The beautiful Mayon Volcano

I am usually a pretty ardent reader of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, but for some reason, I missed Ruben V. Nepales' October 12 column. And you know what truly makes this surprising? Well, not only because it's titled "A Weekend in New York with U2's Bono", but because its first line was "U2’s Bono would like to visit the Philippines."

Bono. Here in the Philippines, the land of my birth, the country I am living in, Philippines, My Philippines. I am hyperventilating.

According to the writer, after Bono said that he wanted to visit the Philippines, he also added, "That would be a highlight for me."

Now I really can't breathe.

Can you imagine Bono here in the Philippines? The thought alone makes my spine tingle with excitement.

Well, there's really no assurance when or if this would happen, but being one of U2's biggest fans, I am nevertheless volunteering my services to be Bono's tour guide in the country. Here are some of the places I would take the great man to:

• Albay - to see the Mayon (because everyone just has to see this beautiful volcano).
• Coron, Palawan -you have not lived until you've swam in Coron's beaches.
• Boracay - to let him know that Ibiza and Southern France has nothing on this beautiful paradise.
• Sagada- to see the place's famous hanging coffins (because there is nothing like these ethereal resting place anywhere else in the world)
  
• the Banaue Rice Terraces- to give him a hint of just how great a people we are
• Davao- to let him have a taste of durian
• Zamboanga- to let him see the province's colorful vintas
• Corregidor- to tell him the story of the great Filipinos who fought in the Second World War (and because I know the boy in him would get a kick seeing the huge canons in the island)
  
• Manila- to show him Manila Bay's famous sunset
• the National Museum- because he is an artist and I bet he would love to see the works of the great Filipino painters.
• Lo Solidaridad Bookstore - because he likes books and I want to introduce him to the works of the bookstore's owner, the great F. Sionil Jose
• Vigan- to show him the great, old houses there
• Cebu- to let him taste dried mangoes, danggit and litson
• Camiguin- so he'll know how the best mangoes in the world taste like
• University of the Philippines-to let him see the beauty of famous Oblation and tell him the story behind the statue
• Fort Santiago- to appeal to his sense of history
• Batanes- because he has to see the island's breathtaking terrain, unique homes and lovely, lovely people (I bet he would love the Honesty Store)

There are many more places on this list, Bono. Come to the country and I'll take you to all of them.