Victoriano Santos Here\'s a person that can\'t read: \"why dont you explore our country before you create a blog lkike this, theres a lot of got places here in phillipine
Email: ajojom21@yahoo.com\"
Well, yes, that\'s true and I\'ve probably visited more of them than you have having worked in every part of your great country - said that repeatedly had you cared to read my blog and related comments etc. But I was writing about my experience in Manila and reflecting on the poor state of your countries economy. By the way, I have yet to hear from one person that says Philippines is doing great - and don\'t keep saying \"Look at London\".... I\'m not writing about London. If I was, boy, the post would be a lot tougher.
Another Marital Problem As I see it some of the things you are seeing is the negative side that can be present in all countries the next thing is I felt on your post is the bitterness you have probably separated ways with your wife. You see pilipina\'s are loving and loyal to their husbands and they dont like their husbands beating them when they have dis agreements. Im just wondering why you have to stay in manila if you dont have to? If you can get a decent Job in your own country then why stay in manila? It only means that your incompetence to get a good job in your country makes you not credible to put comments in a country that took you in and gave you job. Now this is not a flame or insult Im just pointing out my opinion as you pointed out yours. How I see it is you only focused on the bad side of our country where your country has a bigger problem, my friend you are mistaken if you think that your country has no problem because problems are not only seen by eyes... think about it you have stayed with us for long time and i know you know in your heart that it was great! Being bitter to all pilipinos just because you have marital problems is not fair. One is not all and all is not One. be fair post my comment and see my support from all your readers. hehehe
Hi Fellow Brit! I sent through to you a 12 point positive about Manila about 2 weeks ago - I do hope you will post it eventually with your massive backlog! I have actually written 8 books on the Philippines - one a set of short stories about the city is titled "Urban Stew: the Manila Menu". Amazing responses you have collected!
Hi Fellow Brit! I sent through to you a 12 point positive about Manila about 2 weeks ago - I do hope you will post it eventually with your massive backlog! I have actually written 8 books on the Philippines - one a set of short stories about the city is titled "Urban Stew: the Manila Menu". Amazing responses you have collected!
Thanks for the honesty Thank you, Mr. James, for your honesty in saying in these things about Manila. I\'ve been to a lot of countries as well, including Cambodia, and I do admit that Cambodia (Phnom Penh and Siem Reap) has a lot of economic growth potential. Manila, on the other hand, well, I dunno, I\'m not honestly so sure where it is heading. Problem in MNL is that local officials are too dumb to think of long term solutions and always blame the national government for the lack of funds. I do share the same sentiment that Manila smells like a piss and a showcase of 3rd world poverty. The government is always too slow to act.
Problem with the Philippines is too much democracy. I don\'t think the people is mature enough. We should be ruled by someone strong, powerful, honest, and someone who has love for the our country. So many people complain but they don\'t lift a finger to do anything. Everyone has right to complain but please put in a little of your time and effort in helping our poor country. Pick up trash, fall in line, be courteous in traffic, follow rules, don\'t bribe, don\'t steal! Bigger problem is most of our politicians are thieves and they are there for their own financial agenda.
I know and I understand how it feels to be getting what you are not expecting, from the coffee to your hotel accomodation! To get a good coffee, why not go to coffee shops like starbucks and be willing to pay there are a lot in manila... to experience best hotel service and amenities why not take an initiative to go to makati where you can find best hotels that will give you more than enough what you are expecting just be willing to pay its cost... I believe and the right thing you should do rather than writing your complains and post it in a blog is to write a complaint letter address to the management of Discovery suites. It is the most professional thing to do... There are a lot of good things to do and explore outside manila... Philippines don't compose only of manila, when you go back to Philippines go to visayas and mindanao areas and experienced the best of Philippines! Philippines has its flaws like any other countries may it be in the first or 3rd world countries just accept that... I, too has a share of that experienced when I had the chance to travel in europe 3 years ago, but I understand since I am in a tight budget, in as much as I want to complain I am only paying that much... when only I have extra money I can find a better place to stay. Lessons learned.. next time bring in an extra cash and be willing to pay for the best service you really wanted. good day to you!
