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THIRTY EIGHT July 18 - I know alot of the time is seems like I am bitching and whining about things here but sad to say much of it is justified. Make no mistake I do love it here and plan to stay but venting like this keeps me sane. Another source of frustration in general can be tied to the massive problem with corruption and how that negatively effects modernization of the country. Simply put, INFRASTRUCTURE SUCKS HERE!!! All the bragging of how strong the peso and economy is and how much money is flowing in you'd think improvement to infrastructure would be taking place on a massive level. Apparently not here in Dumaguete and the surrounding area. It almost seems that the country is purposely trying to stay in the middle ages while the rest of Asia moves rapidly ahead including places like Cambodia and Vietnam. Without going into detail I bring you just a small example as it relates to roads and a recent situation that has me irritated now. I play golf at a 9 hole course called Bravo just outside the town of Sibulan. There is a provincial road that goes to the course from the National Highway. It is about one kilometer away. The problem is provincial roads are under the control of the Governor so any fixes must be proposed not to the local Barangay Captain or Local Mayor but to the Governors or Senators office and that is like asking for it to snow. This particular road is so pot hole ridden that is presents an absolute danger to all motorized vehicles as well as pedestrians but nobody seems to care.
I counted over 30 individual potholes each at least 3-4 inches deep and varying widths in just a one kilometer stretch. The pictures above repreent only a few examples with some worthless pebble fill in. You might say big deal but imagine multiplying this one road by hundreds no make that thousands on this one island of Negros alone. This particular road is an important one as it connects to the town of Valencia so it should be a priority NOT!!! Amazingly is the fact that it wouldn't require a whole lot of material and effort to patch this road up. A few bags of cement and a week or two of labor and the road could be as good as new for at least 6 months depending on the quality of the work done. NEVER HAPPENS. In the past when they have done it they do such a shit poor job that it goes back to where it was within days. The only one happy is the idiot repairman who knows he'll get more work later on. Additionally, you would think that someone would have said screw it I'll just fix the major holes myself but no, doesn't happen either and never will. NO ONE GIVES A SHIT!!! This is truly a country where complacency and laziness have come to be an art form and the only true effort people put in here with zest and vigor is going to church, praying, and putting on fiestas. Re-channel that energy and the philippines would surpass the Unted States in efficiency. There are so many of these roads in the province that I guess the Governor has to take care of them in priority of donations. It's a fucking joke. I'm so glad to be moving to Davao with a strong Mayor that gets things done!!! hurray for my sanity staying intact. UPDATE: July 30 - I took this picture this morning reflecting the top left picture from above. As you can see they are now in the process of fixing this patch of the road if you can call it that. Looks like to me they just threw in some rocks and then poured some tar on top. I can't imagine this will last more than a couple of days if that. LOL
A year ago I mentioned a 23 likometer stretch of the National Highway that connected Bayawan and Sipilay (two important towns located on the southern part of Negros) that was like a war zone. Pots holes, rocks of all sizes throughout the entire length. Can you imagine, it takes over two hours to navigate this 12 miles stretch. Well, to this day it is still not fixed. On to happier subjects. There is a great barbeque place we love to eat from at multiple times a month. Most of the time we just do takeout. The place is called Jo's and they make awesome barbeque chicken. They cook em' on racks suspended above charcol made from coconut. I think the secret to the great taste is the sauce they marinade the chicken in.
2005
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