The Question of the Army and Navy Club

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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?

courtesy of Coconuts Manila

We cannot blame people from expressing these thoughts and concerns as there was actually not much news about this structure before this development. The news itself came as a surprise which few saw coming. But what is the real status right now of this structure? Is it really in danger? But before we get any further, I suppose it is appropriate for us to learn the story of this particular landmark, especially for us to understand better the circumstances it is facing right now.

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Coconut Week 2014

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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

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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.

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Back Online!

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After being inaccessible for almost one week, the Urban Roamer is now back online! I thank you all for your patience and understanding throughout this period as we, er…I have been working on fixing things with my hosting service. Normal programming will resume in a while. Till then, keep on roaming!