Revolution?

It’s a pretty tense day here in the Philippines. Tomorrow is the twentieth anniversary of the EDSA revolution that overthrew Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy, such as it is! This is always a cause for big rallies and protests and this year it is even bigger. As you know, for the entire time I have been here there have been coup rumours and threats and they are in full force today. A lot of the city is blocked off, including the Presidential Palace (so Emily gets the day off work!) and they have revoked the permits of a lot of rallies, closed the schools and, quite hilariously, revoked permits to carry a gun today!! I was going to have a birthday party tonight, but cancelled it as people said they would never be able to get near to my place. We live quite near to the Shrine of Remembrance, which is where the revolutions happen and where most of the rallies still happen around Manila (a continuous cause of bad traffic for me – and they always seem to happen on a Wednesday, when I want to get to Bible Study!) and a lot of the roads will be closed off – it will be impossible to move around.


The military have already arrested three alleged coup plotters and apparently foiled a coup attempt at Fort Bonifacio, in Manila, this morning. People are not getting much work done – everyone is looking at news websites and wondering what is going on.


The President has just announced a press conference and there is speculation she will declare a State of Emergency. It is on the radio now and half the office are listening, but it is in Tagalog so I stopped. Okay – Lorna just came back and said that she declared a State of Emergency. But we don’t know what that means… The radio is on in the middle of the office and occasionally people call out things in response (it sounds like they are airing a press conference) but of course, I don’t understand what they are saying.


I am a little scared – I have never lived through anything like this before. The military is on red alert and a lot of people are trying to get out of Manila – we are all saying we want to go home with my colleague Gemma to Baguio (her home, where she returns each weekend) this weekend – it is about seven hours out of Manila. I was just talking to one of the guys in my cubicle – he is my age and has already lived through two revolutions, so is fairly blasé!!! But it is all somewhat new for me. We have gone through this quite a few times this year, but this one feels more ominous, somehow. And I really don’t want to be sent home with six weeks left in my time here.


Hopefully all will be well – I will keep you posted. Am now wondering how much water we have in the apartment!!!


P.S. – will come back and tell you about my amazing trip to Thailand another time. Needless to say, I’m a little distracted right now.

Okay - another update. Apparently they are now saying they will arrest everyone who is currently marching in Makati, because they don't have a permit. This includes former President Aquino who is out there with the ralliers. The police are saying they will use force. There are already thousands out there (and the rally is not supposed to start for another two and a half hours) - I think it is going to get very ugly. Am still nervous - we are now starting to mumble that we shouldn't be at the office, but should be going home.

Thailand!

I hate computers - I just wrote a whole post and as I was selecting it all to justify the text, it deleted it for me - now I am fully grumpy.

Anyway - I am running out the door as I am going to Thailand tonight!!! Placebo are playing at a music festival there and I am going! Woo hoo! Cannot wait - it will be so brilliant (I have lost the ability to form coherent sentences in my excitement). However, in true Filipino fashion, the travel agent is late arriving with my ticket, so I hope I don't miss the jolly plane!

I have also had to move offices - in order to cut costs we closed one of our offices (we were spread across two offices on the 15th floor of an office tower) and consolidated into one. So we are very cosy now. And I don't have a phone any more :(

Do you want to know something interesting - no buildings in the Philippines have a thirteenth floor!! They all go from twelve to fourteen. This is something I greatly appreciate when I walk down and up to the canteen on the seventh floor! I think if there were just one more floor, I wouldn't make it - I am already puffing like an out of shape hippo when I get back up here!

So - to finish us off - some advice from the official website for attending the Bangkok 100 Rock Festival:

Thailand is a very HOT country! So you better dress comfortably (piffle - after the Philippines, your measly Thailand summer doesn't faze me - I think?).
Have a bottle of water with you, so you can enjoy the show, not spending time for the water!
In case of personal sickness, you need to prepare your pills to be ready to use for the emergency. (can't really think of a comment for this...)
Don't bring any valuable stuff with you here, this is a music festival, not a gala dinner. (huh - but I bought a new Dolce Gabbana...)
Last thing, but not least. Don't forget the tickets!!!
Enjoy the music, but not to bother other people. (somewhat negated by the next point...)
Practice your fav songs of your fav artists, shout it out loud. (which the person standing next to you in the crowd will appreciate beyond measure!!)
Don't throw anything on to the stage while the artist performing. (presumably okay between acts?!)
Don't bring any stuff that can be used as the weapon to the event, cos it will be captured! (and used against us?)
Pay honor to all artists, even the one which is not your fav one.
Give priority to children, ladies, and senior people (imagine there will be a lot of those).
Go with a big group of friends, enjoy it together.
Dress the best look clothes ever! (designer ruffian? Fairy wings?)
Love the artists? Want them to know it? So make a love plate to show them! (the mind boggles)

Day of tears...

