by Maria Pia Benosa
Recently I had a chance to see an old city plan for Manila, drafted in the 1900s by the same architect who shaped the cities of Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. into the postcard beauties we now know.
But today, Manila is nowhere near that grand design of a city by the coast—where government buildings in the tradition of early civilizations tower over their constituents, and where all roads lead you back to the bay that saw many great battles.
Today, Manila is mostly a memory. What we have left is Metro Manila: a city of many municipalities fragmented by years of war, the rule of hundreds of local despots, and an uneven geography of skyscrapers, gated communities and strips of bungalow houses lining national roads. There are places to go to for everything—a district each for secondhand books, good noodles, prayer, all things Catholic. There are also condominium complexes in global cities built from scratch, waiting for holidays when their owners would be home from abroad. Everywhere there are malls.
This time of year, I think about where I will live next when my time in the University is over. Who will my new roommates be, and until when am I going to be just a boarder, or leaseholder, a transient in this chaotic city of many cities? I guess that’s where the beauty lies in not really being from this city—a train and bus ride can take me away easily and bring me home.
More musings at http://piabenosa.wordpress.com. Pia Benosa is also on twitter: www.twitter.com/piabeeee
