On the occasion of the 444th anniversary of the founding of the City of Manila this June 24, renowned tour guide, activist, and heritage advocate Carlos Celdran launched a free walking tour for all Sundays of the month dubbed “Viva Manila.” This special walking tour aims to get visitors reacquainted with the old city itself and appreciate its charm that is being overlooked these days, in particular with the districts of Malate and Ermita which used to be the haven of the rich and a bustling part of the city, especially before the war. The Urban Roamer was fortunate to join in one of those tours as we walked our way…
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TRO on Torre de Manila (In Time for Rizal’s Birthday)
Today happens to be the birthday of the Philippines’ National Hero, Jose Rizal. It feels so apt to talk about the development that happened a few days ago which seemed to be intentionally done as a birthday gift of sorts to Rizal. I’m talking about the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court against our favorite developer DMCI to stop the construction activity going on at the “national photobomber,” the 46-storey Terror, este Torre de Manila.
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The Met and the Long Road to Rebirth
It has been a long while since I written something about the Metropolitan Theater, about five years to be exact since the last update. Time does fly so quickly and so many things have happened since then. Unfortunately, the same thing cannot be said for the Met as it remained in a dormant state throughout this time, with the earlier promise of what was supposed to be a start of a reviving this storied structure was stalled for some reason. However, the Met figured in the news recently as its ownership passed hands from its previous owner, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to the new owner, none other than the National Commission…
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Remembering the “CASAA”
Whenever we think of the vast campus of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, a flurry of images and landmarks would come to mind, with the Oblation of course being number one on the list. But for generations of students and visitors in the campus, one beloved landmark that is close to heart would be the little canteen behind Benton Hall and Lagmay Hall (formerly Palma Hall Annex) known as the CASAA Food Center. Thus, it was heartbreaking to hear that last June 13, the place was gutted by a huge fire which also injured 2 people. The event provoked an outcry of sadness and emotion among the UP community…