My title says it all. I am not one of those Filipinos (yes, I am Filipino) who would go into a rage at the first bout of criticism about our country and our people, because I too feel the same way. I am very disappointed at what Manila has come to, and many more things, but it is only because I really do want something much better. I am surprised you didn\'t even mention some more ugly facts like the lack of law enforcement officers EVERYWHERE! There are so many anti-smoking, anti-littering laws in effect, and yet, it seems so useless because even if there are people who care and want to report it, there are simply no law enforcers around! And the police hotlines are useless! Anyway, I just want to thank you, and I am not one of those poeple who hate British, in fact I do like them a lot from what I\'ve seen so far. I prefer honesty over being patronized, any day! And one last note, yes, you are right. ^^ I do want to leave, given the chance haha.
Crap Yeah you only see the crap probably because your brain is crap too. :) You only see whats inside of your crappy mind.. Your mind probably stink too. I've been to a lot of countries like yours and i also saw crappy people like you.
Thank you for everything that you\'ve written. I was born and raised and still live in Manila and I completely detest this city. Manila Bay, (probably the first thing most foreigners ever see upon arriving at the Philippines, and as such is supposed to be a welcoming sight) is a trash heap taken straight out of a post-apocalyptic zombie movie. When a country welcomes you that way, you know you\'re going to regret ever coming. I\'m only 25 and how I wish I could have lived back at the time when Manila was called the \"Paris of Asia\" and see it for what it was, and not this poor excuse of a rat den that it has become. As depressing as you could make it sound, I\'d still say that you haven\'t seen the worst yet.
Filipinos have the potential, the capability for development, yet we lack the discipline to do so. We are a great people but we suck as a nation.
Again, thank you for posting this.
P.S. I laughed hard at your P.S. So true.
thanks for this article man. i guess it is pretty depressing isn\'t it? ah well...
i don\'t think its an accident though, i don\'t even think its a mistake. everything is working exactly as it was meant to. why create a culture that so willingly takes shit, has no self-respect, and creates a conscience purely from the outside going in, and then not exploit it?
a lot of people got things pretty easy here... the \"right\" people hehehe :)
this place can be a paradise depending on which side of the fence your on... so i can\'t complain really. although you can never avoid the occasional frustration because the people are idiots.
i think a lot of people come from other countries and eventually decide to stay and live here as well. but then again, maybe not in manila. anyway, i wish people would do things like this more. its like having an intervention for an addict... the first step to recovery is admitting there\'s a problem after all.
SOMEONE SHOULD MAKE A MOVIE, or a documentary about what the Philippines is REALLY like, showing the good things about it, but more importantly all of the things people are not willing to own up to. i can\'t wait for this place to go up in flames.
so here\'s my two cents... oh yea... FUCK YOU MAN :P hehehe your talking about where i live here! let other filipinos talk shit about our own place :) not you hehehe... kidding. but seriously, maybe you haven\'t seen as much as the rest of us to have a comprehensive enough analysis. like i said, its pretty easy to get a totally different and more pleasant experience, but its something you learn over time... trust me, this dump can be navigated with some success... you just need to know the right people, know where to go, and how to go about things.
Well that was fun. \"How the mighty are fallen!\"
I\'m too young to remember the days when Filipinos were at the top of their game - the expat experts all across Asia. I wish I could have seen it, because the way things are now, I might not live long enough until the mighty rises again.
I know you won\'t take the less-than-amiable comments to heart, Geoffrey, especially from my fellow Filipinos. Few of my race can take a reality check in stride these days (they\'re either too innocent or too blind). You\'ve probably been around the Web as much as you\'ve been around the world, so you know how anonymity and its perks can get.
I live in Laguna, though I did get to work in many places in and around Manila when I still had to go out to work (I\'m a Web consultant now, so I stay at home). I can\'t find anything untruthful or degrading in your review, I\'m afraid.
It\'s quite interesting too how the situation in Manila, as you\'ve seen change (or not) through the many years you\'ve been visiting, has allowed you to accurately paint the picture of the current economic outlook and developmental perspective of not just the Philippine government, but the Philippine people in general.
