Holy Grail of Manila by Alvin Ng

[ THE HOLY GRAIL OF MANILA ] building HAPPYLAND The Duterte Administration M.Arch 2018/19 | Alvin Ng Sing Por | A0146798H Thesis Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Tomohisa Miyauchi National University of Singapore

[ CONTENTS ]

ONE. Foreword

TWO. Research on Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Administration

THREE. Symbolic Power of Place

FOUR. Film Study and Architectural Voyuerism

FIVE. Slum Case Studies

SIX. Theory and Ideologies

SEVEN. Site Visit to BASECO and BRGY 105 Happyland, Manila

EIGHT. Final Architectural Manifestation

NINE. Reflection and Acknowledgements

[ Foreword ]

Following the political crusade of Rodrigo Duterte’s1, this thesis will anchor on the 16th President of The Republic of Philippines savage war on drugs. It paints a cynical and satirical political narrative of purification, salvation and fear through the support of the state arms – military and police, commonly known as “The Death Squad.” Duterte’s battle cry ‘Change Is Coming’ is executed mercilessly with extrajudicial killings that pre-dominantly happens in the city’s slums – spaces of neglect and marginalized communities. The slums by nature is a cesspool of dirt and consequentially, a result of political failure. The physicality of its environment, its proximity to the main city, the image, perceptions and social stigma associated with the slums presents a perfect opportunity for an architectural intervention: - parallel with the assumed current ‘perfect’ political administration to lay the grounds for a better Philippines. In essence, the strategy to locate the intervention within the slum of “Happyland” provides a fertile ground to test out the purification regime of Duterte – by harnessing the control, power and fear to shed the stigmatised image of a slum and to offer a compelling narrative of sucess and salvation - given his proven track record as Mayor of Davao City. The architecture manifests as five utilitarian ministries that enshrines the marginalized slum community in Happyland but are in fact, surveillance assemblages that subverts them into false emancipation. It functions as an institutional display of power, to discipline the cesspool by eradicating the drug issue and a tool for the political propaganda of Duterte’s administration. The ministries (Ministry of Truth, Ministry of Nourishment, Ministry of Commons,Ministry of Creation, Ministry of Wealth) are instruments of the state that utilises trash as its main currency to generate economical value chains for the slum dwellers in Happyland. Each ministry reflects and exaggerates a socio-economic issue that I’ve researched and gathered through site visits to the slums of Manila.

Rodrigo Duterte was elected the 16th President of The Republic of Philippines in June 2016.

[ Rodrigo Duterte ] The Punisher

1. Was elected President in 2016 on the strength of a campaign that promised execution of drug dealers battlecry of “change is coming” 2. Mayor of Davao City for more than 20 years - once the murder capital has now transformed into one of the most progressive cities in the country Davao as a microcosm of the Manila dream 3. Product of Electoral Insurgency x Populism. Defeating the notion of “Machine Politics” Elections were based on local factions and political family alliances. A showdown of who has the biggest resources for vote buying 4. Crass Politics and Spectacle-Driven Discourse on discipline and spectacle

Nearly 8 in 10 Filipinos appreciate the work done by President R.Duterte in the previous quarter (78%) as well as express trust in him (76%).

[ Operation Double Barrel ] The Death Squad and Kill List

Operation Double Barrel is the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) anti-illegal drugs campaign plan which has a two-pronged approach, namely Project HVT targeting High Value Targets which represents the upper barrel, and Project Tokhang, a visayan term for “Toktok-Hangyo” which represents the lower barrel wherein police officers will visit and knock on doors of houses of watch listed illegal drug users and pushers.

“so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish there would grow fat from feeding on them”

The Kill List

1. 2:30 a.m. | Unidentified drug suspect #77 | Rodriguez town, Rizal | Killed in police shootout after firing first

8. 8:30 p.m. | Robert Frias, on his city’s drug watch list | Parañaque City, Metro Manila | Killed by unknown hitmen

2. 2:30 am. | Unidentified drug suspect #78 | Rodriguez town, Rizal | Killed in police shootout after firing first

9. 9:00 p.m. | Alias “Dennis Palaka,” suspected drug trader | Antipolo City, Rizal | Killed in police buy-bust operation

3. 5:00 a.m. | Evangeline Tan, suspected drug user but not on the city’s drug watch list | Dasmariñas City, Cavite | Found dead, body full of stab wounds and hands tied with an electric cord; found on the body was a paper saying, “Wag tularan, tulak ako (Do not imitate, I’m a drug pusher)”

10. 9:00 p.m. | Alias “Bong Muslim,” suspected drug trader | Antipolo City, Rizal | Killed in police buy-bust operation

4. Early morning | Jaime Tolentino, 2nd most wanted drug suspect in his city | Dagupan City, Pangasinan | Killed while being served a search warrant

12. 9:00 p.m. | Arnel Cayanan, killed with David | Dinalupihan town, Bataan | Killed in police buy-bust operation that injured one policeman

11. 9:00 p.m. | David Cayanan, ranked high on the town’s drug watch list | Dinalupihan town, Bataan | Killed in police buybust operation that injured one policeman

Body Count: 2127 Killings as of 12:00 p.m., Feb. 16, 2017 Since June 30 2016: 2,127 (1,104 by police and 1,022 by unknown hitmen)

Upper Barrel (HVT)

Lower Barrel (Tokhang)

State Arms (Police) to instill fear and control. The parade of corpses left on the streets are not only trophies for his administration but a warning to potential offenders.

REUTERS / Erik De Castro

Aftermath of Project Tokhang: This specific jail in Quezon City reportedly houses those who are on trial but have not yet been convicted; it holds some 3,800 inmates despite being originally built for 800.

