Rizal Regret

In any hot, overcrowded, dirty city, green open-spaces are to be cherished; the air seems a little cleaner, a little cooler and the roar of the traffic fades in these big-city parks. And that's a welcome respite for residents and tourists alike.


Manila's big inner-city open space is Rizal Park. It promises much; recent tourism literature touts 'dancing' lakes, orchid and butterfly gardens and art galleries.

But the lake doesn't dance; the fountains are long-since broken, the orchid garden has no orchids, the butterfly garden no butterflies and the art galleries are closed. So what is there to see in Rizal park? Well nothing unless you like looking at mangy cats and desperately poor Filipinos sleeping rough.

That's another Filipino travesty as again corruption funnels money away from helping the tourist industry and thereby the locals, and into some politician's pork-barrelling, vote- buying, silly scheme.

What a Rubbish Sunset!

One much-touted tourist attraction of the Philippines is the Manila Bay sunset. Just one look shows you why.

But this is also Manila Bay. No attraction here, is there? In fact it's repellent. Why is it that what should be a tourist-magnet looks like this? Well, obviously, money is neither being spent on a short-term or long-term solution. And the Philippines, being such a poor country, there's not much you can do about that, right?

Not exactly. The United Nations and the World Bank think that they can do something about it; those organisations pour tens of millions of dollars into the Philippines to help fix such problems. Yet the beach remains in a disgusting state. You can see that's the reality.

Where does all that money go, then? Much of it goes directly into the hands of the highly-corrupt government officials. Why, when you know that the Philippines is corrupt, would anyone expect it to go anywhere else?

You wouldn't give liquor and car keys to teenage boys, would you? So why cash and impunity to rotten governments? That just props up stinking administrations and it doesn't keep the beach clean.

Manila Malfeasance

The Philippines sit in 141st place on the global corruption index- right alongside those bastions of freedom, Iran and Yemen.Filipinos consider their police force to be highly corrupt which goes a long way to explaining the high level of gun ownership there; not only do Filipinos know that the police have little interest in protecting them, they also know that it is the police themselves they need fear. Often it is the police who are the worst perpetrators of violence and crime as they act as nothing less than a highly-organised gang of thugs.

Macho Manila

You couldn't say that the Philippines was a politically 'correct' country; in fact it is renown for its macho culture. A beer-drinking contest would be unheard of in most countries but here this bar is promoting a competition that pays the successful contestant almost the equivalent of two months wages!


There will be smoking inside the bar of course- more than 60% of Filipino men smoke- as lighting-up is still allowed in most places. The contestants probably won't be packing guns though- signs at the entrance politely point out that weapons should not be left at the door!

Manila Migration

More than one million Filipinos leave their country each year to work abroad. More than 11 million Filipinos- or about 11% of the population- are working overseas. Last year, Filipinos sent back to their families nearly $US 16 billion dollars. That amounts to an incredible 13.5% of the Philippines' GDP.

Many of those who leave are skilled workers; doctors, nurses, teachers and accountants, often sought after because they are well-educated and usually possess an excellent standard of spoken English. Many other Filipinos can be found working as maids, nannies, or on construction sites. That's no wonder when you consider that a Filipino teacher, even in a low wage economy such as Thailand, can earn at least twice the amount that they would collect back at home.

Filipinos workers can be found working in all corners of the globe; 23,000 in New Zealand, more than a million in Saudi Arabia, and more than 200,000 in Japan and Australia. Incredibly, 13,000 Filipinos are currently working in Papua New Guinea; what would they be doing there in such numbers?

International recruitment agencies abound in Manila and recruitment fairs draw large numbers of hopeful workers.

Jeepers its a Jeepney

These vehicles are an immediately obvious and colourful part of Manila.

The favoured form of public transport because they are cheap, travel the main and secondary routes through the city and you can get off anywhere you please. No need to wait for a bus stop to come into site, just holler and you can leap out at exactly your right spot.

They became popular when the Americans left behind so many jeeps at the end of the Second World War and were quickly converted for public transport use. Now the jeepneys are often made from second-hand Japanese trucks and produced by small 'backyard' operators who may make only 1-5 jeepneys a month.

The size of the jeepney can vary from one that is only a little bigger than the standard jeep, up to the one you can see below.

They make a bright addition to an otherwise drab, big city.

Manila Munitions

Guns are everywhere in Manila. Armed guards outside and inside banks? That makes sense.

But at McDonald's and Starbucks; at hotels and 7-Elevens; and inside and outside of shopping malls and pharmacies? And half-a-dozen patrolling around the cathedral? That's a little unsettling.

For someone used to a couple of burly Samoan bouncers being all who are needed to provide security at New Zealand bars and clubs; armed guards outside of restaurants, even in the afternoon, sure seems excessive.

Yep, security is tight here- and there are some good reasons for that- but after being subjected to an umpteenth security check just to get into a shopping mall and the slightly unnerving sight of all these guns, first impressions of Manila are not so good.