Anyway, I\'d say most travelers looking for some actual fun should hearken to your wise words and avoid the Philippines\' capital and instead visit the many other places that can offer something other than pollution, traffic, mediocre service, and proud people.
And if you have enough cash to seek out hotels with more stars to their names, as a good number of people have ignorantly commented here, don\'t bother. Unless you intend to go to the Philippines to stay in that single hotel and bask in its multi-star service without once stepping outside, it\'s better to spend your money elsewhere in my country.
-G (yes, I\'m a Filipino, and no, I don\'t refute reality as much as other Filipinos do)
\"How the mighty are fallen!\"
I\'m too young to remember the days when Filipinos were at the top of their game - the expat experts all across Asia. I wish I could have seen it, because the way things are now, I might not live long enough until the mighty rises again.
I know you won\'t take the less-than-amiable comments to heart, Geoffrey, especially from my fellow Filipinos. Few of my race can take a reality check in stride these days (they\'re either too innocent or too blind). You\'ve probably been around the Web as much as you\'ve been around the world, so you know how anonymity and its perks can get.
I live in Laguna, though I did get to work in many places in and around Manila when I still had to go out to work (I\'m a Web consultant now, so I stay at home). I can\'t find anything untruthful or degrading in your review, I\'m afraid.
It\'s quite interesting too how the situation in Manila, as you\'ve seen change (or not) through the many years you\'ve been visiting, has allowed you to accurately paint the picture of the current economic outlook and developmental perspective of not just the Philippine government, but the Philippine people in general.
Anyway, I\'d say most travelers looking for some actual fun should hearken to your wise words and avoid the Philippines\' capital and instead visit the many other places that can offer something other than pollution, traffic, mediocre service, and proud people.
And if you have enough cash to seek out hotels with more stars to their names, as a good number of people have ignorantly commented here, don\'t bother. Unless you intend to go to the Philippines to stay in that single hotel and bask in its multi-star service without once stepping outside, it\'s better to spend your money elsewhere in my country.
-G (yes, I\'m a Filipino, and no, I don\'t refute reality as much as other Filipinos do)
... you maybe right about somethings, but you generalize too quickly. I can't persuade you to believe what i want you to, nor do i want to. I just hope that you don't use this kind of approach to most of the things in your life.
but what I can't stand, is reading about my fellow Filipinos trash-talk my country. just because you guys have the luxury to go elsewhere doesn't give you the right to say those things. Would you trash-talk your own mother, just because your life turned out a little better than hers?
I maybe just a kid but I know betrayal when i see it. I don't expect foreigners to love my country so much, but I can't take Filipinos giving up on the Philippines.
Call me naive, at least I don't smell like a rotten fish. (Rizal.. look it up if you didn't get it)
Your have just uncovered the heart of the dysfunctional Filipino psyche. A foreigner that criticizes the Philippines or Filipinos, will get the same type of attention a cartoon drawing of muhammad does. Go ahead and write a piece criticizing Manny Paquiao, you\\\'ll see... BTW don\\\'t be surprised when Philippine politicians start talking about your article, then they\\\'ll make their motions to put you under an immigration blacklist / persona-non-grata.
I hope you stick to your guns, and not turn around to issue some type of apology. I really think shame can be an effective approach to turn things around in the country.
Thank you so much for this post. We Filipinos sometimes need to be reminded of how slow the development is in the country. I have lived here for 19 years only, you\'ve seen it even before I did, but I already agree with some of the things you mentioned. However I have 2 comments on your post. First, instead of just criticizing what is already there, I mean the problems of Manila, and it not being solved...it could have helped if you placed some suggestions. That way, Filipinos will not be as offended by your post which is currently composed of subjective judgments towards the city. Second is a comment regarding those Filipinos who flee from the country. You regarded them as smart for escaping what is happening in their homeland. But is escapism the right thing to be done? Will their criticisms help Manila? Don\'t you think that those people who were born here should have and inner desire to help develop the place where they were born? This is rude of me but I would say they are cowards for going out of the country without even doing anything to help and leaving all their fellow Filipinos here. If they really care, they would go back to invest in the country. They should get rid of their self-centered attitude, helping only their selves by going out, and try to sympathize with their countrymen.
