http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/p7f3addf35857bbc434dc455a37c320be/f8942f10.jpg

tagal tagal na rin akong di nakapagpost. kaya isang pic muna na matagal na matagal nang nakunan at ngayon lang naipost. :weirdo:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/p74d23c2ff67998bba0be5cf4947d05f9/f89d837c.jpg

bawi sa tagal ng di pagpopost ng pic. isang retrato ng main building ng uste sa pagbukas nito ng sch yr 2002-03. luma na talaga ang pic. la akong camera ngayon e. :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/pfb0bc9b4f5034bfe450e053509007b85/f8a4a466.jpg

taken nung last quarter of 2003. si ongpin sikat yan e. nagbarong ata. un ata ung nagawa niya. ung ibang ginawa di ko lam. :bash: :weirdo:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid119/p754e03bd1cf0c747ca191ab4b440ce3b/f873d4a7.jpg

marami sa kanila ang di ko kilala. sana mas maganda ung textbook ko sa kasaysayan noong highschool ako. or sana mas pinag igihan ko noon. :bash: :jk: :weirdo: :cheers:

As usual, great pics wierdo! Nice to have you as our "manila representative" :lol:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/pfb0bc9b4f5034bfe450e053509007b85/f8a4a466.jpg

taken nung last quarter of 2003. si ongpin sikat yan e. nagbarong ata. un ata ung nagawa niya. ung ibang ginawa di ko lam. :bash: :weirdo:

haven't seen this one before.

i think weirdo still does take pics, even without a proper digicam:D

that was taken using an instamatic canon cam. the negative was scannd and the pics were saved to cd. :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/p74d23c2ff67998bba0be5cf4947d05f9/f89d837c.jpg

bawi sa tagal ng di pagpopost ng pic. isang retrato ng main building ng uste sa pagbukas nito ng sch yr 2002-03. luma na talaga ang pic. la akong camera ngayon e. :)


Looks European!....Nice one. :cheers:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid117/p74d23c2ff67998bba0be5cf4947d05f9/f89d837c.jpg


the exterior is too grey for me.....it would look nice if it had that yellow honeycombe colour....

i think the building is originally that color. if you're gonna color it with something, it's gonna look bad. i wouldn't change looks of buildings dating back hundreds of years.

it becomes gold sometimes.

i like this one better...
:)


University of Sto Tomas
http://www1.odn.ne.jp/aah03550/dominico/manila.jpg

well yeah, that does look much better. but is that really gold? the photo looks overexposed

yeah, the picture is overexposed. The trees arent green.

it becomes gold sometimes.

when does it? i'd like to see it during those times.

but it's current color blends in with the modern concrete buildings of UST:D

wassup with the proposed multi level parking building to be built in UST? any news?

have to have the right sun. and the right equips.

on that pic even the leaves are brown. so not that way. also at night. looks spectacular. it's on thomasian's avatar. maybe he's got a few nightpics of the main building.

btw, my favourite ust building is the library. the one near a gate at dapitan.

Actually I do have nightpics of the ust Main building but I lost all of them when my computer got a virus.

I still have to wait until Christmas to get another night pic of the main building because it only lights like that (my avatar) during December.

@Francis

UST Multi Deck Parking is already under construction, they're now on the second level. I'll try to take pictures of it.
It's supposed to be three stories and there will be commercial spaces on ground level. The design is also intended to blend with the university's architecture.
I don't know who the developer is but I heard it will be built at no cost to the university using a Build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme.

Wala na akong mai-post na ibang ust pic eh, eto na lang.
Architecture/CFAD Building on the left and the Galleria Suites @ P. Noval Condo on the right.

http://www.geocities.com/a_ofngol/ust_archi.txt

and how about the gymnasium? when i was there, there was plans to make it bigger. right now it does look quite small...

astig. andaming trees. wala masyadong trees sa amin. hehe.

Renell
I don't know anything about that plan to expand the gymnasium, but I really do hope it is expanded and airconditioned. It's quite small and it gets really hot there when it's full of people.

Weirdo
That's what I like about ust, parang isang malaking park yung campus.

thomasian
thanks for sharing the new BEATO angelico building.....looks alright. the funku building behind looks cool! =)

yeah.. that's one of the things I loved in UST... we can breath fresher air... and we have lots of parks within the university...:D

anyways, currently, how tall is Beato Angelico now? when I was still in UST and is an officer in our organization, I attended the Leadership Training for the Organization leaders in Caleruega, Batangas in 2000... the Treasurer, i forgot the name, told us of their projects in the university... and he said they planned the Beato Angelico to continue construction from then 2 storeys to 10 storeys... but now Beato is done, it seemed smaller... hmmm....

Yeah, Beato was supposed to be 10 stories because its foundation is for a 10 storey building.
Right now it's seven stories, I don't know what happened but maybe they can still continue construction to 10 stories.

That's what I like about ust, parang isang malaking park yung campus.

oo nga po, parang park. relaxing :cheers: (kaso hindi ata mahigpit security sa inyo pag weekends? ala lan, sa Mapua sobrang higpit kc). :)

maluwag po ang security sa grounds pero not sa buildings... UST is an open university... the parish of Sampaloc is within the campus... so the residents of the neighboring communities may enjoy the parks... plus the UST Hospital is open to the community also....

just a question what's to be built in the lot beside the NBI.....it was demolished lately

I hope the fountains at Rizal Park... (across it) can be turned on... I see them on rarely... It makes the city propsperous with fountains...

the lot doesnt belong to the nbi but to the UN World Health Organization Western Pacific Headquarters, maybe theyre just putting up an extension building, i think..

I've also seen the construction work being done on the WHO lawn. They didn't demolish anything, they seem to be putting up a new building on their lawn.

Panorama from trekearth.com
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/93manilapano1bw.jpg

that's still Manila's city limits right? it looks picturesque, but it would look better with more skyscrapers

Just like the Makati thread, part one was over 500 posts. Lets continue all discussion on Manila over here. Maybe someone could posts those aerials once again?:D

Link to the original "Manila, My Manila: Tradition and Modernity" thread:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=96172

this satellite picture is cool
http://kuroshio.eorc.jaxa.jp/ADEOS/WorldNow/images/manila.gif

Manila photos from a website. all credit to the photographer
http://www.seyyahamca.com/eski_seyyahamca/seyyah/ulkeler/filipinler/manila/Manila-4.JPG
http://www.seyyahamca.com/eski_seyyahamca/seyyah/ulkeler/filipinler/manila/Manila-6.JPG
http://www.seyyahamca.com/eski_seyyahamca/seyyah/ulkeler/filipinler/manila/Manila-2.JPG
Plaza Miranda
http://www.seyyahamca.com/eski_seyyahamca/seyyah/ulkeler/filipinler/manila/Market.JPG

Rizal Park's "back"
http://www.seyyahamca.com/eski_seyyahamca/seyyah/ulkeler/filipinler/manila/manila%20limani.JPG
http://www.seyyahamca.com/eski_seyyahamca/seyyah/ulkeler/filipinler/manila/Kilise-5.JPG
http://www.seyyahamca.com/eski_seyyahamca/seyyah/ulkeler/filipinler/manila/Intramuros-2.JPG

i've posted these ones before, but i think it was a long time ago

those pix of Binondo and Pasig River are not a good sight to see... it has shown the dirtiness of Pasig River....

tsk, tsk. It really sad and shameful.

i think those are pictures are quite old...

i think the fotos facing the pasig river were taken from fort santiago coz i could see some parts of the 'walls', & yah, ithink theyre quite old na, coz alot of improvements are being done lately in santa cruz area/binondo area, specially on decorating the bridges, putiing more pocket gardens & clearing the sidewalks, but i stil get mad on some thieves, mostly from tondo, who deliberately steal the light bulbs & other urban furnitures the city govt has put on the bridges & plazas, nakakainis na cla, dapat sa kanila i-firing squad, we keep on ensuring everythin is in order, & yet theyre the ones who put our country into such a bad name!!! thats only here! :-<

the pasig river in those pictures is not that bad. It used to be more polluted...

anyways, nice pics overall:) the satellite pic hardly shows Manila. it mostly shows Navotas and Bulacan

that's true, it does. what does the red stand for? i'd forgotten.

but i stil get mad on some thieves, mostly from tondo, who deliberately steal the light bulbs & other urban furnitures the city govt has put on the bridges & plazas, nakakainis na cla, dapat sa kanila i-firing squad, we keep on ensuring everythin is in order, & yet theyre the ones who put our country into such a bad name!!! thats only here! :-<
firing squad? wag! sayang pa ang bala. :lol: dapat sa kanila, lunurin na lan cla sa ilog pasig. :jk:

@ renell - it represents greenary...:)

Malacanan photos from April 2004! haven't bothered to flip some pics because i was rushing to upload them:D
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid140/p98cee2e510a665a4046cbe29192aacc2/f6f2a53e.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid140/p6e70965f4f8538f6c4095a1233571945/f6f2a54e.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid140/pce17f542839461baaad2276397deb340/f6f2a564.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid140/pe315b13473db67bf59e0ff4ff72584e7/f6f2a556.jpg

damn it what's my sister doing there? :bash:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid140/pd4d833fe0d7f91a2a61e31c104c485be/f6f2a538.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid140/p3658797dbb854bb7fa78921639dbb192/f6f2a55e.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid140/p0e953bb3c05f780dde07998b0fa6c30a/f6f2a56a.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid140/pf278e9f1c51c67e5857692557748a6b4/f6f2a546.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid140/pcf0447580a7b95cee70f7b158c3b09d5/f6f2a552.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid140/pb963a2eea5345042797dc3eaa523175f/f6f2a56f.jpg

Nice pictures...i've never personally seen the Malacanan. And these are very rare pics.

