THE ADVENTURES OF KOKOY - A WORLD TRAVEL GUIDE: April 2017

In the summer of 2007, Mom and I went home to the Philippines together. It was my first time home since 1996. The time I spent with Mom and the family was precious. I met many new friends. This trip was truly life-changing.

(All photos by Kokoy.)

Mom and I were both happy to make it home to Manila together.

The view of Manila Bay from Howie's 16th floor condo in Legaspi Tower was mesmerizing.

Across from Legaspi Tower on Vito Cruz is the headquarters of the Department of Finance and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The front driveway of Legaspi Tower offers some lush greenery...

Right across Roxas Boulevard from Legaspi Tower sits Star City and the tower of DZRJ radio station.

The Philippine Navy Headquarters is right next door to the Manila Yacht Club on Roxas Boulevard.

Some Nightlife

We often hear about the cover band side of the Philippine music industry. Filipino cover bands are flung far and wide across Asia, working in hotel night clubs from Hong Kong to Dubai, and cruise liners all over the world. It is interesting that Filipino musicians in these cover bands are not given artist visas in foreign countries, but working visas - they are considered labor, much like the Filipino construction worker in the Middle East, or the seamen on cargo ships and oil tankers.

While these opportunities allow Filipino musicians to earn a livelihood using their talents, it would be unfortunate indeed if people around the world came away believing all that Philippine musicians have to offer are the awesome renditions of other people's music. The music scene in Manila features some of the most rocking artists in bands whose original compositions are deeply rooted in widely diverse influences.

Among the many great bands Howie and I checked out together, there were numerous who really stood out.

Pinikpikan

Bayang Barrios

It was quite an honor for me to spend part of an evening with one of my all-time favorite vocalists in the world Bayang Barrios, backed by a band with her husband Mike Villegas on guitar and his twin brother Angelo on bass. I had been spinning her music on the show "Music Beyond Borders," which I co-hosted with a community of world music radio programmers on Houston's KPFT 90.1 FM. Originally from Agusan del Sur, Mindanao, Bayang happened to be headlining an event to promote Mindanao sponsored by the Department of Tourism at Philippine Plaza Hotel right down the street from Legaspi Tower one night soon after we arrived. Howie dropped me off there and I got the chance to hang out backstage with Bayang, her great band and her beautiful family.

The evening also featured a fashion show fusing modern with traditional styles from southern Philippines, and a market offering crafts produced in Mindanao.

In the lobby of the Philippine Plaza Hotel, I also happened to catch the very talented flautist Ana Marie Santos performing in a jazz band comprised of her family members, including her father and brothers.

Joey Ayala at Conspiracy

Conspiracy is one of the coolest live music venues in the Metro Manila area. From what I understand, it is cooperatively owned by a group of artists, many of whom are the most accomplished musicians and songwriters in the Philippines. Among the list of stellar owners is Joey Ayala, one of the biggest influences on me as a songwriter.

I was honored to be called up onto the stage by Joey to play a couple of songs with Jonjie Ayson on bass.

Mom's Medical Care

Mom got some excellent therapy and medical care in Manila. The steady stream of family members visiting and hanging out was some of the best therapy for her and myself both. Those were precious moments spent with family members who we had not seen in too long.

A trip to hot springs in Laguna...

...comes with a feast of local cuisine.

Mom was very fond of our cousin Rommel (above left and below), a truly nice and very intelligent guy with strong faith.

The view from Mom's hospital room...

Dr. Tanzo at St. Luke's Hospital in Quezon City was highly recommended by Uncle Goullee. Dr. Tanzo proved Uncle Goullee to be a great judge of medical care, as he provided Mom with some excellent attention.

Therapy included facial exercises.

Therapists who came by to work with Mom had to have the mandatory photo op with Howie Severino.

"Rocked Age" at the Met featuring Joey Pepe Smith

I tagged along with Howie to the opening of the exhibit "Rocked Age" at the Manila Metropolitan Museum of Art, just down the street from Legaspi Tower. Howie was a guest speaker, and the headliner for the evening was none other than Joey Pepe Smith of the Juan de la Cruz Band, who spearheaded the Pinoy rock movement in the 1970's. Only in the Philippines is one able to chill and hang with a luminary legend like Joey Pepe Smith. He is really a very down-to-earth guy. He performed some of his classic Pinoy rock tunes, including "Himig Natin," solo with just him, his guitar, his miniature amp, and his distortion pedal.

Manila Skyline

Dad, who was head of the ASEAN Studies Center at the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, was about to publish his next book, and asked me if I could take a photo of the Manila skyline that would show the extreme economic disparity between the socio-economic classes. After consulting with some knowledgeable photographers, Howie guided me to the pedestrian overpass near the Guadalupe Light Rail Transit station.

