OPERATION NEWLEAF: Intramuros' Heritage

Before I start, as the UrbanHero, not all missions can be a success. What I mean is that I may tackle good news or bad news; I may agree or disagree with them. This would be my first mission, and I just hope I will save the day!

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ARTICLE PROFILE:
Title: "What being 'endangered' means for Intramuros"
Article link: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/49845/what-being-%E2%80%98endangered%E2%80%99-means-for-intramuros
Author: Augusto F. Villalon
Date issued: May 27, 2012 (Sunday)
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I'll start something very familiar here- where Manila has started, Intramuros. It's popularly known as the "heart of Manila", and is recently labeled as "endangered" by the Global Heritage Fund. Nestled along the edge of Pasig River, it has stood there and protected Manilenyos for centuries. But now, it merely serves as a popular tourist attraction, with a legendary status.

As someone who used to go there for picnics as a young kid, I have a lot of fond memories with that place, and I have an urge in admiring and protecting its timeless beauty. While I cannot be part of the restoration team yet, I am sure this blog post will somehow let people know the public still for it.

In connection with the possible issues of urbanization, it is present in Intramuros' case. The article states that they plan to further expand the restoration and to "reuse" some of the structures. I have been into one of the beautiful "town-squares" like a month ago, and honestly, they have done an excellent job in restoring old structures for tourism and religious purposes. From the brightly-painted colored villas, to the classy old-age cafes, it was done into perfection.

On the other hand, I am just concerned on how Filipinos will play out here by the time it would have attracted a larger audience. I do not want to see squatters tampering the place, nearby facilities polluting the water or an overflow of tourists. This what sort of happened in Boracay: too many tourists, and partial destruction of the natural environment, but I'll save that for another post.

Judging by the amount of time, money and participation of appropriate stakeholders, I still think they are going to finally pull this off the ethical way. So I will be anticipating the revival of the walled city!

Mission: SUCCESS!




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IMAGE REFERENCES:
- http://wikitravel.org/en/Manila/Intramuros
-http://goingaroundasia.com/index.php/2010/08/our-walking-tour-of-intramuros-part-2/
- http://themillsers.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html
- http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=45960303 
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