Bucket list for now

I don’t know when President Noynoy Aquino and Team PNoy will stage their rally in Tarlac City or for Tarlac province, but it might be of interest to the President to investigate or find out how true it is that some local politicians actually instructed several town Mayors to boycott two events, knowing full well that the President would be the guest of honor.

Apparently some politicians wanted to make sure that President Noynoy was not impressed with the efforts and influence of Dra. Isa Suntay in the province of Tarlac, lest the President gave her his political endorsement. To embarrass Suntay, the politicians told mayors not to attend the awarding ceremonies for the Belenismo competition last December graced by the President as guest of honor as well as the opening of the Hardin Ng Lunas where only one mayor attended and was marked by a power outage. Only because the plan leaked out, Suntay’s group managed to set up a backup generator.

Ironically, the very same group of saboteurs reportedly plans to have a lot of photos taken with the President which they will in turn use to convince the people of Tarlac that they have the political endorsement of the President. I don’t care whom the President backs in the local politics of Tarlac, but I do hope he chooses those who cover his back and not those who stab him in the back!

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A trip to the picturesque province of Batanes has long been on my wish list, and just when I thought I would soon have my wish come true, I recently discovered that it would have to go to the bottom of the bucket list. The reason being no one in government, neither from the DOTC nor from the DOT, has taken notice of the exorbitant airfares that local airlines charge to get there.

At approximately P7,650 to a reported P8,940 one way and an average of P17,000 round trip, the current airfares are affordable only for the rich, foreign tourists with deeper pockets, or passengers urgently pressed for time. I find it strange how local airlines can get away with unusually steep fares which many travellers find almost equal to or more expensive than flying to destinations that are much farther like Hong Kong.

In a way, the steep prices naturally deter hordes of tourists and developers from gaining access to beautiful Batanes, but on the other hand, the failure of government to regulate or set reasonable airfares is detrimental to the tourism campaign of government while depriving a greater number of people access to air travel.

It does not help to promote such beautiful locations if Filipinos cannot even afford the airfare to get to them. I congratulate Secretary Jimenez for a job well done in promoting the country, but now that the tourists are arriving, it might help if the DOT sat down with the DOTC as well as the DPWH to make sure Filipinos as well as tourists can actually get to those destinations without getting lost or complaining of “highway robbery”.

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It was so unusual I just have to write about it. A week or so ago, I complained about how hooligans and barkers were lording it over the on-ramp from Boni avenue to EDSA making the place a jeepney-tricycle terminal as well as illegal loading bay. A few days later, the place was flowing with a few more enforcers and so I said job well done! 

Well a few more days after, I saw something so unusual yet so great! I don’t know who orchestrated or came up with the idea but I saw barkers and tough guys forming a long line and managing traffic and imposing discipline in the area. As a result the drivers and vendors stayed in place and were mindful of what they did. I salute this initiative because the people I termed as thugs or hooligan operators were at least giving something back by imposing discipline for whatever money or income they make from the area. It’s imperfect, but it’s creative!

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Last week I was invited by Sonja Vodusek-Vechio to drop by the Manila Peninsula to witness the launching of what they call “Peninsula Moments”, “a new global brand campaign showcasing the magic that the Peninsula brings to its guests” with photographs and film of iconic elements of each of its nine hotels and their destinations.

For the Manila Peninsula, the principal image or icon most associated with the hotel of course was “The Lobby at the Pen” taken from an elevated platform. The vertical shot framed the lobby’s overhead “sunburst” sculpture, its elegant marbled spiral stairway leading to a group of performers at the atrium and the lobby proper itself all depicting elegance.

The second iconic image presented a traditional jeepney painted deep green with gold trims that one associates with formal libraries. In the photo, we see the jeepney manned by three Peninsula personnel all dressed up in the full white formal of drivers and bellboys as they drive by the historical building that is now the National Museum.

The third “Manila” Peninsula Moment was once again uniquely about the Philippines as it showed the beautiful countryside specifically in Villa Escudero featuring a bamboo balsa (raft) with the Peninsula touch where two ladies in their formal white uniforms are busy setting up a low table for dining surrounded by orchids and champagne in an ice bucket.

The final image turned out to be more stunning in real life because it was where the very event was being launched: the Peninsula poolside which was all decked out with floating candles, a very functional stage by the pool and elegantly tied together by special LED lighting effects that constantly changed colors and highlighted the resort ambiance. A number of guests were quite surprised with the overall feel of the Peninsula poolside that many of them began talking about future bookings and making use of the venue.

Reflecting on that evening, I realize that the “Peninsula Moments” I saw were also our Filipino Moments and it was great that the Peninsula honored what is near and dear to us as well.