| Letter from Alaska
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on June 04, 2009 For the Standard Today, June 09 issue First of all, I would like to apologize to my readers for disappearing from print and cyberspace since May 15. I have been on vacation all this time, first in San Francisco, then on board a cruise ship to Alaska and back, and finally in Chicago. My companion and I were booked on the ms Amsterdam of the Holland America Line, which sailed from Seattle on May 23 on a seven-day voyage that took us to Juneau (the capital of the state of Alaska), then through the Yakutat Bay to see the Hubbard Glacier (before it disappears, one more victim of global warming), to Sitka Island (the capital of Russian Alaska before the territory was bought by the US under Secretary of State William H. Seward in 1897 for $7.2 million, and the town of Ketchikan (center of the salmon industry). The thought occurred to me that if the Americans had not purchased Alaska from the Russians in 1879, the US (and Canada) would have been militarily indefensible during the Cold War against the Soviets in the 1960s and 1970s, and the history of the world since would have taken a different turn. The Amsterdam had been scheduled to dock in Victoria on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, but the wind was so strong when we were there that the captain, fearing that his ship might slam against the pier, decided not to attempt to dock. Which came as an anti-climax to my close encounter with a Canadian visa. The ship�s itinerary had included a six-hour stop in Victoria (which I had misinterpreted to mean Vancouver) and we made plans to meet with our friends Arlene and Richard Vokey, as well as with businessman Gene de los Reyes, owner of the Gateway Industrial Park in Cavite. But when my travel agent told me that a Canadian visa would cost P4,335 (inclusive of travel agency�s service fees), even for a mere six-hour stop, I said, forget it, we will just stay on board the ship. Only to find out later that I, as a holder of a Philippine passport, would not be allowed to board the Amsterdam in Seattle if I did not have a Canadian visa, because the ship would be dropping anchor in Canadian waters, and Canadian law requires holders of Philippine passports to have a Canadian visa even if they do not intend to go ashore. Something about cases of Filipino seamen jumping ship while in a Canadian port. So, a hurried effort to secure a Canadian visa in time for my departure for San Francisco on May 15, all of which came to naught when the Amsterdam could not dock in Victoria because of strong winds, while friends Arlene and Richard frantically called to say that Victoria was some four hours away (including waiting time for the ferry) from Vancouver City where I had erroneously said the Amsterdam was going to dock and where they were going to fetch us for a drive through their beautiful city. A classic example of Murphy�s Law. If anything can go wrong, it will. A virulently nasty meteorological condition. And my ignorance of Canadian geography, for which Arlene is threatening to send me a map of Canada. Other than that, a good time was had by all. Those who are looking for a �perfect vacation� would do well to consider an ocean cruise. And I cannot imagine a better cruise ship than the Amsterdam. With nine decks of staterooms and function rooms, the Amsterdam is taller than a ten-storey building, with the amenities and appointments of a four- or five-star hotel, and the organized entertainment and activities of a self-contained floating country club. On any given day, there are 20 or more activities on tap that passengers can avail of, mostly at no extra charge, which include yoga sessions, physical fitness workouts, origami lessons, culinary arts demos, bingo, sudoku, digital computer workshops, wine-tasting, social bridge, karaoke, etc. There is a heated swimming pool, a spa, a casino, a couple of small theaters for movies and stage shows. There was even a folk dance presentation by the ship�s Filipino crew members. (Of the ship�s 700 crew members, 230 were Filipinos, 400 Indonesians.) And for Roman Catholics, daily Mass in one of the small theaters. Our favorite hangout was the ship�s library where one can sink into one of the many comfortable lounge chairs and read and nap for hours, or access one of about a dozen computers (at the rather steep price of 75 US cents per minute). WI-FI connection is available at a lower price, 45 US cents per minute, but I found that still too high, which is why I decided not to go online even once during the entire cruise. And our favorite musical artists were the Adagio Trio, three Ukrainian girls � two violinists and one pianist � who played classical and light classical music with finesse. Not that we did not enjoy the dance music of The Neptunes combo, or the racy cocktail lounge piano magic of Dr. Boogie. The key to enjoying a cruise, especially to a backwater � but spectacularly magnificent � country like Alaska, is to decide to do nothing. I have never slept so well in my entire life. The