A fairly awful thing happened here in Manila on Saturday morning- actually, less than a kilometre from my home. During the morning, I heard sirens etc., but that is a pretty common occurence here in Manila and I didn't really think anything of it. But then, on my way back from the Salcedo market (where we buy fruit and vegetables) the taxi driver asked me if I had heard the news that morning? I said no, thinking that the coup that has been rumoured since we arrived has finally happened. Turns out though that GMA is still safe, for the minute.

Instead, at the Ultra Sports Stadium, very close to our condo block, a popular game show, Wowowee, were filming their one-year anniversary show. This show normally screens weekly, but were having a midday screening with double their normal prize money available (from one million to two million pesos - about AUD$25,000 or US$20,000). Of course, for many Filipinos, living in constant and abject poverty (40% of the country live on less than US$2 per day), this was a chance of a lifetime to lift themselves out of poverty and make a new start. So instead of the 19,000 maximum number for the stadium, 30,000 people arrived to try to get in - some had been queuing since Wednesday morning.

There was a mad rush for tickets and in an attempt to control the chaos, the organisers closed the gates. There are also rumours that someone shouted that there was a bomb in the crowd, but this has not been confirmed. Anyway - there was a mass stampede and 74 people died, with hundreds injured. Apparently the injured were still at Ultra last night (Monday), but they have all gone today (Tuesday morning).

This has led to a lot of commentary here - the principal element that has been highlighted is how desperate people are - how they would come to something like this and although they obviously didn't realise it at the time, risk their lives, just to win some cash. For many foreigners here, this smacks of many of the things we identify as needing improving in the Philippines - a lack of organisation and control of authorities, no concept of queueing or waiting your turn for something (Filipinos are the worst pushers-in we have ever encountered!), triumph of a pursuit of material goods (either characterised as greed, or a struggle for survival - depending upon who you ask!) at the risk of decorum, civility and sometimes, humanity. There has been quite a bit of condemnation of the TV station (I think they are emerging as the bad guys, for their lack of organisation), but also of people who would go to such extremes to try to get money. While I can agree with this (and can also easily imagine many impoverished Filipinos pushing at the back of this crowd), I think it is telling that I have yet to hear condemnation from a person who has had to struggle to feed their family (possibly because nobody ever bothers to ask such people their opinions?!) It is easy for a room full of rich Filipinos with their drivers, household help, nannies and overstuffed pantries to sit in judgement of poorer Filipinos.

I don't want you to get the wrong impression - there has been tremendous grief and pain at this situation, from all Filipinos. I have just noticed a tendency on the part of well-to-do locals to say "it is so awful, but..."

Currently things are a bit of a mess. A lot of people came in from the provinces to attend the show and now their are children without parents (the majority of casualties were older people, especially women, and children), husbands without wives etc., and with no local support structures.

It has been really devastating - watching it on the television, with people who feel like my compatriots now, I have been really upset and my heart breaks for these poor families who have come for a fun day, and had it turn to tragedy.

There is a short BBC article about it here

A week in a minute (or ten)...

Just in case they don't know, I need to tell my parents again just how much I love my Christmas present - my shiny new iPod. And my legendary sister for setting it up for me (my sad IT skills shine through again...*sigh*) I am doing really boring work, checking the results of a bunch of candidates throughout the Asian region (although having fun with the names - the longest one so far has 23 syllables - no kidding!!) and am currently listening to the Les Miserables soundtrack - I haven't listened to this for a few years and have forgotten how brilliant it is - great music and lyrics that just give you goosebumps...

Anyway - I swore to myself that I was not ending this week without posting again - so here goes. This blog is a little woeful lately...

So - Australia Day was good, although I was a wee bit homesick. I did my little Australia Day merienda at work (:::gasp::: - Filipinos love vegemite - I am not kidding, they came back for more...ruins all the fun!) and a friend had gotten me this CD of 'Unnofficial National Anthems' full of bands like Cold Chisel and Jimmy Barnes and Men At Work (Rainier said to me..."hmmmm - I always thought that the Little River Band and Men at Work were British - I just looked at him in horror and said "you thought the band who sang "We Come from the Land Downunder" were British - go and stand in the corner") and the music got me a bit - I never thought I would get nostalgic for Christine Anu's 'My Island Home' or Goanna's 'Solid Rock', but hey - I guess there is a first for everything, right? But everyone at work was so sweet - they all came up to me on Thursday morning and said "Happy Australia Day" and really got into the spirit with me. One of the guys here said to me the next day, "oh it is good - your smile is back today. You looked a bit sad yesterday, but you are all smiling again today", which got me all mushy and thinking 'how can I possibly leave here?'

