Images from the Philippines

Today I am going to show some pictures from the place I call home and tell you something about the Philippines. The Philippines is a country with about 88 million inhabitants the majority of which are Catholics (some 80% or so). The Philippines is made up of approximately 7300 islands, many of which are not inhabited. In the southern Philippines there are about 4 million Muslims currently fighting separatists war against the Philippine government. The war is fortunately not something we feel in Metro Manila aside from the odd bombing. The Philippines is a democratic republic with an electric president, Congress and Senate. As a general rule the president is elected for a period of six years. The capital is Manila with a population of 12 to 16 millions, no one really knows.

Metro Manila is made up of many cities which over the years have grown together and it stretches about 100 km from one end to the other. It is not uncommon for a Filipino family to have a house in Metro Manila and a house in the province. The house in Metro Manila is the place where they stay when they work in or visit Metro Manila. Often the elderly stay in the province where life is slower and more tranquil. The young lions then live and work in Metro Manila.

 

For young Filipinos, a good education is a gateway to a better life. For Filipino parents, it's a lasting legacy and often their old age pension.

The Philippines is a place of immense diversity, you see everything from super super rich to the super super poor. This picture depicts Makati skyline - the primary business district in Metro Manila. In the lower right corner of the pictures you see a so-called village which is a gated community, where only residents and their visitors have access.

 

In sharp contrast to the picture above, this picture is from a place called Tondo which is close to Manila Bay and the north harbour.

 

Here you see Filipino ingenuity at work. Each of these electricity meters are attached to a house. To avoid tampering with the meters they are moved out to the street and a few meters above the ground. Anyone wanting to adjust his/her electrical bill is sure to attract some attention from the folks around. This is a very simple solution to a big problem.

 

This picture is of an upscale mall called Power Plant. As the name suggests, it used to be an old power plant. This is probably the most expensive mall in the Philippines. The things you buy here have the same prices as in the Western world. This is the place you go when you need to buy new Rolex watch or a Gucci bag.

 

P.S. I write in English because I use voice recognition software and I cannot get that in Dansih :-)