M.G. Bertulfo

Essays. Poetry. Oral History. Historical Fiction.

27
Apr 2007

If you read the last posting (Kadaugan, Part IV), you’ll know that I started out at the Kadaugan sa Mactan getting stuck in a poor spot, 3 rows of people behind a fence that separates the audience from the Re-enactment of the Battle of Mactan on the shores of Magellan Bay. And, with a bit […]

We left the hotel this morning at 7 a.m. and caught a taxi out 11 kilometers to the Mactan Shrine where there are two monuments, one is a marker of the place where Magellan fell in battle. And the other marker is for Lapu-lapu. Every year, they re-enact the Battle of Mactan. This year was […]

26
Apr 2007

When planning for this trip, I’d focused a lot on the Battle of Mactan. It’s what we Westerners tend to focus on in history: the battles, the wars. I’m not the first (and won’t be the last) to notice that we human beings seem to mark our epochs from one time of war to another. […]

26
Apr 2007

In 1983 –> 17 mosquito bites. Mosquitoes declared winners.
In 1994 –> 14+ mosquito bites. Mosquitoes declared winners.
Now, 2007, the rematch:
20 April
Got here yesterday — zero mosquito bites!
Been up and out this morning — zero bites!
21 April - 26 April
After walking and taking jeepney all over Cebu City; being out on the coast; sleeping at Marine […]

26
Apr 2007

Historical Background:
The challenge of writing about the sixteenth century Philippines, or sixteenth century Britain for that matter, is that so much has changed or been lost to modernity. For countries like my beloved Philippines, there’s the added challenge that history has been vanquished by the soldiers and colonial governments. What I find myself having to […]

25
Apr 2007
Posted in Blog-og by mgb at 8:19 pm | No Comments »

Before the trip, my plan was to do field research during the day and then spend about half an hour blogging each night to keep in touch with friends and family outside of the Philippines. But, you see, those plans were made before the Advent of Jetlag.

The time difference between Cebu City and Chicago is […]

25
Apr 2007

Life, like the plot of a juicy and unpredictable novel, can have reversals. One afternoon, we were told that the best view of Cebu City would be from the Taoist Temple in Lahug, an affluent part of town in the mountains and home to a thriving Chinese Filipino community. We took a taxi there.

On the […]

21
Apr 2007

Excerpted from private journal, 21 April 2007, 2:45 a.m. Cebu time:
It’s nearly 3 a.m. I’m not sure, but I think I’ve hit a low point in the trip. I’m feeling a bit discouraged. Yesterday, the shuttle driver who picked us up from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport told us that the Kadaugan Re-enactment of the Battle […]

21
Apr 2007
Posted in Historical fiction by mgb at 4:40 am | 1 Comment »

It’s Thursday the 26th now and I’m trying to remember what happened last Saturday, 21 April, our first full day in Cebu. It was an amazing day. Despite the set-back of the news that the Battle of Mactan Re-enactment was not happening, I forged ahead with my family in tow. They have been incredibly good […]

20
Apr 2007
Posted in Blog-og by mgb at 4:08 am | 1 Comment »

Excerpted from private journal, 20 April 2007, Friday:
There are about 900 people here in the domestic terminal for Cebu Pacific Airlines. Lots of noise. A cacophony of voices. It’s the most # of non-Asians I’ve seen in 3 days. Passengers are loading for places like Boracay and Cagayan de Oro and Legaspi. Our driver from […]