Pasay Archives - Page 5 of 8 - The Urban Roamer

Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum: A Home to Philippine Aviation History

October 3, 2015October 2, 2015 by The Urban Roamer

Let’s face it. One can’t help talking about the Philippine Air Force (PAF) without citing the current state of things there, notably the limited number of aircraft and equipment that has made it not readily equipped in the event of a possible catastrophe or threat to national security. Still, we have to salute the men and women of the PAF for their dedication in spite of these odds. And the PAF has a notable history to show it.

That history is enshrined at the Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum at the PAF Headquarters at Villamor Air Base. Formerly named Nichols Field, (named after Captain Henry E. Nichols, a US Navy commander who served during the Philippine-American War) it was renamed after Jesus Villamor, one of the most prominent pilots in Philippine aviation history who served during World War II fighting the Japanese forces.

Grand Spectacles at the Marriott Grand Ballroom

August 25, 2019July 10, 2015 by The Urban Roamer

Recently, a new events venue was officially unveiled at the Resorts World Manila complex, the Marriott Grand Ballroom of Marriott Hotel Manila. And looking at the figures, it does live up to its “grand” name; in fact, it already holds the record of being the largest ballroom in the Philippines.

The 3-level structure was designed by international hospitality firm Gettys Group with its interiors designed by notable Filipino interior designer Kenneth Cobonpue. With over 8000 square meters of function space, which includes the 3000 square meter main ballroom, it was designed to be not just a hotel events venue but a notable addition to the Philippine MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions) scene as the country is being promoted as an ideal venue for international conventions and exhibitions.

The Circulo Del Mundo and Its “Egg”

November 19, 2014 by The Urban Roamer

If you are going to or from the NAIA Terminal 3/Newport City area, or even just passing by the area, you are surely not to miss the rotunda called the Circulo del Mundo. More than that, you are sure not going to miss the structure built on that rotunda, a steel structure which some say looks like an egg. While personally, the structure looks to me like a futuristic spaceship with lots of “windows”, for the sake of convenience and popular opinion, the Urban Roamer will just go with the opinion of many that it looks like an egg.

courtesy of directionsonweb.blogspot.com

For one thing, the presence of a structure at a rotunda is something that is nothing new. After all, we do have that structure at Mabuhay Rotonda and Santa Mesa’s old rotonda used to have a fountain. But this structure was a sight that aroused confusion and puzzlement among the people who see it, mainly because of the abstractness of it all, not to mention the structure was not easily accessible for the public to appreciate what it is about.

The Art Museum at the GSIS Financial Center

August 10, 2014October 19, 2013 by The Urban Roamer

October happens to be “Museum and Galleries Month.” In commemoration of this occasion, the Urban Roamer decided to pay a visit to one of the city’s more overlooked museums. And that says something considering the situation here currently that museums here aren’t placed high in the must-visit list among locals.

Today, we visit the GSIS Financial Center in the reclaimed area that is part of the CCP Complex in Pasay City, headquarters of the Government Service Insurance System, (GSIS) the social insurance institution catering to government employees. The building is actually a Marcos-era structure that was completed in 1985, but it was not fully utilized until 9 years later, when the GSIS finally moved in to the building to be its new headquarters.