I was browsing the cable channels last night when I bumped into this familiar scene: a guy on the cross, about to be crucified, familiar Asian faces, somewhat Filipino.. . Then I told myself, does this happen anywhere else but here (in the Philippines)? Then I looked at the title of the show on the upper right corner of the screen. It read Don't Tell My Mother I'm in... Manila. (Season 3)
I was right! And shocked. Haha! I just can't believe my eyes.. . I mean, seldom do I find international shows featuring the country or something about my beloved country. So I watched the show. I was like, Wow! What else can they say about Manila? I don't know what to feel after that because I saw the overpopulated areas in Manila. The houses near the dirty creeks.. . Houses on top of the other.. . and the like. Seeing this, I also heard the host saying, Manila is one of the overpopulated areas in Asia.. . blah blah.. . They said that for you to survive, you need to be creative. I was like, okay.. . Creative.. . Yeah, that's true and that sounds good.. . I want to cover up the shame that somehow creeps in.. . I thought to myself, if there's something that should be aired or featured, that should not be this area.. . I still continued watching.. .
The host (Diego) was talking about survival in a creative way. So they went to Sta. Mesa and featured the Skates on the railroad. I'm kind of familiar with this because we ride Skates whenever we go to the province. Going back, yes, he mentioned the Skates, how Filipinos do this for a living etc.. . Next stop, the north cemetery. I just can't help but smile while hearing the comments from the host. Well, they're not just comments. They're facts haha! There's this so called "apartment" in the cemetery. The remains can stay there for 5 years. After five years, if the family of the dead does not "renew" the contract, the remains will be removed to accommodate another "guest." The remains that were removed was placed anywhere it can be placed. Whew. Then they dropped by the houses in the cemetery and interviewed some caretakers. One lady even volunteered to be his tour guide. She brought him to a burial. And he played sakla. haha! Diego said, since the country is a catholic country, gambling is not allowed except during burials. So some families extend the wake because they earn from sakla. Some even buy dead bodies so they can host the game. Hmmmm.. . yeah, sad but true.
Next stop, the cockpit arena. Diego: This is the number one sports in the country. Me: oh my gosh.. . number one sports? sabong?! whew.. . The host went on and interviewed Mr. Biboy Ramirez (one of the hmm I forgot but he really is someone). He asked how did this became the number one sports, why not football? Mr. Ramirez said, well, the Philippines is a poor country. You know in the barrios or countryside, blah blah, men need something exciting.. .and this, since it's like boxing, this became blah blah.. . I was like, o-kay.. . poor country. probably.. . sad but true. ouch! whew. I really felt so puny.. .whew. That's my country. My people.
Then he went to Mr. Ramirez's firebird farm where roosters are being trained. I was just amazed at how he trains roosters. Indeed, Filipinos are creative. They train them for 2 years before fighting. I had mixed emotions. Few seconds ago, I was like what? But while watching that, I was like, wow!
Then Diego went on.. . he said something like, people need not only survive here.. . but there are also some people who need to survive here (New Bilibid Prison). He went inside the prison. And I was like yeah!!! 'Di ko pa napapasok 'yun eh. Now I have the chance to see what's inside. Diego said this is the first time he saw a prison wherein prisoners can live as if they are not in prison. They have five tennis courts (one of which is covered), a market, a massage area, their own firefighting team, etc. It's as if they have their own city. The warden said that they resulted to this arrangement because they want to lessen the number of riots and death rates inside the prison. They also have rehabilitative programs (one of which is reflexology) to help the prisoners so that they would have a source of income once they're free. I just nodded and agreed. Like wow.. .
Indeed Filipinos are creative. Wherever you place them, they will stand out.. . It's just sometimes sad because they are also creative in a not so good way.. . But still, they are creative. It's a reality. And it's happening in this country. Whether good or bad, we need to accept it. I felt good after watching the show. I know that the host and the staff don't' mean to shame the country but to just feature its culture.. .
And there's one thing that I've learned and realized.. . relationships matter. It's God who impressed in my heart that relationships are important. The prisoners in the New Bilibid Prison managed to stop the riots and the fights because now, they can relate with one another. And what kind of world would it be if we can create genuine relationships. I remembered a story in Max Lucado's book entitled On the Anvil. There's this guy there whose greatest treasure is his friend. His best buddy. And yeah.. . we should value and treasure the relationships we have. Because it also matters to God.
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If you want to know more about the show, click this. It's a blog about Don't Tell My Mother I'm in Manila. =)
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