Paulo Alcazaren
@pinoyurbanist
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Columnist Phil Star -'City Sense', frm EIC- BluPrint, head PGAA Creative Design Mnl, schooled @ UP - BS Arch, B. L. Arch, NUS - MA Urban Design
Metro Manila, Philippines
Joined December 2010
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Ayala Avenue, an amazing sea of pink yesterday. Vote wisely tomorrow. Vote Early. Protect your vote!
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While billions are spent for massive infra that only benefit the minority, most Filipinos are forced to use transport modes that are informal, uncomfortable, or unsafe. How will the country navigate its way to progress if the needs of the many are overwhelmed by needs of the few?
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If ROTC is to be revived, wouldn't it be better as ROCD - Reserve Officers for Civil Defence? Instead of mindless marching drills we can train young men and women to lead teams for rescue and relief, and in assisting barangays and LGUs in DRRM programs. What do you think?
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8 years ago I and my office designed this, asking the question: What if we could 'give up' 40% of a road to pedestrian and bikes instead of cars? Aquino Avenue in Iloilo City, along with the Esplanade make the city a biker and pedestrian paradise. Shouldn't other cities follow?
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It would only cost 1.5 billion pesos to develop both sides of the 25 km long Pasig River into an esplanade like Iloilo's. The resulting green area would be larger than Rizal Park. The PAREX is projected to cost 95 billion. Which would you prefer?
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The Iloilo Esplanade is even more inviting in the evenings. I took this shot early yesterday evening. Tonight I'm back in Manila where trying to walk along the river is life threatening, not life enhancing.
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The opportunity to make Metro Manila a better place for people can be had along the 27 kilometers of the Pasig River. Imagine a linear park on both sides. That's a total length of over fifty kilometers, with an area greater than Rizal Park! Why not?!
#PasigRiverEsplanade
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Here are the heritage sites and structures that would be affected by the proposed PAREX's first segment. All these are protected by RA 10066.
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Possible redevelopment of Santa Cruz Plaza. We can (and should) recover open space from cars and give it back to people. It would be a sin not to do so.
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Jesus Christ cried out from the cross, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Obviously he meant those who design what passes for pedestrian infrastructure in Metro Manila.
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We get the city we deserve. Which of these images do you prefer? A Pasig River with 46 kilometers of esplanade with an area equivalent to Rizal Park or an elevated expressway, which you need to pay for, brings air and noise pollution, and would only benefit those with cars?
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Instead of PAREX we need the PARES (25km Pasig River Esplanade). This is the view from Intramuros showing the El Hogar and Juan Luna landmarks. The Pasig would then be as loved by everyone as the Yarra in Melbourne, Boat Quay in Singapore, and the Bund in Shanghai.
#NOTOPAREX
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Along the 26 kilometers of the Pasig there are long stretches (from 1-3 km) where there are no bridges. For many living on either side who have to take public transport (which is over 90%) it takes over an hour just to get to the other side. The solution: it's called bridges.
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My fervent wish for 2024 ...is that we start fixing our cities so the 'public works' we build are more for people (who make up 90% of the public) than just for cars (owned by less than 10%)
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MManila is full of unrealized potential for green space. The road between the Senate/GSIS and Libertad Channel is a case in point. Traffic needs only two lanes. The rest can be turned into an 11-meter wide, one kilometer long, linear park and bike path. What do you think?
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UP Diliman, a welcome oasis in a metropolis of grey concrete. Don't we deserve simple, uncompromised, publicly-accessible open green spaces like this for our families to enjoy?
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Lipstick on a pig - adding BRTs and bike lanes to a 6-lane skyway to cover the Pasig does not make it better. This still won't solve 'traffic,' because of induced demand, and we will lose the historic river, its cooling effect, and open space in the name of profit. Say
#NotoPAREX
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New Year's resolution no. 1: Save the Pasig River, recover its easements and turn both sides into linear parks! Then add a pedestrian bridge every kilometer.
#NOTOPAREX
#YESTOPARES
(Pasig River Esplanade)
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Onliindapilipins - Instead of taking the effort to fix our roads, government just reminds us our roads are bad! Are our taxes used only for sign making?
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We get the city we deserve. The Arroceros Forest Park's 8,000 shrubs and trees would be compromised by the PAREX. Even if built on the other side, a dozen or so existing riverside parks would be affected. What kind of city do you want - filled with green or choking with concrete?
