changing the image

My friend Juned, who runs several blogs has one called Pinoy Snapshots where he puts up his own great pictures of random places in Metro Manila. He's got a few great panoramic views.

Two didactic points (of course there has to be a "moral lesson") I get from his pictures:

The one above reminds us of how few green open spaces we have left in Metro Manila. Green and open spaces are democratic spaces. They provide places for play and relaxation for the masa. (Just visit the Quezon Memorial Circle on any Saturday and you'll know what I mean.) A rational, people-centric planning process would ensure that we retain open spaces for the city. (Check out Bogota's experience.)

The second is that re-imagining our city means re-imaging it. The mental picture we all have (born by pictures in local and foreign media) is of Smokey Mountain or Payatas. Very few media "establishing shots" show the city's skyline. This is something that the DOT or the Philippine Information Agency should undertake. I know images of beautiful islands are geared toward tourist sales -but juxtaposing it next to the modernity of our cities (at least part of it) will add to civic pride.

Maybe Philippine media can begin considering this as some sort of low-intensity advocacy?