s the story, so you’ll know what to do and what NOT to do… Black Mercedes as Estosan Hotel’s Airport Limousine departed with, of course, just me beside the driver and my backpack regally seated at the spacious “backseat”. Whatever the vehicle, when I’m not home (Metro Manila), I take every effort to get me seated at front seat beside the driver, so I could see things around, so I

Estosan Hotel, my refuge from Day 2 until I left Cotabato City. Good that I saw it on Day 1 so that when I realized I did not like Hotel Castro, I packed up and transferred to it. Good location – Just a few steps from the ORG and along the jeepney route too. Also nearer to the airport, the new city hall (and Mega Square), a Mercury Drug and the better restaurants and restobars of the city. Of course away from the barbecue smoke that envelops Hotel Castro from sundown to sunrise hahaha! I have a story… Approaching front desk, the uniformed girls chimed an enthusiastic good morning. At first one of them asked if I was part of ‘the group’ they were expecting and immediately followed it with “dumating na ang flight? Ang aga naman!”. I said I was alone and called up just a few minutes ago for reservations. Another girl replied calling out my name saying “we are very sorry for such an experience in Cotabato City”. Hey, being a customer service advocate, I loved what she just said and noted t

This was that smaller edifice I’ve been passing by yesterday and earlier in the morning when I went to see the new city hall. Its just before and beside the city hall if you are coming from city center. Not that there was something of note I learned and needed to see about this place. The building just looked too attractive to me to not drop by, and since I was already in the area, I decided to go and see more of it for myself. While signages refer to it as MC Square, I learned that its official name is Mega Square. Some kind of a mall or commercial square. Yes the building looks beautifully designed. I was surprised to chance upon a marker on its wall saying that the place “was built with the assistance of the American people though USAID”. Hmm, they build tiangge centers too? What’s next? A DVD square or another ‘barter’ market at another place in this country? Hmm, new realization for me! I was wrong to have assumed that the USAID only does schools, bridges, hospitals or highways.

Wow! What a building! Hands down the most beautiful city hall in this country I have seen so far! I learned about this new city hall when mentioned by manang as I ate tapsilog at her food stall across the old city hall earlier in the morning. She just told me it was somewhere near and beyond the two hospitals. Further told me that it was big and wide no one would miss it on the way to the airport. Hmm, I should’ve passed by the place 3 times yesterday when I arrived thru the airport and when I went to the grotto, then back to the city. So I thought I could easily find it. Maybe I’ve seen it but just did not know it was the city hall or maybe I was always looking elsewhere when I passed there. Maybe. And when the jeep stopped for me to disembark, voila, it is/was this big building I thought to be some Muslim something hehe! Suddenly and in so short a time, the ORG was displaced in my head as the most beautiful government office I have seen! Oh well! The city hall does not sport an

Very early in the morning of my Day 2 in Cotabato City, I walked over to the old city hall. Its just near Hotel Castro, just a short walk along the barbecue and fruit stalls. It’s a lovely old building but surrounded on almost all sides by a plethora of ukay-ukay and turo-turo stalls. One time I was attempting to shoot the building, a newly awakened ukay-ukay owner even gave me that irritated look thinking I was photographing him as he opened the covers to his store. I made him know I was looking at the beautiful roof of the building, then gave him back an even more wrathful look. He proceeded, I proceeded. I ate tapsilog at one of the many food stalls and got a bit more of insider information from the manang there. The building, she told me, still houses a few more government offices, but most of the others have already transferred to the new city hall. Hmm, a new city hall. I asked where that is and just noted it. I asked what would happen to this old and beautiful building. She said

I was not leaving Cotabato City just yet, but, I fled away from this ‘hotel’ ASAP! At 7:52AM. Yes, very early on a Sunday morning! Here’s the story… While still in Manila, I flipped through my Lonely Planet book and checked out hotels in Cotabato that they recommend. I saw this Hotel Castro as the most ideal of the three listed. Not the cheapest but not the most expensive either. So it was supposed to be in the middle. Reason probably why it was mentioned second of the three. [See picture for exact image of page]. Called the hotel up, talked to a certain Honey of front desk and voila, I had my reservation for a single room at P500 a day! On arrival, as I was checking-in, I casually asked why and when did they close their restaurant. Honey was a bit surprised and told me “as I said yesterday when you called up sir, wala kaming restaurant”. So I did not pursue the topic since it was nothing really. I knew and know that I could easily get food outside if I wanted to. But for the first tim