"damn it what's my sister doing there? :bash: " :lol: thats one of the funniest lines i've seen for a while:lol:

Were those taken during a Palace tour or did you know people on the inside?

During the Aquino administration, the whole Palace was turned into a museum of the Marcoses' excesses. But the Palace's carnival atmosphere was eschewed for a more official role once FVR came into office. I don't know if they still even do tours.

Tons of Manila pix here from French photographer. This is my favorite cause it captures the rhythm of the place...
http://www.lenet3000.com/cumps/photos_persos/CODE82/Img_0799.jpg

very interesting, that colored overpass. :)

@mike, my aunt knew someone inside, so we had a tour. but she had a tour weeks before because she was a gov't employee

Nice picture of EDSA...almost all MRT 3 trains have advertising nowadays...

The colored overpass is a MMDA project. There are lots of them around now.

those MRT3 tracks needs to be painted. the concrete is just fugly man!

yeah those overpass looks alright, atleast simple but i wish they put a roof on it!

Hmm. Maybe that belongs to the Ortigas or the Mandaluyong thread. That looks like it's taken right outside of ShangriLa Plaza and EDSA Central.

well I think the reason why they didn't put any roof to the MMDA footbridges is to discourage sidewalk vendors from living and engage in commerce on the footbridges....

I think ok lang yung concrete slabs ng MRT... imagine if they paint it tapos it wears off.... mas pangit...

they should at least clean it. and repaint those railings... sobrang nangingitim na eh...

but it does give MM a grim face, with its dullness. but LRT2 has the same thing with the tracks.. fair enough.

im actually ok with the style/structure of the tracks... the only thing needed is maintenance. mrt3 is in a very sad state. it's already an eye-sore, not even mentioning those multicolored walkways MMDA built. :bash:

yeah those overpass looks alright, atleast simple but i wish they put a roof on it!
the mmda chairman did intentionally leave the overpass without a roof precisely as pau said to discourage people from squatting in it.

it's the same reason as with the bench of the mmda....they made it in such a way that the post are so closely attached so that it discourage people from sleeping or squatting on it.

personally, i think mmda is doing a good job. the only politician that has a genuine political will in executing things is chairman fernando.

BF shows that some people need an iron hand to be moved and to start working. how does those benches work? the details you said are vague

the MRT concrete doesnt really need to be painted, just cleaned as amras mentioned earlier. Some parts are painted though...like near greenhills.

BF is doing very well. He his really making a difference to MM. All the other politicians should also work like him, and not keep talking.

I think they just don't like them because he makes them look bad and takes away their limelight.

traditional Philippine politics, eh? :bash:

I think they just don't like them because he makes them look bad and takes away their limelight.

He's very untradional. that fortunately, that's what the government needs, a change. is he gonna me MMDA chief for 6 more years?

BF shows that some people need an iron hand to be moved and to start working. how does those benches work? the details you said are vague
the waiting shed have benches made out of only two parallel pipe shaft....so it would be hard for people to lie on them....in addition he divided this bench with post of about half meter wide so that it would be impossible for anyone to lie his whole back on it.....this makes the MMDA waiting benches function only as it name implies---waiting bench :)

ok no....same with the urinals....he designed it that way so no one would be using it other than as a urinal

He's very untradional. that fortunately, that's what the government needs, a change. is he gonna me MMDA chief for 6 more years?
precisely....sincere sya sa ginagawa nya....remember he was asked to be a senatorial candidate but he declined cause he wants to be on the executive part of public service not legislative....

hindi katulad ng iba diyan...their merely making our congress and senate as political stepping stone

the waiting shed have benches made out of only two parallel pipe shaft....so it would be hard for people to lie on them....in addition he divided this bench with post of about half meter wide so that it would be impossible for anyone to lie his whole back on it.....this makes the MMDA waiting benches function only as it name implies---waiting bench :)

ok no....same with the urinals....he designed it that way so no one would be using it other than as a urinal

oh... you're talking about the benches for the pink jeepney sheds, right? yeah, I think I get what you're saying... didn't notice that, but good idea... he actually thinks and plans...

they shoulds just paint the railways grey... like on the Megatren along Aurora Blvd just outside SM Centerpoint, most of the vertical posts are painted grey. so they still look like cement, but much cleaner... I guess they didn't bother with the cement tracks running parallel to the ground since I think those are pre-fab and turn out generally nice already... they should plant shrubs on EDSA too. it's too drab there with no color. they could go along the railings of fly-overs and on the edges of the center islands (or the at-grade MRT walls) and double as a fence to prevent jaywalking...

En Filipinas no hablan español???

En Filipinas no hablan español???

Hola, Juan! :hi:

Apesadumbrado, pocos personas ahora hablan español aquí. Entendemos muchas palabras sin embargo.

Estoy utilizando Google (http://translate.google.com/translate_t) para traducir esto. :D

Nos placeríamos para que usted nos ensamble en inglés. Apenas introdúzcase aquí.

ah ok i've seen those benches in europe. it's very effective indeed

¡Hola, Juan!

Me Llamo Kirby
Sé hablar español del pedacito pero puesto que el venir del español de los americanos se descolora lentamente lejos en las Filipinas.
Pero hay un dialecto llamado Chavacano que sea mucho similar al español.

wow, se nota que no hablan mucho en español (apenas puedo entender lo que escriben)

bueno, yo soy peruano (america del sur) lima. perú

haaay, I can't relate... wild guess...Juan1912 lives in South America? in Peru?
Anyway, nice idea @absent-minded. :)

we were the only spanish colony in the far east, & d only one who never learned to speak such language. however, most words in our vernacular resembled it. so we can still understand it, word by word but we find it difficult to speak the language.

good thing ron & culiat can speak it fluently. :happy:

we were the only spanish colony in the far east, & d only one who never learned to speak such language. however, most words in our vernacular resembled it. so we can still understand it, word by word but we find it difficult to speak the language.

good thing ron & culiat can speak it fluently. :happy:

No, I can't speak Español either, but can understand many words as most of us Filipinos do.

I wanted to welcome Juan into the group, and if he could write in English, I asked him if he could introduce himself in our new forumers thread.

From what I understand, he is indeed from Lima, Peru, but he hasn't said anything about his English skills yet.

I just used Google's translation tools (http://translate.google.com/http://translate.google.com/translate_t) to communicate, hehe. :D I just hope he understands what Google spewed out... hihihi

yah, i also tried those 'free translation services' pero mali-mali naman ung lumalabas, kasi pina check ko minsan ung isa sa french prof namin, mali talaga....hehe...

¡Bienvenida a los foros Filipinos Juan! Como Ron dijó ya, sólo pocos filipinos hablan español, pero aquí en los foros hay algunos que pueden. Si está más interesado sobre esto, hay un hilo bajo el sub-foro "Samahan" sobre el asunto de español en Filipinas. Conozco algún a Peruanos y a guatemaltecos del trabajo y los enseño. Aparte de la diferencia en lengua, es asombroso cómo somos similares.

oh... you're talking about the benches for the pink jeepney sheds, right? yeah, I think I get what you're saying... didn't notice that, but good idea... he actually thinks and plans...

they shoulds just paint the railways grey... like on the Megatren along Aurora Blvd just outside SM Centerpoint, most of the vertical posts are painted grey. so they still look like cement, but much cleaner... I guess they didn't bother with the cement tracks running parallel to the ground since I think those are pre-fab and turn out generally nice already... they should plant shrubs on EDSA too. it's too drab there with no color. they could go along the railings of fly-overs and on the edges of the center islands (or the at-grade MRT walls) and double as a fence to prevent jaywalking...
fernando is actually an engineer by profession so he really knows what he's doing......

i think they already started to plant vines at mrt post

vines on mrt posts? that would be cool! hope they can also put more plants along edsa, to disperse the pollution and create a lighter environment. kc whenever I'm travelling along edsa, ang bigat-bigat ng pakiramdam ko...

¡Bienvenida a los foros Filipinos Juan! Como Ron dijó ya, sólo pocos filipinos hablan español, pero aquí en los foros hay algunos que pueden. Si está más interesado sobre esto, hay un hilo bajo el sub-foro "Samahan" sobre el asunto de español en Filipinas. Conozco algún a Peruanos y a guatemaltecos del trabajo y los enseño. Aparte de la diferencia en lengua, es asombroso cómo somos similares.

