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Post by Chirkou mendoza on Dec 19, 2006 12:05:58 GMT 8
Im chirkou mendoza a local tourist from manila and i been to corregidor island 3x since 2004 and i saw the rapid development in this island, and its so AMAZING how this people from the so called CORREGIDOR FOUNDATION address this development. I saw an articles about the new restoration in Middleside Barracks (which i saw it also) and i should say that this people (CFI people) is doin their job PERFECTLY (TWO THUMBS UP FOR YOU GUYS). Alam nyo mas na appreciate nming mga new breed of filipino ang kasaysayan at kahalagahan ng corregidor island dahil sa pag aalaga ng mga taong ito sa mga ruins ng corregidor. Mas masarap ng puntahan ang mga ruins n katulad ng MIddleside Barracks dahil MALINIS, MAAYOS, at hindi n sya nakakatakot dahil sa dami ng mga puno at mga bakal n naka lambitin sa ceiling n nka harang sa mga dadaanan ng mga turista at anytime pwede maka aksdente. Mas nakita ko ngyon ang buong kagandahan ng building . I would like to call the attention of the people of Corregidor Foundation Inc. to stop those people who are engaged with this Painball game something because in the first place this island is not a game reserved this a very important landmark and everybody has the responsibility on their own rites to protect and promote this beautiful island. Please continue this develpoment specialy in the Middleside Barracks because we filipino are all behind you and please ignore those detractor they are all politician (for sure). Again TWO THUMBS UP FOR YOU GUYS!!!!!!
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Post by Chirkou mendoza on Dec 19, 2006 12:10:05 GMT 8
Im chirkou mendoza a local tourist from manila and i been to corregidor island 3x since 2004 and i saw the rapid development in this island, and its so AMAZING how this people from the so called CORREGIDOR FOUNDATION address this development. I saw an articles about the new restoration in Middleside Barracks (which i saw it also) and i should say that this people (CFI people) is doin their job PERFECTLY (TWO THUMBS UP FOR YOU GUYS). Alam nyo mas na appreciate nming mga new breed of filipino ang kasaysayan at kahalagahan ng corregidor island dahil sa pag aalaga ng mga taong ito sa mga ruins ng corregidor. Mas masarap ng puntahan ang mga ruins n katulad ng MIddleside Barracks dahil MALINIS, MAAYOS, at hindi n sya nakakatakot dahil sa dami ng mga puno at mga bakal n naka lambitin sa ceiling n nka harang sa mga dadaanan ng mga turista at anytime pwede maka aksdente. Mas nakita ko ngyon ang buong kagandahan ng building . I would like to call the attention of the people of Corregidor Foundation Inc. to stop those people who are engaged with this Paintball game something because in the first place this island is not a game reserved this a very important landmark and everybody has the responsibility on their own rites to protect and promote this beautiful island. Please continue this develpoment specialy in the Middleside Barracks because we filipino are all behind you and please ignore those detractor they are all politician (for sure). Again TWO THUMBS UP FOR YOU GUYS!!!!!!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2006 16:24:34 GMT 8
Thank you for your point of view Mr. Chirkou Mendoza. Incidentally, this forum is an international, English language forum in case you don't know. So lest you and I are the only ones who can understand the statement you posted in Tagalog, I am translating it for the benefit of the thousands of English-speaking folks out there:
TAGALOG PORTION:
Alam nyo mas na appreciate nming mga new breed of filipino ang kasaysayan at kahalagahan ng corregidor island dahil sa pag aalaga ng mga taong ito sa mga ruins ng corregidor. Mas masarap ng puntahan ang mga ruins n katulad ng MIddleside Barracks dahil MALINIS, MAAYOS, at hindi n sya nakakatakot dahil sa dami ng mga puno at mga bakal n naka lambitin sa ceiling n nka harang sa mga dadaanan ng mga turista at anytime pwede maka aksdente. Mas nakita ko ngyon ang buong kagandahan ng building .
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
You know, we the new breed of Filipinos can appreciate history and the significance of Corregidor better because of the way these people have cared for the ruins in Corregidor. It's so nice to visit the ruins like Middleside Barracks because they're clean and in order and not dangerous because of a lot of trees and metal rods hanging from the ceiling or blocking the paths of tourists that can cause accidents any time. Now I can better appreciate the total beauty of the building.
