The City of Manila - Compiled Threads [Archive] - Page 4

IsaganiZenze

February 11th, 2005, 12:31 PM

Ay nako...na GOOGLE energize ako kahapon, well especially today, I think I maxed out all the manila pics from pbase.com. Thanks to all the people I got the pics from (I forgot who I got each of the pics from, but I made a list, so I can give them credit: Nat Pagoyonan, Kelly Mark/ Ryan Takuma, Regie Fernando, Steve Hughes, Antonio Ablog, Deo David, Jessica Price, Larry Lam, Cheryl Borsoto, Manny Max Abecia, Jill Kuehnert, Patrick Chan, Brian McMorrow, Lou Giroud, Jon Tengco, Edita Rodulfo, Jill Lejano, Mar1e, Bryce Allison, Doris Baltazar, Derick Gamboa, Mel Labrador, PS_Imaging, Glen Nabarrete, Loren X, Rex Rafael, Jaime Bartolome, Joel Garcia, Mitbatch91, R.M. De Luna, James Bonner, Dorian Chan, Jon Agner, Ramon Marcelino Avypooh, yeyeri1, Tonypet, Kersti, Alfred Floro, Xavier Lin, and Vic Icasas.)

ANYWHO...i have tons of pics to put, but we'll see if they will all work tomorrow...it is kinda late, so I'll edit this post later...with more pics of my googling experience...WATCH OUT!!!!

Here's an amazing panoramic of the whole metro manila, i forgot who from the above list took it, but ist amazing...anywho...you can see ortigas(where pic was taken), then Makati just to the right, and then further in the background, Manila. TO SEE THE WHOLE AMAZING PIC, right click on the pic and click properties to get URL and then...just copy that and add .orig.jpg at the end of that...its a huge pic...SO NICE

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pad7b942fccb8e2d3ed046a730dcb7a78/f52afa02.jpg

Well, since I guess no one checks the METRO MANILA thread, I'll post some of the "metro manila" pics here. OH yeah, the original links don't work apparently here, so I will just use image station, so to view the original, just do the same thing as the image above...sorry, i'm computer illiterate:)

tyronne

February 11th, 2005, 08:30 PM

http://mk31.image.pbase.com/u38/mitbatch91/upload/20814039.CanonA60Aug.30.058.jpg

:uh: this has got to be one of the best Manila skyline photos i have ever seen, OMG!

JudeD

February 11th, 2005, 08:55 PM

Um, IMO medyo parang mukha silang mga container van na pinag-patong-patong.

absent-minded

February 12th, 2005, 02:52 AM

Um, IMO medyo parang mukha silang mga container van na pinag-patong-patong.

haha! nice description... is that a govt built low-cost housing thing? it looks weird with the buildings side-by-side. I mean like, there isn't even a point in putting windows on those walls...

renell

February 12th, 2005, 04:02 AM

I can't see it:(

IsaganiZenze

February 12th, 2005, 04:04 AM

I can't see it:(

yeah...so I am just gonna image station the pics i find...so...i guess... just add the .orig.jpg part at the end to view orig. Oh yeah..but when you add the .orig.jpg to the panoramic of MM, can you see the whole thing...its so nice! let me know....

IsaganiZenze

February 12th, 2005, 04:22 AM

Ay nako...na GOOGLE energize ako kahapon, well especially today, I think I maxed out all the manila pics from pbase.com. Thanks to all the people I got the pics from (I forgot who I got each of the pics from, but I made a list, so I can give them credit: Nat Pagoyonan, Kelly Mark/ Ryan Takuma, Regie Fernando, Steve Hughes, Antonio Ablog, Deo David, Jessica Price, Larry Lam, Cheryl Borsoto, Manny Max Abecia, Jill Kuehnert, Patrick Chan, Brian McMorrow, Lou Giroud, Jon Tengco, Edita Rodulfo, Jill Lejano, Mar1e, Bryce Allison, Doris Baltazar, Derick Gamboa, Mel Labrador, PS_Imaging, Glen Nabarrete, Loren X, Rex Rafael, Jaime Bartolome, Joel Garcia, Mitbatch91, R.M. De Luna, James Bonner, Dorian Chan, Jon Agner, Ramon Marcelino Avypooh, yeyeri1, Tonypet, Kersti, Alfred Floro, Xavier Lin, and Vic Icasas.)

ANYWHO...i have tons of pics to put, but we'll see if they will all work tomorrow...it is kinda late, so I'll edit this post later...with more pics of my googling experience...WATCH OUT!!!!
just add .orig.jpg to the url to see original pic :)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p05ed797e498b93a077f3de8751ea9619/f529481d.jpg
Sunset pics of MM..yum!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pd0ec90bb82b1410af2bb2c47713ab4a8/f529481b.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pc8de5b4df6e62504ced4dd5764e3a5db/f5294818.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p45ebcfa8dae1c9d357f7056f7a433819/f5294815.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pe243cbb60b75a5f4b308b10c83955ef8/f5294814.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p4e0c3da220e2020077d611a4c86b07a6/f5294812.jpg

just skyline...of some sort...or city scapes:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p876183ff0cba6e42d1b92e6a344bbcc5/f529480e.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pf5f8e7fed5a134e577998d361b9406bc/f529480a.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pe41499fce1a5577333d32d65985db085/f5294805.jpg

mhe-ann

February 12th, 2005, 04:37 AM

whhoww! ganda ng sunset pics. :bow:

thomasian

February 12th, 2005, 04:40 AM

I don't think this one is in the Philippines. Looks like BKK to me.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pf5f8e7fed5a134e577998d361b9406bc/f529480a.jpg

IsaganiZenze

February 12th, 2005, 04:48 AM

I don't think this one is in the Philippines. Looks like BKK to me.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pf5f8e7fed5a134e577998d361b9406bc/f529480a.jpg

ooops..hahahah...sowee...

ryanr

February 12th, 2005, 04:48 AM

:eek: Those sunset pics are amazing!!

I agree, that picture above is in BKK.

renell

February 12th, 2005, 05:14 AM

:master: @the Metro Manila sunset pics.

where's that SM in the last photo? I guess it has to be somewhere in an airlines flight path across MM. Any chance SM Sucat?

IsaganiZenze

February 12th, 2005, 07:41 AM

Okay, this is the end of my GOOGLE searches for MANILA. Hope you like them!

Thanks to all the people I got the pics from (I forgot who I got each of the pics from, but I made a list, so I can give them credit: Nat Pagoyonan, Kelly Mark/ Ryan Takuma, Regie Fernando, Steve Hughes, Antonio Ablog, Deo David, Jessica Price, Larry Lam, Cheryl Borsoto, Manny Max Abecia, Jill Kuehnert, Patrick Chan, Brian McMorrow, Lou Giroud, Jon Tengco, Edita Rodulfo, Jill Lejano, Mar1e, Bryce Allison, Doris Baltazar, Derick Gamboa, Mel Labrador, PS_Imaging, Glen Nabarrete, Loren X, Rex Rafael, Jaime Bartolome, Joel Garcia, Mitbatch91, R.M. De Luna, James Bonner, Dorian Chan, Jon Agner, Ramon Marcelino Avypooh, yeyeri1, Tonypet, Kersti, Alfred Floro, Xavier Lin, and Vic Icasas.)

Yes, for sure more buildings will be built along the waterfront. It will create such a beautiful tropical skyline:okay:

Yes, it will! Just imagine the skyline photos of Manila, with TONS MORE OF SCRAPERS! yum! (to make it bigger just add .orig.jpg :) )
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p1e015c5e2dbcf08dc65f042295131f88/f52921a0.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p438c4d5564450af61286efe6601460df/f5292198.jpg

More skyline pics/water front/harbor front:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p3e8e89768e69d7d41b3adee31f300878/f5292226.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p914d5ca8f5e110de784226f4f4fabd9c/f5292224.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pfaf513a72bc7fae9db1ce23e7bdac4b9/f52921a9.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p74fb81d102d3ee523085777cfd63a148/f529218f.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p1861c22253c94f72b6b78fc67b5e1965/f529217f.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pd4b3a71e689ca241a89bf4ec37f15f19/f529216f.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p3c648ac4d452513499b274fab33440cb/f5292156.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p03af5196d8451dff22d832c2497e2055/f52920dd.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p93088418e84f18f46a8442214ce13e52/f52920d5.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p3c263c02bc1a6541a488d9a2a0aec05c/f52920cb.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p9189c6eea76082d26a0feef0ee0bd31e/f52920c1.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pdad9805fdd6ad5f5426d01cc3664ecf8/f52920b1.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p62648b3a5d961ccdaec96c9568512279/f529209c.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pfe570a9500213458ef6bcfb4d6d9b613/f5292086.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p566bd5e069f469a3bc1fc3d59281f7ac/f5292076.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p3ba7ba67efeedbe58d044d3b451096df/f529203e.jpg
This is funnie pic...Manila in the background of group of aerobic enthusiasts!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pcbd5a89e3cfabe69fa203aedfe6b76da/f5292039.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p98e18a2fa146550f3a0b279658c3bafd/f5292027.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pf0dd2774949233187371eabad4a1be65/f529201b.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p27b3a1f15e860c83a818035ece429f0e/f5292001.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pc1e19a73ebed4ab9397a9598ed1305e9/f5291ff9.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p7f3fa656260ca904d995cf99a63a8068/f5291ff2.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p9b0637426a5c5d7b5ad0f1331627f89b/f5291fee.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pe624d0d375cc03f7b866336651d4a1c0/f5291fe2.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pc482e667a5f5f765a933b1fb5c7a38a9/f5291fdc.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pe7e3a4ca10e21371a7464e34bd44e178/f5291fb1.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pac8b04891f253a4420fd769294313368/f5291faa.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pea3cd0e300e1396c9fe23008bc445b70/f5291fa5.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pf79f7d86d10c5185f13fd113b7e1c383/f5291f93.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p4f6400ba0cc41a48f4d52c5bd6434502/f5291f4f.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p78c7a1f4b4cbb5f50be89978410b0574/f5291f2f.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p63ed667a95e36d1e4d3d712590747cb4/f5291f2c.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pfe46db8cb3b28ca556b518c4474ef540/f5291f28.jpg

