I plank because I protest

Tom Meltzer of the UK-based The Guardian says that planking is an English creation by two kids 14 years  ago. Planking purely began as a nonsensical activity though it might have been inspired - although Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon are not sure - by Radiohead's Just music video. So planking's essence is to make people think that you are mad.


Although planking is rarely new in the Philippines, it has inspired lots of people to find more reasons to goof around or pass time. For some, they have used planking as a form of protest. For me it started out as a challenge and a fun activity. Now, it has become a form of protest.


I plank because I protest over the ways the world is governed, especially our country - the dismal and appalling governance of a country composed of intellectuals and rich in scenic natural resources and breathtaking history.


I plank in places where this is especially proven true. 


In support of the tourism industry, I, together with my students, went around Calamba City and Manila to follow Dr. Jose Rizal through several historic sites. The intentions of the Lakbay Jose Rizal project are sentimental and educational. But it has opened my eyes more to how this country gives importance to our history.

Staircase leading to the second floor of the shrine

The Rizal Shrine is still there. Or at least, what is left after hundreds of thousands of students have walked, stomped, and ran around the area. A shrine is defined by the Mac Dictionary as "a place regarded as holy because of its associations with a divinity or a sacred person or relic, typically marked by a building or other construction." Well, the local government of Calamba City and the Department of Tourism need to start reading the dictionary again because the treatment the Rizal "Shrine" receives is similar to how we treat malls: a place to roam around and shop, not really minding that you are stepping on a place that's part of history. Correction. You are stepping on history. 


But in fairness to the caretakers, they tried to "preserve" some of the important relics and artifacts. But I know that more can be done. 


I was supposed to plank on the staircase but the crowd of people visiting the shrine prevented me from doing so.

Some replica of Rizal's doodles

Next stop is the walled city of Intramuros and Fort Santiago. I've gone to these places once two years ago.  So I was pretty familiar where I should take the students to see moments and places of historic importance. One could avail, though, of a tour package worth 400 pesos.


So we started going around. Everything is pretty much the same as two years ago. And that can't be good. With the 50-75-peso entrance fee to go around Fort Santiago, I expected a better treatment and care taking than what we witnessed that day.

The church inside the Fort where an image of the Our Lady of Guadalupe can be found needed better treatment. Although it is not in any disappointing state, I wished for better treatment. So I planked on the roof of the church. Bad. I know. However, the fact that I could plank on it speaks so much of how the government secures this important part of our heritage.


We left the area and I told my students we can now visit the Rizal Shrine that houses a number of items special to the national hero.


But before reaching the shrine, we'd have to pass through the area where Rizal's steps can be retraced. The steps are marked by copper shoe plates. I was trying to look for it but found these instead.

Try to find the spots on the walkway that
look like footsteps.

How the footsteps should be. This is what's
left from the 1,000 plus markers.

This trip was supposed to make me appreciate Rizal more through his legacies. Rizal will surely turn in his grave if he reads this entry and sees how much care we give what he left behind for all of us to appreciate. In the end though, I hope my students get to see that we need to do more to give value to pieces of history that truly make our culture unique and noteworthy. 


I hope the Department of Tourism, the National Historical Commission, and the different local government units will start really taking care of our heritage.


Here's a plank for you: