BYEWALK

The newly elected Mayor Alfredo Lim recently removed the commercial establishments along the baywalk. A project of former mayor Lito Atienza, I was not a fan of the baywalk development because the structures block the view of the bay and the sunset. I like a clean and sweeping stretch of coconut trees along Roxas Boulevard. I remember exchanging friendster messages in 2004 with a resident in the area, regarding how “baduy” (flashy) the lamp posts are. I disliked it, with the notion that no public consultation was solicited. He told me that there was a consultation, and the existing design is far better from what City Hall originally proposed. He also convinced me that it is probably what the locals wanted. Like the jeepney, it is an eyecandy that easily attract majority of the Filipinos. I remember touring a German friend in the area. While making him try halo-halo” (a local iced goody) from Aristocrat, the place was so festive. There were marching bands playing Filipino songs that made people dance and sing. And then I remember Cuba, how it is described to be a country that lives its own music. The streets of Santiago de Cuba and Havana are filled with dancing and singing as well. I just realized that we were actually doing the same thing already. Although it is in the tune of Otso-otso, Boom tarat tarat and Spaghetti Dance, it is music to them and probably what best represent Pinoys today. I still think that the new father of Manila just wants to ensure that peace and order are maintained in the city. But as an architect and an aspiring urban designer, I know that there are better ways of achieving security while Filipinos still enjoy "fun" filled public spaces.

Catch it if you can.

The National Museum is about to close the exhibit: Building Modernity, A Century of Philippine Architecture and Allied Arts. It showcases how architecture and urbanism in the Philippines evolved in the twentieth century, within the framework of Modernism. The curator Gerard Lico, categorized the buildings into different tropes based on how they were influenced by movements and ideologies.These are Modern as a Civilizing Project, Modern as Vernacular, Modern as Technological Progress, Modern as Statecraft and Modern as Global Enterprise. The pictures, drawings, blueprints and even artifacts displayed, tell us that there is a substantial architectural history in the Philippines. Just a thought.... If we pay little value to our older and ornate buildings, how do we value Manila's modernist architectural heritage?

Located at the fourth floor of the Museum of the Filipino People, I was informed that the exhibit will close on the first week of September. We need more exhibits like this!

What is METROPLEX?

Perplexities in Today's Complez Metropolis

This is my first post. And it has been a long time before I decided to finally say something in the blog world, to the "city-zens" of Manila and to the denizens of the Architecture/ Design Culture all over the world! Ok, that sounded too ambitions. But the blog is all about my musings, my rants and most importantly, my ideas for the city. I shall start where I am currently base... Manila, The capital of the Philippines and home to a multiplying 11 million souls. This is a city often misuderstood and and misinterpreted (e.g. Claire Danes' comments about our hospitable roaches)/ Sometimes, Manila is more recognizable than the nation itself, made familiar with the 7,099 islands, is it? and 2,000 shoes of Imelda MArcos. The country was the "can-opener" of Asia in the mid-twentieth century, but then again in the age of internet and terrorism, that cheesy term is already obsolete. I am still obsessed with the city as I am obsessed with Prison Break (TV series). I continuosly fascinate myself with photos of old buildings and streets scnes that show how kickass the city was. I admit that I am a hopeless romantic for Manila. I still dream how this capital could have grown, had the Americans not bombed, and some misinformed locals deliberately destroyed what is left of the city. Yes, time to move on. A University of the Philippine professor once asked me, why the obsession with the past? Although I remain a fan of Grandma Zaha and her uncle Rem (world leaders and thinkers of Modern Archtecture...so far) I want the past to be preserved! These old buildings shall be th eplatform to juxtapose new ones. Imagine the high-tech monsters of War of the Worls ravaging same high tech cities. You cannot. The movie will not be as gory because the human factor attached to the familiar and nostalgia is not there. Like a director, I will need a set to enhance and sometimes hypothetically "destroy," for the city to spring new ideas to give way to cuter architectural monsters. As a debut, I make Manila, my hometown as subject for this experiment.