Night PICS
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pb4ebb42af0caab7eac1d98f5bffd6754/f5292140.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pb825eed7ac6124b8d19a665416cdf6b2/f529212e.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p37dcba4a31a9a1244e714a718ce5826b/f5291fcd.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p7fe91b561f17745e1edc30fd21b28749/f5291fc3.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p976c8d758d4a724dee824a54b4a8eeb0/f5291fba.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p30604a40b1affb3e6a9bbaab5d7cd832/f5292010.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p475674d44cc339d5fa04f9d0aa03bae7/f5291f5c.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pcb3bd0a2cc02c56299a0b152f493d313/f5291f31.jpg
SCARY THUNDER!!!! ooooooo!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p742dc947d85820f05e61764286452282/f5291f74.jpg

What views you get, if you are looking out at your NEW CONDO/OFFICE skyscraper in MANILA...yum!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p68e9efb748136b63f08d86b5a27cc36e/f5291fe6.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pfc9200b393997e0acc6035bd954ce1f6/f5291f6f.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p15f40e38495cdf210fe6474b787c5951/f529206c.jpg

Others around Manila (well mostly I think)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pe4e14eb0237644dc7c747e12789c6f6f/f52921e1.jpg
NICE FLAG (such contrast, thanks to the above photogrphers mentioned!)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p230b0bb7b70ce1af18f75f04aca95b9c/f5292162.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pdf8ca765c9c3a42634cefa9935310e1b/f5292126.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p996ad4e2f89206fbc84cf007f4850924/f5292123.jpg
I think this is in manila?
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pa536626eb00cabab1089a61ccd49beaa/f52920d0.jpg
nice morning mist..always yummy!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p73411447f9e5fb8a81ee50d0a6a4e568/f5292071.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p084369fede1d869e7bcce68b2cdd76ab/f5292058.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pe2dd9b641f41cbc67d94aca99ec31821/f5292006.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pe184d114c85bf2dca21a073753a8198b/f5291fb5.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p7d6665132cf991d33c237e2e1ec214d6/f5291f65.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pc206938823092074ac6c5902576f21c6/f5291f39.jpg

Along ROXAS BLVD. the way to cruise!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p63004f24a11367692a630143ea7d5615/f5292040.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p1fab499572343b50c9a44fa862faf0ed/f5291fd5.jpg

Chinatown...ooooo...yum!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p213a0ef276927d743a568a56fb8d63df/f529211c.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p465925f940bb74958408b780ff83cf24/f5292116.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p854d9e8eb14e38cc501b10cdd0406d3f/f5292108.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pe3b05a3403263512cbe4d47a2541f7fe/f5292102.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p8c7fdd38aeaab44aff560de1b92749b3/f52920fd.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p56c6e4dc1d15274731cb176969823fe1/f52920f7.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pd08b90c7a8cec9099ab443783d22281d/f52920f0.jpg
forgot the name of the fountain..but yes! here it is...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pd08b90c7a8cec9099ab443783d22281d/f52920f0.jpg

I doubt this is in Manila, more like pasig/mandaluyong? let me know
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pa15e324dfa5d9c4e3ab3ff4c7661f36e/f5292035.jpg

Thanks again to all the people, that took this pictures that I found through GOOGLING! THANKS ALOT! Credit to: Nat Pagoyonan, Kelly Mark/ Ryan Takuma, Regie Fernando, Steve Hughes, Antonio Ablog, Deo David, Jessica Price, Larry Lam, Cheryl Borsoto, Manny Max Abecia, Jill Kuehnert, Patrick Chan, Brian McMorrow, Lou Giroud, Jon Tengco, Edita Rodulfo, Jill Lejano, Mar1e, Bryce Allison, Doris Baltazar, Derick Gamboa, Mel Labrador, PS_Imaging, Glen Nabarrete, Loren X, Rex Rafael, Jaime Bartolome, Joel Garcia, Mitbatch91, R.M. De Luna, James Bonner, Dorian Chan, Jon Agner, Ramon Marcelino Avypooh, yeyeri1, Tonypet, Kersti, Alfred Floro, Xavier Lin, and Vic Icasas

XetraDAX

February 12th, 2005, 07:51 AM

WOW!! Those are WONDERFUL!!

Culiat

February 12th, 2005, 08:05 AM

Cool Pictures very cool!

ryanr

February 12th, 2005, 08:23 AM

Great collection of pics!!:applause: Some of them i've seen before while others are fresh great new pics:okay:

btw...that picture you asked if it was in Manila is actually in Makati.

and culiat, please dont quote a post with many pictures:)

Culiat

February 12th, 2005, 08:27 AM

renell

February 12th, 2005, 09:02 AM

:master: :master: :okay:

Last photo is Ortigas, I know that building in the left foreground. And the fountain is in Santa Cruz Manila if I'm not mistaken

KulasKusgan

February 12th, 2005, 10:54 AM

wow isagani, ganda ng mga kuha...

i consider manila as the most romantic city in asia...

pang city vs city. hehehe.

bagel

February 12th, 2005, 10:59 AM

I've been trying to make banner pics out of the ones that Isagani's been posting, but so far, none of them are working well resized or cropped to 709x79. I'll keep trying,

bustero

February 12th, 2005, 02:12 PM

good job!

Edmundtanso

February 12th, 2005, 04:22 PM

very nice night pictures of manila

ThisFire

February 13th, 2005, 01:56 AM

Thank you for these beautiful pictures. It's nice to see Manila pictures in the first place, but pictures of Manila that aren't the usual. Thanks. :)

Renkinjutsushi

February 13th, 2005, 02:00 AM

I like these pictures of Manila.....:okay: thanks for sharing it with us. :D

kiretoce

February 13th, 2005, 02:37 PM

Oops! (--post deleted--) Sorry! :sleepy:

bagel

February 15th, 2005, 02:14 AM

More of my Manila by foot pictures.

Protester in front of Malacanang, the Erap era.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pf18d311017a23c9df03a18698205fc6a/f53061c5.jpg

mhe-ann

February 15th, 2005, 02:51 AM

nakakalula. andaming pics! gaganda!!! :bow:

pau_p1

February 15th, 2005, 03:06 AM

that picture after the rizal monument is in Makati City.... specifically Paseo de Roxas near the corner of Makati Ave... it is just across the One Roxas Tower which is not seen in the picture except for its platform.. the pink building is Metrobank and the white building is Development Bank of the Philippines.. :D

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pa536626eb00cabab1089a61ccd49beaa/f52920d0.jpg

renell

February 15th, 2005, 05:51 AM

DBP does look very interesting. It looks very 60s with its design. What's its history?

rmb

February 15th, 2005, 04:03 PM

Nice search Isagani, must have been a lot of work. :)

IsaganiZenze

February 16th, 2005, 04:56 AM

Nice search Isagani, must have been a lot of work. :)

yeah...2 days worth...(not 48 hours), but yes its a lot of work. anywho, it was fun. I'd rather search for pics in my comp than do my studies :bash: :cheers:

thomasian

February 16th, 2005, 08:25 AM

haha... sometimes I also visit SSC first before my studies. :colgate:

mysaong03

February 16th, 2005, 09:05 PM

OMG!!! we better post them on the rate our skylines now!!!! ang ganda sobra!!! thanks isagani!! :colgate:

Thunderflip

February 16th, 2005, 10:20 PM

Graba, ang ganda talaga ng Maynila! Sobra na...

bagel

February 18th, 2005, 09:51 AM

Bombero part II. Carriedo Street. 1999.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p493b2e73bfd2e749f0c5f64a0b109322/f53061c4.jpg

Sekyu. SM Carriedo. 1999.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p767f9cf4950009160d31643230ef14fd/f53061ca.jpg

Some of you may have seen these before. I'm just recycling what I have. Lack of creativity. Bah.

Sorry for the overexposure.

renell

February 18th, 2005, 09:58 AM

I reckon you can make a photo-book with those photos, Mike. Heaps good, every photo has their story. :master:

ThisFire

February 20th, 2005, 11:36 PM

bagel

February 21st, 2005, 12:17 AM

Thanks.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the Binondo Volunteer Fire Brigade is one of the most responsive fire companies in the Philippines. I think they work in conjunction with the Bureau of Fire Protection but they are also funded by private sources in Chinatown. The picture was also taken on the border of Santa Cruz and Binondo, Manila.

renell

February 21st, 2005, 05:39 AM

Yeah I don't think, and obviously some wealthy Chinese businessmen think that the BFP (Bureau of Fire Protection) can handle the situation itself.

