As the Urban Roamer is about chronicling the sights, sounds, and stories from the urban jungle and beyond, beginning with this entry, a new feature on the site will deal with those adventures outside the Metropolitan Manila area called “Beyond Manila.” Enjoy! The trip was long and the road was getting rougher as we approached our destination…we here being myself and 8 others who were invited to this tour. But it was a trip made worth it by the experience visiting one of the rising attractions up north in the Clark area in Pampanga, the Zoocobia Fun Zoo. Operated by the Zoomanity Group, the same group behind the popular attractions…
-
-
El Hogar Endangered?
The attack on Philippine heritage sadly is not letting up. Latest reports suggest of a possible demolition of yet another heritage building in Manila, the El Hogar Filipino Building (more popularly known as the El Hogar) at the corner of Juan Luna and Muelle de la Industria Streets in Binondo. Even if you would not know at first the name of the building, its architecture is something that has surely caught your attention, especially whenever you are at that part of the city, with its unique Beaux-Arts/neoclassical style architecture and its peculiar look of having a fourth floor penthouse sticking out. Indeed it has become a Manila landmark since it was…
-
A Walk Around Quiapo
As part of an effort to revitalize Quiapo through the rehabilitation of one of the heritage houses in the area, the Kasa Boix, the Kapitbahayan sa Kalye Bautista recently organized an event called the Lakbay Lakaran, which aims to give visitors a unique experience in exploring what is known as the heart and soul of Manila, the district of Quiapo. The Lakbay Lakaran was a good opportunity to see some of the district’s hidden and overlooked gems and give a new perspective of what it has to offer, beyond the stereotypical imagery that has been adversely attached to it in recent years, like being a place of chaos and disorder. The…
-
Future Hall of Justice? The Uncertain Future of the GSIS Building in Manila
There is a popular saying that goes something like “justice delayed is justice denied.” In a sense, such saying can be applied to this painfully long-drawn-out story that is the quest for Manila to have a Hall of Justice or a separate courthouse building where its scattered courtrooms can be finally under one roof, so to speak. But new developments have come up recently which should be a reason to be a bit hopeful. Finally, the Supreme Court has allocated funds for the Hall of Justice to be finally built as bidding the project is being done at this writing. A site for this structure has already been determined as…