"Sa tabi lang. Para!" a Manila Travel Page by Ramonq

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I was born in this city and this is why I am always drawn to her. Like a prodigal son who's left her clutches, I've returned to my childhood neighbourhood in Makati , yet I still feel very welcome even though it has changed each time I come back. My experience is similar to the millions of Filipinos who have migrated elsewhere in the world from Vienna to Vancouver and from Los Angeles to London

Despite the heavy pollution and grime, Manila does have its charm and it's mainly because of the warm people who are personal and friendly for such a big city. Sultry Manila is messy and exhausting by day, but at night, the city puts on a her dancing shoes and she sparkles. Manila's nightlife is one of Asia's most exciting, because its residents simply love to eat, drink, sing, dance and have a fiesta. I really believe that Manila lives just for the nightlife.

Manila has got the best and worst of American and Spanish culture. Remember that the Philippines was under Spain for 300 years and under the Yanks for 50 years, and this fusion of Malay, Chinese, Spanish, American culture is quite difficult to fathom for most foreigners. Manila Baroque churches stand next to New York style skyscrapers. Slums next to mansions. This place is crazy!

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Manila spreads out

Metro Manila

Manila started as a small fishing village along the mouth of the Pasig River before the 16th century and bartered with the Chinese traders who drop by from across the South China Sea. The Spanish then anchored here and built a walled-city fortress called "Intramuros", which still stands. By the 18th century, the city burst from its walls and moved across Ilog Pasig to Binondo. The Spanish-American War in the 1890's led the Americans to take over Manila. The city's infrastructures were vastly improved by the Americans as envisioned by Chicagoan architect, Burnham, but these were rudely interrupted by the events of World War II. Manila was the second most devastated city, next to Warsaw, after the Americans bombarded it relentlessly to expel the tenacious Japanese imperialists. From the smouldering ashes, the city grew topsy-turvy after it gained independence from the Americans, and expanded into a huge metropolis called Metro-Manila which is made up of different municipalities.

The most modern municipality is Makati which now acts as Manila's financial district. Makati boasts of having the headquarters of most of the country's leading companies. Here one can see impressive skyscrapers that will feel at home in San Francisco or New York. Makati also has glitzy world-class shopping centres offering just about anything. This is Manila's showcase.

Another municipality in Metro Manila, and its biggest, is Quezon City. This is a sprawling suburb which is undergoing transformation from a dormitory suburb into a place with its own identity. Cubao, Timog and Libis are its shopping and entertainment districts and its CBD mainly hosts national government institutions.

Manila is spreading rapidly and new business centres are now being built as satellite cities such as the Ortigas Centre, and Alabang. Squatter colonies have also mushroomed in tandem with the construction of modern skyscrapers. The city's housing and infrastructure are already reeling from the weight of the population boom, common problems for all Third World cities.

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Typical street scene

The Manila soul

Yet despite all the chaos and modernity taking place all over Manila, the city still generally has a rustic "barrio" mentality. Many of its citizens are migrants from the provinces and far-flung Philippine islands. Jeepneys (elaborately-decorated jeeps) and sari-sari (mixed business) stores, the quintessential Filipino symbols, are still highly visible in many communities within Manila. Manilenos flock to churches every Sunday, and have fiestas on special occasions, just like in the Spanish colonial times. These age-old traditions haven't dimmed at all despite the Manilenos penchant for the latest American craze. Manila may be lacking in historical tourist sites because of its devastation during WW2, but it's the people generally who make up for it. The rural-island mentality that's inherent in most Manilenos have earned them a reputation for being one of the most hospitable urbanites you'd ever encounter. You don't come here for the sights, you come here for the people and the nightlife.