It has been a week since Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) struck down a significant portion of Central Philippines from Samar to Palawan, leaving an unprecedented trail of devastation that affecting many in those areas. Metro Manila has been lucky to have been spared from this devastation. Despite this, many of us, especially those who remembered when Ondoy struck the metropolis, know how it feels to experience catastrophe. And at this time when the people who are supposed to do their jobs are finding themselves helpless, if not clueless, the Filipino spirit of bayanihan, of unity and perseverance still manages to overcome such challenges. As we speak, there has been…
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The Urban Roamer at Blogapalooza 2013
One of the biggest events in the Philippine online community has finally come! And for the first time, the Urban Roamer will be there!!! I’m talking about Blogapalooza 2013 that is happening this Saturday, November 16 at the Function Room of SMX Aura in Taguig from 11 AM-9 PM. But what is this Blogapalooza all about, you may ask? It is a one-of-a-kind event that links up the online community, especially bloggers like yours truly, with businesses and others who have something to offer or share whether it is a product or a service, whatever it may be. It is also an opportunity to link up with fellow bloggers and…
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The Urban Roamer’s Vlog: the Manila International Book Fair 2013
A new edition of the vlog is up! You can view it here: © the Urban Roamer
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Metropolitan Manila: a dream unfulfilled (an Urban Roamer editorial)
As I am writing this entry, heavy rainfall for the past 2-3 days thanks to Typhoon Maring (international name: Trami) has submerged much of Metro Manila under floods…again. While in a way, this highlights how serious climate change has affected the global climate, especially here in the Philippines, there is also another issue that lingers in the horizon that few seem to take note of: Manila is a badly planned metropolis. What’s heartbreaking is that this has been foreseen decades bacl, even more than a century ago when Daniel Burnham first laid out his plan for the city. Over the years, we have seen competent planners like Harry Frost, Juan…