I remember there was a fire near our house (like 10 meters near) and I saw two trucks, one probably of the local fire station, the other a Chinoy one.

bagel

February 22nd, 2005, 01:07 AM

Last one from the series. I have more but I have to find them and scan them. And I didn't buy that cheap scanner so this will have to wait.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pe4da43e4bf169ec98dc2e44c81bbbff8/f53061c7.jpg
Siesta. Quiapo 1999.

mhe-ann

February 22nd, 2005, 03:33 AM

akala ko right arm nya un..ano ba un? :?:

bagel

February 24th, 2005, 06:29 AM

Yung "right arm" nya ay isang parte ng Jockey poster. Mas maganda sana kung talagang naka Jockey yung natutulog eh. But close enough. :)

thomasian

February 24th, 2005, 09:00 AM

hmmm... ikaw ha :colgate:

bagel

February 24th, 2005, 09:32 AM

Ay I don't mean to say I prefer the man to be wearing Jockey because I want to see him in them. I just thought that the picture would be even funnier that way! If it were a woman yes. But I'm talking about the reality reflecting the ad idea.

thomasian

February 24th, 2005, 09:52 AM

Okie. :colgate:

JudeD

February 24th, 2005, 03:50 PM

The sister of a friend of mine used to be part of the Binondo Fire Brigade. She even got interviewed on TV about her life as a bombera. She actually met her current husband at the firehouse. In fact before settling down, she went out with some of the other bomberos.

mysaong03

February 25th, 2005, 03:36 AM

http://raincontreras.com/?p=416

escruna

February 28th, 2005, 05:04 AM

hey

hay algun filipino que hable español, me gustaria saber por eso no escribo en ingles, de otro lado me gustaria ver fotos del metro de manila

simply_me

February 28th, 2005, 07:38 AM

hi escruna, are trying to ask if anyone who does speak spanish coz you can't speak english? at gusto mo ung pictures ng manila? oh my..wish i took spanish lesson..and wish ko lang naintindihan mo ko.. :)

JudeD

February 28th, 2005, 07:53 AM

Hola escruna,

Si, hay filipinos que hablen espanol. No hay mucho, y no esta seguro la cifra exactamente. En este foro, supongo que haya 3 o 4 filipinos hispanohablantes. En Zamboanga, una ciudad en el sur de Filipinas, los ciudadanos hablan un criollo de espanol se llama "Chavacano".

Te gustaria ver fotos del metro de manila, tienes que ver el hilo "Metro Manila: MRT/LRT lines".

buboy

February 28th, 2005, 11:24 AM

Please translate:ohno::tongue2:

thomasian

February 28th, 2005, 12:43 PM

Ako din, halos wala akong maintindihan. Nahihilo na ako sa pagpipilit na intindihin yung nakasulat pero iilang words lang naiintindihan ko tapos di ko pa sila mapagconnect.

normandb

February 28th, 2005, 01:26 PM

If there is a latin america why not latin Asia. Latin Asia must be compose of Macau, The Philippines, East Timor, Malaysia, Micronesia, kaya lang konti lang sila.

JudeD

February 28th, 2005, 04:08 PM

Ok, eto ang translation

From escruna:

hey

hay algun filipino que hable español, me gustaria saber por eso no escribo en ingles, de otro lado me gustaria ver fotos del metro de manila

Translation:

Is there any filipino who speaks spanish? I would like to know due to the fact that I do not write in english, on the other hand I would like to see photos of the metro (I'm assuming he means the MRT/LRT lines) of manila.

As for my reply, here's the translation:

Hello escruna,

Yes, there are filipinos who speak spanish. There aren't many, and the exact number isn't certain. In this forum, I suppose there may be 3 or 4 spanish-speaking filipinos (weirdo, virtute, boybaha?, and yours truly. Anyone else I missed?). In Zamboanga, a city in the south of the Philippines, the locals speak a Spanish creole called "Chavacano"

If you want to see pictures of the metro of manila, you have to look at the thread "Metro Manila: MRT/LRT lines"

ncbmandy, you can also add Goa, India to "Latin Asia".

maxxam80

February 28th, 2005, 06:41 PM

hello A few questions for you all

Q1. Has there been an increase in the quality of construction of skyscrapers in Manila over the past years, as it has a bad rep.

Q2. Are the skscrapers engineered to be typhoon proof

Q3. Do illegal high rise structures go up in Manila

Q4.Do the majority of new offices have aircon in Manila

Q5. By 2010 will Makatis skyline look drasticly different in your opinon

Q6. How many skyscrapers are u/c in Makati at the moment and how many approved (no poor emporis data please)

thank you

Max

queetz@home

February 28th, 2005, 07:32 PM

See my answers in bold...

Q1. Has there been an increase in the quality of construction of skyscrapers in Manila over the past years, as it has a bad rep. - I don't recall any skyscrapers in Manila having a bad rep. The very rare cases where buildings have collapsed(I can only think of that eight storey building in Manila collapsing because of poor foundation and deep excavations from nearby construction sites), they tend to be low rises owned by not so rich individuals. Ever since the Rubi Tower incident in which an eight storey apartment collapsed during an earthquake in the 60s killing 300, builders in Metro Manila have been overly cautious, adapting to most current and strictest California Earthquake codes.

Q2. Are the skscrapers engineered to be typhoon proof - Yes

Q3. Do illegal high rise structures go up in Manila - Not that I know off. I think if you mean fire code violations, yes but extremely rare. But those have been found and rectified.

Q4.Do the majority of new offices have aircon in Manila - All class AAA, A, and B office buildings have them. I think class C may or may not have them but the tenants can always set up their own.

Q5. By 2010 will Makatis skyline look drasticly different in your opinon - Absolutely

Q6. How many skyscrapers are u/c in Makati at the moment and how many approved (no poor emporis data please) - Agreed on the Emporis data. There used to be a dedicated editor that was really awesome in updating the information but he left Emporis for some reason. I think all Philippine cities are way undercounted as there is a lack of local editors. I think the best source would be here in the Philippine Forums of Skyscrapercity. I found it quite useful since my company may relocate me in Manila for a project.

maxxam80

February 28th, 2005, 07:43 PM

thank you wally

anyone else whant to answer

thanks
Max

pau_p1

March 1st, 2005, 02:25 AM

yeah.... Emporis should have a local person who can regularly update Philippines' skyscrapers...

jbkayaker12

March 1st, 2005, 05:21 AM

Let me ask you, how are the high rise buildings construction in London compared to Metro Manila?

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

Jon

ThisFire

March 1st, 2005, 06:12 AM

Hey Jude! Add me to the list of Spanish speakers. Apparently, some latin americans (including the ones in america and Canada) have thought all along that Spanish, besides tagalog, was spoken by a lot of Filipinos, but as you know, this is not the case.

Renkinjutsushi

March 1st, 2005, 06:20 AM

If there is a latin america why not latin Asia. Latin Asia must be compose of Macau, The Philippines, East Timor, Malaysia, Micronesia, kaya lang konti lang sila.

How bout Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia since they were colonized by France?

Though mostly only the older generation (grew up during the last years of colonization) speak French....so I don't know if the Latin Asia would apply.

JudeD

March 1st, 2005, 06:30 AM

Well, even though French is also a Latin-based language, in the maps of "Latin America" that I've seen, they usually don't include French Guiana and Haiti. Hmmm, I think the more specific term would be "Ibero-America", and in Latin Asia's case "Ibero-Asia".

ThisFire

March 1st, 2005, 06:46 AM

There will never be a "latin asia" because they're not a latino culture! Latin America and their people are. This is what they truly became. And the Philippines is the only one in that region to be close to being a latin country because of the culture. Anyways, Philippines is not really even with asia because it is separated and lies in the pacific. And latin/Latin America is a term directing to Spanish colonization with its language and culture. Because they created the colonies in Mexico, Central America and South America (and some caribbean islands), they had to come up with a term to describe it.

renell

March 1st, 2005, 06:47 AM

Malaysia, or its majority, was British controlled...... wasn't it? Imo it's not feasible to culturally divide it, because unlike Latin America "Latin Asia" does not occupy a large percentage of a landmass (continent) and is seperated by sea or neighbour.

bagel

March 1st, 2005, 07:29 AM

Furthermore, while I'm not discounting the cultural differences within South America, what you call "Latin Asia" is not even united by a single language group and do not identify with each other as a coherently as our Latin American friends do.

renell

March 1st, 2005, 08:16 AM

Well Wally in all due respect, that "amazing" editor had skyscrapercity to thanks as well in updating MM at s.com;)

regarding Question 5, paul and I have counted 41 threads in "Projects on the Rise". Now this most likely means 41 projects under construction or soon to be u/c (approved). We might have missed a couple though. Unfortunately myself residing in Sydney I won't be able to accurately confirm these projects, or upcoming ones.

Solblanc

March 1st, 2005, 08:47 AM

Q2. Are the skscrapers engineered to be typhoon proof

Err... we get hit by xxx typhoons every year. We'd have a lot of carnage on our hands if our skyscrapers weren't typhoon proof :D

bustero

March 1st, 2005, 11:29 AM

bustero

March 1st, 2005, 12:04 PM

Max here's my take.

Q1. Has there been an increase in the quality of construction of skyscrapers in Manila over the past years, as it has a bad rep.

Am not sure if you are referring to design quality or production quality.

Assuming design yes, there are better designed , aesthetically pleasing structures as budgets have gone higher as the PHilippine Real Estate scene climbs higher along the value chain.

If you are referring to Production quality, there are class C buildings and in fact some developers have a rep for poor quality in finishes and the like. Some don't even finish their projects. In terms of substandard buildings (stuructural, mechanical, electrical), none yet. Most will conform to code on these items , they're ussually deficient on none safety related features if ever. e.g. lack of elevators etc.

I have not seen any poor structurally unsound buildings as engineers here have a tendency to overengineer.

You'll probably see real substandard ones on the non skyscraper buildings of which a really exasperating example was an 8 story building that fell over due to poor design (structurally) .

Q2. Are the skscrapers engineered to be typhoon proof

Yes, the local building code here demands it, it's actually higher in windload and sturctural requirements than many places including the US, due to exposure to typhoons, and earthquakes on a regular basis.

Q3. Do illegal high rise structures go up in Manila

There are structures which sometimes go over certain height restrictions, and implement spot zoning. In these cases they could be legal but only in an intellecutally dishonest way. Most times you will end up in court , so defining illegal can be very tricky. But ussually you will not find illegal skyscrapers , too much capital for something so risky.

