Progress in the Historic City of San Juan

I saw a funny, candid and very accommodating Mayor Guia Gomez this morning at the San Juan City Hall. It is one of the most progressive cities in the Philippines and it has lots of rich history, 200+ years worth of it. It is the birthplace of the Philippine Revolution in 1896. This is why they put so much value in the importance of the past and how it has made the City of San Juan a first class city that it is today. I felt her warmth receiving us in her grand space at the city hall.

Mayor Guia signing the coffee table book of San Juan

From slums, to cleaning it up and the new park in front of the Pinaglabanan Shrine

Hand made, hand woven outfits of these dolls, made by San Juan locals

Like a mother, she showed us around her office and took small talk; and made us learn a few things about where the San Juan City Hall stands now. The place was previously inhabited by illegal settlers and served as a dump/incinerator facility. But during JV Ejercito’s time, they got them relocated and made them owners of their own land and built them homes. They spruced up the place, took time to rebuild the grounds and now it stands as a gorgeous backdrop for the Pinaglabanan Shrine, inevitably showcasing the history and rich culture of the city. She also has published a coffee table book which contains historical facts and figures without room for personalities from the local government.

The new San Juan City Hall

Murals at the city hall's center hall depicting its rich history and the beginnings of KKK

Council hall where all local government laws are passed

CEDOC monitors the city center and major thoroughfares around San Juan

At the city hall, we visited the Central Emergency Disaster Operations Center (CEDOC) which monitors all major landmarks, thoroughfares in the city. It makes them fast, responsive, to any crime or emergency situation and can dispatch people within minutes if the need arises. This is important so they could address the safety of people. The previous municipal hall though was vacated and renovated. It is now part of the San Juan Medical Hospital so they could accommodate more patients under their care.

New park with the Pinaglabanan Shrine

Museo El Deposito de Aguas where all water for Manila once was sourced

Fire Hydrant during Spanish period with a lion head spout

They are currently excavating and repairing the water systems, pipelines so they can tell the story of how San Juan was founded. It is also the place where the revolution of 1898 started.

The Katipunan Museum where you can learn about the life of Andres Bonifacio and the KKK organization.

You will get to know the roles of Emilio Jacinto, Andres Bonifacio and various heroes in the Filipino - Spanish uprising.

In 1907, San Juan was just a poblacion, life was simple, buildings mostly comprise of housing for aged priests/friars, convents, churches like Sanctuario De San Jose and San Juan Bautista. We walked at the city grounds and looked at the Pinaglabanan Shrine. Parts of it are still being constructed and neighboring landmarks are building carparks so they were a little busy. We walked a bit further to the Museo de Katipunan and Museo El Deposito (former water deposit during Spanish colonial rule), the need for potable clean water was important and this was where it all started. It was seized by early revolutionists who took control in 1898. The reservoir was cleaned and made into a museum, El Deposito de Aguas. This is why there are fountains in Manila (particularly the one in front of Sta Cruz Church in Manila). They also have a VR facility detailing the Battle of San Juan del Monte where you and your kids could learn more from. It is also FREE to the public so go and visit it when you’re in the area.

We proceeded to the Museo ng Katipunan (right beside it) which is under the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Pinaglabanan was the first place where Katipunan fought Spaniards in 1896, they lost as they were generally laborers, farmers and fisherfolk - but when they came back 1898, it ignited the Philippine revolution. KKK means Kataastaasan Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, inside the museum they showed us the history of the organization and the persona of Andres Bonifacio, his family and how he lead the revolution. They also have artifacts, old weapons, paintings and memorabilia. We left and got ourselves a tour of San Juan National High School, Science High School, College centers and other educational institutions, all built during the time of former Joseph Estrada and continued during JV Ejercito. They also have a new Justice Hall beside the city police and fire station, plus the FilOil Flying V Center wherein all major UAAP, Volleyball and Basketball matches happen.

Santuario del Sto. Cristo Church

Interior of the Santuario del Sto. Cristo Church

We also visited the Santuario del Sto. Cristo Church which was put up by Dominican priests. It was where I learned St John the Baptist (who is still their patron saint) was originally housed here. Manila Cathedral had to put a relic of Sto. Cristo here in the past and so they put the St. John the Baptist at the separate Pinaglabanan Church which is a few kilometers away. People have passed on stories of miracles, so for the faithful, I suggest you make this a part of your San Juan experience.

