Post by EXO on Mar 4, 2007 7:59:44 GMT 8
What rubbish, Wandel!
Suddenly some mysterious process has elevated your hearsay, supposition, unattributed reports and conjecture to HARD FACT? What a crock! A mastery of magical misdirection! Sorry, but I’m not buying that, and no right-thinking observer should either.
When I was on Corregidor, I asked no one for "permission" to access areas of Corregidor! It's a public area, and not under martial law. Who told YOU that you can’t walk around? I am absolutely certain that had I been accompanied by any Filipino, my access would have been unimpeded in any respect. For much of the time, in fact, I was accompanied by a young mestiza Filipino – my daughter.
What might seem to you to be an issue of foreigners being given priority access, can be explained by issues of personal injury liability and risk management. Sorry if you just don't get it. It's a safety management and risk profile issue. There is a greater duty of care upon tour operators to look after the tourists. Tourists have the character of a flock of dazed or somnambulant sheep, or a herd of cats (depending on the time of day and the talent of the tour guide, I suspect) and can fall and hurt themselves from the safest of places. Self-guided folk who wander around Corregidor independently of the care of the tour operator, are well able to fall down Moore's Hole without there being any repercussions. It's one of life's little liberties.
I am not a spruiker for the CFI. I have told Col. Matibag directly that on many issues, I do not agree with him, and that on the Middleside issue, I consider that the manner in which things could have been handled "could have been better." I told him that much of what had occurred in the Middleside thing may have been avoided had their been more transparency in the style of his management. I also told him that I have no problem with the cleanup of Middleside, and the efforts at stabilizing the remains of the building.
Ft. Drum and Ft. Frank are available to everyone. Indeed, it is the open access to those areas which has resulted in everything of value being scrapped or stolen from both of them. If you have pesos, or a banca, you can have the same access to these as I have had.
Ft. Hughes - that's another issue - it is an operating ammunition storage facility, and the authorities have every right to restrict the number of times that access can be had to that island, because it involves cose supervision by service personnel. As for some prejudicial preference for foreigners, what rubbish! A Filipino friend of mine was instrumental in arranging the access to this island based upon intensity of interest. Had you been a member of the CDSG, or even not, you could have been on last year's visit there.
Though believe me, if you're not deeply into Coast Artillery, the place is of little interest. I note that three overnights on Corregidor was what your "sanity and pocketbook would allow", so you clearly aren't heavily into the Coast Artillery thing. So what is it you are interested in? Stirring?
You want to exercise your right to walk the hills and ravines of Corregidor? Go there, self-guided, do it as an individual, not as part of a tour group. Improve your limited knowledge by your own powers of observation, don’t rely on the hearsay of others, don’t YOU become their apologist.
It seems that this Quo Vadis Corregidor - Middleside thing has turned into an exercise of CFI bashing. Well, I think that’s a dog which just won’t hunt.
I think that the days of paint-ball in the Memorial Zone and at the Batteries are over, bio-degradable or not.
In due course, I expect issues of tourist safety will work themselves out, as market forces tend to do. CFI have examined the opening to general tourists of at least two new trails (Btry Smith-Btry Hanna, and the Malinta Summit Trail.) Magsaysay Travel & Tours (“Sun Cruises”) will continue, much as before, because in my view, CFI needs them more. They are the long term players on the island, and it’s best that they sort out their differences in private, not on chismis boards.
I have no guilt feelings concerning this Corregidor/Middleside vegetation cut-back thing, which is why I have twice taken the time to correct you. It’s a shame to see fervent enthusiasm being so entirely muddled and misdirected.
I see that the clean-up of Topside has been proceeding well. I saw the surveyors there, and I bumped into a young lady who was drawing a floorplan. Much graffiti has been removed. The swimming pool is being dug out. Good moves. I have no problems with it either. As sturdy as Mile Long might seem, it needs care too. By comparison, Middleside 1 looks weakened, and about to collapse No doubt, that has been because Mile Long has been open to tourists, and Middleside opened only to neglect, scrappers and the elements.
