Life in the Military

Individual: Justine Burgos

SA 21 - T

Strategy: Visit different task venues according to their proximity to previous venue. (eg. go to the next possible venue)

Interview with the locals

Interviewee 1		Economic	Political	Religious	Tourism
Mrs. Zeny Nigos	(Army wife)	Bank	Post Commander	St. Michael Chapel	Libingan ng mga Bayani
Interviewee 2
Col Bienvenido Regondola	(Army officer)	Bayani Road	CGPA	St. Michael Chapel	Army Museum
Interviewee 3
Mr. Jude Dinoso	(Army dependent)	Venice Piazza	CGPA	St. Michael Chapel	Bike Trail

Social Map

Economic: Bayani Road

Tourism: Heroes Bike Trail

Religion: Catholic and Evangelical Churches

Political: Office of the Commanding General of the Philippine Arny

 

Churches

            There are only 2 churches in Fort Andres Bonifacio. One is St. Michael the Archangel Chapel. It is the place of worship visited by the Catholic members of the Army families, while the second, the Fort Andres Bonifacio  Evangelical Church, is the place of worship by the Christians members.

The St. Michael the Archangel chapel is a church found in what is now known as uptown Fort Bonifacio. Around 15 years ago, that was where the members of the Army and their dependents went for worship. But after a part of Fort Andres Bonifacio, now more popularly known as Bonifacio Global city, was turned over to the BCDA (Bases Conversion and Development Authority), the former residential area for the Army officers was moved to the Fort Andres Bonifacio we now know. With the church being relatively far from the residential area, a new church was built with the same name to accommodate the residents of camp.

Not everyone in Fort Andres Bonifacio is Catholic. With Christians being the second largest religion in the camp, an Evangelical church was built to house non-Catholic members of the community.

The architecture of the two churches are similar which is natural given the similar designs of all buildings found in the camp. One of the differences would be the size. The Catholic church is bigger in order to accommodate the number of Catholic parishioners. Second would be the presence of other images like Mama Mary and different saints in the the Catholic Church. In the Evangelical church, one would only find the image of Christ in the middle.

 As for the church goers, given that the residents in the camp only stay till the Army official or personnel is in service, by the time that the officer or personnel reaches the age of retirement which is 56, the officer or personnel will vacate their respective residential units. With that said, the church goers for both churches are limited to the ages of 0-60 with a few outliers, probably parents of the officers/personnel.

Local Cemetery

Libingan ng mga Bayani

            The Libingan ng mga Bayani was first established on May 1942 as the Republic Memorial Cemetery. On October 27, 1954, it was renamed to its current name by President Ramon Magsaysay. Aside from Presidents and other distinguished people like national artists and ambassadors, it houses the veterans of the second world war which makes it the known Filipino counterpart of the Manila American Cemetery where the American soldiers of World War 2 are buried. This set-up some how reminds me of the Marxist pyramid wherein the leaders along with the soldiers are above the rest.

                       Oldest

Newest

With the nature of their line of work, there is no specific reason as to why the mortality of those buried in Libingan ng mga Bayani would be long or short. Many died in battle and others, of old age

Local Art

            There are no registered artists in any of the artworks found in the Army museum. There also weren’t any specific people highlighted in their paintings and sculptures. This, for me, says a lot about the nature of the Philippine Army itself. They put great importance to teamwork and group effort. They recognize the accomplishments of each individual but more importantly of the organization as a whole. Another observation would be that while I was looking through all the artworks in the museum, I can’t help but feel proud myself. The museum’s anonymity made me feel like I was a part of the picture painted on the canvas. I’m pretty sure that I didn’t feel this way while I walked through the Smithsonian museum. As amazing as the displays were, it was different being familiar with every aspect of the artwork which was the case for the Army museum. For me, the musem is a meaningful showcase of structural functionalism. Each artwork is integral in the wholeness of the museum. Each one helps in telling the story of the Philippine Army.

Public Market

           

The public market found in the camp is a commissary. It is more than a wet market but lesser than a supermarket. It is not as complete as a supermarket and its stocks are limited. What it offers today may not be there tomorrow. What brand it displays now may not be sold next week. One must be flexible when shopping here. The choices may be limited but I tell you, it’s great to shop here, especially if you’re doing a haul. What makes it better is the fact that the goods found in this market are subsidized by the government. The subsidy given to the soldiers shows that social conflict is present. They enjoy certain privileges civilians don't.

Local Product 

           

            Military Supplies. If you need them, naturally, the best places to go to would be the areas surrounding military camps. One of the best would be the ones found around the Fort Andres Bonifacio.  Military or civilian, one can purchase the military supplies he/she needs here. One can buy pins, patches, accessories, camelbaks, hammocks, camouflage supplies and have military uniforms custom made, all for a cheap price and in good quality.

Local Food

            Military men aren’t really known to cook but they’re known to eat, specifically, their boodle fights. As weird as it may seem, pancit is a staple in this set up. The miki bihon found above is arguably the best in the Fort area. It is sold in a store named Jade found along the establishment-filled Bayani road. This shows the latent and manifest function of their boodle fights. Its manifest function is to instill teamwork and develop a bond between soldiers in this very manly way of eating. Its latent function is shown before and after the boodle action happens. Because boodle fights are a big part of the military culture, pancit, being one of the usual foods served, it is  perfected according to the soldiers' taste and therefore making it a very marketable good

Scary Stories

            

                  There aren’t any scary stories in the Fort Andres Bonifacio. It is probably because of the image portrayed by military officers. It wouldn’t be nice to hear of an officer scared of a non physical entity, that’s not even believed to exist. This is probably brought by dramaturgy wherein people put a front. In this case, the soldiers maintaining a courageous image by not being entertaining the thought of stories that should scare them.

 

Personal Reflection

It was unfortunate that I wasn't able to join the rest of the class for the field trip. Aside from the difficulty of accomplishing all the tasks individually, i missed out on the bonding experience I would've been a part of. A good side to it though, was I was forced to go around my area of residence. Before, I would just go in and out of the camp, not appreciating what it offers to its residents. But because of this activity, I saw everything it had to offer. I realized how great it was to live in a place like this. I found out that there are so much stuff I can do here that I wont find in a 5 kilometer radius. I have a really nice track oval, golf course, driving range, paintball arena and bike trails among others. Now who would say living the military life is bad??