Special Feature Archives - Page 10 of 10

Christmas in the City 2013

August 10, 2014December 24, 2013 by The Urban Roamer

As the year 2013 draws to a close, it is customary for many to look back at what has transpired in this year. For many, especially us Filipinos, 2013 has been a year of upheavals as the country faced a midterm election, worsening corruption, and the whammy of natural calamities that befell especially in the central part of the country. These calamities, especially that of the wrath of the Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) wrought destruction in proportions that was unprecedented in recent years that it seems that it will take some more time before recovery in this area can be achieved.

While Metro Manila was spared of such destruction this year, there is no doubt that what happened in Central Philippines reverberates in the metropolis and all over the country. So much so that Christmas this year is a bit more different this time around. There are still the maddening crowds, shopping sprees, and crazy traffic all over the city. But aside from that, the celebrations seem to be a bit more low-key, with a number of companies opting for less grandiose Christmas parties and decorations not as bright and colorful like they used to.. (then again, it may be because of the electricity rates going up) Even the colorful light and sound shows at Ayala Triangle Park this year are a bit downplayed in character this year.

The Metropolis and its Capital Dreams (Part III)

July 17, 2014August 4, 2013 by The Urban Roamer

After the end of World War II in 1945, Manila was in a state of total devastation. With most of the city’s infrastructure in near-complete ruin, the first task at hand for a recovering nation was to start anew, in the midst of meager resources the government faced at that time. Thus, the dream of a national capital had to be put on a wayside.

the Legislative Building after the war (from John Tewell’s Flickr)

Also as a result of Manila’s destruction, those who were fortunate to survive were too traumatized to continue living in the city premises. Thus the trend was for many families to move away to the suburbs, trying to escape the nightmares of war that still haunt the city that was trying to get back on its feet. Thus, the wide open spaces of Quezon City became a viable option as a place of residence for them, where they can start anew in a postwar environment.

The Metropolis and its Capital Dreams: Part II

July 31, 2014July 28, 2013 by The Urban Roamer

With the growth of Manila by the 1930s, as well as the congestion that came along with it, Manuel Quezon made it a priority upon his assumption of office as Philippine president of the self-governing Commonwealth government to establish a new capital city for a soon-to-be-independent state. There were a number of considerations that were factored in for a new capital like the available space for expansion and how the area can be not difficult to defend. (the previously Capitol area near Rizal Park was susceptible to attacks from possible naval attacks at Manila Bay)

While there were other locations considered like Baguio (which was the country’s summer capital) and Tagaytay. It was decided that the new national capital will be built right outside Manila, eventually buying what was then a large tract of land owned by the landed Tuason family called the Diliman Estate. The foundations of the future capital city were first laid in 1938 when a portion of the estate was allotted for housing of government workers and others in the labor force known as “Barrio Obrero” (Workers Village) in what is now present-day Kamuning. In addition, additional land was purchased to form the nucleus of the defense center of the new capital. The land would become the site of Camp Murphy, which was eventually divided into what are now Camps Crame (headquarters of the Philippine Constabulary, now the Philippine National Police) and Aguinaldo. (headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines)

The Metropolis and its Capital Dreams: Part I

July 17, 2014July 21, 2013 by The Urban Roamer

Recently, there has been a proposal put forth by Philippine Senator Antonio Trillanes to move the capital of the Philippines to a new location, away from the congested, urban planning-challenged, traffic-infested, flood and earthquake-prone Metropolitan Manila. While this Urban Roamer has his doubts as to whether this proposal will push through, (as with many examples, but I digress) it must be noted that this latest proposal is just part of a long and tangled history we have with regards to planning a national capital. Thus, let this entry tell you the saga of a national capital, a story filled with hopes and plans that have been unrealized and gone awry.