Summer feedback

The rains have announced the end of summer, though summer-hot days in between downpours have made life miserable for those stuck in first-weeks-of-school traffic. Another academic year is upon us and with it, the rainy season’s perennial woes. We never learn.

Not only do we never learn to clear esteros and repair drainage lines in recurring flood-prone areas, we also never look at feedback from users of our roads, commuters, and pedestrians. We ought to banish all public officials to take "the public" … transport that is. The better for them to see, feel, and smell what it’s like to be in urban purgatory.

With all our metropolitan woes, the current brouhaha over wiretapped conversations seems trivial compared to the hell ordinary citizens have to go through each day. It’s not that I condone the alleged wrongdoings of public officials (politicians all do wrong, anyway), but we do have to concern ourselves with things other than politics.

So let’s look at these "other things" via reader feedback on subjects covered in column articles:

Hello! I’m an avid fan of your articles, because most of the time, I agree with what you say, and that you have stunning pictures to prove your points. (Sometimes, I wonder where you get all those pictures, especially the really old ones.) Anyway, I just read your article about the top 10 places of architecture in the country. Most of what you listed are well-deserved, such as the Ayala Museum and Greenbelt, but there are some buildings I have to disagree with.  

The Gateway Mall is supposed to be a nice, tranquil area, as stated in their ads, but there happens to be a flaw apparently unforeseen by the designers of the mall. As planned, Gateway turned out to be the posh side of Araneta Center, but mixing high-class and the LRT terminal didn’t appeal quite well to me. The massive influx of commuters from the trains radically reduced the appeal of the so-called tranquil and peaceful experience they once boasted.

The new NAIA III terminal can probably be the best solution to the overcrowded old terminal. It is very spacious, some even say it’s the longest building in the country – very promising, indeed, but airports are supposed to symbolize the city, or in our case, the country itself for it is the first and last image seen by tourists or balikbayans. NAIA III did not grab hold of this principle. There is a big lack of Filipino identity in this terminal. It doesn’t have a warm feeling, rather it feels like a dull, American airport. Airports should epitomize the people it serves, and like the resort-themed Hawaii Airport, or the one in Malaysia (which looks like Islamic tents), our flagship airport should have also followed this aesthetic strategy.

I’m also wondering why you didn’t include any skyscrapers. RCBC Plaza and the GT Tower would definitely be on my list; so would the Enterprise Tower. – KT

Thank you for your e-mail, KT. The Gateway Mall may not have appealed to you, but it has to tens of thousands of daily commuters. Do not underestimate the spending power of the average commuter. More and more of our silent (but ring tone-crazy) middle class are taking to riding the LRTs and MRTs. This traffic does build up at times (during peak rush hours), but this dies off for most of the day. Weekends are also comfortable and if you take into account that the Mall has several levels (not just the LRT/MRT floor), then you have quite a great TOD (transit-oriented development, that is the craze in new urban planning elsewhere but here). The Gateway’s surroundings have also been upgraded. The Aranetas have seen it fit to give the ordinary pedestrian world-class sidewalks and tree-lined avenues. This, too, marks the renaissance of Cubao, which is now cleaner and greener. Makati should watch out.

I agree with you on the NAIA II’s lack of character, but the list was for the best-designed buildings. That airport is extremely functional, but because the design came from a US-based firm, the final product was, indeed, cold and inhospitable, from a Pinoy’s point of view. Local artwork, embellishments, and the use of more color in the finishes could have helped. It could have been better if the clients had enough confidence in the creativity and expertise of Filipino designers to produce actual design.

As to the skyscrapers, I left them out for another list – to come out soon.

This one’s from RO, a graduate of the UP College of Fine Arts:

I regularly read your column "City Sense" and I believe that Metro Manila should do some rethinking regarding its policies on design (not just the aesthetic part, but also the functional aspect), discipline, and awareness of the environment. It’s so sad how we exploit our environment. Come to think of it, if our natural environment, which isn’t man-made, is being neglected,how much more our cities that man created?

If there’s one thing I hate most about the city, it is the billboard problem. It highly reflects Le Corbusier’s notion of the "Age of Greed."Aside from the physical (dangerous during stormy season, and the cause of vehicular accidents) and psychological (stress aggaravation and visual overload) effects of billboards, haven’t we had enough of adverts from TV, radio, newspapers, etc.?

Once upon a time in history, great structures were erected to the gods or for great men and their achievements. These structures tell us what people regard as meaningful and essential in their lives (religion/spirituality and heroes: people they can look up to) Now, it’s underwear, appliances, and half-naked models. (Note: I recently saw the Lapu-lapu monument you featured in your column and it IS horrendous. I wondered: Sino kaya ang kumita dyan? Mukhang malaking raket yun ha.)

Is there such a thing as responsible advertising in the Philippines? I hate it when people tell me that it is natural for billboards to proliferate in the city. They say it is what gives the city its character and besides, it’s "art." It gives us entertainment and beauty while we die in the metro’s traffic. Our laws and lawmakers are not pro-active regarding design aesthetics and the benefits they give us and our city. Very Pinoy– we will settle for anything. Ikanga, "Pwede na yan!"

Thanks RO for your e-mail. There’s nothing more I can add. As a postscript – RO went on to tackle the issue of billboards and blight in an installation art exhibit at the Vargas Museum in UP Diliman last May. He has also embarked on advocacy projects to help LGUs and NGOs push for billboard-regulatory control in towns and cities.

So it’s back to traffic on Monday. Let’s hope that the news on the radio is better and we all will look for the next ring tone fad to hit the city.

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Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.