Philippines - Manila - Awfully Disappointing

[Monseratto]

Another country bashing blog... I agree, the best part of the Philippines is outside Manila.

http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Phili...og-642646.html

I honestly do really HATE to write negative posts. If you check through this blog you’ll see that even the posts on Afghanistan have a few positive things to say…….

But my GOODNESS the Philippines!!! Or more precisely Manila, because you cannot and should not generalize about such a large country spread over thousands of islands. Manila - what a dump!

The city has got to be the disgrace of South-east Asia, all the more so because twenty years ago when I used to come through here en route to Papua New Guinea it was THE place in the region to come to for shopping and R&R. How the mighty are fallen!

Let’s start with the international airport. Ninoy Aquino International is exactly the same as it was all that time ago; the same awful green lino when you arrive, the same over-crowded Departure Hall, nowhere to sit if your check-in desk isn’t open. Once through security you find the same down-market shops, toilets that don’t work or are “under repair” and very few F&B places.

I pay the extra $15 to go up to the Sampaguita Lounge just to get out of the crush of people. No, despite the fact that I’m an inveterate traveler I DO NOT LIKE crowds of people! The travelling public en masse is a necessary obstacle that has to be endured and overcome.

The coffee in this over-priced lounge is awful…. Over-boiled and they don’t have a modern machines (which these days can be purchased even for home use) to produce fresh coffee from beans. NO ONE uses this old filter method anymore, at least no one that likes good coffee. Where is George Clooney!!???

As for the hotel downtown: I have stayed at the
Discovery Suites in Ortigas Center for the last 15+ years ever since it opened. It used to be very good and remains convenient for my business meetings. But the owners have invested nothing in upkeep and I stay in a room that has the same furniture, same carpet as it has always had; it smells musty. The TV is years old. The water heating system provides limited hot water for my bath. My room is not cleaned until I have to go and ask. The internet (OK, free wifi in the room) is dreadfully slow and the room service food lukewarm.

Frankly at $119/night the Discovery Suites is no longer the good deal that it once was and I shall change to another hotel if I have the misfortune of coming back here.

Manila itself is a shambles. The traffic is AWFUL (I seem to be using a lot of capital letters in this post) and nothing has been added to shops or other amenities (whereas e.g. Bangkok has transformed itself into an almost livable city).

Look: people will say the Filipino people are nice, and indeed they are polite – we Brits might say “smarmy” – obsequious or ingratiating are maybe less pleasant words. But they do try. That does take the edge off the sheer misery of a crumbling, filthy, depressing city and an economy that exists only on the remittances of the smart ones who have left.

Sorry folks. I know there are many people who love the Philippines, but its economic development has been a disaster; the irony is that Manila is the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank (the reason I come here) and it has the WORST growth history of any of the ASEAN countries – Cambodia which was torn apart by civil war up until 1997 has a first-class airport (fresh ham and cheese sandwiches on foccacia, freshly brewed cappuccino , clean lounges) and some great restaurant food and hotels (see my next post). But the Manila, where the intelligentsia sneer at their Asian brothers and sisters for their lack of English, is beaten hands down even by little Phnom Penh and left standing by every other mega-city in the region.

[size=2]There seems to be a theme here: the Philippines has many natural advantages and in fact a talented people who provide services everywhere in the world. But there has been no re-investment in the country, neither by the public sector (hence the terrible airport facilities), nor by private industry. People might build a hotel, but they run it into the ground rather than trying to build a long-term institution. Philippines can be described as an extractive or exploitive economy, not one where people want to build sustainably long term. As I say, the smart one’s all want to leave.[/size]

My suggestion if you want to see the Philippines: get through Manila as quickly as you can, it has nothing to recommend it. Go out to the islands, Cebu, Mindanao, up to the cool of Bagio and see the people in the countryside and some of the spectacular scenery. That’s probably worth the trip. Otherwise pick almost anywhere else in Asia and you’ll get a better deal.

Final note: for those that wonder, I’m NOT backpacker and I’ve travelled so much that the novelty or “exciting local colour” of dirt, disease and bad food no longer fills me with wonderment; I stay in decent hotels and expect good service, anything less is patronizing the people in these emerging countries. For most of Asia I get it in spades – better value overall than travelling in North America or Europe - but not the Philippines.

