Fort Bonifacio
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Fort Bonifacio is an urban development in Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Also known as the Bonifacio Global City, this business center is managed by the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA). Originally known as Fort William McKinley, it was a 25.78 square kilometre property presumptuously acquired by the United States government during the American colonial period. The site was turned over by the U.S. Government to the Philippine Government through Exchanges of Notes No. 0634 and 3385 dated December 5 and 6, 1956 respectively between Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Carlos P. Garcia and U.S. Charge de Affairs, Horace Smith. Handed over to the Philippine Government a spurious U.S. Government Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT No. 2288), having no source Original Certificate of Title, and relying merely on a spurious typewritten Decree No. 1368 issued on October 1, 1906, when the first typewriter in the Philippines was marketed only in 1912. Renamed Fort Bonifacio on May 14, 1949, it then became the headquarters of the Philippine Army.
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[edit] Bonifacio Global City
In 1995, Bonifacio Land Development Corporation, a consortium led by Metro Pacific, made a successful bid to become BCDA's partner in the development of Bonifacio Global City.
Ayala Land, Inc. and Evergreen Holdings, Inc. of the Campos Group purchased a controlling stake in BLC from Metro Pacific in 2003. BCDA and the two companies now control Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation, which oversees the master planning of Bonifacio Global City. The Global City is now home to upscale residential condominiums such as Essensa, Pacific Plaza and Regent Parkway and office buildings such as Net One and Bonifacio Technology Center. Three more residential buildings, Bonifacio Ridge, One McKinley Place and Penhurst Parkplace, have been completed, while Serendra, Seibu Tower, Fairways Tower, Forbes Town, Fifth Avenue Place and The Icon Towers have begun construction. The prestigious British School Manila,Manila Japanese School and the International School Manila constructed and occupied new campuses in the Global City in its incipient stages. Other educational institutions in the area are Summit School, Victory Leadership Institute and MGC-New Life Christian Academy.
Most trendy restaurants, bars, clubs, and retail outlets are located in Bonifacio High Street, The Fort Square and Fort Strip where MTV Philippines headquarters is also located. Meanwhile, Bonifacio Stop-over and the Car Plaza cater to motorists. Global City is anchored by a major shopping center, Ayala Land's Market! Market!.
Many corporations have acquired properties and some have committed to relocate their regional or national headquarters, among them are The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, [Lawson Software], Fujitsu Corporation, Ericsson and TetraPak.
St. Luke's Medical Center and the Taguig Coliseum and Convention Center are among the Global City's anticipated developments. St. Luke's will be comprised of a 16-storey hospital building with 600 patient beds and an 11-storey medical arts building with 366 doctor's offices. The hospital intends to offer the most advanced medical technology administered by a highly trained staff. Taguig Coliseum and Convention Center, to be built by Northshore Holdings, Inc. and the current Taguig City administration, will be located on a 35,000 square metre site adjacent to Market! Market!. The center will include a hotel, office building, serviced apartments, a shopping center and a food court.
The Embassy of the Republic of Singapore has acquired a property near the Global City's center and will move permanently by 2008.
The masterplan of Fort Bonifacio was recently updated to allow efficient traffic management and circulation.
[edit] Controversies
Dubious Original Certificate of Title (O.C.T Special Patent 001) was issued to Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation (now Bonifacio Land Corporation) by Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos to conceal the spurious land title of Fort Bonifacio (TCT No. 61524) which was derived from the spurious land title of the United Stated of America (TCT No. 2288). An official criminal act by the President of the Republic of the Philippines that desecrate the sanctity and integrity of the Torrens System of Land Registration in the country. Justifying that it is legislated under R.A. 7227.. A glaring oligarchy that opens the floodgates of faking land titles by military officers and civilian bureaucratic syndicates thru:
- Spurious Presidential Proclamation 2478 allegedly issued on September 25, 1991, by former President Corazon C. Aquino.
- Memorandum Order No. 159 signed by Executive Secretary Eduardo R. Ermita by the authority of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo creating a panel to settle the ownership of the ten hectare US Diplomatic and Consular Area inside Fort William McKinley with the hidden agenda to landgrab that remaining 10 hectares of land (now known as Consular Area), squatted by Marcos cronies, multi-millionaires and professional squatters one of whom is a relative of Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita through leasehold arrangement with the government.
Makati City and Taguig City have recently fought over the jurisdiction of Fort Bonifacio. A portion of the base, including the Libingan ng mga Bayani and the American Cemetery, lies within Taguig City, while the northern portion where the Global City development is centered was formerly considered part of Makati. A 2003 ruling by a judge in the Pasig Regional Trial Court has upheld the jurisdiction of Taguig over the entirety of Fort Bonifacio, including the Bonifacio Global City.[1]
[edit] Philippine Stock Exchange
On January 29, 2008, Taguig City Mayor Sigfrido Tiñga announced that the main headquarters of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) will soon be built in Fort Bonifacio's 5,000-square meter property near the HSBC building and the unified bourse will operate by 2010. Also,the PSE held its 4th "Bull Run 2008: Takbo Para Sa Ekonomiya (Run for the Economy)."[2]
[edit] McKinley Hill
McKinley Hill, a development project of Megaworld Corporation, is a 50 hectare mixed-use township catering to an international clientele. The site will be a residential, office, institutional and retail center.
It is located east of Forbes Park and south of the Bonifacio Global City. The first institution anticipated to locate its operations at McKinley Hill is the Embassy of the United Kingdom. The embassy has acquired a 1.2 hectare site in McKinley Hill. Construction is ongoing and the embassy will open in 2009. [1]
The newly opened Chinese International School Manila is located at Upper McKinley Road in McKinley Hill. Other educational institutions soon to open are Enderun Colleges - an international hotel school and a Korean International School.
[edit] Heritage Park
Heritage Park was developed by BCDA. It is a 76-hectare high-value, multi-use memorial park designed with an ideal environment, beautiful landmarks and equipped with modern interment services, crematory and other facilities. The park opened in the first quarter of 2001.
Heritage Park is located on Bayani Road in Fort Bonifacio. It is between Libingan ng mga Bayani and The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
[edit] Landmarks
The Libingan ng mga Bayani (Tagalog: Cemetery of Heroes) is a memorial ground housing 33,520 Filipino soldiers killed in Bataan, Corregidor and other battlefields in World War II. Presidents of the Philippines, national artists and other honorable Filipinos are also buried here. The Vietnam War Memorial and Korean War Memorial are located in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is located on a prominent plateau within the limits of Fort Bonifacio. It contains the largest number of graves (17,206) of American soldiers who fought in World War II. Most of the soldiers buried at the American Cemetery lost their lives in operations in New Guinea and the Philippines.
[edit] Major Events
List of major events in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City:
| Date | Event | Performers |
|---|---|---|
| January 25, 2008 | The Black Parade World Tour | My Chemical Romance |
| November 7, 2007 | The Beyoncé Experience | Beyoncé Knowles |
| July 6, 2007 | Back to Basics Tour | Christina Aguilera |
| March 31, 2005 | Bonez Tour | Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan |
| December 11, 2004 | Yanig sa Taguig | Manny Pacquiao vs. Fahsan 3K-Battery |
| November 16, 2003 | Charmbracelet World Tour | Mariah Carey |
| Annually (since December 2003) |
MTV Music Summit for HIV/AIDS | Mandy Moore (2003), MiG Ayesa (2005) and various local artists. |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official Website of Taguig City
- Official Website of Bonifacio Global City
- Mirror website of Bonifacio Global City
- Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation
- Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA)
