City of Manila Archives - Page 2 of 23

Manila’s “Arsenic” Mayor

August 10, 2014December 30, 2013 by The Urban Roamer

Last December 26 was actually the 101st birth anniversary of one of the most colorful figures in postwar years of the City of Manila, and the Philippines as a whole. His name is Arsenio H. Lacson.

Born in Talisay in the province of Negros Occidental, he was once actually a boxer, lawyer, World War II guerilla, dabbled as a journalist and broadcaster, elected as congressman of Manila’s 2nd district, then eventually becoming mayor of the City of Manila from 1951 to 1962. He was actually the first elected mayor of the city, as before that, Manila mayors were actually appointed by the President of the Philippines.

The Metropolis and its Capital Dreams: Part I

July 17, 2014July 21, 2013 by The Urban Roamer

Recently, there has been a proposal put forth by Philippine Senator Antonio Trillanes to move the capital of the Philippines to a new location, away from the congested, urban planning-challenged, traffic-infested, flood and earthquake-prone Metropolitan Manila. While this Urban Roamer has his doubts as to whether this proposal will push through, (as with many examples, but I digress) it must be noted that this latest proposal is just part of a long and tangled history we have with regards to planning a national capital. Thus, let this entry tell you the saga of a national capital, a story filled with hopes and plans that have been unrealized and gone awry.

The Grand Dame by the Bay (Part 2)

August 3, 2014July 14, 2012 by The Urban Roamer

With the many changes the Manila Hotel underwent through over the years, there is still this old world charm that it has managed to somehow retain today. This is evident the moment you step in its doors and be greeted by its iconic grand lobby.

From the lobby to the room, every inch of the hotel manages to still retain an old world charm that reminds you of what Manila was in the past.

Manila Hotel (album 1)

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As far as hotel dining is concerned, the Manila Hotel has managed to make its mark thankss to its Ilang-Ilang Restaurant which offers a rich buffet of dining choices from different parts of the world.

Given its long history, there are countless stories that have been told in this hotel, from the illustrious guests that made their way through the grand lobby, or even at the hotel bar, where legend tells that sometime in 1946, an American businessman Roy Farrell and a group of journalists brainstormed for a name for his new airline. It was decided then and there that its name would be…Cathay Pacific.

The Grand Dame by the Bay (Part 1)

August 3, 2014July 7, 2012 by The Urban Roamer

Each city has at least one icon of a hotel that has inextricably become part of that city’s history and heritage. And if there is one hotel in Manila that deserves that iconic tag, there is little doubt (if not none) that such honor will be granted to the so-called “Grand Dame by the Bay”: the Manila Hotel.

Perhaps no stronger case can be cited with the intertwined histories of the city and its hotel than a glance at the hotel’s history, a part of what was supposed to be a grander masterplan by American architect Daniel Burnham for Manila in 1905 as a “City Beautiful.” The land where Manila Hotel stands today is actually reclaimed land, along with what is now known today as the South Harbor, Luneta “extension,” and nearby areas along a stretch of a coastal boulevard we know today as Roxas Boulevard. Burnham saw the importance of the Manila Bay to the city. Thus, he conceptualized the reclamation and the construction of the boulevard, and important structures that would highlight Manila’s connection to its bay; Manila Hotel would serve as centerpiece for that connection.