Why the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) will always be a strong voting block, why you should own SM and Jollibee and why these topics belong to this road trip blog.

Don't worry this is going to be apolitical as much as possible. I just wanted to share a distinct pattern that I observed traveling from Manila all the way to Polomolok, South Cotabato.

The minute you exit the South Luzon Express Way every major city, town and barangay ( village ) will always have a well kept and maintained INC church. During my first road trip on the same route way back in 1992 this was already the case and the churches have kept their shine and luster ever since. Last Sunday while driving from Naga to Tacloban I also observed how well dressed in their Sunday Best the INC faithfuls are. They would all be seen from town to town trooping in groups on their way to church. No jeans, no shorts. Men in slacks and polo, women in dresses. The kids are similarly smartly dressed. The church doors are closed during the service and there would be no one loitering outside of the church. We often stereotype them for voting as a block during election but we hardly talk about their discipline and decency. Maybe Filipinos are not undisciplined like we are wont to comment. Maybe there's just not many of us who belong to the INC.

Two decades after that trip and Jollibee, SM, Mercury Drug have blanketed the countryside. In fact I would determine how far I am from my destination based on the Jollibee markers on the roadside. For sure that Jollibee would be in the city center. SM on the other hand makes traveling easier since most would be situated in newly created diversion roads that allow you to sidestep the busy, narrow, and crowded old town roads. I swear it has become the new town center creating new businesses around it including having mass schedule just before the mall opens. Genius! These shares will always be a buy in my books on a dollar averaging strategy. Nothing can be more Pinoy than Chicken Joy bought from an SM Mall. Ditto for Mercury Drug should they plan to list :-). Oh I'd buy me some SMB shares too. I lost count of the number of SMB delivery trucks we have seen on the road :-).