Urban Planning Challenges in Metro Manila and the Philippines

By -
I was browsing the blogosphere (i don't know why i continue to use that word, it just sounds catchy) and came across this well written piece. I'd like to share it with you, the readers...Let's face it. Manila is one of the last things that comes to mind when we talk about the world's most organized cities. This metropolis of nearly 20 million (daytime population) is the stereotype of a Third World city, where there are slums everywhere and issues like garbage disposal and traffic are poorly addressed. As the country's capital, it's such a shame that we only have this to show to the world. It smacks right against the good image that the Philippines is trying to project.

Urban Planning
Location: Cebu City, Philippines

Comments

  1. KenNovember 4, 2011 at 12:21 AM

    Sometimes, I just want to drop a nuke in the middle of Manila and start from scratch.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular this week

Day 2: Senate hearing backfires against a rattled Senator Leila de Lima!

By -
Image
Just watched Day 2 of Senate hearing. Tables were turned once again on De Lima, without any effort it seems from the PNP or Duterte's senate allies. This must really be karma at work, or Duterte's magic is really strong. De Lima opened the session by saying she had asked ABS-CBN, Inquirer, and GMA 7 to submit their "kill list" databases and methodology for compiling the lists. However, only GMA 7 submitted. Strange. If those lists were being prepared properly, shouldn't these media groups have their databases and methodology on hand at any time? Or were those lists haphazardly done? Sandra Cam showed up in the middle of the hearing and sat directly behind De Lima. But Cam disappeared after a while, so viewers were not treated to scratching and hair-pulling. A group of women wearing dark glasses, masks, and headscarfs sat in a row on one area–I don't know why De Lima made them dress like jihadist terrorists, but they were her witnesses. (No offense mean...
Read more

Over 100M-peso cost of #DongYanWedding shouldered by GMA Network as publicity investment!

By -
Image
I was correct with my gut feelings. My friendly butiki, who listens to everything inside the executive offices of GMA7, confirmed that it was the network that paid for everything (repeat, everything) in the so called 'royal wedding'. It was over Php100m on the wedding day alone, not including other expenses in the pre-nuptial activities. This is an eye-popping amount if it is just a wedding expense (as I am one of those who think that a 20m wedding is already stupid and insensitive in a Third World setting, even if one could afford a 500m one). Over 100m, however, is a justifiable amount, even cheap vis-a-vis the ROI, if it is accounted as marketing and advertising expense of a large corporation that regularly spends much more anyway in their ads and promos. If the network has been able to project that their signature stars are bigger than those from competition, then they would have been able to deliver the message that GMA7 is the bigger kid in the block (don't get me...
Read more

Georgina Hernandez struggles to defend Leni Robredo's video to the United Nations

By -
Image
Leni Robredo is like a cancerous tumor who needs to be removed as soon as possible. As long as she’s occupying the VP post, our country won’t be able to move forward. The drug lords, the gambling lords, illegal miners, police scalawags etc. will keep defying President Duterte for as long as Leni is there, waiting in the wings. They’ll keep destabilizing the country and trying to oust President Duterte, because they know they have a dummy ready to take over. But if Leni is out, they won’t have any incentive anymore to keep destabilizing the country. There won’t be any point, because they won’t be able to control the successor. They’ll be forced to behave. There’s no doubt that Leni was acting in bad faith when she did that UN video. Anyone in President Duterte’s team who says otherwise, or tries to make excuses for her by saying she’s just being “used” or “misled”, needs to have his brain and his loyalty checked. Just watch this interview of Leni’s spokesperson, Georgina He...
Read more

An open letter to CNN on their reporting on the #YolandaPH disaster in the Philippines

By -
Image
This "open letter" was found making the rounds on social media: * * * Dear Sirs: I just wanted to make some comments on the reporting of the CNN International crew here in Manila, regarding the relief efforts for the victims of super-typhoon Haiyan (which we locally call typhoon Yolanda). First, full disclosure: I am a retired Filipino executive and computer person. I was born in the Philippines and spent all my life here (save for some very short overseas stints connected with my career). I have worked with a large local Philippine utility, started up several entrepreneurial offshore software service companies (when outsourcing was not yet in vogue), and also served as the Philippine country head for a multi-billion dollar Japanese computer company. This diverse work background allows me to always see both the local and global point of view, and to see things from the very different standpoints of a third-world citizen, and a person familiar with first-world mind...
Read more