AFP/ Getty Images / Noel Celis

[ Performative Populism ] Authenticity x Masculinity

Change is the tenor of the political conversation. It is indignant, often violent, sometimes offensive, but nonetheless, offers a hopeful and compelling fantasy that energises a citizenry that once resigned to politics as usual. The campaign slogan “Change Is Coming” resonated well with voters because it has visible basis. Duterte can do no wrong is a message that has been developed by himself and an entire machinery supporting him. His ability to craft a signifcant “dangerous other” and blow it out of proportion - similar to Donald Trump has led to his rise to power.

“repertoire of crisis performance” After several attempts, the Northern elites failed to solve the persistent problems in Mindanao. Most of all, what people look forward to, real or imagined, a community safe from impunity. The drug menace is a social problem that has not been satisfactorily addressed by past administrations but Duterte has blown it out of proportion calling the country a “Narco State”. His ascension was not a revolt of the poor but a protest of the new middle class who suffered from lack of public service and silently witness their tax money siphoned by corruption.

Diasporic Support OFWs (Overseas Foreign Workers) are one of the country’s economic engines. Over 10 million Filipinos working abroad send back billions of dollars every year, contributing around 10% of the country’s GDP. promising the ultimate dream for many—a domestic economy so good they no longer need to leave their families to work again. This will be the last generation of OFWs, he has promised.

[ Exhibit A: Davao City ] Authenticity x Masculinity

1. Murder Capital to Commerce Hub of Southern Mindanao Davao serves as a springboard and template for his presidency and the future of Philippines. During his reign, Duterte introduced a number of steps welcomed by residents: a curfew for unescorted minors, a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol at certain times, a public smoking ban and fines for noise nuisance.Â

2. Economic Returns as Political Cushion Investments and Businessess helped bankroll Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peace and order project. More than 20 flights daily to and fro Manila. The City Investment and Promotion Center said the city has now more than 40,000 new and renewed businesses, with a total aggregate capitalization of P270 billion, or more than $5 billion. The total number of businesses was an 18-percent increase from 2017.

3. Davao Death Squad Davao was Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s laboratory for killing. It was where the Mayor-turned-President honed his violent and totalitarian tendencies. It is a group that Duterte had formed to go after small-time drug dealers and petty criminals but that later evolved into a force to eliminate political opponents.

4. Compelling Narrative Davao offered the hope that a city in the South could be peaceful and prosperous. It is a peaceful and orderly paradise. It offers a counterpoint to imagine possibilities for governance.

The former officer, Arthur Lascañas, said at a news conference on Monday that Mr. Duterte had sponsored the killings of drug and crime suspects while he was mayor of the southern city of Davao. Mr. Lascañas has now become the second professed hit man to level such accusations against Mr. Duterte.

“Total of 1424 deaths caused by the Davao Death Squad”

The strategy applied in Davao is a combination of brute force and astute political skills. Brute force is manifested in the form of the Davao Death Squad – a vigilante group of “local thug, former rebels, ex-soldiers and policemen.” The squad’s function was to kill point-blank at suspected drug dealers, muggers, rapists and street children. The successful model of Davao was achieved through a ‘social contract’ which people are willing to sacrifice some liberties (such as curfew for minors and city-wide smoking ban) for the sake of the collective good. Duterte has therefore offered Davao as an exemplary model that could be scaled up within Metro Manila, to push forth his purification ideology.

[ Symbolic Power of Place ] Sense of Place x Territorial Stigma

[ Initial Thesis Concept ]

[ Interim Critique 2 ] Conceptual Vignettes

[ Film Studies - Rear Window ] By Alfred Hitchcock, 1954

Window Emphasis

The film Rear Window (1954) by Alfred Hitchcock utilised neighbouring interiors in a courtyard fashion to fabricate voyeurism. The spatial relationship and visual tension is heightened through each window frame that houses an individual character. The film is shot from the protagonist’s (voyeur) dominating point of view by his rear window that faces a symphony of window frame façade overlooking all the characters (voyee). The protagonist watches the spectacle unfold from a fixed distance and a fixed position – much like a box in the theatre.

The architecture becomes the instrument of the gaze, a kind of camera obscura on an urban scale. Window becomes the veritable subject of the film.

Voyeuristic Ambiance Panoptic Courtyard

Tension between watching and being watched. Film is an allegory of the gaze and the cinematic apparatus of windows and optic instruments. Protagonist is almost a hybrid creature: half man half camera, with his own tracking apparatus.

Urban Courtyard belongs to a modern society without a ritual mediation between particular individuals and the abstract concepts of state or the law. Space reflects and shapes society. The Courtyard is characterized by a conditional or mediated form of privacy, which is based on the knowledge that others can watch but usually do not.

[ Film Studies - Rear Window ]

Framing Device

By Alfred Hitchcock, 1954

Contrast between formal and representative faรงade and informal backside. On the informal backside, nobody takes pain to hide or close the windows with curtains or shutters. Some might hesitate to perform the same acts on the front side or street side. The notion of voyeurism coupled with the spatial confinements of each window to a specific interior/character turns the architectural construction of Rear Window into a viewing device.

Inverse Panopticon Protagonist watches the spectacle from a distance and from a fixed position. Hence, his apartment serves as a “box in the theatre”. It offers a view of the “city”, Theatre inverts the panopticon logic by subjecting the space to a single point of view.

[ Architectural Voyuerism ] City as a Theatre for Voyeurism

Everyone has them, at some point in their life, a person has become a voyeur. It is an instinct and it feels safe. However, the other person also feels safe, in the comfort of their own homes or surroundings: the walls and windows are compacted in their own space, they believe they have a distance from the outside world, but these elements (windows and doors) are acting as the screen. Elements where the voyeur can see the voyee from. Architecture enhances anonymity by the design of the “screen”. The “screen” can be an element of architectural design; a reflective window, a wall, a corridor or Voids and Mezzanines in shopping malls.

It is through anonymity that the voyeur allows the object to be viewed/watched without being seen. It can be a screen, a wall, a column, or any element set up in the oblique direction. Why the oblique? Because when you watch someone and don't want to be noticed, we tend to see them from the corner of our eyes, almost an oblique instance. a 45 degree angle that makes us look as though we are looking straight so that others don't feel threatened by our sight.