Amigo Juan,

Nuestro pais era una colonia de España por mas de tres siglos y el español era nuestro idioma nacional cuando ganamos nuestra independencia. Pero cuando perdimos la guerra contra los estados unidos, el proceso de la propagacion del idioma español estaba cortada. Por mi parte, yo queria conservarlo porque mis bisabuelos eran hispanohablantes.

vines on mrt posts? that would be cool! hope they can also put more plants along edsa, to disperse the pollution and create a lighter environment. kc whenever I'm travelling along edsa, ang bigat-bigat ng pakiramdam ko...
he sort of put a grid wire mesh around each post...particularly in the northern part of edsa. i saw some vines already sprawling just yesterday

and with regards back to the elevated walkway...you would notice that MM is designed on the side rails of this pedestrian walkway at congressional ave crossing....a marked contrast from traditional politicians who inscribed their name instead of their localities on sidewalks and lamp post...eg. SB-Belmonte in QC, mayniLA-Atienza in Manila, E-Eusebio in Pasig, B-Binay in makati

wala lang....just admiring BF sincerity in serving unlike other politicians

well, i don't speak english very well so i just wrote in spanish
thanks for the wellcome!!!
and i invite you to visit the latin forum :drunk:

wala lang....just admiring BF sincerity in serving unlike other politicians

welcome to the club! BF is doing really well. I also like the way he separates the bus into different lanes depending on the route, it is more organized and less difficult for commuters.

well, judging from the improvements that happened to Marikina when he was the Mayor back then, I think he can "help" transform the whole MM into a bette place. the only problem are the local leaders in each municipilaties or cities who place personal interests/publicity (pagpapapogi sa constituents) first before thinking about the benefits of the actions that MMDA is proposing.

of course, there are still some limitations to what MMDA or BF, for that matter, can do. Kaya minsan nagkakamali din sila sa mga decisions nila (like choosing the right color :bash: ).

we were the only spanish colony in the far east, & d only one who never learned to speak such language. however, most words in our vernacular resembled it. so we can still understand it, word by word but we find it difficult to speak the language.

good thing ron & culiat can speak it fluently. :happy:

I am not fluent in speaking spanish but I am currently studying it.

of course, there are still some limitations to what MMDA or BF, for that matter, can do. Kaya minsan nagkakamali din sila sa mga decisions nila (like choosing the right color :bash: ).
:lol: at least color lang (lang?) madaling palitan. :D

dammit...i forgot most of my spanish!!:D i struggling to understand:lol:

But anyways...i agree with everything you guys said about BF. more power to him:)

well, i don't speak english very well so i just wrote in spanish
thanks for the wellcome!!!
and i invite you to visit the latin forum :drunk:

Don't worry, Juan, we understand any type of English, even broken ones. Chatter on!

Some pictures from the Hyatt Manila website
http://manila.hyatt.com/images/image.jpg
http://manila.casino.hyatt.com/images/image.jpg

yeah... saw them on Hyatt's website too. they seem to be pretty recent, since the new boardwalk is in there. what's that tower to the right of the new Hyatt in that first picture? I've passed by it a couple of times running through Roxas Blvd. and it looks so nice! gleaming in gold... so classy!! could be one of the nicest scrapers in Metro Manila. is it still u/c?

those pics look pretty old, i've seen them before.

pretty pics. :) btw, tower gleaming in gold? whow! but I don't like gold color for buildings/structures. I prefer blue. :)

Baka you're talking about 1322 Golden Empire Tower?

yeah, yeah...!! hahaha.. i didn't know the name...

i like 1322. unlike that Ortigas skyscraper with too much gold, this one has just the right amounts;)

yup, the right amount of gold and the height.
This is our tallest residential, right?

any info? floors, height

1322 Roxas Boulevard? i think it is our tallest residential, at 203m and 57 floors.

and this is also the second tallest tower in the Philippines right?

no, i think that's GT International Tower

PBcom- 259m
GT- 217m
Petron- 210m
1322- 203m

RCBC Tower 1 is probably taller than 1322 Golden, but we have no exact height.

At least we now have 200+ meter residential.

how about Summit One in Mandaluyong? is it a residential. according to SSP diagrams it's 200m.

The Shang Grand Tower could also be a 200m residential.

1322 i think also has the most floors in any Metro Manila skyscraper

Summit One was originally planned to be a residential named Palladium Summit before the construction was put on hold, then when they resumed construction, the project was built as an office tower and the name was changed to Summit One.

It could have been better if it was a residential since it has good views of Wack-wack golf course.

here are some Manila pics i havent uploaded till now. from april 04
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/p7d694eb67254d63595f5e25fcbe40d1d/f6d30e2e.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/pb9a028b87015b14f8e672e7dff8535ab/f6d30e3b.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/p6dcb5141f29e1c628ceee409a741fe18/f6d30e5b.jpg
what's Embassy Pointe's status right now?
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/p3831b17e5dade7a292b4038dc995b22b/f6d30e60.jpg

name of this one? Sunview?
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/pc6e0ad2c1e5fdb5defba9c382f6b4cf5/f6d30e6f.jpg

I love the area with the fountain... very open yung view.... it's like a latin american plaza or something :D

are you talking about my photo? Plaza Raja Sulayman you mean? :?

yup.. the photo. there are only a few places in the metro with such beautiful fountains... like Post office building, etc... I hope they put more. :)

Luneta Hotel in the first pic is nice. I hope it can still be restored.

i like embassy pointe, it's not the typical box, it has a lot of setbacks

and the setbacks are angled, really nice to see all those angles in embassy pointe - its unique.

i agree with you thomasian! it was designed by a very modern architect - nadel, los angeles

is it? do you have any more info about it? we lack info about that building:) thanks


http://www.asahiphil.com/images/Projects/header.jpg

photo of 1322 still u/c

@Renell: This is a qualified answer to your query about the status of Embassy Pointe right now. Just by looking at this photo, I'm guessing this is the high-rise across 1322? What I saw there yesterday was something called The Pearl of the Orient Tower. I guess this means they changed the name.

The photo does not show the ground level and lobby (which I would have remembered pretty well) that's why my answer is qualified. I'll go back to double check. And, yeah, it's now operational.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid141/p3831b17e5dade7a292b4038dc995b22b/f6d30e60.jpg

Well i was just asking if it is operational or not. Most of the older SSC forumers know it as Pearl of the Orient Tower/Embassy Pointe.

thanks for the answer. it qualifies in pole position;)

nice pics, anyways:D

NICE shots indeed. seems like it was taken against the sunlight. i always get bad results everytime i shoot against the light. an afternoon or twilight shot might be awesome.

Yes, those towers on Roxas look so cosmopolitan--very much in the spirit of Manila. To be honest, everyone, they make us FilAms overseas feel so proud that our skyline has the technological and aesthetic levels comparable to other great cities. Pero, talagang nostalgic din ako, so I think we need to restore and rehabilitate the prewar Luneta Hotel that thomasian likes as much as I do. Sabi nila parehong-pareho sa earlier design drawn by Jose Rizal for a proposed school doon sa Dapitan mga 1890s. Anybody have more details to back that up?

havent heard of that one yet. :? so im much more clueless as you are:D

as for the modern skyscrapers, I'd like to see more myself. Though I don't think there would be anymore residential skyscrapers because the boulevard is already full of them. 1322 and Pearl of the Orient tower alone consist of 100 floors of residential apartments! and that doesn't include Sunview and Antel Grand (grey tall building near Land Bank)

http://news.inq7.net/lifestyle/index.php?index=1&story_id=14480


Breathless in Binondo
Updated 11:06pm (Mla time) Oct 10, 2004
By Bea Zobel Jr.
Inquirer News Service





BEAUTY truly lies in the eyes of the beholder. When I think of Binondo, I think of decaying buildings and cold contemporary office blocks.

I wouldn't have seen the beauty of Binondo if it weren't for the fact that I was toured by a friend who loves the district. What treasures it has that are waiting for anyone who will take the time to look carefully!

Being close to the ports, Binondo has always been an important commercial district. Many of the city's most fashionable shops were found here.

Nineteenth-century travel writers mentioned its wide streets busy with commerce as well as the elegant establishments and mansions of the wealthy. To quote Augusto Villalon:

"It thrived during the Spanish colonial years... when it traded in... silks, Persian rugs, ivory, ilang-ilang essence, spices and other Oriental treasures..."

Today, Binondo is known as Manila's Chinatown.

We began our rounds at the foot of Jones Bridge, where Escolta street begins. Before it was replaced by Makati, Escolta was Manila's shopping emporium. First stop was Capitol Theatre. Its Art Deco ornamentation is marvelous. There is a relief carving of two women in ternos each holding a symbol of the theater. The facade also features a geometric grill. The whole theater is an example of traditional Filipino imagery meeting the modern.

