Eye in the Sky: A Walk in the Greens of Greenbelt

THE CITY of Makati is the financial and commercial hub of Metropolitan Manila. It is a showcase of the country’s technological, infrastructure and economic advances, and can rival any bustling first rate metropolis the world over!

Cosmopolitan and vibrant, the city is home to many expatriates. Makati is also home to many first-class shopping malls, embassies, the Philippine Stock Exchange, most of which are located at Ayala Center and Rockwell Center and the contiguous areas. Makati also has the tallest buildings in the Philippines like PBCOM Tower, G.T. International Tower.

The city also has many of the country's five-star hotels like The Peninsula Manila, the Shangri-La Hotel Makati and the Intercontinental Hotel Manila. Independent business travelers also benefit from budget hotels like the Saint Illian's Inn, El Cielito Inn, The Copa Businessman's Hotel, and The City Garden Suites. Meanwhile, apartments like The Salcedo Suites, Fraser Place Manila, The Sunette Tower, and The Oxford Suites are gaining in popularity among business-minded travelers as well.

A LITTLE HISTORY

The origin of its name is mentioned in its wikipedia entry: “Makati came from the Tagalog word kati - an archaic noun - which means receding tide. This primarily refers to the rise and ebb of the tide of the Pasig River on the city's northern border. The city was also known as San Pedro de Macati during the Spanish era.” In the 1930’s, around the time they officially inaugurated Luzon’s first airport in Nielson Field (what is now the Ayala Triangle), the Philippine Legislature shortened the name to “Makati”.

At the turn of the century, the Americans established Fort McKinley in Makati – a place that bigot Hong Kong writer Chip Tsao allegedly wants to visit once his “blacklist” status in the country gets stricken off. In January 2, 1995, Makati became an independent city by virtue of Republic Act 7854. This makes Makati a very young city – barely 14 years old as I write this.

This post features some areas covering the Greenbelt area, particularly the lush blooms and foliage of its gardens. The pond and the chapel are among my personal favorite. Sitting beside the pond, saying a prayer at the chapel and people-watching make for an interesting, albeit laidback afternoon.

This area enjoys a continuously changing landscape. Renovations and frequent embellishments have become a fixture in the last 5 years. This is designed to keep its customers interested. I always spend my Christmases – yes, December 25’s – at the Greenbelt 3 cinemaplexes watching the majority of mostly inane Metro Manila Film Festival entries. Why do I patronize them (MMFF movies) if I find them despicable? Why not? It isn’t fair to huff-and-puff and complain about films that I haven’t seen, is it? To be objective about your views, you have to go watch to make your judgment valid. So - I watch, hoping things would change. It’s been wishful thinking so far. You’d think people who sit at the screening committee are a bunch of morons. LOL

Moving along, you guys should check out Max Brenner’s (along Makati Avenue) hot chocolate and those sinfully delicious chocolate cakes. A taste is close to having died and gone to heaven. Hahaha! It’s that good.