Watch me on the highway

Hi everybody, if you come to Zamboanga City, be careful.  No, city is not dangerous as you hear, but it just got more dangerous than before!  You see, I bought motorcycle!  So, now, if you driving around in Zamboanga, better watch with your eyes for crazy Spaniard on road!  I never drive motorcycle before in my life, but now I will start!

What you think?  Some people say riding motorcycle in Philippines is very dangerous.  But, my thought is driving is very slow here, so should be not a problem for me.  I must practice a lot, and I keep on practice more and more so that I can’t have bump to a car!

So, I bought motorcycle on Tuesday June 9.  Used bike, but not bad, 2006 model.  The bike is Suzuki Raider with 150cc.  Small bike, but big in Philippines.  Seller asked me for P60,000 to buy, but I just laughing at him, because new bike is not much difference.  I keep negotiating for bike.  For nearly 1 week I negotiate to the buyer.  How much I pay in the end?

P41,000.  Wow, I think good deal!  What you think?  Motorcycle is red, like my hot spicy peppers and my Spanish blood!

Will you ride motorcycle in the Philippines?   Is it safe, or very dangerous?  The cars will hit me?  Maybe I hit the cars!  Ha ha.  Just joke.

Hmmm….  Now I only need to buy helmet.  If you come to Zamboanga, you watch 0ut to me on the streets, because I am wild Spaniard!  I no worry if you coming, I might bump you!  No serious on this, just a lot of joke.  Now, not only buy helmet, but 2 helmet, because I also need hot girl to ride with me on new motorcycle!

Time for road trip?  Want to join?

Blood Sport Philippines

As you might know, I am a Spaniard.  OK, yes, I am half Spaniard.  But, I grow up watching the bull fights.  I love the sport of bull fighting.  It is part of my culture.  The bull fighting of the Philippines exists too, but here is Cock Fighting!  It is what a lot of people call a blood sport, same as bull fight.

This week is a big week for cock fight in the Philippines.  This week is World Slasher Cup II, an 8 Cock International Derby to be held in Cubao, Quezon City.  This derby has entries from over 100 competitors from worldwide!  From Zamboanga Peninsula, we have our own team of cockfighters competing, the MJRG team!  I, of course, will be rooting them on.  The cockfighting is called Sabong here in Zamboanga, and we have many tournaments right here in Zamboanga, but not as big as the World Slasher Cup II.

I know you animal lovers do not like the cockfighting.  Cruel to animals – blah, blah, blah.  It is culture for us.  Including me to see cockfighting.  These cocks are animals, not people.  Why the blah blah blah?

Do you know that additional to bull fighting we also have cockfighting in Spain?  It is in Andalucia, Spain, and very popular.  Maybe it made me almost Filipino to love this sport as they do here also.

No bull fighting in the Philippines, though!  Maybe we can have water buffalo fighting!  What they calling it here, Carabaw.  But, they might be too slow for good fighting!  I did not yet see a Carabaw mad, though!  Maybe they like the Filipino people, never get too mad.  Their blood here is cool, not spicy like my people can be!

What you think?  Pro-cockfight?  Anti-cockfight?  You like chicken soup?  Plenty of chicken soup for the winners every sunday!  He he…

See you at cockfight pit!  Oh, I love my cockfighting!  Maybe I buy some cock soon and start training.  Manny Cockiao!

Fight day in Davao

So, yesterday, Sunday, was fight day.  Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton.  I wrote an article on Friday in anticipation of the bout, and although it was a very short match, it certainly lived up to my expectations.  I was a little worried for Manny, maybe he had not taken the “Hitman” seriously enough, but he proved me wrong, knocking out the Brit in just the second round of the fight!

What a fight it was too.  Very short, but also thrilling.  The day was somewhat comical here, though.

First, I had heard about so many sites where the fight could be seen over the Internet, so I decided to give it a try. During some of the fights in the undercard, I started surfing around to see if I could find any live feeds of the boxing.  Quickly, I found a site, and told a few friends about it.  I watched three matches streamed live on the Internet, very good quality, and I was excited for the main event to get going.  Then, about 30 minutes before the Pacquiao Hatton fight every feed that I could find had gone dead!  Oh well, what can you expect.

So, with no way to see the fight live, Feyma and I sat down in front of the TV and tuned in to the Pay per View channel for the fight.  The signal was scrambled, but you could listen to the audio, though, which was interesting.

