DVDs and Phones

The hidden location of the pirate's lair. Just go into Arlegui Street. May 2, 2008;

Among the well-clad and ever-exposed stalls of DVDs found along CDO's Cogon, Zamboanga's Barter area, Bacolod's MWF DVD stalls, the Philippines' top rated DVD stall is... Quiapo. Here's an excerpt repost of my May 2 blog about my free roaming with a very2x limited budget in Manila and after spending a week watching and buying DVDs, I nearly got arrested by OMB:

Hmmm... And so the plot thickens. This is one of the entry points to the infamous Quiapo DVD market. From the Quiapo church, you have to cross the underpass to the other side of the avenue to Hidalgo street. Your landmarks are: Greenwich pizza along the boulevard, then head east until you see Jollibee on the next block, just go straight pass it until you see a MiniStop convenience store on the next block. It's situated on the fork of the road wherein if you go left, you'll see jeepneys from San Sebastian cathedral coming to your direction, and if you go RIGHT where you'll see an enormous crowd gathering in makeshift stalls. That my friend, is the jackpot. There, you can ask for directions or better yet just follow where most people are going.

Also, Arlegui street poses as one of the less crowded access to the fabled stuff. Just go straight. Do not panic if you see a cop because as far as anyone with an IQ higher than 90 knows, they are frequently batting a blind eye to this seemingly illegal trade. I think their philosophy is that as long no one is hurt, killed, maimed or kidnapped, then everything's well.

Caution: Do not bring lots of cash, or credit cards for that matter. Do not show off your cellphone in public, or use it in the streets. Do not wear expensive watches or jewelry for they can become targets for street pickpockets. Do not wear formal clothes because Muslim merchants are wary of giving discounts to coños. Furthermore, do not make any snide remarks ala GWBush about Muslims because you won't get any discount that way. (I was about to write "you won't be able to escape Quiapo alive if you do insult them.")


Inside one of the many alleys in DVD country;

There are lots of places to start. And you have to be discriminating with your choice of DVDs. Just don't take it as it is because if something is wrong with it, it can be very difficult to return it back for exchange. There are rows and rows of DVDs and with luck, you can stumble on rare titles (like the works of Paolo Pasolini & Kurosawa), or better copies of unreleased films. The DVDs are stack on shelves upon shelves extending from the floor to the ceiling. When they say DVD copy, it means it was copied from the original, but when they say "Clear copy," it means it's not worth buying the disc yet.

My routine:
1. Check for the titles.
**Tip: To know if the DVD you're holding is copied from the already released original one, check the spine. If you can see a code along the spine like this (DTS-9004), then more or less, it's from the real stuff. If there's none, chances are, it's just a clear copy or a promotional one.

2. Check for scratches and defects on the shiny side of the DVD.
3. Have you choice be tested on their DVD player.
4. Haggle. Currently, it's P60-65 ($1.20) per disc. If bundled into three purchases, you can get them for cheaper.
5. Make sure they stamp/mark the DVD title insert, so if you return them, you can argue that it was from their store that you've bought the disk from because if not, they can play that Shylock argument that you "might have bought it from other stalls."


An otaku shopping for anime;

There are lots of films to choose from. Just remember to have the presence of mind on what to buy and a limited budget for your trip, so that you won't indulge on impulse buying. It's difficult to control oneself once you're there, especially if you have been afflicted with the shopping bug.

Many of the films being peddled in Quiapo are:
1. Unreleased Hollywood films
a. copied from a promotional disc
b. copied inside a theater
2. Released Hollywood films (copied from the original DVD)
3. Classics (Hitchcock, Kurosawa, war movies, etc.)
4. Arthouse films (infrequent, scarce supply, rare titles) ex. Criterion collection
5. Asian foreign films (Korean, Japanese)
6.Porn

Raids are frequent in Quiapo. However, if Edu and his cohorts have a scheduled raid, more or less, the sellers have already been tipped off and are extremely vigilant during that particular day. You can see them talking about the impending raid, having boxes readied, and their supplies are not 100% displayed. Besides, if a raid ensues, the news spreads like wildfire and within a span of five minutes, all of the shops are closed. Should you encounter one such raid, then simply head to the nearest convenience store and take cover.

CAVEAT: Edu is itching to catch consumers (that's you and me) of pirated dvds and he threatened to imprison those who are caught buying stuff. He said they'll be charged with the anti-fencing law, which any lawyer will tell you will not hold up in court because the goods you're buying are not stolen goods (like cars) since they're made first hand albeit in violation of Intellectual Property Rights law ek-ek. So, go ahead and indulge.

So, be sure to send a postcard on your next trip to Quiapo.

In Want of a Phone

May the thief who stole it be infested by a thousand lice. I bought a second-hand phone today as a replacement for my stolen unit. Some people may cringe at how plebeian that may sound, but in my current situation wherein I have yet to receive my first paycheck, any phone for that matter will do. Having no phone at first felt liberating, but as soon as the commitments and obligations pour in, one cannot stand idly by and watch his job and private life slip pass through him. And although I crave to have a MMS-supported celphone with the cameras, videos, MP3s and whatnots, I don't have the means to demand for it. Mom can procure one but at this age and time, demanding for such a unit is deemed ostentatious. It's like saying that the poor cannot eat three times a day, and yet they still have a budget for buying load.
So, no choice but to get a cheaper phone; at least my headache will not be as intense if this one gets stolen again.

And so I got a 2nd-hand 6210 that has neither been repaired, tinkered, nor reconditioned. I found out that older discontinued phones peddled by scam artists inside Greenhills, Robinson's malls, and tiangges have been opened and recondition to look like brand new. It is dangerous to buy one because, according to one of the stall owners, the signal becomes unpredictable. Perhaps that is the reason why its warranty covers for a year. These sellers are really devious, cunning and shrewd, just like Shylock the Jew in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. In the Philippines' the bad rap for shrewdness goes to our fellow Muslims from the south. My experiences in DVD buying in their lairs in Downtown Quiapo affirms that sentiment.

Speaking of MMS phones, I really have to congratulate Globe, Smart and Sun companies for brainwashing the whole population in making them crave for higher-end phones, spawning pickpockets and hold-ups everywhere. Thanks for the colored ads in the Star and Inquirer where you placed celebrities brandishing and enjoying your latest model, hence, making us feel that we have to change phones every year so to keep up with the latest Nokia. Thank you also for making us feel that our phones are never good enough (or never functional enough) where in fact the only use for it is texting and calling up people. Thank you also for not reminding us that our phone's market value will drop half-fold by the end of the year thereby making us unaware of the wasted money we invested in such a "depreciable" unit. Take for instance the Nokia 6600: at first, it was being sold at P24,000, then after a year, P18,000, now, P16,000, and if one gets it at Buy&Sell it's P12,000. This is sad, really sad.

Now, who's more shrewd? Cellphone companies or the muslim sellers? Take your pick.