WTF...?
FAREWELL FOUNTAIN...Okay, I was able to keep calm about the removal of every stall on Roxas Boulevard, the return of Carriedo Street and Avenida Rizal to the jeepneys, and the overall dull mood Manila's been having these days, but to hear that dear old Mayor Lim is now going to remove the fountain in front of Malate Church for "desecrating" the spirit of Rajah Sulayman, now that is just way way way too much and I gotta flip my wig.
Dude. What the hell? The fountain too "festive" for you, Mayor? Get realistic about Manila, Mayor Lim. The rich ain't coming back. Former high end establishments like Sala, Garlic Rose, Bravo, and their patrons have all packed their bags for malls elsewhere. And in the absence of a middle class, we need fountains, and lights, and commercial activity to add life to the area. Not only for safety but also to provide jobs for people, ok? And that comment about Sulayman only shows you how ignorant you are of Manila's history. The Plaza Sulayman is not a shrine. It's a park. Rajah Sulayman never lived or died there. That plaza was formerly a beach and then a school building before becoming Plaza Sulayman in the 1970's. Do you want to put the school building back? Do you want to bring the beach back? Is that how far you want to reverse things in Manila?
Just fix the fountain, Mayor. Make it simpler, more elegant, and more electricity and water efficient. DO NOT remove the fountain. It cools the concrete plaza down and adds delight to an otherwised hard-edged, vagrant-friendly area. C'mon - do we want the shab dealers back there? Because unless you add some life, those are the only people who are going to hang out there. Just like they did during your first term.
And HCS and Winners. Get with the program too. The mayor works fast so you guys have to work even faster. You are the only ones with the Mayor's ear right now. A lot rests upon you guys.
Hey, Mayor, if you want to make Malate more family and tourist friendly, why not the crack down on the unscrupulous money changers of Malate first? My friend Sidney just got swindled only LAST week! Get rid of them first. Get your priorities straight.
The hundred days are nearing an end, Mayor. Get with the program. So far, you have only proven that you can regress. Prove to me you can take us forward.
UPDATE: Things about the Lim Administration that scare me. This missing person and yet another reversed pedestrianized promenade by the Pasig River and Intramuros. Things that confuse me about the Mayor. Apprently, the only thing that he is in agreement with Mayor Atienza about is a lack of concern for family planning and birth control (read number ten on his platform). God help us all under Lim. God help us all.
I really want to like this Mayor. I really do. He isn't making it easy.
Then again, perhaps I should shut up soon before I go missing too.
Labels: kvetch kvetch kvetch
posted by carlosceldran @ 9:59 AM
32 Comments:
hi mr. carlos, im jL, an undergrad and am a part of a group who are presently conducting a field research on quiapo. i was searching for online references about quiapo and i saw senor enrique's blog. i messaged him and he told me that you are more knowledgeable on the topic. would you mind setting a date for my group to interview you?
thanks!
jL
That will be just SO WRONG!!!!!
IndioBRAVO
I just passed by Roxas Blvd yesterday and I happened to see Lim giving a speech in front of the fountain with police lined up and television cameras on the scene. Nobody was really there watching. But I was shocked to see how every eatery or stand was gone at the baywalk. I thought that he was just going to reduce the number of concession stands, but now it's a complete wipeout! So he just wants it to be a plain baywalk as in only walk, look and pass through? But where's the resource there like food, refreshments? So Lim wants it to only be for locals who will pass by since not many tourists or non-Manilenos would visit the place any more? Like what Carlos said, it also reduces jobs. This hurts tourism too as Baywalk proved to be a tourist site with people strolling and dining. Carlos said that Lim is even ignorant with how he called Plaza Rajah, a "shrine." Lim doesn't even know his own city it seems, or maybe he doesn't own a dictionary. Here's another example of ignorance from Lim: doesn't he know about the classic cafe culture found in places like landmark streets/tourist zones or BAYWALKS? It's not a new thing, it's been around all over especially since classic Europe! To be a mayor, you must also know basic tourism elements of a city, not just running it. Tourism will always be a part of a city, and what more with historic Manila! A mayor must have tourism skills as well, and you can see that Atienza was both a politican but also with tourism qualities. Lim is haywire. I think the man is losing it, or he is confirmed senile.
alejandro
FRED LIM = The Grinch Who Stole My Manila
This time I agree with you 100% !!!