Voyeurism does not need to adhere to spatial positioning. A voyeur’s attention can be stimulated by objects and materials such as the sound of heels against wooden staircase. Placing the voyee in vulnerable situations where they unknowingly become the object to the voyeur’s gaze.

“ …. I hear footsteps in the hall. Someone is looking at me! What does this mean? It means that I am suddenly affected in my being and that essential modifications appear in my structure – modifications which I can apprehend and fix conceptually by the mean of the reflection of the cognito”

[ Architectural Voyuerism ]

Empire of The Eye

City as a Theatre for Voyeurism

Teatro Olimpico by Andrea Palladio

Illusion / Inverse Panopticon

Creating an illusionary depth with longer streets and expansive spaces by adjusting the vanishing point

The highest situated seats are lined with a colonnade with statues. The ceiling is painted as the sky in order to create an airy impression. The orchestra is supplemented by a vanishing point stage with decorations, depicting urban architecture of streets. The stage thus becomes a square where everything takes place. All of the perspective is on the level of the eyes of the ruler sitting in the middle of the half-circular orchestra. The illusion of this central perspective is complete as children move about in the spaces of the rear, small and low scenes dressed in the same costumes as the older actors in the foreground of â&#x20AC;&#x153;the streetâ&#x20AC;?.

[ Architectural Voyuerism ] City as a Theatre for Voyeurism

The commission for the Info-Box was the result of an invited competition in 1994. The aim was to design a building which would reflect the worldwide interest in the building activities on Potsdamer Platz of recently re-united Berlin. The box was concise and easily identifiable, hovering on stilts above the surrounding chaos. This was at the time the largest construction site in Europe. It was a simple yet powerful gesture.

The two-story booth tower, called Sky Watch, gives the officer sitting inside a better vantage point from which to monitor the area. Officers in the booth have access to a spotlight, sensors, and four cameras. The tower is portable and can be moved to the areas that need it most.

[ Slums Case Studies ]

India

South-East Asian Countries

Belapur Housing Project By Charles Correa Based on clusters of between 7 and 12 pairs of houses arranged around a courtyards, the buildings did not share party walls â&#x20AC;&#x201C; allowing each family to extend and adopt their house independently. Its architecture is heavily influenced by traditional Indian housing, with features suitable to the climate of the region, like low sloping roofs that allow for rain runoff during monsoon seasons. He built it partially in retaliation to the ultra-modern skyscrapers in Mumbai that looked similar to many other major cities.

Planning Of Spaces The project is generated by a hierarchy of spaces. The first is the private courtyard of single dwelling used as a space for outdoor activities during most of the year. Subsequently, seven units are grouped to form a small courtyard of about 8m x 8m. Three of these groups form a module of twenty-one homes that describes the collective space of the next scale of approximately 12m x 12m.

[ Slums Case Studies ]

Singapore

South-East Asian Countries

Low-Cost Urban Housings with GOOD government/institutional reforms accountability. Singapore also introduced the CPF scheme – a mandatory savings scheme where it could be used to purchase these flats. The clearance of slums were fundamentally, a top-down approach. What also made this successful was perhaps because Singapore was a young nation with no deeply entrenched social structure as compared to eg. India. Afterall, it was a place where migrants came for better prospects. There was no common identity.

Good Governance ✓ Economic Safety Net ✓

Thailand The Baan Mankong Collective Housing Program was launched by the Thai government in January 2003, as part of its efforts to address the housing problems of the country’s poorest urban citizens. The program channels government funds, in the form of infrastructure subsidies and soft housing and land loans, directly to poor communities, which plan and carry out improvements to their housing, environment, basic services and tenure security and manage the budget themselves. It puts Thailand’s slum communities (and their community networks) at the center of a process of developing long-term, comprehensive solutions to problems of land and housing in Thai cities. The Baan Mankong program is now in its fifth year. Upgrading projects in 1,010 communities are either finished or underway in 226 towns and cities, in 69 of the country’s 76 provinces, involving 54,000 households. We’re not talking any more about a few pilot upgrading projects - it’s the whole country now and growing!

Good Governance ✓ Economic Safety Net ✓ People Empowerment ✓ Horizontal Support ✓

[ Slums Case Studies ]

South Korea

South-East Asian Countries

Gamcheon Cultural Village was once a hilltop slum that has now turned into a tourist destination. Thanks to an unusual move by a group of artists, villagers and local officials – it has now become a place of pretty murals, art studios and residences. Through bottom-up art initiatives like Dreaming Machu Picchu and MiroMiro, it has contributed to a recovering sense of community among village residents and completely rebranded Gamcheon Culture Village. Furthermore, owing to the geographical virtue of the site, the historic urban fabric of cascading pastel-colored houses created a powerful and beautiful visual impact. The media thus began to romanticize and promote Gamcheon with popular variety shows like Running Man. The combination of the media and burgeoning popularity of the Hallyu Wave caused a rise in tourism in Gamcheon. Artists and residents began repairing the homes of the elderly with low incomes, as well as renovating abandoned houses and turning them into museums, art galleries, etc. In order to enhance the residents’ capacity and self-management, they are offered courses in several areas, such as, the management of business and sales techniques or the creation of local craft workshops. These commercial activities created jobs and generated income for the residents.

Good Municipal Governance ✓ Economic Safety Net ✓ People Empowerment ✓ In-Situ Alterations ✓

Philippines Failure of Paradise Heights When the government closed off Smokey Mountain, they built 30 medium rise buildings for the families living there. Most of the other scavengers relocated to another dumpsite called Payatas for survival. Ideally, it was meant to improve the living conditions of the people. However, it backfired as they did not have other means of income besides scavenging. The streets become a secondary garbage dump once again. Moreover, a formal housing meant rentals and electricity charge. The people did not have the means to pay for it. Survey showed that residents preferred the slums as they could arrange the space according to their needs. It has now turned into a vertical slum. It had lacked the informality of a slum and to answer the needs of the people, the informality began creeping in the interiors and exteriors. There was also no proper facilities management and hence, the conditions were entirely left to the people to manage.

