Lakbayin #5: Alabang CBD

Alabang: The fast-rising Metro of the South, just adjacent to Metro Manila. From sprawling fields of grasslands it has become second home to many of the Manila elite's investments, creating a mini-metropolis a stone's throw away from the capital.

Yes, it felt like I was in an intro to an RPG. 

The last time I've been here was around 14 years ago, when there was only one or two major establishments, the Alabang Starmall and Festival Mall, the latter which was so new it had a lot of empty stalls and spaces to be filled. It was an adventure for the high-schooler me back then, and a grand nostalgia trip for me as I rediscovered the place.

Good surprises await!



Today, Alabang is teeming with life, thanks to the mother lode of development cash from the Ayala clan, one of the Philippines' premier developers. The area was actually on the rise since the 90's, but was overtaken by the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Aside from the Ayalas, numerous developers also built new offices, residences, large outlets and other business-y stuff that gave rise to today's Alabang "uptown".

When I went there however, I didn't have the luxury of time to actually stroll through the entire place, so I just made a quick visit to Festival Mall and adjacent environs. It was a welcome surprise.

Something big is under construction.

First off, the good things that came with the mall when it was first constructed - the Pixie Forest and the train line in the ground floor - were still there. The huge arcades and games area were also intact and functioning. Out of the blue there were also cosplayers playing mime, and for some reason I feel sad about them. I dunno why.

Choo choo, m**********s lol

I thought Stark was a billionaire...

The area has expanded outside to include an upcoming big-name supermarket, S&R, and a beautiful stroll-and-dining park called "River Park," which I took the opportunity to explore.

dat landscaping!

The Festival Mall River Park has a good number of features that I'm sure will attract many visitors and tambays from all over, with its quaint, picturesque gardens and architecture.

Cozy.

There's an open-air ampitheatre with its main stage above and below, a jogging and bike lane (with racks for parking bikes too!), a big, movie-scene kind of tree shade, two photo-worthy bridges, an underpass that runs along the river, and Javert's death jump venue (OK, I lost it with that description haha!).

*wails in French*

*further screaming in French*

It's easy to imagine oneself walking by the cool, shaded trees, taking a bite in one of the fancy restaurants in the Park.

Looks a bit like a set from Kubrick's Barry Lyndon.

On a completely unfounded instinct though, I took a turn left of the park and began wandering aimlessly around, and found what seems to be an unused portion of Alabang. It has a small forest in it.

What's inside? Narnia? Middle-Earth? Hogwarts?

Tiny leaves and flowers peppered the trail.

It's a marvelous thing to discover this oasis of green inside the ever-changing landscape of Alabang. In today's fast-paced world, cities develop blindingly quick, enough to catch us off-guard and remember nothing of how things looked in the past. I guess I'm still fortunate enough to have seen the edge of this haven for birds and oxygen before the concrete jungle takes over.

There's gotta be a rabbit hole leading to Wonderland somewhere here.

Hopefully not hell.

Before the sun set I went home, tired after all that walking. I wish I entered that forest, but who knows if I'll make it out alive if I tried to (or if I'll end up in jail for trespassing...). That said, Alabang is a beautiful place. I hope the developers keep a good amount of greens in the future.