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Streets of Intramuros: Calle Real del Palacio
I haven’t had a good chance to take photos of the streets in Intramuros, Manila. The historic streets within what was for hundreds of years regarded as Manila deserves a more detailed treatment. Recently, I have been able to go around a little bit thanks to meetings at the DPWH and a lecture at the Mapua Institute of Technology. I took full advantage of the opportunity to take photos along some streets along the way to my meetings and am posting these in a few articles about what I think should be a good example for heritage conservation including the street names and old structures within the walled city.
The original name of Andres Soriano Jr. Avenue, the main road stretching from Plaza Mexico along the Pasig River to A. Bonifacio Drive in the Port Area, was Calle Real del Palacio. I believe they should have stuck with the original name in order to preserve this piece of history. Our politicians have a penchant for renaming streets after their kin, heroes, or for purposes like claiming that we should exorcise names associated with our colonial past. While the latter seems to be a basis for changing names elsewhere (not just in the Philippines), perhaps the remedy here is to still retain the original name under the new one.
Ruins of the aduana or customs building, visible upon turning from the Muelle Del Rio at Plaza Mexico towards Andres Soriano Jr. Ave.
The road is a four lane, two-way street. It is usually congested because of public transport loading and unloading operations (usually in the middle of the street) and roadside parking, which is tolerated. In fact, there are parking aides in charge of collecting fees from drivers parking along the streets. Intramuros is host to a lot of offices, commercial establishments and schools – all major traffic generators that attract so many vehicles thereby requiring a lot of parking space. The building to the left is the reconstructed building where the old ayuntamiento used to stand.
The new building where the ayuntamiento was is now supposed to be the new offices of the Bureau of Treasury.
The open space at left is the along which are many parked cars is the Plaza Roma, which is in front of the Manila Cathedral. The building right after the plaza is where the Palacio del Gobernador used to be. It is now the offices of the Bureau of Treasury.
Cabildo Street, one of the side streets from across the Plaza Roma, which ultimately leads to Fort Santiago.
6Another look at the building where the old Governor’s Palace used to be. Visible downstream along the Soriano Ave. is the gate leading to the Simeon de Anda monument located at a roundabout along A. Bonifacio Drive.
At right is Gen. Antonio Luna Street, which is another main road that has one end at Puerto Real, the southernmost gate of the Intramuros and the other at Fort Santiago. Curiously, this road was also called Calle Real del Palacio as it passed in front of the Palacio del Gobernador.
A view along Gen. Antonio Luna Street towards Fort Santiago, which is a one-way street.
Western entrance to Intramuros along Soriano Ave. leads to Bonifacio Drive and the Port Area.
Arzobispo Street, which also leads to Fort Santiago but also passes along the Archbishop’s Palace, the office of the Archdiocese of Manila and with its southernmost end at San Agustin Church.
The Simeon de Anda monument at the Anda Circle along Bonifacio Drive.
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Another revolution needed along EDSA?
One of the most powerful images of EDSA that sticks to anyone’s mind is one where you see hundreds of thousands of people occupying the sections near what is now a shrine dedicated to the People Power Revolution that led to the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. Perhaps a more recent version of this image is another associated with a People Power 2 that ended the term of another Philippine President, Erap Estrada, in 2001. The latter had in the background the newly operational MRT-3 as well as the overpasses at the intersection of EDSA-Ortigas that were built after 1986. These images are now mostly replaced by those depicting EDSA as one huge parking lot for cars during peak periods that seem to stretch beyond the typical morning and afternoon hours. A couple of photos are reproduced below showing day time and night time traffic congestion along the stretch of EDSA from Ortigas to Camp Aguinaldo.
Afternoon congestion along the section of EDSA between Ortigas and Santolan. Note that even the overpasses are full of vehicles. Camp Aguinaldo is the green area on the top right.
Traffic congestion along the same section of EDSA at night. The head and tail lights represent the motor vehicles crawling along the highway.
