Travel: Finding freedom in Singapore

By CLARISSA V. MILITANTE, GMANews.TV I'm not exactly fond of writing travel pieces, especially if the trip is a package tour done in only a few days. This time, though, I have this urge to write about Singapore, even if this means I have to make sense of all the new sounds and sights I crammed into my memory during the four-day-three-night-tour package (which in reality was just three days and three nights). Setting aside nationalist sentiments, I told my husband to choose a place, like Singapore, that can really give us the feeling of not being in our own country (especially because the kids are traveling abroad for the first time). His Bangkok lost the vote because I said I found many parts of it same as Manila's. Having been born in Manila and lived there my entire life (with an interlude in Parañaque while in high school and college), I always get the urge to find refuge in the rustic ambience of rural life, even if only to momentarily escape city life. But this time I want to experience a city, one, however, that doesn't have the chaos of Manila. I've been nurturing this hope that there can be a city out there where life need not be a drudge, where urban living could mean something positive. And for a little more than two days I've had a glimpse of that hope becoming reality. Yes, for now, I'm an unabashed Singapore fan, sans all the criticism on human rights violations and government-with-authoritarian tendencies, or on its alleged shopping-oriented society and "unfriendly" people I've heard before. Bottom line: I liked what I saw. Definitely not Manila On this Friday in June that we arrived, what immediately struck us was the newness and strangeness (in a good sense) of the landscape that unfolded during the 20-minute trip from the Changi International Airport to our hotel. The view was much welcome for these jaded eyes that have long gone tired and red seeing potholed, asphalted, littered, and smoke-covered city roads. We were definitely no longer in Manila. That was how everyone in the family, sitting inside the luxurious, right-hand drive Volkswagen van, felt as we traversed Nicoll Highway. For starters, the roads — where Mercedes Benz cabs were common — are wide and clean. Even the narrower, inner streets are well kept, I would later find out — which would set me wondering: How can a city-state smaller than Metro Manila have such wide roads? Along both sides of the roads are high-rise buildings housing either offices or private residential units. A new experience is the "breathing space" between the main avenues and the buildings. The side pavements are so wide they can pass for being another street. Just as the impression was forming in some corner of my alert mind that Singapore's landscape is dominated by contemporary architecture (as described in promotional materials and travel magazines), structures of Victorian and European classic design came into view and became reminder of the small nation’s colonial past under Britain. Old but not decaying The buildings may be old, but they're not decaying. They have grown old with grace, because the government requires buildings to be maintained and restored. The government even paitns public housing projects every five years without cost to the owners or renters. In the guided tour, we would be treated to more of these high-rise buildings along the finance, commercial, and light industry roads, but there would be no sense of crowdedness or overload of concrete structures. Makati, with its well-planned and relatively clean roads and public spaces, would look a little crowded compared to Singapore. And its inner streets tend to be unkempt. In the following days, we saw more of the melding of modern skyscrapers and old European architecture: the Maybank Building standing tall behind the Fullerton Hotel. The building housing the city hall and the court looks like our Manila's Central Post Office but more imposing and grander in size. It's just across the modern Sidney Opera House, its roof resembling a porcupine's back minus the protective quills. Architecture in this city-state may well be a reflection of the Singaporeans’ state of mind, if we are to go by how our guide sees their colonial past: There is neither angst nor burden of insecurity. Instead, there is pride for having been ushered into modernity and progress thanks to Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who founded the modern city in 1819. Rich port Singapore's national symbol is the Merlion, half-fish and half-lion, signifying a link to the fishing communities of the ancestors and the lion, pride in having achieved modernity and material progress. The fish part also shows present-day respect for the gods of the seas, the waters being source of lucrative business in the port area where many of the world’s cargoes are transited. In 2005, Singapore exceeded Hong Kong’s income from cargo business in the port area, which was a first, according to our guide. During the guided tour, we also got to see Amoy Street, the restored Chinatown of the old generation, where the Buddhist temples, entrepreneurial shops and houses are found — Chinese in their characteristic three-storied structures, with the first floor commonly serving as business area and the upper floors as residential quarters, but can also remind Filipinos of the Spanish-era houses with their closed verandas and tiled roofs. The Chinese restaurants on Geylang, a smaller, inner street, brought back memories of a time when the side streets off Avenida Rizal and Ongpin in Manila were still occupied by the similar open, non-airconditioned Chinese eateries — where coffee was served in short glasses, not cups or mugs, and the roasted ducks and chickens were displayed in glass-covered food stalls upon the entrance, while the whirring sound of the big-bladed ceiling fans blended with the fast talking and chewing of people. Here in Geylang, we glimpsed the old, minus again the decay that I've associated with city aging, because the structures are clean and well maintained, as are the sidewalks lined by dining tables and chairs, extensions of the restaurants. Absent, too, was sewage that overflows on the intersections between the road and the sidewalks. I wondered this time about where the rain water went. It's been raining when we were there. With restoration a government obsession, Singapore is proof that the old need not completely give way to the new. There can be spaces for both. I wished that in Manila, too, the old eating places that boast not only good food but history as well would not always give way to fast food chains. Shopping strip Orchard Road is where a lot of shopping takes place. On the weekend we were there, thousands of people converged, both tourists and locals, for the great Singapore Sale, which runs until July. Sim Lim Square on Rochor Road was where the eyes of my three teenage boys and young daughter feasted on electronic gadgets and games, all six floors of hi-tech stuff — cellphones, digital voice and video recorders, DVD portable and regular players, computer notebooks, laptops, PCs and computer accessories, television sets and stereo components. Desk computers and laptops are cheaper, with prices ranging from $1,300 to $2,000 (Singaporean currency, as with all other prices mentioned from here on). What made the day for me was the medium-sized mall on the corner of Balmoral Road, a private residential area where our hotel is. Small and medium-sized commercial or shopping plazas are a common site near residential areas everywhere in the city. Very convenient are these establishments for those not wanting to bang elbows with fellow shoppers or hangers-on in the mega malls on Orchard, where the biggest in Singapore — called Takashimaya — is found. 