Fort Bonifacio Archives - Page 5 of 6

A Football Stadium In A Business District: Emperador Stadium in McKinley Hill

June 17, 2014June 17, 2014 by The Urban Roamer

The World Cup fever is on and many around the world have caught it. Even here in the Philippines, despite the fact that the country is not one of those qualified to join this global competition, unfortunately.

That does not take away the fact that Philippine football in recent years is enjoying a steady rise in popularity, thanks in part to the performance of the Philippine football team belovedly known as the Azkals. There is also the presence of up-and-coming football league in the country, the United Football League (UFL) which was founded in 2009 to help promote Philippine football.

A resting place for heroes: Libingan Ng Mga Bayani

October 28, 2014October 27, 2013 by The Urban Roamer

It is that time of the year once again to remember all things and frightening. For this year, the Urban Roamer headed down south in that wide and bitterly contested Fort Bonifacio area to visit one of the most prominent burial places in the metropolis and the country as a whole. Yes, today we visit the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani, ibingwhich literally means the burial ground of heroes.

Its origins can be traced back in May 1947, when the Republic Memorial Cemetery was established in what was then known as Fort McKinley to serve as a final resting place that would honor the men and women who have served the country well, particularly the ones who have served during World War II as well as those in the military service. Then in 1954, President Ramon Magsaysay renamed the cemetery to the name we know today as the “Libingan Ng Mga Bayani.” It was further expanded in area and given more prominence in 1967 by President Ferdinand Marcos as it was elevated to become a national shrine for the country’s heroes, whether they served in military or not.

The Battle for Fort Bonifacio

June 11, 2014September 15, 2013 by The Urban Roamer

While the current talk in global affairs is about the conflict of Syria and the possible involvement of the US and whoever of its allies willing to join, Metro Manila is seeing a conflict of its own too as two highly-urbanized cities and a small municipality are engaged in all-out war of sorts for the control of the most disputed territory in the country right now, the almost 730-hectare territory which was once part of a vast military complex known as Fort Bonifacio.

The battle for the control of this former military base turned into a bustling commercial and business district has been subject of a long ligation that has been going on for 20 years and counting. Lately, the conflict escalated into a war of harsh statements, propaganda, even harassment. While it is sad and disappointing to see what should be a purely legal dispute degenerate into this mess, I suppose from the point of view of the claimants, the prospect of controlling a rising commercial-business hub (with all the income it generates) is something worth fighting for.

This entry will not attempt to analyze as which party Fort Bonifacio belongs to. Rather, this will serve as a humble attempt to collate whatever information is available as to the case of each claimant and how they might administer the territory.

the “mind-blowing” Mind Museum

August 3, 2014March 24, 2012 by The Urban Roamer

After that somewhat-disappointing experience at the MOWELFUND Museum, I conditioned myself to lower my expectations a bit for this next roaming adventure, yet another museum in this case which has been dubbed “The Mind Museum”. But hearing a lot of buzz about it, how it was envisioned to be a world-class museum that many will appreciate, not to mention me being fascinated in science and technology, my interest was piqued enough for me to check it out.

First things first, let me give you a brief background about the Mind Museum. This was conceived as a project by the Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc., (BAFI) a foundation established in 1996 by the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation (FBDC) to promote arts, culture, and learning in this rising business district. The members and supporters of this foundation also happen to be among the top guns in the various fields here.