The Urban Roamer

A Palace Made (Mostly) of Coconuts

October 24, 2018January 27, 2012 by The Urban Roamer

Palaces come in different shapes and sizes so to speak. Then there’s the Coconut Palace. And yes, it does it exist in case you haven’t heard of one yet.

The palace first sprang to life as a pet project of then First Lady Imelda Marcos who wanted to showcase homegrown Filipino architecture at its finest. To do the job, she commissioned an architect named Francisco Mañosa to make her dream into a reality. Work began in 1978 and would be finished just in time for the visit to Manila of the then leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II. Originally, the Coconut Palace was offered to be the guesthouse for the aforementioned pope, an offer which he would refuse. Eventually it did become a guesthouse for some visiting dignitaries like the Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, or Hollywood celebrity friends of Imelda like George Hamilton and Brooke Shields.

Rizal Park, Part 7: celebrations and grandstandings at the Quirino Grandstand

August 3, 2014January 21, 2012 by The Urban Roamer

Having been elevated into prominence as Manila’s (as well as the country’s) definitive landmark by the American colonial era, it comes as no surprise that Rizal Park a favored spot for parades, athletic events, and special events like the famed Manila Carnival. These events used to be held at what was known as Wallace Field, located east of the Rizal Monument, approximately where the Binhi sculpture & the Heidelberg Fountain are now located.

Fast-forward to the year 1946. A year had passed since Manila suffered from utmost destruction brought about the by the war, more particularly during the Battle for Manila. As a a nation was trying to get its feet up from war, it was also gearing for eventual independence from the United States as was agreed upon almost 11 years past as part of the Tydings-McDuffie Law. There was one problem: the original intended venue for the ceremony was the Legislative Building, and it was still being reconstructed at the time, not to mention it being too small to hold an anticipated large crowd who would like to witness this historic event.

P1150273 — the carabao and tamaraw monuments mark the original spot of the Independence Grandstand, not the Grandstand that we see today contrary to what some believe. otherwise it would have taken a really long rope to raise the Philippine flag from the grandstand. refer to the video below

Rizal Park, Part 6: of New Luneta and Kilometer 0

January 13, 2012 by The Urban Roamer

Not many people would realize it, but Rizal Park is one of Manila’s best examples of how much the city has changed in the span of just over a century. Originally, and this was up to the end of the Spanish colonial era, Manila’s bayshore was only up to what is now the gutter of … Read more

Rizal Park, Part 5: Luneta’s other sights

August 3, 2014January 7, 2012 by The Urban Roamer

As many Rizal Park patrons now, which would account to a great majority of Metro Manilans at least, the park offers more than the Rizal Monument. Many of which have become popular spots among longtime patrons of the park.

One of those classic park attractions would the Flower Clock, which has been around since at least the 1960’s. It was recently renovated with the help of a private entity, though some have noted the older version of the Flower Clock looked better than the current one.