Just like that, it has been already 6 years since I first started the Urban Roamer. It’s no exaggeration to say I never expected to see what started out as a simple, inconsequential (as I thought then) venture would go this long and this far. And now that the Urban Roamer is 6 years old and counting, my work on this little “venture” is now the longest job tenure I have ever held in my life. And that says something, I suppose.
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Here Comes the Beep Card and Other Mass Transit News
After some delay and glitches along the way, the much-await tap-and-ride reloadable transport card for the Metro Manila mass transit system, the beep card, was finally unveiled to the public last July 20 on a trial run basis. The beep card is envisioned to be the sole ticketing system to be used for all of Metro Manila’s mass transit lines: Lines 1, 2, and 3 and future lines. It is also envisioned to be a system that other modes of transport like buses could use, not to mention as a mode of payment for stores. Much like how Hong Kong’s Octopus card and Singapore’s ez-link card are used besides train ticketing.…
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The Case of the Ayuntamiento: A Costly “Restoration”?
Recently, the Urban Roamer came across an interesting news item through one of Facebook groups dealing with Philippine heritage news and issues. The news item was actually part of a series of reports broadcasted on CNN Philippines last February that talked about the “restoration” of the old Ayuntamiento de Manila building to become the new home of the Bureau of the Treasury. It would have been an interesting read, had not it been for the maliciously anti-heritage slant put forth by the report of Fiona Nicolas, which put the restoration as “costly” and that the Php 1.188B spent on this project would have been better spent elsewhere like poverty alleviations,…
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Roaming Pateros (Part 2: Alfombras and Ancestral Houses)
With its small land area, it would easy to dismiss outright Pateros and what this town has to offer, save for its well-known duck-raising and balut industry. While Pateros prides itself for such a distinction, it would be disingenuous to say that it is only thing going for this town. In fact, even with its size, Pateros has some surprises in store of its own. In particular, we shall see here that Pateros has a vibrant industry beyond duck-raising, as well as some remnants of a rich heritage that still exist in this part of the metropolis.