Q4.Do the majority of new offices have aircon in Manila

All new offices will have centralized airconditioning or provisions for airconditioning. The newest buildings actually leave this out (having centralized airconditioning or having the A/C included) due to recent demand of clients (primarily BPO related) that theyhave the flexibility to install and manage their own airconditioning systems.

Q5. By 2010 will Makatis skyline look drasticly different in your opinon

Yes there are at least 5 or 6 skyscrapers tall enough to make a difference and these are the ones which are already being constructed. Am not sure if you are interestedin MetroManila or just Makati. As MM has several CBD's with big enough skylines. Though Makati is the tallest (by not much) and the densest)

Q6. How many skyscrapers are u/c in Makati at the moment and how many approved (no poor emporis data please)

If only in Makati, there are the 3towers of the columns project, legaspi, shang, 3 residences, 2 empire east/megaworld projects which are at least over 20 stories ( is this your definition of skyscraper?). So around 10 which have actually broken ground. In terms of approval much harder to pin down, even if you count the projects here in the Philippine forum. You can go to the HLURB site (go to www.gov.ph, click on housing, it will be one of the agencies there) which tracks all condo's commercial and residential. They'll have a list of all new projects with License to sell. This will not include lease only buildings though. But except for the discontinued ones I don't think there will be any tall buildings in the works anytime soon.

Renell was referring to the whole of MetroManila. Certain areas of Manila are actually arguably more active than Makati. Like the Fort or Ortigas.

ryanr

March 1st, 2005, 12:14 PM

Nice thread, max...Its about time we had discussion about the quality of our skyscrapers.:) And thanks for your replies, Wally and bustero. Although i knew the answers to the questions max had, i learnt from your replies too:D

Just to extend on this thread...How strict are the building codes in MM? I know there are a lot of corruption taking place, so how effective is our building regulations and inspections? And regarding earthquakes, what methods have the tallest skyscrapers in Makati and Ortigas established to prevent large scale damage? Have they installed special ball-bearings or tracks in the foundations of the building? How about fire-proofing and other earthquake resistant procedures?

And how good is the quality of our local steel, concrete and glass used for construction? I know that Eaton Hotel/Condo has a higher concrete psi for extra strength:)

renell

March 1st, 2005, 12:17 PM

Yeah I wouldn't mind being the inquirer of those questions;)

and what's the 2 empire east/megaworld (are they the same?) projects bustero talks about? Is Greenbelt Parkplace still considered to be under-construction? Or are you referring to another project?

SKYLINEPIGEON

March 1st, 2005, 02:56 PM

latin america countries have history, languages, culture and race??? (spanish and portuguese ancestors)

kiretoce

March 1st, 2005, 03:29 PM

I think a "Latin Asia" is a misnomer. Not all European colonizers in Asia are of Latin extraction, and some Asian nations weren't colonized by a foreign power. :)

KulasKusgan

March 1st, 2005, 04:37 PM

Wow! Manila is taking Spanish lessons. btw, do Manilenos speak Spanish too? i mean % of pop.

JudeD

March 1st, 2005, 05:12 PM

Last census (1990) only 4,000 people from NCR said they spoke Spanish! But hopefully the number has gone up since then.

kiretoce

March 1st, 2005, 05:24 PM

It'll be great it everyone is in the Philippines is trilingual (or even multilingual), each citizen speaks their own native dialect (apart from Tagalog), English and Spanish. :D I'm curious to know if learning a foreign language is included in the curriculum in all levels of education in the Philippines. :)

SKYLINEPIGEON

March 1st, 2005, 05:33 PM

spanish subjects used to be mandatory pre-requisite for college diploma, but not its no longer required though spanish subjects are still offered in college esp if ur taking liberal arts

bustero

March 1st, 2005, 06:54 PM

Greenbelt Parkplace and Greenbelt Radisson, both listed us under development in Mega's own webpage.

Grey X.

The taller the building (read mas madaming matetepok kung magfail) the stricter city officials are. They may let you get away with things like putting a tall building in low density place, or over the heigth restriction but things that affect structural integrity and safety , they are much much more circumspect. Kasi Dali sila rin as they also have to sign off on the docs if it fails like the one in Manila.

For the raw mats, quantity surveyor or project manager or quality manager or even owner will make sure their ass is covered. Di naman sila magpapalugi diba. They need to still follow the required standards so they will demand no less from the suppliers.

I had a conversation with peeps from Aromin+sy who did the structural for most of the tall buildings, most of the designs are passive stabilization methods. Good strong flexible foundation etc. No tuning damper or stuff like that. The buildings aren't really that tall yet. You could also have simple structures which do well in earthquakes. For earthquakes current code is to require it not to fail till over 9 something on the richter scale which is on par with CA I understand. so kung pasok design nila sa code , it's safe enough. Fireproofing - I think nearly 99% of our buildings here are Reinforced Concrete,so built in ang fire resistance.

maxxam80

March 1st, 2005, 07:36 PM

thank you all very much for your replies

this has to be the friendlist forums at ssc along with Nick and Vapour at the Japan forum, all nice people.

When I have some money maybe in 2 years time I will Visit Manila and a beach area for a holiday.

thank you

I will be back on these forums soon

kiretoce

March 1st, 2005, 08:22 PM

You're always cordially welcome here! Mabuhay! :colgate:

mysaong03

March 2nd, 2005, 01:38 AM

Last census (1990) only 4,000 people from NCR said they spoke Spanish! But hopefully the number has gone up since then.

well recently, i apparently noticed many young filis are once again becoming eagerly interested on learning foreign languages, & if the interest before is only inclined in spanish, more & more college students now prefer to learn mandarin, nihonggo, korean, french & german as well. and its a good thing, it only goes to show filipinos are indeed 'global' in all aspects :colgate:

renell

March 2nd, 2005, 05:45 AM

I don't remember my sister saying "I can take a language" in high school, certainly there were only english and filipino in grade school.

It will be much easier if you start a language when one is young. Dapat sa elementary sisimulan. but then again not being able to use it in the country much doesn't help. :(

bagel

March 2nd, 2005, 06:00 AM

But then again, because we're trained from an early age at using at least two languages (Pilipino and English, and in the provinces, whatever local dialects there are), learning new languages should come easier. Multilingual people pick up languages more easily than single-language speakers because the brain is used to switching between the languages. It's just a matter of applying yourself.

I found that picking up new languages is easy for me-- French, Spanish and Japanese. The secret, as Renell has stated is use... you need to be able to use these constantly. I can't speak French, Spanish and Japanese anymore because I lack practice.

Renkinjutsushi

March 2nd, 2005, 06:10 AM

^ Hontou desu ne, nihonjin ga koko ni sumimasen.....sorede wa nihongo ga minna ni hanasanai.

本当でうね、日本人がここに住みません。。。。それでは日本語が皆に話さない。

weirdo

March 2nd, 2005, 09:59 AM

mahirap ba ang DELE? kasi parang gusto kong kumuha nito. kaya lang baka may bayad at ibagsak ko pa.

jbkayaker12

March 2nd, 2005, 10:40 AM

I studied Spanish and German in college. Well, I aced my Spanish courses in the Philippines but sadly since no one is speaking the language on a daily basis I lost it. I still know a few words and phrases but nothing substantial. I took up German here in Vegas so that somehow I can relate to my German friends, I passed it easily but the same thing I dont use it on a regular basis so I am not fluent on it but if I go back to Germany, I wont feel uncomfortable walking the remotest streets in a remote town in Germany simply because I have a bit of schooling on it.

Tschau!!

Jon

weirdo

March 2nd, 2005, 10:42 AM

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

mga tindero ng gulay sa quiapo. may rumours na nagbebenta rin sila ng droga sa hirap raw ng buhay (cliche ba reasons nila?). sana hindi totoo.

harhar tagal ko nang di nagpopost ng manila pics. magstart uli ako ngayon. maraming luma. ang ipopost ko lang ay yung di pa na post sa manila, my manila I thread. pero magpost rin ako ng mga pinost na sa nawalang metro manila thread etc. dahil wala akong masyadong bago. hirap kumuha sa paligid using cellphones. kukuhanin nila e. mas pipiliin pa nila 5110 or 3310 nokia phones kesa astig na digicam. :weirdo:

weirdo

March 2nd, 2005, 10:44 AM

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid139/p56075ae959afe2d338dd0c6ad239fee7/f70c8e41.jpg

di ba? di ba? 2002 siguro nakuha.

weirdo

March 2nd, 2005, 10:47 AM

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid139/pb097108f18c1573c2535ccab3721c98c/f70c9448.jpg

hahahaha. wala lang akong maisip na title. sa imagestation ko ang nakasulat ay: it is not uncommon to find lovers in manila bay on sunsets.

bahala na kung tama yang pinagsasabi ko. :bash: hirap mag english. sabay ang kuha date nung pic sa itaas. yehey.

XetraDAX

March 2nd, 2005, 10:48 AM

I'm curious to know if learning a foreign language is included in the curriculum in all levels of education in the Philippines. :)

There are few schools that offer foreign language classes in grade school and high school, like La Salle Zobel (mandarin, spanish, french, etc). Poveda inlcuded Spanish in its curriculum from kinder to high school. Southridge and Woodrose teach their students Latin. Some schools naman offer foreign language classes as electives (St. Paul Pasig and St. Scho, I think).

