• Las Piñas

    Heroism at Zapote Bridge

    Today is National Heroes Day, and we remember on this day the heroism of those who came before us for the freedom and liberty of our country. So today, the Urban Roamer revisits the city of Las Piñas to pay a visit to a certain place there that has bore witness to such heroism more than a century ago. The place in question is in the barangay of Zapote, at the bridge which connects the Las Piñas with Bacoor in Cavite, where on February 17, 1897 an important battle of the Philippine Revolution took place, now known as the Battle of Zapote Bridge.

  • 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.

  • San Juan

    Pinaglabanan

    August of 1896 was about to end. Shortly after the members of the now-discovered separatist movement the Kataastaasang, Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (popularly known as the KKK or Katipunan) cried out for freedom in Balintawak, (which some say was held in Pugad Lawin) the leader of the movement, Andres Bonifacio began to plot their next move against the Spanish colonial government: an attack on the Spanish gunpowder depot in San Juan del Monte called El Polvorin. Before dawn of August 30, 1896, Bonifacio and about 800 men launched their offensive. Despite being poorly armed against the Spanish troops stationed in El Polverin, the Katipuneros managed to prevail…

  • City of Manila

    Quiapo’s home of heroes: the Bahay Nakpil-Bautista

    On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio, one of the country’s foremost heroes, the founder of the Kataastaasang, Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or Katipunan, the secret organization that lit the fire that was the Philippine Revolution in 1896, the Urban Roamer visits a heritage house that has a connection to this renowned figure. For many people, Quiapo is the epitome of Manila’s urban madness: the “chaos” of people and vehicles on its streets and the commerce that goes by that place each day. That particular madness has brought both good and ill to this bustling district that has long had a rich,…