• Pateros

    Roaming Pateros (Part 2: Alfombras and Ancestral Houses)

    With its small land area, it would easy to dismiss outright Pateros and what this town has to offer, save for its well-known duck-raising and balut industry. While Pateros prides itself for such a distinction, it would be disingenuous to say that it is only thing going for this town. In fact, even with its size, Pateros has some surprises in store of its own. In particular, we shall see here that Pateros has a vibrant industry beyond duck-raising, as well as some remnants of a rich heritage that still exist in this part of the metropolis.

  • Pateros

    Roaming Pateros (Part 1: A Duck-Raisers Town)

    In the midst of rapidly urbanized Metro Manila, Pateros is one of those places that are considered an “anomaly,” if that is the correct word to put it. For one, Pateros is, at this time of writing, the only remaining municipality in the metropolis.  Then there is its land area, the smallest for a city/town in Metro Manila at 2.25 square kilometers, which itself is a factor as to why any cityhood plans for this town is a challenge. (those vying to become cities should at least have a land area of 100 square kilometers) Perhaps because of these factors, Pateros still exudes a small town charm that has managed…

  • Pateros

    The Heroes of Pateros

    Today, the Philippines is celebrating its Independence Day, a day which Filipinos celebrate freedom as well as the people who have fought for it. On this occasion, this entry today at the Urban Roamer pays tribute to some of these people. The people you will read about today hail from the little town in Metro Manila called Pateros. They are not much known to many, especially outside the town. But their stories are stories deserved to be told today, their struggles and the sacrifices they have made for the sake of the freedom of their town and our country as a whole that we enjoy today.

  • Makati,  Pateros,  Taguig

    The Battle for Fort Bonifacio

    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…