The Urban Roamer

Ozone Disco: Remembering the Tragedy

November 22, 2014 by The Urban Roamer

One of the most shocking and tragic events that shook the metropolis during the 1990s would be the fire that consumed not only the establishment that was the Ozone Disco Club, but also 162 souls as well as injuring 95 others. It was known at the time as the worst recorded number of deaths in a nightclub. While the event no longer holds that record, that event on the night of March 18, 1996 is one whose spectre still haunts the metropolis and its night club scene.

even after 18 years, this photo showing the aftermath of the Ozone Disco fire still gives the chills (photo courtesy of Rappler )

More than 18 years have passed since the events of March 18, 1996, news came out recently that the Sandiganbayan or the country’s anti-graft court found 7 officials of the Quezon City government guilty of graft due to negligence in their duties in ensuring the safety of the establishment that would have prevented the tragedy in the first place.

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.

Mi BellySima at Glorietta

November 17, 2014 by The Urban Roamer

There’s something about Mercato Centrale and its ventures in the Makati CBD area that do not seem to last that long. I dunno but it seems the folks behind Mercato have yet to find that formula for success in this part of the city that it has been enjoying in its homebase at the Bonifacio Global City as well as in its Mezza Norte venture in Quezon City, which is a shame since there were some innovative concepts involved.

Nevertheless, that has not stopped them from trying to capture that elusive Makati area market as it has recently unveiled its new venture there, the BellySima.

A Trip to Boso-Boso

September 21, 2026November 14, 2014 by The Urban Roamer

As part of my work as a Wikimedia Philippines Heritage Mapping Volunteer, I took on the challenge to travel to one place in Rizal that I’ve long been interested in visiting, a place called Boso-Boso in Antipolo. (pronounced as BoSO-BoSO, not on the first syllable which would mean something else that is not pleasant to hear)

One thing about Antipolo is that it has a very complicated layout in the sense that its different areas do not necessarily connect with each other in a straightforward manner. In this case, to get to Boso-Boso, one cannot go there directly from the city proper (where the famous cathedral is located) but from another part of Antipolo called Cogeo. For someone like me who lives in the part of Rizal that is accessible more to the Antipolo city proper, having to go to the area near Q Plaza and Sta. Lucia East is a bit of a hassle and a drain on the transport expenses.