New Year’s celebrations aside, the first big feast/spectacle of the year this urban landscape looks forward to s the feast of the Black Nazarene held in the chaotic but colorful district of Quiapo right in the heart of the City of Manila. Without a doubt, it is Manila’s pride as far as festivities are concerned, in the same manner as Sinulog is to Cebu City and Kadayawan is to Davao City, to name a few. What makes the feast of the Black Nazarene stand out from many other feasts in the country is that it is not the usual feast filled with dancers with colorful costumes and “Ati-Atihan” rip-offs. Rather,…
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the most awkward-looking Rizal ever
Today marks another commemoration of the martyrdom of the Philippines’ national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. And being the country’s national hero, you can never escape his name and image almost everywhere you go, from the streets you traverse to the matches you use. Then again, he is THE national hero so there’s not much one can do about that. That principle will also apply whenever we come to see him standing in front of some town plaza or municipal/city/provincial hall in his trademark long black overcoat and, sometimes, holding a book or two on his chest as if he was about to sing the National Anthem. This particular monument of…
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Coming Soon: The Illumina Residences
In this part of the city where I live, there has not been much high-rise developments here. After all, Santa Mesa’s environment is considered more of the “suburban” type, an environment which usually is spared from infiltration of high-rise structures. But as land becomes more scarce in this dense metropolis, developers are looking at every vacant piece of property available as a possible real estate development opportunity. Whether they turn out to be a hit or a dud is another story altogether.
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remembering Water Fun Sta. Mesa
It was a hot and humid day in late October when the Urban Roamer decided to take a walk, passing along the GSIS Metrohomes. Completed and started to be occupied by the early 1990’s, the GSIS Metrohomes were first conceived as low-cost housing solution. The buildings speak for themselves on that aspect, though they may have seen better days. One could not help notice the faded paint and be distracted by the sight of clothes being hanged outside the windows. (is there anyone who does some checking for the buildings’ maintenance in the first place?) If there was one thing that made up for the project’s shortcomings, back then it…