Your have just uncovered the heart of the dysfunctional Filipino psyche. A foreigner that criticizes the Philippines or Filipinos, will get the same type of attention a cartoon drawing of muhammad does. Go ahead and write a piece criticizing Manny Paquiao, you\'ll see... BTW don\'t be surprised when Philippine politicians start talking about your article, then they\'ll make their motions to put you under an immigration blacklist / persona-non-grata.
I hope you stick to your guns, and not turn around to issue some type of apology. I really think shame can be an effective approach to turn things around in the country.
Manila truly sucks Well, I couldn\'t agree more with what you said about Manila. It really has the worst Airport and traffic. Well at least our Airport doesn\'t leak water like Taiwan\'s. *lol* Anyway, we can only blame the gov\'t. Actually, I work along Ortigas and in a BPO type (not call center) of company. Truly the government receives millions of taxes a month paid by highly paid translators like me, but where does it go? Really, when taxes are deducted explicitly and takes off 30% of your earnings, you can feel the weight on your shoulder and can totally agree with you that the PHilippines itself, sucks. I cannot feel where my taxes go \'coz when I ride a fairly shrewd-looking crocodile-minded taxi driver, I can\'t go to the complaint desk without the hassle of calling department by department or filling up endless forms which you will feel won\'t even solve your dilemma. In short, they don\'t give a damn, as long as we pay mandatory taxes... rules are suggestions and one can obey it or not. So, I guess for the next few years, Philippines will be more fucked up, screwed up and corruption is the only thing will remain. AMEN.
I know there are people who would just go right and flame you for writing this. I am a Filipino, I love the Philippines, but for it to be a better country its people and government can really use some attitude change when it comes to accepting criticism (and using it constructively).
Foreigners say that the place is crappy, they get mad, but they do nothing about it as a follow up. (In the same way, when foreigners applaud the country, they all go ecstatic like it\'s the best thing that\'s come along.) I think this is a sort of misplaced sense of pride.
Same as being proud of Filipinos "being good in English", which I really don't get, since there aren't few Filipinos who think their own national language - the language of their history, culture and common experience - to be impractical or useless or even overrated. Again, misplaced sense of pride.
And I would have to agree. This I think is the fundamental problem with Filipino mentality: they are very short-sighted. They only focus on earning short-term benefits, focus on going out of the country instead of rebuilding it for a good lifetime... but what happens after they\'re fed and dead? We need people who think of the future in office and places of influence.
Thank you for your honest opinion. And hang in there, I'm sure there are plenty more of flamers just ready to bite at you for not liking Manila.
I agree. I've lived in Manila all my life and I like it here, but yes, in reality its really such a drab capital. The local government 'renovates' the streets every 6 or 12 months, but come rainy season, the road will be full of potholes again. I mean, it's the capital and there's no push for quality even in public constructions (imagine the roads in the provinces). My foreign friends come here and I try to tour them around, but honestly, there's really nothing to see in Manila except for the malls, and maybe Intramuros (but what good tourism opportunity you can have there is not developed). The public transport is just as bad: tour books always yap on about Jeepneys as colorful inventions, showcasing the ingenuity of the Filipinos but then, it's been like that for how many years already, and the Jeepneys are actually losing their colors. In all honesty I think it's a poor representation, in my mind it's started to become Squatter on Wheels. Don't get me wrong, I do ride them, but sometimes I wonder why the Local Government hasn't imposed standards on the jeepneys, no working dashboard or tail lights sometimes.