[ Ideological State Apparatuses ] Marxist Theories

Repressive State Apparatus (RSA)

Ideological State Apparatus (ISA)

control by force & violence

control by coercion & ideology

- army, police, prisons, courts, incarceration - “unified” belonging to the public domain - securing compliance

- religion, education, media - “dispersed” in the private domain - transmit the values of the state, to interpellate individuals

Capitalist Society

Law as both RSA and ISA – binding the disjuncted class. We do not obey the Law because it is Good or it is the Truth, but because it is necessary. The Law displays its power and terror, without addressing the “concrete individuals” as its subjects.

Metropolis (1927) by Fritz Lang

Apple Factory, China

Apparatus for Control

1. Wealth as Production and Dominion - The exchange of commodities of itself implies no other relations of dependence than those which result from its own nature. - He must constantly look upon his labour-power as his own property, his own commodity. - In order that he may be able to do this, he must have it at his disposal, must be the untrammelled owner of his capacity for labour, i.e., of his person.

Equal in the eyes of the Law Deal with each other on basis of equal rights. Buyer-Seller Workers as “free subjects” in the Capitalist Economy

2. Identification -The principal maxim of every well-constituted police power must be the following: every citizen must be readily identifiable, wherever necessary, as this or that particular person. Police officers must be able to establish the identity of every subject. The goal above all, the will that animates the installation of these systems of correspondence, is to acquire a power, and fundamentally, a power of capture.

Traceability and Institutional Proof Itineraries of people to form a criss-cross network of intersecting paths. Creation of territorial map with no way out and a time without any lacuna.

3. Psychosocial Formations Interpellation of ‘subjects’ - Individuals in particular ways that prescribe and enforce (a) thinking in specific ways about their identities, relationships with other individuals, and their connections to social institutions, and (b) acting accordingly.

Examples: schools and religious institutions

[ Discipline and Punish ] Michael Foucault

Condemned Body

Disappearance of public punishment removes punishment as a spectacle; marks a slackening of the of the hold on the body. Duterte has leveraged on the spectacle to instil fear, leaving the mangled body as visible display of asserted power. The body now serves as an intermediary or instrument: if one intervenes upon it to imprison it, or to make it work, it is in order to deprive the individual of a liberty that is regarded both as a right and as property.

Owning the right to a body, stripping of its identity, manipulation of the body Pain is no longer a constituent element of punishment, rather, it’s the suspension of the economy of rights

Execution no longer bears the specific mark of the crime or the social status of the criminal; a death that lasts only a moment.

Constituting a body of ‘Civil’ Slaves

Mercentile Economy / Prison Factory / Civil Slaves

The body is the crux of confinement or correction, the body and its forces, their utility and their docility, their distribution and their submission.

Political Investment of the Body with relations to power and dominion.

constitution as labour power is possible only if it is caught up in a system of subjection (in which need is also a political instrument meticulously prepared, calculated and used); the body becomes a useful force only if it is both a productive body and a subjected body.

“Knowledge of the Body” + Mastery of its Forces = Political Technology of the Body - Exploit the skills of the people and providing them avenues to showcase for your benefit - Micro-Physics of Power - Turning knowledge relations that invest in human bodies by turning them into objects of knowledge

The political investment of the body is with relations to power and dominion; accorded with economic use. It is largely a force of production of which the body as a constitution of labour power is enabled when it is ensnared in system of subjection (in which a political instrument is meticulously prepared, calculated and used); the body then becomes a productive and subjected body. The micro-physics of power then conceives the body not as a property but as a strategy, where power is not exercised but invested between state and its citizens. This investment subjugates the body by turning them into objects of knowledge. Essentially, by applying Foucaultâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logic, the thesis aims to give a false illusion of emancipation to the body; an ideological effect of freedom from poverty, crimes and chaos in the slums.

[ Submerged Economy ] National Solid Waste Management

Happyland presents a compelling microcosm of the issue of solid waste management and how the people of ‘Happyland’ thrives on trash as their means of survival. This thesis aims to investigate this interesting phenomenon of the functional eco-system between trash and people in Happyland. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) comes from various sources namely (National Solid Waste Management Status Report, 2015): 1. Residential (56.7%); constituting the bulk of MSW 2. Commercial (27.1%); constituting public and private markets 3. Institutional (12.1%); constituting government offices, educational and medical institutions 4. Industrial/Manufacturing (4.1%) The entire eco-system from scavengers to exports of waste management presents an astonishing amount that could be tapped on. An average of 13% of Metro Manila’s expenditure consists of over 3.54 billion pesos (SGD$92 million) that is spent annually on the collection and disposal of Metro Manila’s solid waste, averaging 1450 pesos (SGD$38) per tonne. According to the 2014 Foreign Trade Statistic of the Philippines report, exports of plastics and articles thereof; rubber and articles thereof is valued at 230 million pesos (SGD$5.58 million) whilst exports of pulp of wood; waste and scrap of paper is valued at 38.6 million pesos (SGD$1 million).

2014 Foreign Trade Statistic Report

Happyland is a waste transfer station facility. A transfer station is a facility that has a designated receiving area where waste collection vehicles (small compactor trucks) discharge their loads and is temporarily stored. The waste is usually compacted, then loaded into larger vehicles (10 wheel trucks) for transport to a final disposal site, such as a sanitary landfill, a waste-to-energy plant, or a composting facility. Hence, the survival of slum dwellers in Happyland largely depends on the daily flow of trash into Pier 18. Besides the scavengers, junkshops in the area function as middleman between scavengers and factories.

