Firstly and briefly, let me talk about something mundane like on the functionality of alarm clocks. Since we were not allowed to bring friends who do not belong in our class, I only got one friend, who also happens to be my orgmate, in this tour. But due to extremely bad luck (she did not hear her alarm and woke up late), she was left out of the tour. How heartbreaking. My friend did not only lose her money but also lost a portion of her grade in History, and a great opportunity to experience Corregidor. Should she blame her alarm clock? I couldn't help but sigh in disappointment but at the same time relief because although my alarm clock almost failed me too and it's definitely hard to control one's body clock you know, a mighty force called God woke me up at least 45 minutes before the time of departure. So my prayers that night worked.
So what became of me then? I wouldn't say I was alone, rather I just was independent. It's my curse in life. But.. Although buddy-less, I was determined to enjoy every bit of the tour. I've got the guts. And it's my blessing in life.
Now let's see where my guts has taken me.. and how History unfolded itself in one day.
Good morning, Manila.
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| Manila in the morning. A view from the ferry dock. (I'd like to think I have a future in Photography. Yay.) |
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| History 1 & 2 classes join together in this amazing tour experience. |
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| "It's a beautiful day. Nothing can go wrong." I assured myself - my lonely but positive self. |
I am not exactly sure what this sea vessel is called. Ship? Yacht? Oh it's called Ferry. I remembered it just now. What a dumb way to begin my narrative. Always pay attention to details. That is the lesson.
It's my first time on board so just imagine how excited I really was.
For those of you who are curious about how much the ticket costs, well I'm sorry but I'm curious too. I actually have no idea how much it is, but our payment for the trip was Php1750. It's a cheap deal of course because there's plenty of us. So if you're going with a small group, it will probably cost you Php2000 or more.
It's worth it!
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| Lady: "Ma'am/Sir, this is how you put on your life vest... in case of emergency." |
My seat number was #235 so I was on the upper deck. If you want a good view of the sea, ask the crew to assign you on the upper deck. But I'm not sure if they allow it. Just ask. They're nice.
The Coolest Bus Ride Ever courtesy of Sun Cruises Inc.
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| That's my bus! I mean bus number. Number 2. |
Each bus is assigned an English-speaking tour guide. The sound quality of their microphone is commendable by the way. Also, the bus is completely safe even if it's open. Besides it won't speed up like a race car, so don't worry.
Now we are all ready and set to go on exploring the historic and picturesque island of Corregidor.
Ready, set, go! THE TOUR BEGINS.
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| Say hello to Manong Driver. Manong is a generic term we call older men as a sign of respect and politeness. |
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| YOUTH for PEACE. What a line to start our tour with. I don't want to get emotional here but now that I think of it, I'm having epiphanies once again and I can't wait to share with you guys my realizations during and after the tour. PEACE wasn't even a word in the past, only WAR. But come to think of it, do we have PEACE in the present? No, because there's still WAR. And will there be PEACE in the future? To my fellow youths, the future is in our hands. It's all up to us. Please, I beg us, let's save the world. --- |
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| A panoramic view of one of the barracks in the island. Many soldiers stayed there, and many died there too. Sad story. (Glad that my camera has a Panorama feature. Satisfied buyer here.) |
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| That is the Middleside Barracks, as you can see of course on the sign board. |
The remains of the war. Can you imagine the lives that those soldiers lived?
Blessed are those soldiers who, for the love of their country, sacrificed their lives.
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| Welcome to the Battery Way. Our next stop. |
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| Rails can be seen all over the island; it was their means of transportation in the island before. Unfortunately, we didn't see any trains or carts. |
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| Tourists can be stubborn sometimes, so reminders are necessary. |
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| Imagine how many people have been killed and how many properties have been destroyed by these big guns. Why were they ever invented? Certainly the most cruel and UNNECESSARY invention. |
I never went inside those Batteries because they've been telling us the whole time that ghosts are everywhere in the island, and yours truly, this little girl, is a coward.
One, I'm afraid of the dark.
Two, I'm most absolutely afraid of ghosts.
And three, I'm starting to develop a fear of historical sites especially those with ruins. Just think of all the heroes that died in those places.
I think I'm just afraid of death.
For more information on the Battery Way, please click this link: http://corregidor.org/chs_rowbotm/way.htm.
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| Next stop: The Battery Hearn. |
For more information on Battery Hearn: http://corregidor.org/ca/btty_hearn/hearn.htm
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| This gun was used to bomb the provinces of Cavite and Bataan. It takes 27 physically fit men to operate it. |
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| A bomb crater. |
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| This pretty cute bus made the tour efficient and tourist-friendly. Imagine if we had to walk all around the island, it's gonna be like the Death March. Part 2. |
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| Welcome to the Pacific War Memorial Museum. Old photos of Corregidor can be found in the museum. |
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| That's the Corregidor Island. I know, it looks like a sperm. Wonderful. |
I am.
