Sunday afternoon by the river..

The first time I was in Malacanang, i was led to the former room of Mrs. Imelda Marcos. What used to be a stately bedroom has been subdivided into smaller offices by the Office Of The Press Secretary. I had a meeting with then Sec. Rigoberto Tiglao to present a communication campaign for Department Of Finance and BIR. Once inside, I had the urge to use the comfort room of the department, which was the elegant bathroom of the former First Lady. I presumed the bathroom was around 100 sq. meters, it has a big Jacuzzi, closet, a shower, a water closet and a big counter with mirrors all around, the floor was done in full narra or mahogany. I also smoked a stick of cigarette at the garden outside the room, overlooking Pasig River, everything about Malacanang was full of history, being a “bahay na puti” by the river, it has been the seat of government since the Spanish times, Malacanang was from a tagalog phrase “May Lakan Diyan” (A ruler lives there), Today, I have decided to try the Pasig River Ferry Boat, I boarded in Escolta, the old business capital of yesteryears, and ended up in Guadalupe, Makati. The ferry is full airconditioned, thus masking the stench of the dirty river. The ferry craft, a twin hull boat, snakes thru the river, passing by Sta. Mesa, Sta. Ana, all the way to Makati. It was a 30 minute boat ride, and I must admit it reminded me of “Before Sunset”, the movie starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delphy. The couple boarded a boat that plies the Siene river in Paris, and from there, landmarks such as Notre Dame was shown. The Manila version was a poor copycat, what I saw was urban decay, squatters, old factories, oil depots, and low cost housing. We all know that great civilizations arose from rivers, the rivers of Mesopotamia (now known as Iran/Iraq), the great Yangtze river of China, the Ganges of India, because rivers promotes trade and commerce. Goods are being ferried from the sea to the inner parts of the city thru rivers and its smaller waterways. Passing in front of Malacanang, I was forbidden from taking photos using my mobile phone. I saw the garden where I stood for a smoke once, and the balcony of the former First Lady. I must admit that Malacanang is a really big house, and I just wish that they maintain it, it has history, just like Manila Hotel, for it survived two world wars already, two EDSA revolutions, and numerous uprisings. Sunday afternoons like these, touring the city using new means, are ways for us to reflect about our past, the nation and my own. My blogreaders may find my entries too self-absorbed, please forgive me, but I am in a crossroad wherein I do not know where I am going to. Just like the garbage littering the Pasig River, I am floating, waiting for the tide to just take me, for I lack directions.