COMMONER
Jun 24, 2020
Half of the aerial view image shows Makati City - lusciously green, evenly-spaced houses, and visible roads.
What she is talking about is the deeply questionable mismatch of real living conditions against the supposed energy of our economy that has been spoken of for many years.
The "Talents" urbanized cities attract are college-educated and well-affiliated workers who can speak the language of and maneuver through the corporate world.
In short, business districts attract the upper-middle class and those at the top of income distribution because they are aware of the rewards that come with their "Talents," as their talents are held more valuable.
Transportation is not an asset to these business districts either.
Even if you live in a neighboring city, the commute is still a struggle - a weight that gets heavier and heavier as you get closer to rush hours.
Makati City, a highly commercialized area, is still segregated the same way Tong described the Spanish-era social system.
While the barangays near the business district enjoy the perks due to its proximity to money and power, the Fort Bonifacio Area is, quite literally, cramped outside the urbanized Bonifacio Global City.
Hard as public officials may try to paint homogenized progress within and across cities, the maps that we captured tell a different story.
Collective individual experiences of hardships and being pushed to the margins in poorer regions tell the stark difference of Filipinos living conditions, especially in highly urbanized areas.