Red: Pier 18 Yellow: Happyland Slum

[ Thesis Site Visit ]

The thesis project locates itself in the slums of Barangay 105 Happyland in the area of Tondo, Metro Manila. “Happyland” is derived from the Visayan8 dialect’s name for smelly garbage: Hapilan, a slum that comprises of numerous dumpsites together. There are about 4300 scavengers that operate at these dumpsites. Due to limited job opportunities and the lack of education, the main livelihood of slum dwellers in “Happyland” are scavengers and various casual/ad-hoc jobs that includes: midwives, garlic peelers, charcoal makers, stevedore, mobile food vendors etc. Happyland presents a compelling microcosm of the issue of solid waste management and how the people of ‘Happyland’ thrives on trash as their means of survival. This thesis aims to investigate this interesting phenomenon of the functional eco-system between trash and people in Happyland. During my site visit to Manila, I visited 2 slums (BASECO and Happyland) to understand the livelihood, living conditions, lifestyle and lastly, the socio-economic link between the bottom rung of society to the higher echelons. THESIS QUESTIONS DURING SITE VISIT The thesis seeks to look at the materiality of trash within the dumping ground of Happyland. Happyland is a vital site as it is a transfer station for Manila’s trash. Crucially, this thesis aims to construct and reflect a link between trash as a symbol for: 1. consumption patterns – to analyze the flow of this ‘submerged’ economy from the main city to the periphery (slums); more consumption by the higher echelons in society equates to more trash dumped in the bottom rung of society. It results in a rising offal that becomes a symbol of urban blight and national neglect. How does architecture facilitate, reflect and subvert this ‘submerged’ economy? 2. social issues - perpetuation of the capitalist economy has cornered the slum dwellers to the point of exploitation; paying the slum dwellers meagre remuneration for laborious work. 3. strength and/or weakness of a political will – to understand the imbrications of politics into the social and economic realms. A clean city is a sign of a country’s discipline and stable political structure. How does an authoritative regime then negate the issue of trash to portray an image of the city’s growing success?

Man collects sand as building material

BASECO Compound | 06 Dec â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;18

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

ABOUT BASECO is located within the port area of Metro Manila, under the National Capital Region, where post-war developments at Manila South Harbor paved the way for the migration of Filipinos from rural provinces into the city. The island had been a ship loading and unloading site and ship repair yard for many years. It was once called the National Shipyard and Steel Corporation (NASSCO). In 1964, it was acquired by the Romualdez family, kin to Imelda Romualdez Marcos, and named BASECO, Bataan Shipping and Engineering Company.

POPULATION The area has an entire extension of 1.1 km. sq. but the area of BASECO occupy half of it. According to Janet (our Tour Leader), BASECO has about 150,000 inhabitants but only about 60.000 inhabitants are registered. It is the largest Barangay in Metro Manila and the most populated area among the five Barangays (649 - 653) within the Port Area of Manila.

RELIGION According to Janet, about 30% of the community here are Muslims while the majority are Roman Catholics.

SCHOOLS Janet mentioned that there is only 1 primary school and 1 secondary school within the compound and the ratio of teachers to students is 1:75. It is clearly overcrowded. The nearest school outside of BASECO is about 4km away called Manila High School. Although there are some college graduates in BASECO, it is difficult for them to land a job due to the stigma attached to the address of BASECO written in their résumé. Employers tend to undermine their capabilities and put their résumé at the bottom of the pile, simply because of their address.

Google Earth Snaphot

BASECO Compound | 06 Dec â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;18

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

water

supply

The entire water system in BASECO Compound is connected to these water meters. The number of water meters represent the number of household that have direct water supply to their homes - from the picture above, it is about 50 homes. This means 100 over households do not have direct water supply and would then, buy water from these 50 homes per gallon or in containers (more common): Small Container : P5 / S$0.13 Big Container : P7 / S$0.18 Every night, the owners of each water meter would walk here to physically lock it as other people may tap onto their supply.

The water pipes are connected and laid on the ground from the water meter to a household. The pipes are not made out of PVC but instead, flimsy water hoses as it is expensive to connect using PVC. This means that the water hoses get trampled upon, break apart easily (they use and thus, causing leaks and contamination.

Containers of Water outside a household

BASECO Compound | 06 Dec â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;18

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

livelihood

older men

The industrial port across BASECO is owned by the Philippine Ports Authority, who also owns BASECO Compound. The older men in the community are mostly illiterate and rely on their swimming skills and fishing to earn an income. However, due to the extremely polluted Pasig River, there are hardly any fishes to catch.

Industrial Port

According to Janet, these older men will wait until it is late at night and then, jump into the river (at the spot where this photo is taken) and swim across to the port to catch green mussels that are attached to the structures. This is of course illegal as the port belongs to the government and for security reasons, there should not be any trespassers. Furthermore, they are removing these green mussels for their personal profit. However, these fishermen sells the green mussels only within the compound and if need be to Divisoria.2 Price of Green Mussels: P20 / S$0.52 / kg Daily Earnings of Fisherman: P300 / S$7.80

Divisoria is a commercial center in Tondo known for its shops that sell low-priced goods and its diverse manufacturing activites. It is about 5.4km away from BASECO. 2

Green Mussels attached here

Polluted Pasig River

BASECO Compound

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

livelihood

young men

The younger men do odd-jobs on a casual basis. More commonly, they work as tricycle drivers, jeepney drivers, various manual labor and construction workers. As you can see on the ground here as well, those are rubber hoses that run on the ground to supply water to houses living on the edge of the bay. Daily Earnings of Construction Worker: P535 / S$13.91 Daily Earnings of a Tricycle Driver: P500 / S$13 - P130 / S$3.38 / rental - P25 / S$.065 / association tax = P345 / S$8.97

Water hoses

BASECO Compound | 06 Dec â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;18

Tricycle ride (P8/pax) into BASECO Compound

Traffic Mayhem This picture illustrates the insane chaos on Manilaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roads. This was taken at a crossroad while I was stuck in the jam turning into BASECO Compound as there is only one arterial road connecting it to the inside. I was barely 5 metres away from a container truck that could have easily crushed our tricycle. The tricycle is the fastest and cheapest mode of transport here for P8 / S$0.20. Truth be told, the ride was nothing short of exhilarating, whizzing passed the massive trucks and putting your lives on the edge.

