BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!
OH MY! OH MY! OH MY!
Something is happening over at the South Super Highway Extension and it's warming the black corridors of my tiny heart. Just last week, on my way Quirino Boulevard from Buendia, I took a gander at the railroad to my right and noticed that something was off. Very off. And soon I realized that the reason why things seemed so unnerving was because I could actually SEE the railroads on my right. Something that I was never able to do before. The landscape, which once looked like this:
Now looked like this:
For as long as I can remember in the 33 years of my short life, railroad squatters have defined the landscape of my mental picture of Manila. Barefoot pregnant women and toothless shirtless men lounging by their festering makeshift residences had become a sight as normal to me in this city as coconut trees. To tell you the truth, I considered shanties such a definitive aspect of our civic identity that I never EVER thought that I would see these railside versions of Philippine vernacular architecture disappear within my lifetime. But lo and behold, Looky! They are gone.
Only the smashed bits and pieces remain as the skyline of Makati is now given permission to loom in the distance. And please, don't start thinking that I am some heartless twit who delights in seeing poor people dislocated from their homes. Not at all. I truly believe that it's even MORE heartless to let these people stay there and believe that their wretched way of life is permissible in ANY society. It may be harsh to see them suffer for now, but in the long run, I do hope that their sacrifice to create a national rail system will lead to a better way of life for themselves and the greater majority (I also hope that they are given alternative housing in exchange for their move). Nevertheless, It's good to see that steps to stop pandering to the poor are finally being taken and attempts to reclaim public domain are finally being made. And call me a pollyanna, but I do have a teeny weeny glimmer of hope in my heart that the sight of squatters MIGHT decline considerably one day in Manila. Because down the street from where all this destruction was located, the Metro Manila Development Authority was heroically trying to teach Manila's heaving classes the finer points of maintaining civilized surroundings by keeping the plants alive on center islands and giving their neighborhoods a fresh lick of paint and new paving - just like this:
Say whatever you want about the "questionable" mandate of Gloria Mac Arroyo or the pink urinals of Bayani Fernando, it cannot be denied that such a dramatic physical change in my urban sightscape is happening under their watch. I wonder if any alternative poser to the leadership of the country or the MMDA can offer anything better for now. And I also wonder how long this will last.
The top three shots above were taken in the East Side of South Super Hiway Ext. between Magallanes and Quirino Ave. The lower two shots were taken at the notoriously squatter infested "Nazareth" zone at the Northwest corner of San Andres street (so called because the area was the one of the first depressed areas to be walled off from the sight of tourists by Imelda back in the 1970's. Leaving only arched entrances reminiscent of the gates of Nazareth for access.) February 2006.
Something is happening over at the South Super Highway Extension and it's warming the black corridors of my tiny heart. Just last week, on my way Quirino Boulevard from Buendia, I took a gander at the railroad to my right and noticed that something was off. Very off. And soon I realized that the reason why things seemed so unnerving was because I could actually SEE the railroads on my right. Something that I was never able to do before. The landscape, which once looked like this:
Now looked like this:
For as long as I can remember in the 33 years of my short life, railroad squatters have defined the landscape of my mental picture of Manila. Barefoot pregnant women and toothless shirtless men lounging by their festering makeshift residences had become a sight as normal to me in this city as coconut trees. To tell you the truth, I considered shanties such a definitive aspect of our civic identity that I never EVER thought that I would see these railside versions of Philippine vernacular architecture disappear within my lifetime. But lo and behold, Looky! They are gone.
