Manila Metropolitan Theater may be restored soon after Mayor Alfredo Lim set up a seven-member committee to oversee the delicate and urgent restoration work of this now-rotting Art Deco building located across Liwasang Bonifacio.
Constructed in 1931 , the building is now owned by the Government Service Insurance System. I wonder why the GSIS has not made it a cause to restore it.
I hope the members of the committee succeed in their work.
My uncle — stage performer — used to perform there. My mother also used to go there to watch “Vilma!” Friday nights. And I remember that “Sa Liyab ng Libong Sulo” had a jampacked premiere at the theater sometime before the authorities shut it down and let it rot.
President Arroyo alloted P50-million in 2002 as initial fund for the restoration under the auspices of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. As to where the money went, let’s leave it to the Lim committee and the Commission on Audit to find out.
Elsewhere, street graffiti has really graduated into something loved by people. Look at these photos from Web Urbanist:
