I believe security became bad during the Erap Estrada years, then worsened when tokhang became a thing during PRRD and later Isko Moreno (ironically from Tondo).
Correction, Malate has been a popular hub even before the nineties. The heydays of Malate started in the 70's , Remedios circle was the fashion district with renowned designers and couturiers like Christian Espiritu, Ben Farales, Auggie Cordero to name a few. The legendary club CoCo Banana were the rich of the rich and celebrities gather, rows of restaurant and bars along Adriatico and Hard rock Cafe during the 80's and the famous Library karaoke bar. Malate was the Poblacion of today during that time.
I was a Malate regular. Problem in Malate after many years is the security around the area became bad. People feel safer when the bars transferred to Ortigas, Makati, BGC and QC
Worsened when Erap Estrada imposed discriminatory policies against LGBTQ took place, then tokhang became a thing under Pres. Duterte when drug raids became common, then Yorme Isko's economic policies.
As a former Malate habitué, the opening of hang-out spots in Eastwood (Quezon City) and Greenbelt 3 (Makati City) in the early 2000s took away a big chunk of the yuppie market at that time and at the same time, the Malate market started to “sober up” as they “shifted priorities (ie started families).
Malate is dead now compared to how it was 15 years ago... a lot of great restaurants closed around Remedios Circle like Guernica, a lot of our favorite Japanese restaurants (Tanaki and Yakitori House) and a really good steakhouse with the best Oysters Rockefeller (near Ellinwood Church). A lot of Chinese restaurants too like Wok Inn and Sky High. It's sad when you think how Malate used to be the heart of the city. It's a shell of its old self. The Korean samgyup places don't equal the old restaurants in number. I remember the only Korean restaurants back in the day were Kaya and Korean Village 😂 The only institutions left are Café Adriatico,Café Havana,and Casa Armas I think. There are other places now where people go like the Scout area and Makati, but Malate has its own peculiar charm.
Kudos to the FEATR team for producing such a superb documentary! The research, camera work, and the overall treatment are spot on. Looking forward to more content like this ❤
what a memory, the last time I was in a bar called Bed was in 2001. the crowd was mixed of male/female celebrities, and foreigners from around the globe. Malate back then was the West Hollywood of the Philippines
Malate at that time was THE BEST !!! Penguin Café, Blue Café, The original Café Havana , Episode , Verve room etc. etc. We had street parties every weekend , the first Fete Dela Musique was in Malate as well as the Pride parades. We even partied inside the National Library. THE BEST ♥️
we were part of the last goers of Bed.. that place made us feel safe and feel like we are far from the rest of the world and we can be who we are and what we want to be.. good old days with the members built by the co-owner of Bed , Tata and Doc Tony.. 😢
This was such an excellent episode! I’m a zillennial but have boomer and gen x gay friends who raved about the old Malate. Very fascinating to hear its history.
Yes, I remember the Piggy bar in Malate, next to the original Library Comedy Bar in Adriatico Street…… all gone now. Society has changed so much specially with onset of cell phones and social media which adds a whole new dimension with how to meet people……but Malate is still magical !
Great Upload! I attended my prep school in Malate that the guy next door from our school is Pitoy Moreno and Bob's studio was in the same building, this was in the 80s a lot things has change since then and I left in 92.
We had a hack back then if we can't afford the beer sold in clubs (since we were just college kids). We just buy in 711, and drink it along Nakpil-Orosa, since partygoers are mostly hanging out sa streets naman. Hehehe.
History has never been a thing for most Filipinos. We forget easily. Too many things from the past which form part of our culture and identity have been buried with passage of time.
you may start from United Nations ave.all the way to the end of roxas boulevard - reflections disco,subway disco,coco banana,library,cafe adriatico,hizons bake shop,father’s moustache,hollywood disco,aristocrat restaurant,cruisin manila, ON disco,circuit,siete pecados,etc.
Wow the golden years of Malate. Perfectly encapsulated in this docu. I used to be a band member so I hanged out with mostly punks/metalheads so only regulars know of our spot. (Skins) Every night we had to survive the riots against gangsters and chongs and all of us; youths knew that the LGBTQ people are nothing to play with. There’s an unwritten rule that the gay district is a no fight zone cause in our minds, Malate will never be the spot if it wasn’t for them. They are untouchable and there is no known history of violence against the rainbow coalition in Malate, it’s the taste of freedom for all of us growing up but with responsibility.
It's better sana if you've interviewed someone na legitimate "taong Malate" in its glory days, way back in the 70's, 80's for us to get the feel on how it was. The one you've interviewed was from the province and of course in culture shock when he moved to Malate in the mid '90s.
I really love how this channel chooses its content. Kudos to the team!! (i hope there would be a segment that u will allow ur followers to join u, even just to observe
Gen X here and my family lived in Malate until I was 6 years old. It used to be a nice residential neighborhood back then. I did experience a bit of its night life and restaurant scene in the 90s and early 2000s.
I currently live in a dorm here in Malate im 18 so obviously I didn't even get a chance to see what life is like out here during the 90's. But still everytime I walk around out here there's a sad feeling everytime I walk across a closed restobar, Old party posters and many relics of the past.
I was there almost every Saturday with my friends as we live near by but the problem is security, people from slums snatching bombarding people who go there so we moved to makati and QC more safer
A friend of mine lived at Bocobo st. and we often hang out every fridays there but people migrate. The old ones pass away and the heirs sell houses. That's basically the gist of it.
i think same thing is slowly happening in pobla now, back in 2016-2019 it was packed, lots of street vendors and a variety of people, the last time I went there after the pandemic hit, it was a bit empty and to think that it was on a Friday night.. its not like what it used to be.