I'm so honored that my photo made the cover of Dad's book. It is available on Amazon. Just click Whither the Philippines in the 21st Century? to order.

Hanging with the Fam

The times we spent hanging out with the Gorospe and the Severino families is precious...

A Severino gathering at our cousin Carlo's house.

Eating at the Aristocrat was one of our favorite outings...

Alon's friends came out to celebrate his birthday...

Among the guests at Alon's birthday party was our cousin Mon Balboa (above center) and his beautiful young children.

Alon and I went to Luneta Park for an afternoon.

Auntie Lita (left) and Uncle Goullee (right) always cheered Mom up with their Gorospe sense of humor. They were always laughing whenever they were together.

Rommel accompanied us to visit Lolo and Lola's burial site.

CORREGIDOR

From Harbor Square next to the Cultural Center of the Philippines, one can take a day trip to Corregidor for a guided tour of the island. Sitting in the mouth of Manila Bay, Corregidor was strategically critical in defending the capital during the Japanese invasion in World War II. Many Filipino and American soldiers died in the battle for Corregidor, a target of merciless Japanese bombing and the site of one of the bloodiest episodes of the war.

The trip from Harbor Square across the bay to Corregidor takes about 90 minutes by boat.

The ruins of the U.S. military barracks are preserved as an historical exhibit.

I couldn't tell whether he was a docent or a security guard, but he wore the uniform of a World War II Filipino soldier as he stood guard in the visitors center.

The price of the tour includes an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet on the island.

There is also a Japanese memorial for those soldiers who died on Corregidor.

Fun with the Severino-David Family

Gina's family was a joy to spend time with. I went to visit them in Subic, Zambales and took them to the beach where the kids really enjoyed themselves.

A Surprise Visit to Malacañang Palace

My sister-in-law Ipat, a high-profile environmental lawyer and activist, invited me to tag along with her on a visit to the presidential palace for an event promoting breast-feeding as the overwhelmingly healthiest choice for infants. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presented Ipat with an award for her work.

Sights and Sounds of Manila

One of the coolest spots in Manila to check out original bands and art was Penguin Cafe.

Me and Howie hanging out. Penguin was one of the first live music venues he took me to in Manila.

We checked out Mag:Net Cafe, a gallery and performance space in Fort Bonifacio High Street owned by acclaimed artist Rock Drilon. Elemento was one of the featured acts that night, lead by Eric Calilan (above left) and Lirio Salvador (below seated), visionary artists based in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Celebrities always seem to gravitate to Howie. Filmmaker Auraeus Solito takes a break from signing autographs during the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival screening of his latest movie Pisay at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The view of Quiapo shopping district from the Carriedo Light Rail Transit station.

The miraculous Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, or more popularly known as Quiapo Church...

A Dental Appointment

Mom wanted me to get some dental work done with Dra. Jaluag. Her clinic on the ground floor of Legaspi Tower is a real blessing. Not only could Mom and I conveniently have our teeth worked on, but Dra. Jaluag and her assistant Precy also proved to be pleasant, caring, and fun company. Mom enjoyed visiting with them often.

Views of Taal

One of the most iconic images of the Philippines is of Taal Lake from the resort city of Tagaytay. Lunch time started out misty, fogging out the view from Josephine Restaurant.

The clouds would clear up before we were done eating to reveal to me for the first time in my life the spectacular scene.

My sister-in-law Ipat surveys Taal Lake from Josephine Restaurant in Tagaytay. A lot of her work as an environmental attorney and activist has been around Taal Lake and Volcano in her home province of Batangas.

I also had the chance to see Taal Lake from its shoreline.

Rock Ed in Mapanique

I first read about the Rock Ed organization and its charismatic leader and founder Gang Badoy in the complementary issue of the Manila Times on the plane. I was impressed by the group's vision. A career educator, Gang Badoy established the non-governmental organization to serve communities in need through the arts, drawing public attention to concerns of social justice. By bringing acclaimed artists into some of the most disenfranchised and persecuted communities, Gang not only allows the gift of music to enrich their environment, but brings to light the injustices perpetrated against the suffering. A career educator myself, I wanted to connect with Rock Ed and be inspired by their vision and service.

As soon as we arrived in Manila, I asked Howie if he could put me in touch with Gang Badoy, who he knew personally. Howie was more than willing.

I first met Gang Badoy at NU 107, the radio station where she hosts a talk show. Among her guests that evening was the owner of Binalot (below right).

The Rock Ed team at their weekly radio show. Gang Badoy (right) is a visionary educator and charismatic leader.

Gang invited me to tag along on Rock Ed's mission to Mapanique, a small town in Candaba, a municipality in Pampanga province. They were going there to sponsor the going-away party of a Japanese doctoral student who was researching the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers in the remote town to help bolster the survivors' case for reparations.

