Two weeks ago my Polthe2 class visited the island paradise of Boracay for 4 days. Boracay is known far and wide as "The" beach to go to in the Philippines due to it's friendly locals, refreshing waters and relaxing shoreline, it is one of the top destination for tourists visiting the country and wanting to try out the beaches of our nation. The purpose of our trip however was not one of leisure but for educational reasons, we were tasked to observe the atmosphere of the commercial areas and to visit the indigenous village to get a first hand look and talk to the people who have been living there since before the arrival of capitalism. I was able to interview certain individuals who were offering goods and services to the visitors enjoying the islands' offerings.
The first person I interviewed was a lady by the name of Aileen whose stall was located in station 2 along the beachfront. She was peddling skin care products such as handmade soaps and coconut oil, the ingredients used to make her products are produced from a farm in Palawan. She used to work in the farm where the ingredients originate from as a helper who assisted in the processing of the plants that are used to create the skin care products. The owner of the farm decided to sell the product in different parts of the country and chose Boracay as a place to open one of his stalls, the owner decided to assign Aileen to this specific stall. Aileen also mentioned that the problem she faces with her stall is the competition in the area where she sells her goods, she mentioned that not a lot of people buy skin care products in Boracay as they have already brought their own.
The second individual I interviewed was Ateng, she runs a stall located in D'mall which sells souvenir items such as bracelets, anklets, wood carvings and dreamcatchers. She together with the owner of the stall used to make these crafts as their hobby but soon realized that money could be made from selling these goods. Ateng was an ordinary stay at home person from Kalibo who would take various small jobs to make a living and only created crafts as a hobby. After seeing the number of people interested in buying souvenirs from the island she along with her partner decided to start a stall to peddle their goods and earning and generate income. Ateng mentioned that for the past few years a number of other souvenir stalls have emerged and are constantly competing with one another which hinders her business .
The final interviewee was Fem, a masseuse working at Harmonia Spa located at the beachfront near D'mall. She was originally from Iloilo and worked as a tinder in a sari-sari store, after awhile her siblings started to move to other places to make a living and with the urging of her mother Fem followed suit, the only family she has in Iloilo now is her mother as her father passed away. Once she arrived at Boracay she did various small jobs from selling souvenirs to being a waitress but ultimately ended up being a masseuse at Harmonia Spa.
What I realized the most from this trip was how much Boracay has become a hub for multiple people from various walks of life be it a foreign visitor or a person hailing from a different province to come together to not just unwind and relax but other people go there to make a living. I also realized how Boracay's indigenous people feel about what their land has become and how capitalists took from them what is rightfully theirs without any proper compensation and how it forced them to live in a village that has become somewhat a zoo due to people only going there to look at the villagers. Before I used to think of Boracay as a place free of any problems where people go to enjoy the many pleasures of life but because of this trip I have now see Boracay in an entirely new light a good example of what happens when capitalist colonizers arrive at your home.
After Boracay I visited Intramuros, one of the most recognizable historical landmarks in the Philippines and was once home to the very people who colonized our land. I only stayed in Intramuros for an afternoon but I could already notice the differences it has compared to Boracay. Intramuros was the heart of the Philippines during the time of the Spaniards, it is here that the Gobernadorcillo ruled from within the walls of this fortress. Many historical sites are located within Intramuros such as Fort Santiago where the hero Jose Rizal was imprisoned to the Manila Cathedral. It is however sad to see Intramuros in it's current state, many discarded garbage can be seen on the streets and some of the old buildings are not properly preserved. It is sad to see that this is how we treat a historical landmark a place that we should have pride in and show to the world. If we can keep Boracay clean why can't we do the same for Intramuros which in my opinion is a more important location.
I have learned a lot about Boracay and Intramuros in the past two weeks and hope to see more places in ways I haven't seen or noticed before. I only hope that what happened in to the indigenous people of Boracay will not happen to anymore ethnic groups in the other parts of the archipelago and that justice will come to the people of Atin village in the near future.