constant hum of the engines, the gentle rolling of the ship, and the soft embrace of the bed in the cabin or the lounge chairs in the library were absolutely soporific. The next best thing to doing nothing is to read to your heart�s content. I came on board armed with two books: Memories of My Melancholy Whores, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a sweet-sad, tender tale about a newspaper columnist who is gifted with a 14-year old nymphet on his 90th birthday by the madam of his favorite whorehouse, and not at all a lecherous retelling of Vladimir Nabokov�s Lolita. My other book was on the heavy side: Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why, by the Biblical scholar Bart D. Ehrmann, graduate of the Moody Bible Institute and the Princeton Theological Seminary, and current chair of the department of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who has a reading knowledge of ancient Greek, Hebrew and Latin and is well-versed in the arcane discipline of textual criticism. He has since evolved from Born-Again Christian to agnostic. I also borrowed from the ship library a relatively recent book about my favorite historical figure, Alexander the Great, by Paul Cortledge of Cambridge University, which suggests the high quality of the library�s book selections. And when we were not sleeping or reading, we were eating. There is food 24 hours a day, and at no extra charge, except for special dinners at a specialty restaurant which we did not bother to check out at all. Breakfast and lunches, cafeteria-style, at the Lido deck, and dinners at the La Fontaine fine-dining restaurant, where our travel agent had arranged for a permanent table-for-two for us, served by our permanently-assigned (Indonesian) waiter and (Filipina) wine steward. At no extra cost, except for the alcoholic beverages. If one over-eats, one can easily burn off the calories at the ship�s gym, or by walking around the ship on Deck 3: three and a half laps on the teak deck measure out to one mile or 1.6 kilometers. And how much did seven days of sybaritic indulgence cost? I calculated it at about $120 per person per day, much less than what one would spend for, say, four days and nights at the Hong Kong Hotel, where one would have to spend extra for meals and taxi fare to go shopping and spend more money. In my book, this is value for money. Perhaps one of the few real bargains left in the world. Those who want to try out a cruise should get in touch with our booking agent, Rizal Tour and Travel of Chicago, under our friends Isabel and Toti Juan at [email protected]. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in acabaya.blogspot.com. Tony on YouTube in www.tapatt.org. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. . OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Letter from Alaska� More Reactions to �People�s Champ Pacquiao� What�s with the Magdalo? Filipinos still striving to be free! Bird Flu and Donald Rumsfeld Dear Tony, So cruise and a much needed US-Canadian escape was the reason for your sound of silence. Good for you. I wish I had known you would be in San Francisco and could have treated you to a dinner, but after indulging food galore on a cruise your appetite would be low at best. Being a veteran of over 25 cruises, you are absolutely right that your cost goes a long way on a cruise. How else can you be pampered floating from one port to another, replete with attentive service, good food and drink on a 24-hour span. However, over-eating is the enemy and results in gaining weight. Here is my secret, I go on a two week diet just before the cruise. I recoup the weight lost on diet at the end of the cruise. There is no guilt during the post cruise. I would urge the public to consider cruising. This is a good time. Especially with the down turn of the economy, cruise ships are offering all kinds of specials and discounts, such as 2-for-1 fare (meaning 50% fare discount) or a cabin upgrade or airline tickets reduction to bring passengers back. Travels and cruises are desperate for passengers. Here are a few tip about cruising if you have not been on one: Consider inside cabins, (no port hole) they are cheaper and good for short sailings, 7 to 10 days and outside cabins with balconies more expensive for longer ones. You will seldom use the balcony. Most people are interactive, walking, shopping, gambling or on a PC. or bar They don't remain cooped up in the cabin. They go where the action is. If you have restrictive diet, inform your travel agent so the ship can specially prepare it for you. Broadway and Vegas quality shows are great after-dinner pastimes. You also get to dress up and look great! Formals are a must for ladies and men too. Reading and listening to your favorite music at the library is a perfect break to solitude and resuscitation. You'll need it. We are looking at Cunard's newest ship, Queen Victoria, for a 16 day cruise in November in the Mediterranean. Time to diet. Glad to hear you had a ball. Life is a celebration. Take care. Oscar Apostol, (by