Interesting article today. Although the bars and restaurants on the BayWalk have been closed down - apparently, new ones are going to be established inside Intramuros to replace them. Sounds like a good idea I guess, but this won't be the first time that this has been tried. Around six years ago, the walls of the city were rented out to restaurants and bars but sadly, everything failed. Although a lot of establishments there were high end and world class. (my favorite one being the defunct Sanctum Unmasct Bar), none of them really took off the ground. The business development plan was hampered because of protests by conservationists (damage to the adobe) and a case that was filed against the developers (for renting without bidding). That was a shame though because I don't think the restaurants should have been removed. The developers should have been fined and punished, the restaurants should not have been singled out by protestors. Just like Baywalk, stricter measures should have been taken to not deface the adobe walls, assure bidding transparency, and to maintain order. The baby should have not been thrown out with the bathwater. I really hope Intramuros gets it right this time around. Perhaps with Lim and Durano in the picture, the squatters will be relocated, services will be improved, and the ridiculous government bidding process streamlined. Really, those are the only reasons why the any place will never take off inside Intramuros. Any right minded businessman would never put up a hospitality venture in a place with hardly any water, a counterproductive bidding process (the winner is never really based on merit), lousy parking, and with a shabu infested shanty town only a stones throw away.Thank you, dboy, for the picture.