'Real-tasting fast food Tired on the first night, and the youngsters not wanting to immediately have a taste of the Asian buffet at the hotel, we trooped to Balmoral Plaza and found Wafflehouse. When we entered, I thought to myself: "Fast food. Just what my young company are used to." But the term "fast food" proved deceptive, as the food was prepared only as soon as it is ordered (taking longer) and not in the mass-production style of fast food restos. When the meals were served, the teenage boys remarked that the fries tasted and looked like “real potatoes." Having been brought up on McDonald’s, Burger King’s, or Jollibee’s fries, it was a pleasure to hear them appreciate the real-tasting deep-fried potato strips and wedges. As for the fish and chips I had, the fish was covered with a different kind of batter, probably homemade, not the ones we would encounter in the more commercial eating places. The old man who served our orders — probably the father of the owner-cashier judging by the similarities in their facial features — went about his work with a wide grin for everyone. Lucky Plaza is where we were transported back to the Philippines, if only because of the hundreds of Filipinos that gathered there — a Sunday-must we reckoned. That's where you can find familiar store names, such as the Baclaran Supermarket, Ilocandia, Glorietta Store. Blending the urban and the rural "Parang pinagsama ang siyudad at probinsiya rito, atchaka walang mga bahay na pinagtagpi-tagpi" was how the 11-year old daughter described Singapore. My young daughter is actually referring to the greenery within the city - lots of trees and plants - which made us feel like there were parks all over the city, even in residential areas. A favorite of residents are the rain trees, lining the middle of roads, which leaves close when it rains and open to receive sunshine, our guide explained. "Concrete jungle," as we apply usually apply it to the city, connotes a survival-of-the-fittest mode of life. In Singapore, it refers to an actual night safari attraction — which costs $39 if you want to see it. (We chose to throw our baon for a trip to Sentoza Island Resort, which had amusement centers and shows, plus a beach called Palawan). Some facts and figures The difference between the more ingeniously designed and expensive-looking private high-rise condominiums and the plain government-constructed apartment buildings is noticeable, but the latter can still compare with the middle-class condo high-rises in well-off areas in Pasig, Mandaluyong, and Makati. Our guide informed us that 82 percent of the 4.5 million Singaporean population are homeowners. Those who don't buy private units can lease units from government for up to 99 years. The people set aside 20 percent of their salaries to contribute to a central provident fund, from which they can take the payment for rent. There is more of this kind of impressive policy. Education, we were told, is heavily subsidized: Individuals only pay 25 percent of tuition fees, while government takes care of the 75 percent. High quality public education is guaranteed, beamed our guide. Low cost pairred with high quality education makes the public schools the popular choice. Then there is the taxation scheme. Income below $200,000 is nontaxable. Government earns on the more than 100 percent taxation on luxury items such as cigarettes, imported cars, and alcoholic beverages. This discourages vices, but makes Singapore boring, says our friendly tour guide. Minimal pollution in the atmosphere is made possible by the strict enforcement of law prohibiting smoke belching and requiring bus and car owners to submit to tests regularly. Littering and begging are definite no-nos. As for the cost of living, my economist husband pointed out that when you can still use coins to pay for cab fares and buy stuff at the supermarket then the currency has high purchasing value. One can take the MRT from Changi Airport to the heart of the city for $2.50. Cab fare is not so expensive at $2.40 flag down rate and 10 cents for each succeeding kilometer. And indeed, I enjoyed buying cookies and candies at less than $2 and the medium-sized bottled mineral water at 65 cents (my husband’s money, though). Having taken up Literature to escape Economics, I don't mentally convert what I spend abroad. I always put the foreign currency on a one-to-one footing with the Philippine peso. What we 'missed' In this so-called police state, we missed — not that we wanted it — police presence. In the three days we were there we saw no men in uniform, not even traffic enforcers in the busy districts. I spotted just a few security people at the airport. But this is not to say that Singapore is not security conscious. Bougainvilleas span the center of Nicoll Highway, diverging from the usual line of rain trees, because the flowers can be easily removed if the long road, which is close to the Singapore Strait, needs to be used as a runway for fighter planes in case of war or terrorist attack. As for the people, I am not inclined to form impressions, negative or positive, based on a few encounters. People are not easy to understand especially in unfamiliar social-cultural environments. I can't even understand fellow Filipinos most of the time. What I did find, and not only in this brief interface with Singapore but also in other developed cities like Hong Kong and New York, is an experience with freedom at a more personal level. It's not the "political freedom" I used to shout in the streets, but more like freedom from pollution, from dirty, dilapidated roads, from the burden of traffic, and from having to chase after jam-packed buses and the jeepneys, from seeing shanties and clogged streets, and overflowing sewage portals, from decay in general, despite the much-touted slogan of the current mayor of Manila, “Buhayin ang Maynila." There is no need to go far if I want the amenities similar to Singapore's. There is Makati or Pasig . But the everyman can't simply up and go to live in those cities. Can't we all have good roads, parks and greenery, convenient shopping areas, wide and clean roads, and an efficient transport system as basic necessities of good living?