Almost four years have passed since the tragic events of August 23, 2010 at Quirino Grandstand. It was a hostage situation gone horribly wrong as it resulted in the death not only of the perpetrator/suspect, but also of 8 tourists who came from Hong Kong. It was a case of crisis mismanagement on the part of various parties, from the police to the local executives then of Manila, (especially the then “yellow” mayor of the city) as well as the concerned officials on the national level. It marked a new low in Philippine-Hong Kong relations as it resulted in getting the Philippines placed under the Hong Kong travel blacklist as…
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Reminiscing Manila’s Magellan Monument
Intramuros by the Pasig River was home to a towering landmark, but what became of this Magellan Monument and where is it now?
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Kasa Boix: Restoration in Progress
Throughout the more than 4-year history of the Urban Roamer, we have been all to familiar with the sad fate that befell much of the city’s heritage due to rapid and unchecked urbanization in recent years. For us who have come to appreciate the ciyt’s glorious past, it is heartbreaking to learn much of this heritage have either disappeared or in danger of being lost forever; unfortunately it is a trend that will most likely continue as long as there are people who are unaware or do not care about the importance of these heritage structures. Fortunately, there are still bright spots to this gloomy situation, like the story the…
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A Day At The National Museum (Part 2: Museum of the Filipino People and the future National Museum of Natural History)
Right across the National Art Gallery building of the National Museum, right in the northern part of Rizal Park, stands two neoclassical buildings with a shared history, from the style to the architect and their usage, past and future. Both buildings were remnants of what Daniel Burnham had in mind for Manila to be a “city beautiful” with the area where the buildings stand was envisioned to be the equivalent to the “National Mall” of Washington DC. Also, both were designed by the same architect who helped design the current National Art Gallery, Antonio Toledo, who himself started as a partner of Burnham’s longtime associate William Parsons. Both were completed…