In November 1944 towards the end of World War II, as the Japanese invading forces became increasingly desperate, a unit descended upon the town of Mapanique and summarily rounded up all of the men. According to survivors' testimonies, the Japanese soldiers castrated the Filipino men, and forced them to place their testicles in their mouths before burning them alive. They then herded all of the women into a single house, and proceeded to repeatedly gang-rape them, some still in their teens and others as young as 10 years old. This infamous incident represents one of the most brutal events in an extremely brutal war.

Rock Ed brought food, musicians to perform Philippine traditional kundimans, and a filmmaker to document the festivities. It was intensely moving to witness the group of survivors, now beautiful grandmothers, dressed up in their best traditional garments, playing games and dancing. It is at once humbling and heart-breaking to try and imagine what these women have had to endure in their lifetimes. What strength it must take to still see the world as one in which the joy in dancing and music can prevail over the agony of their memories.

The community bid farewell to the Japanese doctoral student who was researching the atrocities committed in this town only 63 years before. This community endured some of the worst that humanity has to offer.

Now referred to as the "Malaya Lolas" ("Liberated Grandmothers"), these women must be revered as national heroes, a living testament to the strength of Filipinos to persevere through a history of invasion and persecution.

Artist, filmmaker, comedian, radio personality Tado Jimenez was in the Rock Ed crew documenting the trip.

The modesty of the monument to the victims of the Mapanique atrocities, tucked away in the back schoolyard, belies the extreme brutality this community endured.

The Center of the Center: Calatagan, Batangas

Howie and Ipat invited me along on a trip to Calatagan, a coastal town on the southern coast of Batangas province. She was going to meet with barangay officials and Malou Babilonia, the founder of the Babilonia-Wilner Foundation and then its successor Pusod, which focuses on grassroots work in environmental conservation as a social justice issue.

It was close to dusk by the time we left Manila by car. Our trip was blessed by a typically spectacular sunset.

When we arrived at the resort on Virgin Beach, a feast awaited us.

I awoke in my beach cabana to a sight of the sea unbelievably still.

Calatagan sits on the coast of Batangas province, facing the Verde Island Passage, a channel of ocean between the southwestern edge of Luzon and Mindoro to its south. The Verde Island Passage has been described as the "center of the center of marine biodiversity" by Dr. Kent Carpenter, Professor of Biology at Old Dominion University and one of the world's leading researchers in tropical marine ecosystems and fish populations. Threatened by a wave of commercial development which would irrevocably alter Calatagan's fragile ecological balance, the local community has taken it upon itself to work and fight for the preservation of this global treasure.

Above photo by Alon, the budding artist. This photo, taken with my camera, made it into Alon's first solo exhibit the following year.

"Other Causes of the Destruction of the Sea"

Jessie de los Reyes (left) heads the Conserve and Protect Oceans Foundation, which trains local folk and divers in methods of protection of the aquatic environment, a major source of livelihood for much of the area's population.

Surveying the rich pristine beauty of the Verde Island Passage.

It wasn't all work. We had some time to relax too, critical when doing social justice work.

The Center of the Center: The Benefit

Inspired by the struggle of the people of Calatagan to protect the world's most diverse marine ecosystem from the potential devastation caused by unbridled commercial development, I decided to organize a benefit event to raise public awareness and funds for the local volunteers putting their lives on the line to monitor the coastline and adjacent sea. Hosted by the Quezon City venue Mag:Net on Katipunan Avenue owned by acclaimed artist Rock Drilon, the film screening featured a documentary by Howie called "Pagbabalik sa Tribo" following filmmaker Auraeus Solito's journey of rediscovering his native Palawan tribal roots and leading them in protest against a multinational corporation trying to take over their land and sea. We also featured Rommel Eclarinal's haunting short film "Ramona" portraying the agony of a Filipino revolutionary operative sent to New York City on a secret mission. The spoken word segment of the program presented renowned poets Yanna Verbo Acosta and Project Ganymede, Danny Sillada, Michael Syke Dolero, Miko Pepito, and Cesare Syjuco. The music concert was headlined by Bayang Barrios, with Lakbay Lahi, Elemento, Sruvaleh, and yours truly's kayumanggi Pinoy rock band. Jessie de los Reyes drove in from Calatagan to speak. It was an intensely beautiful night.

kayumanggi Pinoy rock band, Quezon City edition, features left to right Jonjie Ayson on bass, Eric Calilan on drums, and Kokoy Severino on guitar and vocal. Part of the art collective spearheaded by Lirio Salvador in Dasmariñas, Cavite, Jonjie and Eric brought a serious intensity to the kayumanggi Pinoy rock band material.

kayumanggi Pinoy rock band rehearsed in a studio in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

To help promote the benefit concert, Howie set up an interview on a radio talk show on Magic 89.9 FM in Makati. Poet Yanna Verbo Acosta came on the show with me.