Next we visited the museum at the Calvo Building, now being run by the Teoticos who are the descendants of the original owners. This is a little jewel of a museum. It features old newspapers and advertisements, bottles and photographs.

There was an 1899 newspaper showing that even then, Rizal was already regarded a hero and martyr. There was a bottle of Quesada paste, which a friend of mine thinks is a product of that Filipino chemist and inventor, Eugenio Quesada, who also wrote a book about his hometown, Paete.

Many of the other bottles had such quaint labels. How wonderful to see that a family can set aside valuable office space to lovingly preserve these images from our past!

Breathtaking buildings

At the far end of Escolta is one of the most beautiful streetscapes in the city with two breathtaking pre-World War II buildings facing each other: the Regina Building and the Perez-Samanillo. The former has a neo-Classical air akin to the government buildings in New Delhi. The latter is a masterpiece of Philippine Art Deco architecture. It was designed by Juan Luna's son, Andres Luna de San Pedro. One can detect in this splendid edifice touches of Angkor and even Meso-American motifs.

Coming out of Escolta, we reached the plaza dominated by Santa Cruz Church. On one side rose the pretty Monte de Piedad building. This had Art Nouveau touches mixed in with sculptures of eagles and human figures.

Crossing the plaza, we entered Ongpin Street. Walking on this road you would really feel you are no longer in the Philippines. The shop signs are in Chinese. Chinese music blares from radios. The fruit stalls sell exotic ware like persimmons and dragonfruits. You can even buy fresh sugarcane juice off a sidewalk pushcart. Pharmacies sell Chinese medicine made from things like roots and dried pods.

As a friend of mine points out, with Chinese medicine you can still see the natural sources of the prescriptions, unlike their Western counterparts. As such you never lose the sense that you are being healed by the wonder of nature itself.

Ongpin wares

Ongpin is where everyone goes to stock up on mahjong sets, incense, champoy and other things Chinese.

Popular stops on any shopping expedition include the many groceries where there is an abundance of teas, preserved fruits, dried beef, noodles.

You can also buy little nutcrackers for watermelon seeds! Now no one will ask how they crack the melon seeds in moon cakes!

In one street corner you will come upon a roadside shrine containing a cross with silver ornamentation. Passersby were praying before the cross and burning sticks of incense. This was truly an example of the merging of Christianity with other faiths.

Weaving in and out of traffic were the districts' many calesas. What impressed me were the lovely silver decorations reminiscent of the ones of the cross.

Of course, one must not forget to buy hopia. The hopia shops have now expanded the range of their ware. They sell soya milk, packed lunches, and even tikoy in a variety of flavors like strawberry and pandan.

In one store there is a recorded message which greets you when you enter and taunts you if you don't buy anything! (I am joking, ok?)

My favorite shop would have to be the chocolate store. Through the years, La Resurrecion has been selling its chocolate in tablea form for making the delicious drinks. There are two kinds: sweetened and unsweetened.

Proprietor Johnny To explains that he is a fourth-generation chocolatero. He proudly explains he gets his cacao all the way from Davao. He even points to a newspaper clipping that extols the virtues of his product.

Apparently a little of the lovely brown substance every day is good for you. Well, I will have to look into that!

He allowed me to explore his shop. There were buckets of the fabled gooey stuff. These ended up in little tablets set out on huge bilaos. Heavenly!

Chocolate haven

Nearby is another store, La Simpatica, which is run by Lily Ong. La Simpatica sells beaded slippers still made in the Philippines. They have a good selection.

A friend of mine bought some shiny plain slippers, which were a hit the next evening at a reception in Makati!

At the other end of Ongpin is Binondo Church. This is home to the lovely image of Nuestra Senora de Pronto Socorro, thought to be the oldest painting in the Philippines.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to see the image as the parish priest (who was out in a meeting) had left strict orders that no one could view the painting without his approval.

His staff tried their best to seek permission from senior parishioners, but no one wanted to make a decision in the absence of the priest.

How sad that we had to forego visiting such a lovely devotional object and treasure of our heritage. Perhaps the next time the priest is out he may consider assigning a deputy.

We paused briefly for a dimsum lunch. Then we were off on our final leg: meandering through the streets of San Nicolas. This district probably has the biggest collection of 19th-century houses that still exist in
Manila.

The houses were truly beautiful. I saw lovely windows as well as doorways and panels carved with stars, flowers, interlocking circles.

Sadly many homes were being torn down even as we walked by. Fortunately we found a corner which still had the original street sign formed by letter tiles.

After a long hot journey, we finally found what was easily the highlight of the day: a truly incredible house now mostly in ruins. It commanded most of a whole block. Rarely have I seen anything as beautiful.

It was three stories of fantastic carving. There were exquisite lunettes, brackets, columns, alcoves, rondelles. It was magnificent and oh so painful to look at, given its awful condition.

I went home that day with mixed feelings. I was happy to see so many wonderful things. But I must say that it was all so painfully beautiful for the fact that one is so aware everything is under threat.

I suppose one can only find consolation in trying to hold on to a positive attitude. One must never lose sight of what must be saved for future generations in the midst of all that destruction.

©2004 www.inq7.net all rights reserved

hi guys! im new here lang. and i wanna share some of my pictures with you! :D

question is, how do i post pictures here? thanks

welcome. Pictures are not downloading in this website. But you can refer to it from another site.

Post a new reply and just click on insert image.

post naman kayo bago jan!

O eto, bagong pic kahit na marami nang na post na sunset ng Manila Bay.

Taken from the Luneta Boardwalk last Nov.1

http://www.geocities.com/csbrocks_hunter/mb.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/csbrocks_hunter/mb_sunset.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/csbrocks_hunter/mb_sunset2.jpg

ang ganda naman. romantic... (nyay! romantic?!?). :colgate:

wow!!!! what a stunning sunset...!! nice shots!! galing...! hahaha...!

indeed its a beautiful sunset with nice vibrant colors.

A gem of a condominium on Roxas Boulevard
By Tanya T. Lara
The Philippine STAR 11/06/2004

The building has inarguably the best views of Manila Bay. It sits right in front of the American Embassy, one of the few stretches on Roxas Boulevard that haven’t been reclaimed to death. It has unimpeded views of Manila Bay’s waters, fringed by the green lawns of the embassy complex.

Given the way things work, naturally on the afternoon that we visited its model units, there was a sudden downpour of rain, which caught everybody by surprise and running for the lobby. The rains were followed by a fog, making us see absolutely nothing of the famous views because of the thickness that was blanketing the horizon. It looked like the windowpanes on the upper levels of the building had been sandblasted for that frosted look.

Robert Ynson, president of Pearl of the Orient, the company that built the eponymous condominium building, sighed and said, "Hopefully the fog will lift."

Thankfully, it did lift a little before our staff photographer had to dash off.

The company that developed the condominium is made up of shareholders that have business of their own. Some of them, such as Willy Ng who owns Astoria Plaza, are involved in real estate development; all of them are members of the Filipino-Chinese Federation.

Pearl of the Orient the condominium was formerly named Embassy Pointe Tower. It was changed between the time they started construction five years ago and the time they turned over units to owners just this year and Ynson was candid enough to tell us the reason: Perception.

"In the beginning, we thought that Embassy Pointe Tower would be a good name, but then we realized that a lot of people were shying away from embassies because of the bombings abroad, particularly of American embassies. We thought the name might scare them to come and live here."

On the other hand, he added that if there’s a neighborhood that employs heavy security measures at all times, it would be around the American Embassy.

"Contrary to perception, its being located near the embassy is actually a plus factor."

Well, except for the traffic when there’s a rally. Or another Lova-palooza on Baywalk.

But Ynson is right. You can’t accidentally leave a package near the embassy without Manila’s Finest filling up the boulevard, even if the package you left just happened to contain your lunch.

Back to the views. If the pictures in this spread look familiar, it’s because the building is being used by the drama Forever in my Heart starring Regine Velasquez and Richard Gomez. Let’s not discuss the fantastic storyline here, but we did get a peek at both Regine’s and Richard’s apartments on the drama series, which were decorated nicely. Ynson said producers simply walked into the new building and asked if they could rent some units for shooting.

It must have been the design of the building that caught their eye, especially with its striking colors and large helipad atop the roof, which I mistook for a revolving restaurant.

Pearl of the Orient was designed by the California-based firm Nadel Architects and G&W Architects of Manila. It’s a 42-story mixed-use complex with six floors reserved for office use and the rest for residential use.

G&W principal and architect Willie Yu is particularly proud of how these two functions are split right down to the lobby, providing privacy and security for both kinds of tenants.

"There are two lobbies to speak of," he said. "The left is for homeowners and the right is for office people. We have two sets of elevators for the two types of tenants."

Upon entering the lobby, guests are greeted by a fountain with a giant ball spewing water – one of the many elements that feng shui consultants from Hong Kong and Singapore suggested. Yu explained that they decided to have the building feng shui-ed at every stage of construction because it gave the future homeowners peace of mind, especially since the clientele is mostly made up of Filipino-Chinese. Nobody wants to live in a place flowing with bad chi even if it has killer views, right?