And of course, international schools such as brent and ISM offer foreign languages as well.

weirdo

March 2nd, 2005, 10:49 AM

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid119/pa1d07e7baea6262e50f54a033681f366/f873cdfb.jpg

pangit sa loob. walang kwenta. kung di lang magaganda paintings dun...
andito ung kay juan luna. ung na pldt fone card 100php nung elementary ako. 1997 or 1998. :weirdo:

weirdo

March 2nd, 2005, 10:51 AM

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid128/pb41a1a4e4af6be9bd9a1a5b20b7577f1/f7e55c4d.jpg

ang ganda ganda talaga dito. seryoso. tahimik pero mejo mainit.

mhe-ann

March 2nd, 2005, 10:52 AM

nice pics @weirdo. :)

weirdo

March 2nd, 2005, 10:54 AM

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid119/p30a96e4389c4e37e0ad635a48cf0c0bc/f873ce08.jpg

ang stage one ng buhay ni rizal ayon sa isang wall sa park niya

jbkayaker12

March 2nd, 2005, 10:55 AM

Sa mga Filipino dito, ano talaga ang rason niya at nagtatanong siya tungkol sa kaledad (sp?) ng mga itinatayong gusali sa Pilipinas. Hindi naman siya bibili at hindi naman siya magpapatayo ng gusali.

Minsan ang mga ibang tao sa ibang bansa malakas mang insulto at nagmamarunong. Nakita niyo ni hindi man lang nagbigay ng opinion sa mga isinagot niyo at sa tanong ko. :)

Jon

weirdo

March 2nd, 2005, 10:56 AM

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid139/p5ee0c55c996e528ad9f904dc0fa52dc7/f70c944a.jpg

andami dami nila nung day na kinuha ko ang pic na ito. halos hindi ako makapaniwala. astig. :weirdo:

@mhe-ann. salamat ate. online ka rin pala.

weirdo

March 2nd, 2005, 10:59 AM

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid119/peb1b2106a936b76b79f1520e20a6e3b5/f873d4a0.jpg

alam ko na asa pbase ko na ito at napost na rin sa mga metro manila threads na nawala. wala lang. ung tambay dito sa park pinapakagat ako sa aso niya. evil. shempre dapat matapang kunwari di ko gustong tumakbo :runaway: buti na lang di ako kinagat. ung dog pa naman nila ung tipong evil askals sa animated dog movies

weirdo

March 2nd, 2005, 11:02 AM

ay sige yun na lang muna kasi mamamatay na ako sa ginaw dito sa library. and ihing ihi na ako. shempre di ko naman maiwan notebook ko baka patayin ako pag nawala ko ito. ang hyper ata ng dating ko ngayon. sige next time na lang ulit. wah anlabo.

renell

March 2nd, 2005, 12:03 PM

KulasKusgan

March 2nd, 2005, 12:06 PM

^ Hontou desu ne, nihonjin ga koko ni sumimasen.....sorede wa nihongo ga minna ni hanasanai.

本当でうね、日本人がここに住みません。。。。それでは日本語が皆に話さない。

banzai. arigato. ano ibig sabihin nyan? my cousins are nikkei/filippin-jins but they grow up here in Phils. but now, they all move to japan.

@ weirdo: nic pics. lalo na yung sunset lovers. sweet!

amras

March 2nd, 2005, 01:40 PM

hahaha... renell, you are so funny. ibang klase ang mga pasada mo.. hehehe..

and i also agree with you. maybe max is just curious and wanted to be informed... so just answer those questions, chill out and stop the "bangayans" :cheers:

amras

March 2nd, 2005, 02:05 PM

mukhang sabog si weirdo... weird nga.. hahaha... pero gandang kumuha ng pics. asteeg! :)

bagel

March 2nd, 2005, 04:51 PM

^ Hontou desu ne, nihonjin ga koko ni sumimasen.....sorede wa nihongo ga minna ni hanasanai.

I'm sorry. The last time I opened a Japanese book was in 1992. And I only took it for 1/2 a year. I picked it up what little I learned quickly and picked up the hiragana and katakana quickly and could hold conversations at the 2nd grade level. Had I continued, I'm sure I would be able to answer you in Japanese. But as it is, the only Japanese I remember now are a few words and a few phrases, including "Otearai wa doko desu ka?" and "Watashi no koibito wa doko desu ka?"

bagel

March 2nd, 2005, 05:28 PM

If you look at the posts here on SSC, some of the posts that are most critical of the Philippines are the ones made by Filipinos. (myself included) I wouldn't feel defensive about the Philippines until something actually happens. Nothing's happened here.

ThisFire

March 2nd, 2005, 06:36 PM

I think Pinoys are actually much closer in ugali and values to our malayan brethren in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Spanish stuff is just a little bit deeper than our american veneer and most obvious in the cities. With our malayan brothers Somethings just got lost in the translation with religion. Pakisama, Hiya, utang ng loob are not very spanish nor latin. But you'll find very similar things in the kampungs of our neighbors:)

That's true, we are close in ugali and values to the Indonesians and Malaysians OUT OF the asian zone, but most of Filipinos are very latin american as well, sometimes we don't even notice it because we are living it, we are filipino. Let me tell you that Pakisama, Hiya and Utang ng Loob are also found in the latino culture but obviously they have their own kind and terms for it and Filipinos are more extreme in this.

ThisFire

March 2nd, 2005, 06:45 PM

jbkayaker12

March 2nd, 2005, 08:06 PM

hey man cut the guy some slack. he's asking a relevant question in a skyscraper and urban architecture forum. maybe you just need to bring up your question again. to me he's innocent until proven guilty. wala naman siya masamang sinabi.

"Hindi naman siya bibili at hindi naman siya magpapatayo ng gusali."

ako rin naman ah.............:cheers:

Naivity of people is amazing but somehow if someone is really curious enough they should be asking the professionals meaning the developer,architects and civil engineers but just out of curiousity were there any architects or engineers who actually answered the question in here.

As you can see from his response it is nowhere near the topic that he raised. :)

Jon

bagel

March 2nd, 2005, 08:19 PM

Naivity of people is amazing but somehow if someone is really curious enough they should be asking the professionals meaning the developer,architects and civil engineers but just out of curiousity were there any architects or engineers who actually answered the question in here.

Oh but don't underestimate the knowledge of your peers on SSC. One of the most amazing things about being a part of an on-line community is the idea that there is knowledge being shared here. Whether or not we're in the profession is irrelevant. After all, and this is hypothetical-- I may know how to make the best creme brulee in the world without being a professional dessert chef (for the record, I'm an expert eater of creme brulee and not an expert maker of creme brulee. I tried making it once and it was a failure). Likewise, many people on SSC are skyscraper enthusiasts and would love to share what they know about a skyscraper just for the sake of conversation. The point is we're all responding to each other's questions here. And there's no such thing as a bad question. Asking an architectural firm is kind of challenging because it's an institution and the administrative assistant who answers the phone probably won't know how to answer these questions. But the point of an online community is that we expect that there may be people who can answer questions here, regardless of their professional background. Now if the people who respond are full of hot air, that's some other matter. But those people are usually easily found out.

maxxam80

March 2nd, 2005, 09:05 PM

Goldsparrow

March 2nd, 2005, 09:59 PM

Il est trop mauvais que vous ne puissiez parler français plus boybaha...I could use a French mentor. Anyway, I'm a long-time reader and first time poster and I was wondering if someone can tell me how to post pictures?

bagel

March 3rd, 2005, 12:03 AM

J'etudie français pour trois ans, donc je le peut parle un petit peux, mais je le peut parle mal. I just mangled all of that. I really do need to practice my foreign languages. I'm a little bit better with my French because it's more recent in my language history. I can read Spanish too and have had to translate novels written in Spanish recently. I just stumbled through the original Spanish Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. How painful! But so much better than the English translations.

To post pictures, assuming you have an image host (try places like photobucket or imageshack). Enclose the URL of your image in one of these:

enter url here

kiretoce

March 3rd, 2005, 12:22 AM

Two years of French in college never did me any good! No one to talk to and have a decent conversation, now I can't string a sentence to save my life! :rant:

renell

March 3rd, 2005, 05:35 AM

Alors, le francais de boybaha, c'est pas mal. Quand je parle francais, oh la la, c'est mauvais. J'ai besoin d'etudier.

ah to keep topic here's something english and manila-related
http://www.tropicalisland.de/MNL_Manila_entrance%20gate%20to%20Intramuros_b.jpg

Renkinjutsushi

March 3rd, 2005, 05:52 AM

banzai. arigato. ano ibig sabihin nyan? my cousins are nikkei/filippin-jins but they grow up here in Phils. but now, they all move to japan.

Ummm sorry, I don't know Tagalog that well..... but I can tell what you are asking since you answered from your perspective.

Only my grandfather is Japanese, and I didn't learn Japanese language from him (he is assimilated Filipino-American now).

renell

March 3rd, 2005, 05:55 AM

Here's another photo I found trying to find the Luneta Hotel. Amazingly I still have heaps of photos from almost a year ago, here's one. Yes it is Manila:D
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid159/pb784951ed2d06f83bd6a26099d52a1b8/f4f360a4.jpg

jbkayaker12

March 3rd, 2005, 11:40 AM

jbkayaker12 so speaking in Filipino hasn't worked in tricking me

hard luck jbkay

what you said in English means

To the Filipinos here, what is really the reason why he is asking about the quality of the buildings being built in the Philippines? He is not buying and is not having a building built anyway.

Sometimes, there are people in other countries who are insulting and act like they know it all. You can see he/she didn't even give an opinion about your answers and to my question.

Is my Filipino is correct?

answer me this

I apreciate that Wally gave me an answer, and I thanked him for that

I didn't answer your question as it isn't relevant as this is a Philippine forum not a English forum.

Maybe you may want to owe me an apology

maybe you do not

I owe you an apology, I think not. For one thing you insulted the Filipino people with your careless remark regarding our architecture.

First of all there is nothing wrong asking you regarding the architecture in London as compared to architecture in the Philippines. You are curious about the architecture in the Philippines so I see nothing wrong if out of curiousity I ask you about the architecture in London compared to Metro Manila.

FYI the architecture and skyline in Metro Manila has ranked higher than London in any skyscrapers forum around so before you even start making assumptions regarding the structures in the Philippines better do some research first.

