The Place to Be: South of the Metropolis

Thirty five years.

That's how long I have lived in the southern suburbs of Metro Manila. I live in a middle-class suburb with my family. We live in the same village as that of my parents, in-laws and relatives. The south is what molded me. This is the same place where my kids, now all teen-agers, have taken their roots.

Our village is accessible via three main arteries: SLEX Sucat exit, Ninoy Aquino Avenue, and the Coastal Road. We also have three village entrances: Sucat road in Paranaque City, Naga Road in Las Pinas City, and the C5 extension also in Las Pinas. Around us are the malls of SM (there are four branches nearby), Ayala, Festival, and Starmall. In the vicinity are lots of schools, colleges, a university and major southern hospitals. The nightlife is as vibrant as shopping. If you're in the mid-to-high socio-economic class, you must be living in the south. Everything is here.

By my definition, the south metro includes: Paranaque, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa, Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas. Some include Quezon. So, once you take the SLEX, you're in for a happy road trip to the south. A leisurely drive for a day with lots of stop-overs will surely take you to as far as Batangas City or its nearby towns and beaches. If you take the Aguinaldo highway, you'll pass by Cavite's coastal towns and go up the mountain city of Tagaytay.

The past fifteen years has seen full throttle development in the south. Mostly brought about by economic zones in Cavite and Laguna, spurring residential and commercial center develpment. Senator Manny Villar's Camella Homes sparked the boom in low-cost housing in the south. So it's no wonder the major highways he has lobbied to be built passed through or connected his companies' real estate holdings. Nothing personal. It's purely business. I don't complain. The guy reimbursed me in full when I had my deposit for a property in Molino, Cavite refunded. Now that's another story to tell.

So finally, after many years in this beloved suburb, I shall be doing a chronicle of the happenings -- good or bad -- down south. There are a lot of places and happenings I could have written about in years past. For being a busy bee, I just couldn't find the time. But anytime's a good time to start. I'm using my vacation leave to go back to writing. So here goes...till next time!