email), Rocklin, CA, June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, At US$120 a day, that's really a bargain. How many days for the package? Actually, Toti Juan is also a friend and we have common friends in Chicago, the Garcias. Toti spent some time here when he put up the Mutual Fund Management Company of the Philippines. Incidentally, I was instrumental in selling the company to ATR-Kim Eng in 2003. By the way, I run a regular blog on the Philippine financial markets. You may want to visit it every now and then for your own market outlook. Click on this: www.guscosio.wordpress.com. I would appreciate a comment from you. Thanks and God bless. Gus Cosio, (by email), June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You are keeping your friends and readers in suspense as to who your companion was. OK, OK, none of our business! Glad you're back and apparently in the pink of heart er, health. Ed Tirona, (by email), Para�aque City, June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, Mr. Tony, I thought you erased my name from your mailing list. I tried to check with your other web forum but I don't know why I can't access it. I missed the blogs and exchanges of opinions, especially with all that is happening here in Manila. Your prophecies about the great midget of Arayat are nearly unfolding, can hardly wait for your subtle bombardment of her again. Anyhow, you deserved all the good night sleep you have had and may you enjoy more of your vacation. Best regards, Edel Anit, (by email), June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, We do not begrudge your right to have a vacation. We need to recharge our batteries. My experience, however, is a bit different. When I plan a vacation, I end up visiting the Philippines even if the air fares have gone up. There is still no place like home. Max Fabella, (by email), Florida, June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Glad you�re back,. Tony. I�ll consider this possibility of an Alaska tour at some future time. Chuck/Carlos L. Agustin, (by email), June 11, 2009 President, National Defense College of the Philippines wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, what delightful reading. Yes I missed your usual regular articles. I have been dreaming of joining a similar cruise, with some of my friends, as usual if planned it usually takes ten years to be fulfilled. In my lament, one of our members, Mr. Tony Villan, wrote that he was once a chef in a cruise ship going to Alaska and he told me that food in the ship is as what you said it, 24-hours non-stop. Maybe next year, I will be able to make it, they said it is the most beautiful cruise of a lifetime. Looking forward to reading your columns once again. Cita Garcia, (by email), June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Welcome back, Tony. Ogie Reyes, (by email), June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I was on a cruise of the Baltic Sea from May 26 to June 5 aboard the Emerald Princess of the Princess Cruises. That is why I was not able to send my June 9 column in the BusinessWorld. There was a problem accessing the Internet from the middle of the ocean. Otherwise, the facilities and the amenities are the same as those in ms Amsterdam, yeah including an entertainment number by the Filipino crew members. Of 1,200 crew members, 700 were Filipinos, and a large number of Eastern Europeans and Latinos. There were 3,000 passengers on that cruise. We overwhelmed some of the tourists attractions we visited, like the Rosenborg Palace, home of the crown jewels of Denmark, Stockholm's City Hall, where the Nobel Prize banquet is held, and in St. Petersburg the Hermitage Museum where lived Romanov Czar Nicholas and Alexandria but which now houses paintings of the great artists like da Vinci, Raphael, and Rembrandt. The palace of Catherine the Great and the Peterhof Palace were so huge that it seemed they accommodated what looked to me like 20,000 tourists viewing the rooms and roaming in the gardens the day we were there. We filled up the plaza of the medieval towns of Tallinn (Estonia, former USSR state) and Gdansk (home town of Lech Walesa and birthplace of the Solidarity Trade Union that toppled the Communist government of Poland). What tremendous business can one Princess Cruise ship bring to Intramuros, Tagaytay, Corregidor, and of course the shopping centers of Metro Manila! There were land tours that brought Princess Cruise passengers all the way to Baguio. I was told by some veteran Filipino crew members that the Princess ships stopped docking in Manila because of the line's problems with Customs and because many passengers were hassled and hustled by Immigration officials. They said that Customs men board the ship and take as many bottles of wine and scotch as they can carry out. Seasoned Filipino crew members advised the new ones not to bring pasalubongs for their relatives waiting at the dock as half of them would just be confiscated by Customs people for all kinds of flimsy reasons. Oscar Lagman, (by email), June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Thank