After the fight was over, we switched over the GMA TV network from Manila.  They had the rights to the fight, and would be playing the fight on a delayed basis.  About 3 hours after the fight had ended, it came on GMA.  We knew the outcome, but still wanted to see the blow by blow action.  So, as the fight came on we started watching, and they would show about 30 seconds of actual fight related stuff, then 5 minutes or more of commercials!  As a matter of fact, while the Philippine National Anthem was being played, they would show pictures of Philippine Airlines planes flying, and obvious commercial for Philippine Airlines during the National Anthem!  Unbelievable.

Anyway, it took over an hour for all the pre-fight activities to finish and then the actual fight started showing on free local TV.  What a thrilling outcome!  At the start of round 1, Hatton was looking quite strong, but about half way through the round, Manny really took charge and he never looked back again.

Now, the question comes, who is left for Manny to fight?  Of course, the logical choice would be Floyd Mayweather Junior.  He has been in retirement, but is said to be coming out of retirement in anticipation of a fight against Pacquiao.  Mayweather was previously the only person to have defeated Hatton.  It would be a logical choice, no doubt, and I hope to see it happen.

Manny Pacquiao has said many times that following the Hatton fight, he would fight only one more time and then retire.  Will it happen that way?  Well, one reason why this may happen is because Manny is really set on entering the Political ring next.  He wants to run for Congress, or some other office.  He ran in 2006 for Congresman from South Cotabato Province, but was roundly defeated.  One reason given for his defeat is that he is too popular.  Huh?  Well, people voted against him because they didn’t want to see him leave boxing!    It’s hard to say what will happen, but I think that Manny could fight for a couple more years, make a ton more money in the boxing ring, and then move on to some other career, or just relax and enjoy life.  I personally hope that he will stear clear from Politics, I believe it can only tarnish his good name.

Congratulations to the PacMan!  I hope we’ll see a number of more fights from Manny, and that he is successful on any future fights that he engages in.

Let's get ready….

…to rumble.

This weekend, Pacman is at it again!  No, I’m not talking about the vintage video game from the late 70’s, I’m talking about THE PacMan!  Manny Pacquiao.  Pacquiao is a champion boxer from General Santos City, Philippines.  Considered a hero here in the Philippines.  Certainly a source of great pride in this nation that needs a symbol of pride so very badly.

Manny Pacquiao’s fighting record stands at 48 Wins, 3 Losses and 2 Draws.  Those 48 wins include 36 knockouts.  In his last fight, Manny shamed Oscar de la Hoya, the Golden Boy.  Since then, Manny Pacquiao has been widely considered as the world’s #1 pound for pound boxer.  And, I am not talking of only a bunch of Filipinos claiming this for Manny, but serious sports analysts all over the world.

This weekend, Manny Pacquiao will be facing Ricky “Hitman” Hatton, a British fighter.  This is touted to be a very good fight, and is probalby Pacquiao’s most difficult challenge to date.  I am pulling for him, and I hope that he wins once again.

In addition to being a Philippine icon, Manny Pacquiao is a Mindanaoan, and he brings a lot of much needed goodwill to Mindanao.  In General Santos City, and also in Davao, when Pacman is fighting, the streets are empty.  There is no crime, because everybody is sitting in front of the TV.  If you happen to go out during the fight, you won’t see jeepneys on the streets, people in the malls, nothing.  It’s dead, except at places showing the fight on TV, especially if they have live Pay Per View.

In 2006, Manny Pacquiao ran for Congress in South Cotabato, but was roundly defeated.  Pacquiao’s camp has said that after this fight against Hatton, Manny will fight one more time and then retire, and will run for elective office again in 2010.  Personally, I hope that he abandons these plans, if they really exist.  Pacquiao is not a politician, and his run in 2006 proved that he is unlikely to do well if he runs again.  Other than politics, Pacquiao can do just about anything he would choose to do in the Philippines, he is such a popular figure.  Pacman has done a lot of good in General Santos and the area around GenSan, and it would be great to see him do charitable work in the Philippines, or something along those lines.

Whatever happens with Pacman in the future, I wish him good luck this weekend, and hope he comes away victorious.  I’m not a big boxing fan, but I am a big Manny Pacquiao fan.  I like him as a boxer, but more importantly, I like him as a person.

Good luck, Manny.

A Job in the Philippines

Today’s guest column is from LiP Reader, Henry Lamkin.  Henry is a School District Superintendent in snowy Wisconsin.  He spends time dreaming about the warm weather in the Philippines, understandably.  Thank you for submitting this article, Henry.

