|
Post by EXO on Mar 12, 2024 7:30:01 GMT 8
Great post, Hounddog! Top work!
|
|
|
Post by EXO on Feb 29, 2024 18:21:43 GMT 8
Welcome to new member, Cutsnake, an Aussie (a.k.a. Tim Beckensall.) Tim was one of our group on Corregidor commemorating the flag raising of 16 Feb.
|
|
|
Post by EXO on Jan 31, 2024 8:57:35 GMT 8
G'day sports fans,
Battlefields are different. It's the sacrifices on them which makes them special.
Based on information received, and since confirmed, on Saturday 27 January 2024, there was a "drama of sorts" on Corregidor. Well, any visit by police, no matter how minor, is a drama, isn't it? I wasn't there.
But first, there are a number of contemporaneous issues going on involving Corregidor. Coincidences, perhaps. One is an ambitious plan for approx 380 Airsoft gamers to have a tournament on Corregidor in February. At 4,000 peso each player, that's good bucks. Many folk, including some prominent historians, thought this disrespectful, and set out to protest the idea.
This same week there had also been a group which erected a sign on Corregidor listing the names of a number of officials, that it is now a part of a named Barangay. Those who erected the sign were accompanied by police and naval personnel. As I have been of the view that Corregidor Island is a military owned island, and subject of special provisions for its governance (eg CFI), it came as a surprise that it might now be subject of a Barangay's authority. Not that it matters, it's not my island. It just seems to be becoming less and less of a battlefield of the brave each week.
Gentlemen, "no fighting in the war room!"
I did posts about both on Facebook. As a result, I received an irate letter, indirectly, taking me to task. I did not receive it directly from the person who wrote the letter (though he has my private email address and we have had lunches and beers together), but by reading it on a Facebook post of someone I had never heard of. The letter had been posted by someone who had only joined the Society's Facebook group hours earlier. I had no idea who she was. The writer had caused the letter to be signed as "Operations Consultant, CORREGIDOR ISLAND FOUNDATION." The letter contained corrections that the writer wanted to be known. Fine. He should have written me directly. He didn't.
I've since corrected the original posting. He's powerful, I'm not. he's connected, I'm not.
But noticing the similarity of his signing above the "CORREGIDOR ISLAND FOUNDATION" name, and not the "CORREGIDOR FOUNDATION, INC.", I was curious as to the new entity. Was it a new entity? I searched both names and their present government registrations.
CFI is duly registered, and is thus subject of Government audit, and the stability of aboard of directors, none of whom I know. Presently, it is registered as having the positions of President and Chairman both VACANT.
CIF is not, as of today, registered as a Foundation, and is thus not subject of a Government audit. Either it is a dumb typo, but maybe it's not.
You can't read the letter. The Moderator of the Facebook page (not me) was correct to remove it, for it raised a data privacy issue, which is of no concern here. It's over, its gone.
What are we to make of this? It's for the powers that be in Manila, whoever they may be, to sort the governance of Corregidor out between themselves, get a Memorandum of Agreement signed, and to get Corregidor back into what we all want - namely a robust, respectful, and international tourism business. How they do it is their business. I haven't got time for this unpaid nuts.
I want to make it quite clear. There are no allegations or suggestions of anything wrong on Corregidor. It's run down, not surprise after the covid closure. Everything is presumed to be well run, such as it can be, and operated by good people with their hearts in the right place. I am not saying this facetiously. We, all of us, want to have Corregidor back to a robust, respectful, and successful international tourism business, a proper reflection of its great significance to the Philippines, and to the brave men who died on its ramparts and battlefields.
|
|
|
Post by EXO on Jan 29, 2024 12:12:49 GMT 8
People ask if there is any overnight accommodation available on Corregidor while the Corregidor Inn remains closed. This is what it is, as of January 2024. Believe me, it's not too bad after a few Red Horse beers!
I'll spare you the plumbing.
(I'm hoping that's just water that has dripped through the ceiling.)
|
|
|
Post by EXO on Jan 29, 2024 7:12:30 GMT 8
IS CORREGIDOR SACRED OR NOT? At least 340 gamers, a defunct CFI and the Mayor of Cavite don't think so. I see in Facebook that 340 airsoft gamers have each paid 4000 peso to sign up for a profit-making enterprise so that they can visit Corregidor in February for a 24-hour airsoft tournament. (I won't link to the page. This is a critique, not a traffic-generating advertorial.) These gamers are not reenactors. They are not going for the purpose of reenactment. They are going for a modern shoot-em-up, pretend modern soldiers in a pretend modern battle. It's the parting gift of Corregidor Foundation Inc., which gave them permission as one of its final "up yours" presents marking the failure of its stewardship of the island. The CFI has been dissolved since December 31, 2023. The group's facebook ads, touting the name OP CEMETERY FALL 5, say that Mayor Denver Chua of Cavite City also approved the event. Corregidor, together with certain designated areas of Bataan, are sacred grounds declared as national shrines by President Magsaysay in 1954 with the issuance of Executive Order No. 58. Well, doesn't that set back efforts to get Corregidor back on the international tourist map as a place of reflection, history, heritage, a place of environmental protection, a place for the furtherance of Filipino spirit! Nah, stuff all that, lets have a shoot-em-up gallery. A responsible management can't come too soon.
