• City of Manila

    Protestantism in the Metropolis: Central United Methodist Church In Manila

    More often than not, when we talk about Manila’s faith heritage, we talk about the city’s Catholic heritage. That should not be a surprise given that Catholicism is pretty much ingrained in our culture since the Spanish colonial period and that Manila, Intramuros in particular, was the epicenter not only of Catholicism in the country but in Asia as a whole, with its 7 churches located within the city walls. Overlooked in all this is the city’s religious heritage beyond Catholic Manila. Granted they are not as old as the Catholic churches, they have an interesting story to tell as well. One of them is the subject of today’s post,…

  • random writings

    Guest Post: Surviving Soul-Crushing Holy Week Traffic

    by Carlo Miguel Castañeda Note: Yup, the Urban Roamer accepts guest posts now. If you have anything to share about interesting events and places in the metropolis or some tips in urban living that may fit this site’s content, do email me at karl@theurbanroamer.com. Remember that it will be my discretion as to whether I will post your content here and not every submission is guaranteed to be published. Thank you! The forecast is always similar every long holiday: be prepared for traffic along the various expressways that lead out of the metro and into the provinces. This is something you tend to expect, and often prepare for, but that…

  • Pasig

    Pasig Cathedral: The Historic Catholic Bastion of East Metro Manila

    As has been established here in the Urban Roamer, Pasig is one of the few cities in Metro Manila whose old town center is still quite intact as far as the layout and the presence of heritage in the area. As far as heritage is concerned, perhaps the most prominent heritage landmark of the old Pasig town center is its church, officially known as the Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Pasig, but more popularly known as the Pasig Cathedral, the oldest structure in Pasig.

  • Parañaque

    Parañaque Cathedral: The Catholic Bastion of South Metro Manila

    Whenever one talks about the Catholic heritage of Metropolitan Manila, the focus is always on the Catholic Churches of the City of Manila. That should not come as a surprise as the city itself has been the center of activity for centuries while those outside Manila were then just considered as rural outbacks. In that context, while it is nice to see these towns progress to the cities they are now, it is unfortunate that in the process, some of that old town flavor got lost in the midst of urbanization and, sadly mostly unchecked, planning. Nevertheless, some vestiges of heritage remain throughout the metropolis beyond the City of Manila…