FOREWORD: MSG

Part of this blog will be entries to the Maharlika Survival Guide (MSG). As with anything you read on the internet, it's up to you to believe what you read here or not. This is a collection of knowledge from living in the Philippines for over 30 years. I've also been a journalist for almost half that time writing stories about various aspects of Philippine literature for about half of that time.

What is a Maharlika? It is the pre-spanish term for Freeman. One who has been elevated from being an Alipin(slave) and is now part of those who are vassals of the Datu (Nobles) caste. It’s like middle class now. More on that later.

In short MSG will be a collection of anecdotes, how-to's, where-to-finds, and other guides all of which have to do with living, oft times coping with the Philippines. The entries here will be written by me with contributions from my circle of journalist friends. We will have every type of story here eventually, but it would all be about "How to make life easier in the Philippines."

If you think you know everything about living in the Philippines, think again. Be warned, this guide will be gritty and brutal at times. I will post some pictures now and then. I am doing this not to make money, but because I think a lot of the denizens in here need help every now and then.

We will update as the stories and contributions come in. We will allow comments, which we will try to not moderate too much. After all, we also believe we don't know everything, and we seriously believe in the adage getting all the sides of a story. We are journalists after all. But remember when you comment that we follow one rule "Veritas maximus." It must be truth, if not a factual truth, then your true opinion. If there is any topic you wish us to discuss, please email us, or leave a comment.

For starters, here's is a first advice: You are not alone. No matter how bad you think it is for you here, no matter how alone you feel right now, no matter how bad it's about to get. You are not alone. Someone out there has it as bad as you, or, often, worse. So when you reach the point where you think you can't take another day in this place, that is the time that I actually can say earnestly to you: Welcome to the Philippines.