Special Feature

Mabini150: Mabini and Nagtahan

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If there is one place in the metropolis that has a solid association with Apolinario Mabini, it would be the road and the neighborhood called Nagtahan which straddles between the present-day districts of San Miguel and Santa Mesa in the City of Manila.

flyover at Nagtahan, 2014

Nagtahan got its name from a word in Tagalog which means to stop or end. It was named so because in the olden days, Calle Nagtahan was a dead end, ending a few meters before the bank of the Pasig River. Despite that, it grew as a rural suburb of Manila during the late Spanish colonial period as some decided to take residence in the area. One of them happened to be Apolinario Mabini’s brother, Agapito, who married a woman belonging to a somewhat landed family, the Del Rosarios.

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Mabini150: The Dekalogo Exhibit

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If you have been to Ayala Triangle recently, you may have seen this photo exhibit at the middle of the park which has something to do with Apolinario Mabini and the commemoration of his upcoming 150th birthday. This exhibit is called “Dekalogo” and it is not just any photo exhibit about Mabini, this is an exhibit that has brought to life one of his well-known writings, The True Decalogue.

The True Decalogue was first printed on June 24, 1898, 12 days after the declaration of Philippine Independence. Mabini at that time served as an adviser to Aguinaldo’s revolutionary government, which at that time was busy laying out the foundations of the new republic. It was in this time of new-found freedom and transition that Mabini wrote The True Decalogue to help serve as a moral and ethical guide for the new nation to live by, just as how the Ten Commandments is for Jews and Christians alike.

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Mabini150: An Introduction

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On July 23*, the Philippines will commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of one of the leading intellectuals who played a vital role in the Philippine Revolution, notably for his role as president of the cabinet in the revolutionary government, and Philippine history. That man is Apolinario Mabini, also as the “sublime paralytic” (which sounds too awkward and politically incorrect today) and “brains of the revolution.” (which pertains more to him being one of the revolution’s leading intellectuals rather than the one who masterminded the revolution itself)

the official logo of the Mabini150 commemoration (courtesy of designwagen)

In honor of this esteemed, if somewhat overlooked, figure in our history on this particular milestone, the Urban Roamer is dedicating a series of stories related to the man whose ideals still resonate today. But before anything else, I suppose it would be apt by starting this off by finding out a bit more about his life and his legacy, shedding light behind the tagline of this commemoration as “talino at paninindigan.” (intelligence and integrity)

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A Dream Plan for Metro Manila

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Metro Manila as we know it today sadly has been borne out of unrealized plans coupled by shortsighted planning that did not take into account how fast it would grow over the last 30 years or so. (something I have talked about in the past here) Now we are suffering the brunt of these problems as a result: the traffic, the lack of proper housing, the overpopulation in the metropolis, pollution, and unchecked urbanization to name a few.

typical EDSA traffic (taken from the web)
informal settlers along the creek (taken from the web)
informal settlers along a creek (taken from the web)

With all these problems the metropolis is facing right now, and considering what happened before, is there hope for Metro Manila? As critical as I am of what is happening in the metropolis, the Urban Roamer still believes there is hope for the metropolis. I’m glad that this optimism is shared by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which recently jointly came up with a “dream plan” for Metro Manila that will not only address the aforementioned challenges, but will also serve as a catalyst for the future growth of the metropolis, as well as the surrounding areas that is envisioned by the year 2030. A video was posted online about the details of the plan, as posted here below:

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