drab and dirty eh? Hi Sir,
Good day to you. I'm a Pilipino who is loyal to my country although I'm currently working abroad for some time now. I guess some of your statements have hit the nail on the head. I agree when you say that the common luxuries to which a white man is used to and which people from 1st world countries value so much in this day and age is not 100% present in Manila or in the majority of my great country the Philippines. Yes truth be told our country is not growing and has been wallowing in government corruption for decades but to label it as drab and dirty is such an insult. Just because it's coming from a white man who got pissed off he didn't get to enjoy great coffee and hotel services that are not up to par with other Asian countries does not mean you can use those words. But of course it's largely your opinion I can very well say that you're simply a white man who's got his head so far up your arse you actually believe that without meeting your standards the Philippines deserves to be called as drab and dirty. Hey how about I share my pictures of my beloved country so maybe you will change your mind? One picture is a dirty old woman selling candy on the streets. Another is a little girl maybe 5 years old selling boiled duck eggs. Oh wait these are the kind of visual impressions that white people like you don't like. I guess because you don't like what you see in the Philippines you decided to call it drab and dirty. I appreciate some of your statements but hey an insult is an insult regardless if a white man calls it as his opinion. I'll admit majority of what you've mentioned I already know for a fact but you don't call my country drab and dirty with the addition of labelling other Pilipinos negative responses as false patriotism. False eh? This is our country you're talking about white man not yours. It is ours to be patriotic to and you don't have any right to call our patriotism as false. Why don't you go somewhere else where your shallow standards are met? Enjoy drinking coffee in some prosperious Asian country like Singapore and let your pompous British arse rapidly create a blog about it worshipping the comforts that you've enjoyed during your visit. But while you're there don't ever come back to the Philippines. We have no need of your standards and we're not here to perform per your expectations. If you don't like us then our testicles don't even care. Our ancestors may have lived drinking coconuts and having a blast living in coconut leaf covered houses but we're definitely not going to be insulted sitting down in our bare native arse.
Hope you'll get all the nice coffee that you want but do us a favor pls. don't come back. Never ever come back. Because Pilipinos are not here to create good coffee for the white man anyway. Good or bad we are what we are. I'm still thankful though that not all white people are not as shallow like you are.
Have a nice day.
Kudos to you Sir. Here's my two pence. The Philippines is now the equivalent of the godforsaken countries in Africa. Enough said. I am a Filipino but even I accepted this fact because of the stupidity and blindness of its people. I am an Engineer and my dream is for Filipino engineers to have the same sentiments about this country and finally realize that the only way to bring back its lost glory is to dominate the dependence of the people to technology and finally oust those stupid people in the government who doesn\'t really know anything except to sit on their chairs, stealing the wealth of this country and letting their children live in prosperity while the poor Filipinos and the country suffer from their lack of intelligence and evilness.
Kudos to you Sir. Here's my two pence. The Philippines is now the equivalent of the godforsaken countries in Africa. Enough said. I am a Filipino but even I accepted this fact because of the stupidity and blindness of its people. I am an Engineer and my dream is for Filipino engineers to have the same sentiments about this country and finally realize that the only way to bring back its lost glory is to dominate the dependence of the people to technology and finally oust those stupid people in the government who doesn\'t really know anything except to sit on their chairs, stealing the wealth of this country and letting their children live in prosperity while the poor Filipinos and the country suffer from their lack of intelligence and evilness.
I could be described as a flaneur - Dictionary definition: "an intellectual and physical wanderer, observer of life".
I travel extensively in Asia, the Middle East and East Africa.
My tales, stories and rants here are part fact/part fiction but, I hope, always stimulating and sometimes irritating. PLEASE don't take them too seriously - they are meant to inform but also to amuse and to get under your skin. I hope there's a bit of an "edge" in what I write sometimes.
For those that take themselves over-seriously: it's a BLOG! Not "the Truth"... just my weird personal take on... full info
QuartermainesWorld
Geoffrey James Quartermaine Bastin
Victoriano Santos
Here\'s a person that can\'t read: \"why dont you explore our country before you create a blog lkike this, theres a lot of got places here in phillipine Email: ajojom21@yahoo.com\" Well, yes, that\'s true and I\'ve probably visited more of them than you have having worked in every part of your great country - said that repeatedly had you cared to read my blog and related comments etc. But I was writing about my experience in Manila and reflecting on the poor state of your countries economy. By the way, I have yet to hear from one person that says Philippines is doing great - and don\'t keep saying \"Look at London\".... I\'m not writing about London. If I was, boy, the post would be a lot tougher.