Special Feature

The Metro And Pokemon Go

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After weeks of anticipation, it is now officially here. I am of course talking about Pokémon Go, which became officially available in the country on Saturday, August 6, stealing the thunder from the opening of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro that happened at the same day. (sorry, Rio Olympics)  And so far, the response to this game among Filipinos has been, just as it has been elsewhere in the world where Pokémon Go has been officially launched so far (not counting of course those who managed to bypass geographical restrictions so they can play it in their corner of the globe)

But what makes this particular game so popular? There have been many explanations behind this new phenomenon, which I’m sure sound a lot better than what I may offer. After all, the Urban Roamer is by no means a gamer, just an occasional casual one. But as someone who has found himself drawn to the interactive charms of this mobile game, I have found myself to be part of the bandwagon enjoying it for what it’s worth, though not as hardcore as others have been.

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Wishing For Change In Metro Manila

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Today marks a new chapter in our country’s history as a new leadership formally assumes office. The leadership itself is a historic one, with a Mindanawon assuming the presidency for the first time in the person of longtime Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

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The Urban Roamer joins the entire country in celebrating this peaceful transition of power, along with the hope that better things are ahead for the country under the Duterte administration. As far as Metro Manila is concerned, the last six years were quite a disappointment as the metropolis saw a a lack of mass transit infrastructure built, broken trains, worsening traffic, as well as having to bear witness to the incompetence and ineptitude of a (P)Abaya at the Transportation Department and an ang(h)el(l) in charge of Manila’s airport.

With that said, I hope people put in charge by the Duterte administration, namely Arthur Tugade as Secretary for Transportation and Ed Monreal as General Manager of the Manila International Airport Authority, would be able to do better than their incompetent predecessors. Then again, considering how standards fell at a really low level during the previous adminhistration for these agencies, there should be no way to go but up I suppose.

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A Walk Along The EDSA 86 Trail

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With the risk of betraying my age here, I was wee little toddler when the first People Power Revolution of 1986 happened. As such, I have no recollection of what happened during those historic 4 days in February save from what I eventually read in history books, in school, and the stories my mom who … Read more

Manila 1945: Remembering A City’s Bloody Feburary

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Originally posted on February 3, 2015, this post has been rewritten to add some new stuff and make the piece more “timeless” and less constrained from being a 70th anniversary post as it was originally written.

February has been a traditionally known worldwide as the “love month,” as well as being as being historic month for the Philippines, especially in recent years due to the events of 1986 which culminated in what we now know as the first People Power Revolution. But not many people of another historic event that happened years back in 1945, one of the darkest and most devastating chapters in the history of Manila and of the country as a whole: the Battle of Manila in 1945 in which American and Japanese forces fought for about a month in a bloody, devastating battle in a bid to liberate Manila from Japanese control.

(courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

This was the singular event that would change Manila forever as the city once known as the “Pearl of the Orient” became one of the most devastated cities during World War II.  Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost  and many of the city’s important infrastructure and landmarks were heavily damaged, if not totally destroyed, many of which would not be rebuilt ever again.

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