In an era of rapid and somewhat unchecked urbanization, it is always the city’s open green spaces that are endangered the most. The case is no different as to what has been going in Metro Manila in recent history, as open spaces had to give to way to the needs of a city’s alarmingly overflowing population. But thankfully, there are bright spots to this otherwise grim story as efforts are being made to preserve and enrich the remaining green spaces in the city. For this entry, we will be visiting yet another one of those places known as the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center. Despite the name, it is…
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The great Sunday market of the North
Weekend markets have been sprouting all over in the metropolis for the past few years. In the midst of what may look like a crowded affair, there are a proud few that stand out for their longevity (in this case, those existing for more than 5 years) and the loyal patrons who regularly spend their weekends there. One of those proud few is the feature of this entry today: the SIDCOR Sunday Market, known to some as the great weekend market of the north. The SIDCOR Sunday Market also happens to be one of the oldest (if not the oldest) weekend markets regularly held in the Metropolitan Manila area, having…
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MOWELFUND complex: reflecting the state of Philippine Cinema
So much has been said and written about the current state of Philippine cinema, many of these even conflict with one another. While this blog will leave it to the cinephiles to discuss this matter further, a visit to one of the institutions related to this industry can help one gain a better understanding about the state of things in Philippine cinema. Right in one of the more “quieter” parts of Quezon City stands the MOWELFUND complex, the home of MOWELFUND or the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation, an organization founded in 1974 that aims to aid those who work in the motion picture industry. It also aims to help the…
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roaming the neighborhood: Sikatuna, Teachers, and UP Villages
While Quezon City may not have ended up being the nation’s planned capital city as its “father” Manuel L. Quezon hoped it to be, it still managed to grow and develop, thanks in part to the various real estate developers who built village after village almost throughout the city after the war. Some villages in particular were built east of the planned-but-ultimately-scrapped National Government center. One was named Sikatuna Village, after the Boholano chieftain who entered into a blood compact with conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1565 as a sign of friendship that marked the early steps for Spanish colonization. North of Sikatuna is what is known as Teachers…