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Vote for those with programs of public infrastructure focused on parks and open space, for all Filipinos. Robredo says pandemic highlights need to build more public spaces
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Modern Makati had a plaza. It was the Glorieta. Designed by National Artist IP Santos, this central open space was at the intersection of two landscaped art-rich pedestrian corridors in the original Makati Commercial Center. We lost this in the 90s... replaced by a big box mall.
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This is my favorite pre-war postcard, showing the beauty of the Post Office, the Metropolitan Theater, the Mehan Gardens, Jones Bridge, and the pristine Pasig River. We can bring these all back at less than 10% of the projected cost of the planned PAREX. What do you think?
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Why are Filipino pedestrians treated like 3rd class citizens? When will public works really be for the public? ...for people rather than cars?
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Planning for the next phases of the Pasig River Esplanade (PARES) between Del Pan Bridge and Ayala Bridge. The goal is to ensure that users (pedestrians and bikers) can loop each of the planned nine sections of the 26km PARES.
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This is the Plaza del Carmen beside the San Sebastian church. This plaza disappeared in modern times. The space was stolen by jeepneys and cars. The expanse of concrete is unused most of the time. Plaza Del Carmen CAN and SHOULD be recovered for people. What do you think?
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Dusk on the Pasig: Imagine enjoying a relaxing paseo along its historic muelles, greeting neighbors, making new friends, or getting in a healthy run... just like lucky Illongos today in their heritage and esplanade-blessed city. Imagine.
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Either side of the Pasig its built, the PAREX will compromise heritage, not solve 'traffic,' and contribute noise and air pollution, lowering land values and blighting up the metro.
#YesToPARES
,
#NoToPAREX
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The first 500 meters of the people, bicycle, and pet-friendly Pasig Esplanade done ...now for the rest of the 26-kilometer river.
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Have we not learned from history? This is Loboc, Bohol. The DPWH tried to build a bridge beside the centuries-old church. Public outcry stopped it but the facade and bell tower collapsed in the Bohol earthquake of 2013. Will heritage always lose out to infrastructure?
#NoToPAREX
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Above: The Manila Post office and ongoing works for an esplanade. Below: The Singapore Post office and the Singapore river esplanade stretching along the river's entire length with many pedestrian bridges and heritage buildings. We should do the same here. What do you think?
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The magnificently green UP Diliman campus this afternoon! The metropolis would not be able to breathe, physically or intellectually, without this landscape and cultural treasure.
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This link between Shang and MEGAMALL, because of posts and water pipes, has always been narrow and dangerous. The fix is simple- make a wider and safe crossing further inside ...why don't the two malls cooperate and do this? Most passers-by are, in fact, their shared customers.
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Which would you chose. Were stakeholders consulted at all? The Pasig River should be declared a heritage landscape and a national environmental treasure. It should brought back to health, improved for access along its banks that can be developed into a 25-kilometer linear park!
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The metro has many under-used spaces which can be turned into parks - this one is on Polaris St., near Poblacion Makati.
#WeNeedMoreParks
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MMDA is renovating Pasig River Ferry stations. I suggest they look at better locations , access and intermodal connectivity. The PurezaPUP station can only be reached by a dark, scary 300-meter tunnel. The PNR station is half a kilometer away, bus and jeepney stops even farther.
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I was in Boracay last week and checked up on streetscapes we designed for the island. Pedestrians have a better time now and e-trikes have made streets quieter and smog free. Unfortunately destinations in the country have not learned the lessons of Boracay.
#PGAACreativeDesign
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An image from 1983 showing BLISS housing in front of the Macapagal-era tenement. The intent was to turn this whole area into a township with affordable housing for all. Instead it has been sold to a big developer. What would Bonifacio do to recover this land for the poor?
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Metro Manila is a mess not because there is no political will, but because there are 17 political wills.
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Infrastructure as if people mattered: The few Pasig riverside walkways present are not continuous or pedestrian friendly. The needs of cars & utility poles take precedence over the needs of pedestrians. This is an easy fix for the entire river at a fraction of the cost of PAREX.
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This is Santa Barbara Plaza, one of the most beautiful plazas in the Philippines . See more of this and twenty other selected plazas in the exhibit I curated called Places of Memory, Places of the Heart: Philippine Plazas, opening tomorrow 3pm at the Metropolitan Museum BGC.
