Philippines – Place of My Birth

Some of my earliest memories are flying in a small plane over the Philippine Archipelago with my father. My dad loved to fly and I shared his fascination with viewing the islands from above.

Philippine Rice Paddies

Terraced Philippine Mountain Rice Paddies

There are 7,700 islands in the archipelago, most of them are occupied, some of them privately owned, and some with no inhabitants at all. We lived in the Visayas region in a little town called San Carlos which is known for the industry of sugar milling.

I would highly recommend a visit to the Philippines for those that haven’t been there yet. Before WWII, it was called “The Pearl of the Orient.” The damaged done during WWII wiped out so much of the architecture and culture. Tremendous rebuilding efforts had to be done. It’s really coming back as a very cosmopolitan place in the world. Having an office in the Philippines allows me to continue to have my connection with the place of my birth. When I go there I make time to go and see other places in the Philippines with my brother, Gus Vallejo and his wife, Marie.

Recently, I asked my brother and sister-in-law for their top recommendations for things to do and see in the Philippines. As full-time residents of Manila and avid travelers of the Philippine Archipelago they responded with some outstanding advice!

According to Marie, to witness some spectacular sunsets on an island facing the south China Sea, head for Luzon and the village of Sitio Remedios. Here’s a link for more information: http://www.sitioremedios.com/about.aspx. While on this island they visited the historic town of Vigan. Vigan is where the country’s largest collection of Hispanic-era architecture still stands along straight, narrow streets. Vigan also has an equally significant (but smaller) collection of early 20th-century American-period architecture as well.

If you love cultural festivals, the Philippines has the very competitive Ati-Atihan Festival. Gus and Marie attended a version of this called the Dinagyang Festival on the island of Visaya in Iloilo City. They both highly recommend it. According to Marie, “The competition between groups make the celebrants come out with expressive and unique costumes!” Here’s the official video of the festival:

Dumaguete City is a small city by the sea in the middle part of the Philippine  Islands.  It has a laid back atmosphere with its universities.  Silliman University is a historical place to visit.  Nearby Apo Island  is a marine preserve where many divers visit.

Finally, Marie recommends the Ayala Museum in Makati and the National Museum in Manila to get a good overview of the cultural heritage of the Filipino people and what makes them who they are today.

Thanks to Gus and Marie for their very thoughtful suggestions. If you want to read further about Philippine history Marie Vallejo recently published a book called “Battle of Ising” that chronicles the story of WWII battles to  liberate Davao and Mindanao from the Japanese invaders. Go here to see a complete summary of the book: http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Infantry-Regiment-Liberation-Mindanao/dp/9719415126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262827659&sr=1-1

The Battle of Ising by Marie Silva Vallejo

If you’re flying in Asia, make the Philippines one of your destinations!

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