That night, we had a party at the Ambassador's residence, along with just about every expatriate in Manila, I think. Seriously, it was huge - but Aussie food (and wine and beer!) and cheeses and the world's smallest pavlovas (seriously - the size of a fifty cent coin) and some Aussie jazz band playing, inexplicably, a lot of Irish music (?) - although there was a guy with a digeridoo, which was great. Lynette, our ICM, came, and used the opportunity to tell us that she is leaving and taking a job at CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency - I think?) which put a damper on things - we are going to miss her sooooo much. And, I must remember that if I ever go to anything at the residence of the Australian Ambassador in Manila again, I have to wear flat shoes. Both times I have been there, I have spent the whole night with my heels sinking into his lawn which has really not been fun - and is not so good for the shoes, either.

Saturday I went to a performance done by street kids that my friend Sarah, who is an AVI volunteer, has been working with. It was really good - some of the stuff they were depicting was true-to-life situations for them and it must have been quite challenging to write (the children come up with everything and write it themselves) and portray for them, but probably quite therapeutic, all the same. I am constantly reminded here of just how blessed I am in my life - I can't count the ways. That night, we went to an album launch. It was an interesting set up - it was basically in a car park, with no facilities at all (one little stand selling a few drinks - apple juice anyone?

Sunday we had about fifteen people at our place to watch the Australian Open men's final, which was a good match, although not as good as it could have been. We had a split - most of the Aussies going for Baghdatis (underdog sympathies) and the Europeans going for Federer. I didn't really care, just wanted a good match (would have rather watched Keifer - he's prettier!!!) Reggie was taking bets with all the Frenchies about the outcome (I think, sadly, he is probably a bit poor now) which was quite hilarious as he couldn't pronounce Baghdatis' name - so each time he tried to make a bet, he would say something like "the Baghdad guy". Sadly, at the end of the afternoon, Reggie moved out, and now lives with all the French in Katipunan (in the maid's room! with adjoining bat cave - and resident rat!!). Ange and I miss him a lot - we were like a little family that has been broken up. Some of you know the circumstances of this - I won't post them here as it just makes me angry to think about it again, but anyway...

Sunday also marked the end of the annual two weeks of bliss that is the Australian Open - all that beautiful tennis, in our time zone, and it is all over.

Last night, the French (and there is a token German - I am not kidding, there are four French, one German and now Reggie in this house) had a party at their place, that we all went to (well - Ange, Sally, Nat and myself). That was a lot of fun - I had no idea there were so many French people living in Manila - I am surprised there are any left in Paris (are there any left in Paris or have they all decamped?) - there must have been thirty there (maybe less - it was confusing and I may have had a couple of drinks! shhhh) Sadly, being that they are all students, it was a Thursday night (I miss student days) and us being boring workers, we had to leave by midnight... *Big sigh*...it was a fun party

Tonight I am going to see Walk the Line. I think my grumbling about not getting movies here that are not massive blockbusters, or featuring Jean Claude Van Damme has registered with someone, as there are a plethora (by Manila standards) of non-total-mainstream movies coming out soon. Walk the Line, Munich (so excited - I really want to see that, but never thought it would come out here), Brokeback Mountain (can't believe that will be here - the mind boggles), Proof (have actually already seen that on the plane - possibly the first time I have watched Gwyneth Paltrow in a movie and thought, "hey - she actually is a good actress" - I really enjoyed it), ummm - I know there are others, that I can't think of now. But I am excited. Of course, they will probably only be out for two weeks, so I have to rush to see them, when they come. And if I don't want to see any of them, there is always Underworld:Evolution! Or Cheaper By The Dozen 2....

Hmmm - and in the midst of all of this, I have actually done a ton of work. The review is nearing its end and I am chasing down things for it and waiting to see what the final report comes up with.

Franklin Graham is in Manila this weekend - I am possibly going, but not certain...

Okay - I need to go! I hope that this entry makes sense - I have had Javert and Jean Valjean and Cosette in my head as I write and been distracted by the sadness of songs like "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" etc - so this might be disjointed (there might be a Do You Hear the People Sing thrown in there somewhere?) I have been singing along softly, which has possibly freaked Necy and Lambert out!!

Oh - and I was wrong about number one of the Hottest 100 - in case you are interested:

(5 out of 10 songs are Aussie - pretty good, I reckon. I think 51 songs of the whole 100 were Australian!)

1 Wish You Well - Bernard Fanning
2 Catch My Disease - Ben Lee
3 Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
4 Best Of You - Foo Fighters
5 Dare - Gorillaz
6 Mind's Eye - Wolfmother
7 My Doorbell - The White Stripes
8 O Yeah - End Of Fashion
9 Joker & The Thief - Wolfmother
10 Do You Want To - Franz Ferdinand

I leave you with this great line:
"And remember, the truth that once was spoken: To love another person is to see the face of God"
(from the Finale of Les Miserables)