BGC stands for Bonifacio Global City. Located in Taguig City, it’s not really a proper city but rather a small part of Taguig under Barangay Fort Bonifacio. 240 hectares, to be exact, it’s a mixed-use area developed in part by the Ayalas.

THE BONIFACIO GLOBAL CITY SKYLINE

BGC used to be a military base, literally an empty grassland. Now, it’s one of the Philippines’ top financial districts, an upscale place to live in with several posh condos, and a trendy place to hang out in with its numerous parks, restaurants, bars, and malls.

The BGC High Street, a busy open-aired arcade comprised of shops, restaurants, open spaces, and parks form its heart—the central hub of BGC.

Ever since taking our son to BGC High Street in Taguig for a brief dinner some months back, we’ve always thought of bringing him back for a longer period. We saw just how happy he was with all the open spaces and the activities he can do around. A staycation would be perfect, we thought.

Vietnamese or Singaporean? That was the question we were trying to resolve as we briskly crossed Bonifacio Global City’s busy streets. If we go Singaporean, what can we eat there? I asked. Well, they have satay, laksa, mee goreng…

You had me at mee goreng, to Singapore Food Republic it is.

SINGAPORE FOOD REPUBLIC’S CLEAN INTERIORS

Our restaurant of choice is located at the ground floor of Commercenter in BGC. It has a namesake in a mall somewhere in Singapore, although this one is totally unrelated to it. Well, besides their cuisine.

Singapore Food Republic has a very snazzy look; clean lines, serious-looking furniture, and a mezzanine overlooking the main dining hall. On one of its walls, posters of Singaporean dishes proudly announce what the restaurant has to offer.

Photography can sometimes be a waiting game, you spot an almost perfect scene only to find that a key ingredient is missing. The subject might be there, but the background may not. Or the background might be present, but the subject is nowhere to be found.

Such was my dilemma when I took the winning photo for the compact division of the 2014 Canon Photomarathon Philippines National Leg. I knew I have the requisite background, but somehow, my subject, a construction worker tying up reinforcement bars for a column, wasn’t acting out the image I had in mind.

History nuts and art lovers know that Leonardo Da Vinci is a genius. But this brilliance is lost among the multitudes of ordinary people who probably only knew the famed renaissance artist only by his cryptic masterpieces, the Last Supper and Mona Lisa.

Enter Dan Brown’s controversial bestselling book, The Da Vinci Code, and the genius of Da Vinci is once again brought back to the masses. And through the month of September to the last day of November, BGC’s The Mind Museum in cooperation with France’s Grande Exhibitions and The Anthropos Associ is peeling off more of the mysteries surrounding the wonders behind Da Vinci’s brilliant mind by bringing in a world renowned exhibit; Da Vinci The Genius.

Twilight was setting in as we walked through Bonifacio Global City’s sidewalks en route to Mercato Centrale. The modern buildings towering over our heads started to sparkle with electric hues and traffic started to slow down—I looked at my watch, it was almost six, our pace quickened, the third Foodgasm was about to start!

The weekend food mecca that is Mercato Centrale has always been a favorite hangout for foodies, but shamefully, I haven’t even stepped through its tents even once. Luckily, I got invited as a judge for this year’s Foodgasm.

A judge eh? I’m taking off my traveler’s hat for a few hours and donning on my foodie hat for the night.

The tastiest food event in the country is back! I guess it’s time to shave off some fat to make room for a few more pounds for the coming weekend!

It’s the third installment of Foodgasm organized by the UP Economics Society. The foodfest is gonna be held at the Mercato Centrale in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Foodies will once again unite for one Saturday of nothing but food. So block out August 31 on your calendars and join us for hours of glutton-fest! Gates open at seven in the evening and closes at twelve midnight.

Tickets cost Php250.00 but if you buy ahead of time, you can get it for Php220.00 only. For more info, you might want to check Foodgasm’s Facebook Fanpage here: Click Me

I’ve been restlessly waiting for an invite to visit BGC’s Mind Museum ever since it opened a few years ago. I mean, a real world-class science museum right here in the metro! Any geek worth his salt would’ve probably camped outside its doors on opening day. Unfortunately, traveling extensively has its price; I’m always broke. So there goes my ticket to the museum.

I’ve been craving for a crispy binagoongan meal ever since our office moved to a new location and left me without access to Lola Idang’s Bahay Pancitan in Quezon City. I thought this recipe was unique only to Lola Idang’s but imagine my jaw dropping in surprise, I found the same dish being served at the heart of the ultra modern Bonifacio Global City.

I was visiting a friend in BGC when I found out about Mozu’s binagoongan. The said friend, who also can’t seem to forget Lola Idang’s crispy binagoonan after I introduced it to her, had apparently found an alternative to the sinfully heart-clogging dish.

The windswept crosses on the freshly mowed grasses of the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial stood proudly against the cloudless blue sky the afternoon I visited the iconic resting place of World War II Heroes in Fort Bonifacio. The place was generally empty but for a few tourists wandering around the place. 

The American Battle Monuments Commission erected the cemetery in 1960 for the American, Filipino and other Allied Nations that fought with the US Forces during the Battle of the Pacific during the early 40’s. There are a total of 17,206 marble headstones, making this the largest cemetery for the casualties of war built by the commission.

The afro-sporting Rio dela Cruz, more popularly known as Coach Rio in running circles has been organizing the best runs in the country since 2007.

A classic rags to riches story, Rio endured hardships during his early years. He was discovered during his fifth year in grade-school after beating everyone on the track team, barefoot.  A kind soul donated his first pair of shoes, a Mighty Kid, after seeing his potential. The shoes however were a tad too small and he had to work around it by cutting off the toe portion so he can still use it. 

After wearing out his Mighty Kid, he invested in a Converse Chuck Taylor and modified it by adding an alpombra, a thick rubber sole used on slippers, so it would last longer.