establishments of hope

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Jac Lin Yu

Max Pulan Jr.

En101 MO2

March 7, 2011

Establishments of Hope

I was awakened by my alarm as it went off. I hit the stop button and was about to

return to sleep when I suddenly remembered that I had made plans for that day. I started

to prepare everything that I would need when I realized that I still havent thought of a

way to get to my friends house. I tried to think of ways that didnt involve commuting

but it was impossible. I was having second thoughts of going since I didnt want to

commute. I have always thought that commuting was dangerous no matter what time of

day it was and whatever means you use. Even though I am always commuting, I still get

nervous and a little paranoid at times. I always tell myself that I always have to be aware

of my surroundings since anything can happen anytime. The only reason I still went even

though I didnt want to go anymore was that I promised that I will help her with this

homework.

As I was about to leave the house, I saw my mother and brother about to leave

too. I asked my mom if she could drop me off at Chelseas, my friend, house. Thankfully,

she agreed. On the way, I told her where we planned to go. She told me to be really

careful since there are many thieves in the places where we will be going.

When I arrived at Chelseas house, her brother explained the route we were going

to take. He made me the navigator since I was good with roads and I had a better sense of


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direction than Chelsea. After eating some breakfast, we picked up our other friend and

headed off to our first destination, Malacaang Palace.

I have never seen the Malacaang Palace before. The reason I have an idea of

what it looks like is because its printed on the back of the 20 peso bill and also I can

search it on the internet. So when we reached the entrance to the village where the home

of the president is I was excited to see what was inside. As we drove along J.P. Laurel

Street, we saw the Malacaang complex. It stretched for miles and was really big. This is

not what shocked me though. It was the houses across the street and the environment that

were unexpected. You would have thought that the houses near the prestigious palace

would be grand and almost in par with it but they werent. I expected the houses to look

like the ones in Corinthian Gardens or Valle Verde but instead they were ordinary houses

that you can see in a normal neighbourhood. If you stand in the middle of the road, its

like seeing two different worlds. The Malacaang on the right side is the place for the

rich who lives in a world full of beauty and luxury while the ordinary houses on the left is

the place for the poor who lives in a world of hardships and trials. The difference

between the two can be seen immediately. The plight of the people is emphasized by the

beauty of the palace which is ironic because the president who lives in it is supposed to

help improve the lives of the people.

When we were there, we interviewed one of the guards. We asked him some

questions but he didnt answer most of them. He asked us some questions about the

University of the Philippines Open University since our other friend, Francesca, is

studying there. While I was listening to him and Francesca talk, I felt pity for him. I can

see his desire to study but he has no time and money to do it. Hes trying to think of a


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way so that he can finish something and have a better chance in life. Even though he

works for the government, he still has to do something in order to finish a degree because

the government is not doing anything for them to have a chance to study.

After taking a few pictures, we went back to the car and proceeded to our next

destination: Quiapo. On the way, we got a little lost which made us see more of Manila.

Its very different from San Juan where I live right now. There are people who live under

bridges, on the side of train tracks, beside the river, basically everywhere possible. Their

houses which are cramped together are made of light wood and their roofs of galvanized

steel. There are many children running around playing in the streets and adults doing

nothing. It is a disorganized community which you can see in many parts of Manila.

When we reached Quiapo, we were supposed to eat lunch but then we decided to

just finish taking pictures of the Quiapo Church and Plaza Miranda. As we walked

towards the church, I was disgusted with the streets. Nothing has changed since I have

last been there. Almost four years have passed and yet it was still as dirty and as

repulsive. There were still trash everywhere and the sewage was bad. There were also

people who spat anywhere, which is very unhygienic. Vendors were everywhere selling

all kinds of things and there were many people who have different agendas but most of

them are there to either go to church and pay patronage to the Black Nazarene or to shop

forpasalubong and other things sold only in Quiapo.

The amount of people gets worse, the nearer you get to the church. When we were

standing in Plaza Miranda, it was utter chaos everywhere you looked. There were

children running around, vendors calling their merchandises trying to attract customers,


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regular visitors of the church every Friday, and the occasional tourist who just wants to

see the Quiapo Church.

Vendors were selling all kinds of products. There were those who sold

naphthalene balls, others were selling food, some jewelleries, there were even some who

were selling rabbits. These vendors made the Quaipo Church lose its beauty. The

magnificence of the church has been tainted by the people who are using it as means of

making a living. They flock around the church and draw the attention of the people who

just finished going to mass or is about to attend one. What is worse is that some of the

products are opposed to the teachings of the church. Take for example the gayuma and

the potion for abortion they sell just across the church at the edge of the plaza. Some

people go to Quiapo to buy those because they think they work. They then go to church

to ask for forgiveness for what they are about to do. It is outrageous and is hypocritical.

There are people who are sitting across the church waiting for someone to approach them

wanting their fortunes to be told. They grab the attention of those who are experiencing

troubles so they can tell what is going to happen to their future. There are also those who

engage in witchcraft. They are paid to put a curse on other people for different reasons. It

is such a sad thing to look at that a place of beauty and devotion is being destroyed by

peoples selfishness and need for money.

When Chelsea had everything she needed, we left Quiapo tired and hungry. We

ate lunch at McDonalds where we sat and reflected on what we saw and felt in the places

we went to. It certainly isnt something you experience every day. What I thought was a

trip to help my friend ended up as a learning experience for me. I dont regret going as I

have realized a lot of things. My eyes were open to the world outside of the bubble I grew


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up in. I saw that the Philippines is slowly crumbling because of the selfishness and

greediness of people. What we look up to for hope is being desecrated, in the case of the

Quiapo Church, or is sometimes the cause of more of our sufferings, as is the case of the

Malacaang Palace. Because of this, we think that we need to do things on our own

which causes further damage to society.

First impression: I found it ironic how the sites of national importance are the ones being

desecrated by poverty.

I found there to be some events in your plot that didnt connect smoothly with the thesis

of your story, such as the details about you going to McDonalds, or at the beginning

when youre wondering how to get from one place to another. Maybe in your essay you

should explicitly state the importance of these events, if there is any importance

(otherwise, your essay would do just fine without them).

Also, maybe you could strengthen your introduction by talking about that bubble that you

lived in. Describe your initial take on religion and poverty using some events in your life

from before you went on the trip. Then keep adding events that happened on the trip (the

things about Malacanang are fine) to build up the suspense until that defining moment at

Quiapo Church where you have your realization.

Anyway, interesting topic. Its very relevant nationally, but since this is a personal essay

maybe it should be more focused on you.

establishments of hope

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