Sounds so textbook familiar, eh april_thunder, eXo? Learned this in crisis PR.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2006 18:26:19 GMT 8
I think that part of the problem is that the Filipino people don't see the ruins and artifacts the way we history nuts do. They have regular paintball battles inside the hospital structure, for example. But history nuts like us are a dime a dozen, aren't we John? And I'm Filipino. If you ask me, there's nothing better I like than to have the entire island all to myself to explore using a copy of a 1938 engineering map of all structures on Corregidor before the war. And that I did back in 1994, bushwhacking up to 20 kms. of trail over a 4-month period with a bunch of hardy island boys and CFI guides. And if you happened to use a trail hiking map supplied by the hotel back in 2001, I drew that map as part of a new markets study which was commissioned because they found out that all the history nuts like us put together (plus throw in the few remaining veterans who can still do a sentimental journey) simply can't sustain the viability of Corregidor as a tourist destination. And that's inspite of the millions of dollars they've spent on monuments and shrines there that eXo says are enough to sink the island. So it was a question of marketing and economics. How do you attract target visitors, majority of whom are Filipinos who go more for video games and fun-in-the-sun in Boracay (market reality: war history and military relics simply not their cup of tea) to visit Corregidor? The tour operator had to experiment with a number of marketing strategies and product offerings. Paintball wargames was one of them, with the Padi's Point group as service contractor, because it had a cult following that was willing to pay for trips to Corregidor that featured paintball activities. That meant a whole new market segment paying for users fees that went to the coffers of CFI for maintenance and "clean ups." I wonder what Mr. Mendoza meant when he called for CFI to stop paintball activities on the island because Corregidor is an important landmark. So what's the negative impact that you see Mr. Mendoza? Paintball bullets are biodegradable. Desecration? Corregidor isn't a cemetery, it's a battlefield memorial and natural park. Natural parks are utilized for recreation. Aren't scrap iron salvaging and cutting of trees more desecrating? Makes more sense for CFI to allow paintball activities rather than authorize or tolerate treasure hunting, isn't it?
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Post by victor on Dec 20, 2006 4:19:04 GMT 8
Many interesting points of view...
I must however agree with Mr. Mendoza regarding paintball activities. It's actually something that I meant to bring up in this forum but was not sure if it's "preaching to the choir" or "barking up the wrong tree".
A little disclaimer. I am a paintball player myself, and an airsoft player to boot. I'm always appreciative of ideal locations for these games. Corregidor is however NOT the place to engage in such activities.
Technically I guess there's nothing wrong with paintball. The rounds are biodegradable. Fine. But this Tagalog phrase sums up it for me, "nabababoy ang lugar". With some layers of translation, it roughly means disrespecting the place. True it's a recreational place but it's better off for hiking, exploration, research, and contemplation.
Incidentally, the same "biodegradability" cannot be claimed for airsoft games that are held there as well. Airsoft pellets are not biodagredable no matter what anyone says. Over time the place will be littered with little white plastic pellets.
I acknowledge that experimentations with different markets to get much needed revenues. It's a tough balancing act. I'm with you on that. The average Filipino is more concerned with daily survival, much less spending to go on a trip to an old battlefield island.
That being said, even as a paintballer and an airsofter, my gut tells me it's the wrong activity to hold there. Even for no other good reason other than that of "nabababoy ang lugar".
It's hallowed grounds. As Filipinos we NEED to hold some things sacred.
Just my 2 cents.
Victor Verano
---- TAKE nothing but pictures. KILL nothing but time. LEAVE nothing but footprints. (a sign in Boracay island)
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Post by EXO on Dec 20, 2006 5:15:37 GMT 8
Joey Montalvo is entirely correct when he says that "all the history nuts (I prefer the word "buffs", but "nuts" is accurate) ...simply can't sustain the viability of Corregidor as a tourist destination." So, whilst the primary purpose of the Rock is as a Memorial, there needs to be other marketing directions.
Eco Tourism is becoming one of the largest aspects of tourism, and unfortunately the Philippines has not been developing in this area as well as the tourist operators would expect. If Eco-Tourism is to be the "next developing market", how can Corregidor expect to be taken seriously with its feral cat population out of control.
Some time ago, I was contacted by a lady who wanted to see Corregidor as a place to redevelop butterflies. Butterflies are an indicator of the health of an ecosystem. Now, that is an aspect of Eco-Tourism which should be encouraged & supported - as a development, not simply as a "service contractor." What's good for butterflies, is good for Corregidor. So is stripping back vegetation bad for the ecosystem - on the balance, I'd say yes.
First come the butterflies - then what about the bird-watching tourists? What birds on Corregidor? - Refer to the non-existent Feral Cat policy. So, in this respect, allowing a few pet cats on the island is, in the longer term, anti-Eco Tourism.
What about the people who are trapping animals on the island? IMHO, if the anyone is serious about going beyond "lip-service", there must be a total and complete ANTI-POACHING policy.