For the Philippines the question is surely will it ever emerge from the mire into which it has sunk? Very frankly based on my very long experience of the place I really doubt it, in fact it is a “disappearing” country if there is such a thing.

Discovery Suites
25 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center
Pasig City 1600
Philippines

P.S. No pictures because there's nothing worth photographing in Manila, it's drab and dirty.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[foresterx]

How is it bashing when the author is only telling the truth?

[shadow]

tama naman lahat ng sinabi niya eh

[crazy_boy]

amen! problem with us is we dont like to hear negative comments from outsiders.

[safeorigin]

foreseeing offended onion skinned individuals to bash the author

[xninjax]

The truth hurts..... but it will set us free.. :D nyahaha

I'll to forward this to DOT

[Monseratto]

Look: people will say the Filipino people are nice, and indeed they are polite – we Brits might say “smarmy” – obsequious or ingratiating are maybe less pleasant words.

obsequious :attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
bootlicking, fawning, sycophantic, toadyish (sipsip)

ingratiating :an individual attempts to become more attractive or likeable to their target.

[shadow]

hinde ko pa napuntahan yun blog, pero I'm guessing kinuyog nanaman siya ng mga pinoy. I guess hinde pa nakaka travel abroad yun mga tinamaan doon kaya napakaliit ng mundo nila. hinde nila alam na ang laki ng improvement ng mga katabi natin countries.

huwag na tayo lumayo sa HK pa lang. yun old airport nila super pangit din and halos tamaan mo na ng airplane ang mga buildings pag mag landing na but look at their airport now.

[vinj]

Next on the list: Congress and the Senate will call the blogger to retract his statements, issue an apology or risk being persona non grata.

[ess]

foreseeing offended onion skinned individuals to bash the author

Expect the PNoy's student council staff to declare the author a persona-non-grata.
And also to demand a formal apology.

[Monseratto]

Har,har.har...It has indeed gone viral, to the suprise of the blogger no less! Na mentioned pa nga ni Mo Twister. Not suprising from where the comments came from. Dinelete yung obviouly galing sa mga JOLOGS!

Update 12th October 2011:

This post seems to have gone viral. I've had nearly 500 comments.... most still unreviewed because I read EACH ONE before accepting them. Please bear with me.

[size=2]I delete ONLY the incoherent, wholly illiterate and actually defamatory or gratuitously insulting - they are often funny, but say more about the writer than than my post - no Anonymous, I'm not a "racist faggot" and I do use my real name, LoL. However one or two are included so you can see what I mean. These insults represent about 1% of the comments, the majority of which, even when they disagree with me, are rational. Thanks for that.[/size]

I even got one comment from George Clooney (really?) - he apparently didn't get the bow to his excellent TV advert for Nescafe.... mmmh...... was it really from you George? If so, please verify and I'll publish it. I suspect someone of your eminence wouldn't bother to comment on a casual blog like this, and would also have understood the respect shown by the post. Whoever that was using his name in vain, lighten up!

I'm happy if people criticise coherently; I might (and have) learned some things. Bring it on. This blog is NOT politically correct and will never be; it is an honest reflection of my opinions...... whatever they are worth. Post your comments in similar vein and I'll publish them.

The text of the post below is unchanged, but I want to say this about my experience of the Philippines overall: I've worked there off and on since 1991. I've visited almost every part of the country, including NPA territory and Islamic parts of Mindanao. I've eaten rice with people so poor this is all they have to offer and hiked through places like Aurora. So I probably know the place fairly well, I suspect. As someone says, it is a hugely diverse country, beautiful in places, but with astounding poverty compared with many of its neighbours. I've enjoyed almost all my time there - but I DID NOT ENJOY THIS VISIT nor the Discovery Suites, and this blog reviews specific visits and my experience of them.

People have written about the good things in Manila - folks,[size=2] Makati and Greenbelt are about as representative of Manila and the Philippines as Silom Road is of Bangkok and Thailand.[/size] I've visited every part of Manila, so please don't kid me.

Specifics: NAIA Terminal 3 is NOT open except to very few international flights and some domestic. It's been in this position for YEARS and is an absolute example of the failure of the government to deal with critical problems.

Discovery Suites: I kept going back because it was always good value - duh! It no longer is good value, and I won't go back. By the way, I've stayed at the EDSA Plaza and I've stayed at the Peninsular.... in fact I've stayed all over the city. DS was good and convenient. Pity.

