When I first started traveling around Southeast Asia, I encountered travelers who had explored tri-cities or even provinces. This was because countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and even Laos have established tourism circuits that not only attract travelers to stay in one place but also encourage them to explore nearby regions.

During the first months of the pandemic, churches everywhere in the Philippines closed as a way to follow social distancing and quarantine protocols. After more than a year of being at home and attending online masses, several churches were then reopening and accepting devotees and people who needed divine intervention in their lives.

For two days, I experienced what it was like being inside an athlete’s village. Ever since I started following the Olympics, I had been curious about what it was like being in such a place. Fortunately, I was invited as part of a small media team to spend a night at the one the Philippines built for the 30th South East Asian Games, held at the New Clark City in Tarlac. Although that sporting event was a lot smaller in scale, I was hoping that we could further expand our sporting infrastructures so we could host the Asian Games and then the Olympics someday.

It was 4 a.m. when we arrived at the converging place. I instantly felt the cool morning air starting to diminish as the hour inched its way to sunrise. Members of the Philippine Armed Forces, war veterans, their families, socio-civic groups, government employees, Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) members, and dedicated volunteers quickly filled the grounds of People’s Park in Tarlac.

While the revving engines of military AUVs and heavy footsteps of army boots sounded off, a familiar and highly respected figure took to the stage and was handed a microphone to officially address the crowd. It was then I caught sight of former Philippine President and Korean War veteran, Fidel V. Ramos (FVR). Still brimming with energy, he quickly boosted the crowd from a state of half-awakening into a lively, spirited mood by leading a morning exercise and joyfully reenacting his iconic EDSA People Power jump, to the raucous cheer of the crowd.