First of all, I would like to apologize for my long absence from the site. I have been super busy this past few months since I was selected to participate for the 2016 DOST-PCHRD Gruppo Medica Award for Outstanding Thesis in Herbal Medicine. Seems long, right... Basically I'm a 3rd year college student whose vacation plans have just been spoiled bigtime by having the option to make my thesis earlier than expected. Another reason is since I plan on entering medical school next year, I have to take the National Medical Admission Test in the capital, Manila. Hence, my protracted absence.

As promised, I'll include pictures from my trip to show you more about Philippine culture.

If you're one of those people who like to consume technothrillers and the latest pop culture selections, you most probably have heard about DAN BROWN. Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Digital Fortress etc. In his book, Inferno, protagonist Robert Langdon famously describes Manila as the city with the worst traffic in the world. And from the perspective of someone who came from the Southern Philippines, I would definitely agree. Manila is full of skyscrapers and smog. Since I'm not a native of the metropolis, we basically got around by using Waze, a GPS app we used in our SUV. Every freeway was clogged during rush hour and a normal 30 minute ride from the house to the central business district would take about 3 hours. 

Poor regulations has led to the worsening of the problem. Improved incomes and cheaper credit have helped fuel the Philippine economy but also immensely increased car ownership. The new middle class basically figured out that the train system was a hassle, what with all its limited routes and oftentimes, cramped coaches. If you're a tourist transiting from Manila towards our idyllic beach towns, you'll notice the cloying smog so characteristic of many Asian cities once you get out of the airport terminal. Manila in its heyday, was not like this. In the 60's , it was one of the richest cities in the world, boasting Asia's largest green spaces, and affectionately called the "Perlas del Mar de Oriente" . The Pearl of the Orient Sea. Sadly, with economic prosperity (as I outlined in my native city, Zamboanga) comes great sacrifices. Air quality is at its lowest in years, and although the skyline rivals that of many European and North American cities, many people don't bother, given their problems from an inadequate transport system and deteriorating environmental conditions. The monsoon season is fast approaching, typhoons will make headway, and the streets of Manila will be flooded once again. Unless the government makes a proactive stance to combat climate change in the capital, Filipinos will have to deal with the prospect of moving the capital away from the low-lying Metro Manila area into a more suitable site inland, in order to aid in decongesting one of the world's most densely populated cities.

THOUGHTS ON HOW TO EASE CLIMATE CHANGE AND IMPROVE AIR QUALITY IN MANILA

-Build an extensive breakwater system in Roxas Boulevard, which is the main thoroughfare. In order to protect against adverse weather conditions

-Build a subway system for commuters, expand train tracks run by the Light Rail Transit and the Philippine National Railways

-decongest by developing the suburbs 

-restore tree cover in Luneta Park and Arroceros Park

Here are some pics from Manila's Museum Circle, where the air is clean due to its proximity to Luneta Park, the main tourist center of the metropolis. The domed structure is the former Tourism Building, which is being developed into the Museum of Natural History.