And who said anything about Iraq? The next lesson shall be the use of the devices of satire, irony and the facetious suggestion. Compulsory preparation will be familiarizing yourselves with Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” (http://art-bin.com/art/omodest.html)
Suddenly some mysterious process has elevated your hearsay, supposition, unattributed reports and conjecture to HARD FACT? What a crock! A mastery of magical misdirection! Sorry, but I’m not buying that, and no right-thinking observer should either.
When I was on Corregidor, I asked no one for "permission" to access areas of Corregidor! It's a public area, and not under martial law. Who told YOU that you can’t walk around? I am absolutely certain that had I been accompanied by any Filipino, my access would have been unimpeded in any respect. For much of the time, in fact, I was accompanied by a young mestiza Filipino – my daughter.
What might seem to you to be an issue of foreigners being given priority access, can be explained by issues of personal injury liability and risk management. Sorry if you just don't get it. It's a safety management and risk profile issue. There is a greater duty of care upon tour operators to look after the tourists. Tourists have the character of a flock of dazed or somnambulant sheep, or a herd of cats (depending on the time of day and the talent of the tour guide, I suspect) and can fall and hurt themselves from the safest of places. Self-guided folk who wander around Corregidor independently of the care of the tour operator, are well able to fall down Moore's Hole without there being any repercussions. It's one of life's little liberties.
I am not a spruiker for the CFI. I have told Col. Matibag directly that on many issues, I do not agree with him, and that on the Middleside issue, I consider that the manner in which things could have been handled "could have been better." I told him that much of what had occurred in the Middleside thing may have been avoided had their been more transparency in the style of his management. I also told him that I have no problem with the cleanup of Middleside, and the efforts at stabilizing the remains of the building.
Ft. Drum and Ft. Frank are available to everyone. Indeed, it is the open access to those areas which has resulted in everything of value being scrapped or stolen from both of them. If you have pesos, or a banca, you can have the same access to these as I have had.
Ft. Hughes - that's another issue - it is an operating ammunition storage facility, and the authorities have every right to restrict the number of times that access can be had to that island, because it involves cose supervision by service personnel. As for some prejudicial preference for foreigners, what rubbish! A Filipino friend of mine was instrumental in arranging the access to this island based upon intensity of interest. Had you been a member of the CDSG, or even not, you could have been on last year's visit there.
Though believe me, if you're not deeply into Coast Artillery, the place is of little interest. I note that three overnights on Corregidor was what your "sanity and pocketbook would allow", so you clearly aren't heavily into the Coast Artillery thing. So what is it you are interested in? Stirring?
You want to exercise your right to walk the hills and ravines of Corregidor? Go there, self-guided, do it as an individual, not as part of a tour group. Improve your limited knowledge by your own powers of observation, don’t rely on the hearsay of others, don’t YOU become their apologist.
It seems that this Quo Vadis Corregidor - Middleside thing has turned into an exercise of CFI bashing. Well, I think that’s a dog which just won’t hunt.
I think that the days of paint-ball in the Memorial Zone and at the Batteries are over, bio-degradable or not.
In due course, I expect issues of tourist safety will work themselves out, as market forces tend to do. CFI have examined the opening to general tourists of at least two new trails (Btry Smith-Btry Hanna, and the Malinta Summit Trail.) Magsaysay Travel & Tours (“Sun Cruises”) will continue, much as before, because in my view, CFI needs them more. They are the long term players on the island, and it’s best that they sort out their differences in private, not on chismis boards.
I have no guilt feelings concerning this Corregidor/Middleside vegetation cut-back thing, which is why I have twice taken the time to correct you. It’s a shame to see fervent enthusiasm being so entirely muddled and misdirected.
I see that the clean-up of Topside has been proceeding well. I saw the surveyors there, and I bumped into a young lady who was drawing a floorplan. Much graffiti has been removed. The swimming pool is being dug out. Good moves. I have no problems with it either. As sturdy as Mile Long might seem, it needs care too. By comparison, Middleside 1 looks weakened, and about to collapse No doubt, that has been because Mile Long has been open to tourists, and Middleside opened only to neglect, scrappers and the elements.
And who said anything about Iraq? The next lesson shall be the use of the devices of satire, irony and the facetious suggestion. Compulsory preparation will be familiarizing yourselves with Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” (http://art-bin.com/art/omodest.html)