I am now.
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| This one is the Pacific War Memorial. |
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| Don't you just love the view? It's like Tagaytay in Corregidor. Wow. |
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| This one is... I cannot remember the name. Look at it, it's one magnificent structural piece. |
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| "TO LIVE IN FREEDOM'S LIGHT IS THE RIGHT OF MANKIND." Our forefathers fought and died for freedom, how about us now? What are we fighting for? |
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| That's my recitation class in HIST2. Section C2 - 4R. They're the best. |
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| I thought this tree was a Bonsai, of course bonsai's don't grow that tall. |
That altar is a sacred one. No one's allowed to sit on it.
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This statue shows an American soldier helping a Filipino soldier.
In Georgia, Atlanta, there exists a similar statue but this time, it's a Filipino soldier helping an American soldier.
See, why can't we just help one another? Why can't we do the same? Why do countries have to take advantage of one another? Why did they ever wage war at one another? Of course I know the reasons, and they're not pointless, they're sometimes necessary, but WHY?
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| Such a great view from the tower. Glad I didn't miss it. |
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| Honestly I felt dizzy while on top but it was worth the view. |
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| That's a lighthouse at the back. |
Next stop: Battery Crockett
For details, please go to: http://corregidor.org/ca/btty_crockett/crockett.htm
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Welcome to FHM, as in Filipino Heroes Memorial.
It sounds sexy, right? Kidding.
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| Another panoramic view of a sculpture depicting the history of the Filipino people. |
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| Meet the pretentious Filipino farmer, because he really is a Guerilla. |
Meet a few of our heroes. They all look so honorable even in their statues.
"Dedicated to the Filipinos who knows how to die for love of freedom and liberty."
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At the JAPANESE MEMORIAL GARDEN.
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Then we went to the Malinta Tunnel for the lights and sounds show.
And our last stop is, before lunch at South Beach: The Malinta Tunnel. It is 85 feet long and they prepared this light and sounds show thing which was really very clever. It was dark, tunnel doors closed, and actually cool inside.
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| Let's help preserve Corregidor Island. Donate. ☺ |
For more details on Corregidor, also visit: http://corregidorisland.com/
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As we docked in Manila from a fun but exhausting Corregidor trip, everyone seemed to be back in their normal lives. But not I, for I must have left my mind back in Corregidor.
Tell me, why are we always anchored or geared towards the future? What are we so anxious about? What's with the past and present that we so badly want to escape from? Please tell me. Because from what I have seen in Corregidor, we are such ungrateful bastards if we don't know how to look back to our past.
Indebtedness.
That is all my point. Probably if we knew that word better, our country will also be in better state. I most certainly know that I am nobody to talk to you about nationalism, for I doubt myself in that aspect too, but at least I care. And I'm working out on it. But how come that many of us can simply just not care? Fucking tell me how. How come we dread our History subjects in grade school and high school and ignore college courses on History but invest too much on HRM (Hotel and Restaurant Management), IT (Internet Technology), and Business Management which are merely by products of globalization and capitalism! Why do we look down on courses such as Education, Public Health, Philosophy, or History? What now, so the future we are heading at is a robot industry? We turn people into robots, huh? This whole lack of indebtedness thing is really getting into my nerves now. So let me cool it down.
I am just one individual. And I honestly have no fucking idea if I actually do matter, if you look at the world completely. I mean what are we aside from mere foolish participants in a capitalist world. Whenever I tell myself to make a difference and be different, it'a always the opposite thing that happens. Blame peer pressure and conformity perhaps. Blame popular culture too.
To go with the flow is crap mentality. It's actually a robot mentality. So if you want to be a useless person, feel free to take your iPhone or Blackberry with you and submit under those manipulative capitalists.
Feel free also to call me hypocrite, at least I am aware of it.
All I want is for us to be aware that many lives have been sacrificed in the past in payment of the commodities we are enjoying in the present, if you can call freedom a commodity. Let us learn to say, "Thank You." Just that one simple act of gratitude for chrissakes! And instead of going to the malls during commemorative holidays of our heroes, let us be silent in our respective abodes, reflect, and think about their purposeful death.
Please, let us remember our heroes. It's the least we can do, but it will mean so much.
And thanks to History who is always there to remind us of our debt and how bastards we are if we don't.
"I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land. You who have it to see,welcome it--and forget not those who have fallen during the night!" - Dr. Jose Rizal
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P.S. You can leave a reply if you have some insights/arguments/points/clarifications/sentiments/opinions to share me or us with. I would gladly read them.
The place should pay you for a wonderful endorsement. This is a really good essay and I agree with you on Indebtedness. What a wonderful insight.
ReplyDeleteHi! I hope to write more about the beauty and wonder of the Philippines. In that way, I can be of some help to my country. Thank you for your wonderful comment.
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