you. I thought for awhile you have slowed down on writing. You deserve the break. and, though vacationing you never cease to add information about places or issues to your readers. Hope to read your articles again soon. Victor Ma�alac, (by email), June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony While the Philippines and its people are "burning" - you are enjoying life. Yes, human beings were and are never born equal. Enjoy the ride!! The June 10 rally in Ayala Avenue Paseo de Roxas junction was held yesterday. I pity those (are they well paid?) attendees carrying those - all kinds of colorful flags. Joe de V, as usual spoke some - attacking Gloria, conveniently forgetting that he and sher were bedmates in crookiesssss!. I think Gloria is about to do - what Cory said of Doy - a mosquito or a (butter or fire)fly! Tony Oposa, MD, (by email, June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I have been cruising for vacations and will cruise again this October from New York City to New England and the Canadian maritimes. Had enjoyed the same Alaskan cruise you took, except we embarked from Vancouver. Cruising is a bargain so that you will see lots and lots of middle-income passengers, and it is most relaxing and enjoyable. Wishing that we may enjoy the same, cruising the Philippine waters and most of Asian ports. Have you cruised Hawaii? Was fortunate to have done that. Ben Oteyza, (by email), June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Welcome back, Tony! Alexandra York, (by email), Manila, June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thanks for sharing a wonderful experience. Romeo Encarnacion, (by email), Bulgaria, June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I enjoyed, as usual, reading your article on your Alaskan cruise. I had wanted to do it since 2000, but something always gets in the way. So I hope we will get to do it next year 2010 in time for my 55th birthday and our 25th Silver Wedding Anniversary. I hope we will still have some money left after our trip to Europe this September. As you may have noticed, I am following your travel pattern. Ha-ha! By the way, Tony, it was during the meeting with Ray Reyes when we actually met at Ciudad Fernandina in Greenhills. I think you left the key inside your car and I helped you get a locksmith! Wow! That was 20 years ago! Best regards. Rick Ramos, (by email), Santa Rosa, Laguna, June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thanks for the interesting summary of your Alaska cruise and for the endorsement of Rizal Travel Center, Inc. Hope you are now home, safe and sound, and ready to take on the challenges of the day. Toti Juan, (by email), Chicago IL, June 11, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I am so happy to hear President Lincoln did not die at the hands of Wilkes-Booth in 1865 and served a second term in 1879. Of course he would have been impeached for purchasing Alaska, given Seward had already paid the Tsar $7 million for it in 1867. (Sorry about that. ACA) Sounds like a great vacation and one I'm sharing with my sister as a gift for my parents' 50th Anniversary this October. They have ten nights cruising the South Pacific with P&O, again excellent value at about US$125 a night each all found. Cheers, Perry Gamsby, (by email), Sydney, Australia, June 12, 2009. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I was wondering why I had not received any of your articles, which I enjoy very much, for several weeks. I am sure some others have written about a possible mistake you made in your latest letter about your trip to Alaska. Since Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 I believe you will fine that it was under Andrew Johnson when the purchase was made from the Russians for Alaska. Also know as Sewards Folly. Sincerely, Jack Gesner, (by email), Baguio City, June 12, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you for sharing your Alaska cruise experience, Mr. Abaya. Maybe, in an addendum, you can describe to your readers the pristine beauty of the last frontier of United States. On the history aspect, the Alaska purchase agreement was signed by then Secretary of State William Seward on March, 30, 1867, and approved by the U.S. Senate May 27, 1867. President Andrew Johnson signed the final treaty the following day and the transfer was made Oct. 18, 1867, in Sitka. Also during WW 2, the Japanese occupied two islands of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, namely Kiska and Attu. The sad part of your story is the Canada episode where " Canadian law requires holders of Philippine passports to have a Canadian visa even if they do not intend to go ashore." Why this kind of treatment not only by Canada but by other countries as well should be a wake-up call for Filipinos and the national leadership. It is no wonder nobody wants to sing that patriotic song "Ako ay Filipino" with lyrics "Taas noo kahit kanino". Narciso Ner, (by email), Davao City, June 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I was just in Vancouver two weeks ago and