Philippines Books

Cubao, Lots Of Shops, So Shop Lots!

Cubao is a retail rabbit warren straddling EDSA, the main thoroughfare of this city. Between Makati/Ortigas and Quezon City, it offers more than just the home of the Araneta Coliseum, once upon a time the largest dome covered auditorium in South East Asia. There are several Malls and shopping complexes and a large and vibrant market as well as hundreds of small shops lining the streets.

The MRT stops there with both the north-south and the new east-west line having major stations suspended above the main streets EDSA and Aurora Boulevard. The streets always seem full of traffic and the sidewalks bursting with pedestrians going somewhere! The multi lane major roads are spanned by overhead walkways and getting around from one side to the other involves climbing up and down stairways. The MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) has its’ blue shirted and hard hatted employees patrolling the overpasses to keep the sidewalk vendors and beggars down as much as possible. 

All the same I saw four of them standing opposite a one armed man who sits and silently waits for alms just about every time I have been there. The MMDA don’t seem in a hurry to move him on, despite wearing t-shirts telling how they make the sidewalks clear for pedestrians to walk along unhindered. They have had virtual riots in the past when moving on side walk vendors and can often be seen carrying rattan Arnis sticks to aid in their work. Perhaps if someone had given a donation they would have swooped on the donor, no doubt there is a law against giving alms similar to that in force in Cebu.

Once on the “mall side” (north bound) of EDSA you come across the fairly new Farmers Mall. Behind this mall lies several others ranging in vintage from rather dated (Ari Mall and SM) to not even open yet but showing great promise (Gateway). In between there is the Shop Right, Rustan’s and the large public market. There is also a Fiesta Carnival with rides and amusements next to the Araneta Coliseum, a jeepney terminal and a large cinema complex.

I liked the Araneta Coliseum as around its’ base are several restaurants including a Singaporean place (that holds the promise of some decent curries and noodles) and a Starbucks. The Coliseum regularly holds basketball games and cockfights and I am hoping to see a boxing match there sometime. I haven’t been able to confirm it but I think that is where Mohammad Ali had his “Thrilla In Manila” back in the seventies. They also hold pop concerts and other musical events and this December will host the Hansen Tour to the region. I will make sure I won’t miss that one! Teeny-Bop heaven! I’m joking.

In the basement of SM there is a large Ace Hardware, a larger food court and an amusement area which includes a small bumper-car track amongst other things. I must say the food court is the usual SM Basement gig, lots of places selling the same basic half dozen Filipino dishes despite what nationality they may allude to in their business name. 

I did like the public market with some of the largest tuna on sale I have seen outside the Tokyo Fish Market. Most of the stalls, although still Filipino Market style, apppeared to try and offer their wares in a hygenic manner. There were numerous uniformed inspectors wandering around looking important and making a show of enforcing the rules, at least while the Kano was watching and taking photographs!

Cubao has two National Book Stores that I could find, one of which is quite large and very comprehensive. Farmers Mall has numerous stores selling clothes, computers and so on and the full range of fast food from McDo (local name for McDonalds) to Greenwich, Jollibee and Chow King. The mall connects to the north-south MRT and is always buzzing.

The major roads, EDSA and Aurora, do seem to sever the retail areas a little, cutting the place into quarters. There are numerous other streets and places to explore, not just the main retail area around the Araneta Coliseum, but most of the shops are just selling the same things the first thousand or so offer, so why trudge the overpasses? One thing you will notice is how you are the only foreigner around for miles! I have seen only one other foreigner, an elderly woman, there in five recent visits.

What I like about Cubao is that you have all the kinds of stores you ever would want to shop at in the one area, lots of variety to choose from and yet the prices are more realistic than the flash shopping malls of Ortigas and Makati. I wouldn’t be too sure of getting cheaper prices from the small stores along the back streets, I found several of them charging a few peso’s more for everyday items like batteries and hand towels compared to what you could get them for inside the malls or the department stores. Like anything, anywhere, it pays to shop around and the great thing about Cubao is, there are plenty of opportunities to do just that.