Even before you dismissed all those findings and results regarding skyscrapers around the world let me remind you that websites like Emporis know more than you and I combined regarding skyscrapers all over the world.

:)

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

Jon

Solblanc

March 3rd, 2005, 05:01 PM

I think the "friendly forum" bit just went out the window...

jbkayaker, relax. We aren't a first world country, and we also don't have the best reputation in the world. People are bound to have preconceptions about us. It isn't worth getting riled up about.

maxxam80

March 3rd, 2005, 07:02 PM

I owe you an apology, I think not. For one thing you insulted the Filipino people with your careless remark regarding our architecture.

First of all there is nothing wrong asking you regarding the architecture in London as compared to architecture in the Philippines. You are curious about the architecture in the Philippines so I see nothing wrong if out of curiousity I ask you about the architecture in London compared to Metro Manila.

FYI the architecture and skyline in Metro Manila has ranked higher than London in any skyscrapers forum around so before you even start making assumptions regarding the structures in the Philippines better do some research first.

Even before you dismissed all those findings and results regarding skyscrapers around the world let me remind you that websites like Emporis know more than you and I combined regarding skyscrapers all over the world.

:)

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

Jon

why ask about london architecture in the philippine forum when there is a specified place for it (uk section)?

no need to get uptight now, we arn't toddlers now are we?

Goldsparrow

March 3rd, 2005, 08:04 PM

Here's a few pics of Manila from our first trip back to P.I. in (sad to say)11 years...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/Goldsparrow/Picture069.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/Goldsparrow/Picture070.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/Goldsparrow/Picture052.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/Goldsparrow/Picture076.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/Goldsparrow/Picture039.jpg

I don't know which CBD that last pic along EDSA is...

maxxam80

March 3rd, 2005, 08:13 PM

I did not feel my pm was relevant to the quality of construction of Manila, so I sent it to you not this thread

a bit like your irrelevant question about london construction

you need to learn what the word "catorgorize" means

by the way you can post my pm here if you really want

it wasn't like it was bad

normandb

March 3rd, 2005, 08:18 PM

Just my opinion.

maxxam80's question is very relevant and i find it not offensive at all. A question about the quality of construction about one city's skyscraper is a valid question here in SSC forum it's just happened that out of his curiosity he asked this on metro manila thread and the subject is mm's quality of construction.

kiretoce

March 3rd, 2005, 11:32 PM

Nice! :okay:

ryanr

March 4th, 2005, 08:26 AM

This kind of conversation doesnt belong here. This is a good thread, so please stay in topic. Maxxam80 said nothing offensive at all, Jon. Please calm down...his questions were very relevant since this is a skyscraper forum. Make him feel welcome, just because this is the Philippine sub-forum of SSC doesnt mean others cant post here...in fact we very much welcome others in our forum. Max did the right thing by settling it through pm (thats what it is for).

ryanr

March 4th, 2005, 09:01 AM

Nice pics!!:) The last picture looks like you are coming from the Makati CBD going towards Gaudalupe and Ortigas.

IsaganiZenze

March 4th, 2005, 09:06 AM

I really admire the great high-rises, condos and skyscrapers that I have seen in pictures and saw when I last visited, but I've always wondered if there were to be a fire. Would the fire departments be able to handle fires in such high buildings?

I think this is a challenge for any tall building anywhere anytime....yes, tall skyscrapers are hard to battle if there is a fire...its really an amazing feat that firefighters can do what they can. Its a tough job....so I wish them luck if this horrible thing does happen, which I hope does not happen! :)

IsaganiZenze

March 4th, 2005, 09:20 AM

there is some tension going on over here.....hmmm....what can i say...its entertaining..hahhaha....sorry....but yes...this is a forum, where people can talk about buildings, and share ideas, etc. I think we should hold are prejudices, and don't act like talking behind people's backs...this is just crazy! I know we have to have pride, but we have to be humble too! WE NEED BALANCE. yes, people do have preconceptions, and that doesn't just apply to just this forum, it goes for everybody else living in this world. You know, we just have to keep on living, however we see it. Take offense or not, but we cannot let that stop us or intensify the preconceptions we have, whatever it is. I don't know, this is what i think.

maxxam80

March 4th, 2005, 09:23 AM

ryanr

March 4th, 2005, 09:28 AM

1. Makati
2. Ortigas (Manduluyong, Pasig)
3. Manila
4. Muntinlupa
5. San Juan
6. Quezon City

And for pictures, check out the threads in this forum. There are threads for each and every skyline.

renell

March 4th, 2005, 09:30 AM

well.. I don't know about San Juan being ahead of Quezon City. The former is one of the Metro's smallest cities, well and Quezon City, it's huge.

ryanr

March 4th, 2005, 09:34 AM

Thats true...my bad. Thinking about it again QC does have more high rises than San Juan

IsaganiZenze

March 4th, 2005, 09:36 AM

cleared up now

back to the questions

In order of amount of skyscrapers; could someone list the most to least amount of skyscrapered areas.

I would of thought that Makati was top so like this

1. Makati
2.Ortigas ?????

and maybe post one photo of each skyscraper cluster(only if you really want to)

thank you
Max

well...um...i have photos that I have found, and people have contributed to this forum, you can check out the separate threads for each skyline too, if you want, they will have more of them there...well here are pics, two for each one

Makati
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p1aee5804ad2c1c5abf6eb39865152c2f/f5291cff.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p5446f541d2b24098ee1035db949d66ba/f5291e89.jpg
found online for both of them

Ortigas
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/IsaganiZenze/003.jpg photo taken by a fellow forumer: renkinjutsushi
found online
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pb8cbb15097a9afa725af1376f73967d9/f5291a71.jpg

Manila
found online :)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pbdc80726c39cf4755dc8bfb8eefa2e24/f52dd229.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p1861c22253c94f72b6b78fc67b5e1965/f529217f.jpg

Muntinlupa/Alabang - found online again:)
found pics online again:)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pab40f46e67906b25cea9e5ba0ed65b57/f5291855.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pb2e2a8723ab6f7fe02914db2d39ae1d1/f5291827.jpg

Quezon City
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p3a66831039ba78b5c81c05cd01cb756f/f5291188.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p0a2175d4dbc95a3404f8350be50552c8/f5291141.jpg

And the future CBD to be - Fort Bonifacio Global City - thanks to tekgik for photos
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/pe5071255f0a32ebe17764da5183ae169/f529160a.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid157/p05d352c2e68464f3cdb8a80f4ae45baf/f52915f4.jpg

Please correct me if I am wrong PRO FORUMERS :)

renell

March 4th, 2005, 10:08 AM

damn :bash: how can we forget BGC. Right now imo it would be slotted between Quezon and San Juan. Perhaps in 08-09 it will be above Manila.

pau_p1

March 4th, 2005, 10:42 AM

wow.. those were good shots!!! :D

bustero

March 4th, 2005, 11:55 AM

I was about to say that. Fort Bonifacio in Taguig, should be after the 2 cbd's and manila, this is what I was thinking of when I made the last post. As it's clearly zoned for and already has very tall buildings. I would put it after manila . Though many would agree that it probably will be top or among the top places in the future.

San Juan has many tall buildings but all in one strip along eisenhower/annapolis ( this is where some forumers live I believe). On the other hand, QC probably has more buildings but not many over the 20- 25 story mark, of course Eastwood would add to them so that's like 9 or 10 plus another 5 or 6 coming soon.

Fyi Ortigas is a CBD which is in two municipalities, so if you looked at it with emporis or someother database it would list it as 2 seemingly separate places, when most pinoys would know it as one. If you wanted to count it strictly by town/municipality Then after makati it may be

manila or mandaluyong or pasig (am not sure though a lot of the new activity is nearer mandaluyong)
then FBDC/Taguig
QC or San Juan
Muntilupa/Alabang

this is non scientific and purely speculation on my part, an actual count employing the skyscraper point system used by many sites would yield more accurate results.

maxxam80

March 4th, 2005, 03:52 PM

thank you all for your replies

I was very suprised to see the size of ortigas in the second photo of it

how far away from Makati is Ortigas?

ryanr

March 4th, 2005, 03:54 PM

About 5km...more or less.

Thunderflip

March 4th, 2005, 08:17 PM

^Wow, those pictures are really amazing! Really swanky!

I speak English, Filipino and German fluently. My Hiligaynon Illongo and Greek are limited, while at current, I've been taking Spanish and French the last couple of years.

renell

March 5th, 2005, 12:46 AM

yeah probably not even more than that, cause really Makati ends where Mandaluyong starts, and Mandaluyong's skyline (or most of it) some people consider part of Ortigas' skyline, as its skyscrapers have spread out, just like how the Makati skyscrapers have started to go outside the CBD proper.

renell

March 5th, 2005, 01:06 AM

Nice pics!!:) The last picture looks like you are coming from the Makati CBD going towards Gaudalupe and Ortigas.

yeah that's what I thought aswell, with that building on the left. :)

@thunderflip, how fluent is your French?

mhe-ann

March 5th, 2005, 02:16 AM

wow! andami ng pics! :okay:

weirdo

March 5th, 2005, 08:36 AM

uu nga ang galing galing. post akolater kasi nireactivate ng imagestation ang account ko. 24 hrs ln to.

jbkayaker12

March 5th, 2005, 08:43 AM

A few pics taken at San Agustin in Intramuros.

Memorare
http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/memorare.jpg

http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/intra3.jpg

http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/intra2.jpg

Jon

renell

March 5th, 2005, 09:22 AM

nice mate :cheers: but the last two photos aren't working. :?

jbkayaker12

March 5th, 2005, 09:25 AM

I'll try to repost them later on.

