The hottest talk on social media and in the streets is martial law—the most vocal of them being the Filipinos who experienced it under the Marcos dictatorship. But what was nightlife like, particularly during its last few years before Edsa I?
A martial law baby, I was 20 years old when Ninoy Aquino was assassinated in 1983. A high school buddy and I frequented the bars in the Ermita district, where the foreign press correspondents also converged for shop talk while guzzling beers.
The memory lingers, every time I find myself these days in Makati’s P. Burgos Street, which resembles Ermita’s Mabini and M.H. Del Pilar Streets. It’s all too similar—male tourists hanging out with Filipino women, though transvestites seem to outnumber the girls.
The 24-hour bar and restaurant Filling Station on P. Burgos is the counterpart of the old Rosie’s Diner on Del Pilar.
Two clubs, H&J on Felipe Street off Kalayaan Avenue and Handlebar on Polaris, remind me of Superstar and Firehouse, both on Del Pilar. The Dawn actually played at Superstar in the mid ’80s.
Recently, a benefit gig for the son of Maria Cafra drummer, Rolly Averilla, held at Handlebar, drew an SRO crowd.
A lot of bands performed, including Maria Cafra led by frontman Resty Fabunan, as well as his fellow Pinoy rock icons Gary Perez and Joey “Pepe” Smith sharing the stage on several Juan dela Cruz numbers and Pinoy punk pioneers Urban Bandits and The Wuds.
It was great seeing The Wuds after about 30 years, its original trio lineup of Alfred Guevarra (bass, vocals), Bobby Balingit (guitar, vocals) and Aji Adriano (drums, vocals) still intact and pulsating with energy and passion
Handlebar, 31 Polaris St., Makati City. Call 8982189.
The Sixth Food Park
For the past couple of years, the thriving restaurant row along Maginhawa Street in UP Village, Quezon City has been expanding to Malingap and other side streets. The latest is a newly opened food park called The Sixth—so named because its address is no. 6 Mayaman Street.
The Sixth houses 10 food stalls: Ilocos Gourmet, Yukari, Mad Crab, Soul Potato, Lorenz & Pat’s, The House of Chili’s, Indulge: Life is Sweet, Sahar, Bratz Grilled Burger and Terminale.
What makes it different is that The Sixth has a roof, unlike other open-air food parks along Maginhawa.
Soul Potato, operated by actress Matet de Leon and her chef husband Mickey Estrada, serves good chicken fingers. I should try the burgers at Bratz next time.
The Sixth is a partnership between friends Luis Lorenzo Gonzaga, Roland Vinuya and Leoniko de Castro, who also mans Terminale which serves drinks, but no alcohol.
The Sixth Food Park, 6 Mayaman St., UP Village, Quezon City.
