• Beyond Manila,  Bulacan

    Side Trips: A food trip to San Miguel, Bulacan

    Sometimes, the Urban Roamer finds himself in places outside the metropolis. More so since for the past five years or so, this roamer has been living outside the metropolis itself.  Consider this something long overdue. As one of the 24 towns and cities that comprise the province of Bulacan north of Metro Manila, San Miguel is one of the towns that don’t get much of the spotlight. Save perhaps for one part of this town, the village of Biak na Bato where the truce between the Spanish forces and the Filipino revolutionaries under Emilio Aguinaldo was signed. But other than that, not many people know what else does this northern…

  • Marikina

    Loyola Memorial Park Marikina: The Prominent Final Resting Place in the East

    As has been the “tradition” for the past 8 years or so, it is that time of year once more for the Urban Roamer to visit one of those places in the metropolis dedicated to the “dearly departed.” This year’s trip found this Roamer on the metropolis’ eastern end to visit perhaps the most prominent burial place in this part of the metropolis, the Loyola Memorial Park Marikina. Inaugurated in 1965, the Loyola Memorial Park became known as one of the pioneers in introducing the concept of a “memorial park”, along with it the Western and contemporary practice of lawn burials. It can be said that it was the east’s…

  • Roamer's Roundup

    Election 2019: The Battlelines Have Been Drawn

    This past week, the political scene was buzzing with more noise than usual. Which means just one thing: the election season is approaching. To be specific, it is the beginning of the 2019 election season as prospective candidates trooped to the Commission on Elections made their intentions known to run for various elected offices from senator to councilor. As a site that chronicles on the sights, sounds, and stories of Metro Manila, the Urban Roamer shall focus on some of the interesting races in Metro Manila to observe in the 2019 election season. Interesting in the sense that some of these races may turn out to be dirty and ugly,…

  • Taguig

    The Arts and Culture Hub at BGC

    With so many skyscrapers currently standing and soon to be standing at the Bonifacio Global City commercial and business district, it is to forget that BGC has quite a few surprises to offer. One of them: an arts and culture hub in the middle of this busy district. While this hub is not as massive as venues like the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the BGC Arts Center fills the need for a place in this part of the concrete urban jungle where the humanities can thrive and be appreciated by a people who need some respite from the madness of urban living.