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Evil in Ermita: seen in Manila last night, the dreaded black cable babayaga. This monster lurks at every corner, the manisfestation of government's inutility to provide humane settings for our daily lives. How can we banish this evil, that is the real state of our nation?
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The task is to make rail transport more fashionable again. Build more tracks, provide comfortable stations and more trains, make them run on time, link these stations with other efficient modes of transportation, and require all government officials to use the trains for travel!
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I love Chicken Joy, but shouldn't monuments for national heroes be more prominent than commercial signs? Bonifacio in BGC is in a traffic Island. Don't our heroes deserve proper plazas or parks... instead of just a value meal?
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Pasig's Ortigas district has few public parks. A missed opportunity is the ULTRA. The compound is, after all, government land. Is this not the people's land? Filipinos sorely need parks and open space. It costs little do make it a park. What do you think?
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In 1905 Daniel Burnham noted “...possessing the bay of Naples, the winding river of Paris, and the canals of Venice, Manila has before it an opportunity unique in history of modern time, to create a city equal to the greatest of the West. When will Manila complete this vision?
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Sketching QC: The original Max's Restaurant on Sct. Tuason. This was the very first restaurant experience for me as a kid in the early 1960s. I remember the yummy chicken and eating outdoors, picnic style underneath the trees. What are your memories of Max's?
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PWD access - you will become a PWD if you try and use this walkway. Next time LGU, please use professional landscape architects to design your outdoor spaces, plazas and parks. Landscape Architecture is a profession regulated and licensed by the Philippine government.
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Private Jets, Families, Duplicity and Betrayal... I'm watching Succession - two versions, one on HBO and the other in the local news.
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Sunday morning design exercise - retrofitting Guadalupe Bridge for pedestrians - connecting the river esplanades and providing shorter access between Mkti and Manda... at the cost of just two PAREX pylons!
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We must continue to fight for our rights and for our natural and built heritage no matter who gets elected. Who will be appointed to the government agencies with purview over the demonstrably unsustainable PAREX project? Laban!
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Early morning tribute to the elegant Manila Post Office by Juan Arellano. It's one of the many sketches of Manila landmarks I did during covid. We must make sure we bring her back to her former glory.
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A hundred years ago, our landmarks were the bell towers of churches. These provided visual and auditory orientation with the ringing of the angelus. Today, our skylines are fastfood logos and utility poles. What landmarks do you prefer for your city?
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Good morning from beautiful Iloilo. Most, like me, are having a late breakfast (and uploading images on FB) after a stroll and fly-through along the Esplanade. Have a great Sunday everyone!
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Options for the Pasig - clothes laundering or money laundering, what a difference a century makes!
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Reposting from 2016: For the next presidential inauguration, we should revive the old pre-war tradition of constructing an inaugural arch. Hopefully the woman in this arch design won't just be an allegorical figure.
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Fixing our sidewalks can mean just simply clearing and cleaning ...and keeping them clean and clear of obstructions. What is so complicated with this? Is is because it does not entail big budgets? ...just political will and civic mindedness? What do you think?
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What we need for our cities is a comprehensive intermodal mass-transit system that protects heritage & the environment, not just infra for the 20% with cars. Just like Paris, NYC, HK and Singapore. This was a decade ago w/ my late beloved wife Twink as we entered the Paris Metro.
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Good night from Beautiful Iloilo. This is the newly conserved and enhanced Plaza Libertad beside city hall, San Jose church and the esplanade-framed Iloilo River.
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How can you maintain social distancing when our sidewalk widths are woefully inadequate in places like this (EDSA Ortigas MRT). The five lanes of vehicular traffic need only give up 6" per lane to ensure the sidewalk can be widened, or the five lanes can be reduced to four.
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Beautiful Iloilo ...after a light shower yesterday evening 2 September.
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Here's another plaza in my May Heritage Month Challenge for 'A-plaza-a-day (keeps the blues away).' This is Batangas City Plaza. Have you been here? How many plazas in the Philippines have you visited?
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Another aerial image of the verdant UP campus from this afternoon - a 180-degree West to East panorama. Many use the campus as a de facto public park on weekends. It should be declared a National Cultural Treasure.
#Weneedmoreparks
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Sketching QC: My favorite papemelroti store on Roces Ave. Congratulations to the Alejandro siblings for 55 years of spreading happiness and joy!
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Phase 3 of the Iloilo Esplanade now open for public use. Phase 4 in construction. Iloilo Queen City of the South!
