Super City of New Manila on the rise
I dread traveling around the region. Seeing how Singapore, KL and Bangkok have developed into thriving centers for business and the arts, my gut turns with envy for my Manila. I'm sure quite a few of you have felt the same way in varying degrees.
Our city was not always the grimy, crowded metropolis it is today. Expertly master planned by American Architect, Daniel H. Burnham in 1904, Manila was built to be a grand metropolis that displayed America's colonial might.
But (no) thanks to an executive order handed down by President Manuel L. Quezon, funds originally intended for Manila's further development were diverted towards irrigation projects, a move that rendered the Burnham plan obsolete. Since then, the city has grown on expediencies and an amalgamation of numerous master plans drawn by one administration after another. The end result is what Metro Manila is today.
I admit, I am looking for redemption. A nation's principal city is a reflection of what it has achieved and what it is capable of. I still dream of seeing our capital stand head and shoulders with the great cities of the world.
Signs of hope
Beneath what seems to be a metropolis spinning out of control is a plan that may just save it.
Pockets-townships are new phenomenons that have risen as a result of government's land privatization program. The Fort, Rockwell and Filinvest Alabang are examples of this. Privately owned and professionally managed, these pocket-townships exemplify the best of what Metro Manila can be.
A new super-city is being developed through the integration of the 240 hectare Bonifacio Global City, the 50 hectare McKinley Hill Complex, the 25 hectare Newport City and the still undeveloped 120 hectare Bonifacio South District (present site of JUSMAG). Adding even more scale is the 123 hectare Makati CBD which will be linked to The Fort via Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Altogether, the entire area will have a land mass comparable in size to the Central district in Hongkong . It is envisioned be the new face of Metro Manila.
The Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) is government's lead agency in privatizing land formerly occupied by military bases and its principal master planner.
After years of being out-of-touch, I spent a nice afternoon of chat with BCDA's Chairman, Aloysius "Al" Santos, fellow La Sallite, and respected figure in Philippine business.
I asked Al what his vision was for the emerging super-city. Al proudly declared that it was the BCDA's mission to develop it into a true world-city, one that could rival Singapore. Fighting words from the business mogul, now public servant. I sensed the determination, the grit and the boldness in his tone and I liked what I heard.
To many, a lofty statement like this could easily be dismissed as just another sound bite. But no one can deny that The Fort is shaping up quite well. From its inception, over US$5 Billion in investments have been poured into it with more coming in at an accelerated rate. True, its level of development is decades away from Singapore, but its initial steps are certainly towards the right direction.
I appreciate the fact that the BCDA continues to invest heavily on its infrastructure even before it needs it. Everything to do with electricity, water and telecommunications have been pre-installed underground with enough capacity to support its future expansion. To us, that means no rain-induced brownouts, no street excavations and no wires dangling from overhead.
As far as roads and bridges go, Lawton Avenue, the 4 lane street will grow in importance as the main artery of the super-city. It will be expanded into an 8 lane boulevard, 2 lanes of which will be dedicated to the Bus Rapid Transit lines which will extend all the way to Ayala Avenue through SLEX. New ramps will also be constructed in and out of The Fort, one at the intersection of C5 and Kalayaan and another on the south end of C5.
The BCDA is positioning its super-city to be an educational hub and a preferred destination for multi-national companies. Future developments will be skewed towards this niche.
In the pipeline are more grade-A offices, residences, learning institutions and hotels. I am particularly looking forward to the 67-storey luxury tower of the Shangri-La group and the trio of 60-storey towers of the Grand Hyatt Hotel and Metrobank. I hear their architectural design will be iconic. Me thinks that this city of ours is in desperate need of a new icon to replace the jeepney (which I consider a symbol of backwardness)...... I surely hope these buildings will be "iconic" enough to plaster on postcards.
Also under construction is BCDA's 1.2-hectare Mind Museum, an interactive exhibition center that celebrates the sciences. With a price tag of more than a billion pesos, it is a compliment to the numerous learning institutions in the city.
The expansion of the super-city flirts with triple digit growth and it won't be long before The Fort, Newport City and McKinley Hill, as we know it, will be fully built-up. BCDA is already preparing its new frontier of expansion by way of the 120 hectare Bonifacio South District. Last year, the BCDA awarded 34.5 hectares of the former Jusmag property to Megaworld Corp. after besting other offers in a transparent, straight bidding exercise. Government should be happy as the BCDA was able realize nearly 40% more from the land's average appraised value.
Megaworld plans an upscale mixed-use development that will solidify The Fort's position as an international corporate center and educational hub. The scale model of Megaworld's plan reminded me of the Pudong district in Shanghai. Massive....modern... swanky. It will be a new growth center and an asset to what will be Manila's new face.
At some point in the not too distant future, I hope to travel to Singapore and come home feeling good about our capital city. We're not there yet but I feel redemption coming.
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For comments and reactions, feel free to email me at andrew_rs6@yahoo.com.
