Dan Brown calls Manila 'gates of hell' in novel “Inferno”; Upsets MMDA and DOT Departments

Dan Brown's Inferno

Philippines -- While travel magazines have recently been citing the Philippines as a tropical paradise, American author Dan Brown seems to think otherwise based on his much-anticipated new novel.

In "Inferno," the fourth part in Harvard art professor Robert Langdon's adventures, one of the characters goes through "the gates of hell" in Manila.

The description of the city is from the first-hand account of one of the fictional characters, the messianic Dr. Sienna Brooks.

One character from the novel, Sienna Brooks, joined a humanitarian mission to Manila only to be shocked by its poverty and then raped by local ruffians.

An excerpt from the book goes: "When the group settled in among the throngs in the city of Manila—the most densely populated city on earth—Sienna could only gape in horror. She had never seen poverty on this scale."

As written in a fictional novel of Dan Brown in his Book, Dr. Brooks, went to the Philippines for a mission to supposedly feed poor fishermen and farmers on the countryside.

She expected the Philippines to be a "wonderland of geological beauty, with vibrant seabeds and dazzling plains."

Upon setting foot in Manila, however, Brooks could only "gape in horror" as "she had never seen poverty on this scale."

She said her "dark depression" flooded back, with pictures of poverty and crime flashing through her eyes.

"For every one person Sienna fed, there were hundreds more who gazed at her with desolate eyes," the book read.

One after the other, the book described chaotic Manila: "six-hour traffic jams, suffocating pollution, horrifying sex trade."

The book described the sex industry as consisting mostly of young children "many of whom had been sold to pimps by parents who took solace in knowing that at least their children would be fed."

"All around her, she could see humanity overrun by its primal instinct for survival…When they face desperation…human beings become animals," the book read.

The book went on to detail a turning point in Brooks' life. "I've run through the gates of hell," she said.

Traumatized, Brooks "left the Philippines at once, without even saying goodbye to the other members of the group."

This is not the first time that the Philippines' so-called ugly side was described in novels and movies.

Hollywood actress Claire Danes got a lot of bad press when she shot her 1999 movie "Brokedown Palace" in the Philippines which settings is in the garbage area. She described Manila as smelling "of cockroaches. There's no sewage system in Manila, and people have nothing there. People with, like, no arms, no legs, no eyes, no teeth."

She was later declared persona non grata.

Last year, actor Taylor Kitsch created a controversy when he described his "airport nightmare" supposedly in the Philippines to TV talk show host David Letterman, claiming an immigration officer even tried to take his iPhone. It turned out that Kitsch was actually talking about Indonesia but did not bother to correct his statement despite the social media backlash.

Tourism officials have been trying to bring to boost the image of the Philippines with its catchy phrase, "More Fun in the Philippines." The Department of Tourism reported an increase in tourist arrivals last year.

The Philippines also had its fair share of praise from Hollywood when stars Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz spoke about their experiences shooting "The Bourne Legacy" in the country last year.

Just last week, Vin Diesel was seen roaming around town in a jeepney.

The impact of Dan Brown's "Inferno" remains to be seen. While a work of fiction, Brown again provides an introduction that confuses the ordinary reader about what's true and what's not -- just like in his popular novel "The Da Vinci Code."

"Inferno" is his take on Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy."

MMDA to Dan Brown: Manila is portal to heaven not gates of hell

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino's letter to novelist Dan Brown. Ian Cruz

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Thursday wrote a letter to American best-selling novelist Dan Brown expressing "disappointment" over his "inaccurate" depiction of Manila in his latest novel Inferno.

"While we are aware that yours is a work of fiction, we are greatly disappointed by your inaccurate portrayal of our beloved metropolis," MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said in a letter. 

"We are displeased of how you have used Manila as a venue and source of character's breakdown and trauma, much more her disillusionment in humanity," read the letter dated May 23.

