BORA

I am officially on my first trip to “BORA”.

Yes it is my first trip to BORA because it is in no way the Boracay I know of.

Yes I should be grateful for the privilege of being able to visit the island especially as a working partner of HP (Hewlett Packard) who graciously billeted me at the Shangri-La in Boracay.

I am undoubtedly thankful since the comfort and luxury allows me to savor a moment to be by myself and reconnect to my true nature that very few realize. I am an introvert as much as I can be an extrovert.

So if you’re on the lookout for life lessons: being alone is not always half as bad as being in a crowd.

Unfortunately Boracay was too beautiful that men could not leave it alone.

Why is it that we chase after “Paradise” and then the next thought is how to make it comfortable and profitable. Sadly it would be hard to make people see what they have done when all they can think of is how to recover all the money they just buried on shore! Is that what they call poetic justice or the curse of Boracay?  

Off the bat, I immediately noticed that the usual group or pairs of light haired foreigners were conspicuously absent at the airport terminal and none were on the plane. Many years ago, the tiny planes usually carried mostly foreigners than locals, which resulted in a unique scent in the aircraft.

From being the escape of the European backpackers and Pinoy adventurers, BORA is now the playground of the Pinoy Rich and Famous. From the best-kept secret, it is now the multi-market destination. Profit and employment at the cost of the environment.

From the plane almost all the passengers were shuffled into air-conditioned vans, no more tricycles. From porters, to vans, to sail boats, everyone was a walking advertisement for a telecommunications company, an alcoholic drink or some resort. No more local color just walking and sailing billboards.

The telco and rum maker should realize that this seemingly ingenious way of advertising actually spells: Bad taste and gross commercialism.

As we cruised pass the 3km beachfront I saw concrete buildings that looked like giant multi-colored trains parked by the beach. The word that came to mind was “Concrete Belt”. While developers in Metro Manila adopt a green philosophy by making “Green Belts”, the business establishments here have done the opposite. What used to be uniquely natural is now no different from the commercialized beaches of northern and southern Luzon. You might as well be in Olongapo for less the price.

But just like with global warming, man’s mistakes tend to bite back.

With the high concentration of commercial establishments per square meter, seasonal tourism and very unstable world economy, it is not a long shot that BORA will soon go through the “Clark” experience.

Once upon a time, every square meter of frontage along friendship highway in Angeles City was up for grabs when American GIs and retirees prowled the bars and clubs. But when Mt. Pinatubo flipped the GIs left, the retirees diminished and the bars and clubs soon changed hands from Kano to Pinoy and today they call it Korean town.

In the late ’80s I warned friends born in Boracay not to sell out or one day, foreigners will “own” Boracay. That happened in the ’90s. Then the foreigners discovered that they could not own “Boracay”. Soon they partnered with locals. Then the locals were boxed out by out-of-towners namely Filipino businessmen and politicians as well as the rich and famous who habitually eat up “small fish”.

Will the “Big Fish” in Boracay continue to feed or will they starve? Right now all they talk about is Coron and CamSur. Once upon a time there was Boracay, now it’s BORA. At the rate it’s going it may eventually become BORADO.

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If you’re one of those stuck in Metro Manila all summer, don’t despair. There’s a “world class” trade event that’s happening through the weekend that promises to be one gigantic “eye candy” and entertainment.

The 6th Manila International Auto Show will be staged once again at the Manila World Trade Center along Roxas Boulevard and CCP complex and this year’s event promises to be even better.

From the sneak preview many car distributors are going all out such as Land Rover, Subaru, Foton, Mazda and Chevy who have raised the bar for their displays. Land Rover will also set up a test track where guests can get a feel of the ride and reliability of their SUV/4x4.

Once again MIAS will feature Mr. Russ Swift, veteran precision driver who will bring out a bag of “tricks” at the parking lot to do stunts using the latest model from Subaru. 

In the meantime enthusiasts have brought multiple models of Jaguars, Mustangs and other classic cars. If last year’s car show competition was tough, this year will feature even more entries as MIAS throws the door wide open to all enthusiasts.

Even established restoration companies have fielded more displays including celebrity owned cars belonging to Willie Revillame, Richard Gutierrez etc. In fact the organizers have a “good problem” which is lack of “parking space”. That’s what usually happens when you host a world-class event that Filipinos can be part of and be proud of!