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March 5Qui l l

n the province where food is

cheap and access to places is

easy, budget would be one ofthe major dilemmas when moving into

the city. Food is a need and leisure in

going to work, school parks, malls,mountains, while beaches are part of

recreation activities. Of course, to do all

these, one needs money. It varies where

you are. In the Philippines, there are

two categories - the city and the prov-ince.

As a migrant in the city for the past

four years, budgeting food and getting

to places I want to go to have been achallenge for me. The Big City, also

known as Manila, could be really fasci-

nating. Cars, shopping malls, high-rise

buildings and fine-dining restaurantsare just some of the things city dwellers

go nuts about.

The province, on the other hand,

always has the stereotypical image of

mountains, beaches, bungalows andanything that is color green. Life there

is always laidback. Almost everyone

makes their own food--- coming from

their very own backyard to the kitchenand finally, putting it up to the table for

a festive meal.

So my journey begins with a little

bit of both worlds. My journey to Davao

City is an experience I will remember

for the rest of my life. The place is be-

yond paradise for it offers you every-

thing you want and need- whether to-day you want to go fancy and tomor-

row, you want to go to the beach.

For one, to have a better picture of

Davao, lets start with the question:

How far can your Php1000 go in oneday?

Imagine how you want to spend

your day somewhere paradise-like.White beaches, friendly people, sunny

weather, good food, good music--- all

great things rolled into one. But the

catch is, you do not have to spend too

much. In Manila, if you want to go to thebeach, it would take you hours, lots of

money and very complicated roads to

take and other problems that will suckup ones energy. In Davao, it will only

take you 30 minutes to get to the beach

from the town. What is more exciting is

that the fare is very cheap--- just less

than Php20. Plus, you get to feel thefresh air touching your skin and a beau-

tiful sight of what Davao has to offer.

Upon reaching the beach, a small

boat will take you to another islandabout 10 minutes away, which again,

would cost only P15. Paradise is now

called Samal Island. Thus, the resort

where we stayed at is called Paradise

Island. There, I found peace with the

sight of clear blue water and

white beach. How can a place as

commercialized as Davao take

you to paradise in just a snap of afinger?

To avail its facilities, entrance

only costs P100. With that, occu-

pying and use of chairs, tables,comfort rooms and the beach are

al- ready included. Hence, for a budget

of P300, I was able to have a sumptuous

meal of my choice for lunch seafood,pork, Spanish cuisine. You choose. Food

is very good, mind you.

For recreational purposes, Paradise

Island offers a range of water activities

to choose from. Kayak, aqua cycle, jetskiand snorkeling activities ranges from

Php90 to Php4,000 (of course, bear in

mind jetski-ing is always expensive).Nothing beats the feeling of soaking in

the sun, with the sight of Gods best

creations humans can never put to

words.

A day has passed and everyonegoes back to the city. A little bit of traf-

fic will

catch youat a busy

time in

D a v a o

City. Go-

ing backto the

h o t e l ,

one can

take the

s a m ee a s y

r o u t e

going to

Samal Island which I found very hassle-

free.

Before going back to the hotel and

call it a day, one can ease up energy byeating somewhere, again, bearing in

mind the budget to work on. Mandarin

Tea Garden is the most popular Chinese

Restaurants in Davao. It offers a varietyof Chinese cuisine at a very cheap price.The serving is mouthful. Paying only

P200, I feel I ordered too much. I could

not even finish everything. Food wasreally great, not any Chinese food in

Manila can compare.

Davao is really surprising. It is amixture of both worlds anyone wants

to have. It is amazing that one does not

have to go far, far away to be in a differ-

ent place. In Davao, everything you

want and need is just around the cor-ner. Life there is unexplainably easy. In

less than a thousand pesos, one does

not need so much effort to find para-

dise.I love Davao. No, scratch that. Actu-

ally, I want to live in Davao someday.

byCristinaTupaz

How far can

your money go?I

Maayong Ad law!

INDAVAO,

FOODAND

AMENITIES

COMEMORE

AFFORD

ABLE.

P400willalreadybuyyouarelaxingdayatthebeach.PhotobyZarahDayao

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Untitledby Andrea Zarah Dayao

6

BlueParadiseby Andrea Zarah Dayao

Such fate of this paradises earlypromise,

waves dancing and swaying leaves,waves we played on at morning

and leaves frolicking to the windslast shaking

And all I have now is the shorelineof that paradise

and the journey that now has ended

Litratoby Cielo Eunice Flores

Ito ang samahan na walang makaka-pagpabago.

Minsan sobra, minsan kulang, peroganoon pa man, pagmamahalan ay

buo.Sana ang mga ngiti ay hindi lang sa

litrato.

Napagdaanan na ang lahat, patuloypa rin sa pagtayo

Ng pangalangang PJ sa isip at sapuso.

Sana ang samahan ay hindi lang salitrato.

Bawat isa ay pinagkaloob ng ang-king ganda at talino.

