Photos et lettres des Philippines, de France et d'ailleurs

The month of May was drawing to a close, very quietly and often rainy. Then the count- down of the days for my return to France had already started.
On Saturday 30, I drove south to Santa Catalina as from there I wanted to cross Negros from west to east by the mountain about a 40 kilometers drive.

Once arrived I changed my mind as the rain became threatening and a cloudy weather is far to be ideal for photography. Furthermore this part of the mountain is home to many members of the NPA (National People's Army) fighting against the central government and clashes with the army are frequent, so I inquired about security matters with the local people who persuaded me not to go especially alone.
Unlike the Islamist movement Abu Sayaf in southern Mindanao and the Sulus, the NPA, to my knowledge have so far neither attacked nor kidnapped any foreigner but I had better not tempting fate.
Instead I went to the twin city of Santa Catalina, Bayawan and I took some pictures of the sea front boulevard long of 2.3 km before heading back to my house.

(The 2.3 km-Boulevard of Bayawan)

The road is beautiful with very little traffic so I could make the 160 km round trip in the morning though. I was still a little slowed by the many Pentecost processions.

(A Pencost procession in Santa Catalina)

Sunday 31 at 6:30 pm, I was invited for the fiesta at Elma and Angelo's house. Angelo is an Italian who lives and works in the Philippines. Married they have a daughter, he is trading in livestock and also owns rice fields in the Bayawan area.

(Elma and Angelo)

The Italians just like the French are few in Negros. In terms of foreign residents the Americans and the other Anglo-Saxons are the most numerous followed by the Germans and German-speaking Swiss. I left around 6 pm to go there. Elma and Angelo have a home to the mountain at about fifteen kilometers from my house. I drove at dusk under the rain and after so many years I still cannot get used to the motorcycles moving at night, all the more with rain, without lighting and helmet.
It is not everywhere like that and the Philippines is a country that deserves its plural. Laws exist but it is up to the Provinces and especially to the mayors of municipalities to enforce them. By municipality here, it must be understood district, the city itself is called city proper. It must not be relied on the zeal of the police to enforce traffic laws if the mayor is lax in this area. During my travels I have seen a great disparity in terms of provinces and cities. In Manila and Cebu motorcyclists wear helmets and have lights at night. The same applies to Ormoc and Tacloban in Leyte.  On the contrary it is a complete anarchy in Dumaguete and its region. It would seem that the mayor has other concerns that the number of deaths on the road. There at night I saw once 6 people riding a small bike without lights.
Here the figures of road accidents are either absent or under-valued. For 1996, the WHO, World Health Organization, reported that only one out of five road death was taken into account by the police while in the Philippines in 2004, according to a report of the ASEAN (Association of South-east Asia) on road safety in this part of the world, road deaths were in the Philippines of 995 according to the police and 9000 according to their own estimations based on local research, health statistics, sample surveys (where available), or international experience.

Well, once arrived there I was also pleased to find my French friends, Michel, Gérard and Charly and our common taste (moderate) for good wine.

(Marichu and Cecile)

(Michel)

(Gerard)

Among the other guests were also a young Englishman and of course Filipinos little tempted by our beverage. In their case they prefer the San Miguel beer and the Tanduay, the local rum.
Among them there was our friend Nonoï, former electrical engineer in the merchant navy and one of 12 survivors of a crew of 30 seamen including 23 Filipinos. He was among the eight who stayed several hours in the submerged hull of the ship which capsized in a Norwegian fjord on 20 January 2004.

After the accident, traumatized for life, he never resumed his job on a boat again.

(Charly and Nonoï)

The party ended around midnight, but at this time and in the rain, there was nobody on the road to go home.