Meditation in a forest walk

I SPENT Thursday, Friday and Saturday taking long walks in a forest.

It was a very exhilarating experience, being completely free from worries and the hustle and bustle of the city.

The trees in the forest are our friends that we depend on for shelter and food.

Taking a long walk in a forest is like sitting in a quiet church all by yourself.

But in the forest you hear the singing of birds, the continuous chirping of the cicada, the sound of cascading mountain water hitting the rocks, the smell of rotting fruits on the ground, the gentle slap of the wind on your face, all of which you don’t experience inside a church.

Being absorbed in nature’s beauty and bounty is like communing with our Creator.

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Where to find a forest in this country in this blighted country?
You can go to Puerto Princesa in Palawan that prides itself as a city within a forest.
Puerto Princesa is one hour by plane from Manila.
If you don’t want to ride a plane because it’s expensive or you’re scared of flying, you can go to Subic Freeport which is two hours by car from Manila.
Subic Freeport, a former US naval base, has a wide forest cover.

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Incidentally, a visit to Puerto Princesa is not complete if you don’t navigate the world-famous Underground River.

Another feature of the city is Asia’s longest zipline inside the Irawan forest.

It’s one kilometer long from end to end and the rider travels on top of a forest canopy.

People going to the zipline travel along a winding road on a cart pulled by a carabao.

But those who prefer to exercise can walk to the zipline site from the Irawan café, more than two kilometers away.

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The toilets at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 1, considered one of the world’s worst airports, are already clean.
Jose Angel Honrado, Naia general manager, says all the toilets have been provided with running water, toilet paper and soap.
Hurray!
But why only now?
I’m reminded of instances when you ask to use the rest room (comfort room or “CR,” the local usage) when you visit the homes of some people and the owner of the house tells you: “Sandali lang at lilinisin namin ang CR (Wait a while as we clean the CR).

For crying out loud, why does it take for someone to visit for the occupants of the house to clean up their toilets?

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Luz Cardoza’s son, Elpidio, died in a work-related accident aboard an ocean-going vessel, Neptune Ploes, owned by a big foreign shipping company.

The company told Ms Cardoza she and Elpidio’s wife would get a total of £89,100 in insurance.

But the local insurance company, Pandiman, which handled Elpidio’s insurance, insists the victim’s wife and mother should only get $50,000.

If the 89,000 pounds-sterling is to be the basis of the insurance claim, the Cardoza women stand to get P6.2 million.

If it’s $50,000, they can only claim P2.1 million, at the exchange of P43 to US$1.

Pandiman should be investigated by the Insurance Commission.