Will Moreno
– By Will Moneno, GDHS ’71
It had been decades since I was in the Philippines. I was born in the Naval Hospital at the now defunct US Naval Base at Subic Bay and raised in Olongapo. We moved to California when I was 9 years old. At 15, we left California for my dad’s second tour of duty in the Philippines a second time. My brothers and I hated the idea because we loved everything about living in the USA. When we got off the plane at Clark Air Base, it was so hot and humid I wanted to run back inside the plane. In the dark, our relatives met us fro an emotional reunion and drove us through old roads, sugar cane fields, prostitutes, and beggars to our old house in Olongapo, Welcome to the Philippines, I guess. Days later, we took a jeepney to Subic Naval Base’s Main Gate, walked on the Olongapo bridge, and heard kids our age swimming among the floating feces begging for money. Several drunk sailors were trying to look sober while their prostitutes screamed “Hey sailor, gib me my money, ok?”. We got on base and took a cab to George Dewey High School to register. Mom says, “this will be your new school”. My brothers Ed, Dan, and I sat there speechless not knowing what to expect. Fast forward two years later, and we hated to leave. It was an awesome time of our lives. It was especially sad because I knew I would never see my grandparents and elderly aunts and uncles again.
Since I left the Philippines decades ago, there was always something that kept me from returning. Every time friends or relatives were going, I did not have enough vacation time or money. My mom, brother Dan and wife Robin, my sister and husband in the summer of 2010 asked me if I could go. This trip was special because before my Dad died, he asked Mom to someday go back to his hometown and hers, and bring them some money, clothes, and emotional support. It was going to be an emotional trip, and I wasn’t sure I’d make it. So, my stars started lining up. First, I had 10 vacation days available and got approved to take those days off in January, My brother Dan and my sister helped me pay for the plane fares. Then, I went to the post office and got my Passport in 21 days – right before the Christmas rush.. I started checking the cities we would visit online, and spoke to dozens of people who recently went to the Philippines. Everything was fine – or so I thought. The day before we were to leave, I sprained my ankle. How stupid of me, I thought. How was I going to carry my luggage and get around? Again rescued by my awesome brother and sister ” you’re going…we’ll help you out. So I was on crutches, got a wheelchair to the plane, and joined all the seniors.. We all met at Las Vegas and flew out on Philippine Airlines via Vancouver, and from there to the PI took 13 hours. . After landing in Manila, we would take a domestic flight to the provinces, and stay for a few days, then take a plane back to Manila, stay a few days, go to a resort, go to Subic, stay a few days in Manila, and fly home in separate plane – with me landing at LAX and my brother Dan and Robin to SFO. My mom, sister, and brother in law would stay in Cebu for a few days and go back to Las Vegas where they live,
Everyone I spoke to on the Las Vegas to Vancouver plane said things were better in the Philippines than they were decade earlier. I later found out that might not be such an accurate statement, especially economically as unemployment is high, with poor infrastructures,and negative trade imbalance. Sleeping was difficult, so I watched 3 dumb on board chick flicks like “Eat, Pray a Love”, and two badly acted and produced Filipino dramas, They and some wine put me to sleep. The flight attendants were very cool and as usual, my lovable mom made friends with them and told them our life stories (yikes). I realized also that I only like Filipino food that my mom cooks, and didn’t eat a lot of the Filipino cuisine they served. We landed smoothly in Manila 3 AM their time, but we had to collect our luggage to go through security, and go to another airline. While being pushed on a wheelchair, I was grateful that I could communicate enough in Tagalog with the wheelchair guy. I asked this young looking dude if he was a student, and he says, “No, I’m,32 years old with two kids and a wife, and looking for work”. He had two years of college but few people he knew with degrees had a tough time finding work. There was lots of activity at baggage claim. We go through security, and noticed they’re not as thorough as TSA, And if you have something the guards like, they’ll might just take it from your luggage. We get taken to our connecting flight to the provinces. My brother in law pays the wheelchair guy “$3, and he is happy with his tip (typical tip is about $1). We board a new plane with an English speaking crew. As the sun came up, we began seeing Mt. Mayon volcano. Holy smoke, it was awesome. We landed at Albay airport, the province where my parents were born and raised. As beautiful as the Philippine terrain and sea are from above, after landing, you know you’re a third world country in the boonies. We were waiting for relatives to pick us up, but they had car problems. Drivers began hawking their clunky, brightly colored jeepneys and taxis. Just like a native, my sister flagged down a van and negotiated the price right then and there. She is a travel agent, after all, and knows how to bargain. We load up all the stuff, watching carefully for thieves but there were no problems that day.
It was unusual for January to be so cool and misty – it’s normally dry and 90 degrees. The whole 10 days there, it was about 10 degrees cooler than normal. There were few mosquitoes. My friends and family know that I get excited whenever I see tropical fruits on a tree or in a stand. It wasn’t mango season, but young coconuts and fried bananas were up ahead and we get the van driver to stop. I also told him I had to pee, and he said, “See that wall over there that other guy just used?” My sister gets an order of fried bananas and six young coconuts capped with plastic spoons. I use my alcohol wipes, and now am ready to snack in the van. She spend a total of $3 in pesos for all that she bought. We then stop at the first relative’s house. They are orphaned, and the oldest brother is studying nursing and relying on part time jobs and donations from family to survive. They have no electricity, and their home is really a shack with I think 8 kids. Their floor is dirt and plywood and their shoes, like most Filipinos, are really slippers. My brother Dan and Robin,my sister and husband help my mom hand out the money, candy, clothes, shoes, and food. When we were done, the older ones told us how they would miss my dad, and can’t believe he’s gone. It was an emotional time, and we head to our next relative’s house. It was a nice reunion there. We then get taken to our hotel which was fairly modern but loud. Sadly, this street doesn’t sleep with buses, jeepneys, scooters, bikes, and people up all hours of the night. Early morning, and twice on Saturdays and three times on Sundays, the Catholic church 2 blocks away puts speakers on outside. We had a weak wi-fi, but adequate. Thankfully there were decent restaurants nearby.We didn’t have cold water for the first three days. It was air conditioned and clean, though, and that was the most important thing. Our first night, we ate at Shakey’s Pizza. Talk about a global economy. We were a lot more ambitious the next days eating at local restaurants, including a 50’s burger joint. Our next stop was at my aunt’s house in another nearby town up the road about an hour away. It was a town fiesta in honor of the Virgin Mary, and they had a nice variety of local fish. skewered pork. chicken. rice, and fruits, and desserts were served. To them, it was the best of what they could offer. I sampled a little of the fried fish and chicken adobo. But what I loved were the awesome mangoes, various types of bananas we can’t get in the US, and mostly desserts made with coconut, ube or taro, and coconut milk based “Ginataan” made with yams, coconut flour balls, langka (jackfruit) all cooked together. People karaoke’d all night low, though there was a power outage at 2 AM, and they stopped for the night. We also went to a mass to honor Mary, and immediately to a second mass in honor of my dad. My smiling, blonde sister in law was a good sport as all eyes were fixed on her wherever she went. I also knew they were also staring at me in my crutches.