As has been the “tradition” for the past 8 years or so, it is that time of year once more for the Urban Roamer to visit one of those places in the metropolis dedicated to the “dearly departed.” This year’s trip found this Roamer on the metropolis’ eastern end to visit perhaps the most prominent burial place in this part of the metropolis, the Loyola Memorial Park Marikina. Inaugurated in 1965, the Loyola Memorial Park became known as one of the pioneers in introducing the concept of a “memorial park”, along with it the Western and contemporary practice of lawn burials. It can be said that it was the east’s…
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Election 2019: The Battlelines Have Been Drawn
This past week, the political scene was buzzing with more noise than usual. Which means just one thing: the election season is approaching. To be specific, it is the beginning of the 2019 election season as prospective candidates trooped to the Commission on Elections made their intentions known to run for various elected offices from senator to councilor. As a site that chronicles on the sights, sounds, and stories of Metro Manila, the Urban Roamer shall focus on some of the interesting races in Metro Manila to observe in the 2019 election season. Interesting in the sense that some of these races may turn out to be dirty and ugly,…
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The Arts and Culture Hub at BGC
With so many skyscrapers currently standing and soon to be standing at the Bonifacio Global City commercial and business district, it is to forget that BGC has quite a few surprises to offer. One of them: an arts and culture hub in the middle of this busy district. While this hub is not as massive as venues like the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the BGC Arts Center fills the need for a place in this part of the concrete urban jungle where the humanities can thrive and be appreciated by a people who need some respite from the madness of urban living.
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A closer look at the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge
Over the past few days, there has been so much talk going on about the planned rebuilding of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge which connects the Rockwell-Poblacion area of Makati and the Hulo-Barangka area of Mandaluyong over the Pasig River. More so when the Department of Public Works and Highways closed the bridge and reopened it a day later after it received complaints from motorists and commuters. But why the need for a new bridge, especially one that connects two bustling areas along both sides of the Pasig River? To answer this question, one must look at the history of the bridge and the development of these areas in question.