Many is the foreigner that has dreamed of retiring in the Philippines but wanted for the income to do it. The question oft arises can I find employment in paradise to supplement my meager income to sustain me. The sages that have preceded us caution that wages and opportunities exist not for the local Filipino much less the rich Kano’s who neither worked nor toiled in his homeland.

After careful consideration and analysis of my transferable skill set I have arrived at two possible choices for post retirement employment here in the Philippines.  I informed my asawa that I will either be a tricycle driver or a fisherman. She suggested that since I am 6′ 5″ tall and weight 280 pounds there would be little room left in the tricycle for paying passengers. So I am left with my alternate choice of being a fisherman.

Perhaps you have doubt as my qualifications or the rationality of my choice. Maybe you question the clarity of my understanding as to the actual logistic of bringing home fish to the dinner table. Let me rewind and explain that we have a home on the China Sea in Ilocos Sur. I have four brother-in-laws that are all fisherman.

I have been an active diver for over 25 years and have over 400 logged dives to my credit. Having said that I must qualify my expertise by declaring that I had not been fishing since I was 12 years old with a bamboo pole in Wisconsin.

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Four years ago I purchased a pole spear on the Internet and brought it with me so I could fish along side my brother-in-laws. The sad fact was I have no idea how to use one and provided much amusement for the locals as I slowly, using trial and error, honed my skills to the point where I actually caught a few small fish the were edible.

The next year I returned with a Riffe spear gun that increased my kill zone from 24 inches to about 8 feet. Each day I returned from the gagac my sister-in-laws would be waiting on shore with a plate to hold and examine my catch. I soon raised my status from novelty to provider. I must admit I felt a certain pride in presenting my catch, which embodied skill and self esteem to me, it literately meant lunch was more than just rice to my family.

This year we return in Feb, and I have a new Wong 55 hybrid carbon fiber spear gun that will shoot approximately eighteen to twenty feet. I have high expectations of reaching out to larger fish and becoming a local legend. Should my prowess assert itself then I will have in fact defined my job for retirement.

I share my catch with neighbors and relatives alike. I usually bring in twenty to thirty pieces a trip. I get up at 5:30am and fish to about 11:00am. The locals mainly use nets of course but there are a few homemade spear guns, fisherman use once nets are in place.  I am free diving without tanks. The nearest filling station if five hours
away.

If you come my way put in your order and I’ll try to catch it.

Uno

Yesterday I walked to the barbershop for a clean head shave. Apart from other considerations, I fancied that such a hairstyle would help me perform better in my semifinals basketball game. So I went to Hombre’s, just five blocks away, where, beside the barber’s pole, the front plate glass windows announced in maroon lettering that haircuts cost only fifty pesos each. It seemed so like of blood.

“Dos?” my barber asked, as soon as he saw me come in. Wearing his usual thin, bronze-dyed hair, small steel-framed spectacles, and a perpetual blush in the face, he began to button up the white polo shirt which all the other employees also wore.

“No,” I muttered, shaking my head politely. “Uno…and don’t shave the sideburns; just cut ‘em clean.”

But with or without the reminder, I was sure he would’ve known that autonomously. The man has been shaving my head for years, and though I never remembered his name, the familiarity – far from breeding contempt – always inspired confidence.

It was a sweltering afternoon. The unoccupied barbers were either watching Superman on TV or writing their bets for the horse race, while a couple of familiar strangers read the tabloids. Few discussed the elections, for apparently the people at the barbershop were more excited about the NBA and Ding Dong Dantes’ breakup with Karylle. It was a sweltering afternoon, but I was consoled by the sight of white towels, the scent of isopropyl alcohol, the cheerful commonplace. Mornings will be spent answering crossword puzzles; afternoons, smoking cigars and drinking or reading; evenings, in reminiscence of youth, of “the good old days”, and on a rocking chair that rocked the ticks and tocks of time and which creaked against the wooden floor. The buzzing razor did nothing to break me out of the stupor, and all I could hope for was to always be bald by choice. My shaved head feeling cool in the climate of the city, I gave a twenty-peso tip to the barber whose name I didn’t remember.

My barber brought out his razor and started shaving the mid-frontal part of my head. Armed with a pink plastic comb, he was very meticulous. Instead of sleeping, I watched the progression and saw that we were, as always, reflected into infinity by the two facing mirrors. And because the patches of hair on both the lateral sides of my forehead were yet untouched, when I saw the rear of my head I looked to be suffering from a case of premature baldness.

