Odysseus

I feel as if I am in the land of the Lotus-eaters. Remember Odysseus, on his way home after ten years of fighting at the Trojan War, sends a scouting party of three men to investigate this island. And how these three men lost all their desire to complete their homeward journey as soon as they began eating the Lotus plants. Odysseus needed to drag these men back to the ship.

Bacolod is such a charming island. My daughters are happy to be with their grandmother who shamelessly spoils them. My wife is back to the place where she grew up. I am so content with the routine we have established.

On my way home never referred to a specific place. It was always meant as a continuation of a journey. Though at present I am beguiled with all this languid living, I know that I will have to drag myself in time to get on with my journey.

Fr Reuter and the Philippines

Fr. Reuter is a 90-year-old Jesuit priest who has spent most of his life in the Philippines. He did not need to renounce his US citizenship because he was made an honorary Filipino by an act of Congress. Lately, Fr. Reuter has been under fire for defending 4 US marines accused of raping a Filipina. This has aroused quite an outcry. I personally think the good Fr. Reuter is entitled to his opinion and because after all he is a priest it is his job to minister to the accused.

Seth Mydans wrote in the NY Times: "Beneath its self-doubts and feelings of inferiority, this is a nation that loves America as few others do, and Father Reuter has returned that love. 'It’s the people,' he said. 'The people are the most lovable in the world, very generous. They are suffering but they are very prayerful. They manage to smile no matter how hard things get.'"

This morning, after playing 18 holes of golf (where the recommended fee for caddies is $6) we chanced upon a group of "ball-boys" (lower still in the hierarchy) sharing a communal meal of rice and dried fish. Without hesitation, upon seeing us, they all together invited me and my wife to join them.

And this is what I hope my patients will understand. There is so much work that needs to be done here. Heroes have proclaimed that this country is worth dying for. I think it would be equally patriotic to say that this country is worth living for.

Got Milk?

Filipino children are receiving substandard education. We will be reaping an underprepared, non-competitive generation if we don't do anything drastic now.

Major problem has always been money. Even if Education gets the second biggest share of the budget (after debt service which pays off the obscene interest rates incurred on our national credit card bill) there is great difficulty in recruiting caring and competent teachers because an entire horde of school principals and teachers had long ago left for other countries to work as domestic helpers. Our classrooms are crowded and hot, absolutely not conducive for learning and these rooms need to be vacated hastily as they need to be used by succeeding classes late into the evening.

A teacher faces a classroom filled with bright but hungry children. The rate of absenteeism is high because malnourished kids are immunosuppressed. I propose diverting a portion of the education budget towards government-subsidized dairies. Say what? Making milk nationally available will prevent a lot of acquired infectious diseases, make children more alert and will significantly improve our performance in competitive sports. The learning curve is directly proportional to national nutrition and health.

Bacolod

My home in the southern Philippines, where my wife grew up and went to school and where our daughters are currently attending classes at St. Scholastica's Academy. Much smaller and less congested than Manila but with half a million people, would still qualify as a major city even in the US. Remember, we spent 10 years in a town with 12,000 people.

This is a town that was at its zenith the richest place in the country pound for pound, the result of the sugar quotas that drew hundreds of millions of dollars into the area. Unfortunately, all this money did was to produce the greatest disparity in wealth as well. The planters began buying Rolls Royces and villas in the Mediterranean; their children were spoiled and provided with unlimited expense accounts, sent to expensive but lax and ultimately third-rate colleges in the US... As with all good things, when the quotas disappeared and when all the corruption was uncovered, what was left was this mass of people that had migrated into this island when work had been plentiful.

Earlier, I spoke of poverty in Luzon. The poor people up north are in better shape compared to the poor people down here. What frightens me is that I am told that poor people in Mindanao are in even worse straits. I will find out for myself when I visit the region in the coming weeks.

Back to Bacolod, life couldn't be more idyllic. We rise early at 5:30 am, attend daily Mass, bring the daughters to school and then play 18 holes of golf. This city has managed to retain the friendliness and the feel of a small town while having available most of the amenities found in a city its size. Beautiful place.