Tolentino told GMA News that rather than the "gates of hell" that Brown called Manila, the metropolis is more of a "portal to heaven" because of the residents' religiosity.

 "More than your portrayal of it, Metro Manila is the center of Filipino spirit, faith and hope… Manila citizens are more than capable of exemplifying good character and compassion towards each other, something your novel has failed to acknowledge," Tolentino stressed.

"Truly, our place is an entry to heaven," he added, reversing Brown's depiction of Manila as "gates of hell."

"We hope that this letter enlightens you and may it guide you the next time you cite Manila in any of your works," the MMDA chairman noted.,

Sources: ABS-CBN News and GMA News

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Indonesian witness said incident happened in Philippine waters; Slain Taiwanese was ‘good to Filipino fishermen’

Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng's boat, the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, is checked by Taiwanese officers after arriving at Liuqiu port in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, Saturday, May 11, 2013. Taiwanese boat owner Steven Liao said the damage to the Guang Ta Hsin 28 costs around NT$8 million (P11 million). AP PHOTO

Pinoy working in Pintung county, where the Taiwanese fisherman fatally shot by Philippine coast guards lived, say they feel no threat from local residents.

Antonio Dimacali Manasa, who works at Dongcang Harbor, told the Inquirer that he knew Hung Shih-chen, the fisherman shot dead by Filipino coast guards in waters off Balintang Island on May 9.

"I knew him. He was good to the Filipino fishermen here and he treated us like his children," Manasa said.

Milo Fajardo, another Filipino worker at the harbor, said no Filipino had been attacked or threatened by Taiwanese in the area.

Still, he said, he and other Filipinos there avoid the streets, especially at night.

Hung's boat

Fajardo said he was one of those who helped Taiwanese authorities pull Hung's boat, the Guang Ta Hsin 28, to the dock after the incident.

"After the boat had been docked, they refused to allow people to come near it," he said.

He and other Filipinos sometimes hear unpleasant comments from Taiwanese fishermen.

"But we understand them, and we choose not to react," he said.

Fajardo, who said he had been working in the harbor for 10 years, wondered why the Philippine Coast Guard abandoned the Taiwanese fishing boat after immobilizing it.

"They should have apprehended it," he said. "All they needed to do was tie it to their vessel and tow it."

Had the coast guards done that, he said, the Philippine authorities would have known what the poachers had taken from Philippine waters.

Cautious Coast Guard for Armed Chinese Fishermen

China is using fishermen as their armed paramilitary forces to invade an island. Proven during their invasion to the Mischief Reef in Palawan and the Scarborough Shoal in Zambales Province.

 Last year, South Korean coast guard who apprehended the Chinese fishermen was shot dead.

The distinction between Mainland China's fishermen and Taiwanese Fishermen is hard distinguish because they are using similar Chinese characters which is hard for the Southeast ASEAN countries who are not familiar in it.

Philippine Coast guards also are cautious if the fishermen are armed to apprehend them.

Philippine waters

John Albert Fernando, another Filipino worker at the harbor, said the Indonesian crew member of the Guang Ta Hsin 28 had told him that the boat was in Philippine waters because he had seen "plenty of tuna."

"I talked to him, he took his belongings, and then he disappeared," Fernando said.

According to Fernando, the Indonesian said Hung was in the engine room during the shooting, but looked out and was hit.

A team from the Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation has requested permission from the Taiwanese government to examine the Guang Ta Hsin 28.

The boat is docked at Dongcang, cordoned off and covered with tarpaulin.

Business affected

Taiwanese boat owner Steven Liao said the incident had affected the fishing industry.

"We are cautious," he said, "though it's safe because we have legal papers. Still some of our fishermen have suspended their business."

He said the damage to the Guang Ta Hsin 28 costs around NT$8 million (P11 million).

"It's new and made of fiber glass," he said.

The boat was hit 45 times with high-velocity bullets. Twenty-four of the bullet holes were found at the cabin.

With reports from INQUIRER 

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