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.