What of the trapping of monkeys? If the population is shown to be disproportionate to natural native forests, then deal with the excess.
If Corregidor is to become multi-user friendly ( curious day trippers, over-night couples, military buffs, butterfly fanciers, bird watchers, naturalists etc), then there needs to be an overall plan which accommodates all of these groups - and does not offend one against the other.
Where am I going with this - I think it is that Corregidor (ie CFI) needs to have a good think about their Eco-Tourism options. They need to institute high standards of ecological protection, and if necessary, to start listening to eco-advisers. Butterflies, birds, lizards, monkeys, deer, adjacent fisheries, ground-cover, trees - there's no future for corregidor as a memorial island alone. And there's will be no eco-tourism likely without a protracted effort to improve and protect the micro-ecology of the island.
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Post by Joey Montalvo on Dec 21, 2006 1:12:18 GMT 8
Technically I guess there's nothing wrong with paintball. The rounds are biodegradable. Fine. But this Tagalog phrase sums up it for me, "nabababoy ang lugar". With some layers of translation, it roughly means disrespecting the place. True it's a recreational place but it's better off for hiking, exploration, research, and contemplation. Point well taken Victor. And I agree with you that "nakakababoy" ang paintball especially if you do it the regular way you paintball warriors do it .. just plain "bakbakan" (firing at will, so to speak) which you can very well do in other venues. But hasn't it occured to you that paintball, including other forms of applicable recreational activities can be employed as better and more effective interpretive tools on Corregidor's history and significance? I'm sure you've heard of "role-playing games." Have you also heard of "theater of the mind?" What about "virtual reality experience?" These are proprietary touring innovations that we have successfully conducted for many years in Corregidor, not necessarily using paintball (because it's more expensive), in most cases using supersoakers with food-grade dye as ammo. What better and more exciting way to tour the island than to play the role of a soldier in something like a live video game, accurately reliving events and scenarios as they happened during the seige in 1942 or Liberation in 1945. And because of the "theater of the mind" technology, all this were done without disturbing a single rebar, wall, post, animal, tree or relic. These were extremely successful tour programs that "new generation" visitors lapped up for several years. In almost all cases, participants have come out with a more profound understanding, knowledge and appreciation of Corregidor and it's history and significance than if they took a passive bus tour. We've had participants coming from different countries exchanging emails about their unique experience many months after their tour. That's why I earlier said that this particular Corregidor experience, beats the Pearl Harbor tour hands down, anytime. There are many and better ways of doing things without being disrespectful of the venue. You just have to think "out of the box." And all that CFI has to do is to preserve the ruins and the natural environment. None of those "grandiose" infrastructure and Ayala Alabang (plush subdivision) style development.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2006 9:49:25 GMT 8
As Merlyn (the American tourist who accompanied me on that photogaphic foray to Middleside Barracks last Dec. 6) said. the important thing to remember is that "They should clean it, and not CLEAN IT UP." I guess what he was trying to say is that "cleaning" can come in varying degrees, or involve different cleaning methods. The idea is NOT to make the cleanup so thorough that you lose the very essence of what you are trying to preserve! If they really want to go to extremes and CLEAN UP Middleside Barracks why don't they just remove the whole kaboodle and build new structures in place of the old ones? This is an exaggeration, of course, but it brings to fore what I have been trying to say all along. The objective of this Middleside Barracks project should not be merely based on the perfunctury accomplishment of a simplistic clearing operation, but must include cultural and heritage-based considerations, not to mention the sentiments of World War II veterans and their families. I also wondering if Mr. Chikou Mendoza - who posted a statement in this forum on Dec. 18, 2006 - has visited the Quo Vadis Corregidor webpage. From the photos in that webpage, it can be seen that Middleside Barracks is not yet quite as "clean and safe" as he mentions. This so-called cleanup job is still in progress, and the structures have not yet been shored up in any way, so I beg to disagree that they are already "clean and safe". Furthermore, I was on the island on Dec. 2 and 3 of 2004, and I went back there on Dec. 5 and 6 of 2006. I fail to see any "rapid developments" that have transpired on the island between those two years. The only "rapid development" I see is the deterioration of the island's structures :
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Post by Deleted on Dec 25, 2006 1:15:39 GMT 8
Merry Christmas everyone
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Post by EXO on Dec 27, 2006 15:48:27 GMT 8
I may often speak my views unasked, but my strongest opinion of all is that the people who have strong opinions - either way - should be able to look to the CT&N website and this forum as an assistance to express their opinions. Here's a little of what the Website is about: eXo
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