Yu said the building was designed using the latest technology in ensuring it against earthquake, fire, soil erosion and simply the fact of its being located in Manila "where the soil is softer than, say, Quezon City."

Inside, it employs an "intelligent building management system." The lobby is equipped with CCTVs to announce guests, there are overhead and underground water storage and supply systems, emergency power generator and all the modern facilities employed by best new buildings.

Another consideration was efficient and secure parking, a rarity in Manila’s older buildings, which expect guests to park on the narrow sidewalks. Pearl of the Orient has 10 floors of parking — four basement levels and from the second to the seventh floors — for tenants and their guests.

On the 13th floor is the City Club, which includes swimming pools, game rooms, function rooms, a gym, health spa, business center, and a fine-dining restaurant that has yet to be contracted out.

The building has a total of 350 units, from studios to three-bedroom units, with the largest ones ranging from 150 to 170 square meters. Ynson said the price per square meter is P70,000 for the prime units fronting Roxas Boulevard (which adds up to around P11 million for a three-bedroom unit).

He added that they wanted to cater to the middle-high market since both extremes of the condo market were saturated. On one end, you have the super luxury condos that cost from P30 to P50 million and on the other end, you have the P2 to P5 million condos that don’t have the best quality of finishing the middle-high market requires.

"Our tenants are a mix of expats and locals. Some bought their units as investment, to be rented out. Others bought their units to use themselves or to give to their children who have married and are starting a family of their own," Ynson said.

The question is why would you want to live in a condo when for the same amount of money you could buy a much larger house in…Laguna?

Ynson said that condominiums cater to a particular market. "It’s for couples who frequently travel or foreigners who come to live here. They don’t have to maintain a guard to watch over their homes. They can come and go without worrying about the security of the building. Needless to say, it’s very convenient in terms of security and accessibility. They can come and go as they please without having to worry about these things."

Convenience is a commodity in this urban sprawl – a luxury even – making our days longer from hours and hours of commuting from our homes to our workplaces. With a location like Roxas Boulevard you cut down considerably on those hours.

Yu argued that Roxas Boulevard is the center of the metropolis. "It’s right in the heart of Manila, near Quezon City and Makati, the airports, shopping malls, restaurants, government offices."

All right, Manila is trying to regain its former glory and bring back the very well-heeled residents. Have we mentioned the National Museum, the CCP and other cultural venues? Or the lollipop lights that dot the boulevard at night? Or the still-bohemian lifestyle of Malate? Or Luneta Park to take your Japanese tourists for some picture-taking? Or Quiapo to buy cheap handicrafts? Or Divisoria for even cheaper houseware?

And, of course, there’s that sunset that everybody’s still talking about.

* * *
Pearl of the Orient is located on Roxas Boulevard corner Arquiza St. For inquiries, call 484-0902, send fax to 0901.

great article rmn. cheers :happy:

wow ambilis! thanks for posting. ang ganda ng color ng sky sa 1st pic. parang ice cream.

nice article... hehehe... my heart is beating fast while reading it... or is it because of the coffee that I'm drinking? hehehe..

anyway, I also like the first pic.. kasi medyo purple (hehehe, my favorite color).. hehehe

hi this is my first post. below are my photos of maynila taken last year.

Malate Church
http://www.pbase.com/singkit/image/26603770.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/singkit/image/26603771.jpg

Taken from my room in Westin
http://www.pbase.com/singkit/image/26603772.jpg

Luneta
http://www.pbase.com/singkit/image/26603774.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/singkit/image/26603775.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/singkit/image/26603773.jpg

nice shots great job :okay: the ermm.. effect (i forgot the effect's name) adds more flavour in it

sepia effect?

yeah that's what it's called

wow... nice shots..!

Awesome pics!! Now that is photography:D Your pics are very familiar, i think i've seen them around the net before. Allow me to post your Makati picture in the Makati thread;)

:eek2: OMG! Great photos! The sepia treatment gives it an otherworldly feel. :applause:

I've been attending a course at the NCCA's office in Intramuros this week and I've been walking around the area during our breaks. Nakakapanghinayang talaga yung mga vacant lots and squatter colonies! It's really infuriating how the Intramuros Administration doesn't seem to be doing anything to encourage more developments in the area. There should be more incentives to real estate and commercial developers to construct buildings. There are lots that are large enough to build medium-to-upscale residential units. Not residential towers of course, but maybe townhouse complexes. Or another low density mixed-retail-and services complex like the Blue Wave. If marketed properly, I'm sure there will be a lot of Filipinos who'll be interested. It's in an accessible location, close to commercial and business centers, and with a lot of prestige. Diba indios and chinese couldn't live and do business in Intramuros before? It'll be such a great marketing ploy to highlight this and capitalize on the snob appeal of the address. If I had the finances, I'd pour them into a project like this.

Goodness, those pictures are incredible. It reflects the people and its atmosphere very well. I like the curch shots and the one with the two kids.

great photos! do you have a website of your photos?

great job, jha! wonderful photos. hmmm... maybe i should try that sepia effect some time LOL! :D

Thanks for all your comments. I have posted 2 more photos in the tourist destination thread. will try to post some more if my time permits.

you have anymore Rizal Park sepia pics? I'd love to see more :) cheers

amazing shots...! very impressive...! i love your style...! galing...!!!

You guys prolly forgot to post pictures of Paco Park.

Its a small, quiet park located near Padre Faura. It used to be a cemetery during the Spanish Occupation.

nice pics. familiar ung name. siguro sikat kayo na fotographer.

manila plans to extend the pedestration project from cm recto to abd santos....what do you think of this?

Pedestrian project?... would this be that project that made the Avenida section from Recto to Carriedo and Escolta into a park?.... hmmm... I guess where do they want cars to pass through?...

The pedestrianization from Recto to Carriedo have caused massive traffic in that area.
I don't think this one will work because it will again cause more traffic if it pushes thru.

well the main concept is to eliminate the cars...for people to just wallk

Hey I proposed that pedestrianization extension to councilor Cita Astals last year when I interviewed her! May epekto kaya yung suggestion ko? :)

But I do think that up to Abad Santos is a bit too much. Maybe just up to Doroteo Jose for the meantime.

I don't think it'll cause any more traffic because the vehicles coming from the north already turn before Doroteo Jose anyway. Hardly any vehicles pass by the stretch from Recto to Doroteo Jose anymore. And the pedestrianization will tie in nicely with the terminal complex between LRT2 and LRT1.

waht's your relation with the councilor...are you into governemnt?

stretching all the way upto abad santos is really impossible!! by this time baka tuluyan na cya (city govt) sampalan ng tro (for violating a law prohibiting the lgu's meddling on natl roads), kasi sa phil laws bawal talaga yan...pwede pa cguro kung upto D. Jose lang for the sake of spurring buss & eco devt in the area...

the manila city govt is very bad on doing its job on managing manila's traffic (exempted kasi ang city of manila from mmda's jurisdiction on traffic mgmt), because the roads in the downtown are very narrow, & badly maintained, double parking is always an occurence, & people are not walking on the sidewalks but on the road itself, very bad!!

also remember that it was atienza who purposely derailed the approval of lrt 4

I have no idea where Abad Santos is, but I agree with JudeD that it would be nice for it to be extended till Doroteo Jose. would indeed be a great compliment to the newly established MRT-2 and LRT-1 link...

also remember that it was atienza who purposely derailed the approval of lrt 4

its because he wanted it fully underground while others did not.

well how can you make it fully underground when it's route pass through perrineal flood prone areas like españa

well how can you make it fully underground when it's route pass through perrineal flood prone areas like españa

exactly, that's a point against the building of LRT4 yet. Espana needs to be taken care of. and i think Atienza wants it underground there.....

well how can you make it fully underground when it's route pass through perrineal flood prone areas like españa

It can be done...Bangkok was able to build a subway through swampy areas and areas prone to flooding. Besides, Espana can be revitalized to prevent flooding.

Engineers, when given the cash, can do wonders.:)

yes that is true, unfortunately we can't be able to spend the extra buck (metamorphically speaking :D)

exactly, that's a point against the building of LRT4 yet. Espana needs to be taken care of. and i think Atienza wants it underground there.....
how is it that an area being prone to flooding be a point against building a light rail....i don't get your point....on the contrary i see the opposite

imagine many days for classes at UST get canceled because of the flooding....if a elevated lrt gets build there, there would be a way to access the area instead of riding a car or taking a jeep.....di ba?

the Espana stretch of LRT4 is supposed to be underground. and if i'm not mistaken, Atienza wants it underground. but like i said, Espana floods whenever it gets a chance.

that's why it's hard to make it underground

I've been to the Manila City Hall area recently and it's being really spruced up! The sidewalks have been tiled and new lights are being installed. The park in front of the City Hall, behind the sculpture of the Katipuneros, is also being refurbished with tiles and lights. I guess Atienza is spreading the goodwill from his winning the elections.

