Manila doesn’t have the best reputation. People who visit the city question it’s safety and complain there isn’t the cuisine, culture or architecture of other Southeast Asian cities. Their airport is poorly managed, infrastructure is old, and though it was one a beautiful city, most tourists try to stay in the safe havens surrounding the Greenbelts in Makati or Fort Bonifacio where lifestyle shops and restaurants protect you from the “real Manila.”  And while these critics could be right about some elements, few ever take a moment to understand what really made the city the way it is now.

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