Already the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has tried so many schemes along EDSA but mostly to regulate bus traffic. These have included various versions of dispatching schemes including a failed foray into the use of RFIDs. The current system that was launched in January is another attempt that we hope to be more successful than the previous ones. Already, the system has been able to weed out drivers with multiple traffic violations. There are many more of these drivers behind the wheels of public transport vehicles who probably shouldn’t be driving such vehicles as they put their passengers at risk of being involved in road crashes. Incidentally, such traffic violations associated with the different private bus companies operating in Metro Manila have been the subject of an interesting discussion during one congressional inquiry on public transport franchises where the MMDA reported hundreds if not thousands of traffic violations attributed to various bus companies.
The MMDA is limited by its mandate in so far as buses are concerned. It is the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), which has the responsibility to address franchise violations and enforce rules in such a way that the agency could influence bus companies to improve their services. However, the MMDA is not at all helpless here as they are in the best position to petition for sanctions against erring bus companies based on their data on traffic violations. Such obviously constitute a violation in the franchise particularly where reckless or irresponsible driving exposes their passengers and the general public to risks in the form of road crashes. Such crashes can translate into losses of lives, injuries or significant damages to property.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has proposed an elevated highway on top of EDSA. This is supposed to have been inspired by similar elevated expressways found in other principal metropolitan areas including those in Tokyo. Would it solve the problem of traffic along EDSA? Probably in the short run after its opening but likely not in the long run as the elevated highway will rapidly become congested much like the experience with C-5. An elevated highway will also require ramps at many of EDSA’s intersections with other major highways and congested on the ground will lead to the condition spreading to the elevated sections.
The planned rehabilitation of EDSA is overdue. However, it has met a lot of opposition and mixed signals from various sectors including the MMDA itself, which is supposed to work with the DPWH in finding a solution for Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare. It seems that the MMDA is perhaps more interested in pursuing another elevated highway project, the Skybridge, which would be along a corridor on top of the San Juan River. Curiously, the objective of this other proposal is to have another alternate route to EDSA or simply “to decongest EDSA.” While well meaning, I have the gut feeling it won’t have a tremendous impact as it will still cater mainly to private cars. How about the commuters who comprise 70 to 80 percent of travelers along EDSA but only have about 30 percent of the road? We have to realize that only by keeping people, who do not need to drive, on public transport can we effectively decongest our roads. It is when they start using cars or motorcycles that our road space become all the more limited.
Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), the agency which is supposed to come up with the solutions to our transport problems has not been as active as it should be on the topic of EDSA. To be fair, the agency seems to be working on the acquisition of additional coaches to address the also overdue capacity expansion for the MRT Line 3. However, it also seems that now worries that the line was poorly planned in the sense that it failed to anticipate the present transport demand, has been validated. MRT Line 3 is really a light rail transit line that was built along EDSA despite the need for a higher capacity system. But is it too late to upgrade this system? Or do we need another to supplement or complement the MRT 3?
Perhaps what is needed along EDSA is another revolution but one of the sustainable transport kind. “Sobra na! Tama na! Palitan na!” were cries in 1986 that are now very much applicable to the transport system we have along EDSA. It will not be an easy nor an inexpensive task to upgrade the MRT-3 into a higher capacity system required along this corridor. But opportunities are now available to ease the burden along the line. The emergence of bus rapid transit (BRT) as a viable option along EDSA would have to be explored. But a BRT cannot be simply installed along the corridor. The government would also have to be firm with the conventional buses plying routes that all seem to be overlapping along EDSA. These routes would have to be simplified along with the numerous companies that would have to be encouraged to form consortia (or cooperatives?) that can participate in a MRT-BRT-bus integrated network. The question now is who will champion or lead such a revolution for transport? Who will be progressive enough to lead us into an era of modern transport that should be inclusive, environment-friendly, and promotes “dignity of travel” for all?