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

livelihood

women & children

Young women would work at Divisoria as sales ladies. Older women and children would rely on garlic peeling as an income source. Daily Earnings of Sales Lady: P150 - P300 / S$3.89 - S$7.79 According to the lady in pink, it takes about 10 hours of manual labor to fill up one sack (the purple net) which weights about 15kg. Daily Earnings of Garlic Peeler: P75 / S$1.95 / sack of 15kg Fresh sack of garlics would be brought into BASECO in the morning and collected by vendors from Divisoria in the evening. The sack collected is sold at: P1200 / S$31.21 to restaurants, markets and etc. This means that the sack of garlic is sold at 15 times the price of a salary of a garlic peeler. More importantly, it illustrates the severe income disparity between the rich and poor. It also narrates the physical, social and economic link between BASECO Compound and the city of Manila.

BASECO - Divisoria - Manila [ P75 - P1200 ]

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

livelihood

diasporic

There are several houses like these within BASECO Compound made of bricks and concrete which tend to be houses of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) or Seaman. They work hard and send money back to build a better house for their family. A typical house like this would cost P30,000 to build. When I asked Janet - if these OFWs have the money to build houses here, why don’t they just build it somewhere else and not in the slums area? She answered: “because the people grow up here, they have children here, they have an emotional attachment to this place.” Sadly, some of these barely built houses would be destroyed by the government as they plan to build roads and networks from BASECO to Cavite as part of their New Manila Bay - City of Pearl project.3 Hence, there would be offsets of about 400m - 500m from the periphery and these houses that fall within this range would be destroyed. Nobody knows if there would be remuneration or relocation.

Port

Pasig River BASECO

Proposed Development

Photo by: Indesignlive Singapore

New Manila Bay - City of Pearl

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

charcoal

making

There are 2 charcoal-making factories here in BASECO Compound. They source mainly driftwood from the sea and leave it to sun-dry. (above) This charcoal factory consists of a shallow earth pit enclosed by makeshift fences (bottom right). The family that owns this factory lives right beside the earth pit with no escape from soot and polluted air. (top right). Each day is spent transforming piles of wood into charcoal, a process that requires stacks of wood to burn slowly for three days. A fire is ignited on each stack of wood, which is covered with an iron sheet and moist soil. Workers watch the wood burn until it turns into charcoal. Daily Earnings of Charcoal Making Families: P70 / S$1.81

House of Charcoal Making Family

Charcoal Pit

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

Children work as scavengers collecting mainly plastic bottles (PET polyethylene terephthalate) that has washed up on shore or venture outside of BASECO in search for recyclables.

livelihood

junkshops

P22 / S$0.57 / kg for PET bottles P10 / S$0.26 / kg for bottle caps

Pisonet / Internet Cafes

BASECO Compound | 06 Dec â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;18

Pisonet Addiction A pisonet, a term coined from two words â&#x20AC;&#x153;pisong internetâ&#x20AC;? - meaning one peso internet rent. They are owned by people outside of BASECO who merely set up these pisonet shops here. The shops are always packed and is clearly good business here. Kids do not take money from their parents and rely on their scavenging pay for their pisonet entertainment. The fee for using the computer is on a time-based basis of: P1 / 5 mins or P12 / S$0.31 / hour.

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

living

conditions

There are various dwellings lined by the bay. They include pisonets, street vendors, eateries, sari-sari stores3, public toilet sheds, and houses. The corridor is a vibrant communal spine where families spill out to gather and talk, do their laundry, buy goods from the sari-sari store, peel garlic, a playground for the kids, a resting spot for dogs and cats. The corridor is physically smaller than it seems because of the spill-over of objects and people, but bigger in spirit and life. More information on Sari-Sari stores would be shown in the Happyland portion of this report.

A sari-sari store, or neighborhood sundry store, is a convenience store found in the Philippines. The word sari-sari is Tagalog meaning “variety” or “sundry”. Such stores form an important economic and social location in a Filipino community and is ubiquitous in neighborhoods and streets. 3

Public Toilet

Skyscrapers

Dwellings

Corridor

Public Toilet

Pasig River

Sari-Sari Store

Skyscrapers

Port

Pasig River

Corridor as Communal Spine

Shanty Housings in the inner circle of BASECO most prone and vulnerable to floods

Shanty Housings in the inner circle of BASECO

Housings at the periphery of BASECO

High School

The central area of BASECO

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

livelihood

training centre

This training centre is a joint project of Senator Cynthia A.Villar who has been known for providing livelihood projects in collaboration with various government agencies such as Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Social Welfare and Development. The various projects that Senator Cynthia has introduced are: 1. Toilet Bowl Installation Project The aim is to provide basic sanitation so that people will not do their business in public spaces or into the Pasig River, which is the root of water-borne diseases. 2. Mangroves, Urban Gardens and Aquaculture Farming The aim of mangrove planting is to reduce the impact of flooding and typhoon. The urban gardens and aquaculture farming are means of sustainable livelihood. 3. Water Lilies / Coconet Facility

Mangroves

To recover water lilies from the Pasig River, or grow them in the water bodies and create handcrafted goods made from it to sell. 4. Waste Composting Facility To recover organic food waste from the residents and turn it into free organic fertilizer for their urban gardening.

Aqua-culture Farm

Water Lilies Weaving Facility

Composting Facility

Urban Gardens

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

Final Product: Garlic Paper albeit with defects

garlic

paper

recycling

Senator Cynthia Villar turned over machines that can produce specialty paper made from garlic waste to poor residents, encouraging them to turn their garbage into useful materials or handmade paper products.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;there is money in garbageâ&#x20AC;?

Peeled / Leftover Garlic waste are put into this mixer, with water and starch.