And so it was that I imagined that ugly reflection turning around to show its face – older by many decades and wrinkled by many more days. What if indeed the time came when I have aged into a man with a positively receding hairline? I thought of myself as a quinquagenarian, maybe older – a few strands of white hair here and there (but none where it should actually grow) and scruffy whiskers sufficient to make a real beard. There will be warts. There will be furrows by the forehead. There will be hallmark memory loss. I’d have, by then, cute little grandchildren who’d be outnumbered by monstrous in-laws, as well as real assets, real liabilities, and real worries.

But gasp! Will I grow finally to be well-versed in politics? Will I then have my own opinions? As the barber scraped once and again at my scalp, wary of razor bumps and shaving against the grain, my head throbbed with the mysteries of aging, mysteries that left too much to the imagination. Of course I’d never be younger, for no one ever is, but still I became frightfully afraid of the prospect of being corroded by cynicism and corrupted by self-righteousness. I’d have a jaded grin, too, just like what experienced people have, and surely the belly was to bulge catastrophically.

When my barber had finished, he allowed me a moment to rise from my seat, rub my scalp and glide my hand through the very thin stubble left. The reflection in the mirror was no longer terribly thought-provoking. I felt reborn – again.

Gone Fishing

Somewhere near, a family is praying for a happy home; it’s a new one actually, the foundation of which has been laid on the swampy grounds of Dagupan, from where former House Speaker Joe De Venecia can dig up memories of his youth. It’s true, yes; the public official with caricatured ears had spent many years in this place, though now gone are the last ripples of sixteenth century Spanish merchant ships. There are also fewer palm trees, fewer foreigners, fewer communities of the indigenous, and fewer mangroves.

But the provincial city is still the milkfish capital of the Philippines. This is why I am spending a good, slow hour by the fish pond of Uncle Fred (mother’s brother-in-law) with a rickety rod, bags of feeds, and a hard, fly-infested slice of spoilt bread. My cousin FJ claims that the fish love the scum; it’s what they feed on, this film of green dead, not very different –if I will now care to take note– from that which has condensed on the surface of the water, and on the water’s floor, and which looks hardly as though it is this very ingredient that makes the catch –when fried or grilled– so divinely delicious. But according to the locals, the scum “does make your bangus delicious.“

How strange it is that we’re taking the time hooking and waiting and pulling and hooking again, given that several guests have already arrived at the new house, which is the first one constructed along this rocky stretch of pebbles and gravel and dust, rarely trampled on by modern vehicles. Auntie Josie also says the pink candles are ready to be lit for the blessing; they’re only waiting for the Catholic priest – as should we, but from under the roof, for the pond after all may require too long a walk.

The sun, however, is therapeutic. The sweat I give off of its heat is rejuvenating and the light that it glints off of the water is blinding. It’s not even the season yet for harvest. The wind of this Sunday noon is oppressive and humid and the San Miguel beers aren’t yet cold but I still think that if there is life elsewhere it won’t be nearly as tranquil and tender and seemingly infinite as this. This. Below, those creatures are swimming, not wary of our hooks. For them, it’s never well worth the pain when it ends. But it ends.

Are you ready for some football?

One thing that kind of surprises me is how many people actually base their decision about whether to move to the Philippines on how much (or little) American Football they can catch on TV here.  Two or three times per month, I get e-mails from people asking me how many games per week they can catch on TV.  Usually, people ask about NFL football, but recently I’ve also gotten several inquiries regarding College Football too.

photo credit: jor_dan

I used to be a big football fan back in the 1980’s and before, but around 1990 or so I kind of lost interest in the game.  As I recall, the players went on strike one year around that time, and after that I just couldn’t get back into the game, I guess.  Oh, from time to time I will watch a game on TV, if it is on, but I am not like I was when I was a rabid fan.  Back in those days, I knew all the players, and would look forward to games with great anticipation.  Now, I might watch one or two games per year, and sometimes I have to force myself to pay attention.

For those of you who are big football fans, though, I have some good news.  This year, the new football season is much more widely covered on Philippine TV, at least on Cable TV here.  Starting on January 1, 2008, we got a new sports channel called Balls TV and they have a fair amount of football coverage.  Currently, while typing this article (I am writing it on Monay morning, Philippine time, but it will be published on Wednesday) I am watching NFL Sunday Night Football on Balls (NBC coverage).  One thing that kind of excites me is that one of the announcers is somebody that I have always liked, John Madden.  In the past, we never got the “real” announcers that you would hear on US TV coverage, we always got announcers that you had never heard of.

