THE BIG DITCH

"Speak softly and carry a big stick."

And so it was that Theodore Roosevelt's big ditch was built with the prodding of his big stick and American gunboat diplomacy. An accidental consequence would be the creation of the Republic of Panama.

The canal has dramatically reduced travel time from the Pacific and Atlantic sides and vice versa. Between 37 to 42 ships passes through it everyday and generates almost a billion dollars in revenue for the Panamanian government who have been ceded full control over the canal since 1999.

A series of locks raise or lower passing ships to 85 feet which basically is the difference in elevation between the Pacific and the Atlantic sides.

I was able to take a shot of the Gatun Locks on the Atlantic side as our plane approached Panama City. During the Panama Climate Change Talks, I squeezed in a quick visit of the Miraflores Locks (shown below) with lawyer par excellence Ping Peria.

And so I came, I saw, I clicked.

THE SPIRES OF CASCO VIEJO

Panama City's Casco Viejo are in many ways similar to Manila's Intramuros.

Both were founded by the Spanish: Intramuros in 1571 and Casco Viejo 100 years later later in 1671.

Both are walled cities.

Both have lots of churches.

Casco Viejo's centerpiece is the Catedral Metropolitan which is as San Agustin Church is to Intramuros. It was built from 1688 until 1796 from the stones taken in the pirate-ravaged old city of Panama Viejo.

A walk away is the Iglesia de San Jose which dates back to 1673 and repository of the Altar de Oro --- painted black and smuggled out of the city as the pirate Henry Morgan pillaged Panama Viejo.

Then there is the Iglesia San Francisco de Asis (top photo below), said to be the smallest but the most ornate and striking of all the churches in Casco Viejo. It was razed by fire in 1737 and 1756, and fully restored to its former glory in 1998. Just across is the Iglesia San Felipe Neri (bottom photo below), inaugurated in 1688 and considered to be the oldest in Casco Viejo. It also underwent restoration work in 1995.

There are a couple of ruins too: the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus (top photo below) that was built between 1677 and 1741 and once housed the Royal Pontifical University of San Javier until it was razed by a fire in 1781 and and then by an earthquake in 1882; and the Iglesia Sto. Domingo (bottom photo below) that was built in the 17th century and also destroyed by fire in 1756, and features the Arco Chato or flat arch --- a 50 feet unsupported brick arch that is considered as an engineering marvel --- which served as proof of the absence of earthquakes in the area and hence the building of the canal across the Isthmus of Panama.

What separates Casco Viejo from Intramuros is it has been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage. Only the San Agustin Church has that distinction within Intramuros.

And it is being properly restored to its former glory. I think Intramuros is not...  

WHY WE ARE IN PANAMA

The following are excerpts from an entry in Comm. Yeb Sano's Facebook account:

Pinoy Climate Team in battle for PHL survival as climate talks open in Panama

(Panama City, October 5) A battle-weary Philippine delegation quietly arrived in Panama with a vow to fight for the survival of Filipinos facing worsening climate change. At least three climate change-linked consecutive typhoons recently battered the country in a span of two weeks, resulting in damages reaching PhP 8 billion (USD 200 million).

“Millions of Filipinos are already suffering yet we are only seeing initial climate change impacts. Progress must be made in the climate treaty negotiations. We are here in Panama to tell the world that climate change is a matter of life and death for the Philippines,” said Commissioner Naderev “Yeb” Saño of the Climate Change Commission.

The CCC is leading the Philippine delegation in what is considered the most critical round of talks concerning the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Panama. The Panama round "has enormous implications on the success or failure of the Durban Climate Change Summit in November," Saño said.

Together with Saño are other government members, including Director Ivy Banzon  of the DFA, Dir. Alicia Ilaga of the DA and Albert Magalang of the DENR. The team is bolstered by a pool of advisers from civil society represented by Bernarditas Muller, Antonio La Viña (Dean of the Ateneo School of Government), Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (Tebtebba), Atty. Elipidio Peria (Aksyon Klima), Jasper Inventor (Greenpeace), Atty. Vicente Paolo Yu (South Centre), Shubert Ciencia (PRRM), Athena Ronquillo-Ballesteros (World Resources Institute),  Atty. James Kho, Joanne Dulce, Lawrence Ang, and Leticia Labre (Ateneo School of Government)...