Jon

Francis20

March 5th, 2005, 10:46 AM

a very good discusion here.

here are some shots i got
Makati
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid103/pe49e2d535bc20f4911f296476346ed09/f9aea985.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid103/p510e3b03aca6df2c1a84bdd8bdcd4942/f9aea95e.jpg

San Juan
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid103/pfd97509f533a3e593c85bd5cdbd161ed/f9aebf76.jpg

Francis20

March 5th, 2005, 10:49 AM

ortigas is only 3-4 Metro railway stations away from makati.

Thunderflip

March 5th, 2005, 06:32 PM

I can see them all. They're quite striking.

tyronne

March 5th, 2005, 07:23 PM

they're working now. ganda :okay:

Goldsparrow

March 6th, 2005, 01:11 AM

Can somewhat post the link to the Baguio thread? I can't seem to find it.

renell

March 6th, 2005, 01:47 AM

^ Must have been pruned then. Not quite a lot of Baguio interest here, at least a long consistent one.

@Thunderflip, jbkayaker probably edited out the red x's. Looking forward to seeing them later on

ThisFire

March 6th, 2005, 03:26 AM

first rate quality sites, first rate quality photos ;)

bustero

March 6th, 2005, 01:28 PM

from the edge of the hi-rise CbD in Makati on Paseo corner Buendia,There's a low rise flat area with single detached homes then about 1 kilometer to another mini development called Rockwell thenanother 2 km to the hi rise area of mandaluyong( with low rise buildings) but out of the Ortigas CBD clustered near the pioneer metrorailway stop. from here on end there will be very tall buildings (not all built yet) till the Ortigas CBD about 1 km away. The distances are all line of sight or straight line not on a road.

renell

March 7th, 2005, 10:07 AM

Hmm... does Ortigas Center have any actual borderlines? Yes I know there is the "main clump" of the skyline but then you have the sticking out EDSA Shangrila, One San Mig, Union Bank, Renaissance Towers etc.

bustero

March 8th, 2005, 03:14 AM

The original Ortigas Center as run by the Ortigas center association has a clearly defined area, you need to get their permission to build anything within the area.
start at Edsa Corner Ortigas, turn right straight to Ortigas corner meralco , turn right straight to Meralco corner tektite (or exchange road - new name) , turn right straight to Pearl corner Tektite (or Exchange Road), turn left to pearl corner opal (escriva - new name) , follow road as it curves right to shaw corner excriva, turn right straight to EDSA corner Shaw, turn right , straight to Edsa Corner Ortigas... Voila you're back and you've gone around the whole of ortigas center.

weirdo

March 8th, 2005, 06:00 AM

post sana ako kaya lang amp tong shop na to disabled ang right click amp talaga.

jbkayaker12

March 8th, 2005, 07:50 AM

Here are some of the pics that got edited the last time

The many gates surrounding Intramuros

http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/01.jpg

http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/02.jpg

Battle scars of WWII in Intramuros

http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/1.jpg

http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/2.jpg

http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/3.jpg

http://photobucket.com/albums/v635/jbkayaker12/4.jpg

Jon

mhe-ann

March 8th, 2005, 11:17 AM

cool photos. nice!

KulasKusgan

March 8th, 2005, 12:28 PM

wow! very good.

on 2nd pic. ano gawa ng isang tao on the right? jingle ata.

kiretoce

March 8th, 2005, 03:53 PM

Great! :okay: I like the way the bombed out structures in the backdrop frames the lush garden in the foreground. :)

Edmundtanso

March 8th, 2005, 09:17 PM

wow! very good.

on 2nd pic. ano gawa ng isang tao on the right? jingle ata.

could be :)

mysaong03

March 9th, 2005, 07:28 PM

ThisFire

March 9th, 2005, 10:03 PM

I love Intramuros, and these pictures are examples of this incredible place.

wecky

March 10th, 2005, 03:38 AM

lovely Intramuros ! The last time I visited it was in 1999.

absent-minded

March 10th, 2005, 03:52 AM

nice pictures..! Intramuros is such a fun looking place. and it looks like they've been refurbishing parts of it? the gates look nice with the beige colours...

the [first, I believe, and] last time I got to go to Intramuros was around late 2003, I think... a couple months after they launched the intensive tourism campaigns. was lotsa fun and hundreds of people at night.

KulasKusgan

March 10th, 2005, 12:26 PM

^ no definitely. coz i pass by the 'parian', very frequently. the place is guarded by uniformed 'guardia civils', and theres a walkway on the top of those walls so anyone can easily spot if somebody is doin nasty down there in the garden. :D

glad to hear that.

its so nice that colonial era still lives in Intramuros. terms like "parian", "guardia civil", those were in our history books. the DOT made that walled city so lively.

JudeD

March 10th, 2005, 04:36 PM

Every time I go to the Bulletin office in Intramuros, it always makes me feel a little sad to see all the parts of Intramuros that have not been restored or have been improperly developed. Based on pictures, paintings, and literary accounts, Intramuros was a much more beautiful and elegant neighborhood than what it is now, at par with the Old City centers of some European or Latin American cities. Right now it's barely a shadow of a whisper of what it used to be.

pau_p1

March 11th, 2005, 01:54 AM

yeahh... its really sad to see that specially to see some new structures in it that doesn't blend with its old look.... but then... WWII has destroyed most of Intramuros....

Hawayano

March 11th, 2005, 05:20 AM

Our sentiments about our beloved ciudad murada are the cost that today's generation is paying for the lack of direction and focus that plagued Manila's planners in the haphazard rebuilding after 1945. "Sayang" is more of an understatement, di ba? Can you imagine what Intramuros could've looked like for us today if the Dominicans had chosen to restore their neo-Gothic Santo Domingo in the Walled City, or if the Recollects had rebuilt their splendidly elaborate church near Baluarte San Andres? At least we could capture a better image of what La Insigne y Siempre Leal Manila was like before disappearing in a cloud of destruction. Does anyone know if they plan to rebuild the Ayuntamiento ruins or the Intendencia? How long are we gonna have to wait? Where's UNESCO?

mhe-ann

March 11th, 2005, 07:03 AM

uy, @Hawayano welcome back!

renell

March 11th, 2005, 07:50 AM

aah yes, I understand some of what Hawayeno has been talking about. I remember seeing old pics of this architecturally beautiful church, heaps above Manila Cathedral and San Agustin in the exterior. couple more churches too than now.

bustero

March 11th, 2005, 09:03 AM

I think UNESCO is around but most of the money will still have to come from us here and I think at our current state of development we still don't have the critical mass to raise the huge sums of money needed to reconstruct the whole area.

bagel

March 11th, 2005, 10:40 AM

Yes, Hawayano, you do have a point, but at the same time, while the Dominicans decided not to rebuild in Intramuros, we do have an icon in 1950s ecclesiastical modernism in the Sto Domingo church along Quezon Ave. I'm not saying that this kind of style is aesthetically better than the original Sto Domingo, but I do think that the new architecture that occured after World War II did reflect the sensibility of the modern that the Philippines was bursting with post-American independence. I'm not disputing that reconstruction was haphazard, but I do think that there are some good pieces of architecture that could never have been built before. The new Sto Domingo church is a pure example of the modern in church architecture.

ryanr

March 11th, 2005, 11:18 AM

Excellent Intramuros pictures:okay:

Hawayano

March 11th, 2005, 11:50 PM

uy, @Hawayano welcome back!
hey, mahalo nui (thanks much), mhe-ann! It's good to be back in here again...and thanks everyone, for sharing your concern and pics of Intramuros.

From the Jasmine Trias Islands

bagel

March 12th, 2005, 04:34 AM

Here's the first batch of my screen capture series. I captured these from Imelda, the Movie. I believe they depict Manila in the early 1950s.

Quiapo, along Quezon Blvd.
http://img204.exs.cx/img204/7164/avenida6gp.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

Escolta's backside
http://img204.exs.cx/img204/8338/pasig0vf.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

Quiapo
http://img204.exs.cx/img204/3089/quiapo4rx.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

Quiapo Market?
http://img94.exs.cx/img94/6017/quiapomarket5ul.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

Congress Building
http://img232.exs.cx/img232/2465/legislature7hn.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

Another angle
http://img232.exs.cx/img232/8154/legislature27nr.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

Avenida Rizal (or is this Claro M Recto?)
http://img10.exs.cx/img10/2969/avenidarecto0vn.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting (http://www.imageshack.us)

renell

March 12th, 2005, 06:26 AM

Looks different, while there was an upside of Escolta's buildings in better condition than now, traffic doesn't look pristine and orderly.

bagel

March 12th, 2005, 08:03 AM

When was traffic ever pristine and orderly?

renell

March 12th, 2005, 09:31 AM

^ Perhaps not the right words. Traffic wasn't any better in the 50's.

normandb

March 12th, 2005, 01:18 PM

Click the link and Manila to watch the german video about Manila. It sounds German to me.

http://www.wetter.at/ch_reise_reisevideos.php

ryanr

March 12th, 2005, 02:58 PM

So they used actual images from the 1950s in the movie? thats pretty cool

bagel

March 12th, 2005, 05:45 PM

Unfortunately, my copy of the DVD is scratched up so I can't get it to play all the time so I need to be patient with my vidcapping.

mysaong03

March 12th, 2005, 08:12 PM

traffic was so bad during thode times that it prompted mayor arsenio lacson to launch massive infrastructure for urban renewal. he built the lacson underpass(the 1st in asia), 3 separate flyovers in front of the post office, 2 pedestrian underpass in front of the city hall & another 3 along recto & FEU, scraping the intersection of taft-padre burgos to make way for the 'lagusnilad' and the intersection of claro m recto & quezon blvd for 'lerma' vehicle underpass. :)

bagel

March 12th, 2005, 08:57 PM

Not only was the Lacson Underpass (now affectionally called Quiapo Ilalim) the first in Asia, it was also airconditioned when it first opened. Imagine that!

sandrin

March 13th, 2005, 01:39 PM

A time-tested quality Construction everybody must read

A young man’s dream: To build an eco-city

By CANDY S. MANALOTO

For someone born to an upper middle–class family, 32–year–old Illac Diaz is not afraid to get his hands dirty.