Saw Edu Manzano who is running for Congress in San Juan, he obliged for photos. I think he had a presscon in the same restaurant we were in. There's tons of food in Green hills!

Last, we got ourselves immersed at the shopping mecca of Metro Manila, the Greenhills Shopping Center which is owned and operated by Ortigas and Co. Merchants and shoppers from across the country consider this the best place to get deals and regard it as a technological center for mobile phones and gadgets. There is a saying that “if people can’t fix it, bring it to Greenhills and they would”. Sure enough, I’ve spent quite a fortune buying clothes, shoes, bags and mobile phones here myself. I live nearby and this has been a center for commerce in the city, every tourist should visit the place and see why even locals would want to shop here!

It was so nice to see the city of San Juan in a different light. The Ejercitos (Sen JV and Mayor Guia) have done remarkable improvement and tons of infrastructure to service the people of San Juan and nearby cities. It was just a chance to see how they have cared for their constituents over the years... and still does until today. If I’m going to choose someone, I’d do it for their merits and I’ve seen they’ve done a lot of that in their city.

Honestly, it makes me wanna live there. 

Free Wifi, Faster Access and Cellphone Users Protection Pushed by FICTAP

Super early morning talk with the people behind FICTAP, it’s a party list organization pushing for the welfare of those who wish for fast internet, ICT, VAS, Telecommunications, Cable TV and Broadcast Media. Now I haven’t seen anything like this but I’m interested in why they are representing this as a sector.

They want laws passed for improved public wifi, to let more people have access to information at a faster, more efficient rate. They also propose a cellphone users act for consumer protection so no telecom company would advertise falsely about unlimited promos, plus a custom sim card act to specifically create ones that would be offered for OFW’s, Senior Citizens, Teachers, Mothers so they receive appropriate discounts and promos. They also want a separate online sellers, buyers and freelancers act to further strengthen the e-commerce industry plus a stricter anti catfish law for those unscrupulous individuals who would fool other people in social media and attempt crimes. It’s a long list of things that would benefit a lot of people which Estrellita Neng Juliano Tamano, the nominee who grew up in Cotabato, Cecilia La Madrid Dy who hails from Isabela and Jose Del Mendo of Pangasinan and Rolando Olog of Samar wants to represent.

Ms. Tamano says “We hail from regional Cable TV operators and also do cable internet. Federation of Cable TV and Telecommunications Association of the Philippines. I operate mine in Cotabato, Cavite, Manila and Pasay. They filed foreign equity on cable TV so we separated from the giant corporations. Cable TV is both communication and broadcast and now we do voice, data, and they were not able to pass foreign equity bill. We as micro and small medium enterprise have a different vision and we implement public wifi in third to fourth class municipalities, public schools, dswd, libraries, bus terminals and we are still doing that. We are asked why we are doing this but as a 20 year organization, we have thought of making progress and implement not just in the countryside but everywhere else in the country. Other countries have already done that, we have the capacity to make this happen and we know how to do it. We want to improve the existing free public wifi and not just 256kbps. The republic act dictates only two networks have gateway access, and only the big corporations have that through marine fiber (from other countries). We tried talking to them but the landing stations require you to put a lot of money through the two networks. You have to pay them a lot before you can get access to it, if this was open, it would be better. We have already put our position papers, we won’t be able to fulfill the landline requirement because it is a dead industry. Our neighbors have the fastest connection but we lag behind in implementation. We know cable internet from A-Z and even know how much it costs, but we want this advocacy because we need this for the industry and all progressive have it. We can do it in the Philippines. There is no law also in losing your prepaid load, so if it happens there will be no protection. We also asked seniors if they have Facebook or use the internet in one forum, they all raised their hands, but nobody gets their discount as accorded to them by law. OFW’s too pay for roaming charges and don’t get affordable ways to reach their families. The youth and students on the other hand can access restricted sites, teachers need to check their email everyday but don’t have budget for it, getting online is a chore and expensive. E-Commerce is also booming but there are no protection for consumers, for businesses, people fool other people online. People get killed too, we have no laws on most of these things because they are worried about how they would be asked and have no knowledge about it, but we are experienced with it, we know how much it costs and Filipinos would benefit from it. FICTAP Partylist is 117.”

If that is your cup of tea, make sure you research further and see of they would represent a cause you would benefit from and you are also passionate about. I am in no way endorsing them, but maybe you can consider them if you think they make sense.