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The streets and sidewalks of Melaka
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| View towards the plaza – the red building is part of the Christ Church complex but is now home of the Melaka Post Office |
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| The walkways reminded me of similar forms in Manila, Cebu and Iloilo, all old cities established during the Spanish Period when Melaka was under the rival Portuguese. |
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| The pavement was tiled but well-maintained |
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| Traffic was light so one could get a good shot of the street leading up to the plaza. |
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| The street leading to St. Francis Xavier made me imagine how old cities in the Philippines would have looked like if those cities made an effort to preserve heritage and controlled motor vehicle access to their street. |
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| Some buildings have been converted to restaurants and bars but they retained their nostalgic features and feel. |
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| Melaka made sure their signposts and lamps were designed consistent with the ambiance of the heritage city |
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| Another shot of the seemingly endless walkway beneath the buildings. |
The Streets of Bacolod: Around the Public Plaza
The streets surrounding the Bacolod Public Plaza are one-way streets following a counter-clockwise circulation around the plaza. Typical of plazas of old, the latter has around it the church (in this case San Sebastian Cathedral), the old city hall, commercial establishments, the police headquarters, and a major school (La Consolacion College). The following photos were actually taken a year ago in February 2012. I doubt if much has changed since then but the circulation and traffic situation should practically be the same give and take the normal traffic growth due to progress for the capital city of Negros Occidental.
Intersection of San Juan St. and Gonzaga St. (view along San Juan St. towards southwest)
Intersection of San Juan St. and Luzuriaga St. (view from east corner of intersection towards Westown Hotel)
Roadside parking along San Juan St. Noticeable above are the motorcycle parked along the road, with some occupying pedestrian crossing space.
Old cities like Bacolod have buildings featuring arcades like this where pedestrians have the ROW and are sheltered from the elements. I was glad to see that the city basically cleared these facilities from obstacles. It is not entirely without impediments though as shown in the photo.
Luzuriaga Street (view towards southeast)
Arcade of Plaza Mart building along Gonzaga Street and across from the Bacolod Public Plaza (view towards Araneta Ave. and Gatuslao Street)
Another view of the arcade of Plaza Mart, this time along San Juan Street (towards Luzuriaga St.)
San Juan Street (view from the corner at Gonzaga Street) – at right is the Plaza
Gonzaga Street (view at corner of the Plaza along San Juan Street) – vehicles downstream are at the intersection of Gonzaga St. and Araneta Ave. Further downstream is Gatuslao Street
Rizal Street taken from the plaza side and featuring San Sebastian Cathedral
Rizal Street leads to SM City Bacolod, which is found in the reclamation area. (View from the intersection of Rizal St. with San Juan Street)
Steel barriers along Rizal Street prevent vehicles crossing the street from the northeast side of San Juan St. All traffic must turn right towards SM. (view from the corner of San Juan and Rizal along San Juan towards the southwest direction) The PNP headquarters is the building on the opposite corner with the blue roof.
Intersection of San Juan Street and Luzuriaga Street (view along San Juan St. towards southwest)
San Juan-Luzuriaga intersection (view from Westown Hotel corner)
San Juan-Luzuriaga intersection (view along Luzuriaga St. towards southeast)
Luzuriaga Street is also a one-way street and with significant roadside parking as shown in the left side of the photo. View of traffic coming from the intersection with San Juan St. Westown Hotel is the building at left.
The circulation scheme at the plaza seems to be working out well at the time. This is despite the proliferation of roadside parking along the streets and around the plaza. The streets are relatively wide and so a one-way scheme works well in terms of taking advantage of the capacities of the streets while allowing for curbside parking that typically occupies one lane of road space as shown in the photos above. We didn’t see anyone charging parking fees for the vehicles and so we assume that these are practically free though we did see some informal “watch-your-car” boys who rely on tips from those parking along the road. Ultimately, though, the city should look into the provision off-street parking facilities as I can imagine traffic congestion, for example, in the vicinity of San Sebastian Cathedral on Sundays. Traffic in the area should be expected to increase as the city continues to experience economic growth and more developments ultimately locate at the reclamation area.
