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I would Like to hear what my fellow IWC member's think of this fictional book depiction of Manila as "Gates of Hell"


By Cris Larano

“It’s more fun in the Philippines,” the Southeast Asian nation’s tourism mantra proclaims.
For Dr. Sienna Brooks, the heroine in bestselling-author Dan Brown’s “Inferno,” the latest book on the adventures of art historian and Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon, the country certainly offered more — but it wasn’t fun.

Spoiler alert.


End of spoiler alert.

This isn’t the first time that Manila has been at disparaged. And it surely won’t be the last.

But for a country seeking to make tourism a strong pillar of its economy, Philippine officials won’t take this sitting down, a work of fiction or not.

Francis Tolentino, chairman of Metro Manila Development Authority, a government official whose job is the take care of the capital, was quick to express his disappointment and displeasure over Mr. Brown’s “inaccurate portrayal of our beloved metropolis.”

In a letter dated May 23 to the bestselling author of “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels & Demons” –both movie blockbusters as well — Mr. Tolentino, a member of President Benigno Aquino III’s Cabinet, wrote:

“More than your portrayal of it, Metro Manila is the central of Filipino spirit, faith and hope. Our faith in God binds us as a nation and we believe that Manila citizens are more than capable of exemplifying good character and compassion towards each other, something that your novel has failed to acknowledge. Truly, our place is an entry to heaven.”

Not everyone is as piqued at how badly Manila was depicted in “Inferno,” Filipino netizen comments on Twitter show. Some even think that the episode in Manila– it’s less than two pages in a 460-page novel–just made them more curious about Mr. Brown’s latest thriller, whose mystery is based on Italian poet Dante’s masterpiece, “The Divine Comedy.”

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2013/05/23/dan-browns-inferno-depicts-manila-as-gates-of-hell/

Yes Boss Jackal, Nakita ko po iyon sa facebook. Mixed Feelings meron ako dito sa topic na ito.

Bago ko pa man ho mabasa ang gawa ni Dan Brown ay naisip ko na gumawa ng article sa internet tungkol sa mga dapat iayos o iwasan sa Maynila. Noong mabasa ko ang quoted article ni Dan Brown. Nagulat ako dahil parehas kami ng naisip. Iba nga lang ang pagkahalintulad niya.

sweatdrop Sorry, but with regards with MMDA; Of course, they're the government. Every coin has two side... But I think just like any government everywhere else. The Public Relations ( Media, Gov. ) tries to always put their best faces.

Alam ko po na kahit sinong laitin mo ay masasaktan pero sabi nga po nila "Truth Hurts" Maybe, accepting some harsh reality would enable the government and the people's spirit to change. We can't deny that there are many slums and a very polluted dead river in Manila.

Sa Turismo po, sana siguro kahit paano nakita ng MMDA ang ibang tingin ng mga turista sa Maynila. Naalala ko tuloy yung napanood ko na video sa youtube. Unang Beses daw sumakay sa Jeep ng Babae sa Pinas. Tapos nagbasa ako ng comment. Ang Tanong sa kanya "Don't they have a trash can, look how he easily throw the tissue" The Uploader replied: " There aren't trash bin anywhere, people dump everywhere they want"

Approve naman talaga ako sa sinasabi nya. Recto at Tondo palang hell na xd

Filipinos should stop hating Dan Brown just because he pictured Manila as the "gates of hell", instead, this should be taken as a challenge for them to IMPROVE the city. To be better persons to everyone.

I know! To be honest, I expected a lot of Manila. Last year, was my first time visiting there for my sister's interview for the Visa Application to go to the US. Yes, I was aware of the dirtiness and messiness of the city, but I never thought it would be that bad, I thought it would be as dirty as what it is in CDO, and boom! It was A LOT LOT LOT dirtier than I expected. But yeaaah, my 9 days there was a lot fun, gotta give 'em that.

Di pa ako nakakapunta doon. Gaano ba kalala ang Lungsod ng Maynila?

well walang siyang diskarte sa pagtatago ng nakaw