NEWSFLASH

Manila, Aug. 9, 2000 Columnist Ellen Tordesillas of Malaya writes today on a few aspects of tourism:

Viewing "An Arc of Heritage" last Monday underscored our failure these past years to explore the richness of not-so-far away towns outside Metro Manila. This is a failing which is sought to be corrected in the excellently produced documentary of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

"An Arc of Heritage" brought us to a delightful journey to Laguna de Bay with the enchanted Mt. Makiling and Mt. Banahaw in the background; the ancient pilgrimage town of Antipolo; the Angono petroglyphs; centuries-old churches of Morong, Baras, and Tanay in Rizal and Pakil in Laguna; the wood-carving industry in Paete, the shoe industry in Liliw, the circular underground cemetery in Nagcarlan, the university town of Los Baños, and the gurgling rapids of Pagsanjan falls.

Annotated by actor Joonee Gamboa, the Rizal/Laguna episode is the first of a three-part "Sa Sariling Lupa: a Cultural Documentary Series" which NCCA Chairman Jaime C. Laya hopes will entice Filipinos to explore and discover the beauty of their country and lure foreigners to visit and enjoy the Philippines.

Laya said the second part will feature Cebu seen from the eyes of architect/conservationist Toti Villalon. The third will present Davao as musician Joey Ayala sees it.

Laya said he hopes that the documentary will also result in more business for airlines, hotels, restaurants and other travel-related enterprises in the Philippines.

The documentary accentuates the country's history and culture, the kind of promotional material that excites Tourism Secretary Gemma Cruz-Araneta.

Araneta said a lot has still to be done to instill among Filipinos a strong sense of "pride of place". She related her experience in her trips to the provinces when she would ask about the town church and the leaders would apologetically say, "Luma ho." (It's old.)

There were suggestions among travel and tourism leaders present for the documentary to be shown as inflight film, and in airports and hotel lounges.

The launching of "An Arc of Heritage" brought together in one room people of varying persuasions. Freedom to Fly Coalition discussed dispassionately with Avelino Zapanta, Philippine Airlines president and chief operating officer, the airline dispute with Taiwan.

We learned for the first time that to compensate for the extra expense and trouble that Filipino workers in Taiwan have to go through because of the stoppage of direct flights to Taipei, PAL ferries overseas workers to Hong Kong for free

Zapanta said Taiwan-bound Filipino workers pay only the fare from Hong Kong to Taipei.

Another discussion on pride of place and of our history took place at the Bulong-Pulungan sa Westin Philippine Plaza yesterday on the subject of preserving Manila's cultural heritage .

The demolition of the Jai-Alai building on Taft Avenue to give way to the Hall of Justice is an emotional issue and it was to the credit of moderator Deedee Siytangco of the Manila Bulletin that tempers were prevented from rising to unmanageable levels.

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, though, came off boorish. Atienza's explanation that they tried to save the art-deco facade of the Jai-Alai Bldg. but were left with no choice sounded hollow to architect Dom Galicia of the Heritage Conservation Society and John Silva, consultant of the National Museum. They argued that the concept of adaptive re-use could have accommodated the present need for a Hall of Justice without discarding a reminder of our past.

But one important statement of Atienza was his declaration that the Metropolitan Theatre in Lawton will be preserved.