Ayuntamiento

The Ayuntamiento…Finally!

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For those who have long known the Urban Roamer, either in person or through this site, it is no secret that for a long while, it has been a source of pining and frustration to get the opportunity to visit this one particular landmark in the metropolis ever since the completion of its restoration about 3 years ago. Unfortunately, circumstances were in the way of at least a couple of occasions that would have been the opportunity for me to get inside the storied structure. Those and the fact that there seemed to be no clear guidelines in place regarding possible tours inside the structure.

Fortunately, it seems the guidelines have now been set in place and finally, after 3 years, the Urban Roamer has finally managed to go inside and see what is inside this storied structure known as the Ayuntamiento de Manila building.

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The Case of the Ayuntamiento: A Costly “Restoration”?

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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, housing, the usual stuff. As you can see, I am flustered and irritated with such commentaries. So let me devote space here to enlighten the people with the matters at hand.

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Manila1945: Wrecked and Rebuilt

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The Battle of Manila that raged from February 3-March 3, 1945 decimated a lot of structures in the city. With the limited resources available for disposal in those times, not all of them managed to be rebuilt after the war, some of them even took a long while for them to be completed. As we continue the #Manila1945 series here, we will be taking a look at some of these structures that were destroyed and have managed to rise again from the ashes of war, though some of them never looked the same way as before.

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Roamer’s Roundup: of restoration and reclamation

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Today, I bring you yet another edition of the roamer’s roundup on the latest updates and issues on the many thing happening around the metropolis. On a personal note, I have been very busy with things going these past few days, especially with Christmas around the corner. And the traffic unfortunately has been of no … Read more