SM Mall of Asia, Manila, PHILIPPINES

SM Mall of Asia (MOA) is a shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall chain owner and developer in the Philippines. SM Mall of Asia is the 2nd largest mall in the Philippines after SM City North EDSA, 3rd largestshopping mall in Asia and the 4th (Ref. Forbes' World's 10 Largest Shopping Malls) largest shopping mall in the world. It has a land area of 42 hectares and has a gross floor area of an approximate 390,193 square metres (4.20000×106 sq ft) and 407,101 square metres (4.38200×106 sq ft) of total area. The mall is located inBay City, Pasay, Philippines near the SM Central Business Park, the Manila Bayand the southern end of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. The mall attracts a daily average foot traffic of about 200,000 people. SM Mall of Asia's reign from being the largest shopping mall in the Philippines from 2006 was taken over by SM City North EDSA when it was redeveloped in 2008, relegating Mall of Asia to 2nd place.

The mall is the centerpiece project of SM Prime at the SM Central Business Park, where five one-story buildings serve as the company's corporate offices (the sixth building being occupied by TeleTech Holdings, Inc. as their flagship site in the country). Construction began in mid-2002 right after the completion of a contemporary medical school, dining strip and residential complex at Macapagal Boulevard, adjacent to the SM Central Business Park.

The SM Mall of Asia's design team includes Arquitectonica, design Architect; Robert Carag Ong and Associates, architect of record; GHT Services, project manager, and Hilmarc's Construction Corp. (for the south parking building, main mall, and entertainment mall) and Monolith Construction Development Corp. (for the north parking building), general contractors.

The mall would have opened before Christmas Day of 2005 but had been delayed due to hitches in the delivery of construction materials. Frequent rains in the last quarter of 2005 also delayed the turnover of mall space to tenants. SM Prime decided to move the opening date to March 3, 2006.

On February 27, 2006, local newspaper Manila Standard Today, reported that a team of Pasay City engineers found huge cracks underneath the structure, which was causing the structure to vibrate.When questioned about the inspection, the Pasay City Engineering Department denied making any statement regarding defects in the Mall of Asia. Engineer Edwin Javaluyas, Pasay City engineering officer, in his letter to SM Prime Holdings Inc., said he never stated that the city hall's engineering department inspected the Mall of Asia on February 23, 2006. 

SM Prime however decided to move the opening to May 21 of that year. Jeffrey Lim, corporate information officer of SM Prime Holdings, emphasized that a rescheduling of the mall's opening was made to give the company an opportunity to allow more tenants to open shops and denied that the change was due to structural defects. Also known as "The Largest Mall in Asia" and "The 4th Largest Mall in the World" On May 20, 2006, the mall was officially inaugurated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with a special screening ofEverest in the San Miguel Coca-Cola IMAX Theater. The movie was shown three days after tri-athlete Leo Oracion reached the treacherous mountain's summit. SM Bay City Arena which is under construction will be the newest addition to the attractions at the mall where large events like concerts, circus, ice shows, sports and entertainment events can be held. It is located at the side of the mall church and will compete with the 50 year-old Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM_Mall_of_Asia

Yuchengco Museum, Makati, Philippines

The Yuchengco Museum was created to house the art collection of Secretary Alfonso T. Yuchengco. It was opened to the public in September 2005 and its primary goal is to foster a grater appreciation of the public of the finest Filipino and Filipino-Chinese visual arts and creativity. The musum is located in Makati at the RCBC building owned by the Yuchengco clan.

The Gallery of the museum highlights the works of the most celebrated Filipino artists such as Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo, and Carlos Francisco. Aside from that, the museum now holds as their permanent collection consists of the works of Filipino Modernist such as Anita Magsaysay Ho and by National Artists such as Victorio Edades, Ang Kiukok, Napoleon Abueva, Vicente Manansala, Cesar Legaspi, and Jose Joya. There were also number of works in the folk genre by Norma Belleza, Angelito Antonio and Manuel Baldemor. Prints by Manuel Rodriguez Sr. and Boy rodriguez.

Sino-Filipino Expressions
This gallery is a series that brings out the excellent artistic and creative expressions of the Chinese Filipinos. It also looks at the best attributes of the twin-heritage: Chinese's hardworking skills and craftsmanship and the Filipinos' highly expressive and adaptive sensibility. With the exhibit is the workshop in Chinese traditional painting on Shui-Mo or "ink and water" that is conducted regularly.

Bridging Cultures
As an exhibition venue, the museum stands as a cultural bridge to the regional Asian and Pacific Rim communities.

Design as Art, Art as Design
This is a theme that stresses that a design must express its utility in such a way that the aesthetic debate whether form precedes function or the other way around is non existent.

Programs

The museum also holds Educational and extension programs that link various sectors and audience to promote better understanding of art and heritage, collections and creative industries.

Young Curators Program (with the University of the Philippines, Manila)

Art workshops on Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy

Volunteer and internship programs

Source: http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Yuchengco_Museum

Luneta Park, Manila, PHILIPPINES

 Welcome to Luneta "Rizal" Park

                                      

                                   

Rizal Park is like an oasis for relaxation and fun in the midst of Manila and situated next to Intramurus. Rizal Park has gardens, historical markers, plazas, a grand stadium, an observatory, an open-air concert hall, an artists' sanctuary, a light-and-sound theater, restaurants, food kiosks and playgrounds, and dozens of fountains.

