Makati City is well-known to be the center of finance in Metro Manila. It is where many establishments have their offices and businessmen make multi-million deals. But beyond these aspects, many are not aware that this city also has a lot of landmarks and heritage sites that are worthy to be visited.
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| Officers and members of MTFI |
Last May 23, the
Makati Tourism Foundation, Inc. (MTFI) inaugurated two milestone projects for 2013. First is the
MTFI Kiosk that's conveniently located at the
Glorietta Activity Center. It is an information center slash souvenir shop where tourists can find brochures and other promotional materials from the foundations' members composed of hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, and retail stores. The kiosk also displays Makati City and
Ayala Center merchandise such as shirts, umbrellas, stuffed toys, mugs, and more.
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| The MTFI Kiosk |
During the opening ceremonies, MTFI President
Christian Pirodon acknowledged that the day is a milestone for their organization because, "we are closer to fulfill our mission to make Makati City a primary tourist destination of choice in the country."
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| Pretty jeepney! |
On the other hand, there's also
Soul of a City, MTFI's city tour project that showcases the city's historical and modern landmarks, heritage sites, and prime shopping venues. This is in line with the foundation's thrust to further promote the city as one great tourist destination that is rich in both character and culture.
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| Church of Saints Peter and Paul |
Two of my friends and I joined other members of the media and a group of students on an afternoon tour where we were brought to several interesting sites including the
Church of Saints Peter and Paul,
Guadalupe Shrine, and the
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. Ours was a shortened version though of the four-hour tour so we didn't get to see other places that are in the regular itinerary. Still, I found our ride enjoyable because we rode an air conditioned and nicely-decorated jeepney that has a uniformed driver and tour guide as well as ... a videoke machine! I'm sure those who like to belt out songs would love that feature!
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| Guadalupe Shrine |
It was also quite a unique experience to be inside the vehicle while reporter
Marisol Abdurahman did a live news report. She was just behind me, talking in front of the camera, while the jeep's TV was turned on to the
GMA News TV channel. That was so cool!
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| Manila American Cemetery and Memorial |
After the tour, my friends and I had a late lunch at
New World Makati Hotel, one of our favorite hangouts because it is such a cozy place to be in during hot afternoons. Read my
blog post here on our
Afternoon Tea gathering there a couple of months ago.
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| Our very filling late lunch at New World Makati Hotel |
Soul of a City is made possible through partnerships with
Ayala Land, Inc.,
Le Clefs d'Or Philippines,
Jeepney Tours, and the
Makati City government.
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| Inside the jeepney with Marisol and the students |
For more information and to reserve seats, please approach the
Concierge desks of participating Makati City hotels or call MTFI's Dr. Elton See Tan at 09178475451, email address
dreltonseetan@gmail.com or contact the foundation at 893-9977 and
makati_tourism@yahoo.com. Ask if the introductory discounted ticket prices are still available.
To see more photos taken during the inauguration and tour, please click here.
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