Travel destinations: The Philippines

Back to The Philippines

Last year I went to the Manila in the Philippines, and the people I met and the way they have to live made me wish I could help them in some way. It tears the heart out to see such good people having to suffer so.

I love the place, and the people! As poor as most of them are, they are kind-hearted and giving, and in some cases, probably more honest than some of my neighbors here in the US.

I have a cousin, from Indiana, that lives in Manila. He stays all year, but has to leave one day out of the year, due to visa requirements. He seems happier there than he ever did in Indiana.

In Manila, the traffic is bad..I mean impossible! Still, somehow, the Taxi and Jeepney drivers are amazing. They all roar into the same intersection at breakneck speeds and at the last minute..stop! I saw very few vehicles with dents in them. Absolutely amazing, I have to say.

One day Cousin and his wife took a taxi and went to the Robinson’s Mall not far away, for groceries. For 50 dollars American you can buy more groceries than you can carry, for that you need the taxi.

Cousin and wife got the groceries and it took about 5 “sack Boys” to carry all the food out to the taxi.

After loading the groceries, Cousin offered to tip the sack boys, but they refused. Must be a new policy, because most would take it, since most are dirt poor to begin with.

On arriving back at the hotel where they live Cousin realizes he has lost his wallet..Oh Boy!

Immediately, he cancels all his credit cards, but the approximately 200 dollars in cash he had been carrying, was no doubt gone.

Two days later, much to his surprise, Cousin received a phone call from one of the sack boys at the grocery store. Apparently, after the taxi pulled away, the man found cousin’s wallet where he had dropped it.

In the Philippines, 200 dollars is a small fortune for some, and as it turned out, that was the man’s first day on the job, without a pay check coming for 2 weeks. The man and his family hadn’t had work or money for a long time…they were desperate! The man admitted to cousin that he was tempted to keep the money, but his good Catholic conscience wouldn’t let him do it. Cousin was so grateful for the money and the man’s honesty that he gave him 2500 Peso(about 50 dollars), which was half a months wages there.

When I heard the story it made me want to fly over there and shake the man’s hand.

Kind and polite is the way I would explain the people. I’m sure there are exceptions but even the police were polite. I had heard that they didn’t like Americans anymore but I found out, for the most part, it is American politics they don’t like.

I plan on going back this winter, not just because it is nice there in winter, but because I feel more relaxed there. As far as danger..it is probably more dangerous in Los Angeles, California.