Why can't we have people with vision like the mayor of London, Paris and other world cities?
WHY?
I really wish that Mayor Lim would read Urbano dela Cruz's website.
At his age Mr. Lim should work for his legacy and for the people of Manila. It is his last chance to show greatness.
How does he want to be remembered? As an outstanding mayor or as "the Grinch who stole my Manila".
I like Malate and Roxas Blvd because it is a more popular entertainment area (for the common tao)than the new upscale places as Glorietta, Greenbelt and Bonifacio High Street.
The neighborhood is far from perfect and the new mayor has plenty of room to improve and correct the errors of the past.
This doesn't mean he should destroy every achievement of his predecessor.
The place has a lot of potential and can be an alternative to the high end malls.
My heart bleeds again, Carlos... :-(
I was over at Baywalk yesterday and found the place desolate, except for some who appeared to be vagrants.
You're right -- HCS must move swiftly and help curtail this madness.
So here's another polemic directed at HCS (and the Winner Foundation -as there seems to be a close intersect between the groups):
Do you care about the city and the people who live in it? Or are buildings more important than people?
I'm probably being very unfair to HCS - they are about "Heritage" and "Conservation" -but seeing that they were quick on the defense about Mayor Lim, re: Avenida. And since they've crowed about having a seat on the table...
(sorry for using your blog, carlos. but hey, you get way more readership than I do)
The man's out of his mind. There'd be no reason to go to Manila at all. Why not just raze the entire city and start over! Mayor Lim is losing it! Maybe Imelda should've become mayor after all...
first the mayor re-opens up Avenida which did nothing in easing the traffic congestion there, then he targets the concessionaires of Baywalk, now the fountain?
"PATAYIN ANG MAYNILA" seems to capture the essence of his administration.
He's taking out the fountain!!!?
If he really wants to clean up Manila, start with the houses along the river! Go to Quiapo and get rid of "pirate central". Clean out the squatter areas or better yet the Pasig River.
Like what Mr. Celdran said, "The rich ain't coming back". Go fix the things that are broken.
Many people disagree with what Atienza did to Manila but Lim is just going overboard.
Don't expect much from the HCS or the Winner Foundation Carlos. They are all just the elitist friends of Mayor Lim who only care about their own agenda and are just as myopic in their hatred of Atienza as he is.
Im pretty sure none of them live in Manila either. They only visit Manila in their chauffer driven cars. I doubt any of them even walked a street in Manila in the last three years.
Don't worry too much about it Carlos. You are making a difference whereas they are not. Your legacy will definitely last longer than theirs.
http://spankyenriquez.blogspot.com/2007/08/blog-post.html
I've started campaigning for the return of LA in 2010.
what the hell is with Lim and his pogrom?
Grassroots arts campaign? Imagine:
"The Grinch Who Stole My Manila"
printed on tshirts + posters under a picture of Lim. Maybe done up with a little Grinchy green hair. Combined with a letterwriting campaign to opinion pages of various Manila magazines on what Lim should be doing to make Manila a better place.
Just a thought. I realize I'm not living in Manila and as such I am only marginally helpful.
you mean like this? or like this?
smurf blue. not grinchy green. but can be made to order.
hey carlos! i remember when roxas was home to all the 'dark' elements. you would be afraid for your life if you ever found yourself in that area. atienza changed all that! he beautified the area, brought business in (not to mention income!) and made manila a must-see destination for locals and tourists alike. i can't imagine any logical rationale behind lim's very abrupt changes. sayang si lim. i'm almost sure atienza will be back by 2010.
Remember during the last Mayoral election, those anti-Ali Atienza posters starting showing up towards the end? "Wala akong alam sa kidnapping." -Ali Atienza, or "Wala akong alam drugs" etc etc.
Well, for our Favorite Grinchy Mayor, I'm sure we can come up with something similar.
"Wala akong alam sa Urban Planning." -Fred Lim.
"Wala akong alam sa Tourist Attractions." -Fred Lim
carlos, if you go missing, we will turn up en masse to form a search party, and we will all be in grinch shirts emblazoned with: Produce Celdran Or Else!