Only the smashed bits and pieces remain as the skyline of Makati is now given permission to loom in the distance. And please, don't start thinking that I am some heartless twit who delights in seeing poor people dislocated from their homes. Not at all. I truly believe that it's even MORE heartless to let these people stay there and believe that their wretched way of life is permissible in ANY society. It may be harsh to see them suffer for now, but in the long run, I do hope that their sacrifice to create a national rail system will lead to a better way of life for themselves and the greater majority (I also hope that they are given alternative housing in exchange for their move). Nevertheless, It's good to see that steps to stop pandering to the poor are finally being taken and attempts to reclaim public domain are finally being made. And call me a pollyanna, but I do have a teeny weeny glimmer of hope in my heart that the sight of squatters MIGHT decline considerably one day in Manila. Because down the street from where all this destruction was located, the Metro Manila Development Authority was heroically trying to teach Manila's heaving classes the finer points of maintaining civilized surroundings by keeping the plants alive on center islands and giving their neighborhoods a fresh lick of paint and new paving - just like this:
Say whatever you want about the "questionable" mandate of Gloria Mac Arroyo or the pink urinals of Bayani Fernando, it cannot be denied that such a dramatic physical change in my urban sightscape is happening under their watch. I wonder if any alternative poser to the leadership of the country or the MMDA can offer anything better for now. And I also wonder how long this will last.
The top three shots above were taken in the East Side of South Super Hiway Ext. between Magallanes and Quirino Ave. The lower two shots were taken at the notoriously squatter infested "Nazareth" zone at the Northwest corner of San Andres street (so called because the area was the one of the first depressed areas to be walled off from the sight of tourists by Imelda back in the 1970's. Leaving only arched entrances reminiscent of the gates of Nazareth for access.) February 2006.
posted by carlosceldran @ 12:36 AM
8 Comments:
and then maybe we can get the trains running on time! (oh, and some new trains too, please.)
(on the global front - cities are realizing that their dependence on cars for mobility is not such a good thing so trains and mass transit are back in the planning books.)
I'm riding shotgun on your hope-for-manila-bandwagon (traincar?), carlos! We've had 4 decades of spiraling decay and that's about 10 years overtime as far as cycles of renewal go for cities. Maybe we're starting on the upside of the slope.
I do hope this is the start of the change we've been waiting for years!
I agree with you that people should not live along the railway tracks. Good thing if they are relocated to some more suitable places. I am sure those (professional) squatters are taken care off since they are protected by law. I fear this is only a small stretch along those railway tracks. Further down the highway towards Alabang it is just the usual cover up with high walls.
I also think the beautification project of the government is not a bad thing in itself and the paint jobs by the MMDA are impressive. (You can see it on one of your pictures.)
On the other hand I have the bad feeling that it is just another cover up of the appealing housing condition of a lot of Filipinos (like Imelda did). Look at what is happening along C5. On one side you have the high walls of an exclusive gated village and on the other side of the road they are building yet another wall so that the motorists can’t see the shanties. (Carlos, no more Imelda arches but now they make little openings that look like holes.)
Is this what we want? Streets with on both sides of the road high walls. No view at all?
Indeed the people (and those famous foreign investors!) driving in their expensive air-conditioned cars, won’t be bothered anymore by the view of barefoot pregnant women and toothless shirtless men lounging by their festering makeshift residences. We can now enjoy our café latte in peace without being bothered by our conscience.
Tsk,tsk…
I understand they are being moved to government housing in Cavite
Hola!
My mom's friend is the barangay chairwoman of Magallanes Village and is apparently involved in the relocation of the squatters along the riles who are part of barangay magallanes (yes, there is more to the barangay than the village). Anyway, the National Housing Authority is relocating them to a place in Cavite with proper houses etc. It is going at a fairly fast clip considering that there is a lot of paperwork involved but they are trying to do it properly with all the t's crossed and the i's dotted so those folks can't be swindled... The nicest thing I think is that the ex-squatters can still go to work in Manila, Makati etc. since the relocation site is accessible by train, and according to Mom, they get 1-year free transport. Of course I have to check how accurate all this is... but it sure is nice to think that it is possibel that something in the government is working.
Lali
It is nice to think positively every now and then, isn't it?
Sigh. I hope it's true.
Those are Binay voters who get a sack of goodies during Christmas in exchange for votes. That's why he and his wife keeps winning. Could this be the end of that good-for-nothing mayor?
Sana naman,our train system gets better soon.Kase,our transport system is in a time warp.We're actually regressing,whoever invented ba the side-cars and the tricycles and the jeepneys?I bet if they ban them all,Metro will have better air quality and also less noisy.
alex e.
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