Bringing in the Tourists: Things I've Observed While in KL

Even though Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country, I admit I was surprised by the huge numbers of tourists that they have!  Kuala Lumpur is slowly beginning to look like Bangkok!  You see tourists everywhere!  I guess their Malaysia Truly Asia slogan is slowly beginning to pick up.

So anyway, here are my two cents on what I think we can do to make Manila, or Cebu or Davao, at least the urban places, a place that more tourists would be more willing to visit, based on what I saw in Kuala Lumpur.

#1 A working mass-based transport system from our airports to the city center

I have been using the LCCT these past two trips, and even though it is supposedly a low-cost airport - there was nothing low cost about it.  It had wi-fi everywhere, there were many choices of restaurants, and there was ease of movement inside the place even if it wasn't airconditioned (it had this outdoorsy type of planning, which was fine since it saves us from releaseing COCCs).  It was also easy to find public transport from the airport to the city centre.   We took a bus and it was reasonably priced, well-ventilated and a bus went to the city every 30 minutes!

#2 an efficient mass-based commuter system 

As a tourist, I enjoy using the mass-based commuter train systems of the cities I visit. That way, I can really see how the residents of that place lives!   For me, that in itself is a tourist attraction, dreary the thought of it may be.  In most Asian cities, their mass-based commuter system is very efficient - here in Manila, the LRT and the MRT are nightmare rides, according to my friends who take it.  The queues are infernally long, people get robbed inside, women get molested, I could go on and on....I don't think tourists would like to ride in such discomfort - and a certain level of fear.

#3 an efficient way to go and see the sights

I know it is a bit touristy to apply something like a hop on hop off bus thing in Manila, but for people who only have  two to three days to stay in a city - it's a godsend - especially if applied in Manila.  It will save tourists with having to deal with unscrupulous drivers, and allow them to see our city's tourist sites in relative comfort.

#4 bring the tourists to do real shopping here

I think the Thais and the people of Hong Kong and Singapore have perfected this already - enticing tourists to their cities to just shop!  Imagine how much foreign currency that can bring in!!  I think SM Mall of Asia is slowly doing that - directing tourists to buy in their Filipino pasalubong stores.  I bring all my foreign guests there!  Of course, there's Tesoro also in Makati.  I have brought some of my foreigner friends to Divisoria and Greenhills but they say that it's no different from what they can see in Shenzhen.

On Being Dark and Being Called 'A Little Filipino"

I admit I do get flustered when people say I got darker (literally - in skin tone - not "Batman Christopher Nolan" darker).  Like this week, I have just come from KL and did a little sightseeing - under the sun, of course, and friends have made that innocent remark to me ("Uy, nagbeach ka" or "Uy, umitim ka") - a pretty harmless remark really that follows "Musta?" - but something that can cause panic inside for people like me!!  Call me shallow but that's just how it is.  History has not been kind to darker skinned people and the stigma has followed us into this touchscreen LED TV, Internet wifi everywhere, social media dominated century!  Because of those remarks, I have avoided the sun and went straight to my derma to buy the necessary stuff to lighten my skin tone once again.

 It's easy to mock my behavior if you have lighter skin and make fun of my reaction but for someone who grew up with taunts and not so nice things being said because of my skin tone, it wouldn't take a psychologist to find out our irrational behavior when it comes to this thing!  And couple that with the fact that I did not like how I looked like growing up - ayun - a terrible disorder happened to my brain - which leads me to do irrational stuff like lighten my skin tone!

However, I don't feel slighted with what Lucy Liu has said.  Filipinos are just generally darker, than let's say, the Chinese, the Japanese and the Korean.  She actually hit it right on the target.  Although I am a bit ashamed to say this - but my desire to continually apply these whitening stuff, at least to my face - and shun the sun - is that I don't want to be too dark and look like a peasant Filipino.  So there - I admit it - I am a shallow son of a bitch.  But I have to look in the mirror and like what I see!!  If I need to put these whitening lotions and avoid the sun to do it, it's my choice because it's my body and self-esteem anyway.  I love being Filipino and proud of it - it's just that the darker I look like a baluga, a kapre walking in daylight!  And in this looks obsessed society - that look will just not do it - at least here in the Philippines.

Well, we just have to give Lucy some leeway and not be too OA.  Having brown skin has some perks too anyway - but that will be in another post of mine.

The Frightening Prospect of Being Led By the Same Families For the Rest of our Lives

It's good to know that I was not the only one who was dismayed by the senatorial lists of our political parties. So whose names am I supposed to put on the twelve blank spaces in my ballot?  I only find three or four people interesting, otherwise, it's a going to be a long empty list.  Actually, I was thinking of putting Daniel Matsunaga, Hideo Muraoka and all the other hot guys I would love to be stranded in an island with - from #'s 5 to #'s 12 - just for spite - just to indirectly say to the politicians - you are all shite - and a disgrace to our democracy!  Their inability to come up with twelve "Jess Robredo"-type of leaders in their respective slates just shows how morally and intellectually bankrupt our bench is for our future leaders.  It's really frightening to know that this country will be run by JUST these people!



Misery

Rangers losing battle in Philippine forests

It always boggles my mind when the very people who are tasked with the most important jobs - our teachers, our nurses, our soldiers, our policemen, and yes, our forest rangers - are often the ones with the most pitiful of salaries and are given the least government protection!  Here are these guys protecting our forests to make sure we have clean tap water (among the many benefits of having good forest cover) - yet they fear for their lives because some crazy people out there don't care about cutting these trees, thinking only of themselves and not of the greater good.  Thanks to this article, we are more aware of what they need and how we may be able to help them.

Rangers losing battle in Philippine forests

Pinoy Youth Mobilized Against the Cybercime Law

I'm just happy that our youth has mobilized against some of the provisions of the Cybercrime Law.  I was only a kid during the Martial Law days and I was lucky to have lived in Cebu, which was rabidly anti-Marcos.  Anywhere else in the country, anyone who spoke against the Marcoses were shot or killed mercilessly, a priest and a doctor in my neighborhood were shot pointblank because of their anti-Marcos beliefs.  I was in Grade 4 then.  At least dito sa law na ito 12 years kulong lang....but that could just be for starters....it could get worse....at least, now the Filipino youth gets to feel like how it was during Martial Law and how really really BAD the MARCOSES were......