To Whom It May Concern: I’m just dreaming and if this post proved to be disrespectful in any way, I will delete it.
Still, here are the 10 Dreams I have for Manila, our beloved capital city. I pray that this is not wishful thinking or maybe I’m foolish enough to care?
1. Preserve Your Lungs, Plant More Trees. Instead of putting chicken wires and street portalets, I suggest we plant more trees. Think Green MMDA. Ohh, it will also help with the problem of flooding, promise.
I love to see a GREEN Manila
2. Not Another Mall Please. Do you think we need another mall? I wish there are alternatives for Manila residents where they can really relax and breath some fresh air. If I may add, there is a mall in Edsa that houses an animal show everyday. This makes people lazy to explore the outdoors. You are stealing the joy of discovery both to the young and old. My goodness!!! Those birds and reptiles belong to the wild not to the mall.
3. I Am Barely Breathing. You know why I abhor going to Manila? The pollution will kill me. I wish we can have a “No Vehicle Day” once a year. Everyone get to office by bike or by walking or running. Healthier, cheaper and zero-traffic guaranteed! Green vehicles are already available; why not buy that one before its too late.
4. Provide Bike Lanes. I wish that national roads have designated bike lanes. This would declog heavy traffic, lessen air & sound pollution and promote healthier living too.
Lessen air pollution by providing bike lanes
5. Trash Can In Every Street Corner. Puerto Princesa City is still the greenest city in the Philippines. Why? Simple! They have big garbage bin not only in the street corners but also everywhere in the city. Plus the locals are disciplined. I wish Manila residents could do this.
6. Wifi-ed, Be Connected for Free. When I was in Singapore, Internet connection is available everywhere I go. I just need to register and puff, I’m connected 24/7 for FREE. Bus companies and malls can do it; I know the whole city can do it too! I wish Internet providers or companies can pick this up, this would be a great marketing campaign.
When will this happen?
7. Color and Light the Streets. I wish to see more colorful jeepneys and tricycles. I hope LGUs and Todas can sponsor events that will beautify our public transportations. I believe that my countrymen are brimming with ideas and creativity to vivify our commutes. Also, make the streets safer to pedestrians by lighting it when the sun sets. Want a greener and cheaper method? Build solar posts.
8. Plastic-Free. I live in Los Banos and we don’t use plastics here for more than 5 years now. I believe more and more towns and cities are doing the same. Manila, you should lead!
9. Restore and Preserve Our Heritage. I just want to say Kudos to Carlos Celdran and Ivan Henares for doing your part in restoring our heritage in the capital city. I just hope that the old politicians would care enough to restore and preserve our rich heritage.
Let's preserve this Fort, my fort.
10. _____________________________. I make this one blank for you to dream too! Suggest something that would beautify our capital city. I believe this would somehow reach the authorities.
If only I have the power to make these dreams possible, I will. Maybe when I become MMDA Chairman or Manila Mayor.
This is my contribution to the “MANILA IN FOCUS” Blog Carnival hosted by Lakwatsero for the Pinoy Travel Bloggers.
You can read the past topics by clicking the Blog Carnival logo.
i was just thinking… we can actually achieve all the things on your list, if each of us become responsible not only to ourself and family but also towards other people and our country.
wishful thinking….
indeed! let’s start in our own backyard siguro, and that would not be wishful thinking.
btw, what’s your #10?
♫♪♫ to dream, the impossible dream♫♪♫
haay.. sana talaga meron sugo mula sa langit na mamumuno sa Lungsod Maynila ng matiwasay!
napakanta ka talaga ivan?
sa blog post mo kumanta ka din ng “manila, manila…♫♪♫”
kantahan na lang tayo. i still believe we can make a difference sa manila.
for sure ito rin ang gusto ng karamihan. i really wonder why other cities can make good policies and not the others.
i hope that this will reach to those in position.
i also believe that people also lacks discipline but through good leadership and support i believe we can make it.
i hope too sir dong, sana nga may makabasa sa MMDA. which reminds me to tweet this to them.
let’s make it then! wooohoooO!
kung tutuusin kaya naman talaga gawin at iimplement ang lahat ng yan.. all we need is discipline at strict implementation.. sana nga maimplement na ag no-plastic policy dito sa manila para less ang baha!!
and so we need people who mean serious business in the implementation of these.
we can start doing the “no plastic policy” in our own homes dba? when i go to the supermarket or buy anything i refuse to get the plastic. nagugulat pa nga yung ibang mga bagger boy and then smiles.
let me answer your no. 10 by saying create more parks! it’s what i loved most about the cities i visited in other countries. parks mean more people outside, more trees, more outdoor activities, more life to a city!
indeed, i love parks. clean parks…
and i agree with you, i can spend the whole day sa isang park, relaxing pa. how i wish SM, Ayala and Robinsons build parks instead of malls.
thanks for dropping by sa site sir paul.
btw, i like your photos, its like they have soul in them.
hay…. sana nga more trees more parks to come for manila!