Over the past weeks since the new football season got underway, I have noticed that we are getting 3 or 4 NFL games and 3 or 4 College games every week!  Some games are covered live (Sunday Night and Monday Night NFL games), and others are on tape delay.  Sometimes it is Wednesday or Thursday before we see games from last weekend (except the live games), but at least the games can be seen.  The game that I am watching now (Monday morning, 9am Philippine time) is Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles, and it is currently tied at 7 in the 2nd quarter (this is the Sunday Night NFL game, so I am watching it live).

So, anyway, I just thought that I would let you guys know that the situation as far as seeing football games on TV is improving in the Philippines.  I know that this is important to some of you guys!

What could be better than watching the NFL with a cold San Miguel on the table next to you?  Well, maybe we could add some balut for a snack during the game!

The Congressman wants what?

Do you remember a couple of months ago I had an article where I advocated the Jeepney fares should be determined by the private sector, not dictated by the government?  Over the years I have had numerous columns where I pointed out that the Philippine government, in my opinion, gets too involved in matters that really should be private.  Also, many Filipinos, in my opinion, look for the government to tell them what to do, to protect them, etc. instead of taking care of their own needs.

So, do you know who Manny Pacquiao is?  I have written about him before, and he is quite famous anyway, so I am sure that the vast majority of you know who he is.  Manny is a boxing champion who hails from General Santos City, a place where I used to live.  Pacquiao is a World Champion, and almost all of his fights occur in Las Vegas, so he is not just a regional fighter, this guy is a world known (and feared) talent.

Manny is currently preparing for his biggest fight of his career.  On December 6, he will be fighting Oscar de la Hoya.  de la Hoya is much bigger than Manny is, but this fight will pay a huge amount of money for Manny, and I believe that although he is smaller, he still has a chance to emerge victorious – he is that good.

I was rather surprised the other day when I saw an article in a local newspaper about a Philippine Congressman, Rufus Rodriguez from Cagayan de Oro.  Congressman Rodriguez is urging the World Boxing Council (WBC) to cancel the fight.  He is also urging the Philippine Games and Amusement Board to freeze Pacquiao’s boxing license until after December 6.  Why is he seeking these actions?  Because he feels that Pacquiao may lose the fight!  My goodness!  Shouldn’t it be up to Manny Pacquiao to decide if he wants to take the chance of losing?

Congressman Rodriguez has also said that he fears that Pacquiao may get injured in the bout.  Isn’t it possible that any boxer could get hurt in any fight that he participates in?  If so, maybe boxing should be outlawed?  Certainly legislation should not be inacted any time that a Philippine boxer “might lose or get hurt.”

Doesn’t this just glaringly point out that the Philippine Government steps into places where it simply doesn’t belong?  I admit, I am conservative, and I tend to push for smaller government in almost every instance.  But, in this case, I think that a person of any political persuasion should be able to come to agreement that the Congressman is over-reaching his role by a long, long ways.

Did you see the Olympics?

Now for the first time in decades my home country of the UK did a fantastic job at the Beijing Olympics. Well done team GB!!                I JUST WISH i COULD HAVE SEEN IT.

Now the news networks mainly showed still pictures as they did not have the rights to show and the TV networks here in the Philippines had very strange coverage to say the least.

Solar showed pay for view coverage so the only other channel showing the Olympics was the CRIME and ADVENTURE network, yes you heard correct. Now I knew we were in for a rough time from the opening ceremony as the coverage that was allegedly live was stopped every five or six minutes by about seven minutes of commercials, the same ones again and again and again to the point you would know it from memory.

The commercials would come on and off without any consideration to the action that was taking place, and as the coverage seemed to be from an Australian network it  was hard for me to follow anything as the Australian network was talking to its viewers and the Philippine audience would have to catch up after the commercials even to the point that the opening ceremony nearly lost the entrance of its own athletes entering the stadium.

But not to worry when we had no commercials we had short films about previous Olympics and the hopefuls from this country, this would be INSTEAD of the live coverage!! When we returned live the torture was not over, as we then got a screen full of non stop sponsors covering the action.

Now well done team UK and all the other teams andi n 2012 its the turn of LONDON and if I am in the UK I will watch it on the BBC without any commercials!!!

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