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Arches in La Union and Ilocos Sur
Road travelers are welcomed by arches found at the boundaries of cities and municipalities. These are commonly seen along national roads and often reflect the character, history or product for which the city is known for. The town of Paniqui, Tarlac has a bat featured in its arch while Castillejos, Zambales includes a castle. I stumbled into a lot of old photos recently. Well, probably not so old considering they were taken in 2004 during the time we were implementing nationwide surveys for passenger and freight flow. As our group was assigned to do surveys along McArthur Highway from Tarlac to Ilocos Sur, I frequently took photos using the old Pentax camera I bought during my first visit to Japan in 1996. In 2004, digital cameras were still quite expensive and so were cell phones with cameras. It was cheaper to buy film and have it developed and photos printed. In my case, I usually bought a lot of film when I traveled to Tokyo (it’s cheaper there) and I carried a few rolls whenever I went on trips. The prints I discovered were taken along the national road while we were traveling from La Union to Ilocos Sur. Many of the photos showed arches of towns that I took note of as we proceeded to Vigan. I think I may have missed some but checking the maps I believe I was able to catch most of the arches between Agoo, La Union and Santa, Ilocos Sur.
Agoo, La Union
Bauang, La Union
Balaoan, La Union
Bangar, La Union
Sudipen, La Union
Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur
Santa Lucia, Ilocos Sur
Candon City, Ilocos Sur
Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur
Narvacan, Ilocos Sur
Santa, Ilocos Sur
Welcome arch for the Province of Ilocos Sur from La Union
Welcome arch for the Province of La Union from Ilocos Sur
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Antipolo Simbahan
“All roads lead to Antipolo” is a saying that is especially true for devotees to Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage for whom the shrine in Antipolo is dedicated. Indeed, major transport routes lead to Antipolo City and signboards on jeepneys (and buses of old) state “Antipolo Simbahan” as their destination. In much older days, the Manila Railroad Company used to have trains directly serving this route. The remnants of its right-of-way is still there but in the form of roads. These are the Daang Bakal, which stretches from Valley Golf in Cainta, Rizal until its junction with Taktak Road and Ninoy Aquino Blvd., where it becomes the Lorenzo Sumulong Memorial Circle, Antipolo’s circumferential road. A trace of this old railway line may be found in this previous post.
From J.P. Rizal Street, which extends from Sumulong Highway, one turns left to head straight towards the Antipolo church along P. Oliveros Street. The street is a two-lane, one-way road that has been widened at some sections. The shoulders, however, are mostly used for parking as shown in the photo.
The dome of the church becomes visible to the traveler as one comes closer. P. Oliveros St. is closed to traffic during the feast day in May. It is usually open during Lent even during the Holy Week when there are lots of people coming to Antipolo for the Visita Iglesia. Traffic during those times can be quite slow because there are also lots of people walking along the streets, many of whom are devotees who are namamanata, or have promises of sacrifice and prayers to the patron of the shrine.
Similar to other poblacions around the country, commerce surrounds the church. Antipolo receives thousands of visitors daily and its being a natural traffic generator provides opportunities for businesses to thrive around it. Establishments around the church are proof of this and one will find most major fast food chains within a stone’s throw away from the shrine. In the photo are major chains Jollibee, Mang Inasal, Greenwich along the right and Mercury Drug(not fast food but the largest drug store chain in the Philippines) and McDonald’s on the left. There are more including banks and food stalls along M.L. Quezon Street, which is the main street of the poblacion.