Racist? Ha ha! LoL I'm actually married to an Asian and have lived in Asia for well over 20 years - love it. But Asians are the most racist folk in the world - ask a Thai their opinion on Indians (khon kak - don't ask for a literal translation) and they call me "farang", which isn't so polite..... or the Chinese what they think of all the rest of the world......I'm a Big Nose (dai bize)......or in Japan a "gaijin"......like, whatever. I am indeed culturally aware and critical...... yes, opinionated. By the way, lots of folk detest Brits... so what? Get real and get over it.

Sorry if Filipinos are insulted, that wasn't my intention - but this is what I felt at the time of my visit and my OPINION, not "the truth"........

[Tj_abs]

Problem with us filipinos ay walang discipline. We didnt not patronize our own products. Imo, not all filipinos are nationalistic. Mahilig tayo sa western culture/ imported. More corruption and crab mentality. Gusto easy money. Sad to say but its true..

P.s. Include also ung mga bwisit na "kuliglig " na hari ng kalsada.

[badsekktor]

tama naman ang sinabi ng author..... ako nga tumataas ang presyon sa bwisit kapag nagagawi ng maynila....

[shadow]

yun mga major infrastructures natin wala naman talagang improvement for the past 20 years or so.

[uls]

Philippines can be described as an extractive or exploitive economy, not one where people want to build sustainably long term. As I say, the smart one’s all want to leave.

that's right

there's no long-term planning coz leaders dont have a stake here

many of them plan to retire abroad. many of them have dual citizenship

what they do is extract what they can while they can

they don't care if the Phils. goes to hell

what matters is they got their retirement fund in foreign bank accounts and houses in California and apartments in NY Trump buildings

[garfield_08]

the author merely posted his opinion... and quite frankly tama naman siya.

problem is madami ang "nababastos" at "naiiinsulto". but these are the same people that contribute to the problem of moral decay that consumes the culture of the filipinos. why don't they ask themselves kung ano ba nacontribute nila para makatulong sa 'pinas?

idagdag mo pa yung mga media practitioners that hypes everything and sensationalizing worthless news. kaya minsan nakaka-inis manood ng news eh.

[hein]

AUSTRALIA TEAVEL ADVISORY TO PHILIPPINES:

Criminal gangs that drug and rob or assault unsuspecting tourists are active in Manila, including the Makati central business district, and in provincial resort towns.

Street crime is of concern particularly in crowded shopping malls and other public places. Pickpocketing, bag snatching and a range of scams, including those involving credit cards and automated teller machines, are common.

[baludoy]

sad but true.

kahapon na lang nung nag decide ako mag bus para manuod ng laban ng azkals vs nepal live (one a/c bus ride lang kasi from my condo iyong rizal memorial sports complex), napa reflect ako kasi walang pinagbago ang pasay city at maynila. garbage and filth is still everywhere and the short walk from taft ave. to the entrance of the rizal memorial stadium still stunk of urine and stale waste.

what's even sadder is the buildings and establishments (where high rise condos, decent restos and classy coffee bars abound) in the general area are "progressive" and, even more, three known schools of the so-called "perfumed set" can be found there and yet the local government has done nothing to clean-up the streets and round-up the vagrants along that busy route. ganyan na iyan dati ng high school ako hanggang ngayon ganun pa din it's downright depressing

[foresterx]

Har,har.har...It has indeed gone viral, to the suprise of the blogger no less! Na mentioned pa nga ni Mo Twister. Not suprising from where the comments came from. Dinelete yung obviouly galing sa mga JOLOGS!

Dami talaga bobo sa bansa natin di matangap ang katotohanan.

[Monseratto]

Ehem...comment from a Dufus...

Your a joke
I hope you end up in a ditch...i spent most of my life growing up in manila..and have met the most amazing people and have had the greatest times of my life there...and just to make my point ive been to paris, london, sydney, melbourne, tokyo, hongkong, bankok...and many other places i just cant be bothered to list them here...Eat S\"it you motherf*cking ignorant f*ck...geoffrey youre a big f*cking joke..please refrain from calling yourself an intellectual..i know my comments arent event coherent at this point because im soo enraged by your ignorance..you sh*!#t either way I suppose im just reacting to your blatant ignorance in kind..you dont even deserve an argument