The Foundation has just returned from visiting the Philippines. During the 3 week stay we visited all 3 regions on the Philippines, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
In Mindanao we visited Manny’s hometown of General Santos City as well as Sarangai Province. In Sarangani we visited the municipalities of Kiamba, Maasim, and Glan. We were able to participate in the yearly Fiesta in Kiamba, as well as visiting Kiamba Central Elementary School. While visiting with the Principal for Kiamba Central Elementary it was brought to our attention how little funding some schools receive. For a school of 2000 students they have 3 computers to use, and this is for a school that has computer education as part of their curriculum. They receive little funding to purchase more computers. According to the Principal, the Philippines allocates schools 250 pesos per student, per day. Yet Kiamba Central only receives a fraction of that, they only receive 10 pesos per student, per day. I am very curious as to where the rest of the money goes.
After leaving Midanao we visited Bohol and Panglao in Visayas. Bohol is the home of the Tarsier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Tarsier) which is one of the smallest primates in the world. We were also able to visit the Chocolate Hills (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_Hills), which are another natural attraction to visit in the Philippines. Bohol seemed to be a more affluent area than Sarangani province in Mindanao, most likely due to tourism in the area, although poverty is still widespread.
Our final stop was in Manila, the metropolitan capital of the Philippines. In Manila we saw some of the problems facing the densely populated areas; pollution, traffic, and litter. While riding in the taxi from Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Quezon City we saw street vendors walking car to car trying to sell cigarettes, water, souvenirs, and snacks in an effort to make money for their families. On our final night in the Philippines we ate a restaurant along the Marikina River in Marikina City. The owner of the restaurant told us of how Typhoon Ondoy caused the river to rise over 10 feet in depth, in around 5 minutes. The sudden increase in river size caused all of the surrounding squatters to be submerged under water, some even buried in mud and not found until weeks later. Being in the heart of the area hit by Typhoon Ondoy really put things into perspective, and let us appreciate what we have here in the United States.