And...and...we will drag ALL the anting-anting and agimat vendors of quiapo and escolta into the fray and sic them on city hall until you are returned to your people, safe and unharmed. promise.
hi carlos,
i love reading your blogs about manila and tourism.
it seems a lot of us are not seeing eye to eye with what the new manila mayor is doing. i also blogged about what he did to the baywalk area after i dropped off my wife at the US embassy. you can check it out at www.tibo3rd.blogspot.com.
I am glad Lim didn't win as president when he ran a few elections ago.
hate him.
this is sad :-( Love that fountain too... the baywalk, for me, was done in bad taste so i felt good about the cleanup.
guys, what do you think of a collaboration between the ayalas & the municipality of manila?
i think the baywalk is such a nice canvas to be the next serendra
there is nothing new in the philippine setting. nothing good can be sustained. Every new leader wants to erase the legacy of the previous one and leave their own.
To Miggy: can't we do something affordable for the average Manileño? For the common tao.?
hey sidney,
i think we can & we definitely should have that. let me apologize for an unclear statement. serendra quality, but not exclusive to the elite, that was what i had in mind i've written a note to the ayala foundation if they'd be interested to embark on such a project, hope i get a response =)
I hope reviving Luneta will be on Mayor Lim's plans.It's one of our forgotten asset in the city.I wish he takes off the golf course in Intramuros and make it a nice promenade for the common people.
IndioBravo
Hi.
While I agree that Mayor Lim has gone overboard with the plan to demolish the fountain, I wouldn't go as far as campaigning for the return of Atienza. Let's just make our voices heard and make sure that Mayor Lim knows that people from Manila are not happy with his actions.
Atienza may have fixed the fountain and the baywalk area but he certainly hasn't done anything to help alleviate the lives of the poor Manilenos. I'm sorry. I cannot campaign for the man who spent over Php500,000 for each of the colorful lightposts lined along roxas boulevard when the health centers in Manila are severely lacking in supplies and medicines.
Like Wendy said. Don't you worry Carlos, you have a lot of people that would raise High Holy Hell, including me, if anything "happened" to you.
Awww. Wendy. Christina.
You guys are too sweet. Thanks for the thought.
Actually,I'll give Lim 100 more days. I really want to like this guy... I don't want to fight City Hall.
I am really hoping for his immediate enlightenment.
its sad kung nasara yang Baywalk.i was there in June after 3 years absence and impressed by the improvements putting up Cafes and bars.i've heard those rumors of closing down plans by Lim but still doubted it. pero natuloy pala talaga. pero If you will ask me, Hoy, MAYOR LIM-its not the beer and basuras- its just simple, dagdagan mo ang mga Trash cans and Toilets!!!you deny jobs and livelihoods to Manilenos and even promote poverty.We are no longer in the midle age.Help your fellow kababayans to have some livelihood and enjoy some lifestyle.
what the hell is wrong with that old man! first baywalk, and now the fountain??? geeesh. i hope lito atienza makes a big comeback in 2010. old lim is taking this too far.
I love the Philippines but I really hate the politics here. Our leaders are more about revenge and upstaging each other instead of thinking of the good of its citizen. Given that what Atienza has done was a little too much and there were too many bars on baywalk, I have to admit that the only time I had the guts to actually walk by the bay was when all this establishments were there and I felt safe. Add to this, the people's money and taxes has already been spent on building all of these, (even if they are at exuberant prices-- thats another blog), tearing it all down is just a big waste of money for the city. New leaders in position, should start looking at ways they can improve projects from the previous leaders, not demolish them. Why are the new people in seat so scared that the previous head will still get credit if they continue with his project? Grow up.. you are wasting our country's money and resources. What's next then? I guess whatever Lim builds during his term will be torn down too by the next one who will be mayor. What a vicious, useless and incredibly stupid cycle. Will this ever end? We all know the answer.... NEVER... no matter who is elected. SAD!!
Hello, I'm from Belgium. It's sad that the baywalk of Manilla became deserted. I don't understand why your Major cosed down the restaurants. I remember myself running around there because I felt safe and lots of fun with all people around.
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