Over the past few days, there has been so much talk going on about the planned rebuilding of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge which connects the Rockwell-Poblacion area of Makati and the Hulo-Barangka area of Mandaluyong over the Pasig River. More so when the Department of Public Works and Highways closed the bridge and reopened it a day later after it received complaints from motorists and commuters. But why the need for a new bridge, especially one that connects two bustling areas along both sides of the Pasig River? To answer this question, one must look at the history of the bridge and the development of these areas in question.
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Malugay’s Collective Community
Having long been known as the metropolis’ center of commerce and finance, Makati has enjoyed both positive and negative benefits. With regards to the positives, well it’s pretty much common knowledge with the “prestige” Makati has long enjoyed over most of the metropolis. On the other hand, this image has become a problem for the city as well as it has long been regarded as a place only for the businesspeople and the rich, bearing a “snotty” and “high class” vibe that gives an impression of being a “boring” city, bereft of a lively atmosphere that the youth especially can enjoy. In an effort to improve this perception, there have…
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St. John Bosco Church: Makati’s Understated Landmark
Catholics commemorate January 31 as the feast day of the Italian-born saint, St. John (Giovanni) Bosco, or more popularly known as Don Bosco (in which, by the way, the “Don” was more of affectionate title of respect given to priests in Italy). If you are not familiar with the man, you may be familiar through the schools in the metropolis that bear his name, not to mention the programs in him name that are aimed at street children and out of school youth. Those were the product of the work Fr. Bosco initiated and believed in during his lifetime. He espoused the idea of helping street children become better citizens…
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The Messy Saga of the Mile Long-Sunvar Complex
If there is one piece of real estate in the metropolis that can be considered the most controversial of all, at least controversial enough to merit national attention, it would be that stretch of land from Dela Rosa Street up to Arnaiz Avenue (the former Pasay Road) in Makati, known as the Mile Long-Sunvar complex. It is a controversy that had all the elements of a thrilling drama: a lengthy litigation, a struggle between government and a prominent business clan who also happens to own the country’s leading newspaper, and a dogged determination of a president who just hates this family’s guts. But for us to understand the controversy, it…