Rinse the pulp in several rounds of water to remove any dirt or residue.

This frame with a mesh sheet is dipped into the container of clean pulp and the pulp is spread evenly using a wooden squeegee.

Once the water content is almost gone, the pulp is transferred onto this sheet and pressed before hanging out to sun dry.

Recycled Plastic Project

Toilet Bowl Project

Garlic Skin to Paper Area

Interior of Livelihood Training Facility

Community Involvement to Recycle

Compost Machine

Compost

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

Coaster made from Water Lilies

water

lilies

art

recycling

The “River Warriors” was established to mobilize volunteers in safeguarding the Pasig River and its tributaries. As River Warriors, they have taken an oath to safeguard the Pasig River and the waterways leading to it through community mobilization and clean-ups. This will ensure the sustainability of rehabilitation and consciousness-changing efforts on the Pasig River and nearby communities. This particular facility collects water lilies from the Pasig River and convert it to handmade art. “It’s transformation, a grassroots movement of values - that’s how it’s going to happen. We’re telling them, ‘this is also your river. You’re doing this for your future.”

Dried Water Lilies

Various handmade products from water lilies

Handbag for P1000 / S$25

Table cloth weaving in process

[ BRGY 105 Happyland ] 07 December 2018

ABOUT “Happyland” is derived from the Visayan4 dialect’s name for smelly garbage: Hapilan, a slum that comprises of numerous dump-sites together. Happyland opened when the Smokey Mountain dump site closed. The government shut down Smokey in 1995 and attempted to relocate its dwellers; Happyland being one of those temporary sites. Years later, people still live here. Happyland is located beside Pier 18, a private legal dump-site owned by PhilEco (Philippine Ecology Systems Corp) for Manila’s trash. Pier 18 functions primarily as a garbage transfer station. The waste materials are transported by barge to the 40-hectare Navotas Sanitary Landfill, which is also operated by PhilEco.

POPULATION There are about 23, 200 people living in Barangay 105 on an area of 0.506 km2 , about half the size of BASECO Compound. The main livelihood of residents are scavengers, given the virtue of its location and name. Few people own the rights to the land on which their houses are situated. The mortality rate of the slums area are extremely high, given the unhygienic conditions, clean water and food, lack of healthcare and livelihood types.

DUTERTE’S WAR ON DRUGS This area is also known as one of the major killing grounds for President Duterte’s war on drugs. It is an area that Filipinos themselves avoid due to its dangerous reputation.

Visayan (Bisaya or Binisaya) is a group of languages of the Philippines that are related to Tagalog and Bikol languages, all of which are part of the Central Philippine languages.

Google Earth Snaphot

BASECO Compound | 06 Dec â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;18

[ BRGY 105 Happyland ] 07 December 2018

Mr. Andres Galicinao / Junkshop Owner

junkshop

sorting and selling

[ Q: What is the most common material? ] A: Plastic PET Bottle. I buy it for P3 / S$0.077 / kg. The most expensive are metal, particularly copper. I buy it for P15 / S$0.39 /kg. [ Q: What are your rough earnings per day? ] A: It depends, on average, it is about P5000 / S$128. However. I also have 15 workers working for me.

Mr. Andresâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Junkshop

Interior of Junkshop / Dark and Humid

[ BRGY 105 Happyland ] 07 December 2018

PET Bottles Sorting

plastic

bottles

sorting

[ Q: Why do you have to sort them by colors? ] A: So as not to mix it when they melt it at the factories. [ Q: What much can you fit into this huge sack? ] A: PET bottles are P3 / kg. This sack can contain 20 - 26kg or P78 / S$2 worth of PET bottles depending on how you stack or arrange it.

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

living

conditions

The dwellings in Happyland are mostly on the second level and characterized by high levels of congestion and dilapidated structures constructed out of recycled materials. The ground level is dedicated to trash - dumping, sorting and storage. It is where people gather, where people work, children play, trucks move and finally, where the orchestration of trash occurs. This is the “corridor space” and “communal spine” in comparison to BASECO. There are structures previously built by the government to “temporarily house” residents of the original Smokey Mountain when it was shut down. People still reside in them with their original building number inscribed on the wall.

"The problem is not the housing, the problem is these people have no skills and no jobs," Celdran said. “We have to really stop and think about what we can do to help these people rise from where they are because it’s more than just moving them."

Dwelling

Work Area

Live + Work + Play amongst Garbage

Order and Chaos

[ BASECO Compound ] 06 December 2018

2 Thrash collected from the city’s fast-food restaurants and other commercial establishments.

Scavengers sort out leftover meat from the trash bags. They are generally sorted into buckets or plastic bags with more bones or more meat.

Private garbage trucks dump these trash at Pier 18, beside Happyland.

Packed into a bag or bucket per kilo and sold to slum eatery owners for 20 pesos (SGD$0.52) with more bones or 30 pesos (SGD$0.79) for more meat.

6 This bag of pagpag can be re-cooked to several servings of cheap dishes which are sold for 10 - 20 pesos (SGD$0.26 - 0.52).

Pagpag food stalls wash or boil these leftover meat to remove germs. They then add seasonings accordingly.

survival

pagpag

Pagpag is the product of a hidden food system for the urban poor that exists on the leftovers of the city’s middle class. It is the ‘food processor’ of the slums. Pagpag is a term given to left-over food, meat picked from garbage and dumps, which is then washed, cooked and sold to poor communities in Manila, Philippines. This is their daily staple food. Pagpag isn’t just a piece of leftover meat, it goes beyond the face-value of trash by illustrating the:

1. The unnerving income disparity; 2. The boundary imposition that has led to a territorial stigma relegates trash to the slums located around the periphery of the city.

