If you have been keeping tabs with the news these past few days, there was no way you would not have heard the controversy behind the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Hall Building II. Yes, that building built at PhP 2.4 billion which is said to be overpriced by PhP 1.6 billion. Now the Urban Roamer is not an expert on construction costs, nor does it dabble in political commentary. However, that does not preclude one from talking about the greater story which itself is interesting, the story of the Makati City Hall complex.
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The Question of the Army and Navy Club
In recent days, there was so much buzz about a beloved Manila structure, the Manila Army and Navy Club. Apparently, there has been some activity going on in the area as it looked like there was part of the building that is going to be taken down. For a city that is still reeling from the loss of a number of heritage structures, not to mention the existing ones being endangered, questions and concerns have arisen: what is going on at the Army and Navy Club? Why is there a secrecy it seems? Is it going to be demolished as well? We cannot blame people from expressing these thoughts and concerns…
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Coconut Week 2014
It has often been said that the coconut is the tree of life, because of the many uses of this tree and its fruit in the creation of different products. And being a country abundant in coconut trees, it is something that has become somewhat of a given fact that we tend to take for granted the coconut’s importance at times. Thankfully, we have events like the recently-held National Coco Week to underscore the contributions of the coconut in our daily lives.
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Saving The Old, Building The New Mandarin Oriental Hotel Manila
As was talked about in this piece some time ago, the beloved Mandarin Oriental Manila will be closing down its operations this year. The hotel’s closing was being done in phases for quite some time, but on September 9, after 38 years in operation, the hotel will finally shut down its operations for good, at least in its current location. Come 2020, a new Mandarin Oriental hotel is expected to open its doors again, and it will be located right across its current location at Roxas Triangle, right at the northern tip of Ayala Triangle.