I also passed by the flower market in Sampaloc and the development there is also very impressive, there's a covered promenade for the flower vendors with streetlights in the shape of flowers. Developments like these make one proud to live in Manila and eager to pay taxes.

yeah, iv also seen the latest developments happenin around the area, & there was even a silly neon jeepney sign at the waiting area, i think its a good idea to open up the area so people can take a larger view of the city hall. its a good idea too if they fix the sidewalks on the opposite lane bording the intramuros golf course & put some colorful lamp posts there.

Link to the original "Manila, My Manila: Tradition and Modernity" thread:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=96172

/sob

an old picture from this forum that I found...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/pee6bdf6a0876f358ce95c7e1c779dd76/fc92723c.jpg
Manila Bay sunset

http://www.stefan-bauer.online.de/gallery/Pictures~Philippines/scaled/media/Manila002.jpg?cc=1048446378000

http://www.stefan-bauer.online.de/gallery/Pictures~Philippines/scaled/media/Manilabay01.jpg?cc=1048446380000

http://www.stefan-bauer.online.de/gallery/Pictures~Philippines/scaled/media/Rizal02.jpg?cc=1048446380000
Rizal Park fountain

/heh i took that bay pic. :cheers:

/heh i took that bay pic. :cheers:

great job, weirdo! wonderfully taken they are. :)
i like the first one.

thanks. kya lang ang kinuha ko ung sa unang pinost ni thunderflip. di ung series. :( hehe.

sa manila bay pics ko eto pinakapaborito ko (na napost ko na rin sa manila thread 1):
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid101/pd51e6ac331e217717e6c4d081d828d3f/f9d5ac6d.jpg

sana di na lang kasi naglilipatlipat ng threads. batas e. sad.

hidalgo street, quiapo

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid130/p7a3f3a8a36955b6d79bc84cfdc9ff80b/f7bb675b.jpg

ayan image na di pa napopost sa manila thread #1. taken june 2004. sorry washd out ung baba. instamatic lang po! :runaway: post pa ako iba pag sinipag.

kung posted man before, posted siguro sa original (pinakaunang) the metro manila thread! hehe.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid119/p8fa5802279a87ce966d2ec00f2cf2844/f873d00d.jpg

lahat ng manila images na naipost ko na sa manila my manila threads ay matatagpuan sa imagestation gallery ko. title: manila my manila username:battlesmith. so ayun. :cheers: salamat po!

may mini park na dinadaanan ng maraming commuters. ganda rito. may times nga lang na talagang polluted.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid119/p3587aa4d5d5787ca9ae4ded35dfe4d22/f873d67e.jpg :bash:

/heh i took that bay pic. :cheers:

Yeah. I accidentally found them in my mailbox. I thought they were something special that's why I wanted them posted there. ;)

may mini park na dinadaanan ng maraming commuters. ganda rito. may times nga lang na talagang polluted.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid119/p3587aa4d5d5787ca9ae4ded35dfe4d22/f873d67e.jpg :bash:

i don't understand why they paint tress like that. do they think it looks better that way? i think otherwise. :sleepy:

ewan ko. ganun siguro trip nila. ;)

Diba ginagawa yun dun sa mga puno sa tabi ng kalye para kapag gabi madali pa ring makita at hindi mabubunggo ng mga sasakyan? Or baka pang-prevent din ng pagdami ng insekto.

well the first one sounds smart. i think that's the reason. pero wala ka namang makikitang speeding cars sa gitna ng isang parke.

Hindi ba nalalason ang mga puno sa pintura na ginagamit? Kaya ba parang mapayat silang lahat sa likod ng City Hall?

Diba ginagawa yun dun sa mga puno sa tabi ng kalye para kapag gabi madali pa ring makita at hindi mabubunggo ng mga sasakyan? Or baka pang-prevent din ng pagdami ng insekto.

hmm... makes sense pag ganun nga. pero gaya ng sabi ni renell, sa park siguro hindi na kelangan yun.

siguro pininturahan nila yung mga trees sa park na yun para match don sa white strips sa ground ha ha! :D

WPD headquarters up for facelift
By Tarra Quismundo | Inquirer News Service | Dec 13, 2004

THE HEADQUARTERS of the Western Police District (WPD) is next on the list of places eyed for rehabilitation by Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.

"The building is actually a display of a breakdown of discipline. The parking inside is so disorderly that it has become susceptible to machinations of criminal elements," said Atienza, an advocate of devolving police control to mayors.

Atienza initiated the rehabilitation project which the mayor believes will help the Manila police do its job better.

Last week, construction crews began working on the frontage of the headquarters, preparing it for the laying of tiles and landscaping planned to be done in the tradition of City Hall's other urban development projects.

"The WPD headquarters is a historical building. It would be a waste if it would be left cluttered, in chaotic conditions, with obstructed sidewalks," Atienza told the Inquirer.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sounds good. Atienza really deserves some credit for the vast efforts he's made to improve the cityscape of Manila and promote urban renewal amongst the people. he goes well beyond the beautification projects to even promoting nationalism and love-for-country. his call on citizens to put up Philippine flags is exactly what is needed and should be pushed throughout the country. I just noticed how flags are so rarely seen in the Philippines compared to countries like Thailand, or Singapore or Canada...

And he's great at marketing too, both of himself and his city. He really knows how to get the media to pay attention to the progress he's been making. Kaya kahit maliit lang condo namin sa Maynila hinding hindi ako lilipat! :)

The WPD is an interesting looking building, para siyang fort.

Is WPD the building on UN Avenue? I can't remember where it is.

Anyway, do people think that Lito Atienza is a great Manila mayor? If so, would people be willing to put him up there with Arsenio Lacson?

I don't know and have never been to the WPD building. doesn't sound too good from that article... haha...!

I have no idea what Arsenio Lacson was able to do for Manila, but the pure intentions Atienza has been projecting (hopefully they are really honest and good motives), the efforts he's made, and by today's standards of public servants in Philippine government, I would not hestiate to name him one of the few really good leaders out there.

Some pics I took last Thursday. Sorry for the grainy pics, I don't have money to buy batteries for my digicam so I just used my ever trusty PDA to take pictures.

http://www.geocities.com/csbrocks_hunter/1322.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/csbrocks_hunter/1322_2.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/csbrocks_hunter/manila_cathedral.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/csbrocks_hunter/manila_cathedral_2.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/csbrocks_hunter/manila_cathedral_3.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/aaron_charles_ofngol/intramuros_2.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/aaron_charles_ofngol/intramuros_4.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/aaron_charles_ofngol/intramuros_6.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/aaron_charles_ofngol/world_trade_exchange.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/a_ofngol/intramuros.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/a_ofngol/intramuros_3.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/a_ofngol/intramuros_5.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/a_ofngol/intramuros_7.jpg

I suggest investing on rechargable batteries. :) Works well for us, especially if you have numerous cameras and other battery needing devices

Anyways great shots, even if it is from a PDA. I wonder what keeps those battered and dilapidated facades in Intramuros from standing. I haven't been able to tour around the whole thing, but I know some of them are really classic, but unused and almost in ruins, like the old Ateneo building. But some of them, like the 3rd last one, I don't know if that has any historical value at all.

:eek2: Awesome photos! That's one sight of MM you don't usually see. Thanks for sharing! :eek2:

But some of them, like the 3rd last one, I don't know if that has any historical value at all.

3rd to the last picture? If I am not mistaken thats the "Ayuntamiento". During the Spanish Occupation, it was the place where taxes are paid, etc. Parang City Hall ata.

I have a story about that pero im not sure if its true.

Some years back, the Spanish Government gave our governemnt some money to renovate the building (I think that is where the Spanish Embassy is relocating, plus the Instituto Cervantes). Pero our government did nothing (i dont know if they spent the donated money for other things).

When Queen Sophia of Spain said she's gonna visit our country to do some diplomatic stuff (and check the progress nung renovation ng Ayuntamiento), nagmadali yung government natin to fix up the place kahit konti. They painted up the fence (yung fence surrounding it to signify na may consturction that's undergoing) and they parang chiped off the old paint ng building. Thats it.

Nakakahiya no? Up to now, wala pa rin silang ginagawa.

It's true, they gave 80 million pesos worth to be specific. The Philippine Government was supposed to contribute a certain amount also. Siyempre, walang nangyari. And just a clarification, it wasn't the Ayuntamiento they started construction on, but the Intendencia, that's the building they started painting and erected fencing around. The National Archives were supposed to be transferred there. Manapat, the gov't official they put in charge of the project, is the same guy who has recently come under investigation for faking the documents questioning FPJ's citizenship. The director of the Instituto Cervantes was a consultant on the project and he's very disappointed at how it all turned out.

By the way, Mayor Lacson was the guy who had the Quiapo and Lawton underpasses constructed, a first in Asia.

