Mall of Asia
So huge, so grand and sooooo commercial.
Personally, i wouldnt go there except for two reasons:
(1) if someone offered to take me to the cinema without me having to pay for anything, and
(2) if there’s one item that i need to buy and the shop that has it can only be found there.
Seriously, the massive structure sits on reclaimed land. God knows if the land can actually hold that much weight, not to mention the pedestrian/shopping traffic inside the mall would really shake the place. Yeah, yeah world class engineers and architects worked on it - but seriously, there is never any perfect assurance for stuff like that.
Moreover, it somehow contradicts this whole idea that we’re poverty stricken. What is it with us and malls? Shopping centers in Italy looked like the provincial malls we have. Germany and Austria have shopping streets which could be much more fun (but with the heat in Manila, I dont think it would be a great idea). To the shock and disbelief of some Europeans I met, I told them about this grand mall that sits imperially on Manila Bay. Hah! And you thought Filipinos were poor?
And yet we really are - financially of course (I would like to believe never in spirit).
It’s just like that SM Baguio building - sitting atop one of the most significant hilltops in Baguio (significant in the sense that the most historical Baguio hotel used to be there, and it is the best location for unassumingly charming structures really). Pretty nice modern archi but an eyesore hovering in the middle of the landscape. And can you build such a massive edifice on a sensitive area?
Why are we blinded by the glory of commercialism, of white modern buildings and anything related to shopping? Is it because we are escapist? Because we are actually materialistic? Because we just like the American influence of malls, concrete, cars and pop?
Hay.
I find it ironic and inhuman. And please, dont say it is good to have malls because it provides employment to people - at some point yes BUT take note, mall employees are hired on 6-month contracts so that the mall admin/owner would not have to pay more for social security, health insurance and the like - and this cuts on the security and tenure of employees. In the end, if you think we have gained, we actually lost.
As much as Marx knew that capitalists are important for the economy, he did ask them to HUMANIZE labor. We all know that there is always a HUMANE way, a justified way to go about things - there is such a thing as social responsibility. Most people, especially those in business and sometimes in government, just dont choose it.
(Edited and posted here from www.livejournal.com/users/salipawpaw - 15Jul 06)
July 17th, 2006 at 7:50 pm
Yeah ur right.. In some points, it gives jobs to some filipinos… Contractual as agreed…. A lot wud be entertained and amzed by this mall but not all could afford to be in this place. as youve sed, i myself wudnt be watching movies here unless somebodys gonna treat me or if im really dying to see one of the movies… our country belongs to third world countries and yet we strive to build this establishments instead of investing them with somethngs else of more importance and use… I dont think its also practical building a big mall, for the sake of what?? Isnt it enuf that manila is already filled with lots of shopping malls but the roads leading to them caused people to be stuck in traffic or otherwise stuck because of floods during rainy days…….. i mean, wake up people, reality check… rich people cud afford to build these malls but why cant even share their treasures in repairing our roads and the like…. mga pinoy tlaga… may mga taong naghihirap, and the more clang nagihirap because of us na rin….. yung mga mayaman cla lang yumayaman… The prob withus Filipnos eh, kahit wala na pera, we still try to buy all the thngs we wanted in life, just to please ourselves….. I admit, Ive been that situation.. But as i mature, i realized that things change…… we have to admit that Philippines is no longer a better place to live.. with all the politics achuchuchu.. No wonder mga tao eh migrate na sa ibang bansa kahit mga celebrities…. I dont mean to harm others but wat iv sed.. but if we don’t change.. nothings really gonna happen….hehehe