No drama to report today, so let’s just get right into the usual mundane shit that fills my hours.
For the Wednesday group hike, Scott drove us out to Subic Bay Freeport Zone, aka Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, located on the grounds of the former US Navy Base. We commenced our street walk near the boardwalk, then worked our way around and back into Olongapo City before re-entering the Zone to retrieve Scott’s car. It turned out to be a very pleasant 7K trek, except for the part where my excruciating leg pain flared up again. Yeah, it sucks to be old, but it is better than being dead.
When the evening hours rolled around, Swan and I visited It Doesn’t Matter, Wet Spot, and Rum Jungle. Then we rolled on home and called it a day.
Exciting shit, eh?
Back in August 2020 of the LTG archives, and I had the talk with Ilene (aka Janey) that ended things. It was the right thing to do. Oh, and the guy she wound up marrying wasn’t the guy she had been seeing back then. I think she made the right choice and hope she has the happy life she deserves.
Today’s YouTube video is about the mountain city of Baguio. I was not aware of the way the city came into being, and it’s a very interesting story. I go there maybe once every couple of years, and it is beautiful. That mountain road getting there is a bitch, though. I wasn’t aware of how many died building it, but it’s not that surprising. It’s the only place in the Philippines where I’ve felt chilly. Even saw my breath one February night there.
Time out for some humor:
Alright, let’s keep a positive attitude and get on with the business of living.
Stepping outside the usual light-hearted banter and subject matter, I want to bring to your attention a situation that’s gained national attention regarding your neck of the woods.
It seems that the local government allowed a massive illegal dumpsite to operate for years up in Sitio Tibag, Barangay Naugsol, on land that is designated as Aeta ancestral domain.
Since you and your pals hike in the area and interact with and appreciate the Aetas (and seem to share my outrage at the callous polluting of this beautiful country), I think you and perhaps some readers will be quite interested in viewing the GMA documentary “Ibinasurang Paraiso” (basically “Trashed Paradise”), which aired two weeks ago and is available on YouTube (link at end of post). You may already be aware of some aspects of this tale.
The program is in Tagalog, which I’m sure Swan would be happy to translate, but the visuals alone tell a very compelling story. In summary: a road was built, a massive illegal dump was established, Aeta objections were ignored, drinking water that some Aetas rely upon was contaminated, and now the forest has been decimated and the place stinks like shit. Oh, and somebody made a lot of money.
Although the national government has ordered the dump closed, the mess is obviously still there. And, needless to say, nobody is really being held accountable, financially or criminally. This will all be forgotten soon as short attention spans shift to the next big outrage. The Filipino Way and all. And there’s no big and immediate financial incentive to right this egregious wrong.
But I do think this is important and that GMA did an outstanding job. Check it out:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fVjr24TOVx0&ra=m
Drain, thanks for the video link. I shared it with Swan. Yes, we’ve been hearing about the dump situation, and it is pretty horrendous. I recall walking through that area when the dump first opened, and it was mostly flat ground. Usually, a landfill has space in which to dump and bury the garbage. Nope, not here; they were just pouring it out on the ground.
I didn’t realize before that this was Aeta territory that was being destroyed, along with their livelihoods. Pretty damn disgusting. But I’m not holding my breath to see some accountability. This is the Philippines after all. I’m just wondering where they are dumping all that trash now.