For those who have long known the Urban Roamer, either in person or through this site, it is no secret that for a long while, it has been a source of pining and frustration to get the opportunity to visit this one particular landmark in the metropolis ever since the completion of its restoration about 3 years ago. Unfortunately, circumstances were in the way of at least a couple of occasions that would have been the opportunity for me to get inside the storied structure. Those and the fact that there seemed to be no clear guidelines in place regarding possible tours inside the structure. Fortunately, it seems the guidelines…
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The Case of the Ayuntamiento: A Costly “Restoration”?
Recently, the Urban Roamer came across an interesting news item through one of Facebook groups dealing with Philippine heritage news and issues. The news item was actually part of a series of reports broadcasted on CNN Philippines last February that talked about the “restoration” of the old Ayuntamiento de Manila building to become the new home of the Bureau of the Treasury. It would have been an interesting read, had not it been for the maliciously anti-heritage slant put forth by the report of Fiona Nicolas, which put the restoration as “costly” and that the Php 1.188B spent on this project would have been better spent elsewhere like poverty alleviations,…