Feb 20 – Well good morning from Malate! Yesterday was our latest night out so far. A friend took us out to a hustler bar–we got separated from far too many pesos–where I chatted with a group of Lufthansa aircraft mechanics for a while, talking shop because for years in the 1980s-90s I was an aviation engineer. A group of 6 go-go boys did an energetic dance routine several times (far better than most go-go dancers but not as talented as the amazing high-school troup we saw at the reunion Saturday).
Monday also featured a trip to the Mall of Asia, which goes on without end. I was malled-out after the first aisle! Luis got some music CDs and a replacement for a misplaced battery charger. (My IEEE hackles get raised every time I fume about the lack of standards in battery technology, every device requires its own easily-lost wall-wart …grr… why doesn’t the Institute use its clout to force manufacturers into a standard charger? I dropped my membership just recently after 20 years. Well enough geek-speak.)
Our visit to University of Santo Tomas was highlighted by the most grand vista of Manila! Ang ganda! The campus is dominated by a 100-foot tower, above a 1927-vintage building used in WW-II to intern thousands of American POWs. The building was restored after the war to its original use, a home for administrative bureaucracy and a college of science. After being treated to some of the bureaucracy (Luis can proudly display his badge of honor, an alumni ID card), we were taken to the roof in a vintage elevator. It was the clearest day yet! We have many pictures of the burgeoning skyline.
This city is clearly in the midst of as much of a condo-mania construction boom as any city back in the States. Luis’ realtor friend John tried to sell us on an “investment” in these condos, he is sales agent for one of the new skyscrapers. Foreigners are being encouraged to purchase property here. I am considering Philippines as a possible eventual retirement home but would have to know a lot more about real estate here before contemplating such a commitment.
In the local news has been a heart-rending story about the fate of 17,000 Filipino nursing graduates whose class year (they use the term “batch” to refer to a graduating class) has been impacted by a cheating scandal. As many as 10% of those who took the international-accreditation exam had access to advance copies of the exam materials. The other 90% are being told that their working visas cannot be approved without re-taking the test. And Supreme Court of the Philippines has ruled only that a fraction of the graduates should re-take the test. How this will play out, I don’t know, but it’s destroying many careers of innocent hard-working people.
Today is a low-key day here in Malate. We plan to watch the sunset over Manila Bay, and then meet up with a local leader of Long Yang Club.
Bukas (tomorrow) in the early morning we begin our excursions, starting with a flight to the town of Tagbilaran on island of Bohol. That’s all for now!