|
|
|
Post by EXO on Jan 27, 2024 13:59:32 GMT 8
Three new identified members today:
Hello! My name is Anastasia Harman. I research, create, and host a WW2 podcast called "Left Behind." I tell the stories of the people -- servicemen and women, civilians, guerillas, and more -- who were left behind when the US surrendered The Philippines. My great-grandfather was captured on Corregidor and was one of the 511 men liberated at Cabanatuan. His memoir inspired my research and the podcast. I've become familiar with the Corregidor Proboards during my research, and I would like to become a more active part of the community. I especially hope to connect with other researchers who can assist me in my research.
___________________________
Rifatbabu5: "I am a student at the AA School of Architecture in the UK, and I am currently conducting research on the Philippines. I am very interested in Corregidor Island and would like to discuss it in more depth with everyone. I will be traveling to the Philippines in two weeks and am wondering if this island is still open to the public."
" I have sent Rifatbabu5 a personal message recommending he pursue Marianito Malacaman via the Corregidor Historic Society facebook page. - EXO"
___________________________
4sfed: "I was stationed at Camp O'Donnell 1975-77."
|
|
|
Post by EXO on Dec 28, 2023 10:01:00 GMT 8
Andrew Lagonick was posted to the Philippine Islands in the era now known as "pre-war". Of no particular skill or accomplishment, he lived the life of an average member of the Coast Artillery, being posted to batteries at Fort Drum. He collected photos of his experiences, and compiled them in an album. I do not know what happened to Andrew, although the photo album contains images from a visit in China, indicating that he may have been returning to the USA prior to the outbreak of the war.
The album survived, and was loaned to me by Steve & Marcia Kwiecinski, who were residing on Corregidor at the time. I used the images, many of which were unique, across a number of books - most notably LOST & FOUND - Unit Histories of Corregidor and Manila Bay.
This book reproduces the photo album as it then was, including its errors and lapses. It is 56 pages. It is now released in a SOFTCOVER (Cheap Charlie) version.
|
|
|
Post by EXO on Dec 16, 2023 6:06:56 GMT 8
What is happening with Corregidor? EXO Reply: Concerning your visit to the CFI Business Office - It's CFI's Office, their face to the world, they should have left a NOTICE on the door. Don't they have a sheet of paper, a felt-tip pen and a bit of sticky tape? Anything would be better than nothing. Heck, this is not rocket science!
|
|
|
Post by EXO on Dec 15, 2023 19:51:49 GMT 8
Thanks Karl for those facts. It doesn't speak well for the wake that Carrion left behind her when she shipped out to her next command. Many of the CFI staff gave good and faithful service, and they deserve a continuity of employment. They need empathy, the failure of Corregidor to restart after the Covid lock-down is not their fault. CEO's and CO's get paid the big bucks because they are supposed to take responsibility. My life experience has taught me not to be enthusiastic about large governmental organizations running small commercial operations. Their hearts might be in the right place, but they need to take the advice of experience. I believe that Corregidor (PVAO) needs to learn from the US National Parks Service, which allows tourism operations to be conducted on their lands by concessionaires subject to close supervision of standards. Many people think Corregidor is a National Park, but the truth is it never was. Maybe it's time. In Corregidor's case, I believe that the "tourism" business is a single business - i.e. that the boat and the Inn, and the tourist busses are all parts of the same operation - that they are better operated by the same entity. Corregidor is not a real-estate opportunity, it is not some place to be sold off to developers. It needs to maintain its dignity as one of the world's historic battlefields, a place where men of three nations sacrificed and died. And what do we get? Visions of tone deaf urban architects - Years ago, I likened the relationship between Sun Cruises and CFI to two people locked in a dance, a waltz, each with a knife pressing in the back of the other. I think we've just witnessed what happened when Covid came along, and the music stopped. Both of them shafted each other, fighting over the ever-decreasing cash flow, and the costs that simply could not be avoided. I sure hope that sort of thing doesn't happen again.
|
|
|
Post by EXO on Nov 21, 2023 8:31:08 GMT 8
President Rodrigo R. Duterte had directed CFI to save Corregidor from a slumber of over two decades and to restore its strength as a memorial shrine and a world-class tourism destination in order to arrest the consistent decline in the number of visitors to the island over the past 15 years.
COVID, however, brought Corregidor to a standstill. The Concessionaire who operated the daily boat withdrew it from service, and Corregidor Inn was closed down. Currently, neither are operating. CFI is still present on the island, acting in caretaker mode.
