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 in a more environmentally-sustainable thrust. The city center itself is a showcase also of the city’s drive towards green development

Walking along the elevated walkway from the Pasig Cathedral, one gets to see the imposing Pasig City Hall. It’s interesting to note that the city hall we see today was first way back in 1967 as a four-storey structure which went through a total makeover twice, in 1999 and 2005. The latest addition to this structure is the opening in 2011 of a rooftop skypark called the Pasig Panorama Park, the first and only one of its kind to be set up in a city hall rooftop so far.

Nearby the city hall are other civic buildings like the Pasig Sports Complex and the Tanghalang Pasigueño. But one striking landmark located right in center of these structures is another green space, a park aptly called the Pasig Central Park. Opened in 2009, it’s interesting to note that this place used to be a parking area with some structures standing which were cleared during the redevelopment of the complex (part of which involved the aforementioned makeover of the city hall)

On the eastern end of the city hall complex lies this curious structure which used to be a revolving restaurant but now serves as the head office of the city’s market administration.

Speaking of markets, one cannot simply miss the largest landmark in this part of the city, the structure aptly called the Pasig City Mega Market, said to be the biggest public wet market in the country. Formerly known as the Mutya ng Pasig Market, it’s not hard to see why it’s the biggest market out there, which not only serves as a trading center for goods but also a main transit point to other parts of the metropolis with the presence of a large public transport terminal nearby.

It is nice to know to see that there are some cities like Pasig which managed to truly employ sustainable development that everyone can benefit from. In this age of rapid and at time careless development that is affecting many places today, sustainable development is something that is truly needed in order to achieve true progress in which we can all be proud of.

‹ The Urban Roamer