Kamay ang gamit sa pagsulat ngmga artikulo at mga kwento.

At sa pagdating ng panahon, makali-mot man tayo,

sana kahit sa pagtanda, buo pa rinang litrato.

Under the resplendent pigmentof its woven fabric

an innocent seraph of heaven sub-sists.

Marveling her exuberance,she was enriched yet delicate.

But like your dalefilled with green and growing things

Someday my darling

you too shall go,

and the world shall restits hope

in you

Ano mang problema ang dumatingAno mang unos ang harapin

Tayo ay hawak kamay at sama samapa rin

Di pagkakaunawaay isang pagsubokNa ating hinarap

Walang anu mang makakapaghi-walay

Sa higpit ng ating pagsasasamahan

HawakKamay

by Rose Anne Valled o

Saan nga ba nagsimula?Paano nag-umpisa ang pagkakaibi-

gan?

Nang mabuo ang PJ, nagsimula anglahat

Nabuo ang samahang walangmakakasira.

Tiwala sa isa't isa na nagpatibay ngsamahan,

Samahang mapagkakatiwalaan.

Minsan ng sinubok ng tadhana angsamahan,

Ngunit hindi nagpabuwag at nag-patalo

Subalit nagpatibay pa lalo ngsamahan.

Minsan lang makumpleto,Ngunit pag nagkasama ay parang

wala ng bukas.

Problema ng isay problema ng lahat,Kaaway ng isa ay kaaway na rin ng

lahat,

Walang makakaapi isa man sa PJ,Asahan mong lahat ay makakaaway.Ganyan katibay ang samahan ng PJ.

Hindi ka mag-iisa,Nandyan sila upang dumamay.

Tunay na hulog ng langit,Sa puso ay hindi ipagpapalit,

PJ, salamat at sa buhay ay dumating.

Samahanby Rose Anne Valled o

rip o avaoMarch 2011

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March 2011 7Qui l l

We rant over our wantstraffic jams,

crowded trains,messed-up hair,

busted cellphonesand laptopseven accept

our execrations.And them

in the countryside,

who before chant over a good har-vestand wild hog for supper,

now fume for only one thing:

the ancestral domainseized from them

up to this very day.

Low Tideby Cielo Eunice Flores

Lulubog, lilitaw ang tubig na iyongnatatanaw

Nagtatanong, nagtataka, saan nanapunta ang ganda?

Tila naging malungkot ang dagat,ang buhangin na naghihintay sa

tubig na umangat.

Sa init ng araw, mistulang na uhaw.Ang buhanging naghihintay,sa tubig, ayaw nang mawalay.

Bumalik na ang tubig,

sa ganda ng karagatan,ang mga taoy muling nagbigay ng

pag-ibig.

Ang gobyerno ay gumagastos ngP3.00

sa isang libro.

May badyet din itong P1.00 sa bawatgamot.

At sa M16 rifle, P16.00 ang ginagas-tos ng gobyerno sa bawat bala nito.

Kung pagkain lang ang bala,Walang kakalam na

sikmura

Countrysideby Andrea Zarah Dayao

Balaby Andrea Zarah Dayao

Malapit na ang ating pagtataposMalapit na rin magkahiwalay.

Ngunit madami pang pagsubok, angdapat suungin

Pagsubok na haharapin ng sama-sama

Ilang hakbang na langTayoy magkakahiwalay na

Ilang hakbang na langTayoy haharap na sa panibagong

hakbang ng buhay.

Hakbang ngSama -sama

by Rose Anne Valledo

Nang magkasama sa Print Journal-ism minor,

Kasiyahan ang naramdaman.

Ang mga ngiti at payo ang pina-baon,

Nang mga taong binigay ng pag-kakataon,

Mga minamahal naming guro,

Ms. PJ, Sir Nath, Sir Jerrie, Sir Jokay,Na handang tumulong at umalalay.

Kasa-kasama umaga hangganghapon,

Tawanang walang humpay at tigilMga pangyayaring ating pinag-

daanan,Na umabot hanggang Davao

Na tiyak mananatili sa ating mgapuso.

Ngayon ay huling buwan na mag-kakasama

Isang pagtatapos at pamamaalamMananatili sa pusot isipan,

Mga alaala ng samahang walangtatalo.

Asahang magkikita tayong muli atmagkakasalubong,

Sapagkat pusot isipan, iisa at mag-

kakaugnay.

Paalamby Rose Anne Valledo

A Literary and P hoto essay on the island under the sun Photographs by:Andrea Zarah Dayao and Rose Anne Valledo

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Qui l l

Travelling is such a funny experi-

ence. I dont mean funny as in humor-ous, but funny in a rather oh-wow-this-

is-so-deep-were-talking-about-life kind

of way. When one travels, sometimes

its not just the destination that mat-

ters, but the journey as well. Travel issuch an encompassing word which es-

sentially means movement. In this

sense, travelling starts from the journey

to and ends with the journey back andincludes everything in between.