CM Recto to undergo facelift

Updated 04:22am (Mla time) Dec 19, 2004
By Tarra Quismundo
Inquirer News Service

THERE is no slowing down for the Manila City government's beautification projects.

Early next year, City Hall will again be busy attending to another redevelopment project, this time along busy Claro M. Recto Avenue, which spans the city's Sampaloc and Sta. Cruz districts.

"Because the LRT (Light Rail Transit) 2, is already functional and Recto is the underbelly of the railway. We do not want a repeat of the effects of the LRT 1 on Avenida (Rizal Avenue)," said Mayor Lito Atienza, explaining the new undertaking

During the pedestrianization of Rizal Avenue in December 2003, Atienza explained that the construction of the LRT over Taft Avenue from Baclaran through Rizal Avenue to Monumento in Caloocan contributed to the decay of the national road.
=========================================================

Now I haven't been there often. And if I did, I probably wouldn't have known I was in CM Recto. How does it look like now? And has anyone one of you guys in the city seen any billboards showing of this plan?

^^Good news!

Nice pics...even if it is from your pda. I agree with renell, its worth buying rechargable batteries for your digicam.

Good views of pinoy architecture:okay:

good news indeed! Claro M. Recto really does need a facelift.

woah... how do you get such good quality off a PDA...?! hahaha..!! nice...!!

I've been on the part of CM Recto after LRT-2 intersects with LRT-1. west of the intersection (past Recto Station). the rails extend past the last terminal for the trains to turn around or something. I wonder which part of Recto Atienza will be sprucing up though. good news nonetheless... I really like most of his projects.

[QUOTE=absent-minded]woah... how do you get such good quality off a PDA...?! hahaha..!! nice...!!

Well, I'm using a PalmOne Zire72, and it has a 1.2 Megapixel Camera - 1280x960 pixels that is, so I get quite good quality pics (with the help of a few fine tuning from photoshop) although they're not exactly digicam quality.

BTW, if you notice, I haven't been posting the last few days because my PC is broken, so now I'm just renting at a nearby computer store. I really don't like the idea of browsing SSC in a public place because I sometimes get weird looks from passers-by.

Anyway, I still have more pics to upload, taken also in Intramuros on the same day as the previous pics and using also my PDA. Maybe I can upload them when my PC is fixed. Hopefully the my files are still there when it's fixed because if they're gone, then the pictures will also be gone. :colgate:

CM Recto to undergo facelift

Updated 04:22am (Mla time) Dec 19, 2004
By Tarra Quismundo
Inquirer News Service

THERE is no slowing down for the Manila City government's beautification projects.

Early next year, City Hall will again be busy attending to another redevelopment project, this time along busy Claro M. Recto Avenue, which spans the city's Sampaloc and Sta. Cruz districts.

"Because the LRT (Light Rail Transit) 2, is already functional and Recto is the underbelly of the railway. We do not want a repeat of the effects of the LRT 1 on Avenida (Rizal Avenue)," said Mayor Lito Atienza, explaining the new undertaking

During the pedestrianization of Rizal Avenue in December 2003, Atienza explained that the construction of the LRT over Taft Avenue from Baclaran through Rizal Avenue to Monumento in Caloocan contributed to the decay of the national road.

=========================================================


Well, I think CM Recto has been undergoing renovations early this year because if you noticed, many buildings there are undergoing or have undergone facade renovations. I think this is because of the tax incentives or tax breaks that Manila gives for building owners when they renovate their building.

Pride of Place : Celebrating Manila

Updated 11:21pm (Mla time) Dec 19, 2004
By Augusto Villalon

STOP malling. Give yourself a Christmas treat by experiencing the city. See it in a new light and enjoy its hidden surprises.

Discover that, under its gruff and grimy cover, Manila hides places of charm that offer a special quality of life. All it takes is an adventurous spirit and a bit of time to experience some of these places I would like to share with you as a holiday offering.

Discover the wealth of textures in Manila. Buy a copy of "Street Bound: Manila on Foot" by Josefina Manahan (Anvil Books, 2001).

Follow her clearly mapped-out routes and detailed instructions. Do any of the 22 walking tours in the book to experience the secrets of Manila that wait to surprise you.

Nening Manahan tells you where to go. Some places are Binondo; Blumentritt in San Juan; Cartimar in Pasay; the Kamuning Market, or the row of antique and curio shops on A. Mabini and M. H. del Pilar Streets in Ermita.

Let the book take you around the central Manila triangle by the Pasig,
where the Metropolitan Theater, Arroceros Forest Park and the Mehan Garden are neighbors all fighting for survival.

From there, go north, cross the river to Quiapo and end your wandering at the all-steel San Sebastian Church.

Another route from the Mehan Garden area goes southward, crossing Taft
Avenue toward the National Museum Complex, Intramuros, Rizal Park, and the Manila Bay sunset. For each recommended location, she maps out short walks; meticulously points out what to see, buy, or eat; and the curiosities to gawk at.

Celdran's Manila tours

If you prefer to be guided through Manila, Carlos Celdran is the person to do it for you. He conducts lively walking tours around the older districts of Manila. His walks wander off main streets, take detours that poke around fascinating back roads and alleys around Escolta, Intramuros, Quiapo, Chinatown, and other inner city places.

Carlos' humor can be called irreverent, but he does give new life and interest to mothballed, stuffy urban heritage. Old buildings and historic districts take on a fascinating new dimension with him. Celdran's strong message is that Manila's vanishing heritage must be preserved. For information and schedules, contact celdrantours@hotmail.com

Bahay Nakpil

This was the home of prominent historical figure Dr. Ariston Bautista and his in-laws, the Nakpil family. Bautista was a philanthropist and prominent figure deeply involved in the Philippine Revolution, a close colleague of José Rizal and Juan Luna.

Sharing the house with Bautista was Katipunan official Juan Nakpil, who married Gregoria de Jesus, widow of national hero Andres Bonifacio.

The celebrated painting "Parisian Life" by Juan Luna, now the centerpiece of the GSIS Museum, originally hung in the Bautista-Nakpil house.

The Nakpil house on Calle Barbosa (now Dr. Ariston Bautista Street) in Quiapo is an outstanding example of Philippine architecture. It was designed by architect Juan Arellano in the classic bahay na bato style. The detailing done in turn-of-the-century Viennese Secession style makes the house one of a kind in the Philippines. All carvings, woodwork and grillwork are executed in the same abstracted, geometric lines depicting floral patterns.

Bahay Nakpil is now a museum open to the public. For information, call 7349341.

San Agustin Museum

Probably the best collection of Spanishcolonial religious artifacts open to the public in Manila, the San Agustin Museum in the cloisters of San Agustin Church is an unforgettable experience.

San Agustin is the best place in the country to see the most exquisite santos (wooden images), religious paintings on wood and canvas, altars, silver, ceremonial vestments, old parchment missals and hymnals.

Inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List, San Agustin Church is the oldest stone church in the country and definitely worth a visit.

A Christmas exhibit of 300 Philippine and foreign belens (Nativity crŠches) is now on exhibit at the second-floor cloister.

Call 5274060.

Museo Pambata

Can you actually have fun in a museum? If you have to ask that question, then you probably haven't been to museums lately.

Bring the children to Museo Pambata on the corner of Roxas Boulevard and T.M. Kalaw. Also take them to Museum of the Filipino People on Agrifina Circle at the Taft Avenue end of Rizal Park.

Museo Pambata is the ultimate children's trip. It is a "Touch me!" museum with interactive exhibits setting a fun atmosphere where children (and adults) learn basic scientific facts and the rudiments of electricity, among other things. It is where simulated jungles complete with mini waterfalls teach proper care of the environment.

Heritage is not forgotten at Museo Pambata. Scale models of Spanish-era houses in the Manila district of Binondo are living exhibits, child-size playhouses where children can enter to play with tactile exhibits which teach how their great grandparents lived.

Hearing children squeal with delight as they experience Museo Pambata is reward enough for having taken the trek to take them there. For information, call 5231797.

Museum of the Filipino People

The Museum of the Filipino People is a fun place. If you think museums are Jurassic places whose stuffy exhibits are covered with dust, this is the museum to change your mind. Its interactive exhibits light up at the touch of a button and set off a chain of sound effects. Sections in maps illuminate to show where the different people of the Philippines live. Engaging videos and amazing exhibits trace the evolution of Filipinos and their land.

The "Alay ng Dagat-The San Diego 1600 Time Capsule" traces the saga of the San Diego, a Cebu-constructed galleon that sank off the coast of Nasugbu, Batangas, as it was sailing off to battle against the Dutch. On exhibit are samples of its cargo-weaponry, ceramics, jars and even delicate rosaries-retrieved through an extensive underwater archaeology project.

It is difficult to leave the Museum of the Filipino People without rediscovering pride for Filipino culture, an elusive feeling for the Filipino these days. Call 5243005.

Manila is not a city that stands to win urban beauty contests or rank high in the yearly lists of the world's most livable cities. However, she does have a few surprises up her sleeve.