I wish for better security, cleaner roads and a better tourism program for Manila. There are so many good places to visit and things to do in Manila but it seems people are more focused on malls. 🙁
not another mall please, noh astrid?
and +1 on your security and cleaner roads.
same here, sana manila would be the destination, para kasing, no choice lang mga tourist kasi dito sa manila ang airport.
thanks astrid!
hi james! i agree, i want the same things for manila too! and can i just add my own number 10 —
improve our transportation system 🙂 make all places more accessible by efficient public transport. it’s not just cleaner or buying brand-new trains/buses/jeeps/tricycles, but circulation (tama ba?) should be regulated as well. whether peak or off-peak hours dapat may available mode of transport.
improved public transport will mean lesser cars on the road =) just my two cents!
i definitely agree with you maan! dapat nga mganda yung circulation system para less traffic, saka connected lahat, buses, trains, LRT etc.
thanks for your two cents.hehe
disciplined citizens of Manila!
after this, everything good follows..
Nice one bro. These dreams are achievable. Sa tingin ko ito rin ang gusto ng mga tao, wala lang nagbibigay ng option na pwede pala ito maachieve. Dahil TV at dyaryo lang ang madalas na pinagkukuhanan ng typical na Pinoy ng idea, wala, puro pampa-straight ng buhok, pampakinis ng mukha, at pampaputi lang ng kili-kili ang isusugest sa atin ng media. hehe.
vanity! hahaha
natawa ako bro.. panalo ka, pwede ka siguro mag-blog, yung puro patawa lang. thanks, takbo tayo!
i agree, i agree, i totally agree. 🙂
great list!! A lot of problems with garbage or recycling is simply because it is not available!! I miss seeing trashcans everywhere, as I come from one of the greenest cities too.. Portland, OR.
My #10 might be to build more infrastructure/housing for poor communities? Lets help the homeless and eradicate poverty or is that just ultimate wishful thinking??
yes, i think with you that there should be recycling facilities or maybe a compost pit for every household but the problem is, im seeing lotsa condos everywhere.
and yes, i hope that the poor communities would be given decent housing and viable source of income.
i hope that its not wishful thinking.
thanks janet!
Agree with others, for number 10 I wish to have more parks! Na-appreciate ko ang parks nung nasa Sydney ako and felt sad na wala masyado sa Manila 🙁
and i like the idea of not using plastic…
oo nga, since marami naman sa mga nakaupo sa gobyerno ay alis ng alis para sa kanilang trips, sana matuto sila sa ibang bansa, at i-apply ang mga mgagandang natutunan sa mga byahe nila
nice post James! i just remembered the other day i saw one lady walking in the street, then suddenly drops the used tissue on the floor like she did nothing wrong. gustong batukan e
tsk tsk… sana nga binatukan nyo sir. or sinabihan. hahaha
a common thing, it doesn’t happen sa Puerto princesa city
A hop-on , hop-off bus for tourists both foreign and local. Better signages for monuments and heritage sites. And let those students know/visit these sites, rather than field trips to MOA! (James, I’m all for this list!)
yep, that would be great too tita lili, parang sa SG noh? and hell yes to students visiting heritage areas not MOA. hahahaha
thanks po tita lili!
beautiful dreams. i hope one day, these will all come true! 🙂
amen! haha let’s hope this would reach the authorities
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Hi there can I use some of the material from this site if I reference you with a link back to your site?
Sure thing roxanna, just dont copy paste everything! haha
thanks in advance for the link back.
AMEN!
back in 2007, nagkaroon na ng project at ginawang wifi zone ang buong edsa. ngayon ata wala na. 🙁
hmmmm…. talaga? saan kaya napunta ang budget? sayang, ok sana yun
haha thanks for #5, now i can tell my friends i’m not a garbage can geek
hahahaha!
im glad you take your trash inside the bin. not a lot of filipinos do that, soooo asar sa mga taong nagtatapon lang kung saan saan
#10. Wala na pong mag-squat sa esteros, ilalim ng tulay, sa mga ilog, anywhere malapit sa ilog para maiwasan ung sobrang daming kalat sa mga ilog na nagiging dahilan ng baha…(Suntok sa buwan kaya to?)
thanks mye for adding your suggestion. i think this is MMDA and LGU’s work.
its just sad bec most of them are professional squatters. they move to the relocation area and comeback after a month or two.
At napakacomment talaga ako. It’s great to dream. I wanna list so many things for no. 10 but I would just write: wish ko lang there will be no more or less squatters. There should be a program that will regulate rural to urban migration (or meron na ba?). Filipinos should not be squatters in their own country. This is very difficult to solve I know but if there is a will, there is a way ikanga.
thanks for sharing your thoughts Ji.
Wow I just realized that you posted this last year.^^
10. A home for everyone.
–Sana wala na tayong makikitang mga pamilyang natutulog sa tabi ng kalsada, sa ilalim ng tulay, etc. Sana wala ng mga batang natutulog kung saan-saan and walang naghahanap ng mga magulang. 🙂
thanks for adding your dream angeli! i agree with you but the sad reality is, super dami nang condo right now.
manila dream muna, then philippine dream. my #10: connect the railway transit to all philippine archipelago para di mapilitan ang mga tao na makipagsiksikan sa estero o ilalim ng tulay. aminin natin, mataas ang in-migration rate sa mga highly urbanized na lugar, pero pag may efficient transpo connecting our provinces to manila, di na kailangan tumira sa manila pero makakapunta pa rin sa manila ng isang araw lang.
definitely agree with what you said, thanks for adding to the list boris