The first change for most people was the commute. Suburban villages sprouted around old Manila and along EDSA. I lived in Baryo Kapitolyo, Pasig. It was a short commute compared to today. In 1978, it took about 15 minutes at rush hour. From the village, I turned left at Pioneer Street and into the Wrigley compound (which smelled agreeably of chewing gum) and continued down to turn left on EDSA. Thats when you would always find the first and only snag in the trip.
The jam was (and still is) at Guadalupe. The bridge had not been widened yet and the Guad (Guadalupe Commercial Center) added to the traffic. Crossing the bridge and driving uphill was still a bit pleasant with no billboards crowding out every inch of ones field of vision. You could still see the statue of the Virgin. The view up the road was also clear until they built that monstrous Makati Eagle. I thought at first that it was going to be the base of a flyover, but I was mistaken. That massive landmark was to stay for another 20 years.
Paseo de Roxas is one of my favorite Makati streets. It has wide tree-shaded sidewalks on both sides (although the Legaspi Village side was narrower). In the late 70s, I worked for the famous landscape architect I.P. Santos, who had an office on the penthouse of the Doña Narcisa Building. The atelier of Gabriel Formoso was our neighbor. He was also the architect of that elegant building, which I consider to be his best work. It was detailed exquisitely, with well-proportioned stairs and corridors, wide cantilevered sunshades and local stone for accent. It has now been replaced by a glass-and-steel structure that is more functional but less warm.
From that height, we gazed out at a growing Makati. Architects and landscape architects worked all days of the week including weekends. We had some entertainment, however, from the soccer matches played on Urgarte field across the road. Certain Saturday nights were also a treat, as on the way home in the evening, we would bump into the loveliest women in the city. They came with their "handsome" dates for a regular shindig at Patio Alba de Makati (which we would never hope of crashing because the affair was for same-sex-inclined couples). Ugarte is gone, Patio Alba has moved but the women (God, they were lovely!) will always be in our dreams.
The corner of Ayala and Paseo de Roxas avenues was the nexus of the CBD (Central Business District). These crossroads were defined by three notable pieces of Philippine architecture Cesar Concios Insular Life Building, Jose Zaragozas BPI headquarters and the San Miguel Building (whos architect I still have to trace). The Insular Life and San Miguel buildings provided auditoriums, which became alternative venues to Rizal Theater for plays and musicals (The Rep started at the Insular Life). Abuevas mural lent a humanizing touch to the otherwise cold demeanor of Ayala Avenue.
The BPI was replaced by a building designed by Engracio L. Mariano, a noted architect whose good work has escaped the publics notice. The San Miguel was replaced by a retro-deco twin tower designed by foreign architects and it seems that we will lose the Insular Life building, with its mural having made the flight to suburbia last year. (At least that major piece of art was saved.)
The Makati Commercial Center (or the Center Makati, as it was renamed in the 80s) was a great place to unwind and shop. The arcades in Old Escolta were already a distant memory. The new centers different structures were clustered around and connected by a beautifully landscaped, outdoor pedestrian mall designed by I.P. Santos. You could walk from the Maranaw Mart past Sulu and the Makati Supermarket to the Glorietta and onward to Angela Arcade, Quad and finally the Hotel Inter-Continental Manila. Outdoor sculptures by Filipino artists lined the mall. There were fountains, outdoor cafes and yes, clean air.
There was some nightlife in Makati, although most of the wilder stuff was still in Malate and Roxas Boulevard. The Intercon provided the choice spot in those disco-fever days. Where else could one go except Where Else? Mini-skirted servers and multi-level, transparent dance floors made for great fun. More fun was to be had in smaller venues with minus-one entertainment. Karaoke was unheard of then, so DIY music was provided with a three-piece band to accompany many an inebriated man. Pasay Road (now Arnaiz) turned commercial and hosted a number of these bars and restaurants and I miss the steamboat at Whistle Stop after a night out.
We need to understand why and how a city grows and what factors will keep further urban growth contained or more properly and sustainably oriented in the future. We need to define and maintain acceptable levels of livability in the city as benchmarks for future development.
Memory is a vessel but it is also a source of insight into our human (and increasingly urban) predicament.