it is a very beautiful city. My wife (who migrated to Canada last February) and I plan to take a cruise next summer from there. While there, we saw the Princess Cruise liner and America Holland Lines docked at the poer and they both looked beautiful and huge. My parents used to take these crises from Florida several years back and the stories they brought back were just so fabulous that I said one day my wife and I would do the same. Glad to have you back writing again Jose Genato, (by email), June 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Thank you for confirming that you are still very much around to give us your extraordinary insights on just about every subject worth discussing with your grateful readers. No apology needed. I have to admit though that I had some anxious moments thinking about the possibility of my having been stricken off your mailing list or your detractors having gotten the better of you. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be among those you send your articles to. I have found them addicting and habit forming, to say the least! Now that you have been refreshed, may you continue to be inspired as you bless us all with your writing! Sincerely, Tony Nantes Guevara, (by email), Santa Rosa, Laguna, June 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thanks for sharing your Alaskan adventure and soporific vacation on board the Amsterdam:) Good for you:) Genevieve Beatrice Huang, MD, (by email), Makati City, June 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Sounds great, Chitong... But what about pirates??? Thanks for sharing. Bright blessings, Nitz/Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco, (by email), Quezon City, June 13, 2009 (No pirates off Alaska, Nitz. Too cold. The pirates are on shore, in the souvenir shops. Everything, including Eskimo mini-totem poles, is Made in China. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony. Enjoy your vacation You needed a break. It's been a while since I have posted a comment on your blog. Take care now. Dr. Nestor P. Baylan, (by email), New York City, June 14, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I am attaching Sony's article about three years ago published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on our Baltic Cruise on board the Amsterdam. Regards Fritz Maramba, (by email), June 14, 2009 OLD AGE TRAVEL � HIGHS AND LOWS The wheelchair is a given. Way into senior citizenship and with airports as huge as they are, it�s the best and only way to go. The first time we did it, my husband refused to sit in his wheelchair. I said, �sit; nobody will see you and what if somebody does?� Before, packing medicines was no hassle -- just one pack of �our� medicines, mostly tablets and capsules, in the luggage and a small pack in each of our carry-on�s. This time, we brought a botica which took me days to buy, classify and list: one pack of �his� medicines, one of �hers�, a third for �ours,� plus the usual emergency packs in our carry-on�s. The packs were bulkier too as they also contained ointments, nose sprays, eye-drops, cotton buds, inhalers, tawas, salonpas, etc. We would never have made it if we flew after that August terrorist scare. Up to two days before departure, our cruise was touch and go. My husband and I were visiting doctors, see-sawing between his frozen shoulder and my itchy post-cataract eyes, his hip pain and my cracked tooth, anti-flu shots, coughs and colds, etc. Lord, give us just two good weeks! We over-packed with gloves, scarves, caps, thermals, more jackets, because what was summer in Scandanavia and Russia might be winter for us, especially when a friend said, �hindi kaya ng trench coats.� Fortunately we caught the �white nights� when weather was warm and bright. As advised, we chose our Shorex land tours in advance, taking note of the icons indicating �scenic viewing� from the coach, little walking, medium walking, strenuous walking and climbing. You know what we chose. Despite repeated warnings about cobblestones in the �old towns� to which we gravitated, yours truly who kept telling her husband to �watch your step�, tripped and tumbled. My surprised husband helped me struggle to my feet. After that I clung to him like a bride walking down the aisle. That night we heard a crunching sound. Through the sound system came a voice, �we are sorry for stopping. We are ferrying off a passenger back to land (for medical treatment). We will be moving in a short while.