I think the story is extremely meaningful. The town Pedro left acts as a microcosm of the whole Philippines, representing what is happening all over the country. The writer of the etter says not much has changed, probably because many of their old ways still remain. However, things are changing.
People are becoming more modern, the extent of which depends on the depths of one's pocket. Or, in Pedro's cousin Julia's case, the depths one is willing to sink to. Corruption has already begun to blossom, just as the sampaguitas on the mayor's gate do. Everyone still has their virtues and their vices, their little quirks and flaws. Old habits die hard, as seen in the old farmers in the cockpit, but familiar sights must bow down to functionality and convenience, such as their memorable river, now overshadowed by a new bridge.
Life has both remained stationary and moved on without Pedro, just as a river remains a river even as the waters flow out to the sea. The Philippines is still the home of hospitable brown people, willing to work diligently but not dreaming big enough, but it has hopped on the bandwagon and attempted at copying other countries to keep up with the rest of the world.
We are a woman trying on her friends' makeup, but underneath the scented powder of better education and the gloss of new technology, we will always remain the same.
