Today is Monday, April 13th, 2009 and it is now 10:24 PM here in the Philippines.
Today's song, is a song that has been driving me crazy for a good year now. They have been playing it here in the Philippines for some reason, along with a Deep Dish "Dreams" video that is not shown elsewhere as well! The first song though, "Are We Having Fun Yet" by Fat Boy Slim, AKA DJ Norman Cook of England is abslutely bananas.
They have this half assked video show that is on only in the overnight, and since we all get up at day break it is the thing to watch , for me, most mornings. The Fatboy video is alive shoot on Impanema in Rio, a beach I partied on, though sadly not in 2008 when this video was shot!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwgFZvcWLoo
So, I was in Davao as I was saying, I could not wait until early the next morning for our convoy to roll past once again so I hightailed it after getting my visa restamped (need more pages soon, shit!), to National Hiway where I caught the Davao to Butuan Bachelor, the main public bus travelling over the eastern half of the island.
Riding buses here can get you killed in a number of ways, usually bombs and slightly less often, robbery and gunshots are aclose second.
Awhile back I was talking about the cliff just opposite the 1001th IB Base, back when the Blofgs first started, saying it was truly the most beautiful place I had ever laid eyes on...A poster asked for pictures which I do need to get, but I also promised him at the time that I would soon tell an interesting story about that cliff and so here it is...
About 4 years ago, while Rizza and I were back in Israel, our cousin's father, a Sgt. in the AFP, the army was travelling from his base in the south of the island, on abachelor Bus heading towards San Franz.
Then, like now, that area was infested with NPA.
The bus was travelling about 10 PM, and got flagged for passenger pick up (there are no real stops as such, you simply flag to get picked up, and tell the conductor when you need to get off if it is between the stations, etc).
As the bus pulls onto the shoulder on the cliff, an NPA platoon moves into a tight permiter,surrounding it with rifles, mostly autos.
Our cousin's father was not in uniform but his ID, his kitbag, and his general demeanous would have him pegged. Now the NPA tends to keep POWs if not taken in direct engagements but up until about 2 years ago it was death with no chance of reprieve.
As the passengers lined up for ID checks aloing the cliff shoulder, our family member moved to the edge, and this cliff drop is an easy 1000 meters STRAIGHT down, though there are lips about
1/3rd a meter out, and assorted bushes and such.
Rather than get executed in acouple of minutes he prayed hard and leaped into the darkness...and then hit a bush!!!
There were no mobiles (cellphones) at that time here, and of course he was not going to be easily spotted anytime soon and yet he stayed there praying. 3 days later, pinning down his route our family knew he had been stopped by the NPA, but also knew that noone had been executed or taken hostage so what to do?
It was late in the 3rd day when tracing the poath they stood looking over the cliffside and by a stroke of G-D's Grace they saw his belt glinting in the waning sun!
He was rescued, and though he left his wife last year, he has lived long enough to see his eldest daughter get married this year here in the village!
Anyway, just another day in Mindanao.
Later I will finish my latest Blood and Guts file, including the latest HRW Report on the extra-judicial killings in Davao City.
It is ironic that anyone even considers whether or not the mayor, Mayor Duterte might be guilty of orchestrating such things given his personal history.
He rose to power in the mid 80s, at the height of the NPA's power, when his neighbourhood, the city's worst slum was literally governed by the guerillas.
He formed an Ilaga organisation I have mentioned in the past, Alsa Masa (Masses Arise) and in less than one year they single handedly freed the entire city of the NPA control!!!
Then President Cory Aqcuino elevated him rapidly, and used him as ashining example of what pro-govt. paras can do if given free rein. Sadly for Duterte, he is now facing inquests into his dropping people from copters over the ocean and other assorted ALLEGED activities. Go figure!
Anyway, I will continue later...
Today's song, is a song that has been driving me crazy for a good year now. They have been playing it here in the Philippines for some reason, along with a Deep Dish "Dreams" video that is not shown elsewhere as well! The first song though, "Are We Having Fun Yet" by Fat Boy Slim, AKA DJ Norman Cook of England is abslutely bananas.
They have this half assked video show that is on only in the overnight, and since we all get up at day break it is the thing to watch , for me, most mornings. The Fatboy video is alive shoot on Impanema in Rio, a beach I partied on, though sadly not in 2008 when this video was shot!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwgFZvcWLoo
So, I was in Davao as I was saying, I could not wait until early the next morning for our convoy to roll past once again so I hightailed it after getting my visa restamped (need more pages soon, shit!), to National Hiway where I caught the Davao to Butuan Bachelor, the main public bus travelling over the eastern half of the island.
Riding buses here can get you killed in a number of ways, usually bombs and slightly less often, robbery and gunshots are aclose second.
Awhile back I was talking about the cliff just opposite the 1001th IB Base, back when the Blofgs first started, saying it was truly the most beautiful place I had ever laid eyes on...A poster asked for pictures which I do need to get, but I also promised him at the time that I would soon tell an interesting story about that cliff and so here it is...
About 4 years ago, while Rizza and I were back in Israel, our cousin's father, a Sgt. in the AFP, the army was travelling from his base in the south of the island, on abachelor Bus heading towards San Franz.
Then, like now, that area was infested with NPA.
The bus was travelling about 10 PM, and got flagged for passenger pick up (there are no real stops as such, you simply flag to get picked up, and tell the conductor when you need to get off if it is between the stations, etc).
As the bus pulls onto the shoulder on the cliff, an NPA platoon moves into a tight permiter,surrounding it with rifles, mostly autos.
Our cousin's father was not in uniform but his ID, his kitbag, and his general demeanous would have him pegged. Now the NPA tends to keep POWs if not taken in direct engagements but up until about 2 years ago it was death with no chance of reprieve.
As the passengers lined up for ID checks aloing the cliff shoulder, our family member moved to the edge, and this cliff drop is an easy 1000 meters STRAIGHT down, though there are lips about
1/3rd a meter out, and assorted bushes and such.
Rather than get executed in acouple of minutes he prayed hard and leaped into the darkness...and then hit a bush!!!
There were no mobiles (cellphones) at that time here, and of course he was not going to be easily spotted anytime soon and yet he stayed there praying. 3 days later, pinning down his route our family knew he had been stopped by the NPA, but also knew that noone had been executed or taken hostage so what to do?
It was late in the 3rd day when tracing the poath they stood looking over the cliffside and by a stroke of G-D's Grace they saw his belt glinting in the waning sun!
He was rescued, and though he left his wife last year, he has lived long enough to see his eldest daughter get married this year here in the village!
Anyway, just another day in Mindanao.
Later I will finish my latest Blood and Guts file, including the latest HRW Report on the extra-judicial killings in Davao City.
It is ironic that anyone even considers whether or not the mayor, Mayor Duterte might be guilty of orchestrating such things given his personal history.
He rose to power in the mid 80s, at the height of the NPA's power, when his neighbourhood, the city's worst slum was literally governed by the guerillas.
He formed an Ilaga organisation I have mentioned in the past, Alsa Masa (Masses Arise) and in less than one year they single handedly freed the entire city of the NPA control!!!
Then President Cory Aqcuino elevated him rapidly, and used him as ashining example of what pro-govt. paras can do if given free rein. Sadly for Duterte, he is now facing inquests into his dropping people from copters over the ocean and other assorted ALLEGED activities. Go figure!
Anyway, I will continue later...