Lungsod Iskwater: The Evolution of Informality as a Dominant Pattern in Philippine Cities

by Paulo Alcazaren, Luis Ferrer, Benvenuto Icamina
Photographs by: Neal Oshima
Published by Anvil Publishing, Inc. (2011)

According to the authors, Lungsod Iskwater is an analytical exercise that focuses on the most sustainable urban form
in history: the informal settlement. How did it originate decades of years ago? What methodologies were applied during
the pre-Spanish colonial era up to the present government administration? How is effectiveness assessed in terms of the
improvement of settlement areas which were built to answer the growing housing problems in the country, particularly in the Metropolis?

Presenting photographs and information that vividly depict the realities faced by our urban informal settlers, this book attempts to provide an in-depth analysis of the relationship between built form and open space of selected informal settlements in Metropolitan Manila. Shelter plays a big role on how individuals live and adapt to their environment in
order to survive and sustain the needs of their families. Empowerment of informal communities should also be considered to let them realize that they are key in changing and improving their living conditions. To achieve this, support from local governments and non-government organizations are crucial.

“The process of change will undoubtedly be difficult. But it is time to abandon obsolete perspectives that permit oceans
of poverty around islands of affluence and substitute for them cities that find their greatness in people living as human
beings is entitled to do.” This statement from sociologist Mary Racelis may in some way inspire our government to take action in uplifting the lives of the marginalized and less fortunate inhabitants of Metropolitan Manila by helping them live in more humane and decent human settlement areas.

Towns and Cities of the Philippines: Selected Cases on the History and Evolution of Settlements Volume 1

edited by Aloma Monte de los Reyes
Published by The Urban Partnerships Foundation and Heritage Conservation Society (2010)

Towns and Cities of the Philippines is a compilation tracing the birth, growth and decline of towns and cities in the Philippines. Eight case studies were presented: Silay City in Negros Occidental, Butuan City, Bucay in Abra, Loon
in Bohol, San Juan in Batangas, Pila in Laguna, Zamboanga City, and Sulipan in Pampanga. The cities and towns presented were significant cities in the past which declined or lost their prominence in the present. The book traces the birth of the towns and cities, and the reasons for their rise and fall. Names of towns and cities are traced by understanding the translation of local language and the then identity of the place. Highlighted is the strong influence by the Spaniards that run throughout the archipelago and the role of the Catholic Church as an instrument for subjugation by converting  pagans” to Christianity. The colonizers, especially the Spaniards who came first, dictated the grid iron planning of the towns following the Laws of the Indies identical to the plan of Spanish cities. Geological conditions and natural resources determined the location of the towns along with the vested interests of those who rule. Periodic typhoons and pirate attacks influenced the change in location of some towns. Prominent families and colonial houses stand as witnesses of the glorious past, the power divide, and the deeply-rooted colonial mentality and acceptance of colonization.

The book presents the history of key towns and cities with the hope that understanding the origin of their development
and the value of the past would help in the preservation of what little that remains of this glorious past, as a guide to its
rehabilitation and/or future development.

While the book is a good reference to understand the political birth of specific cities and towns, it however failed to put the town’s or city’s development in the context of the country’s situation before the time of colonization. There was a sketchy reference to the past before colonization as if these towns and cities did not exist before the Spaniards. What defines a city other than it was declared by the colonizer was not clearly presented. The book is an attempt to link history with the formal city planning. Inclusion of clear maps could have helped significantly in the understanding of the cases. Also, to better understand the historical references made in this book, the reader must have a general background on Philippine history and geography.

The book is an indicator that we have limited available knowledge to better understand and bring about impartial information and analysis regarding the evolution of our cities and towns.

A Belgian architect works with informal settlers in Pasay in dreaming up their future home

by Tracey Loontjens

“It wasn’t always easy: we needed to let go of our European way of thinking to create architecture, and to consider and understand a completely different way of living, different circumstances and traditions.”

Tracey makes the model for the low-cost housing project

As part of my studies in urban planning, which I combine with a postgraduate program about North-South issues, international relations and development cooperation, I decided to come to the Philippines and do an internship at TAO-Pilipinas. The Philippines is one of the fastest urbanizing countries in the world. As an architect and future urban planner, I wanted to learn more about the characteristics of Philippine cities and villages, about their history and present, and about their actual problems by examining the specific cultural, political, economic, and social context of urban forms of this country and to compare this with other cities or regions.

I had certain ideas and expectations about my stay and work here before I left. But, although I had travelled already before in Asia and prepared myself well by doing research about the country, I knew it quite well only in theory and could only guess how it would be to live and work here. I didn’t know what the urban poor communities would look like, how the people would be, what stories we were going to hear, or in what way the culture would influence me. But in the past few months those words and images came alive. It became my world and I became every day a bit more part of it.

So far, it has already exceeded every imaginable expectation, and I’m still getting surprised every day.

I come from Belgium, a small European country with only 10 million inhabitants – a quantity which generally equals the population of an average, medium size city in Asia. So living in a megacity such as Metro Manila is quite overwhelming. Although we (because I’m here together with Brecht, my partner, who is also volunteering at TAO-Pilipinas) experienced Manila at first as a bleak, overpopulated, and polluted concrete urban jungle, we discovered every few days new things, learned to read the complex urban tissue and appreciated its cityscape, given color by the Filipino people and their daily habits.

TAO-Pilipinas played an important role in this. During our stay here, we were confronted with homeless people and visited poor communities in informal settlements. But we couldn’t help but notice also the luxury of the high-end,  sometimes gated communities, the high-rise buildings, and the shopping malls. It’s not always easy to comprehend this enormous gap, but our work at the NGO helped us to understand the development of this megacity, as well as the living conditions of its inhabitants.

From the beginning, we were involved in a lot of different projects of the NGO and had the opportunity to combine the work at the office with field trips or community and project visits. Through these visits, we realized that being poor is not necessarily an obstacle to creating a well organized and functioning community and that people with a limited income are not only often much more socially active, but also more creative than most others, in how they use space for example. We learned that you do not necessarily need to have an incredibly complex design to provide new housing areas for former slum dwellers, but that simple interventions can also improve the housing environment, and the general quality of life in that area – remarkably.
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