“We have long been seen as a people
that lives in nipa huts, wearing
loincloths, and dancing in circles.
But anyone who has visited our three
major cities knows that we have been
expanding and negotiating our spaces”
—Virgilio Almario
De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde; University
of San Carlos; University of the Philippines
Diliman; University of the Philippines
Mindanao; and women-led non-profit NGO
Technical Assistance Organisation (TAO)
Pilipinas Inc.
The first navel, “(Post) Colonial
Imaginations,” touches on the impact of
colonialism on our built environment. Cabalfin
defined the term as, “an imposition of control
by one entity over another through domination
and subjugation,” posing the question of
whether we can truly escape it. “Futures of a
Past” by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s
architecture department features depictions of
alternate realities in the year 2050, serving as a
discourse on our local urban condition. TAO-
Pilipinas’ “Architecture as Participatory Design”
shows scale models that present solutions to
security of tenure issues in Metro Manila and
post-disaster mitigation such as the construction
of shelters and evacuation centres in Eastern
Samar. In “Badjao Eco-Village: Empowerment
Through Indigenous Architecture,” the
University of the Philippines-Mindanao presents
how the various ethno-linguistic communities
in Mindanao celebrate their culture and distinct
way of life.
The second navel, “Neoliberal Urbanism,”
presents the development of the built
environment under the neoliberal agenda
that was prolific in the 1970s and 1980s,
which encourages competition among
cities, supporting a free market with
little government intervention. “When
considering neoliberalism in the Philippine
setting, I examine a particular phenomenon:
the emergence of enclave central business
districts such as Rockwell and Libis, and
other mixed-use developments,” said
Cabalfin. “Such expansions have a direct
relationship with how money comes in and
how labour is fashioned. Because of the
BPO industries, our cities run for 24 hours,
seven days a week. This relentless cycle of(^193)