Meet KFC’s CHACO (No Taco Shell, All Chicken!)

I had this event on my schedules imprinted as CHACO DE MAYO. It ain’t Cinco De Mayo but the colorful south american vibe of it was celebrated in a new food item from our friends from KFC. I was a bit late because I was waiting for confirmation of my tickets (of another loner travel series soon) but I was excited to see what this fuss was all about. I heard they were already serving food and in the center, there was a big taco that looked funny. It wasn’t an ordinary taco, it looked huge and the shell was thick. Then it hit me, CHACO meant Chicken Taco! Ingenious, we waited for them to serve. 

KFC’s Brand Manager Martha Dela Cruz says “2019 is very busy, you love the cracklings, the famous bowls and recently the double down. This one is exclusively served to you guys as you are the first ones to taste it. It is fresh from our kitchens, we made this fun, inspired from local cuisines and I hope you guys enjoy the CHACO. It’s got lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, taco mayo, grated cheese all sandwiched in our chicken fillet. We hope you enjoy this!” 

This KFC CHACO will be served on May 9 in all KFC stores nationwide, but only on limited offer, so request for it if you like it so it would stay on the menu. Enjoy your CHACO! Oh and you’ll be getting a surprise ok the 13th, let’s see if we’ll make a separate feature for that. 

Follow the hashtags #locooverchaco #kfcchaco and the official @kfcphilippines social media account to know more about it. 

ANGKAS Gets Strong Support From Senate Hopefuls

Tons of motorcycle enthusiasts, clubs, organizations and Angkas riders converged at the Vertis North grounds to celebrate the Angkas Safety Fiesta. It’s an event where motorcycle ride sharing newbies get to apply, trained for deployment, get tons of freebies, and even watch a day long concert featuring some of the country’s brightest stars and viral sensations. This is part of the commitment of Angkas to educate and arm their riders with the knowledge they need to safely go in Metro Manila and keep themselves safe as well. Albeit being in the middle of some government agencies ire in the past few years, they (orgs and Angkas) have been steadily making their presence felt and got the support of several senate hopefuls, as well as incumbent officials to rally behind them during their programs that afternoon. Under the sweltering heat of the sun, they joined thousands of riders at the venue and started talking about their causes and laws that should help them earn a living for their own families. Even local candidates came in. 

Matteo Guidicelli, Rappers, Dancers and even Dante Gulapa provided entertainment for the day!

JV Ejercito showed his gusto to tell people about the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles act and his landmark bill about the Universal Healthcare bill which not only affects ordinary people but riders there and their families as well. 

A few minutes after Chel Diokno went in front of the stage and said his piece “I believe in justice that is fair, equal for every Filipino. I want to send my intentions of the same, to implement it, and I would like to thank Angkas, the riders and everyone who made this safety fiesta possible.” He then signed the covenant to support motorcycle riders and Angkas. (Senator JV Ejercito earlier signed the same document) 

Senator Bam Aquino followed suit and said “My message is simple, we know you riders have a right to make a living. It is not right for you to do that and we need to change laws, so you can do it right for your family. We shouldn’t put people in jail, we made the bill for ride sharing, this is what we will do to make sure you continue working. You have safety, it is important to support you, we are only 4 right now and we hope we have more people support you, we believe people who work for their families are meant to be helped not burdened.” 

Poe went up on stage and watched how the Angkas training for riders was being conducted. She said “I want to say I am impressed with Filipinos who do work for their own families. We all have our own jobs, my Dad was a rider, my Mom always wanted to stop him. I am saluting Angkas because we need a franchise for different modes of transport. Angkas is both a chance to earn and gives proper training. Do you promise to drive safe? Do you promise to drive correctly and follow the law? Do you promise to keep your riders safe?” (They all answered yes). She then goes saying “I think it is time to have a franchise for Angkas. May I ask you do good with driving? I hope I could be of service to you in the Senate.” 

There were several more candidates who appeared and gave their staunch support to their rider groups and organizations plus Angkas too. They have also signed a covenant ensuring they support laws and policies that would take care of the welfare of motorists and the riding public. Drivers had an opportune time to ask questions, learn from experts and see their senate representatives give their thoughts on matters that may affect their livelihood. It was just a great day to see how interested they all were in enactment of laws and more interesting steps they’ve taken to help their sector. 

Now let’s just wait for them to keep their promises!