� Profusely I thanked my guardian angel. If I had broken my ankle, that could�ve been me. St. Petesburg, the high point of our trip was old and cold. Let me explain a bit. The same haunting historicity and remoteness that throbbed in the Russian novels that I have loved hung in the air. Was that part of the Russian mystique? I imagined the passionately, sometimes violently sensitive characters in the fictive but real past that lived in the old, massive, faded buildings and palaces. This Russia I had to see. Palace after palace of this or that royal was pointed out; �but now�, a wedding palace, a kindergarten, a museum, a school for children, a bank, a government office. How times have changed. My jaw dropped as I beheld the grand staircase of the Winter Palace. No wonder the revolution. Today, every hall in the Hermitage Museum complex teems with people like 168 in Divisoria. The beautiful Neva River in its length and breath seemed majestically placid. I wept for our Pasig River. But the very pleasant highlights were musical. At St. Petesburg�s Peter and Paul fortress, we were led to a portico where five black robed men sang the most solemn, serene sacred music I�ve ever heard. I swear the first tenor is an unknown Pavarotti. I sunk 22 dollars for their CD. In Helsinki�s Church of the Rock (because literally carved out in a huge rock), two young men, violinist and pianist played Sibelius, Finland�s foremost composer. �Romance�, �Rondino� and especially �Valse Triste� brought me back to our piano recitals in our youth. On stage at the ship�s nightly shows we liked best Russian singer Igor Portnoi and guitarist Justin Miller. And on deck for a German fest, the �oldie� Rostock Brass Band in quaint costume alternated with the hip Amsterdam Orchestra all in black. Not for us were the casino, the spa and salon, gym and sports deck and nightlife in the bars or dancing; although if there were a DI, maybe I would have. But this was a cruise on Amsterdam, flagship of Holland America running a floating five-star hotel on a super-efficient system that left nothing to be desired. We must enjoy the ship and the sea. One day we explored the ship. And on deck which we loved best for the fresh air and sunlight, we watched the waves and listened to running historical commentary as we sailed in or out of ports. Looking out our cabin window, we enjoyed the postcard-pretty homes on hills as we sailed into Stockholm. Sea-sickness -- what�s tha t. But let me tell you of the Pinoy crew. Close to 180 are: in the kitchen, the engine department, the clinic, among the musicians, etc. The beverage department is almost entirely theirs. Naturally the food is superb with a Filipino executive chef. The front desk is staffed mostly by Filipinos. It never fails the Filipino can bare the heart of the country with song and dance. That is what the �Filipino Crew Show� did with bilao, jeepney, bahay kubo as backdrop. The audience was regaled with soulful love songs and the repertoire of dancers we are familiar with. In unsophisticated banter, the emcee related historical and cultural tidbits: �We have two climates, hot and very hot.� �Our chickens are filled with ice or else they will lay hard-boiled eggs in hot season.�. �We are 90% Catholic and that is why we play bingo.� Figure that out. He explained how Filipino breaks into song in videokes and karaokes all over the country, also the barong which men wore, pina cloth, the harana. Towards the end, he asked, �Want some more? OK, no breakfast tomorrow.� But what swelled our hearts and made a tear drop was how proud they were to show off their country. With pride they recalled EDSA I. They closed the show with an emotional Bayan Ko as one of them waved the flag up front. Does nationalism grow far away from the homeland? Overfed, I asked the Pinoys at the buffet, �may tuyo ba? Ay ma-am, sana, hindi sana ninyo sinabi yan. Mis na mis din namin ang tuyo.� And that is how many of them miss their country too. Asuncion David Maramba is a retired professor, book editor and occasional journalist. (I guess age is a matter of attitude. My companion and I did not feel old, and did not act old. We certainly did not require wheelchairs. I did my daily calisthenics without fail. We spent a lot of time reading because we both enjoy it, but we also enjoyed our fair share of romance. Old age? Never felt even a minute of it. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Nakakainggit ka naman. But you deserve the vacation. Thank God you enjoyed it. If you only knew what we went thru while you were away (the Katrina-Hayden scandal, Con-Ass, Comelec Computerization) hehehehe. Regards Bong Alba, (by email), June 15, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: It's good to have you back in cyberspace. I have been wondering all this time why I had been missing your columns. Now I know. Parenthetically, my wife Corazon and I had the good fortune last year to visit a niece who has a condominium in the resort city of Nanaimo. Mariano Patalinjug, (by email), Yonkers, NY, June 15, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �People�s Champ Pacquiao� (May 08, 2009) Dear Tony, I noticed in your last issue (June 12, 2009) �RX to People�s Champ Pacquiao� that some people are supporting Manny Pacquiao�s throwing his hat in the political ring. I think this would be a tragic mistake for him, for several reasons. First, people will just take advantage of him for their own ends; Second, this is a �no win� situation for him. Philippine politics under the present circumstances is hopeless, as most who enter politics are unable to implement idealistic goals because of the present system that keeps us continuously in the