Dusk, and I saw that the barbecue stands were starting to come alive. Smoke was getting thicker everywhere. Oh, these and the fruit stalls actually line the wall of an elementary school! Instead of a sidewalk for the children, they have these stalls, so everyone walks along where vehicles pass! I walked across to my hotel and hesitated if I should go up to my room or continue roaming the nearby areas. I did not seem to want to see my room until I was really feeling real sleepy. But that’s another story I will tell in the next blog entry. Anyway, I went up for a little rest and to watch the evening news on the small ‘remoteless’ TV. It was not even done yet and I started to wash up to prepare for dinner and nightlife, if any. I caught myself going excitedly swift out of my room, down the stairs and out of the hotel. Gosh! I already told myself I should not eat at those barbecue stalls since there was nothing I heard that might have been special. My Lonely Planet book only mentions Mami

Happy about my ORG visit, I took a jeep ride going back to center of the city purportedly to return to my Hotel Castro. However, when I alighted from the jeep, I saw this big gate that looked like a military camp, but I got curious why many folks were going in there. I asked a passerby what that gate was and she said “PC Hill”! Oh, it rang a bell! I think I’ve read it somewhere in my Lonely Planet book. So I crossed the road and asked the officers manning the gate. Hah, PC means Pedro Colina and not Philippine Constabulary as I earlier thought hehe. It is a military camp yes – of the national police – but like Camp Crame, there are also civilian residents who live inside the camp. Plus, the views from the top of the hill is good and there is a cave! As if on cue, while the officer finished telling me things about PC Hill, a habal-habal came and the driver asked “sir, akyat kayo?”. I looked at the military man as if searching for an approval and he nodded! So I said “tara”! But I told t

Its not Cotabato City’s. It’s ARMM’s. So I learned of the cute situation, that I was in ARMM and I was not! And its already ORG, not anymore ORC! Gosh! Here goes… After that leisurely walk along Governor Gutierrez Avenue, with the grilled bananas, tricycles and Estosan Hotel sightings, I reached the expansive compound of the ORG. It looks like (and should be) a provincial capitol. Well, this is even a regional capitol. it’s a big building but distinctly a southern Philippines look especially up at the roof. Beautiful! The colors too, though seemingly modern, exudes that unmistakable Islam feel. Green is the most significant color in Islam and/or therefore, culture of our southern siblings. Ah I have known about that long ago while in Indonesia. If you think we Christians are wise at patronizing the color green to show our love of the environment and the present “save earth” advocacies, we are not the originals in that field. For the Muslims, it symbolizes nature and life itself – ever

ORG means Office of the Regional Governor. Regional what?! Well, there is just one. That is of the ARMM or Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. How did I know about this? The jeepneys led me to it. Though the topic was not really just ORG, it included an ORC that I kept asking about! I asked drivers what ORC in their signboards meant and I thought I saw some that had ORG. Many told me "ARMM". when I insisted what those letters meant, no one could tell me exactly. But everyone I asked could describe to me the place and who holds office there! They told me that’s the big boss of ARMM. I even asked a driver saying “like Nur Misuari?” and he laughed telling me “noon pa yun sir”! It had to be a military guy who clarified these ORC and ORG, but that's a later story. For now, let me refer to the place as ORG. On my earlier jeep ride (going to the grotto), driver pointed me in the direction of the ORG, so I already knew where I was going next from that “grotto” in Datu Odin. Lea

This next destination I visited was c/o the Tagalog-speaking kid over at the cathedral. I was not surprised that he spoke that dialect for a ‘daily conversation’ as I have seen and heard many people in Davao, GenSan, etc who do the same. Sus, there are even many Ilocanos in Mindanao! What surprised me was the suggested place, a grotto. I was half-expecting the kid would suggest a plaza or some mall since that’s what kids usually always know, right? Well, he probably thought I was some religious whatever touring religious whatevers, reason why he suggested the grotto. Or he is probably also very religious than other kids that all he has in mind are the sights to see that are related to his religion. I took his suggestion seriously and asked for directions. Kid told me its in Tamontaka. I asked if I could walk to that place, his eyes almost popped from their sockets! He told me it is very far, maybe 30 minutes to an hour ride. I asked if it was going towards the airport. He said somewher