Last time I wrote about the area once known as the second site of the Rizal Provincial Capitol, it was all fenced out as the Ortigas & Company (the owners of the property that was originally donated to the Rizal Provincial Government but was reverted to them by the deed of donation) was laying the groundwork for future development in the area. Here we are almost two years later, and we are now seeing that development christened as the Capitol Commons taking shape. At this time of writing, there are still significant portions of the complex that have not yet been completed like the mall and the residential buildings. But…
-
-
Some quick love in the city: Pasig’s “motel row”
True to the “mission” of The Urban Roamer’s Journal, this blog strives to document whatever sight the metropolis has to offer. That means documenting even those places that can be considered “offensive” to one’s moral and religious feelings and risk being jailed. Then again, my “offensive” post from two years back about the “motel row” in Santa Mesa earned the distinction to be the second most read entry in the blog. Due to the popularity and the clamor, the Urban Roamer is “pressed” to write this year’s edition for my “Some quick love in the city.” It’s the Valentine season once more, and for this occasion, this roamer finds himself…
-
the modern Pasig City Center
So much has changed in Pasig in recent years, especially since it attained cityhood in 1995. The Pasig City Center itself should give the visitor a glimpse of those changes that affected the cityscape’s nature. Of course not everything has been a smooth ride to development, so to speak. The onslaught of the typhoon Ondoy in 2009 which submerged significant parts of the city in high floods was no simple bump on the road but something which drastically changed the course of Pasig’s development. Despite the damage Ondoy has done, one positive aspect of this calamity was that it provided an opportunity for the city to realign its development program…
-
The historic Pasig town center, Part 2
What made Pasig thrive in the olden days was the bustling commerce especially along the riverbanks. Apart from the presence of the Pasig and Marikina rivers, a number of tributaries also contributed to Pasig’s growth. One of those tributaries would be the river flowing across the town center, the one locals call the “Bitukang Manok” or “chicken’s intestines” due to the river’s wormlike shape. It was also known as the Pariancillo River, and in its heyday, the river served not only as a center for trade but also an important transport route as it served to link the town to Antipolo. Bitukang Manok would more importantly play a role in…