It’s that time of the year again! The Urban Roamer has once again made its way at the Manila International Book Fair. Would you believe this is already the 37th edition of this event? As can be expected of such events, the venue (which again is the SMX Convention Center) is packed with a lot of visitors coming in to check out the titles being sold and the new titles being introduced. Unlike last year, there were no trends to watch out for in this year’s MIBF. At least that’s from this roamer’s perspective. Still there were many interesting things to see in the recent MIBF that still makes it…
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The Henry and The Conrad: Exploring Two Pasay Hotels
Pasay City today is one place in the metropolis which has a conflicted identity brought about by the many changes that came upon this part of the metropolis over the last 70 years or so. There is the Old Pasay, at least remains of the old genteel neighborhood where some of the Manila’s elite families lived, especially before the war and in the early postwar years. Then there is the Modern Pasay of today, suffering in urban squalor, decay, and congestion brought about by the emergence of the urban poor populace who lived in the city as the elites moved out to escape the creeping urbanization. And of course, there…
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Bright Lights Dimming: The Nearing Demise(?) of Broadway Centrum
Given the state of how the Philippine television industry works, we do not really have much venues that broadcast TV programs which are located outside the studio complex of the broadcaster. Then again, such venues like New York City’s Ed Sullivan Theater where US late night program The Late Show (of both David Letterman and Stephen Colbert) are a rarity themselves. There is, however, one notable example broadcast venue located beyond the studio complex, of GMA Network in this case. Today, this urban roaming takes us to that Quezon City landmark known as Broadway Centrum. Knowing its geography and history gives one the impression that its name connotes more than…
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From Opening Flair To Uncertain Future: The Saga of Folk Arts Theater
It is interesting to write about the Folk Arts Theater at this time in the midst of the preparations for the country’s 3rd stint to host the Miss Universe pageant that will happen on January 2017. That is because the Folk Arts Theater itself came into being because of the Miss Universe pageant, when the Philippines hosted it for the first time in 1974. Reportedly, then First Lady Imelda Marcos pushed hard for the country to host the pageant, especially after the country’s Miss Universe candidate, Margarita Moran, won the title in 1973, becoming the second Filipina Miss Universe after Gloria Diaz. With the hosting secured, Mrs. Marcos had the idea of holding…
