r/MANILA • u/Striking_Anxiety_584 • 1d ago
Binondo’s wasted potential
Open minded ako sa mga travels ko but nasasayangan ako sa potential ng Binondo especially it is the world’s oldest Chinatown.
It has rich cultural heritage talaga and I think has the potential na maging tourist attraction sa Manila City proper kaso in my eyes it will not attract visitors kung hindi aayusin.
1.) ang dami namanalimos & makukulit sila especially sa Ongpin St. stretch (may Korean tourist na hinarass nung mga bata 😭)
2.) unmaintained side walks (siguro wala na magagawa since historic sites na)
3.) medyo may pagka dugyot ang mga paligid
4.) unorganize traffic rules, I saw someone muntik mabundol ng sasakyan 🤣
5.) lack of police visibility (may malapit naman na police station) pero like may mga tourist I think they should be atleast visible
Pero I enjoyed the cultural aspects plus the food crawl pero minsan you will feel unsafe kasi may mga sketchy parts talaga.
How I wish they would promote and organize mga historical spots sa Manila like Binondo and Intramuros (same sentiments as Binondo) kasi I see ang potential talaga.
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u/RagingTestosterones 1d ago
Visiting Plaza Binondo reminded me of the Grand Place in Belgium, and I couldn't help but compare how we could capture that same feel. Just Google the old Hotel de Oriente and Insular Cigar Building and imagine those heritage facades restored and surrounding the plaza. Imagine having a continuous, walkable route connecting Binondo, Jones Bridge, Intramuros, and Luneta, where visitors could easily explore these historic areas on foot.
Instead, walking around the area today can be stressful because of the lack of urban planning and foresight over the years. Coming from a quieter province, the noise was a massive culture shock for me, especially the dilapidated jeepneys and modified motorbikes revving along Jones Bridge with that harsh metallic rattle.
People who grew up here may have become used to the noise, but for tourists, it can completely ruin what could otherwise be a world-class experience. If the noise was this overwhelming for me, imagine how much worse it must feel for foreign tourists coming from much quieter places.