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Yes, we can make pedestrian-friendly public space -Rizal Ave 2006. Jeepneys and blight returned with the next mayor.
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The devolution of civic space in the Philippines... landmarks are now stranded in traffic blighted by grime.
http://t.co/P5wA5RyO24
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I found my old classic Ipod. I also found a charger... it works! No wifi needed ! Listening to Tears for Fears
#wiredtito
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My article today in PhilstarLife onthe UP Naming Mahal Calendar and Planner for 2023. All for good causes - ARKICARES and my late wife Twink's preferred charity ICanServe. Get your sets now! (details in the poster and article) ...
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While pushing for the truth to come out in national elections, we must move on with efforts at the local level rallying for more parks, promenades and pedestrian spaces for all Filipinos. The work continues.
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Stump out blight. Our sidewalks are onstacle courses waiting to maim pedestrians. Why can't we get the sidewalks we deserve?
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3 million coconut trees felled by Yolanda - equals material for half a million emergency shelters. Use your coconuts!
http://t.co/tui0b2MtO3
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Auditioning for a gig on the 25th (actually 24th eve). Well, my hair is white enough. I also love making lists and checking them twice.
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This is what could happen to our heritage buildings and sites. Imagine the San Sebastian church in Manila being defiled this way! There is already a law (RA10066) that protects these landmarks. But sadly in the Phils laws are just suggestions.
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Dolomite Traffic management: Since the main activity is selfie taking, then the rational system is a one way track leading to selfie areas where you are given 1min to take pics. Otherwise, color coding odd/even will be needed. Laggards will be forced out using cattle prods.
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The Dolomite Beach was not the first time an artificial beach was suggested. The first was Mayor Pablo Cuneta's 1960s proposal for a new commercial and recreational district for the city. The beach was never built, but the area eventually became the CCP Complex.
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I don't see staircases connecting the 3 new Pasig bridges to the riverside promenades/sidewalks below. Are pedestrians totally forgotten in our infrastructure?
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Good evening. Here's another plaza in my May Heritage Month Challenge for 'A-plaza-a-day (keeps the blues away).' This is Dumaguete Plaza, which locals call Quezon Park.
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We had trains in places other than Luzon. The Panay Railways 1960s. Trains are the solution today, Bring them back!
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At TV5 Launching my Metropolitan Alliance for the Fixing And Development of All Kantos and Sidewalks or MADAFAKAS!
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Good Morning. This is the protestant church designed by Cesar Concio and completed in Dec 1954. The Church of the Risen Lord is one of a dozen mid-century modern structures in a campus that needs to be recognised and conserved as a heritage site with important cultural treasures.
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2022 Calendar featuring 14 UP Diliman landmarks (sketches by yours truly) now available on pre-order.
Contact Amerigo de la Paz, President, UP College of Architecture Alumni Foundation
By Email: info
@uparkialumni
.com
Proceeds go to CAAAFI projects and to ICanServe Foundation.
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Roxas Boulevard (Phase 1) makeover complete. Now the question is who will maintain this?
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New board game coming out! (ctto). There's a 68:32 chance you will buy this immediately.
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The soon to reopen Met Theater will not survive unless we remake its context from a vehicular interchange into a pedestrian-oriented people-friendly space.
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We need to create our own future, not leave it for others with selfish, partisan, non-sustainable or non-inclusive agendas to shape. The future has to be creative, and created by all of us. Creative ka ba?
#CreativeKaBa
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Reimagining the lowly waiting shed. Here's how noted Filipino and foreign architects and designers would make over this quotidian structure. These include Locsin, Manosa, Calma, Buensalido, Cobonpue, Kuma, Hadid and Gehry. Which one would you chose?
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Bike rack concept for the College of Music. Biking and music are the keys to a better future.
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Desist? No, we will RESIST! We all deserve a country free from tyranny, from fear, from want, and free from bullies external and internal.
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If an East-West connection is really necessary in MM, then why not a SMART tunnel like Kuala Lumpur's? The cost is roughly P65 billion for 19 km. The tunnel received the UN Habitat Scroll of Honour Award for its innovation
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End the suffering of Filipino pedestrians. Join the Metro Alliance for d Dev And Fixing of All Kantos And Sidewalks!
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Reimagining the lowly waiting shed. Here's how noted Filipino and foreign architects and designers would make over this quotidian structure. These include Locsin, Manosa, Calma, Buensalido, Cobonpue, Kuma, Hadid and Gehry. Which one would you chose?
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