This means that even the means by

which we journey to a place are in-

cluded in the travelling experience.Airports are the first places tourists

see when they enter a country or a newcity, and the last when they leave. First

impressions last, and for all the won-ders the Philippines has to offer, the

state of the international airports in the

country has left much to be desired.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport

(NAIA)s Terminal 1, for example, hasseen better days. According to many

reports from users online, it is so dilapi-

dated that they feel embarrassed forthe foreigners who come to the country

by way of this airport. Bathrooms are

dirty, plumbing is broken, fixtures are

rusted and tabosare placed in each stallinstead of toilet paper. Tiles all over thefacility are cracked, and linoleum used

in decoration is faded.

In addition to this, chairs and

benches provided for passengers atwaiting areas are broken. Cushions of

these seats are ripped and the stuffing

has popped out. Some of these seats are

new yet they are evidently not made of

quality material since they have notwithstood heavy use. Facilities have not

been renovated in a long time, and the

airport does not have conveniences thatshould be made available to travellers,

like free wi-fi and decent lounge areas.

On the other hand, NAIA Terminal

3, the newest airport with upscale ar-

chitecture and upgraded facilities moreappropriate for international flights,

has been in use for several years now

but is not fully operational. Even if it

has more check-in counters, betterseats, improved lounges and decent

restrooms, it only services three do-

mestic carriers. Not all the check-in

counters are used by the airline as-signed to it, and more than 20 percent

are totally unused. It still makes check-

ing in a long process. Despite the new

administrations promises to make it

fully operational by the end of the pre-vious year, improvements are yet to be

seen.

NAIA is one of the busiest airports

in the world. According to a report pub-lished in the Inquirer, the airport ser-

viced 24.1 million passengers in 2009,

and the numbers keep growing. It is no

wonder the state of the airport has

brought on much frustration for regular

users, especially considering the factthat it charges a terminal fee for eachdeparting passenger. This amount

ranges from 200 pesos for passengers

flying to domestic destinations, to 750

pesos for those flying international.Considering the number of people using

NAIA annually, this is a substantial

amount for the airports budget. How-

ever, it is not evident, and no financial

documents are released to show thebreakdown of expenses, leading pas-

sengers to believe that there is some

sort of corruption happening.The Philippines is the only country

in the world that requires a terminal fee

that is paid separately before depar-

ture. Other countries which charge ter-minal fees or airport tax incorporatethe fee in the tickets bought at respec-

tive airlines. This greatly lessens the

amount of time spent for check-in andprevents pocketing of money by airport

employees, a practice observed and

reported by Filipinos who use NAIA

Terminal 1.

As a matter of fact, the check-inprocedure in Philippine airports com-

pared with those in other countries is

unnecessarily lengthy. In a letter wrtten

by environmentalist Atty. AntonioOposa Jr. regarding the flaws of the cur-

rent system in international airports in

the Philippines addressed to concerned

government offices, the check-in proce-

Airport Anomalies

byJasmineShewakramani

dure of the passenger from arrival at

the airport to boarding is composed ofnine steps. This includes checking of

tickets, boarding passes and/or re-

ceipts four times, and x-ray check twice

or thrice, usually upon entering the air-

port and once more before boarding.According to Oposa, this can be

reduced to check-in and x-rays upon

entering the pre-departure area andbefore final boarding. Most airports in

other countries use this procedure, and

it makes for more efficient and hassle-

free travel.

Many airport users are now takingconcrete actions to push for the im-

provement of Philippine airports. There

is a Facebook page that calls for theimprovement of airports in the country.

Users report their negative experiences

and observations while suggesting

ways to further improve the airport

system that is in dire need of an over-haul. Several writers and bloggers have

also made their opinions known, fur-

ther igniting the discussion on the

many anomalies and flaws of local air-ports.

Atty. Oposas letter,which has been

made public by blogger Cecile Van

Straten was recently replied to by Maj.

General Jose Angel Honrado (ret.), headof the Manila International Airport Au-

thority, but did not offer much consola-

tion in terms of immediate solutions.

Honrado acknowledged that Terminal 1is in a bad state of disarray and could

use a lot of renovation. He further

stated that improvements are slowly

being made in terms of cleanliness aswell as the state of bathrooms and seat-

ing areas. Honrado ended the reply by

asking the Filipino people to under-

stand that these improvements do not

happen overnight and they need moretime to undo the neglect.

These statements were met with

much reaction from concerned users,and has even brought up the discussion

if the airport should be privatized to

hasten the improvements. A Twitter

user said that it is such a shame, citing

that a 15-storey building was built inChina in 6 days, and it takes 25 days to

complete renovations in one restroom

at Terminal 1.Needless to say, it will take a lot of

people power before government offi-

cials hasten the improvements to the

airports and address suspected corrup-

tion with the airport funds. It is a won-der that the president of the current

administration hasnt stepped up and

given more importance to this issue

when it his fathers name that gracesthe gateway to the Philippines.

March 20118

EThe state of disarray of airports in the Philippines

ditorial

J . S .