I still like to think of Malabon as a town, maybe because I'm sentimental but also because a town always feels cozier, where people know each other and do things with a sense of community. And I want Malabon to always be that way. Cities seem so crowded and impersonal.
And yet, looking around, I know that my wish may be next to impossible. Malabon is now a city.
For starters, our Municipio (municipal hall) of old has entered into the 21st century.
THE MUNICIPIO - CIRCA 1963 (photo from Arch. Richard Bautista)
This photo circa 1962 was obviously taken from the bell tower or kampanarya of San Bartolome Church. Note the original brick and adobe walls of the kampanarya. (Photo from Arch. Richard Bautista)
The Municipio - now the MALABON CITY HALL - today is a far cry from the two-storey building constructed in 1939. Inaugurated in 2008, the new City Hall is a modern, 11-storey building with state-of-the-art facilities, and is the highest building in the city.
I have been inside the Malabon City Hall many times before on various errands. The first time I went inside, I made sure to take the scenic elevator just so I could have a good view of the street scene on Rizal Avenue. I must say that with more floors to accommodate all the offices of the local government, it is so much more convenient now to transact business at the City Hall unlike before when everything was crammed into two or three floors (as a third floor was also added to the 1939 structure at some point).
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