Four years ago, the young man envisioned providing sustainable housing solutions for seafarers who come to the city capital looking for jobs.

"In my perception, there are four basic human rights: the right to life, the right to liberty, the right for the pursuit of happiness, but something that I greatly believe in is the right to shelter," says the commercial model–turned social entrepreneur Illac Diaz during an interview at his modest office in Corte Real compound inside Intramuros.

Talk is cheap, as they say. And Illac would rather walk the talk and do something about the seemingly perpetual problem of homelessness in the country than to sit down and wait for a miracle to happen.

While finishing his master’s degree in entrepreneurship at the Asian Institute of Management, Illac did a thesis on how to create a large-scale dormitory system that will temporarily accommodate these migrant workers while they wait for their job appointments.

With more than 900 seafarers now housed at the dorm in Intramuros, it appears that Illac has found the perfect solution for transient job–seekers in this side of Manila, many of whom used to spend the night at the Luneta park because they cannot afford the R200 to R300 per night for lodging.

Meanwhile, Illac believes that his personal advocacy goes beyond the walls of Intramuros.

In time, Illac found himself involved with some of the problems of Escalante in Negros Occidental.

"One day, Tita Rio (the late Rio Diaz-Cojuangco) invited me to Negros. She said, ‘we saw your work in Manila… if you can do anything for Negros, do it here. Negros has given so much to me.’ So I went to Negros to study the place," recalls Illac.

While in Negros, Illac saw the same crisis as in Manila — a situation of homelessness that required an out-of-the box solution soon, if not right away.

"Negros is a big agricultural area with many sugar plantations. I asked myself, what else can I find here? Later I found out that for so many years, the Spaniards used soil (adobe) to build bridges and roads. So, I did research about this age-old practice," he continues.

"Nowadays, if you ask people how to build a house, they find themselves incapacitated. They can’t work without cement, steel and iron. But these things weren’t here before…," points out Illac.

From Negros, Illac went to the UNESCO Earth Architecture in India where he studied the primitive technique of mixing soil, lime, water and a small amount of stabilizer (in the form of cement) to create some of the most stable structures.

After acquiring the skills in India, Illac flew to California where the idea of building super adobe prototypes (pioneered by Iranian architect Nader Khalili) was first developed and tested.

These prototypes were so successful that they have not only received California building permits but have also met the requirements of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for emergency housing.

Early this year, with his small army of trained helpers, Illac built his first dome house (which he named Rio Dome after his late aunt) in Escalante using the simplest yet most durable of materials.

Rice bags filled with the earthen mixture are piled on top of each other, while barbed wires are placed in–between courses which in turn work as Velcro strips that hold the sandbags together thus preventing them from shifting.

For a perfect dome shape, Illac utilized what he calls a giant compass which serves as a guide in laying out the adobe rings.

If one may say so, the prototype looks more like the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, a huge heap of soil with cut out windows and doors that are fashioned by using an electric chainsaw.

But how sturdy is this structure?

"The dome house is based from the ‘eggshell principle’ which tends to spread the stresses evenly over the skin. What we observed is that instead of hitting on the walls, the wind wraps against the building. It wouldn’t blow off the roof, but it would compress the whole structure," he informs.

According to Illac, the unusual housing structure is 30 to 60 percent cheaper, not to mention fire–resistant and 20 degrees cooler than modern homes which translates to less energy consumption.

And since the original prototype was primarily conceived as an evacuation house during disasters, the super adobe house is built to be earthquake–resistant up to intensity seven on the Richter scale.

In the future, Illac plans to reinforce the idea of using purified sugarcane by–products (or bagas) in place of cement as a stabilizer, an invention of two UP Diliman students that made it to the finals of the Young Inventors Awards in 2003.

If everything goes as planned, Illac is eyeing on building a whole community of dome houses not only as permanent shelters for the homeless but also as a potential tourism come–on.

"Sometimes, I feel like I am running alone. But then, if you really want to solve something, you must have an attitude that nothing, whether geographic, financial or even an idea, must stop you from achieving your purpose," he says.

"I’m not saying that mine may be the right or only solution (to the problem). But my direction, I feel, is the correct one."

sandrin

March 17th, 2005, 01:30 AM

This is what the earth bags look like:
http://www.bworld.com.ph/current/CorporateWorld/earthbag.jpg

http://www.bworld.com.ph/current/CorporateWorld/earthbag1.jpg

Earthbag system: dome houses provide solution to dwelling lack
By FRANCIS Y. CAPISTRANO, Reporter

A house built using sandbag or earthbag technology could cost around P50,000 to P70,000, or 30% to 60% less than a conventionally built house.

It so happens that the countries affected by natural disasters are among the poorest in the world.

The South Asian tsunami in December affected India, Thailand, and Indonesia, among other countries in the region. Also late last year, the Philippines experienced four typhoons that devastated Quezon and Aurora.

Similarly, there is also a correlation between poverty and war, as the countries with most armed unrest are among the poorest. The Philippines, especially Mindanao, may yet be a good example. All these leave a great majority homeless or in poor living conditions.

Though there are efforts made by government and private organizations to provide housing, unfortunately, conventional infrastructure solutions may still be too costly. Costs of materials -- wood, cement and steel -- have been going up through the years, as these are becoming more scarce and contribute to the degradation of the environment.

MyShelter Foundation, a non-profit organization, brought into the country a housing technology which may be an "uncommon" solution to this problem the housing backlog: dome houses made 80% with earth.

"It is best to look not only for a normal housing solution," said Illac Diaz, MyShelter founder and executive director, as there is a need to move away from industrial, West-oriented solutions.

During a forum held by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), he said a house built using sandbag or earthbag technology could cost around P50,000 to P70,000, or 30% to 60% less than a conventionally built house.

Long spools of rice sacks are packed tightly with a waterproof mixture of earth and a small amount of cement. These are then stacked together on a circular trench two rice sacks deep.

In between the overlapping layers are barbed wires to hold the earth bags in place. The earth bags are stacked together forming a dome shape as guided by a large, compass-like tool.

To further waterproof and insulate the dome house and improve on its aesthetics, its outer and inner surfaces could be plastered.

A community of at least six persons could build these dome houses in days, he said. This not only eliminates costs but fosters cooperation and unity in the community.

The dome shape is preferred, Mr. Diaz said, as it is a repetition of the arch, considered to be the sturdiest shape in architecture, as pressure is equally distributed on all sides. Thus, the dome is a self-supporting structure that eliminates the need for pillars.

With its structure and materials -- as well as its aerodynamic shape -- the earthen dome house could be resilient to typhoons and earthquakes.

The house also provides ample ventilation, thus, eliminating the need for air temperature control system. This makes the house energy efficient, he said.

"Barbed wire, rice sacks and soil have been used as instruments of war," Mr. Diaz noted. "Why not make these instruments of peace?"

The technology was developed by American-Iranian architect Nader Khalili of the California Institute of Earth and Art Architecture and by Earth Architecture of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Communities of dome houses has already been built in Hesperia in California, USA and in Senegal.

MyShelter built a prototype dome house in poverty-ridden Escalante City, Negros Occidental, the first of such in Asia. Dubbed "Rio Dome," MyShelter built the prototype there on the request of Mr. Diaz's late aunt, Rio Diaz-Cojuangco.

Escalante Mayor Santiago Barcelona Jr. is planning to have the prototype dome house as a tourism center in the city. The dome house in Escalante was built manually in 28 days. Mr. Diaz said the foundation is developing a system to mechanize the construction so the whole process could be done in 10 days, and to possibly mass-produce these.

MyShelter is collaborating with two internationally recognized inventors -- Deorex Navaja and Bonar Laureto -- who were able to transform bagas -- waste ash from burning sugarcane -- into commercial-grade cement.

As suggested in the forum, lahar, or mud overflow from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, could also be used as it has a significant amount of silica.

Mr. Diaz, a 32-year-old multi-awarded entrepreneur and former commercial model, said this project is the beginning of numerous possibilities to solve the problem of lack of shelter.

For instance, if a community of dome houses is to be built, he said the same structure could be used for storing and collecting water. The earth bag technology could also be used to build schools, hospitals and even tourist attractions, he added.

As these dome-shape houses are also structures associated with the affluent, he agreed that the foundation could build these houses for the moneyed who want to have such houses. Of course, he said they would be charging higher and profits from these could fund community projects.

At the moment, he said the foundation is planning to set up a website dedicated to providing information in building such structures readily available. Also important is the mechanization of the construction process by the third quarter.

The next step, M. Diaz said, would be to acquire a building approval from the authorities. Nonetheless, he said, the design is already approved by the International Convention of Building Officials and by the government of California, which may be the strictest when it comes to building codes.

The foundation is also in need of funding grants to pursue the project.

What needs to happen, he said, is for such an out-of-the-box idea -- especially those from the youth -- to start coming in as solutions to already common problems.

"Maybe we should start listening to the young more," he said.

MyShelter started in its advocacy in providing shelters with its Pier One Dormitories project in Intramuros, Manila.

The project, which was aimed at providing a decent living to transient maritime workers who are forced to sleep in Luneta, now has a capacity of 1,000 beds and has provided job assistance to over 40,000 maritime workers.

Mr. Diaz, an alumnus of the AIM Center for Entrepreneurship, was an AIM Prestige Awardee in 2003 and the first Johnny Walker Social Entrepreneur Awardee in the Philippines in 2004.