What would you do if a naked man welcomes you to his humble abode?  

The University of the Philippines greets every visitor of the campus with arms wide open as the iconic symbol of the Oblation makes a good subject for photography enthusiasts at varied vantage points.  To unwelcome a possible heat stroke especially that weather in the Metro has shamelessly been rising in degrees celsius, we opted to visit our alma mater, in time for the golden hour.  Improperly dressed for a jog or any sports activity, leisurely walking around the campus was never an option on one Sunday rendezvous.

We bought the 4PM show and headed towards the Telus Parking Lot at Araneta Center Cubao, in front of SM Cubao for the venue of the show.  Surprisingly, the show started on time.

We were excited to see the dolphins and the sea lion.  First to perform were the sea lions named Gelo and Gelai.  The dolphins named Tutti and Frutti (not sure of the spelling though) were just swimming in a pool occupying a large portion of the venue, while the sea lions exhibited their tricks.  Honestly, while the sea lions were performing, I was kind of bored.  Ironically, I can say that the hosts did their job well and so with the trainer but there is just this odd feeling that I was not satisfied with the way the show is going on.  The trainers of the dolphins and the sea lions were from Indonesia.

After the sea lions, the dolphins then exhibited their stunts.  I was partly amazed of their skills.  And you could see children smiling and giggling while the dolphins were performing.  At that point, I concluded maybe I'm old enough for this type of shows that I was not completely pleased by their performance. (a weird and odd feeling)




It was a one-hour show and I was not completely satisfied with it, although I have always dreamed of seeing dolphins and sea lion in my lifetime.  After the show, my friend, known as an animal lover has the same feeling as well.  

Weeks after the show, I was informed that the said show is actually bombarded by protests from animal rights activists and in fact, one of its sponsors, the National Geographic Philippines pulled out its sponsorship due to the said reason.  

There are always two sides to every story.  I commend the sponsors and organizers though of the said show, as I know how hard it was to pull off an event such as that, but I also feel the cause of the animal rights activists. 

Conservation or Exploitation? Please leave your thoughts.