At the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

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Of all the hotels in the metropolis, only a few can boast of having such a history and prominence as the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in the reclaimed Cultural Center of the Philippines complex near the Manila Bay.

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It was one of the hotels built at the height of the Marcos era to showcase the Philippines to the world in the midst of the events going on at the time. To be specific, the hotel, which was first known as the Philippine Plaza Hotel, was built to house the delegates of the International Monetary Fund/World Bank meeting which was to be held in Manila in 1976. (an event Marcos successfully lobbied for)

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The Battle for Fort Bonifacio

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While the current talk in global affairs is about the conflict of Syria and the possible involvement of the US and whoever of its allies willing to join, Metro Manila is seeing a conflict of its own too as two highly-urbanized cities and a small municipality are engaged in all-out war of sorts for the control of the most disputed territory in the country right now, the almost 730-hectare territory which was once part of a vast military complex known as Fort Bonifacio.

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The battle for the control of this former military base turned into a bustling commercial and business district has been subject of a long ligation that has been going on for 20 years and counting. Lately, the conflict escalated into a war of harsh statements, propaganda, even harassment. While it is sad and disappointing to see what should be a purely legal dispute degenerate into this mess, I suppose from the point of view of the claimants, the prospect of controlling a rising commercial-business hub (with all the income it generates) is something worth fighting for.

This entry will not attempt to analyze as which party Fort Bonifacio belongs to. Rather, this will serve as a humble attempt to collate whatever information is available as to the case of each claimant and how they might administer the territory.

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Protestantism in the metropolis: The Union Church of Manila

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Brought by the Americans when they set foot to colonize the Philippines, Protestantism has grown to make a significant presence in the country’s religious environment that was long dominated by the Roman Catholic Church and, in Mindanao especially, Islam.

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Interestingly, Protestantism was not introduced to the Filipinos in the same manner the Spaniards introduced Catholicism here. In fact, there were no widespread conversion activities. One can point out the democratic ideals introduced by the Americans, emphasizing on religious freedom and all that. But the more understated reason as to wh Protestantism developed differently in the country is because it was geared more at first to the Americans themselves who came here, who needed a venue to practice their faith at a time when there was a Catholic church in almost every corner but not a single Protestant church in sight.

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