When tour guides become tourists

Written by Lucille Anne Octavio 

     I have lived for seventeen years in Iloilo. I have been staying in Iloilo City for almost eight months. I have traveled in Manila, Baguio, Boracay, Butuan and many local places around my area. Basically, I have stepped across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao—I have toured the Philippines. However, despite all the places I have visited, I found myself a tourist in my own land. 

    Supposedly, I am a student guide. The study trip of Monash University here in Iloilo City put me in charge of Malaysian students who knew very little about the place. For ten days, I have been a tourist myself in my own home. And yes, I really did enjoy hosting the open house. I have learned a lot about the Philippines , especially in Iloilo City. I have come to know a lot about Malaysia. I have made lots of self-realizations. I know I have grown because of this tour. 

    The unique and amazing Gamot Cogon School has existed for almost seven years already, but I just found out about it last week. Heritage houses here in Iloilo City have stood for almost a century, but I only visited them last week. I have seen the Ati people, but never visited their community- I just did it last week. I have passed by several urban poor sites, but never stepped in there- until last week. Dinagyang has been so popular internationally through the years, but I watched it live for the first time on Sunday. 

It's More Fun With The Malaysians!

Written by Noraisa Simpal
Photographs by Melissa Chia

    I remember the first time I saw them. They were all stressed out because of the 12-hour journey they had to endure to reach Iloilo City. Because of the blog, I immediately recognized them the minute they got out of the vans when they parked outside the dorm. A lot of thoughts swarmed into my mind at that exact moment. “Will they be friendly?” “Will they be disappointed?” “Will this trip be a memorable one?” “What if something goes terribly wrong?” I was really nervous. Nonetheless, we, the student guides, rushed to meet and welcome them. “Hi, I’m Helen! And you are..?” After answering this question, all my worries immediately vanished. 

What lies behind the Esplanade

Written by Zherluck Shaen Rodriguez
Photographs by Vince Cheong

   Teamed up with an organization called Kadamay, the Malaysian travelers along with us student guides went to see different urban poor communities. I have never been to an urban poor community before, and so I didn’t know what I was going to experience. Led by Tracey, we were assigned to see the relocation sites. 

    As an unaware citizen of the Philippines, I was really shocked when I saw the state of the people who are relocated in the area. The local authorities have been telling us that "everything is fine", do not worry about the people who are relocated because they are in "good condition", but what I saw was the total opposite.

The people we don't see

A Possible Dream

Written by Peter Glenn Rapiz

Photographs by Vince Cheong

     Every human being has the tendency to live within a four-walled boundary keeping in mind a fairy-tale fantasy of becoming the next Bill Gates or maybe the future Mark Zuckerberg. Means, method and money have become the mirrors of the famous phrase behind the theory of evolution – survival of the fittest.

    The moment a ray of light strikes the eyes of every individual, there is no escape from the upfront revelation of a colorful yet undeniable photograph of reality. 

     The world is bombarded with issues, be it social, economic, political, etc., which tend to increase the imbalance of the system of the major stakeholders of the universe – the people. Specifically, we cannot deny the fact that the most pressing issue of today is poverty within a majority of nations.

   Poverty is the core of a pessimistic view relative to security, stability and predictability of the continuous availability of the basic needs in order to survive. But it varies among nations due to the uniqueness of cultures, backgrounds, traditions and even geography. But can it be possible to achieve a world without poverty? Idealism and positivism would say nothing is impossible but when confronted with a reality, the answer would probably be hanging in between the lines.

Monash-UPV Film Festival

Written by Paolo Javier
Photographs by Sarah Chong

     With over 90 visitors in attendance, the Monash-UPV Film Festival paved the way as the introduction  of Filipino youth to the diverse world of filmmaking. The event opened the eyes of the youth to the intricate Malaysian independent short film community. The Monash-UPV Film Festival kicked off at the UPV Cinematheque at 5pm on the 20th of January 2013. Breaking the local's usual Sunday evening routine, the film festival had the Cinematheque filled up to its full capacity of 70 people, making it the most illustrious event in the history of the UPV Cinematheque.