Carrion's vision was that CFI should be self-sustainable in the development of Corregidor by actively attracting more investments and soliciting donations that will provide support for the perpetual maintenance and preservation of its historical relics and facility infrastructures.
Whether that vision failed for being "a bridge too far", or whether the the COVID PANDEMIC lockdown caused its tourism traffic to collapse, I do not know and cannot say. maybe a bit of both. Other tourism attractions have reopened around the Philippines, but to date Corregidor has not. There are presently no daily tourism trips from Manila bringing tourists to Corregidor.
Tourists need to have certainly if they are to take a day trip. Corregidor needs to be a taxi-ride away.
The Board of Trustees of CFI is currently comprised of the Secretary of the Department of Tourism, the Secretary of the Department of National Defense and PVAO, the Chief Operating Officer of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Authority, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Cynthia L. carrion has resigned and taken up an appointment as General Manager / CEO with the Philippine Retirement Authority.
Goodbye Cynthia Carrion, "We hardly knew ye."
COMMENTARYIt's been how long since the high impact of the Covid-19 pandemic misery, and the tourist industry in the Philippines - generally speaking - has been busy reopening and reinventing itself in an effort to get its earnings to "bounce back". In January 2021, the Manila Times reported that the government had announced that it was confident the Philippine tourism industry would bounce back. That may have been a mite premature, particularly as the news never did seem to make it all the way to Corregidor, which is still suffering a deep freeze. The concessionaire of Corregidor's transport and accommodation arrangements did not seem to be all that keen to start again. Well, not under the same rules. With next to zero traffic, CFI's financial position became even more parlous. There needed to be confidence that CFI could arrange a kick-start. Well, it didn't happen. The success of Corregidor, as an income-earning entity, requires a reliable boat service for TBIS (Tourist bums in seats). Tourists want an easy day, they don't want to have to make their way down to Bataan and spend all morning trying to hire a banca at cartel-inflated prices. It requires coordination to provide transport on the island, and food services. It requires skilled governance. It requires comfortable - and not overpriced - accommodation. (TBIB's? Tourist bums in beds?) Speaking of overpricing, and I do a lot, the last time I stayed in the Corregidor Inn, the room rate was higher than the room rate in the Manila Hotel. I have been preaching for years that Corregidor needs to renew itself, in terms of the tourism life cycle. What has been served up time and again, in justification of all things inadequate, is the "force of circumstance" approach - "We have no budget," and "Oh, there can be no long-term investments made because all income is set by the number of day trips." Whatever. Do we get long term capital improvement, or fresh coat of paint over the cracks tourism? Sooner or later, the word gets around. Tourist resorts/attractions have a life cycle. In 1980 a tourism researcher Richard Butler developed a well regarded model called the Tourism Area Life Cycle that describes the evolution of the economy of resort regions. Here are the stages" 1. Exploration: A secret spot is discovered, no amenities, must "go feral". 2. Involvement: A few locally-run concessions are established 3. Development: A well defined tourism industry is developed via advertising the destination 4. Consolidation: Tourism becomes the dominant feature of the local economy 5. Stagnation: Tourism growth slows and carrying capacity is reached, the area is no longer a new hotspot, maybe its overbuilt or loses its charm. 6. Decline or rejuvenation: Decline results as tourists choose other destinations, rejuvenation typically requires attracting a different kind of tourist. So, with the other tourist attractions reopening, Corregidor never did. It literally "missed the boat." Whether CFI was at fault or not, they were in a position of authority in which they were responsible for the rebuilding of the attraction. Our Corregidor Historic Society has been involved in being customers of Corregidor for more than twenty years. Some of us started coming in the 1970's, others of us have visited more than sixty times. We have members from all the major continents, and our interests are as diverse as our residencies. Those interests extend to all aspects of History (not just WWII), education (the next generation of experts has to be trained somehow, somewhere), hiking, off-trail hiking, bushwalking, diving, ornithology. We are cavers and spelunkers. We are protectors and aficionados of wildlife. We are visitors of tourism resorts worldwide. We have had experiences that many bureaucrats would never conceive of. We have brought our family members, we've brought our friends. We are writers, publishers, engineers, military men, pilots, lawyers, accountants, and yes, even dreaded middle managers. We know what won't work on Corregidor. We know what won't work FOR Corregidor (that's not the same as "on" Corregidor.) We know what shouldn't be put there. We know that two years of unrestricted natural growth have concealed Corregidor's visual landscapes. We know that roads became trails, and that trails have become impassable. We know that a government department has removed Corregidor's assets, just like the scrappers did all those years ago. Two of Corregidor's gun barrels are now in Manila, and their origin concealed. We know that " spend the money programs" are are more capable of ruining Corregidor's landscape, and hiking trails, than not spending the money at all. I have no time for schadenfreude.
|
|