[ BRGY 105 Happyland ] 07 December 2018

Pagpag Food Stall within Happyland

sari-sari stores

daily essentials

There is a sustainable community within Happyland itself, providing daily necessities and services such as: food, reloading of mobile phone credits and barbers. As the poor here live on hand to mouth, they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford to buy in bulk or items in the supermarket, they usually buy them in singular quantity from the Sari-Sari stores. For example, shampoo/conditioners, dips/sauces/ seasonings are sold as per sachet (picture on bottom right). These Sari-Sari stores are usually part of a familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dwelling space - more commonly at the frontage facing the common corridor or street. These are also seen in BASECO Compound and throughout Philippines.

Sari-Sari Store

Items usually sold in singular quantity - in sachets

[ Reflection ] I am extremely grateful for all the help that I have received from the people of the Philippines. As cliche as it may sound, this site visit has opened my eyes to the lives of poverty-stricken Filipinos who may sadly never escape their dystopian reality. Despite the warnings of the treacherous area of Tondo from the media and Filipinos themselves, I did not for once felt threatened or unsafe. Walking through the slums is reminiscence of a “kampung” albeit one that is in derelicts, yet the strength and resilience of the human spirit shone alike. The people whom I’ve had the privilege to speak to are filled with a zest for life, a wicked sense of humor but above all, they radiate humility. In the area of BASECO, I felt the hopes and dreams of Filipinos - OFWs building their dream homes in brick and mortar and a community library initiated by a man who sees education as the only way for children of the slums to climb the social ladder. I felt the immense pride of the Pasig River Warriors that has worked hard over the years, to slowly but surely clean up the terribly polluted river. The thriving growth of water lilies in which they turn into handmade products is a testament to their hard work. Hopefully one day, the biologically dead river may spring back to life - providing jobs back to the fishermen in BASECO. In Happyland, I felt like I had entered an alternate universe where the scale and importance of trash has (almost) subsumed humanity and space. Heaps of huge white woven polypropylene bags filled with PET bottles and other trash demarcated space - becoming walls, roofs and floor. These bags then struck me as a building block; a singular unit; almost an icon that builds up the image and structure of Happyland. These bags become currency for trade and it holds the weight beyond just plastic - it holds the true weight of inequality and poverty. To put things in perspective as a privileged Singaporean, it is appalling to know that such harsh reality does exists just a three hour plane ride away. To know that I have access to clean water, I have access to proper food and a clean and green environment is something I’ve constantly taken for granted. Architecture with a capital ‘A’ is typically portrayed in all its glitz and glamour - from skyscrapers, indoor greenhouses to condominium. There is no Architecture per se in the slums, but rather architecture with a small ‘a’ - spaces such as the community library, livelihood centre and the informal dwellings cleverly constructed and designed by non-architects. It is fascinating to see spaces functioning despite the circumstances, to see chaos working in order. If there is anything that I have brought back from this trip, it has inspired me to think of architecture with a small ‘a’, because the small things in life nourishes the soul and mind.

[ Acknowledgements ] This thesis would not be possible without the kindness, graciousness and help rendered from the following people: Mr. Alexander Aguilan Sanitation Inspector IV Manila Health Department, City of Manila For your kind assistance in co-ordinating with the different departments for permit approvals in the chambers of the Manila City Council. Above all, for your time taken to personally accompany me to Barangay 105 Happyland and ensuring my safety and always making sure I managed to gain the relevant research information that I need.

Ms. Leny Reyes Chairperson Barangay 105 Zone 8, District 1 - Manila For your warm support and approval from you and fellow council members of Barangay 105 to allow to me enter the site and conduct my research. Also, for assigning me a Barangay Police to accompany me and to explain the different areas, spaces and livelihood of the residents in Happyland.

Ms. Janet Tour Guide Smoky Tours, World Experience Philippines Corp. For your insightful tour of BASECO Compound and allowing me to understand the difficulties and hardship of the residents in BASECO Compound.

Residents of BASECO Compound and Happyland Barangay 649 and 105 Tondo, Metro Manila For allowing me to photograph, interview and interact with you. For showing me incredible strength, resilience, bright hopes and big dreams of Filipinos who may not have much but are always smiling regardless. For showing me the little things in the community that aims to provide a better future for the children such as a community library. Above all, for showing me to seek happiness and contentment with the little that I have.

[ THE HOLY GRAIL OF MANILA ] building HAPPYLAND The Duterte Administration

M.Arch 2018/19 | Alvin Ng Sing Por | A0146798H Thesis Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Tomohisa Miyauchi National University of Singapore

Ms. Jena Sitjar Pepillo Beloved Aunt For your enthusiasm, love and support and more importantly, for connecting me to your high school classmate, Mr. Alexander Aguilan.

Administrative Staff in the SDE Workshop Mr. Muji and Mr. Sah for always being so patient, kind and gracious whenever I needed any help in laser cutting or 3D Printing.

Professor Tomohisa Miyauchi and Fellow Studio Mates For the countless fruitful exchange of ideas during each studio session. For being each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support and critique, to always pursue excellence in our work. For all post-critque meals at Paradise Dynasty and for all the sleepless nights and laughter we had.

Mummy, Daddy and Pearlyn My Pillar of Support For your unwavering support and love during my thesis project and ambitions. For taking time to accompany me for this site visit. For all the warm meals hearty breakfast and coffee. For being my extra pair of hands getting materials and building my model. For being the communication bridge between me and residents of BASECO Compound and Happyland, and lastly, for being my constant pillar of support at home and in school.

Special thanks to the City Hall of Manila - administrative clerk and approving government officials that granted permits, Barangay Police of Barangay 105 Happyland and people whom Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had the privilege to interact with one way or another.

[ THE HOLY GRAIL OF MANILA ] building HAPPYLAND The Duterte Administration

M.Arch 2018/19 | Alvin Ng Sing Por | A0146798H Thesis Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Tomohisa Miyauchi National University of Singapore

[ THE HOLY GRAIL OF MANILA ] building HAPPYLAND The Duterte Administration

M.Arch 2018/19 | Alvin Ng Sing Por | A0146798H Thesis Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Tomohisa Miyauchi National University of Singapore