DISTRESSING NEWS ABOUT CORON, PALAWAN

Coron, especially for tourists, refers to everything in this circle.

The map also shows El Nido, one of the two top destinations in the Philippines (the other one is Boracay).

These two destinations (Coron and El Nido) are eight hours apart by a small pumpboat (P800 pesos in September 2014). Crossing that water by pumpboat on that kind of trip isn’t fun. But if you do it, bring water and eat before the trip. Bring snacks if you can. It’s the least expensive and the most regular. For those with more time, there’s another more adventuresome way run by Tao. I have yet to try them but the friends who have raved about them.

Tao Homepage

CORON IS ONE OF OUR CROWN JEWELS

so why the fuck aren’t we taking care of it?

Filipinos, these are our crown jewels. Coron, El Nido, Underground River, Bohol, Boracay, Baler, etcetera. Tourism brings in millions of dollars. So why the fuck are we not taking care of them?

I took the liberty of swearing simply to vent. It is embarrassing to realize and admit how badly we manage ourselves.

The proposition is simple but Filipinos don’t fucking get it.

Tourism brings in dollars which are spent on goods and services in the Philippines. That drives our economy. Therefore, doesn’t it make sense to protect and nurture this goose that’s been laying golden eggs?

But what’s to be done? Well, it won’t have anything to do with passing new laws. That’s for sure. No, the solution lies in changing our habits. A difficult thing to do. But do-able, like Singaporeans did.

WHY I HAVE THE RIGHT TO RANT

I can rant like this because I am a native-born Filipino. I vacationed among these islands when I was a young man. They were beautiful. Virgin and immaculate. Now, some of them are beginning to resemble the shantytowns here in Manila. That’s mismanagement to say the least.

Don’t tell me that if I don’t like conditions here, that I should just leave. I first heard that from a Filipina (a Pinay) whose ideas about what it means to be a proud Filipino were misplaced.

So what would I think if you told me to just leave. Just so you won’t hear any gripes. Well first, that tells me you’re resistant to change and thus you’re pea-brained (in some version or another). Second, it’s that stupid attitude that keeps the Filipino from changing his habits — and we all know about our bad habits, don’t we?

Yoga breath. That’s all. Just those two.

THE DISTRESSING NEWS

Go to the last sentence for the article.

Distressing news about Coron Bay (aljazeera)

Click here to read the article.