M.L. Quezon Street in front of the shrine and the main street of the poblacion, is also a two-lane, one-way street (southbound flow). There are many one-way streets here as it is no longer possible to widen streets. One side of M.L. Quezon is used for parking and a short walk from the church is Antipolo City Hall, which is the red building barely visible (obscured by the tree on the left) downstream in the photo.
The Antipolo City Hall building is seen here at the left in this photo.
There is a proliferation of tricycles operating in the poblacion. I don’t know how many there are but they seem to be from different tricycle operators and drivers associations (TODA) that all converge at the shrine. This overlap of service areas (tricycles do not have fixed routes) suggest everyone is taking advantage of the shrine and city hall being major traffic generators. The problem is that the city has not been able to control their numbers and regulation is probably limited to registration, which brings some revenues to the city. This is certainly not sustainable from the perspective of transport
It would be nice to see the poblacion re-planned, designed and managed so that walking may be given primacy over other modes, particularly motorized ones. Antipolo should be walkable and it was in the past considering there were no tricycles and automobiles during the Spanish and early American periods. One took an animal-drawn vehicle, road a horse, or walked even when there was a train service in the early part of the last century. If parking is an issue, then perhaps the city, with the cooperation of the private sector, could find ways of building multi-storey parking facilities in the periphery and within comfortable walking distance from the shrine and city hall. There’s much potential here that is steadily being wasted due to traffic and with no design theme even for buildings surrounding the shrine. The shrine represents heritage and to preserve and enhance it, Antipolo City should find ways to introduce sustainable transport as well as applying architectural principles for the poblacion.
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Padre Burgos, Manila
Padre Burgos Street stretches from Roxas Boulevard to Plaza Lawton and the Manila Central Post Office. Along its western side is the golf course surrounding the walled city of Intramuros. It is one of the more picturesque streets in Manila considering travelers would have a view of the walls of Intramuros on one side and historic buildings and a park on the other. Following are a few photos I took on my way back from a meeting at the DPWH Head Office along Bonifacio Drive.
The northbound side of P. Burgos St. has 4 lanes and intersections are signalized. The street has a median island (on the left) dividing opposing traffic flows. The traffic lights shown are for the intersection with the Finance Road, which leads to the Ayala Boulevard.
On the right, travelers will see the National Museum building, which used to host the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines.
Past the museum, one is treated first to a glimpse of the historic Manila City Hall
The Manila City Hall’s clock tower is one of the most familiar landmarks in Manila, seemingly unchanged through so many years.
Right after city hall is the Kartilya ng Katipunan shrine
P. Burgos Street splits up into three sections, all named the same: the left leads to the Jones Bridge and Quintin Paredes Street, the center leads to McArthur Bridge and Rizal Avenue, and the right leads to Quezon Bridge and Quezon Boulevard. At center in the photo is the Manila Central Post Office building in front of which is Plaza Lawton, named after the highest ranking American officer killed in action during the Philippine American War.
Visual intrusion? Obstruction? The video screen installed where P. Burgos splits up to McArthur Bridge and Quezon Bridge obscures what many would consider as a nice view of the Manila Central Post Office. At the right of the photo is another historic building that has been neglected – the Metropolitan Theater.
Park and ride facility along P. Burgos St. Behind the structure is the Central Station of LRT Line 1.
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C6: Bicutan to Napindan
I wrote about Circumferential Road 6 (C-6) in a previous post where I featured some photos taken while we were en route to the DOST compound in Bicutan, Taguig City. It was originally constructed as a dike road, an access road along the barrier constructed along the coast of Laguna de Bay to provide additional protection to Taguig City against the lake waters breaching the banks during incidence of heavy rains. Once the link between Taytay, Pasig, Pateros and Taguig was completed, however, traffic significantly increased as C-6 provided a very convenient alternate route for people residing in the east who had to go to Makati, Taguig or southern Metro Manila mostly for work trips. Following are photos showing C-6 from Bicutan to Napindan, before crossing to Pasig City.
