Dancers pose during the handing over of the
bantay-bata tin banks (collection boxes) to Miss
Tina Munoz-Palma. April 2005, Vienna, Austria.
Puppy Linux Tours the Tropics
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Let us start our journey to the island.
While many people of the Philippines have embraced the catholic faith with the Spaniards' discovery of the islands beginning 1521, they did so because they already believed in one powerful god whom they called "Bathalang Maykapal". Today in Manila, the majestic Quiapo church is home to thousands of devotees who regularly come to view and touch the Black Nazarene, especially on its January 9th anniversary. Quiapo is the commercial center of old Manila, and is near Chinatown and Intramuros, the old fortress.
A stone's throw away from the church lies Rizal Park, where the Filipino genius Jose Rizal was shot to martyrdom on December 30, 1896. Over 300 years of escalating abuse passed before the locals were able to take concerted action against the Spanish colonists, thanks to Rizal's novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Today, these novels are in libraries all over the world. They would make one understand how the colonization and its legacy has stifled the development of the islands.Links about the Phil-Am Affairs: The Filipino Americans | Pictures | Books | War Recount | About Atrocities (shocking!) | Contemporary Comment
With the hundreds of thousands of unsympathetic natives dead and with the US civilian government's emphasis on education and democracy, the remaining citizens were won over, and became comrades of the USA when Japan warred with it in the 1940s. This is the start of the story of Corregidor.
Upon your arrival, a larger-than-life statue
of Pacific War Commander McArthur will be
the first item in your war recall.
On another side of the island, a statue
of Buddha stands over the mass graves
of Japanese soldiers
This is the War Memorial entrance. To your left
(not shown) is the museum, while the memorial
dome is visible in the background.
The eternal flame of the memorial burns to reassure
all guests that the memories of the dead live on.
A sign reveals the workings of the Malinta tunnel,
where both soldiers and statesmen hid to avoid being
fragmented by the large bombs of World war II.
The main tunnel recedes through the darkness and
into broad daylight. In this tunnel, visitors get
a sensual experience of the war for only $3.
This gun is only a mortar, but is so large that
it is supplied with shells movable only by men
with machines.
A small island with big guns, Corregidor boasts
of guns that tower among the trees.
A bird park is also there for visitors, where
you come face-to-face with the unexpected.
The official tour operator, Sun Cruises, is at
www.corregidorphilippines.com.
by Raffy Mananghaya www.LittleCandle.net
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