doldrums such that they either join the mainstream trapos or just watch hopelessly from the sidelines ; and Third, he can dedicate his time, effort and money more toward business and development. With everyone in the Philippines idolizing him as the modern day Philippine hero, admired both by Muslims and Christians, he could do well partnering with some big Philippine entrepreneurs such as Ayala or Henry Sy (among others) AND a reputable Muslim individual or organization to establish business enterprises (with him as Chairman supported by the entrepreneurs� professional staff) in the areas devastated by the 40-year old secessionist conflict. While doing this, he could also advance the interest of sports, especially his beloved sport of boxing by helping many poor Filipinos, particularly again in Mindanao, develop themselves as boxers. In both these worthwhile endeavors, he need not waste any of his resources, as he could make profit as well. In fact the government should come forward and provide him incentive to do this. Those of us engaged in the peace process can certainly support this idea. Regards and welcome back. Chuck/Carlos L. Agustin, (by email), June 12, 2009 President, National Defense College of the Philippines wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, It�s been long since I made a reply. Too busy with my LPG conversion financing scheme for tricycles. TODAS and their tricycles are really a headache and a menace to people's health. With regards, to MANNY PACQUIAO entering the political arena. This is my comment: Manny Pacquiao's strategy could be one of the best options left, that could serve as a role model. Please consider: 1. He is a poor man turned multi billionaire, like Manny Villar who have shown, best effort, hardwork and a clear vision in life could make you rich more than you think.. 2. Both of them would like to teach the Filipino people, there is still hope in life, just ask and work for it, and the heaven's door shall be opened. 3. Both of them got the money, and as a role model have, the expertise to share with us that you can get rich without raking money from the government. 4. That when you got rich you must share it with the poor people, and that 5. You can get rich by your own ways, means and method and Politics is just another tool to help people help themselves, not the end. Villar and Pacquiao are both rich. The former is a very intelligent man, while the latter, many said, a foolish man. Many times in the past that people have been fooled by wise man and we become poor as ever. Maybe with a foolish man, we become richer than we are now. Why give a try? But why not! Rodolfo Cada, (by email), June 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Come on, guys! Pacquiao excels in boxing. He is not a HERO! What has he done? Truly, every Filipino has to be proud of the honor he brings to the country. But that's it! Remember the time before Dela Hoya when he admittedly gave away $700K to people in the United States and politicians and rich people in the Philippines? Pampa-buwenas daw! That was also the time when street children in Manila were singing Christmas songs along the highway and business intersections? Politicos, media men and government agencies were saying, no budget to help them. That was the time he can show his heroism. If that $700K was put in his foundation to help those children, I for one, will be on my knees extolling him. However, he gave the money to the rich. Then when he went home, these people, in return, spent money to parade him while the street children watched them. Yes, he wants to serve but vote for him first. He needs the pork barrel to help you! Don't you see the picture? Did the US make Michael Phelps a hero? He brought honors to the US but that's it? There are more ways of making a hero but the greatest is one who does not get paid. So, come on! Wake up. Manny fight to get paid (for his own). Sorry, guys! If getting more money is the way to become a hero, then let us all make Henry Sy, Lucio Tan, the Ayalas, the Gokengweis, etc HEROES. Just think...they give jobs to all qualified Filipinos. Renato Santos, (by email), Los Angeles, CA, June 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww What�s with the Magdalo? Hello, Tito Tony, It is Jory. I am working in Kosovo at the moment doing base security. Just wanted to know your take on the Magdalo group. Jonathan Improgo, (by email), Kosovo, June 12, 2009 (The Magdalo group, unfortunately like other Filipino �revolutionary� groups, has had more failures than successes. In fact, not a single success. It seems to be cursed with the Gringo Honasan Syndrome: poor planning, wrong assumptions, shallow political line, narcissistic leadership, and a tendency of some of their members to blabbermouth. Oakwood in 2003, the Fort Bonifacio Standoff and Peninsula Hotel fiasco in 2006. To which may be added the March 2009 planned AFP withdrawal of support from President Arroyo, which Malacanang easily nipped in the bud. Why stop there? The history of failure must include Gringo�s coup attempts in 1986, 1987 and 1989; the CPP-NPA-NDF Maoist revolution of 1969 to the present; the PKP-HMB peasant revolt of the 1940s and 1950s; and ultimately to the Katipunan of Andres Bonifacio. Nothing seems to work, except the People Power Uprising led by Cardinal Sin and Cory Aquino in February 1986. But then nothing revolutionary transpired during her watch. