My Brother-in-law & Other Stories
By Johnny Novera

Mountain by the sea

One weekend when we had another chance to go out, we went to a known resort in a province some two hours drive North of Metro Manila.  The resort has a Spanish name which, when translated to English, is more or less the title of this piece.

All that we wanted was to take breakfast there, and may be take lunch at another point of interest in the province.  In this way, we can see more places in one day.

You could imagine that when we got there, the resort was closed to the public!  "You cannot do that, we protested to a non-uniformed security officer assigned at the gate, with a gray guard beside him dressed like a policeman.  "We drove all the way to this town and when we get here you tell us you are close?"

"All right, can we just take a little tour inside to survey the place and may be come back another time when it is not occupied?" we appealed.

"We are sorry, sir, but we have already guests inside and they do not wish to be disturbed," we are told.  We saw from the outside some 6 cars, vans or AUVs parked in front of the main cottage, with tinted windows and winshields. 

On the way back, we thought of the guy or group who can pay up and close the whole resort to the public for the weekend.  They must have plenty of money.

Now that jueteng is out in the papers, with the numbers game rampant in Luzon, we ask if the jueteng lords were the ones there when we visited the resort?