I remember the days pride month on malate black out night and white party during the time i traveled from pampanga to malate and met interesting people.
Malate didn’t stand a chance with the new developments in Eastwood, Pasig, BGC and Makati. Party goers we’re presented with better and safer options so they chose to go to those places instead of Malate. It’s sad but the area didn’t innovate fast enough to keep the people interested.
Its fascinating to know na growing up in the 90s as a toddler to a kid, and 2000s as a teen and 2010s as an early 20s college kid is like Σ>―(〃°ω°〃)♡→ Watching this made me feel like: "damn. So this is what/how it feels like to be part of history" at 34 nowadays. Its surprisingly nostalgic. If you really fail to adjust with the passing of time maiiwan ka e. I title this video "the only permanent thing in life is change 🤗"
Clean it up, make it safe and organize events supported by high profile LGBT personalities or supporters. The likes, wants and preferences of Filipinos change over time like any other places in the world. Just like Escolta. Or Harrison Plaza. Or even Makati, this city used to be the end all be all yet now is being overshadowed by up and coming newer developments. Give it time as the economy of the Philippines slowly flourishes, any community will see a revival.
I was born in 2003. I can still vividly remember what Malate used to look like from 2005-2007 because my dad used to bring me there every single night, so watching this is pretty much nostalgic. The 'new' Malate I could consider now is Poblacion, Makati.
I was born and raised in Malate in the 60s and 70s. And I do not remember any of these clubs and bars while growing up in the 70s. But I also left for America in 1977. M. Orosa and J. Bocobo streets were my neighborhood.
I'm in my late 20s. I never experienced the "old Malate" but I frequently go to Malate in the past 10 years for the Korean and Japanese restaurants. I don’t know if I prefer the 90s Malate, but i'm definitely satisfied with how Malate is right now. Although some establishments I loved have closed due to the pandemic. Still, I consider Malate a great place for food trips. Some of my faves are Tang, Zhu ba jie, Kaya, Tanabe, Makchang, and Su Zhou.
This is sad. But it brought back memories. Sa Malate ako nagkaroon ng maraming kaibigan. Di pa uso Facebook nun, pero meron nang "friends of a friend" connection, add ka lang ng add until you all become part of a clique. I've eyeballed new lovers there, ignored exes and kissed strangers in BED. I only stopped going to Malate after a friend became a victim of violence. There used to be guys pretending to be part of the queer community who picked up victims. One of my friends got seduced and agreed to go with a guy, who took him to a nearby dingy motel just pass Taft ave. During the deed, the guy suddenly became violent, hitting him and screaming he's not gay and that my friend should pay him or else he'd be dragged out of the motel and be blamed and shamed in the street. I saw my friend running back to meet us outside O Bar with his shirt torn and very scared. He said he just threw whatever amount of money he got in his pocket and ran out the door. There were bystanders in the motel who saw him and seemed to be part of the modus operandi since they also shouted "bakla!" at him. So yes, after that, Malate became a no go zone.
It was 08, we had our after party from my best-friend’s debut. We were so young back then, and a lot of the bars around Malate turned us down because of the age restriction. That was my early exposure of what Malate was and how many people from the community can be themselves, just free and having fun. Fast-forward 4 years later, I became a frequent gimikero, became a Che’lu baby, looking forward to the Annual White Party, and I was able to visit The Bed Malate before they moved to Greenfields, Manda. I had the fondest memory of the people, the sight, sounds, and everything during my Malate days. Bring Back Malate.
During the 80' and 90' I used to bring my date and have nice a dinner at Cafe Adriatico. There was also a jazz bar with a famous radio jazz DJ in house. Forgot the name but it was like "Jazz Box"? I also go to the Hobit house to watch some local bands. Rosie's Diner was also famous in the 80s for us college students then. I remember there was Penguins and this was the original hang out place for the gay community. Then in the late 90' early 2000s Rave parties were the in thing and Nakpil was at the forefront of the nightlife with bars like The Verve Room. I also organized a Malate bar hop tour in 2001 sponsored by Cuervo Gold and OST Cafe Del Mar CD album. It was only in mid 2000s that the gay communities spread out to the Nakpil area and its surroundings. Nothing against LGBTQ but I strongly believe this made the regulars shy away from this places and went to other places like The Fort and Eastwood. Now Nakpil is in a sorry state with karaoke bars and low quality food stalls.
Orosa was gay to start with. It's not true that penguin was the only gay space in the 90s, there was Piggy's, Gen Gali, Library, in Adriatico, Zoo cafe, Penguin cafe along Renedios, My Father's mustache in Mabini, and Blue Cafe in Nakpil. It was bohemian and artsy then with plenty of couturiers, there were hardly any other bars in the area orosa area and side streets. The LGBTQ pride was in 1996, this tells you how significant the area was to the community. Blue cafe gave way to Sala then Nakpil started gentrification in the late 90s with addition of Common grounds, Iguana, Firma etc. the courtyard used to be a big house with Marston mat fence that became the home of Bed, NY cafe, all those were gay hangouts. Ladida was a lesbian bar after cafe caribana vacated which in turn became Red banana then o-bar. During all those times a big chunk of orosa was still residential until they got converted that's where you have joy, cafe Breton etc. the street parties started almost the same time as the Pride march, before that Blue cafe would have small street party along Nakpil In the book 'Streets of Manila' printed in the 1970s, the authors described Malate as 'sward country ' with the couturiers living and setting up shop there. Don't even have to mention Coco Banana in Renedios circle in the 70s to 90s.
Way back 2000 dyn nahubog pagkadalaga ko.. hahaha after class gala sa bar with frends and skulmate.. nauso dati ang GEB grand eyeball.. mga clan sa phone😂😂
