Our unique history with Israel

It is a very little known fact that for two brief but significant moments, our history intertwined with the Jews' own: at the onset of the Second world war, and at Israel's declaration of Independence.

In the first instance, our Commonwealth government under President Manuel L. Quezon allocated 10,000 visas for Jews fleeing the Nazi tyranny in 1939. About 1,200 were able to make it to Manila and escape the concentration camps. But in 1941, the Japanese attacked and occupied the city of Manila. It was a trial the Filipinos and the Jews alike had to endure and ultimately survive.

When other countries closed their doors to the European Jews, the Philippines opened theirs.

The second event happened in 1948, when President Roxas instructed Philippine representative Carlos P. Romulo to vote in favor of the independence of Israel before the United Nations, breaking the tie between those for and against. Israel then declared its Independence on 18 May 1948, a celebration which Roxas sadly would not witness as he would die of a heart attack on 15 April.

Who would have thought that our humble country, the Philippines, was instrumental to such world events?

On 21 June 2008, a seven-meter high sculpture called Open Doors designed by Filipino artist Junyee (Luis Lee, Jr) was inaugurated at the Holocaust Memorial Park in Rishon LeZion, Israel. The monument commemorates the 1939 event when Filipinos provided shelter to the Jews in the face of racial discrimination.

Learning about these made me proud to be a Filipino. Inherently, I believe that we have compassionate hearts and great courage, and that we have the ability to become better citizens of our country and of the world. We were a great nation once; if we work together we can be great once more.

Due credit must be given to then Philippine Ambassador to Israel Antonio Modena who launched this campaign to remember the Philippines' humanitarian support for the Jews. Sadly, he passed away only a year before and was not able to see his work come to fruition. Let us not forget again these momentous events in our history.

Read / watch these related stories from Inquirer.net:

Pinoy Holocaust Sculpture to rise in Israel
Envoy pays homage to Roxas role in Israel independence
Monument in Israel honors Filipinos

Youtube: Philippine Monument in Israel

Time flies

I was Facebooking my Saturday evening away when my wife mentioned to me that the 16th of September marked our second year anniversary here in New Zealand. Wow, has it been that long already? I can still remember the uncertainties we felt when we packed our bags and set off for the Land of the Long White Cloud two years ago. We didn't know anybody here, and all we had packed in our 3 suitcases and hand-carried bags were clothes, my camping cookset, a laptop, a Lea Salonga CD, some Lego bricks, a Macross action figure, some medicine, a Yummy magazine, the Adobo Book, and a journal containing messages from my former office colleagues. We didn't have any job offer, nor did we have a pre-arranged place to stay in. Crazy, wasn't it?

We made it through the first two nights courtesy of Kuya Mon, a mailing list admin based here in Wellington who tried to help us find a place before we arrived but instead we switched to plan B which was a couple of nights at their place.

From there on we experienced the kindness of strangers: from taking us out on weekends to forwarding us job vacancy notices, giving advice on what we need to do, to giving things for the house. It was an eye-opener for me. I have been lucky to have good neighbours back in the Philipines too, but all the while I was assuming that we would be left to our own devices in this land. But we formed new, great friendships along the way.

The first year was quite difficult, to be honest. The first four months weren't so bad because I concentrated on finding a job. But when that was sorted and our lives gradually settled into a daily rhythm, I'd catch myself daydreaming about what I would've been doing at that time in the Philippines. I missed my friends, our mountain climbing adventures, our out of town trips, weekend movie nights, Friday gimmicks. I missed my family.

But that's not to say I'm not happy here. Sure, I lived quite a busy life in Manila and Baguio and enjoyed it tremendously. But now I also find this relatively quiet life suits me just fine too. This actually reminds me of the old days in Baguio when life was simple. I could spend weekend afternoons chillaxing at home with my family, or on sunny days friends are just a phone call away and nature trips are less than half an hour away. I'd love to do a camping trip soon.

For now, two eventful years have gone, and I look forward to more stuff life has to offer in the years to come.

Saturday stroll at the Aotea Lagoon

Sunny weekends call for trips to the park. So after a series of phone calls to various friends, we were off to an impromptu trip to a place we've never been to before (although it's only about half an hour by car away): the Aotea Lagoon in Porirua, Wellington.

This place reminds me of Burnham Park in my hometown of Baguio City in the Philippines where we have a man-made lake popular for boat rides. The Aotea Lagoon is also artificial. But rather than being landlocked, the Aotea Lagoon is connected to the Porirua Harbour via a culvert located underneath the model windmill.

There is an 833m path that goes all the way around the pool which is a perfect spot for jogging. There's also quite a number of picnic tables and loads more green space for kids to run around in. Unfortunately, part of the children's playground was under renovation and the flying fox (one of the longest around) was not available. Still, there were other facilities the kids had fun in.

A railroad track runs around the park.  On Sunday afternoons a mini train actually runs through these tracks and is a popular attraction for kids.  I myself would feel excited riding on such a train as it cruises through tunnels and over bridges!  We went there on a Saturday so we weren't able to see this, unfortunately.

There's a Rose Garden too, and with Spring around the corner it will surely be a beautiful spot come Summertime.

There's clean toilet facilities, and free barbecue and picnic areas.  Fishing is permitted, as well as canoeing (but you have to bring your own canoe!).  Swimming is prohibited though so don't come in your bathing suit!

Feeding the ducks and seagulls is also a popular pasttime here.

The Aotea Lagoon is another place where the family can have fun amidst nature.  Truly a fun discovery!

Additional information about this place can be found in the Porirua City Council website.