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Filipinos still striving to be free! We are in complete agreement with the statements of Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno and Jaro, Ilo-ilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo regarding the Independence Day celabrations. This annual observation is totally meaningless as the great majority of our people remain pitifully enslaved by the suffocating fangs of poverty, widespread corruption and injustice being inflicted on them and oppressed not by foreigners but by self-serving, morally bankrupt and insatiable greedy Filipino leaders and transactional politicians. These are the sort of Filipino leaders and politicians who view any interposition of their will on the whole nation for the purpose of oppressing or controlling the destiny of the people in any manner today as they further their own obsession to hold on to power and enrich themselves. Corruption in bureaucracy has become commonplace. How so often do we read about simple employees especially at the Bureaus of Customs and Internal Revenue and the Treasuries from the bottom up endure the meager benefits of low salaries but own expensive houses and real estates units, fleets of luxury cars, whose family members own property and vehicles even if they do not have the means to earn them? How often do we read about representatives in that lowly House of Congress who have no compunction to sell their souls for perks and pork, who would not wince to accept bribes or gifts in kind in exchange for doing what is patently not right, and committing base and shameless acts? How often do we read about military and police officers who underwent extensive training in discipline in the name of duty, honor and country succumb to their basic instincts as the lust for wealth become the driving force and overwhelm the virtues they have imbued with? It pains us to see our how country which is endowed with rich natural resources that are more than enough to be a breadbasket for its citizens being turned into a basket case by its very few sons and daughters who are ensconced in the enjoyment of its wealth while millions of its people suffer from hunger, injustice and depravity. There really is no reason for us to celebrate Independence Day because as long as millions of our countrymen continue to languor in obscene poverty, insecurity and injustice, the plague from which we still strive to be free. Truly this benighted land has gone to the dogs, and to the pigs. Ramon Mayuga, (by email), Essen, Germany, June 13, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Bird Flu and Donald Rumsfeld I wish to react to that anonymous letter sent by Mr. Alan C. Atkin regarding bird flu. The article basically infers Bush's ex-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made tons of money because he was president of Gilead Sciences in California that invented the anti-bird flu vaccine Tamiflu. The letter further claims the patent for Tamiflu was bought by Gilead from Roche Laboratories. This is far from the truth. On the contrary, it was Roche that bought the patent from Gilead. It also questions the efficacy of the vaccine as it barely alleviates the illness. Let me just say if the writer did some research work he would�ve learned that the flu has many strains. It is not exactly a disease as it is always mutating. Like the bird or avian flu, it is supposed to be harmless to humans but when a human gets the virus it mutates to become another strain of virus and this goes on and on as other persons are infected. A vaccine is developed for a particular strain but it is not usually effective to stop the virus when it mutates as the virus takes a new form. The deaths resulting from the virus may not be significantly high in number like the bird flu where no more than 120 deaths were recorded globally over a period of nine years, just as deaths due to swine flu or A H1N1 have been significantly low, but what is alarming is the swiftness that the virus spreads and people getting infected so easily. Vaccines are effective only if symptoms are diagnosed early. It is the young and those in poor health that are susceptible to the virus, thus it's prudent to practice good personal hygiene. So, it�s canard to inject politics in the proliferation of the A H1N1. That anonymous letter is a misrepresentation of facts and has been going around since the early part of 2006 and should be ignored. I had fun reading that letter and I think whoever wrote it must be a Republican. Ha Ha. Cesar M. de los Reyes, (by email), June 13, 2009 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to [email protected] or [email protected]. 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