Tree-lined – one can imagine how the highway will look like once the trees planted along either side are full-grown
C-6 is a two-lane, undivided highway with a sidewalk along the Taguig side and a shoulder along the dike along the coast of Laguna de Bay
Approach to the intersection with Seagull Ave., which connects M.L. Quezon Ave. and Taguig proper in the west and Bay Breeze Subdivision in what appears to be a small peninsula on the bay.
Most sections of the existing C-6 have no pavement markings.
The entire road is of asphalt concrete pavement.
There are several pumping stations along C-6, which reminds people of the flood control aspect of the dike and the road. The photo shows the Taguig Pumping Station operated by the MMDA.
While C-6 provides an alternative route for travelers from the eastern towns of Rizal wanting no part of the traffic congestion along Ortigas Avenue and C-5 en route to Makati or Taguig (or back from these areas), peak traffic is usually predictable and at other times of the day, volumes are quite low as shown in the photos.
There aren’t any significant developments or establishments for most part of C-6.
The undeveloped lands are mainly due to these areas being flood prone, and requiring extensive improvements to raise elevations and provide for adequate drainage.
Labasan pumping station – is practically the only building for a long stretch of the highway.
Past the Labasan Pumping Station, are more undeveloped areas along the highway. At right in the photos is the dike that serves as 
The bridge across the Napindan channel of the Pasig River is further ahead (downstream), which travelers can use to cross to Pasig City.
The stretch of C-6 from M.L. Quezon to Napindan is currently subject to studies for widening as traffic steadily increases due to the very strategic position of the road. However, there should be a more direct link between C-6 and C-5 so as to maximize the benefits of the road, particularly as an alternative route between Rizal province, and Bonifacio Global City and Makati CBD. I estimate that travels times can be reduced significantly for people traveling between their homes in Antipolo and Taytay to the offices in Makati and Taguig (Fort Bonifacio). On a normal day, this trip can take easily more than 60 minutes due to congestion along Ortigas and C-5, the usual route for most people. With the alternate route, it might just be possible to reduce it to say 45 minutes, give and take some congestion. Of course, once this alternate route is discovered by more people (and UV Express vehicles are already using this route), then it would attract more traffic and necessitate an increase in capacity for it to handle such traffic. But then the result may well be an easing in traffic along Ortigas and C-5 so that should be good until perhaps we finally have a good public transport system in place along Ortigas and C-5. BRT? That deserves another post…
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Roads in Pasig: Ejercito Avenue
Upon reaching the end of the existing C-6, travelers encounter an intersection at the mouth of the Manggahan Floodway that leads to Taytay, Rizal via the Barkadahan Bridge. Turning right leads to Taytay while turning left leads the traveler to Pasig City via Sandoval Avenue. C-6 and Sandoval Avenue are linked by a short road named Ejercito Avenue.
Turning left from C-6, travelers are greeted by the walls of exclusive residential subdivisions.
Among these subdivisions is Greenwoods, whose Phase 10 is located near C-6 and the Manggahan Floodway to Taytay, Rizal.
The easternmost section of Ejercito avenue was under rehabilitation when we passed the road. Only one lane, the one where the sub-base was exposed, was available to motorized traffic. The other lane is presumably still in the curing stage but is used by pedestrians and cyclists.
Past the section under repair is a section that’s showing a lot of pavement distresses that appear to be partly due to patch-up work by a water concessionaire (note the features of the concrete slab in the middle of the road where an excavation for waterworks used to be).
Rehabilitated section of Ejercito Avenue features what appears to be properly cured pavement but with curb only along one side. 
Open residential area in Pinagbuhatan, Pasig where one can see that the pavement is higher in elevation compared to the ground floors of most houses. This us usually an indication that the area is prone to flooding.