E-mail your feedback to afvillalon@hotmail.com

I think Manila is an amazing city. It's one of those gems that are a mix of the old and the new all in one place. It's a mega city though, which means it has its share of imperfections, but it's a nice place for tourism. I hope that it would also grow in being a good place to live in.

Harbour View Square ready for turnover to locators soon
The Philippine STAR 01/08/2005

Meedson Properties Corp., developer of the Harbour View Square commercial development project, has recently announced that it will soon be ready to turnover units in Block 2 of the 1.5-hectare project to its locators.

Meedson general manager Galo Librea said that their locators will be able to come in and plan their architectural and engineering works for eventual construction of their individual leased spaces next week.

Meanwhile, the Meedson official also said that Block 1 and the open performance areas are already 50 percent complete in the arts and culture-influenced commercial project.

"Harbour View is a Fisherman’s Wharf-inspired project that will feature Manila’s top restaurants and bars," he said, referring to the popular bayside tourist attraction in San Francisco.

The Harbour View project, which is located in front of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main building, is located right beside the Manila Bay with an ample view of the famous Manila Bay sunset.

"When construction is completed next year, Harbour View will transform the CCP Complex into the next food and entertainment hotspot for friends and families," he added.

Librea also explained that the project would also be featuring the arts and culture with performances from the CCP.

"The idea for [Harbour View] would be to fuse fine arts with fine cuisine. This would make the project unique as it would expose everyone, not just art and culture aficionados, to such art forms as ballet, theater, folkloric music and dance, theater and the like that people don’t necessarily see every day," he explained.

Locators that have already signed lease agreements with Harbour View include Dencio’s Bar and Grill, Grappa’s, Pancake House, Mocha Blend, Teppanyaki, Tong Yang, Manpuku, Rai-Rai Ken and Boca-Boca, while talks are ongoing with Starbucks, Mongkok, Yum-Yum Tree, Seattle’s Best, and other popular restaurants.

Wow! Harbour View Square sounds something to look forward to. Sounds like a worthy addition to the continuing enhancement and enrichment of the City of Manila.

I'm really excited about Harbour View because it's supposed to start off the CCP's redevelopment. And well, it's true that Manila would be the city that would most benefit from Harbour View Square, but technically, the property lies within Pasay City.

Metro Manila is changing and changing for the better. Recent and future additions in the bay area make it one of the more promising developments in Metro Manila. I am definitely looking forward on my vacation this February.

Jon

Lucky you Jon. I would like to visit again soon.

Lucky you Jon. I would like to visit again soon.

Yeah, much needed break from work. Relatives already booked my first weekend at Canyon Woods so there goes my partying in Malate.

Pearl of the Orient Seas - The Philippines (http://community.webshots.com/user/jbkayaker12)

Jon

Metro Manila is changing and changing for the better. Recent and future additions in the bay area make it one of the more promising developments in Metro Manila. I am definitely looking forward on my vacation this February.

Jon

Yeah, I'm also looking forward to all of the Bay Front developments sprouting in MM.

Wish ko lang sana wag silang ma-tsunami, lalong-lalo na yung MoA na tapat na tapat sa bay. :colgate:

i had been to the tiber, seine, thames, rhine, spree, elbe... but pasig river is much closer to thee.... :righton:

^Lol, I pass by the Spree river in Berlin everyday and it's also dirty. I don't know why many complain that it is dirty, almost all rivers here I see are brown.

Yeah, I'm also looking forward to all of the Bay Front developments sprouting in MM.

Wish ko lang sana wag silang ma-tsunami, lalong-lalo na yung MoA na tapat na tapat sa bay. :colgate:

Yeah, MOA is in the bay area but not as big body of water as a sea or an ocean so just keep your fingers crossed. :)

Pearl of the Orient Seas - The Philippines (http://community.webshots.com/user/jbkayaker12)

Jon

http://www.marcvt.com/foto/large/Manila01A.jpg
I don't remember seeing this in the new thread at least :)
http://www.marcvt.com/foto/large/Manila01A.jpg

This one's also a bloody good shot
http://www.jesuschurch.or.kr/elbum/manila%20bay.jpg
http://www.jesuschurch.or.kr/elbum/manila%20bay.jpg

October 2003 according to the photographer
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~BK6K-KWSK/fs006.jpg
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~BK6K-KWSK/fs006.jpg

April 04 Rizal Park
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~BK6K-KWSK/Philippines2004-04/Luneta-Park-1.jpg
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~BK6K-KWSK/Philippines2004-04/Luneta-Park-1.jpg

http://www.marcvt.com/foto/large/Manila01A.jpg

I've been away for 15 years now and if memory serves me right, is that the Folk Arts Theater at the CCP complex?

That's the Folk Arts Theatre at the CCP complex. I didn't get to visit either that or the CCP when I was there. No time. I will next time, and see an event.
I love these pictures. Who took them and when were they taken? So anyways, I love the Folk Arts picture with the background of the dock and bay, and the other pics of the other part of the bay, Luneta Park and river view from Intramuros are nice as well. It shows there's so much potential, though it's already nice, but so much potential to get even more first-rate. I like how in the Luneta Park picture, the Manila Hotel peeks into the picture amongst the trees :)

I love these pictures. Who took them and when were they taken?
I would assume the first picture was taken from Westin Philippine Plaza. I'm not sure though.

Yeah.. I remember we were talking about this photo in older Manila threads :yes:

And rico's old theory always works, japanese or korean sites have loads of hidden photos of metro manila;)

Yes, it's true. I've noticed it for some time now! It's because the Japanese and Korean have lots of travel sites about vacationing in the Philippines or people's personal sites showing their trip to the Philippines. I found some of Arabic and Spanish-language as well.

it's about time that the gov't retrofit the benches of luneta park, they look so worned out.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/post.jpg
http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/fountain.jpg
http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/cityh.jpg

Pics of the post office and city hall.

Jon

beautiful

the old post office headquarters is more suitable to be a supreme court building since it has a huge fountain facade....why not make a switch

Maybe because it's not necesarry........where is the Supreme Court building nowadays?

It's in Taft near UP Manila and PGH.

hmm.. that's neoclassical too right? Really that's unnecessary what ronnaveth's suggesting. But Burnham's plans, if it was ever realised, would have been great.

No, the Supreme Court is along Padre Faura. It's occupying what used to be the UP College of Music building. It's the NBI that's along Taft.

those were great pictures... :D

hmm.. that's neoclassical too right? Really that's unnecessary what ronnaveth's suggesting. But Burnham's plans, if it was ever realised, would have been great.
i'm just saying that it would be nice for our supreme court to have been placed where the current post office is...it's a nice facade just like cityhalls at the states

i'd love to see it get its own place, not post offices, but perhaps according to burnhams plans.

the post office building can also be converted into a hotel... hehehe

Are you sure about this (re plans to convert the Post office into a hotel) sounds a bit on the absurd side? Parang fullerton ba?

really quite a grand building for an organisation... well I've rarely heard existing in the country.

Yeah it'd be quite cool if it was turned into a Fullerton like building, especially with the riverisde views and change the post-man into a cleaning lady:D but itd face parking and other problems wouldnt it?:?

Nah...i'd be opposed to converting the classic Postal Office to a hotel. Its great the way it is.

Yeah, what's wrong with keeping it the way it is? We deserve a grand central post office building.

That's true. Though do we have a post system as grand and as massive as its building? The only mailmen I remember passing by our house in MM was some guy in casual clothes, in a motorcycle.

Yeah, what's wrong with keeping it the way it is? We deserve a grand central post office building.
bec sending mails would be obsolete in the future

That's arguable, and sending packages definitely won't be.

personally i like to receive a letter from a mailman rather than forwarded messages from e-mail and mobile phone :)

personally i like to receive a letter from a mailman rather than forwarded messages from e-mail and mobile phone :)

it's much more genuine, i prefer the same, since letters take time, meaning the writer really cares or spends the time to write to you, unlike an email you can distuingish spam from a hey email. Then there's the packages. I would have thought mails would be really dead by now, but we still get quite a number of mails a day. It will only die out if it makes itself due to negligence

I think the regular mail process is being overlooked at the moment, across the globe. But in reality, it is a staple. Nothing beats sending a letter personally, and receiving it personally. :)

it's a cheap way to advertise, too. (i need to buy a shredder :bash: )

I think the regular mail process is being overlooked at the moment, across the globe. But in reality, it is a staple. Nothing beats sending a letter personally, and receiving it personally. :)

What if it's from overseas? ;) You do mean skipping the post office right?

check these aerials.. must be shown
http://www.alles.or.jp/~ackun/BINANLAGUNA/sky/FH030023.jpg

NAIA
http://www.alles.or.jp/~ackun/BINANLAGUNA/sky/FH030022.jpg

^hasnt that aerial been posted before? i remember there was even a guess the city with that picture and people thought it was LA:D

I think it has yes... but you know if we only post it once we'll never appreciate it enough;)

cool!

I like that picture