Rizal Park is in the heart of Manila's thriving financial, commercial, industrial and institutional centers, overlooking the famous and picturesque Manila Bay.

The park was a tribute to the Philippine's national hero, Jose Rizal, a doctor and novelist who was shot by firing squad at this site on December 30, 1896 on charges of fomenting local rebellion against the Spanish government.

However the Philippines declared its freedom from Spain on June 12, 1898 but the American forces quickly replaced the Spanish colonizers. The US granted the Philippines its freedom on July 4, 1946 , after the defeat of Japanese forces in the country.

Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero.

At the center of it all is the 1913 bronze Rizal's monument situated a few meters away from the marker indicating the actual execution site.

An honor guard is on duty 24 hours a day. Behind the monument, the original Spanish version of the poem "Mi Ultimo Adios" is engraved, along with translations in other languages. Rizal wrote this poem while imprisoned in his cell in Fort Santiago from November 3, 1896 to December 29, 1896.

Many national dedication days are held in front of the Rizal monument.

It is also where foreign leaders attend wreath-laying ceremonies during state visits.

The park is divided into three sections beginning with the 16-hectare Agrifina Circle adjoining Taft Avenue, where the Department of Tourism and the National Museum of the Filipino People (formerly the Department of Finance) are located; followed by the 22-hectare park proper that extends down to Roxas Boulevard; and terminating at a 10-hectare open field across Roxas Boulevard fronting Quirino Grandstand along the Manila Bay.

The 31-meter Philippine flagpole is called kilometer zero, because it is where the distance of the country's towns and cities is measured from. Just beside the flagpole is Rizal monument, where foreign leaders attend wreath-laying ceremonies during state visits.

It is also where Manuel Roxas, first President of the Republic, was sworn in on July 4, 1946.From the Rizal monument, one can see the Quirino Grandstand, the Manila Bay , Manila Hotel, Army Navy Club, the Gallery of National Heroes, and San Lorenzo Ruiz Plaza , in honor of Lorenzo Ruiz who is considered by the Catholic Church as the first Filipino saint.

On the northern side of the park is the Lights and Sounds of Rizal - an audio-visual and three-dimensional diorama of Rizal's execution, consisting of life-size sculptures by Eduardo Castrillo.

The Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal, a Light and Sound Sculptural Tableau is a "living" memorial honoring the Philippine's national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

The tableau is an open-air theater presentation, featuring a 30-minute dramatization of the most poignant moments of Rizal's final hours, through 8 monumental sculptural clusters in an interplay of light and sound.

SCHEDULE OF PRESENTATIONS:

Wednesday-Sunday Evenings

7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (Tagalog version)

8:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. (English Version)

Entrance Fees:

P50.00 - General Public

50% discount applies to students with valid IDs, escorts (parents/guardian)

All faculty members with the group are free of charge

SCHEDULE FOR GUIDED DAY TOUR

Wednesday-Sunday (9:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m.)

Fees:

P10.00 - General Public

50% discount applies to students with valid IDs, escorts (parents/guardian)

BALLET AT THE PARK

A project of the National Parks Development Committee and Ballet Manila

Special Saturday presentations

Venue: Rizal Park Open-Air Auditorium, Manila

Time: 5:00 p.m./6:00 p.m.

Featured group: Ballet Manila

Ms. Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, artistic director

November 13 “BALLET FILIPINO”

Sari’t Bahag, with choreography by Jojo Lucila and Original Pilipino Music Suite as choreographed by Tony Fabella 

December 4 “EXCERPTS FROM “THE NUTCRACKER”

Also near are the Light and Sound Complex, which consists of Rizal's mural; the Gomburza marker, in honor of three Filipino priests who were executed by Spanish authorities for rebellion; and the Rizal fountain.

Just a short walk from Rizal fountain are the Artists' Haven, an environmental art gallery; National Historical Institute, the repository of the country's historical artifacts; and the National Library, which includes in its shelves rare books and documents.

From here, one can proceed to the Central Lagoon, Chinese Garden , Open-Air Auditorium, Planetarium, Rizal Park Library, MassCom Library, ChessPlaza , the Flower Clock, Japanese Garden and a 27-foot cascade.

The next stop is the Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion, a one-hectare theme park that showcases a rich collection of orchids, bromeliads, mums, poinsettias, roses and other colorful flowers. Originally focused on orchids, the Orchidarium now hosts a variety of blooms, scents and greens. It is said that most of the beautiful orchid hybrids around the world owe their beauty to the genes of Philippine orchids, notably the rare waling-waling from the Philippine rain forest.

Aside from its flora collection, the Orchidarium mesmerizes the visitors with its well-designed mystic lagoon, crystalline waterfalls, a climbing wall, a replica of a man-made rainforest, and a butterfly paradise.

The twin buildings of the Department of Tourism and the Department of Finance (now the National Museum of the Filipino People), which were built inclassic Greek architecture, are favorite sites for photo opportunity. It is also recommended that the visitor obtain a brochure from the tourism desk, in order to have a guided tour of the sprawling park.

From here, the visitor can proceed to the National Museum and pass by the Skating Rink, Plaza Olivia Salamanca in honor of the first woman physician in the country, Children's Playground, Relief Map and Halamanang Pilipino, which contains a selection of local flora.

A tour of the park on horse-drawn carriages is available to tourists. For those who want to enjoy the sunset from the sea, tickets for the cruise are available at the Golden Horizon Restaurant & Cruise Services near the Army-Navy Club.

Source: http://www.manila.ph/manila/info/rizal-park.html