Some parts of the road pass through what appears to be unplanned developments typical of informal settlements or resettlement areas for people from Pasig and other cities of Metro Manila. Notice the bunch of meters installed by the Meralco on the post in the middle of photo? That’s another indicator associated with crowded, unplanned areas. I always wonder how Meralco staff are able to read the meters and collect payments due. I assume there are still significant losses here due to jumpers that are eventually subsidized by those who do pay their bills.
Noticeable in this photo, the previous one and the next one are indications of previous waterworks in the area. The pipes are laid out under the middle of the road and so requires excavations in cases when maintenance works need to be undertaken.
Ejercito Street ends where P. Sandoval Avenue begins. From what we observed this transition from one road to another is not a clear one except perhaps to those who are familiar with the area such as residents of Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City.
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Shaw Boulevard: Kapitolyo to St. Francis
I have not been to Shaw Boulevard for quite some time so I decided to take photos en route to a speaking engagement at my alma mater, a school located along the major thoroughfare. Though I have commuted between my parents’ home in Cainta to school using this route and some landmarks remain, a lot has definitely changed in the area including the skyline along the boulevard. I have memories of vast grasslands where the buildings of Ortigas Center now stand. One could see EDSA traffic from the balcony of St. Francis Church in the 1970’s and the 1980’s as there were still no SM Megamall, Shangri-la or ADB along EDSA. The old provincial capitol site (Pasig used to be part and the capital of Rizal Province) is now being redeveloped into a commercial center after it was bidded out and the capital moved to Antipolo City. It was the Rizal provincial capitol which gave Barrio Kapitolyo in Pasig its name.
Turning from Meralco Ave, one is greeted by the view of tall buildings along Shaw Boulevard.
Shaw Blvd is a six-lane, two-way highway with a median island separating opposing traffic flows
The signalized intersection leads to Kapitolyo and an area that was generally called United (as seen in the jeepney sign boards). United stands for United Laboratories or Unilab, which had its main offices and plant in the area (They still have property there even after moving to their plant in Laguna.).
It seems more crowded now along the street because of the high rise buildings that have been constructed.
It doesn’t help that there are also more electric wires, telephone cables and posts/poles along the boulevard.
There used to be a lot of these burger stands around Metro Manila. Usually installed at gasoline stations, they provided inexpensive fast food while the big boys (Jollibee, McDo, etc.) were not yet into their aggressive expansions. The one at the former gas station where One San Miguel now stands was a Minute Burger stand. I think only Burger Machine survived from that era though there are others like that ubiquitous Big Mak that flourished in the provinces.
Intersection with San Miguel Ave. – right after the intersection is Lourdes School of Mandaluyong and St. Francis of Assisi Church. There was a time when the school and the church were the only major structures in the area. Most of the surrounding lands were unoccupied including what is now Shangri-la, SM Megamall, ADB and all the lands in Ortigas Center where there are now tall buildings housing offices and residential units.
Despite the sign stating that boarding and alighting is prohibited along the area, many commuters continue to defy authorities. Jeepney drivers usually oblige if they see that there are no traffic enforcers around to apprehend them. There used to be substantial sidewalk space in front of Lourdes Mandaluyong but perhaps the space was sacrificed when Shaw was widened to allow for more space in relation to the ramp of the overpass/flyover along Shaw that crossed EDSA. It doesn’t help that what little space remained is blocked by posts such as the one shown at the right in the photo. Pedestrians are forced to walk on the carriageway where they are exposed to the risks of being hit by motor vehicles.
Pedestrians walk along the carriageway due to the narrow space of the sidewalk. Notice that the ramp of the Shaw flyover is practically in the middle of the intersection with St. Francis Avenue (which is in front of St. Francis of Assisi Church). The configuration of the ramp prevents vehicles coming from St. Francis from getting on the flyover and all traffic must turn right towards the at-grade, signalized intersection with EDSA. The area is usually a bottleneck as jeepneys congregate along Shangri-la mall to load/unload passengers at what becomes an informal terminal at the Crossing area.
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Caught (up) in traffic 
