Baclaran Faith: The Baclaran Redemptorist Church

If you have been in the metropolis for quite a while, one of the most common phrases you will hear is that other word to call Wednesday: Baclaran Day. The day when devout Catholics go to this busy part of Parañaque for their weekly devotions to the Marian icon of the Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

At the center of this devotion is the towering contemporary Romanesque church dedicated to the Mother of Perpetual Help, which by itself has become a well-known and beloved landmark in this part of the metropolis.

Being a Wednesday at the time of this entry’s release, it’s about time that the Urban Roamer checks out this particular place as we learn as well the stories related to it.

Read more

Coworking In The City: 47 East

Our Coworking In The City series is back! And this time, we are going up to the northern part of the metropolis. This coworking space we will be checking out for this entry in the series is a unique one I have to say. Unlike many coworking spaces, (in the metropolis at least) this one is not located within or even near a business district but rather an educational district that is the one in the Loyola Heights-Diliman area in the eastern part of Quezon City. So today, let’s check out 47 East.

Read more

A Home For Philippine Cinema: Cinematheque Centre Manila

The story of Philippine cinema is one of the most interesting, a lot of times tragic, stories out there in the realm of world cinema. Back in the day, Philippine cinema was one of the pioneering film industries in Asia, churning out hundreds of film every year during the 1950s to the early 1960s (the First Golden Age of Philippine Cinema) to a constant output of quality films during the 1970s to early 1980s. (the Second Golden Age of Philippine Cinema) Today, Philippine cinema is struggling to get up on its feet once again in the midst of various problems such as piracy, low output, and thousands of films made in the past that are now lost thanks to a lack of a national film archive.

In the midst of these problems, it is good to know that at least one of these issues has now been addressed: a facility for a national film archive that would help preserve some of the remaining gems of Philippine cinema (some surviving films are in the possession of ABS-CBN’s film archives, FYI) as well as a place that Philippine cinema can call its own: the Cinematheque Centre of the FDCP or Film Development Council of the Philippines.

Read more

Checked Out: Art In The Park 2016

It was that time of the year once again at the Jaime C. Velasquez Park in Salcedo Village, Makati City. From 10 AM to 10 PM last April 3, the park came alive with yet another edition of the annual event, Art in the Park.

In the midst of the summer heat, it was a surprise to see sizable number of visitors checking out the latest art works on display and/or on sale from various artists, art galleries, art institutions, schools, and other arts-related entities who have set up a presence in this year’s event.

Read more